"Isn't that good?"
Ji Shuhe couldn't say it was good or bad, but it had no practical meaning for her.
Still... making a rebellious problem child admit fault and feel guilty seemed a bit interesting. This kind of psychological counterattack was more effective than a childish war of words.
She needed to make this guy who made sarcastic remarks understand that if he were in her situation, he might not do as well as she did. She would return all his cold mockery to him.
But Ji Shuhe didn't respond immediately. She pursed her lips and even started walking again after a moment, as if certain Wen Shaoyu would follow.
By now, the sky was dark. Streetlights flickered on, casting a hazy warm glow that elongated their long shadows.
"How do you know I never said those things?" Ji Shuhe suddenly spoke, staring at the concrete tiles. "Of course I knew that forcing myself to eat would be uncomfortable. So the next day, I planned to serve myself. But..."
She let out a long sigh. "But Grandma and Grandpa wouldn't allow it. They thought I was at that age where I wanted to be pretty and was skipping meals to lose weight."
"And then?" Wen Shaoyu didn't quite understand. Not fighting all the way was no different from not fighting at all. "Grandma Ji has old-fashioned ideas. Couldn't you talk to Uncle Ji and Auntie Ji? Did you just accept this as the norm?"
Ji Shuhe glanced sideways at Wen Shaoyu. Seeing his serious expression, genuinely trying to find a solution, she almost laughed. "See, I told you you wouldn't understand."
"First of all, I'm staying here temporarily. Without my parents around, the responsibility of guardianship falls on Grandma and Grandpa. If I lose weight or get sick in Xinhai, they would have a hard time explaining to my parents. So they'll always give me more than I need, never less."
In the thin veil of night, the wind lifted Ji Shuhe's long hair, revealing a slender, pale neck. The expression on her face was a helpless, bitter smile.
"As for my uncle and aunt, it's even more inconvenient for them to help me with this. Asking Grandma and Grandpa to let me eat less—how would that look if word got out?"
Wen Shaoyu suddenly understood why Ji Shuhe thought he couldn't comprehend.
Because she was living under someone else's roof, because she wanted to live peacefully, she had considered everyone's perspective in the Ji family. She just hadn't found a suitable solution, so she chose to sacrifice herself.
Without a similar experience, one probably couldn't truly understand her compromises and attempts to please.
But he understood.
He had even become a stranger in his own home where he grew up.
Yet his choice was completely different from Ji Shuhe's.
Because of this difference, her actions frustrated him. When Wen Shaoyu spoke again, his tone carried a hint of anger at her lack of backbone. "Putting yourself in everyone's shoes—aren't you tired?"
Ji Shuhe didn't hesitate and countered softly, "If this lets me spend my days in Xinhai peacefully, what's wrong with it?"
Wen Shaoyu choked, then suddenly realized. Their different choices stemmed from different backgrounds. Ji Shuhe had kindly relatives. Perhaps he shouldn't, because of that one or two similarities, test and deliberately provoke her rebellion.
They were different.
If Ji Shuhe was a sensitive but docile pet cat hiding its claws, then he was a discarded dog who had angered everyone with his defiance.
He couldn't please others, couldn't become the ideal image of being tamed. Whenever he met someone he disliked, he bared his teeth and threatened. No wonder everyone except his grandmother loathed him.
In the abrupt silence, they walked a bit further. Ji Shuhe's stomach still felt uncomfortable, and she lost the mood to argue with Wen Shaoyu, calling a temporary truce.
Not far away, the neon sign of the bathhouse, lit only on half, stood out in the night. Ji Shuhe turned to look at Wen Shaoyu, who was still lost in thought.
He had followed her all this way. Was he ever going to stop?
She said irritably, "Are you done asking? If you're done, can you stop following me?"
Wen Shaoyu's train of thought was interrupted by Ji Shuhe. He looked up at the girl, a head shorter than him, clearly impatient, and couldn't help but find it amusing. "Hey, you're nice to everyone else, but you're so impatient with me. Isn't that a bit too discriminatory?"
Discriminatory? He had the nerve to ask!
Every time she ran into him, she made a fool of herself. When he opened his mouth, it was nothing but sarcasm. Even a clay figurine has some temper! Why should she be nice to someone like him?
So Ji Shuhe blurted out, "You can't help me anyway. Why would I talk nicely to you?"
Little One was quite pragmatic, a sharp one. He had underestimated her.
But Wen Shaoyu couldn't resist teasing her. "Who says I can't help you? Come on, say something nice, and I'll help you become the boss of the alley."
"..."
"Psycho!"
Ji Shuhe completely ignored Wen Shaoyu this time, turning and walking toward the bathhouse door without so much as a glance.
Great, he had really pissed her off.
But Wen Shaoyu felt no remorse. Looking at her quickening footsteps, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.
The low laugh carried by the wind reached Ji Shuhe's ears. She gritted her teeth and silently cursed Wen Shaoyu again.
Psycho!
Who gets scolded and still smiles so happily?!