Where Winter is Warm Where Summer is Cool

I went and sat down on the door steps in the shade of the trees, not able to stop the sudden onslaught of tears streaming down my face.

“It’s cold outside, go inside.”

The sudden, cold voice made my body flinch.

What is this? Is he making fun of me? 

“Come in and have breakfast with me.”

His cold, slow voice had a touch of seriousness to it.

“You need to eat regularly for your health.”

A regular diet? What kind of joke is this?

I looked up at Xi Xichen standing a metre away from me. He stared back, his eyes deep with a certain kind of sadness.

“Go inside,” he repeated.

“Don’t bother me.”

I didn’t want to speak much because I hated the way my voice rasped after I cried, and I especially didn’t want him to hear it.

Xichen’s expression remained calm as he stood silently watching me. His dark eyes seemed to sink as he replied.

“As you wish.”

I don’t understand this person, so I won’t spend too much energy thinking about it. After all, I have no desire to be in touch with such people.

It was late afternoon when the crimson rays of the evening sun woke me up through the grey window screen.

I vaguely remembered passing out in the back garden. What a weak body.

“Well…”

A sweet child’s voice came from my side, and I turned my head to find Jian Yulin curled up under the covers, sleeping soundly.

I rubbed my eyes before getting up and going into the washroom. When I came out, the aroma of food was wafting through the room. There was a simple, light dinner on the table.

Jian Yulin was now sitting on the edge of the bed rubbing his eyes as if he had just been woken up.

“Brother brought in the dinner.”

“And?” I smiled.

“Brother saw sister was up and brought in porridge he’d kept for you.” His voice faded towards the end of the sentence as he disappeared back under the bedding.

“He’s truly free.”

For the next two days, I stayed at the house, feeling peaceful. Strangely, even though I didn’t go out, I never met up with the unusually free Xichen. I wasn’t sure if he was deliberately avoiding me or if it was just coincidental, but it was definitely not a bad thing for me.

The only downside was I started to get a bit of a headache from enduring two days of Jian Yulin’s pestering. His thought process as a child meant he was completely ignorant of what it meant when someone said no.

Both mornings, I woke up to find the little boy next to me, shaking his head and sighing. I suspected he had a spare key to my room.

However, the person I was actually waiting for, Shen Qingyu, still did not show up.

On the third day I learned that my father was due to return soon, and I decided if he did and Shen Qingyu still didn’t appear, then I wouldn’t wait any longer.

It would be nice to settle things and apologize before I left, but if it couldn’t be done then I wouldn’t try and force it. If the apology could not be said, then I would have to live with my guilt.

That afternoon though, Yang Yali unexpectedly appeared at Jian’s house.

“I’m here to talk to you about him,” she said, her face serious.

I put my coffee cup down, knowing exactly who she was talking about.

Yang Yali looked at me, clearly not happy with my attitude.

“Jain Anjie, I really don’t understand what’s going on in your mind.”

I laughed.

“Sometimes I don’t even know myself, so I don’t expect you to Miss Yang.”

“You don’t have to be so cynical. I know I’m not qualified to talk to you, but…” she paused, “Ye Lin he–”

“Miss Yang,” I interrupted, “Are you sure we should talk about him?”

There was a clear rejection of me in her eyes that, though she tried to keep hidden, was still quite palpable. She hated me but she still had to sit and talk about things she didn’t want to talk about with me.

“Ye Lin, he’s in a bad way.”

Since she wanted to talk, I decided to go along with it.

“You’re not trying to tell me that it’s all because of me, are you?”

“You know the truth in your heart better than anyone, don’t you? Even if you want to deny it to me, you can’t deny it to yourself!” She pressed on, seething coldly.

“Is that so?” I added two spoons of cream to my coffee, not minding her outburst.

“Ye Lin is a model as well as an entertainer, and the media won’t miss a chance to copy, spin or bash him. He’s already pompous in his attitude, and even more so now. He can act unconcerned, but I can’t.”

I frowned, “What exactly are you trying to say, Miss Yang?”

“I admit that you have a great influence on him, just like you did six years ago. Probably even more than that–”

Yang Yali stopped abruptly and looked at me as I stirred the cream in my coffee. She frowned. “But with Ye Lin, there can only be me around, and I came to you today, hoping that you will not appear in front of him again, not ever. I know it’s a bit much to ask, but I’m asking you.”

I smiled and took a few sips of my coffee, not saying anything.

“You’re back, Mr. Xi.”

The maid’s voice came in from the foyer.

I froze, and surprisingly, so did Yang Yali. I don’t know if I was imagining it, but Yang Yali seemed to fidget a little when she heard the words ‘Mr. Xi’.

Xichen walked into the living room, saw me, turned his head to look at the person sitting opposite me, gave her a slight nod of greeting and then walked straight to the staircase.

Just as his hand brushed the handrail, he stopped again and turned to look at Yang Yali.

“Miss Yang, if you are not in a hurry to go back, you can stay for dinner.”