Lin Ran walked Xu Mo home first.

Her apartment had three rooms, neat and tidy—a cheap rental. On the balcony, two potted plants added lush greenery.

“D-do you want an orange?” Xu Mo asked softly, head bowed.

“Sure, one’s fine.”

Xu Mo took an orange from the fridge and sat across from him. Carefully, she peeled it, her slender, porcelain fingers tracing the veins. Once done, she handed it to Lin Ran.

Lin Ran took only half.

He popped it into his mouth, watching Xu Mo’s obedient, head-bowed posture of remorse.

“I... I stumbled upon it online by accident.”

“Hmm, and then?”

“At first, I just took life photos. But... but later... we had no money. I know my sister works hard, but... but I can’t do anything... so I thought of this.” Her voice grew softer, her head sinking lower, almost to the dust.

“You haven’t taken any yet?”

“N-not yet.”

Lin Ran reached out and gently tapped her head.

Xu Mo obediently took it, not daring to look at him.

But his tap was feather-light. He sighed softly. “Then, can you delete the account now?”

“Mm... mm! Okay!” Xu Mo pulled out her phone, found the account section, and chose to delete it. Lin Ran just breathed a sigh of relief when he suddenly remembered something and snatched her phone.

He opened the photo gallery.

Her gallery had nothing weird—few selfies, mostly landscapes. But Lin Ran spotted a private album that required a password.

“Password?” he raised an eyebrow.

“There’s... there’s nothing inside.”

“Nothing needs a password?”

“Really... nothing.” Xu Mo was stammering now, clearly tense. Lin Ran pretended to call Xu Zhi. Xu Mo’s cheeks flushed red, and she finally blurted out a few numbers.

Lin Ran typed them in one by one.

Inside were six photos.

Six shots of a slender girl in a slightly short, risqué maid dress and white over-knee socks, half-kneeling before a mirror. Her face was hidden by the phone, but her fair skin glowed faintly in the dim light. Nothing explicit showed. Lin Ran flipped through them slowly. Xu Mo covered her face tightly, on the verge of tears.

The last one: the dress strap had slipped down, revealing delicate collarbones and a hint of soft cleavage.

Only these six photos. Lin Ran checked carefully again—nothing else.

He handed the phone back to Xu Mo, not deleting the photos.

“Look up at my eyes.”

Xu Mo hesitantly looked up. When she met his gaze, she felt a tiny daze.

She expected anger, fury, mockery. But Lin Ran’s expression was gentle, just tinged with helplessness.

“Why did you lie to me?”

“Because... it’s embarrassing.”

“Embarrassing?”

“I really like... that kind of dress... so I took photos... but no, I absolutely didn’t post them! It’s just... so embarrassing.”

“They’re actually quite cute,” Lin Ran blurted out, then pinched her cheek absentmindedly.

Xu Mo stared at him blankly.

“It’s normal for girls to like pretty dresses. When desperate, thinking of wrong things is forgivable. You’re already so sensible. Even if I hadn’t found out, you’d have deleted the account, right?”

Xu Mo nodded hurriedly.

“This time, no lying. Really?”

“Really!” Xu Mo nodded earnestly.

“Mm, I believe you,” Lin Ran said softly, his eyes encouraging. “It’s okay. Your mom’s surgery has started. It’s safe, no risks. Tomorrow when you wake up, she’ll be healthy. Your sister won’t have to work in that environment anymore.”

“Just focus on your studies. Everything will get better. If you can’t solve something or don’t know how to tell your sister, tell me. That’s my promise to you.”

Xu Mo nodded dazedly.

Sadly, she didn’t understand the weight of that promise.

“Can I... ask you a question?” Xu Mo tugged lightly at his sleeve.

“Ask.”

“What’s your real relationship with my sister?”

“Friends.”

“Then... have you done it?”

“I said we’re friends. Why would we have done it?” Lin Ran sighed in exasperation.

He felt this girl misunderstood him.

“Then... have you kissed?”

Lin Ran hesitated for a split second—too late to lie. Xu Mo had already read the answer in his eyes.

The answer didn’t really matter anyway.

“You... don’t like my sister?”

“Hmm, how to put it... I’m not really into dating right now.”

“I see,” Xu Mo nodded softly.

Lin Ran stood up, looking at the girl before him. “Your sister will be busy tomorrow. It’s Saturday—you don’t have school, right?”

“Mm.”

“Wait here.” Lin Ran called Xu Zhi. She answered quickly, probably waiting quietly outside the surgery room. “I’ve already taken your sister home. Don’t worry. Tomorrow... how about I take her to buy some clothes?”

Xu Zhi knew Lin Ran well, so she didn’t joke around. “Sure. I’ll be taking care of Mom tomorrow, no time. Just tell me what you buy, I’ll pay you back.”

“Okay.” Lin Ran didn’t argue.

He had it on speaker, so Xu Mo heard everything. After hanging up, Xu Mo waved her hands frantically. “I-I have enough clothes... no need for new ones.”

“New clothes mean a fresh start.”

Xu Mo hesitated for several seconds, then nodded softly.

She kept her head down, occasionally stealing glances at Lin Ran before quickly looking away. Lin Ran felt something was off.

“Wait, do you misunderstand me?”

“What?”

“Relax. For someone your age... I’m a 23-year-old uncle. I’d never flirt with a girl like you—that’s trashy behavior.”

Xu Mo froze, looking into Lin Ran’s eyes—clear and pure.

“Then... why are you so nice to me?”

“Because you’re Xu Zhi’s sister.”

“Because... that’s it.”

“You’re also a very likable girl—sensible and gentle. You’ve had it tough these years. After tonight, forget all those worries.” Lin Ran looked at the soft-hearted girl, feeling a slight tug in his heart.

He understood that feeling—he could empathize.

Trapped in a dark swamp, wanting to struggle but powerless. No matter what, you can’t escape the vicious cycle—endless pain, ceaseless torment, over and over.

Because he’d been through it, he no longer cared about many things.

“I’ll head out then. Rest well. I’ll pick you up at nine tomorrow morning.”

As soon as Lin Ran said that, a deafening thunderclap boomed beside their ears. Lin Ran frowned, looking out the window. The afterimage of lightning had just vanished.

Then came the pouring rain.

“Do you have an umbrella?” Lin Ran asked.

Xu Mo paused. “With rain this heavy... even with an umbrella... you can’t go back, right?”

The summer downpour was too sudden. Lin Ran sighed helplessly. “Then I’ll sit here for a while before leaving. You go to sleep.”

“I’m not sleepy,” Xu Mo replied softly. “Do you want more watermelon?”

“Huh? Sure.”

Xu Mo slipped on slippers, her slender, fair calves moving as she fetched a small watermelon from the fridge. She cut it in half in the kitchen, gave Lin Ran one half, and handed him a spoon.

Lin Ran happily scooped a spoonful of chilled watermelon. It was great.

Eating watermelon on a rainy day, listening to the downpour—it was a lovely experience.

“I-I’m going to shower... if you want more, this half is yours too.” Xu Mo’s voice was stammering. Lin Ran shook his head. Then Xu Mo went to her room to find clothes and headed to the bathroom.

…………………………

The girl stood before the mirror, undressing piece by piece. The water was a bit cold, but she didn’t turn on the heater. Her hand touched her cheek—it felt burning hot, impossible to cool down.

So embarrassing...

Even seeing those photos herself made her blush and her heart race. But now, now he’d seen them all!

Cold droplets fell on her skin, but her mind wouldn’t stop racing. The girl looked at herself in the mirror. The chill of water sliding over her skin finally calmed her heartbeat after a while.

She changed into sleepwear: black athletic shorts that barely covered her petite hips, and her long, slender legs—still dotted with water droplets—gleamed under the light.

When she stepped out of the bathroom, Lin Ran was scooping watermelon, staring blankly at the rain outside.

Her half of the watermelon was still there. She sat across from Lin Ran, gently scooping a bit with her spoon, then stealing a glance at him.

Lin Ran was still lost in thought.

“Hey.”

“What?” Lin Ran snapped out of it, looking at her.

“C-can you taste if it’s still cold? I get stomachaches from cold things now.” Xu Mo whispered, lifting her fair arm. The spoon held a piece of watermelon, offered to Lin Ran’s mouth.

Lin Ran froze. He took his spoon and scooped from her watermelon. “Like this, right?”

“It’s still a bit cold.” Lin Ran popped the piece into his mouth.

“Then... you eat it... I-I’ll just taste a bite.”

She ate her scooped piece, then shoved the half watermelon into Lin Ran’s lap. She couldn’t look him in the eyes, her voice trembling with guilt.

“I’m going to sleep!”

Lin Ran watched the girl’s fair legs move away, hugging the remaining half watermelon. Then he turned back to stare at the rain curtain.

In her room.

Xu Mo clutched the blanket tightly, burying her face in it, rolling back and forth.

Xu Mo...

How could you suddenly go crazy...

How could you be so stupid...?