Hot water poured continuously from the showerhead, and the white-tiled bathroom was thick with mist.
Even with my eyes open, I could only faintly see An Zhi’s slightly flushed skin through the white haze.
“I have nothing to give in return… I don’t know how to do anything except dance, so… I want you to take this. My first time… well, is that okay?”
The humidity made our bodies sticky.
She unbuttoned my shirt one by one, her warm breath blowing against the exposed skin of my chest.
It was itchy.
‘I didn’t give her a gift just so she would give me something in return.’
The scene before my eyes stimulated my brain.
My body reacted more honestly than my mouth.
In my heart, An Zhi was like a star shining in the sky.
Now, her seemingly glowing body was right in front of me.
If I just reached out…
“That… doesn’t count as a return gift. This is something boyfriends and girlfriends do… unless you don’t recognize me as your girlfriend.”
She quietly looked up to observe my expression, tentatively pressing her body against mine.
She was beautiful.
Whether it was her face or her figure, every detail was deeply etched into my heart.
As I made direct contact with her skin, a subtle sense of guilt hid behind the rising desire.
I deliberately ignored it and held my girlfriend in my arms.
Yes, An Zhi was my girlfriend.
That was right.
“Mhm. I love you.”
“I love you too… Mingshan, teach me what to do… teach me, okay?”
Her face turned bright red, and her piercing gaze shot through the white mist into my eyes.
She seemed to be conveying a single thought: ‘No matter what, I want to take this step further.’
I couldn’t help but lower my head and kiss her deeply.
We embraced, closer than we had ever been before.
It felt as if our hearts were pressed directly against each other, transferring their heat back and forth.
***
Late into the night, I stroked An Zhi’s smooth, long hair.
Her cheek was pressed against my chest as she breathed steadily.
I thought she probably wasn’t in pain anymore, which helped me feel a little more at ease.
However, the memory of that splash of red on the tiled floor while I was cleaning the bathroom still hammered at my heart.
Amidst the excitement, a trace of shame remained.
With my mind in this state, it was going to be difficult to get a good night’s sleep.
I didn’t know how much time had passed, but in a state between wakefulness and sleep, I heard a faint sound, like someone knocking on the door with their knuckles.
The sound didn’t last long before disappearing.
‘Is someone outside? Who would it be this late? It must be a hallucination.’
I tried to think, but drowsiness soon dragged my consciousness back into a dream.
***
The next day, when I opened my eyes, I suddenly realized that a soft weight was missing from my side.
I hurriedly sat up.
“An Zhi!?”
I called out.
“Hmm? I’m in the bathroom… wait a second,” a voice called out from the bathroom.
I let out a long sigh of relief and calmed down.
An Zhi was home. She hadn’t left.
Why did I think she would leave?
“It’s nothing. Don’t rush. Does it still hurt?”
“A little. Asking that… it’s embarrassing.”
I tactfully shut my mouth and waited.
A short while later, I faintly heard her muttering at the door.
“What is… this?”
I quickly put on my clothes and walked over.
I saw her hurriedly trying to hide something behind her back.
“What is it?”
“Nothing…”
I pulled her into my arms with a bit of force and snatched a crumpled piece of paper from the small hand she had clenched behind her back.
On it, written crookedly in red pen, were the words: “Pay back your debts.”
My heart tightened.
‘Did the person who knocked on the door last night leave this?’
“It was tucked into the crack of the door…”
An Zhi explained timidly.
“Was it someone from The Company?”
“…”
I was silent for a moment, not daring to confirm it in front of her.
“It’s fine,” I comforted her.
If it was people sent by Wings Star World, had they already found this place?
I tore up the note, threw it into the toilet, and flushed it away.
“Mingshan… should I… should I try talking to my parents?”
An Zhi lowered her head, fidgeting with her fingers.
Ever since she rebelliously chose to stay in the country for work, she had lost contact with her parents.
Her parents probably knew about my existence.
Judging by the way An Zhi avoided the subject in the past, they definitely opposed our relationship.
If An Zhi contacted her parents now…
“It’s fine!”
I said quickly.
“I’ll find a way to solve it!”
“Mhm…”
An Zhi hugged herself and sat quietly on the edge of the bed.
It seemed I couldn’t take her out to buy clothes anymore…
Once we stepped outside, I couldn’t guarantee I could protect her.
*Knock, knock! Knock, knock, knock!*
Just as I was worrying, a violent knocking sounded.
An Zhi jumped up from the bed in a fright, and I turned to stare intensely at the door.
Could it be…
“Brother Mingshan! It’s me, open up.”
I heard Xiao Ji’s voice.
Only after seeing him through the peephole did I dare to open the door.
He rushed in, wearing an overcoat.
“Hello, Sister-in-law.”
He greeted An Zhi and glanced around as if he were wary of something.
“You can just say it,” I said, pouring him some tea.
“Uh… it’s about Su.”
Su Xixia?
What was she up to now?
“Go ahead, it’s fine.”
I sat next to An Zhi and lightly stroked her back.
“It’s just… she never replied after I sent that message the other day. I was wandering around that area today, so I went to take a look. Her window still isn’t fixed, and the door wasn’t even closed!”
“What?”
I was stunned and asked quickly, “Was she inside?”
“No. I pushed the door open and didn’t see anything. It was like no one lived there. All her things were gone. It looks like she’s been gone for one or two days.”
I immediately messaged the former landlord to ask about the situation.
Not long after, she replied saying she didn’t know anything.
She just kept complaining about the broken window and demanding money for the damages.
I ignored her.
I speculated about where Su Xixia could have gone.
Going back to her hometown was impossible.
She had the money I transferred to her card, which was enough to live in the city for a while.
Did she move?
After all, she had been harassed because of the situation with An Zhi and me.
Moving was normal.
As for why she didn’t tell the landlord, she probably didn’t want me to know.
‘Why be so mysterious? I wouldn’t go looking for her anyway.’
Thinking of this, I breathed a sigh of relief.
“It’s fine. She probably found a job and moved.”
“Right! Why do I always think the worst? Look at this bad habit of mine. Sorry for disturbing you guys.”
Xiao Ji slapped his forehead, finally sat down, and picked up the teacup.
“How can you call it a disturbance?”
I said.
“Sigh…”
He sighed.
“What’s wrong?”
“About that 500,000 Compensation… I asked my sister, and my mom was there too. The result was…”
“Don’t worry about it, and don’t feel bad. Your family has already helped us a lot. An Zhi won’t blame you guys for this. Thank you.”
An Zhi also nodded.
“Thank you…” she whispered.
“Well… alright then. They said this is something you have to solve yourselves. It’s a hurdle you must cross if you want to be together. So, they won’t help you.”
“I know…”
Yes, this was a hurdle I had to cross.
Yesterday, I only took a taste of happiness in advance; it didn’t solve any problems.
Between her and me, there was still a chasm called “reality.”
I had to cross it for us to reach a happy ending.
If I couldn’t…
I felt my arm being held.
Was An Zhi comforting me in return?
“I will work hard together with Mingshan.”
Hearing her say that, a surge of emotion welled up in my heart.
“Then I’m relieved! Even though I can’t help with the big stuff, I can handle the small things!”
Xiao Ji stood up and rubbed his hands together.
“Sister-in-law, Brother Mingshan, you guys feel different than before. Did something happen?”
“This…”
An Zhi and I glanced at each other.
I saw her cheeks begin to turn red.
“We’ve just become… more familiar with each other?”
“An—Anyway, I feel like you guys can do it! If there’s really no other way, just ask me for help! I’m taking off now!”
Xiao Ji seemed to have realized something.
He gulped down the water in his cup and headed for the door.
I walked him to the hallway.
He turned his head and whispered.
“The gang that beat you up got out of the detention center. If anything happens, call me. We’re brothers, we help each other out.”
“Are they… still nearby?”
I closed the apartment door so An Zhi wouldn’t hear.
“Haven’t seen them yet. But there are other suspicious guys around, so stay alert. Anyway, I live nearby, you know!”
He patted my shoulder.
I hesitated over whether to tell him about the note.
After considering it, I chose to stay quiet.
Wings Star World didn’t seem like the type to be trifled with, and I didn’t want to drag the Xiao Family into this.
“Mhm, okay,” I pretended to agree.
He seemed to see through me a bit, but he didn’t press the issue.
“Alright, alright, I get it! I might need your help with Senior Sister Xu later. So don’t hesitate to come to me!”
“Mhm, I will.”
Seeing me nod, he turned and made a “call me” gesture before quickly walking toward the elevator.
I understood.
He only said that because he didn’t want me to feel like I owed him anything.
‘He’s changed too.’
As soon as I returned home, An Zhi stepped forward and hugged me.
She had become very clingy since last night.
“Are you worried? About Su Xixia?”
“She’ll take care of herself.”
I shook my head.
“I won’t cause you trouble… in the future, if I do something… please don’t be sad, okay?”
What did she mean by that?
A pang of bitterness hit my heart.
“Don’t overthink things. We agreed to work hard together, so neither of us will be sad!”
“Mhm. I won’t be sad.”
I hugged her, wanting to reassure her.
She hugged me back, even tighter than before.
No matter what Su Xixia planned, it wouldn’t affect us.
I had already moved on from her —