Chapter 42: Prelude

An Ling woke up. 

Although she was still a bit dazed, she felt slightly better than before.

“What time is it, Li Yang?” 

An Ling asked, rubbing her eyes.

“It’s almost seven thirty already.”

“Oh.” 

An Ling hugged her tail and sat on the bed, spacing out.

“How do you feel?” 

Li Yang asked. 

“Still dazed?”

“I don’t know.” 

An Ling answered.

Mm, it looked like she hadn’t recovered to normal yet.

“You’re up at the perfect time. The delivery should be here soon.”

“Are you hungry?”

“Hungry.” 

An Ling nodded.

Li Yang looked at her like this and felt a slight sense of relief.

At least the kid still knew she was hungry. She wasn’t completely out of it.

Although she still looked like a dazed little person, her answers came a bit faster. 

Sleeping really did help.

“Get up first. The delivery is almost here.”

An Ling climbed out of bed and put her jacket back on. 

After the nap she felt a little more awake and could gradually think about some things again.

“Why is Li Yang in my room?”

She directly said what was on her mind.

“Me? You mean me?” Li Yang pointed at himself.

“Mm.” An Ling nodded.

“Didn’t you let me in?”

“Did Li Yang see anything he shouldn’t have? You didn’t discover anything, right?”

“No! Absolutely not!” 

Li Yang quickly cleared himself. 

After he came in he had been honestly watching over An Ling the whole time. 

“You were the one who let me in. I didn’t look at anything in the room.”

An Ling stared at him for a few seconds. 

Her usually lively eyes were now covered with a thin layer of mist.

“Really?” she asked, her voice soft.

“Really!” Li Yang nodded hard. 

“I swear. If I looked at anything I shouldn’t have, let me… let me never win at games again!”

An Ling tilted her head and thought for a moment, then finally nodded without pressing further.

Li Yang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he really hadn’t peeked at any of An Ling’s private secrets in the room, he had looked at An Ling. 

When she was sleeping he couldn’t help watching her for a long time.

This was probably the feeling after doing something bad. 

Even though he hadn’t actually done anything, some not-so-good thoughts had flashed through his mind.

“Why hasn’t the delivery arrived yet?” 

An Ling asked again, her gaze turning to the window and the gradually darkening sky outside.

“It should be soon.” 

Li Yang took out his phone and checked the delivery progress. 

“Two more minutes. It’s already on the way.”

“Oh.”

An Ling replied and went back to hugging her tail and spacing out.

Li Yang sat on the chair, watching An Ling.

“An Ling.”

“Mm.”

“Have you ever had this kind of thing happen before today?”

An Ling thought about it, seeming to struggle to understand the question, and finally shook her head. 

“No.”

“Your first time, huh?”

So this first time happened to be when he was around, Li Yang thought.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

“The delivery is here!” Li Yang stood up. “I’ll go get it. You stay seated and don’t move.”

He quickly walked out of the room, went down the stairs, and opened the door.

The delivery guy stood at the entrance holding a bag. “Hello, your delivery.”

“Thank you.” Li Yang took the bag, closed the door, and turned to head back upstairs.

“Dumplings.” Li Yang placed the bag on the nightstand and opened the box, releasing a puff of steam. 

“Pork and cabbage filling. I went for something lighter since I didn’t know what you could eat right now.”

An Ling took the chopsticks Li Yang handed her, looked down at the dumplings, then looked up at Li Yang. 

“Thank you.”

“What thanks?” 

Li Yang waved his hand. 

“Just eat while it’s hot.”

An Ling picked up a dumpling and ate it in small bites.

Li Yang opened his own box as well and sat on the chair. 

The two of them—one on the bed, one on the chair—quietly ate the dumplings together.

“Auntie said she left some things you’ll need tomorrow in your suitcase. Don’t forget.”

“Mm, okay.”

“Drink some water.” 

He passed her the cup of warm water he had poured earlier.

An Ling took the cup with both hands and sipped slowly.

Li Yang watched her and suddenly remembered what Auntie had said about “tomorrow she’ll turn into another kind of strange state.”

What would that look like? Li Yang figured An Ling herself probably didn’t know either.

“Do you want me to stay over tonight and keep you company?”

An Ling lifted her head and looked at him. 

She thought for a long time—so long that Li Yang wondered if she had fallen asleep sitting up.

Just as he was about to step closer and call her name, An Ling finally spoke.

“No need.”

“Really? You’ll be okay?”

An Ling nodded to show she would be fine.

After they finished the dumplings, Li Yang cleaned up both boxes.

“It’s getting late.” He stood up. “Get some rest early. I’ll head back now.”

“Mm.” An Ling nodded, but her eyes seemed to hold a trace of reluctance.

“If anything comes up, call me or knock on the window.” 

Li Yang walked to the doorway, then glanced back. 

“Your phone is on the nightstand. Remember to charge it.”

“Okay.”

Li Yang left the room, went downstairs, changed his shoes, and walked out the door.

Outside, the sky was completely dark. 

Streetlights cast a warm yellow glow over the road.

He stood at An Ling’s front door and looked back at the second-floor window. 

The light was still on, but the curtains were drawn so he couldn’t see inside.

Li Yang took a deep breath and turned toward his own house.

In the yard, Grandma Li was standing at the door waiting for him.

“You’re back?” 

Grandma Li looked at him. “How’s An Ling doing?”

“Auntie said it’s nothing serious. Not a sickness. She should be fine.”

“That’s good.” 

Grandma Li nodded. “Have you eaten?”

“Yeah. We had dumplings together.”

“Alright. Go rest then. You can check on An Ling again tomorrow.”

“Mm.”

Li Yang went upstairs to his room.

He sat at his desk and looked across at An Ling’s window. 

The light was still on—she probably hadn’t gone to sleep yet.

He picked up his phone, thought about sending her a message, but finally set it down.

Never mind. He’d check tomorrow.

Li Yang went to the bathroom, took a shower, and lay down in bed.

He stared at the ceiling, his mind full of how An Ling had looked today.

Dazed. Spaced out. 

Doing whatever she was told, completely unlike her usual self.

It was kind of cute like this, but he still preferred the normal An Ling. 

At least then he wouldn’t have to worry.

If An Ling were a girl, Li Yang thought he would probably really like her that way.