Chapter 27
Aunt Zhu immediately recognized that car, but she didn’t say anything to Wen Ran, just slowly walked alongside her.
It wasn’t until they were about to pass by the car that the door opened, and the person inside slowly stepped out.
Kaka had already stopped walking and barked twice in that direction. Only then did Wen Ran belatedly look over.
Xie Yunli wore a black windbreaker. Among the maple leaves drifting all over the sky, his figure appeared tall and aloof.
The moment Wen Ran saw him, she froze in place.
She watched as Xie Yunli walked toward her step by step, then stopped not far from her.
Kaka, who had originally been sitting by her feet, suddenly started wagging its tail, stood up, and walked in his direction.
Because Xie Yunli bent down and extended his hand toward Kaka, this gesture seemed like an invitation to Kaka, so it happily ran toward him.
Wen Ran, holding its leash, was pulled along step by step closer to him.
Xie Yunli tentatively extended his hand in front of the little dog. “Do you recognize me this time?”
Kaka put its nose to Xie Yunli’s hand and sniffed around. From the frequency of its tail wagging, it was no longer afraid of Xie Yunli, but rather seemed to want to get closer to him.
Xie Yunli petted its little head, then looked up, meeting Wen Ran’s downcast gaze.
Her pupils trembled slightly, as if she would immediately dodge away quickly as usual in the next second.
But Kaka’s movements were faster. It bounced and jumped between the two of them, even raising its front paws trying to climb onto Xie Yunli’s knee. Wen Ran was afraid it would tear his clothes, so she quickly stepped back two paces. “Kaka, Kaka, no, you can’t do that.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Xie Yunli stood up.
“Last time… it was still very afraid of you.”
Wen Ran said incoherently: “I don’t know why… this time…”
She heard Xie Yunli seem to chuckle. “That means it’s not afraid of me now, right?”
Wen Ran nodded.
“You’ve taken very good care of it, Wen Ran.”
He said.
Wen Ran looked at his black leather shoes, then heard his low voice say: “This outfit is also very pretty. Did you choose it for him?”
Was he… praising her?
She didn’t know how to respond to him. Helplessly wanting to seek help from Aunt Zhu, but Aunt Zhu was standing not far behind her, unable to see her pleading eyes.
Before Wen Ran could respond, Xie Yunli said again: “May I walk with you?”
Wen Ran lowered her head and quickly nodded. “…Yes.”
Kaka was no longer afraid of Xie Yunli, probably because it also sensed that Xie Yunli wasn’t someone who would hurt it. Although this man had a strong and cold aura about him, his hands were warm, and when he petted it, he was very gentle, completely different from his aura.
Aunt Zhu watched the two walk together and quietly stepped back a few paces.
She had fantasized about this scene many times, but had always felt it would be very difficult to achieve.
She really hadn’t expected that Wen Ran could actually have a day when she could walk together with this man who was nominally her husband, yet seemed like a stranger.
She couldn’t help but slow her pace even more, carefully observing the backs of the two figures.
Ignoring little Kaka for the moment, the sight of Xie Yunli and Wen Ran walking together looked perfectly natural, without any sense of discord.
As if they were naturally meant to walk together like this.
She also knew that Wen Ran would definitely feel very uncomfortable having Xie Yunli beside her. Wen Ran would certainly feel nervous and at a loss, not knowing what to say, not knowing what to do, possibly even feeling somewhat bewildered.
But she also seemed able to control these feelings, not choosing to hide or flee.
In this world, who else besides Xie Yunli could spend so much time, going from deliberately keeping distance from her to gradually approaching her bit by bit, finally slowly, step by step, walking to her side?
Xie Yunli had long legs. For every step he took, Wen Ran had to take two steps to keep up, but Xie Yunli kept matching her pace, and both of them walked very slowly.
Even Kaka took small steps, walking slowly between the two of them.
Occasionally it would stop to sniff the maple leaves on the road, and after a while it even went to the roadside to relieve itself.
“So well-behaved?”
Xie Yunli smiled and said: “It even knows not to relieve itself on the road.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Wen Ran nodded and said: “Kaka is… especially well-behaved. It never… causes trouble, and it’s very clean too.”
After saying this, she bit her lip and quickly glanced at Xie Yunli.
She thought Xie Yunli was looking at Kaka, but unexpectedly met his gaze. He was actually… looking at her, not at Kaka!
Wen Ran’s gaze immediately became evasive: “Kaka… does Kaka want to go back? Let’s go home, Kaka?”
She felt somewhat annoyed. She had originally wanted to secretly glance at him, to see if he agreed with her praise of Kaka, but unexpectedly was caught peeking.
Wen Ran led Kaka as she turned around. Kaka obediently followed her and turned back to walk home.
This time Wen Ran walked very quickly, and Kaka also trotted along with her in small steps.
Xie Yunli followed behind her at a steady pace, watching her back.
Seeing Wen Ran not looking back, Aunt Zhu couldn’t help but smile. This child probably didn’t realize she was actually feeling a bit shy.
“Mr. Xie, aren’t you driving the car back?”
Xie Yunli said: “I’ll have the security guard help me drive it in later.”
Aunt Zhu nodded. “Zhou Wei didn’t come today?”
“He took leave to accompany his wife to the hospital for a checkup.”
“Right, Zhou Wei is also married.”
Aunt Zhu just remembered this point. “He must be twenty-six or twenty-seven now. Usually he travels around with you, so he probably rarely gets to spend time with his family.”
Xie Yunli was silent for a moment, saying nothing.
Companionship was indeed rare, but at least they had always lived together.
“Aunt Zhu, last time you mentioned that your son is studying abroad, right?”
“Yes.”
Aunt Zhu nodded, then sighed. “He didn’t study well since childhood, and his college entrance exam results weren’t good either, so we could only send him abroad. The expenses for his overseas education were also funded by Ran Ran’s father.”
“How often does he come back? It’s been a long time since you’ve seen your child, hasn’t it?”
“Him? If he comes back once a year, that’s already pretty good. When he occasionally calls, it’s usually to tell me he needs money. To be honest, I don’t have high expectations for him. Whether he studies well or not, as long as he behaves himself and doesn’t cause trouble abroad, that’s good enough. Our family situation is what it is, his father isn’t ambitious either. If he causes any trouble, no one can help him, he can only rely on himself.”
Aunt Zhu looked at Wen Ran walking ahead and sighed: “When I was young, I worked as a kindergarten teacher and dealt with so many children, all kinds of children I’ve seen: obedient ones, disobedient ones, those born with disabilities, especially smart ones. But when I first met Wen Ran, I was immediately amazed, thinking how could there be such an angel-like child in this world. She was truly so lovable, looking at her made my heart ache involuntarily.”
When she was small, Wen Ran’s autism symptoms were more obvious. When she was four or five, she still couldn’t say “mama” or “papa,” and wouldn’t eat by herself when hungry.
She would often fall into panic, screaming or crying loudly. Only when holding a paintbrush or sitting and listening to her mother play piano would she calm down. She often slept on the carpet under the piano. Except for the sounds of instruments including the piano, any tiny bit of noise would make her uncomfortable.
Such a child would be troublesome and abnormal in any family.
But for some unknown reason, Aunt Zhu just felt that Wen Ran was as beautiful and wonderful as a little angel. Perhaps this was what they call rare affinity. She fell in love with this pitiful little girl at first sight, and from then on took root by her side.
“They say children with autism are children of the stars. If Ran Ran also lived alone on a small planet in her previous life, then there must have been no one to talk with her or accompany her on that small planet, so in this life she couldn’t learn how to communicate with others.”
Aunt Zhu sighed and said: “Many people used to say I neglected my own child to take care of Ran Ran, but that’s not true. I used to spend almost all my time taking care of my son too, but a child’s temperament is at least half innate, and half acquired. My son’s father isn’t a good person himself. No matter how I educated my son, he just wouldn’t listen. If I spoiled him, he’d become lawless. If I disciplined him, he’d rebel against me. He always felt that only his father, who just indulged him, was truly on his side. I really had no way to deal with him.”
After saying all this, Aunt Zhu realized she had talked too much. “Sorry, Mr. Xie, am I being a bit too talkative?”
Xie Yunli shook his head and said: “Thank you for your hard work all these years.”
If it weren’t for Aunt Zhu’s wholehearted care of Wen Ran, her condition wouldn’t be better than it is now. After all, the only person in this world who loved her most was no longer there.
On the way back, Kaka was suddenly attracted by a small yellow wildflower by the roadside, stopping there and sniffing continuously. Wen Ran squatted down to watch it.
“Kaka, do you like this… little flower?”
Kaka sniffed the petals, then looked at Wen Ran.
“But if we pick it… it will die.”
Wen Ran said with difficulty: “Next time we come, I’ll bring you… to see it again, okay? Let’s go home, Kaka?”
She petted Kaka’s little head, and Kaka stopped sniffing the little wildflower, nuzzled her palm, and happily followed her as she stood up and walked away.
Watching this scene, Xie Yunli suddenly remembered one of the paintings Wen Ran had created in the basement: large expanses of brilliantly blooming flowers, such intense and vivid visual impact, hard to imagine it was created by her hands.
And those highly artistic works. If people who didn’t know the truth saw them, they would probably think they were all from a famous painter’s hand.
And those puppies, some well-behaved, some lively, some tragic.
Perhaps her inner world was far more vibrant than it appeared on the surface.
When they returned to the residential complex, Xie Yunli gave the car keys to the security guard and asked him to help drive the car over.
“Certainly, Mr. Xie.”
The security guard smiled: “This is the first time I’ve seen you and your wife return together.”
Xie Yunli didn’t come back often, so all the property management staff thought he was constantly away on business trips. Of course, they wouldn’t randomly inquire into the residents’ privacy, after all, the residents in this kind of complex were all either wealthy or noble, and they wouldn’t find it strange even if they saw popular celebrities.
So Xie Yunli’s identity was still quite mysterious to them, including his wife.
Xie Yunli politely nodded.
Fortunately, Wen Ran was walking ahead and didn’t hear their conversation, otherwise she would probably feel uncomfortable.
Walking into the villa’s courtyard, Wen Ran removed Kaka’s leash, then carefully used wet wipes to clean its little paws. Although Kaka didn’t yet understand the significance of this, it was very cooperative.
After finishing these tasks, she stood up and saw that Xie Yunli had been standing nearby waiting for her.
Wen Ran hesitated for a moment and said: “Would you like to stay… for dinner?”
Xie Yunli: “May I?”
“Of course! You may…”
Wen Ran said righteously: “This is your… your home. Of course you can eat here, anytime!”
Xie Yunli nodded, a hint of amusement flickering in his eyes.
On the shoe cabinet, Xie Yunli’s slippers were placed together with Wen Ran’s slippers. Obviously, Aunt Zhu would no longer put away those men’s slippers, because Xie Yunli might come over at any time.
However, there was still some time before dinner.
Xie Yunli said to her: “You can go paint. Don’t mind me.”
Wen Ran was surprised for a moment. She looked at her watch and said: “You know that at this time… I should be painting?”
Xie Yunli: “There are many things I know.”
This statement obviously touched something in Wen Ran’s heart. She carefully raised her eyes, wanting to look at him.
From his chest, to his chin, then to his high nose bridge.
Just as she was about to meet his gaze, her pupils trembled slightly. Just as she was about to look away, she suddenly heard him softly call her name.
“Wen Ran.”
“…Mm?”
Wen Ran responded, instinctively raising her eyes.
The moment their eyes met, she saw his narrow eyes curve slightly into an arc, as if he were smiling.
“Are you getting used to using the phone?”
Wen Ran opened her mouth, as if wanting to say something, but momentarily forgot how to speak. Her intertwined hands rose to cover her chest, and she repeated in confusion: “Phone?”
“Yes, that phone.”
Xie Yunli looked into her eyes and said: “If there’s anything you don’t know how to use, you can tell me, and I’ll teach you.”
Wen Ran nodded, paused, then nodded again. “I… I understand.”
“I’m going to… paint…”
After saying this, she turned and ran upstairs.
Xie Yunli watched her panicked retreating figure. Just as he was about to remind her to be careful on the stairs, he saw her disappear like a little rabbit that had scurried away.
Sure enough, every time they couldn’t even exchange five sentences, she would feel uncomfortable and want to avoid him.
Wen Ran ran to her room and closed the door before letting out a breath, gently patting her chest.
Something in her chest seemed to be racing around wildly, making her nervous and numb all over, even making it hard to breathe. Only now was she slowly catching her breath.
Maybe it was because it had been too long since she had walked with anyone other than Aunt Zhu, and they had walked such a long distance.
And just now… it wasn’t the first time she had made eye contact with Xie Yunli. There had been several times before when she accidentally saw his eyes.
His eyes were as deep as the surface of a lake, so calmly tranquil without ripples.
But just now, when she met his eyes again, she saw something gently flickering in the depths of his eyes. Was he smiling?
She didn’t know, because she had never seen him smile.
People’s eyes can smile, she had always known this, but she couldn’t.
Her own eyes never smiled. She also didn’t know when she should smile and when she shouldn’t, so over time, she could make very few expressions.
One second, two seconds, three seconds… four seconds, five seconds.
Her eyes and his eyes had met for exactly five seconds.
She had been really nervous, not knowing what to do, her heartbeat uncomfortably fast, not knowing what to say, not knowing where to put her hands…
Being like this, she must be annoying, right?
Wen Ran walked to the computer and picked up her drawing tablet, staring blankly at the empty screen.
There were messages flashing on the computer, someone on the platform wanted to commission work.
As a freelance illustrator, she didn’t have as many assignments as some contracted artists, but as she produced more works, more and more platforms wanted to sign contracts with her.
There were also some agents who wanted to contact her. Sometimes when she responded slowly, they would want to arrange to meet her in person or talk on the phone.
But she could never respond to such requests.
She only knew how to paint, and didn’t understand some of the rules in this industry. Occasionally, people who couldn’t stand it would leave her messages saying she was being cheated, that she was taking too little money, and so on.
She could only reply to them saying it didn’t matter.
She increasingly felt that she was really too stupid.
Even when facing Xie Yunli, she couldn’t speak properly.
He was clearly… also her family member.
Should she say… husband?
If they were a normal married couple, how would they communicate?
They certainly wouldn’t be like her, even speaking so haltingly.
“Ran Ran? I’m bringing in a fruit plate.”
Hearing Aunt Zhu’s voice, Wen Ran came back to her senses, only then realizing she had been lost in thought for more than half an hour.
Aunt Zhu knocked and entered, seeing that Wen Ran’s expression seemed not quite right, as if her mood was somewhat low.