Chapter 87: Teacher
The arcade visit ended abruptly.
Xiang Er declined Akhe’s offer of lunch and chose to go home.
Stepping out of the mall, she looked at the clear blue sky for a moment, then said:
“Can you fly me home? I don’t want to walk.”
Akhe, without hesitation, wrapped her arms around Xiang Er’s waist and lifted her into the air, soaring above the city, past the high-rise buildings.
She didn’t bother concealing herself, and on that ordinary, hot afternoon, many people saw two beautiful women, flying together high above the city, a sight that quickly became an urban legend.
Back at the apartment, the atmosphere was tense.
Akhe, having gone back on her word, felt slightly embarrassed, and still jealous of An Yue, she didn’t say much, just went to the kitchen to prepare lunch.
Xiang Er went straight to her room and lay down on the bed. She didn’t want to talk to Akhe either.
That night, for the first time in three months, Xiang Er locked her bedroom door, refusing to let Akhe in.
But Akhe wasn’t as easily deterred this time. After Xiang Er fell asleep, she simply slipped into the room and, as usual, held her close throughout the night.
A few more days passed, their relationship seemingly regressing to its winter state, barely speaking except for essential communication. The apartment, already quiet, was now often silent for hours at a time.
The weather grew hot, too hot to go out, and Xiang Er spent her days at home, practicing calligraphy, reading, trying to fill the emptiness.
Until one morning, she woke up to find Akhe sitting by her bed, holding a dress.
“Come with me today, we’re going to see someone.”
Akhe said, then stood up and left, not waiting for a reply.
Xiang Er, after washing up, was puzzled, and she called out:
“Who are we going to see?”
Akhe, busy in the kitchen, didn’t answer.
Xiang Er was slightly annoyed:
“Aren’t you even going to ask if I want to go?”
Akhe still didn’t reply, and Xiang Er went back to her room and lay down on the bed, refusing to get dressed.
After a while, Akhe entered the room and, with the help of several tentacles, started dressing Xiang Er.
She gently peeled off Xiang Er’s nightgown, like removing an eggshell, revealing the pale, delicate skin beneath, the tentacles carefully dressing her.
Akhe helped Xiang Er put on her sandals, and after they left the apartment, Akhe opened the passenger door of a red Porsche:
“Get in.”
Xiang Er, surprised, sat down in the car and asked:
“When did you buy a car?”
Akhe didn’t answer, just got into the driver’s seat, her profile cool and aloof.
She snapped her fingers, and the car started, driving itself. She leaned back in her seat, her arms crossed, her chin raised.
Xiang Er:
“You don’t need to snap your fingers, the car can drive itself, can’t it?”
She knew Akhe’s abilities by now, she could control objects remotely, conjure countless tentacles and eyes, devour monsters with her black slime. And of course… her scent was an aphrodisiac.
Truly a versatile Evil God. Xiang Er thought to herself, if Evil Gods could be mass-produced, they could probably solve the energy crisis.
But no matter what she thought, what she said, Akhe didn’t respond, the car driving smoothly along the open road, and Xiang Er, feeling drowsy, yawned.
Akhe, although silent, gently placed Xiang Er’s head on her shoulder.
And Xiang Er, before she could protest, fell asleep.
When she woke up, the car was still moving. Xiang Er looked at the scenery outside, fields, crops, rural houses, and she frowned, surprised:
“Are you taking me to the countryside to sell me?”
Akhe glanced at her, exasperated.
Xiang Er muttered to herself:
“Well, if you sell me, I’ll be free, but that would be too good to be true.”
Akhe, even more exasperated, said softly:
“You’re more lovable when you’re asleep.”
Xiang Er raised an eyebrow, then, feeling hungry, leaned back and said:
“I want to eat! And I want dessert!”
Akhe waved her hand, and handmade sandwiches and a boxed cake appeared from the glove compartment.
Xiang Er:
“…You came prepared.”
She took the food and started eating. Akhe’s baking skills had improved considerably, the cake surprisingly delicious.
After the sandwiches and cake, there were fruits, milk tea, beef jerky, and Xiang Er ate all the way, until the sun began to set, and the car finally stopped.
Xiang Er put down the beef jerky and looked outside, her breath catching in her throat.
Why… why here?
It was a small, rural town, surrounded by fields, ponds, and trees, and a single, old building stood in the distance.
A faded sign above the entrance, its red paint chipped and peeling, read: Hope Orphanage.
Xiang Er stared at the sign, her hand involuntarily loosening its grip on the beef jerky, the familiar words, which had once seemed so large, so imposing, so vibrant, now… now they seemed so small, so old!
This was where she had grown up, and after all these years, it hadn’t changed at all…
Akhe had already gotten out of the car, her red dress flowing, her hair swaying, her beauty breathtaking against the backdrop of the rural landscape, like a scene from an old movie.
She opened the passenger door, bent down, and said calmly:
“Get out.”
Xiang Er licked her dry lips, stepped out of the car, and stood on the familiar dirt road, looking at the scenery she had known since childhood.
She murmured:
“We… the children from my class… we planted that tree, it’s grown so tall…”
The row of trees behind the orphanage had been planted by each graduating class, and after more than ten years, many of the trees had grown tall, new saplings planted beside them.
Akhe led Xiang Er towards the orphanage gate. The gate was unlocked, and the sounds of children playing, their shouts and laughter, echoed from within.
But Xiang Er stopped at the gate, hesitant, she hadn’t… achieved anything yet, she hadn’t even donated any money to the orphanage, she didn’t deserve…
“It’s Director Zhang’s eightieth birthday today.”
Akhe whispered in her ear.
Director Zhang! A flood of memories, and Xiang Er’s heart surged, she pushed open the gate and entered. Director Zhang, Mama Zhang, who had held her as a baby, fed her with a bottle, who had slept beside her until she was two years old…
Xiang Er had no memories of her earliest years, but later, she had always been slightly afraid of the thin, stern Director Zhang, until she realized that Director Zhang was actually very kind to her, a truly good person.
And later, when she started boarding school, Director Zhang had sent her the tuition fees, and along with the money, a photo album, filled with pictures of her.
From one month old, to two years old, although only a dozen pictures, they were Xiang Er’s most precious memories.
Xiang Er couldn’t help but glance at Akhe. She knew about this… she had even remembered, bringing her here on Director Zhang’s birthday…
They entered the orphanage, and a woman in an orange vest, one of the caregivers, approached them, asking their names. Xiang Er, socially awkward, remained silent, and Akhe, her voice gentle and friendly, explained, registering Xiang Er’s name, and saying they were here for Director Zhang’s birthday.
The caregiver’s face lit up, and she led them to the staff dormitory, where they found Director Zhang.
Director Zhang’s hair was white, her body still thin and frail, her face a roadmap of wrinkles, surrounded by teenagers, young adults, even middle-aged people, all former residents of the orphanage.
But seeing Xiang Er, she immediately recognized her, her voice surprisingly strong:
“Xiao Xiang!”
Xiang Er, fighting back tears, walked towards Director Zhang and extended her hand.
Director Zhang took her hand, her own hand dry and rough like bark, patting Xiang Er’s hand, her voice loud, a common trait among the elderly:
“How are you doing?”
Xiang Er’s tears overflowed, and Director Zhang pulled her down to sit beside her, Xiang Er’s vision blurred as she looked at her, her voice firm:
“Director Zhang, I’m… I’m doing very well.”
After catching up for a while, Akhe, seemingly out of nowhere, produced a large birthday cake, a traditional longevity peach design, a favorite among the elderly.
She smiled, handed the cake knife to Director Zhang, put a birthday hat on her head, helped light the candles, and gathered everyone around, leading them in a chorus of “Happy Birthday.”
“Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~”
Director Zhang, surrounded by the children she had raised, beamed.
Akhe took pictures, added everyone on WeChat, sent them the photos, bustling around, attending to every detail.
Xiang Er, occasionally glancing at her, felt that Akhe was different today, unusually gentle and patient. If only these people knew that the person taking their pictures, sending them photos, was a Evil God capable of destroying the world… what would they think?
After the cake, Director Zhang, tired, retired to her room. The sky had darkened.
As Xiang Er said goodbye to Director Zhang, Director Zhang, her hand gripping Xiang Er’s, her voice a soft murmur, said:
“Xiao Xiang… you’re so soft-hearted, I always worried about you… sigh, I wish there was someone reliable to take care of you… I always remember, how you were bullied by the other children, they would steal your candy, and you wouldn’t even cry…”
Director Zhang’s eyes, clouded with age, slowly closed, her voice fading.
Xiang Er gently withdrew her hand, looked at Director Zhang, and whispered:
“I cry now, Director Zhang…”
Back in the car, Xiang Er’s eyes were dry and sore, her throat tight.
Akhe didn’t snap her fingers this time, the car starting automatically as soon as they were seated, driving towards the small county town.
Akhe booked a presidential suite at the best hotel in town, a two-bedroom suite. Xiang Er, after showering, came out of the bathroom and saw, on her bedside table, a giant, gaudy lollipop, larger than her head.
Xiang Er hesitated, then walked over, unwrapped the giant lollipop, and discovered that it was filled with smaller lollipops of various flavors.
As a child, although they were supposed to get a lollipop every weekend, hers were often stolen by the other children.
These lollipops were the same brand as the ones from the orphanage, and Xiang Er unwrapped a strawberry-flavored one and put it in her mouth, the familiar sweetness flooding her senses.
Truly… this Akhe… why was she so thoughtful…
As Xiang Er was feeling a surge of emotion, the door suddenly opened.
She turned, startled, the lollipop still in her mouth, and her towel, not securely fastened, fell to the floor.
Like a discarded eggshell, revealing the smooth, delicate skin beneath, her body still damp from the shower, her eyes wide with surprise, the lollipop in her mouth, a drop of saliva trickling down her chin.
And Akhe, standing at the doorway, saw it all.
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