Sweet Nostalgia of the 80s

If it were the old Yueyue, she would definitely cling to him—cry when she wanted to cry, laugh when she wanted to laugh, instead of being like she was now.

He felt that Yueyue was suppressing her emotions a bit.

”Really.” He Yue didn’t want to bring up what happened this afternoon any more, and she especially didn’t want to talk about Zhan Xiche behind her back.

”Yueyue, you’ve just come here, so life might feel a little unfamiliar, but it’ll get better with time. If you run into any problems or difficulties in your daily life, you can tell me. I’ll help you!” Ning Chenguang said sincerely.

He Yue suddenly lifted her head, and faint shimmering tears flickered in her eyes.

”Are you... okay? Why are you crying?” Ning Chenguang was startled by her, and he stretched out his long fingers to wipe her tears away. Suddenly, he realized he was no longer the little boy from back then, and He Yue was no longer the little girl she used to be, so he slowly withdrew his hand again.

”I’m fine.” He Yue hurriedly raised her hand and wiped away her tears, then said, ”Little brother, let’s eat! After we eat we can rest early; tomorrow I still have to trouble you to take me to school.”

”Alright.” Ning Chenguang nodded in agreement.

............

Late at night, He Yue lay in bed tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

These mere two days felt to her as if two centuries had passed. Aside from that first day when she came here, when she was too exhausted and slept for a while.

She simply hadn’t slept at all the last two nights.

In this long, long night, the moment she closed her eyes she saw the earth shaking, the houses collapsing; every time she jolted awake from a dream, her face was covered in tears.

In her dreams, she had seen countless times her father struggling to hold up the collapsed beam, telling her to live on, no matter what hardships she faced, she had to live.

To live in his and her mother’s stead.

So she didn’t dare close her eyes again, afraid she would once more experience that painful nightmare.

He Yue couldn’t sleep; her heart was agitated and uncomfortable, and her whole body felt unbearably hot. She sat up and tried to turn the air conditioner back on, pressing the buttons several times and realizing it wasn’t responding at all.

Only then did she realize the power had gone out at home.

On such a stifling summer night, even with the window open there wasn’t the slightest breeze. He Yue was drenched in sweat, her pajamas sticky against her skin and terribly uncomfortable, so she simply got up to go to the bathroom and take a cool shower before sleeping.

He Yue found a flashlight in a drawer, took it, and headed to the bathroom to cool off.

She turned on the shower; the cool water flowed over her body, carrying away the heat. Once she’d rinsed enough to feel much more comfortable, she turned off the shower, squeezed some shower gel into her hand, and spread it over her body.

Her movements were slow as she savored the chill brought by the minty shower gel.

In the other room, Ning Chenguang was also awakened by the heat. The moment he opened his eyes, he was covered in sweat, his whole body feeling like it was lying inside a steamer, unbearably uncomfortable.

He rolled over and sat up, reaching to turn on the bedside lamp, and only then realized the power was out.

Power going out in this sweltering summer heat—wasn’t that just murder?

He was annoyed, but there was nothing he could do. The only way to make himself feel even a little better was to take a cool shower.

Ning Chenguang climbed out of bed wearing only a pair of boxers, shuffling in his slippers and rubbing his sleepy eyes as he opened the door and headed toward the bathroom.

He Yue had just about finished washing with the shower gel and was about to turn the shower back on. Suddenly, the door banged open, startling He Yue; she quickly came back to herself and turned toward the doorway.