Addicted to You - Chapter 10

The stairs slowly fell behind her. Xu Yu clutched her notebook, still unable to believe someone would do something like that just because she was upset.

After starting middle school, she only came home once a month. Every time the neighbors in the small town saw her, they would say she was very mature—after all, it wasn’t easy for her grandmother to raise her alone. Those words pushed her to try even harder. For a long time, she had forgotten that her sadness also deserved to be comforted.

Beicheng didn’t seem so bad after all. She was a little happy today.

The stairwell lighting was dim. A man in a suit came hurrying down the stairs and accidentally bumped into her.

She didn’t hold the notebook steady—“thud”—it hit the floor with a dull sound.

Just as she bent down to pick it up, a shiny black leather shoe stepped on it. A second later, the shoe moved off, and the man disappeared down to the next floor.

There was now a footprint on the notebook—right over his name. Xu Yu picked it up and tried wiping it off with her school uniform, but no matter how hard she rubbed, it wouldn’t come clean.

The door upstairs slammed open and hit the wall, and someone called out to her: “Ah Yu, what are you spacing out for?”

She responded with an “Oh,” shoved the notebook into her uniform, and headed upstairs.

The mother and daughter sat at the dining table for dinner. It was the first time since Xu Yu had arrived in Beicheng.

Luo Jie took her bowl to ladle some soup. “Eat more. Look how skinny you are.”

Xu Yu didn’t refuse, but when the bowl was handed back to her, she simply said, “Thank you.”

“Why so polite with your mom? We’re family.”

Xu Yu drank the soup with a blank expression. The word “mom” felt too foreign to her. “Family” was something she had never experienced.

On the surface of the oily soup floated a few sesame seeds. Her hand holding the spoon froze.

Last time she had an allergic reaction to sesame, her grandmother went through several alleys to find someone to take her to the hospital. She was on IV drips for days.

The soup still swirled in the bowl, and her vision spun with it. Her head was fuzzy. She couldn’t hear what Luo Jie was saying anymore. She stood up abruptly—the soup spilled on the table and splashed onto her uniform, but she didn’t care. She ran straight to the bathroom.

Behind her came Luo Jie’s scolding: “What’s wrong with you, girl? If you didn’t want it, you could’ve just said so. Why go so far as to vomit?”

Xu Yu stuck her fingers down her throat, trying to throw everything up. If she didn’t get it all out, she’d be miserable all night. Thankfully, it worked—even the food she’d eaten earlier came out.

Her eyes were red, glistening with tears. As the toilet flushed, a single tear fell from the corner of her eye.

She emerged from the bathroom with a calm face, just as before. The soup on the table remained as it had been. She didn’t glance at Luo Jie. She grabbed a few tissues, wiped the table clean, crumpled them into a ball, tossed them in the trash, grabbed her backpack, and walked back to her room.

The whole time, she remained quiet and calm—not a word, not even a glance.

Late at night, she felt like she was suffocating. Someone was choking her. They didn’t want her to live. The man’s face was blurry, but she could see the woman’s back—dressed in extravagant clothing, yet unable to hide her vulgarity.

Suddenly, Xu Yu jolted awake, gasping for air. Her forehead was drenched in sweat, her temples soaked.

The blanket tightly wrapped her entire body. She pulled it down to breathe some fresh air, then lifted it fully to get out and drink some water.

Maybe it was because she had been trapped under the blanket too long—her body felt itchy. She scratched at her skin, but the itch spread like ants crawling all over her. She stood in front of the mirror and saw red rashes on her neck and face.

It must be the soup—she hadn’t managed to vomit it all out. Now her allergy was acting up, she thought.

She hadn’t brought any allergy medicine to Beicheng, and the itching had become so severe she couldn’t stand straight.

She threw on a jacket, put on shoes, grabbed the keys, and headed out.

Midnight. The night life was the city’s signature.

At the barbecue shop, people laughed and joked—some were playing cards, some drinking, some chatting, and some flirting.

Zhou Yiheng was curled up in a corner of a leather sofa playing games. His hoodie was pulled low, covering most of his view.

The seat beside him sank. He glanced up.

A girl sat there in a miniskirt and low-cut top, revealing plenty.

“Hey handsome, you come out to party just to play games?”

He said nothing, eyes glued to his phone.

His friends saw a pretty girl approach him and started teasing, “Yiheng, come on, she came up to you and you’re still just sitting there?”

The girl waited for a reply too.

The game screen flashed “Game over.” He pressed the power button—screen off. Zhou Yiheng stood up without glancing at the girl, walked to the door, and left one sentence behind:

“Lately I haven’t felt like getting close to other girls.”

The remark was full of implication. Someone behind asked who he did want to get close to.

But he left them with silence.

The night air turned cool, the wind biting.

He stepped out, unsure where to go. Watching the hurried pedestrians, everything just felt dull.

He thought of flagging down a ride home, but then a figure appeared in his sight—so he changed his mind.

Xu Yu wore a speckled gray-black hoodie, loose dark jeans, and white sneakers. Completely different from the girl earlier, but he surprisingly found her… comforting.

He thought, Maybe tonight won’t be so boring after all.

This area was lively, people walking by with dyed red and green hair. When they saw her alone, their eyes showed ill intent.

Xu Yu moved closer to the buildings to avoid their stares.

Head down, she kept walking—just a few more shops to the pharmacy.

But she felt someone following her. Her steps quickened.

Two more steps and she’d be at the pharmacy. Then she wouldn’t be scared anymore.

But the footsteps behind her grew closer. Her heart pounded wildly.

A breeze brushed past. Just as her right foot landed, a warm hand rested on her left shoulder.

She froze. Couldn’t move. The hand was still there. Her mind raced for excuses before blurting the oldest trick in the book:

“Sorry, my dad’s waiting for me up ahead.”

The person behind her let go. She thought she had fooled him. But as she took her next step, a boy’s voice chuckled:

“Xu Yu, who are you trying to fool?”

That familiar voice startled her, but also brought relief—it was him.

She turned around. The boy wore the same style of hoodie as her. His hands in his jeans, hair a bit messy—but still strikingly handsome.

She stared at him for a long while.

Standing there blankly, she didn’t move. Zhou Yiheng stepped closer and touched her cheek with the back of his hand. “Stunned?”

His warm hand against her cool face—it was just right. Exactly what she needed.

Realizing how close they were, she stepped back. He withdrew his hand too.

Then he noticed red scratch marks on her face. Combined with her earlier behavior, he frowned. “Did someone bully you?”

Xu Yu was confused. “Huh?”

He clarified: “Your face is really red.”

She hadn’t noticed it had spread to her face. It had just felt itchy so she scratched it. “I’m allergic,” she explained. “That’s why. No one bullied me.”

Zhou Yiheng finally relaxed.

At the pharmacy, just as she reached to push the glass door, he reached out first. Their clothes brushed against each other.

That light, fleeting contact sent a spark through the side of her body closest to him.

His hand still held the door open. Behind her, he asked, “Xu Yu, do you like it when someone opens the door for you?”

“Huh?”

She didn’t know why her reaction was so slow tonight—maybe it was the allergy.

The cashier listlessly watched Korean variety shows. They walked in, one behind the other, to the allergy medicine aisle.

Zhou Yiheng studied the labels, but then realized he hadn’t even asked what she was allergic to or what her symptoms were.

Xu Yu followed behind him. His tall frame blocked all the light. Watching him seriously search for the right meds, she suddenly didn’t want this night to end—just as the exact medicine she needed passed through her vision.

The shelves were lined with all kinds of medicine. Suddenly, Zhou Yiheng stopped. She was lost in thought and bumped right into him.

Her forehead hit his hard back.

“Ow.”

She clutched her forehead just as he laughed, “Told you to watch where you’re going. Got hurt, didn’t you?”

How annoying. He laughed after she bumped into him.

But seeing her genuinely in pain, he reached out again. This time, he grabbed her wrist and gently pulled her hand down. “Let me see if it’s serious.”

She didn’t look up, but could hear that he wasn’t joking.

It was a little red, but quickly faded.

Still, her whole face turned red. Zhou Yiheng noticed, understood she was embarrassed, and respectfully let go.

It was the first time he’d made a girl blush because of something he did. He rubbed his nose awkwardly. “So… what allergy meds do you usually take?”

Sweaty palms. The moment had come.

She stepped back to the shelf they had passed earlier and picked out a box of Loratadine.

Neither of them said much—Xu Yu stared at a random spot, and Zhou Yiheng looked down at her eyelashes.

In the warm glow of the streetlights, the city buzzed. But two teens walked in quiet isolation.

Xu Yu held the Loratadine box. “I should pay you back.”

“No need.”

“Oh.”

Their conversation felt unfamiliar. Like a galaxy lay between them.

A group of guys with dyed blonde hair walked toward them, each with a girl on his arm.

Compared to that, the distance between them seemed awkward. Xu Yu deliberately slowed her pace so it didn’t look like they were together.

Zhou Yiheng caught her movements from the corner of his eye, saw the group ahead, and also slowed down. Then he took a step to the left.

Now, they walked side by side—close enough that their arms touched.

Every time his elbow bumped her sleeve, or brushed her arm, Xu Yu’s breath caught. The night breeze felt warm, and so did her heart.

They walked aimlessly in silence.

Then suddenly, Zhou Yiheng stopped. Xu Yu looked up.

“Want some oden?”

The wind that night was strange—it made her feel warm. Though she had no appetite, she still agreed. Maybe because vomiting dinner had left her a little empty.

Convenience store oden was a lifesaver for workers and the sweetest memory of school days.

The steam from the box rose between them, forming a mist that blurred their view.

Zhou Yiheng shifted his position slightly.

Xu Yu bit into a fish ball and looked up—just as he was looking at her.

Her cheeks puffed up like a squirrel, making her look cute. He smiled faintly.

Thinking she looked silly, Xu Yu quickly lowered her head and chewed.

Fish tofu, juicy meatballs, crab sticks… She seriously worked her way through them all.

Seeing her eat with such gusto, Zhou Yiheng pushed his oden toward her. “Help me finish this.”

At the same time, he picked up his phone.

Xu Yu was confused. What am I to him—his trash bin?

Before she could swallow, she looked up in confusion, just as he snapped a photo.

Her confused, puff-cheeked face froze on his phone screen. He looked at it like a masterpiece and chuckled.

Noticing the phone in front of her, Xu Yu had a bad feeling. “Did you just take a picture of me?”

Zhou Yiheng nodded. “I think your eating face is kinda cute.”

“Can you… delete it?” she gripped her skewer tightly.

“Why?”

Seriously? she thought. The only reason someone would keep a picture of someone of the opposite s3x is if they like them.

So… he liked her?

Impossible. What was there about her to like?

He had so many admirers. He didn’t need to like anyone. Especially not her.

Even after finishing the oden, she didn’t answer his question.

That night, Zhou Yiheng walked Xu Yu to her building. Before leaving, he said:

“Xu Yu, this is the first time I’ve done these things with a girl.”

Buying medicine, eating oden, taking photos, walking at night.

Standing on the stairs, they were the same height. Though a few steps apart, she could still hear his breathing—and his heart.

She asked, “What about next time? Will there be a next time?”

In the quiet dark stairwell, wind and heartbeats mixed. She heard him say clearly:

“Next time, it probably won’t be with someone else.”