Chapter 14: Four-Dimensional Beings (Part 2)

  Second update, seeking recommendations~

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  Several people have already gotten used to her like this. Xiuying waved her hand indifferently, "You heard wrong, go back to sleep!"

  It was as if she was still half asleep, the girl stared blankly for a while before sniffing and asking, "Can't sleep, what are you guys talking about?"

  As she asked this, she looked at several girls, her eyes ignoring Ahn Jun-hee who nodded and greeted her beside her, to which he could only shrug his shoulders.

  It was the first time I met... or rather, it was just a few days ago that I knew the name of the girl in front of me was Zheng Xiuyan. At that time, in the cafeteria, Xiuyan said she wanted to introduce him to the person who had wished him a happy birthday last time, and then... there was no then.

  The process was unbearable, and the moment he saw Zheng Xiuyan, he knew she was the one who had helped him on his first day at the company. He enthusiastically greeted her, but was thoroughly defeated by her empty and silent stare.

  Until he left, neither of them said a word, with such an opening, it's easy to imagine what happened next.

  After that, I saw her a few more times, but we never communicated with each other. Our relationship wasn't even close to being acquaintances. I guess it's because I really couldn't understand her world. At least, I couldn't tell if she was spacing out or intentionally pretending not to see him behind her expressionless face.

  Such estrangement also made him lazy to get close, now when they meet, at most a polite nod, she ignores him, and he won't try to communicate again.

  Su-young starts tattling to Soo-young, saying that Yoon-ah said bad things about her. Yoon-ah naturally denies it and pulls in Yuri as a witness for herself. For a moment, the room is filled with chatter and noise.

  Seeing that he couldn't get a word in edgewise, An Junhe touched the wet hair of Xiao Xian who had been standing quietly beside him - it was all sweat, and his heart ached.

  Sometimes, thinking about it, her parents were really heartless, throwing such a small child into the company, not to mention killing her childhood, but also the environment of trainees was not suitable for her growth. There are too many unpleasant people here, and there is cruel competition that children should not see. Many times, rumors born out of jealousy can be like an invisible knife, corrupting even strong adults, cutting them into pieces, let alone a child who has not yet established a complete worldview.

  In such an environment, she can keep her innocence and quietly follow behind her sisters, striving to catch up with their footsteps.

  This composure, I was far from having at her age.

  Stroking her hair, under the girl's puzzled gaze, An Junhe smiled warmly and said: "What did Yuri ask you to buy again?"

  "Ice cream!" The girl replied obediently, then recited each person's desired flavor one by one. Her serious expression made it unclear how long she had silently memorized them in her heart to be able to say them out so accurately.

  An Junhe smiled and said, "Give me the money, I'll go buy it for you."

  The girl was somewhat hesitant.

  An Junhe burst out laughing: "Afraid I'll embezzle?"

  "No!" Xiao Xian hastily shook his head, but then didn't know how to explain and got flustered, his face turning red.

  Seeing her like this, An Junhe hastily said: "Alright alright, I know you don't want to trouble your brother, but the weather is so hot, this kind of errand should be done by a boy, here take it!"

  "Alright... thank you, Jun-hee hyung." Little Hyeon finally agreed with difficulty and opened his small bag, counting out the bills one by one. The girl was very principled, knowing exactly whose bill was whose, what to buy, how much change to get back, and she never mixed them up or made mistakes.

  This rigid personality of An Junhe's made him laugh and cry at the same time.

  He wants money, but it's just a formality. In reality, he doesn't plan to use their money. After spending several days together, he has come to understand the girls, and among them, Xiuying's family conditions should be the best. The remaining few are also from middle-class families, but they actually don't have much pocket money. Family control is secondary; the main reason is that trainees also need to spend money on their daily lives. The company only provides lunch and dinner - mostly simple fast food like seaweed rice balls - everything else requires self-preparation. Not to mention that sometimes practice requires tools, after all, the company not only teaches dance but also vocal music, art, and acting skills. With many people receiving training, the company-provided tools are insufficient, so if you want to keep up with others, you can only spend your own money to buy more.

  They usually don't spend much money either. It just so happens that An Junhe remembered that he and they have known each other for many days, but haven't invited guests yet, this time it's just right to make up for it.

  An Junhe took the money handed over by Xiao Xian and casually put it in his pocket before leaving the company.

  The scorching weather continued outside, with the clean road surface reflecting the sunlight, and the noisy crowds and chaotic car horns making the air even more sweltering. An Junhe ran quickly across the street and into a pastry shop, where he ordered many high-end ice creams that the girls usually wouldn't indulge in, under the warm welcome of the boss, and then waited beside as the boss packed them up.

  The temperature inside the store was cool and refreshing, while outside it was hot and scorching. At one moment, the crowd outside suddenly became noisy, with many people looking up at the sky and quickening their pace.

  An Junhe was just feeling strange, when the sky suddenly darkened, the owner of the cake shop who was packing ice cream, poked his head out to take a look and shook his head saying: "It's going to rain!"

  It's going to rain.

  The climate of Seoul is characterized by a clear distinction between the four seasons. After autumn, it becomes dry and cold with little precipitation, while in summer it is hot and humid with frequent rain showers, and the rain clouds usually come suddenly, one second ago it was sunny, the next second, dark clouds would press down, just like now.

  When the boss finished packing, An Junhe carried things out of the store, and the sky was already covered with dark clouds. Behind the densely packed high-rise buildings, the sky was dimly lit, and occasionally a small gap in the clouds would leak a sliver of sunlight, like the afterglow of dusk, casting a thin beam of light in the air, which was soon covered up.

  The wind gradually picked up, rapidly growing stronger, and the warm, humid air rushed in. The dark clouds covering the sky seemed to be pressing down lower with the wind. By the time An Junhe ran back to the company, large raindrops had started falling sporadically.

  "This awful weather!"

  Brushing off the dust and water droplets blown onto his body, An Junhe slightly complained. At this time, the trainees in the company also noticed the change in weather outside and walked out of their rooms to the first-floor cafeteria in twos and threes. While gazing at the sudden heavy rain that had grown from a light drizzle, they anxiously wondered how long it would last. Many people's homes were not close by, and if this kind of weather continued for a long time, they might have to ask their families to come pick them up.

  An Junhe rushed to the dance room when several girls were also talking about similar topics.

  The windows inside the room were not closed, and the strong wind poured in. The curtains were blown high up, making a rustling sound. Outside the window, raindrops pattered against the ground with a loud "patter". The splashing raindrops were blown away by the wind, turning into mist that sprayed into the room through the windows, bringing with it wave after wave of damp musty smell.

  "Close the window!" An Junhe shouted as he came in, putting down the convenience bag in his hand and beckoning to the girls to close the window. "Otherwise, the floor will get wet and you'll have to clean it up yourselves later."

  The clever little Xian responded first.

  "Ugh, this weather is so annoying!" Yoon-ah shouted a few times, still reluctantly getting up and pulling Eul-yi, who was blown by the wind and didn't want to move, together to close the window. As she turned her head back occasionally, she suddenly shrieked: "Ah, Choi Soo-young, you actually sneaked a snack!"

  Several people turned back to look, only to see An Junhe's just-picked-up convenience bag had been opened by Xiu Ying who had sneaked over at some unknown time. Several large cylinders of colorful ice cream were scattered on the ground in disarray. Xiu Ying was holding a spoon in one hand and eating from one cylinder with great relish.

  Hearing Yuner's scream, Xiuying hastily picked up San Tong and ran away.

  "Ah, that flavor is mine!"

  "Don't run, you greedy fellow!"

  Yuli and Yuner rushed out, shouting loudly.

  The noisy sound gradually faded away, leaving only Xiaoxian accompanying An Junhe to close the window, looking at their distant backs, shaking his head, "Xiaoxian, don't be like your sisters in the future, boys won't like it."

  "Hmm!" Xiaoxian nodded vigorously, then looked puzzled and asked: "But why should boys like it?"

  This pure question made An Junhe stunned, and he smiled: "You're still young, you'll understand when you grow up."

  "Oh..." The little girl nodded vaguely, no longer thinking about it, her gaze shifted and her attention was clearly drawn to the two remaining ice cream cones on the ground.

  After all, she's still a kid. No matter how steady she usually is, when she sees something she likes, she can't help but reveal her longing expression. An Junhe smiled slightly and patted her head, "Go eat!"

  The girl was taken aback, turned her head and looked over, "Not waiting for the sisters?"

  "Those three crazy girls won't come back until they've made enough trouble, you eat first!"

  "Oh..." Little Xian smiled happily and ran over to pick up a tube, but instead of eating it herself, she puffed and panted as she ran to the corner of the wall and handed it to Zheng Xiuyan, who had been sitting there motionless all along. "Sister, this is for you."

  After a while, just when An Junhe thought she had fallen asleep, a belated "thank you" floated out, "Thank you, Xiao Xian."

  "Sister, don't be polite." The little girl happily picked up her own one and just scooped up a spoonful, suddenly thought of something, hesitated to look at An Junhe, "Brother didn't buy for himself?"

  "Oh, I don't like this thing." An Junhe casually dismissed the girl's inquiry and stood by the window, gazing out at the vast, foggy rain curtain.

  The sky grew even darker, as if night had fallen, the thick rain clouds completely blocking out any light. The streetlights outside flickered on, and from this height, the misty veil of water droplets made the scattered lights along the streets seem to connect into a river of light, stretching out in an arc before my window and flowing off into the distance. Then, car headlights and neon lights all lit up, and the entire world seemed to be painted with a kaleidoscope of colors in that instant.

  Xiao Xian's happy laughter came from behind, "Brother, where did you buy the ice cream, it tastes so good!"

  That green and vibrant smile, combined with the scenes in front of me, became the most beautiful scenery in the rain.

  He stared silently, unaware of how much time had passed, when a soft and gentle voice suddenly sounded beside him: "Are you paying for it yourself? I saw Xiaoxian give you money, that amount can't even buy one of these ice creams."

  An Junhe turned his head, it was Zheng Xiuyan. The girl stood beside him, leaning against the window in imitation of him, her slightly curled long hair falling from the side of her face, illuminated by the light outside the window, casting all sorts of beautiful colors.

  Very beautiful!

  He thought to himself, his mouth slightly open, just about to say something, when suddenly it went dark in front of him. At the same time, the colorful world outside the window also turned pitch black, and the light went out section by section. In an instant, everything around him plunged into a deep abyss where he couldn't see his fingers if he stretched out his hand.

  Is the power out?

  The thought had just risen in his mind when a sharp scream suddenly exploded from beside his ear, making his eardrum ache. At the same time, a pair of slightly cold small hands grabbed his arm and tightly hugged him into her bosom.

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