Living Together

It took Jiang Wan a long time to fight back the tears in her eyes.

She walked in and observed the glass tanks.

The vegetables inside were growing well, and each leaf looked like it had absorbed an abundance of water, appearing green and vibrant.

She probably figured out about Wen Jin’s parent’s occupation.

Research institute. Professor.

“Are they busy with their work?” she asked.

Wen Jin stared at the glass tank in front of him, his gaze unmoving. “They come home two or three times a week.”

Two or three times a week?

Jiang Wan was dumbfounded.

So, Wen Jin had been left alone at home since he was a child?

“You had been home alone?” Jiang Wan asked.

Wen Jin shook his head. “There was a tutor and a housekeeping aunt.”

Jiang Wan noticed that he didn’t mention his parents.

“They believed I had the talent for scientific research, so they hired tutors to guide me in scientific research since I was a child.” Wen Jin lowered his gaze to inspect the vegetables in the transparent glass tank. “I cultivated my first batch of organic vegetables when I was five years old.”

His voice was deep, with little emotion. “For research purposes, the person who grew the plants had to be the first taster.”

Jiang Wan’s heart trembled as she listened. “So, you ate all the vegetables you grew?”

“Mm.”

Jiang Wan’s eyes immediately turned red when she thought of how he would throw up when he ate even the slightest bit of vegetables. “And then?”

Wen Jin stared at the chandelier above his head. “Then they took me to see a psychiatrist and forbade me from walking around at night. Every night at ten, they would turn off all the lights.”

Jiang Wan guessed that this was when his parents discovered he was sleepwalking.

Later, after sending me to school, they realized that I was quite different from a normal child.” Wen Jin’s face was slightly puzzled as he said this. “They think that it is only normal for a child to cry, laugh, and make a scene. I didn’t know how to do all those. I couldn’t cry.”

Jiang Wan bit her lip to keep her tears at bay. “And then what?”

“Then, they sent me back home. From that day on, I’ve been homeschooling.”

“You were at home all the time?” Jiang Wan turned away and hurriedly wiped away her tears. When she spoke, her voice was nasally. “Didn’t you have anyone to play with? Were you all by yourself?”

“There were at first, but then there weren’t.”

Jiang Wan didn’t ask him why. She could guess it.

It was either because he sleepwalked and scared them, or something else happened. Nevertheless, he had been abandoned several times.

In the end, he was all alone.

Wen Jin walked to the refrigerator, gently opened it, and looked down at the floor.

“At night, I would sit here and play chess.”

He was referring to the nights when his parents had turned off the lights in the house.

Jiang Wan covered her mouth with her hands, tears streaming down her cheeks.

She bit her lower lip and tried to control her voice. “Why?”

“It’s too quiet. There isn’t anyone else.” Wen Jin looked at the floor and said quietly, “When I play chess, I will calm down and not think so much.”

Jiang Wan couldn’t control herself any longer. She rushed forward to hug his waist.

“I will accompany you from now on.” She choked up. “I will be with you.”

Wen Jin looked down at her. “Why are you crying again? Didn’t you say that you would stop crying after seeing where I grew up?”

When Jiang Wan heard his question, she sobbed even louder.

Wen Jin took a piece of chocolate from his pocket, peeled it open, and fed it to her. “Eat some chocolate. Don’t cry anymore.”

“Wen Jin… wooo…” Jiang Wan wrapped her arms around his neck and cried, “I don’t want to eat… …I don’t want to eat…”

Her face was filled with tears, her chest heaved up and down, and her breathing was choppy.

“Jiang Wan.” Wen Jin wiped away her tears with his fingers. “If you cry like this, I will have an erection.”

Jiang Wan: “……”

Her tears abruptly stopped.

“I don’t want to do it here.” He wrapped his arms around her and asked in all seriousness. “Cry after we return to the hotel, okay?”

Jiang Wan: “……”