Endless Fall

The Feeling of Being Protected by Him

“Jiaojiao, I’m coming up.” He panted heavily and comforted her with his gentlest voice.

Lin Jiao stared blankly at the man on the screen who was running up desperately.

This feeling of being protected by someone reminded her of that rainy night when he held an umbrella to protect her from the wind and rain.

She pursed her lips and saw him push open the door to the passage on the eighth floor. She didn’t have time to think anymore. “Uncle, be careful.”

“Okay, I’ll hang up first.” Pei Zhi was ready to fight, so he put his phone back into his pocket.

As he arrived, he saw a man who reeked of alcohol and was shouting for his wife as he smashed the door.

The security guards, who were a step behind, were speechless when they saw this scene.

They dragged the man away and said to Pei Zhi, “I’m really sorry. When he wakes up, we’ll get him to apologize to you.”

“No need.” Pei Zhi refused decisively. “Tell his family that if this happens again, we’ll see him in court.”

The security guards responded with an extremely good attitude.

After they left with the man, Pei Zhi took out his phone and called Lin Jiao.

Not long after, a faint light could be seen coming from inside, and a kitten in a nightgown ran towards him.

“Uncle, are you alright?” Lin Jiao looked him up and down, her hoarse voice filled with worry, as if she was afraid that he would be injured.

“I’m fine.”

At her instruction, Pei Zhi walked into the living room.

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He drank the warm water she poured and briefly explained what happened outside the door. “He won’t come again.”

“That’s good.” Lin Jiao collapsed on the sofa, relieved.

She put the fruit knife back and felt hungry. “Uncle, do you want noodles?”

“Are you hungry?”

“A little.”

“Then I’ll cook.” Pei Zhi put down his teacup and was about to walk into the kitchen when he was stopped.

“I’ll do it. Go take a shower first.”

“What?”

Lin Jiao repeated, “Your back drenched in sweat. You’ll feel uncomfortable if you don’t wash up.”

This time, Pei Zhi was sure that he had heard it correctly.

Before he could speak, he saw Lin Jiao run back to the bedroom and take out a white bathrobe.

“This one is the biggest. You can make do with it for the night.”

When Pei Zhi was pushed into the bathroom, he was still wondering if she meant to ask him to stay here for tonight.

Seeing that he was standing in front of the washbowl motionlessly, Lin Jiao, who was introducing the shower gel, called out to him, “Uncle, are you listening?”

“Yes?”

“The pink one on the shelf is shower gel. The blue one is shampoo. The brown one is a conditioner. Don’t use it wrong.”

Pei Zhi swallowed his salliva, saying, “Alright.”

He listened to the sound of footsteps leaving and sighed before slowly walking to the shower.

The faint fragrance that filled the bathroom rushed into his nose and spread out across every inch of his skin.

He lowered his eyes and looked at the white bubble that slid down his ankle. His heart felt as if it had been soaked in warm spring water.

After a long time, he turned off the shower and returned to the mirror to put on his bathrobe.

“Uncle, does the bathrobe fit?” Lin Jiao asked when she noticed that the sound of water had stopped.

“Yeah.” Pei Zhi wiped the water off the sink, turned around, pushed open the bathroom door, and walked towards the kitchen. “Is it done?”

“Done.” Lin Jiao turned around with the bowl.

Her gaze moved down from his neck to his calves. “This bathrobe looks so small on you.”

“Not really.” At least his knees were covered.

Pei Zhi took the bowl and chopsticks from her hand. Just as he took a step towards the dining room, he was grabbed by the sleeve.

“Let’s watch TV for a while.” Lin Jiao threw two cushions on the carpet and sat in front of the sofa with him, searching for a good show.

“There’s nothing to see at this hour.”

“There’s a Thai drama. Do you want to watch it?”

“Anything is fine.” Pei Zhi did not mind. As long as he was with her, he was already satisfied.

He handed her the chopsticks. “Aren’t you sleepy?”

“I’m not sleepy now.” Lin Jiao used the tip of her chopsticks to roll up a few strands of noodles and put them into her mouth.

She chewed and stared at the slapping scene without blinking. “Uncle, who do you think is prettier?”

“Do I have to choose?”

“Don’t take it so serious. Just say what you want.”

“They’re both ugly.”

Lin Jiao was amused by his serious look.

She took a bite of the omelet, her puffed cheeks making her look even cuter. “Actually, both of them are transgender.”

Pei Zhi swallowed a mouthful of noodles. “Have you seen this show before? What’s it about?”

“In short, in order to take revenge on the mistress who stole his father from his mother, the male protagonist underwent a gender-changing surgery to seduce the mistress’s brother. A few days after the protagonist hooked up with him, he was snatched away by another transgender person.”

“What is the screenwriter trying to say?”

“I don’t know.” Lin Jiao poured some water into the cup and pushed it to him. “Maybe the screenwriter wants to make a point that face-slapping is joyful.”

“It’s indeed very ‘joyful’.” Pei Zhi couldn’t find a suitable word to describe it.

He slowly finished his noodles and picked up his bowl and chopsticks before the second round of face-slapping began.

“Uncle, let me wash it.” Without waiting for him to take a step forward, Lin Jiao grabbed his sleeve.

Pei Zhi pulled her hand away. “It’s fine.” He raised his chin at the LCD screen. “This is very exciting. Don’t miss it.”

Lin Jiao didn’t insist.

She watched the face-slapping scene with relish. When Pei Zhi came out after washing the dishes, she did not forget to tell him what he missed out on.

Pei Zhi listened carefully and did not let slip a single word.

He sat down beside her and, after this episode ended, he didn’t allow her to watch another one.

“It’s three o’clock.” He turned off the television and rubbed her head. “You should go to bed.”

“I can’t sleep.” Lin Jiao pushed away the hair on the side of her face, not finding his action weird.

Pei Zhi poured a cup of milk and stood by the side to watch her drink it all. His voice was still gentle as he said, “You’ll fall asleep after lying down for a while.”

“Alright.” Lin Jiao put down the glass.

She turned off the lights in the living room and went to the bathroom with him to brush her teeth. “Uncle, do you have trouble sleeping in a new bed?”