Xiaobai Is Also Troubled Today

Bai Tingzhi took off his shoes at the door and looked up to see only the light in the living room, which seemed a bit lonely, as if no one was home.
 

“Mom? Dad? ... Are you both out?”
 
He walked to the dining table, where the covered dishes were still steaming. Next to the shelf was a note under the landline phone: “We went out to run some errands. We left dinner for you. Remember to heat it up before eating.”

 
After reading it, he casually folded the note and tossed it into the trash can. Bai Tingzhi placed his {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} backpack in his room, then simply ate his meal and took a shower.
 

In the empty residence, only his room was now lit. Even wearing only underwear and a short-sleeve shirt, he didn’t feel cold.
 
He sat at his desk and took out the scratch-off lottery ticket from his backpack.

He rubbed his hands together, hoping for a good prize.
 
Scratch, scratch—the pen cap scraped off the coating, and the expected pattern appeared before his eyes.

 
“Thank you for participating!”
 

“I knew it…"
 
Bai Tingzhi sighed, lay down on the bed, and played with his phone until the screen displayed the prominent 11 o’clock.

 
He had to get up early tomorrow and didn't plan to wait for anyone to come back. This half-a-yuan luck—he'd just have to look forward to it tomorrow morning.
 
The room grew dark, and soon there was the sound of light, even breathing.

 
The night was long and clear.
 

The sleeping person was unaware of the astonished expression on a certain young man's face in another residence…
 
Chirp, chirp!

 
“Hmm…”
 

The faint sound of birds chirping came from outside the window, and Bai Tingzhi stretched lazily in bed.
 
Dawn was breaking, and it was clearly no longer early. Even in her sleep, she vaguely sensed her mother cooking breakfast downstairs.

 
“Sigh… I guess I should get up.”
 

She got out of bed and slowly walked toward the door, her half-open eyes clearly showing she hadn't had enough sleep.
 
“Hmph, that brat Lin didn't get lucky either...”

 
And I didn’t end up losing a leg either...
 

“Has Tingzhi woken up yet—” Her mother's shout echoed up and down the stairs, accompanied by the sizzling sound of oil in the kitchen.
 
“I'm up, I'm up.” Saying that, Bai Tingzhi rubbed her eyes and walked downstairs.

 
“Do you have a cold? Your voice sounds strange.”
 

“What's strange about it?”
 
She brushed it off and turned into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

 
The sound was muffled by the door, and her mother, busy with her own tasks, couldn’t hear clearly and didn’t think more of it.
 

In the closed bathroom, Bai Tingzhi stood alone at the sink, just standing there without any other movement.
 
“Cold…? What cold? Wearing a short-sleeved shirt in the morning wouldn’t make me feel cold…” Bai Tingzhi muttered to herself in front of the mirror.

 
After a while, she suddenly remembered she needed to use the restroom.
 

How could she not go first thing in the morning?
She stood in front of the toilet with ease, gently pulling down her pants, and reached down with her other hand...
 

The sudden silence was the most terrifying.
 
An unfamiliar hesitation turned into a frantic search—from top to bottom, from left to right, from right to left, then all around.

 
Nothing.
 

Nothing.
 
Still nothing.

 
An icy chill spread from her chest to her brain in an instant!
 

Bai Tingzhi was instantly wide awake!
 
Her hand was still trying to find some trace of it, but it was doomed to be futile.

 
Her gaze slowly moved down, finally landing on the empty space where it should have been.
 

Gone? Gone...
 
“Ah, ah...!!!” A scream like a pig being slaughtered echoed from the bathroom to the living room, filling every corner of the room.

 
“What's wrong? What's wrong?”
 

Bai's mother was busy in the kitchen. It was a hot early summer day, and she couldn't imagine what could have happened in the bathroom. Besides, she was too exhausted from the night before to have the energy to think too hard.
 
“N-nothing... it's just a bug...”

 
“What's the big deal about a bug? Just wrap it up and flush it away.”
 

Bai’s father emerged from the room with a towel draped over his neck, looking as though he had just finished exercising.
 
It was indeed a “bug,” but now the “bug” was gone.

 
Bai Tingzhi, who had noticed the situation, was still a bit dazed, as if she hadn't fully woken up yet. The pain from slapping herself was unmistakably real, and everything she had seen and heard up to this point didn't feel out of place at all.
 

Her best friend of over a decade had just disappeared out of nowhere?
 
“Really, it's gone...? The Scratch card?”

 
Bai Tingzhi was now fully awake, and her mind started racing.
 

Could it be true? Did Lin Yunian really win five hundred million?! Should I call him now to ask? No, no, if I do that, he’ll immediately think of my “missing a leg” situation.
 
But when he sees that I haven’t really lost a leg, there’s no way he could just keep the 500 million for himself… right?

 
No, that's not right. He doesn't know about the “leg” I'm missing. It should be fine to call and ask; and he might even be concerned about me. Maybe I won too?
 

Bai Tingzhi checked her phone and found no activity in her account.
 
Such a small probability, and he won? The more she thought about it, the more depressed she felt. She ran her hands through her hair in frustration.

 
“Are you done yet? If you don’t eat breakfast soon, you’ll be late for school!”
 

“Alright, alright! I’m coming out right now.” Bai Tingzhi put her thoughts aside, picked up her toothbrush, and hurriedly brushed her teeth.
 
Bai’s father wiped his face and sat down at the dining table. “This kid has no masculinity at all. You spoil him too much. Maybe it’s time to let him move out on his own.”

 
“Enough, just eat your breakfast.” Bai’s mother carefully placed the breakfast in front of Bai’s father. “Is it really safe for Tingzhi to be alone? And you have so much spare money now, huh?”
 

Bai Pushan didn't respond, focusing on eating his breakfast. Chen Qianqian was used to this behavior and returned to the kitchen to bring out another portion for her son.
 
Bai Tingzhi hurried out of her room, quickly finished her breakfast, and rushed out with her backpack.

 
“I'm leaving first!”
 

“Walk slowly and be careful crossing the street.”
 
“I know, Mom. I'm going to be late!”

 
The front door slammed shut. Chen Qianqian cleared away Bai Tingzhi’s dishes, muttering under her breath, “This child…”
 

She glanced at Bai Pushan beside her, as if she had something to say.
 
Bai Pushan noticed the sharp glance and rose from his seat without a word, “I’m going to work too. Please take care of the house.”

 
Bai Tingzhi, of course, had no idea about the commotion at home. She was eager to find out what was happening with Lin Yunian.
 

There wasn't much time left before school started, but Lin Yunian would always wait for her.
 
Old Lin might be rough around the edges, but he was loyal.

 
So those five hundred million...
 

Standing at the corner of the intersection, Lin Yunian, with his tall, slender figure and backpack, was easy to spot in the crowd.
 
“Old Lin!”

 
“Xiao Bai! Over here!”
 

The red light flickered and turned green, and a crowd surged forward.
 
Bai Tingzhi struggled through the crowd and finally reached Lin Yunian's side. Old Lin immediately fixed his gaze on Bai Tingzhi's legs and muttered, “Thank goodness, thank goodness...”

 
She pretended not to hear and cautiously asked, “What are you thankful for?”
Old Lin sighed, “The card does say I won, but the boss said yesterday we didn't need to scratch it in the store. It seems he just wanted to trick us into going home and save himself the trouble.”

“Yeah, one yuan can't buy you a fortune,” Xiaobai chuckled awkwardly.