Mr. Lizard Outside the Window - Chapter 31

Chapter 31: He's the One

The breakfast on the table was incredibly elaborate.

Freshly baked soufflé pancakes, fluffy and white, drizzled with condensed milk and dusted with powdered sugar, a bowl of white fungus and red date soup, and a small dish of bright red Dandong strawberries.

It was the kind of breakfast a loving wife would prepare for her family.

But the person who had made it was nowhere to be found.

In fact, Banxia hadn't seen Xiao Lian much in the past two days. A hot meal would be waiting for her on the table when she returned home at night, and a delicious breakfast would appear in the morning.

But the little black gecko himself remained hidden.

Banxia ate her breakfast alone and cycled to school.

Halfway there, she suddenly braked, a realization dawning on her.

Is he…avoiding me?

---

That evening, at Yuying Music School, Banxia gave Tiantian the autographed book from Lin Shi. The little girl squealed with delight, hugging Banxia's arm and carefully placing the book in the innermost compartment of her backpack.

She then showed Banxia a picture of her beloved pet cat. "Laoshi, I'll tell you a secret. She's not an ordinary cat. My mom says she's a princess from Planet Cat, so I dress her up every day and make her look pretty."

Banxia showed her a picture of Xiao Lian on her phone. "I have one too! Isn't he handsome? He's not an ordinary lizard. He's a lizard prince."

"A prince?" the little girl looked disappointed. "That's too bad. If he's a prince, I can't pet him."

"Why not?" Banxia asked, confused.

"Because he's… naked! And he's a boy!" the little girl said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Banxia's mind went blank.

When Xiao Lian had first arrived, he had always been in his gecko form.

She had taken him to the vet, carried him around, held him in her hand, petted him… she had become accustomed to handling him without a second thought.

Even after seeing his human form in the bamboo grove, she hadn't considered the implications.

Now, a little girl's innocent words had shattered her obliviousness. Recalling her actions, she felt mortified.

After the lesson, Tiantian's mother approached Banxia.

The well-dressed woman, clearly invested in her child's education, beamed. "I don't know what you did, Laoshi, but Tiantian has been practicing much more diligently lately. Thank you so much!"

Banxia, her mind still reeling, barely registered her words.

---

On the subway ride home, Banxia scrolled through the gecko forum on her phone.

Posts about gecko anatomy flashed by.

A gecko's "private parts" were internal, located near the base of the tail, usually hidden from view.

Banxia looked at the diagrams and remembered how she had held Xiao Lian yesterday, turning him over in her hand. She cringed inwardly.

What does it mean when a male gecko rapidly shakes its tail?

It means he's in heat, of course! He's releasing pheromones! Find him a female!

Geckos have many sensitive areas: their head, neck, and tail.

Don't touch them unless you want to… tease them.

The brightly lit advertisements outside the subway window blurred as the train sped along.

Banxia covered her face with her hand. What have I done to Xiao Lian?

---

She got off the subway and cycled the rest of the way home, the wheels of her bicycle humming along the quiet village road.

The village was bathed in the warm glow of the streetlights and the lights from the houses.

Like every other night, young mothers bathed their children, helped them with their homework.

Older women washed dishes, did laundry, and mopped the floors.

Old Mrs. Du, widowed and alone in her old house, her children living far away.

The village was similar to the one Banxia had grown up in. The women were hardworking, bearing the brunt of the household chores, their efforts often taken for granted.

Banxia had never known her father, but she had seen countless women sacrificing everything for their husbands and children.

Even her sharp-tongued aunt, after returning home from work every day, would cook dinner, clean the house, and do the laundry, only finding time to gossip and complain after everyone else was asleep.

Her uncle, on the other hand, would simply watch TV after dinner. Because he didn't beat his wife or gamble, he was considered a "good husband."

Banxia had once thought she would never want to live with a man.

When she had said this, her mother had been hanging laundry in the courtyard, the white sheets billowing in the wind. She had turned to Banxia, a gentle smile on her face. "It's lonely living alone. If you find someone you truly connect with, both heart and soul, a relationship where both sides contribute equally, it can be a wonderful thing."

"But finding someone like that is rare. There's no point settling just for the sake of being married."

"Don't fill her head with such nonsense!" her grandmother had scolded. "Our Xiaxia will find a good man! Everyone needs a companion in life!"

Banxia, sitting under the grape trellis, watching the clothes swaying in the breeze, hadn't agreed.

If her mother could live alone, so could she. Why bother finding a man, cooking and cleaning for him, wasting her life?

But what if that person was Xiao Lian?

Xiao Lian, who talked to her about music, who listened to her play, who cooked for her.

Xiao Lian, who took care of her when she was sick, who was cute and endearing, whose voice was so soothing, who had lain naked in the bamboo grove under the moonlight.

Her mother's words echoed in her mind: If you find someone you truly connect with, both heart and soul…

He's the one.

Banxia bit her lip and pedaled faster, the cold night air cooling her flushed cheeks.

But when she arrived home, the apartment was still empty.

On her bed lay a beautiful dress.

It was the kind of dress that would make any girl's heart flutter.

Sheer, flowing fabric, a simple yet elegant neckline, the deep black fading into a scattering of shimmering stars.

Wearing it, she would be like a goddess of the night, adorned with the stars.

Banxia picked up the dress, her fingers tracing the soft fabric, then held it against her cheek, the smooth material cool against her skin.

She had never owned a dress like this, and no one had ever bought her a dress like this.

"Xiao Lian," she whispered, holding the dress, her voice echoing in the empty apartment. There was no reply.

But in the dark apartment next door, someone heard her call.

The man looked up, took a step towards the wall, then stopped, his hand resting on the thin partition, his forehead pressed against the cold surface, as close to her as he could be.

---

The next morning, before Western Music History class, the lecture hall was buzzing with activity.

Students chatted in groups.

"Have you ordered your dress for the end-of-semester performance?"

"Not yet. I can't decide what style to get."

"I think our class should sing 'Ode to Fat Nerds' for the choir performance."

"Are you crazy? The professor would kill us!"

"I heard Maestro William is coming next year! He might even give a few piano recitals!"

"OMG, I'm a huge fan! I have to go!"

"I heard Jiang Lin is coming back too! I wonder if we'll get to hear him play. He's an alumnus, right? He went abroad after he became famous."

"There's this new artist on Red Orange who's really good. A few of his songs are quite popular. One of them is even in the top ten!"

"Really? Let me see… what's his name? Red Lotus! He's listed as a rising star!"

Qiao Xin, overhearing this, turned to Shang Xiaoyue. "What's Red Orange?"

"It's an independent music website. Lots of unique artists there. You should check it out sometime."

"Really? I'll download the app. What song were they talking about? 'Mermaid'? Let me see…"

Qiao Xin started humming along to the melody on her phone. The first, woven from sunlight… the second, cut from moonlight… the third, adorned with stars…

Banxia, sitting by the window, looked up. It was the song Xiao Lian had sung to her when she was sick.

He sang to me, and he even bought me the dress from the song… He's so sweet to me.

Banxia stared at the leaves outside, bathed in sunlight, and sighed. Why is he avoiding me?

Pan Xuemei, busy with her homework, looked up. "Who's avoiding you?"

"There's this guy… I like him, but he's been avoiding me lately," Banxia confessed.

Pan Xuemei's pen skidded across the page, ruining her homework. But she didn't care. She grabbed Banxia's arm. "What guy? When did you get a boyfriend?"

Shang Xiaoyue and Qiao Xin in the front row instantly sat up straighter, their ears perked up. Qiao Xin took a large sip of water, pretending to be nonchalant.

"He's not from our school. He lives in my apartment building," Banxia said vaguely, omitting the fact that they were practically living together.

"What does he look like? Is he handsome?" Pan Xuemei, the shallow friend, asked.

"Um… long legs, slender waist, beautiful neck, very pale skin…"

She couldn't exactly tell her she hadn't seen his face yet.

Pan Xuemei's expression turned thoughtful. "How far have you two… gone? And why is he avoiding you? Why would he even avoid you?"

"We haven't… gone anywhere. I haven't even told him how I feel," Banxia mumbled, blushing slightly. "It's just… the other day, I accidentally saw him… naked. And I… touched him."

Qiao Xin in the front row choked on her water, spraying it across her desk.

"I didn't mean to! It was an accident!" Banxia protested, mortified. "I'm not a pervert! It was an accident!"

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