The Meaning Of Home Started Changing For Him.

He switched the line of his eyes to her and apologetically spoke, "I think it would be fine to go through it as long as we have covered up our nose and mouth. Do you have another handkerchief?"

An unsure expression took its birth on her pretty face as she thought about his question. She still went through her pockets though already knowing the answer to it.

"How would you manage now?" Lin Yuzhong asked awkwardly. He shouldn't have taken hers.

Right...how would she manage?

Scrupulously thinking for about ten seconds she said a bit timidly, "I don't know, I did not think about it before."

"Well...you can take the cover of my back. Cover your mouth and nose with your hand while I would help in blocking the dust in case if it falls."

He was taller than her and his broad shoulders should be able to cover her from the dust if she followed him closely.

If it had been some other girl there was no way Lin Yuzhong would have suggested the idea due to being against the close proximity with a girl but since it was her, the idea somehow pleased him.

Why such different yet special treatment? Even he was curious about that.

Without giving her any time to give a response, he hid the small smile by swivelling towards the door and taking the phone from his pocket to turn on the light, "Let's go."

"Just follow my steps carefully because you won't be able to see in front and there would be stairs after walking a couple of steps all the way till we go outside... so be careful."

"Alright."

While walking carefully he was reminded of the conversation they were having earlier, "Are you aware of the special gang of backbenchers?"

"The one which detests the students speaking English?"

"Yes. Avoid talking in English as much as you can in front of the boys of your class."

"That's what I was told by my cousin to do so as well."

"Cousin?"

"Yea, the one you spoke to earlier."

"Jiang Yi Ming is your cousin?" There was a shock and a bit of relief in his voice. He had thought them to be either friends or something more than that as he had never seen Jiang Yi Ming been this much worried about some other girl besides...

"But he never mentioned having any female cousin about his age."

"He never mentioned it because I arrived here a few months back only so he might have never felt it necessary to talk about it."

"Oh"

Now that he thought about it, he recalled that the daughter of late Eldest Master Jiang should be about the same age as him but hadn't she been living with her mother abroad. Could she be his daughter?

"Be careful there are steps now." Just as he completed it, he felt a hand clutching his shirt from the back tightly.

"Ah!"

"Are you fine!?" He stopped in his tracks and turned around to hold her wobbling form.

"Yes...just your warning came later." With her eyes locked in his, she told him slowly while her face started flaming red feeling his hands burning the area where they were touching her skin on both the arms.

"Have you hurt yourself somewhere?"

She could feel slight itching at the back of her hand but decided against telling him that.

"No."

Because she had not let go of his shirt from the back, they were sort of hugging each other now and seeing how close they were to each other, Lin Yuzhong could feel his heart changing its routine of beating normally by starting thumping in a fast pace.

What exactly was happening with him? All of these feelings...he had never felt them before.

Losing his hold onto her arms, he let go of her and turned around immediately with his expression still giving out none of his inner feelings and continued with his steps, "I am sorry about that."

Without saying anything, she trailed his steps still gripping the part of his shirt from the back tightly. After that one awkward moment, they were accompanied by silence till they reached the last few steps which was then broken by Lin Yuzhong.

"Use my name."

"Uh?"

"If you someday end up getting in trouble by that gang, just use my name. They won't bother you then."

"What??"

After getting down the last step of the staircase, he grabbed her arm softly and brought the girl to stand in front of him from behind. Putting on a wondering look, he gazed at her while tilting his head to the right without bothering to speak out any word.

"I mean- what I am supposed to say to them? Not that I did not understand what you told me to do." The way he was looking at her as if she was a fool made her briskly explain herself.

"I would have told you to use your cousin's name but he got into a feud with them some time back. It would put you in more trouble instead of helping you come out of it."

"Really? What kind of feud?"

Lin Yuzhong pressed his lips at her exuberant form and thought back at how it was because of his hidden crush, "It's better if you ask him this yourself."

In a flash, her anticipating face turned blank as she blinked at him. She was not that close with him yet to ask such questions but there was no way Lin Yuzhong would know this.

"Nevermind. About that gang-"

Lin Yuzhong cut her speech, "Just tell them that you are my friend or I would notify them that you are my friend. They won't bother you then."

"Thank You."

"Let's go, we are already out now."

Their school was designed by a world wide popular architect who made sure to build several emergency exits in case of some plight. It might not appear on the surface but through the backside, all the buildings in the senior's block were connected from where the staircase was built to go to the back of the library. So the route they had taken from Sr-1 was built in such a way that it can open straight to the backyard of the library.

That was the information Lin Yuzhong had extracted from his father when he went back during vacations.

And also that...Eldest Master Jiang's daughter had returned few months back.

Coming out through the door, Jiang Yi Ming who was already anxiously waiting for them there approached them and started examining her on seeing the door opening.

"Are you fine?"

"Yes, I am."

"What happened to your hand?"

"Hand?" That was when they noticed a small scratch on the back of her hand which was oozing blood. Remembering the itchiness she had felt on the staircase, she replied, "I might have injured myself on the staircase earlier."

Lin Yuzhong's eyes dimmed watching the cut while silently watching them interact from the side. That was it. His part was done.

Jiang Yi Ming came to him with a grateful expression, "Thank You for today, Lin Yuzhong. I was scared she might have gotten into a problem with the gang but thankfully it was just you. So we will be going first and please help me notify the warden, I won't be coming back today."

"Ok"

"Wait! What is your name?"

His question made Jiang Yi Ming threw a weird look at him. Obviously he knew to whom the question was directed at but why he was asking was something he did not understand.

That was so unlike Lin Yuzhong he knew.

Lin Yuzhong was feeling as if he was caught doing something inappropriate under his watchful eyes, "I will tell them she is my friend unless you want to use your name."

Jiang Yi Ming awkwardly laughed at this and gave him a warning look which was successfully ignored by Lin Yuzhong.

Using his name...wasn't he aware about the feud?

"Jiang Ying Yue. My name is Jiang Ying Yue and thank you for helping me today!"

Jiang Ying Yue...

Watching her go with Jiang Yi Ming that day from the back, he shouldn't have but something in him had stirred an uncomfortable pain.

Whether his home was a place or person...before that day if somebody would have asked him that, undoubtedly the answer would have been place.

But from that day, the meaning of home started changing for him.

With deep emotions underlying in his eyes, Alaric gazed at the man besides him, "Person."