"I don't know if they chose the colors the way I suggested."

  "The colors are very well matched," Fang Siying said, staring at him. Although this blind man couldn't see, he seemed quite knowledgeable about colors! "I didn’t expect you to be an expert in color coordination."

  "I learned it," Bai Paiwen said slowly. "I once lived with a color expert."

  "Oh." Fang Siying responded, scanning the room once more. "Actually, you really don’t have to go to all this trouble." She said uneasily, "I feel bad about it."

  "A would-be writer should live in a room that inspires creativity," Bai Paiwen smiled and said.

  "A would-be writer?"

  "Aren't you trying to gather writing materials?" Bai Paiwen's smile deepened, but suddenly, it faded completely.

  "Stay here, Miss Fang," he said deeply. "I promise you, you'll find a piece of writing material here, a full-length novel!"

  "Did I ever say I was collecting writing materials?" Fang Siying said, half-amused, half-bewildered. "I..."

  "Don't say it!" Bai Paiwen interrupted her. "I think I know you."

  Fang Siying paused for a moment. How presumptuous this man was! Did he really "know" her? She raised an eyebrow, unwilling to argue further. Moving to the center of the room, she opened the suitcase that Lao You had already brought in and began to unpack. The blind man listened intently to her movements, then said, "I think you must want some time to rest alone. Tingting! Let's go out."

  "Oh," Tingting excimed. "I′ll help Teacher Fang pack her things. Is that okay?" She turned to Fang Siying. "Can I help you hang your clothes?"

  "Let her stay, Mr. Bai," Fang Siyi said. "I′d like her to stay and help me, talk to me."

  "Alright, see you ter," Bai Paiwen nodded, turned, and left.

  Here, Fang Siying took a clothes hanger from the closet and asked Bai Tingting to help her hang each item of clothing. She then pced them into the closet. As Tingting worked, she kept talking and sharing her opinions:

  "Teacher, you have so many beautiful clothes, like this red one, this yellow one, this emerald green one... Why don’t you wear them? You always prefer bck, white, brown, or dark blue... Why?"

  "Because it looks more like a teacher!" Fang Siying smiled and replied.

  "You should let your hair down, take off your gsses, and wear this light purple dress.

  It would look absolutely stunning on you." Bai Tingting held up a purple evening dress with small silver trim.

  "Oh, little girl, are you trying to teach me about beauty?" Fang Siying ughed.

  "But you've worn this dress before, haven't you?"

  "Of course."

  "Then why don't you wear it now?"

  "There′s no chance. This is an evening dress, worn for banquets, you know?" Fang Siying hung the dress in the wardrobe. Then, she suddenly stopped, pulled the child to her side, and asked, "Do you like pretty clothes?"

  "Mm," the child nodded. "Mom has a lot of beautiful clothes."

  "What about you?" Fang Siying asked. "I′ve only seen you in a uniform."

  Bai Tingting lowered her head, kicking at the tassels on the bedspread with her foot.

  "I have csses every day, and even if I had pretty clothes, I wouldn′t have time to wear them..." she said, shyly and in a soft voice.

  "Oh." Fang Siying understood. Standing up straight, she continued hanging the clothes in the wardrobe, speaking in a light, cheerful tone, "Quickly help me organize things, Tingting. Then, can you take me to see your room?"

  "Sure!" Bai Tingting said happily.

  Fang Siying didn′t have many things, so in a short time, everything was neatly arranged. Following Bai Tingting, Fang Siying entered Tingting's room. The room was also quite rge and meticulously designed, with a deep red carpet and matching red curtains. The bed, desk, and bookshelves were all organized very neatly—so neat that it surprised Fang Siying, as it didn′t seem like a child′s room. In Fang Siying's imagination, the floor should have been scattered with dolls, teddy bears, kittens, or piles of children's books. But here, there was nothing—just a clean and orderly bedroom.

  "Alright, Tingting," Fang Siying said with a smile, "show me your dolls."

  "Dolls?" Bai Tingting stammered.

  "Yes!" Fang Siying looked at the child kindly. "Your Xiao Heitan, your Xiao Chou, your Jin Quan'er...."

  Bai Tingting's face turned pale, her smile fading as she stiffly stared at Fang Siying.

  "What's wrong, Tingting?" Fang Siying asked, puzzled.

  The child lowered her head.

  "What's going on, Tingting?" Fang Siying asked, even more confused.