With that sentence, the atmosphere suddenly became ambiguous and silent.
In the small room, dimly lit by the flickering candlelight, the words spoken by the young man sitting across from her felt tender and gentle in this kind of ambiance.
Yet, it was also filled with a deep sense of pressure, making Lin Xiche feel like she couldn’t breathe. Her mind went blank for a moment, and she even began to appreciate Xu Fang’s earlier action of zipping her jacket up to her neck. With that barrier in place, even though they were isolated from the outside air, she felt like she could breathe more easily.
Lin Xiche didn’t know how to respond to that question. She felt like she could easily divert his attention, say so many things to refute his question, and make sure he wouldn’t entertain such thoughts again. Then she could escape from this situation, which was so awkward and bewildering.
As long as she laughed it off, used a playful tone, and asked him what he was thinking, their relationship could go back to how it used to be. Maybe there would be some changes, but over time, things would return to the way they were.
Let’s do it that way.
She had to be certain that he liked her too before confessing.
It had to be like that.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t even be able to remain friends.
Lin Xiche bit her lip, reached out, and pulled the zipper down, her expression determined as if going into battle, brave and unyielding. She pulled the zipper down to the tip of her nose, revealing a pair of shining black eyes.
It coincidentally met his gaze.
As if during her silent moments, he had been staring at her the whole time, never once shifting his gaze. It was as if he wanted to see through her, to understand what was going on in her mind.
His eyes were deep and calm, reflecting the candlelight before him. The light was faint, as if with a gentle flick or a few casual words, it could be extinguished, plunging the room into complete darkness.
Lin Xiche couldn’t find the words she had prepared. Her mind went blank, and she lowered her head, avoiding his gaze. She happened to see the candles on the cake, which were almost burning down to the base. She weakly opened her mouth and deliberately changed the subject.
“Aren’t you going to make a wish…”
Her reaction seemed to provide him with an answer.
Xu Fang lowered his eyelashes, which trembled slightly. He licked his lips with the tip of his tongue and chuckled self-deprecatingly, his voice slow and with a hint of hoarseness, “A wish, huh…”
He paused for a few seconds, cleared his throat, and returned to his previous nonchalant and casual tone, “Forget what I just said.”
“…”
This sentence felt like a way out for her. She should have breathed a sigh of relief, she should have felt fortunate to have escaped this predicament. But she couldn’t help feeling that something was amiss with this development, and it didn’t make her feel any better.
Although Xu Fang’s face didn’t show much emotion, he seemed unhappy.
Lin Xiche didn’t know where his unhappiness came from, but the fact that Xu Fang was in this state made her feel sad and a lump formed in her throat.
After saying that, Xu Fang sat up straight, his face expressionless. He casually remarked, “Hm, it’s been centuries since I blew out candles…” He lowered his head, as if he was about to blow out the candles.
At the same time, Lin Xiche pursed her lips. Her hands, stiff from nervousness, took a deep breath and, acting ahead of him, blew out the candles.
With her action, the dorm room was instantly plunged into total darkness.
Never did she expect such a move from her, leaving Xu Fang momentarily dumbfounded. He remained frozen in place for a few seconds before furrowing his brow and asking, “What are you doing?”
“Oh,” Lin Xiche was equally bewildered. She slowly retreated to her previous position and said softly, “I mean, your wish just now… I haven’t figured out if I can help you with it yet…”
In the dimly lit room, the atmosphere solidified with her words.
In the quietness of the room, Lin Xiche could hear her own heartbeats clearly. Her heart was pounding rapidly, haphazardly, as if it wanted to jump out of her chest.
Thump.
Thump, thump.
She couldn’t see Xu Fang’s expression, nor could she tell if he understood the implication behind her words. Lin Xiche could only wait for his response, hoping that in this darkness, he would shed some light on the situation.
It felt like an eternity passed.
Lin Xiche was completely devoid of any ability to think. She felt like only a few seconds had passed, yet it also felt like an entire night had gone by.
Suddenly, there was a sharp squeak, and the table separating them was pulled away.
In the next moment, Xu Fang abruptly reached out and pulled her into his arms with a forceful grip, without any restraint. His breath was slightly hurried, and he pressed her tightly against his chest.
Lin Xiche heard another sound, the thunderous heartbeat coming from his chest.
“Damn it,” she heard him mutter a curse in a hushed voice, and then, as if he had let out a sigh of relief, he lowered his head, leaning close to her ear. His breath was warm, and it gradually reddened her ear.
“You took quite a while to think.”
Lin Xiche’s face was buried in his chest, and because of his sudden action, she didn’t know where to put her hands. Her voice was muffled as she stumbled over her words, “Not… not really…”
After saying that, she hesitated and added in a low voice, “I’m a little nervous.”
“Nervous?” Xu Fang’s Adam’s apple moved up and down as he used his slender fingers to lift the brim of her cap, tilting her head upwards. He stared into her eyes in the dimly lit room, and said softly, “You don’t need to think about it. I’ll make a new wish.”
Lin Xiche’s exposed face felt like it was in the open air, her hair disheveled and caught by his single hand. She pretended to be motionless, as if she hadn’t heard his words, and didn’t say a word.
“No need to think about it,” Xu Fang said impatiently, using a bit more force to lift her head. With the light filtering in from outside the dorm room as someone passed by in the hallway, he gazed into her eyes and said in a low voice, “I’ll make a new wish.”
Lin Xiche, still dazed, asked, “What is it?”
“The candles were blown out by you, and I’m not happy about it,” Xu Fang said, raising his hand to caress her face, inching closer to her with a serious expression. “So, give me back my girlfriend.”
Lin Xiche’s body went limp, and she stared at him dumbfounded, her face almost smoking from the heat.
“Ah,” Xu Fang’s eyes roamed over her face, and he appeared very pleased. At that moment, their proximity became extremely close. “I really like someone like you.”
“…”
“Do you agree?” Xu Fang’s lips were about to touch hers as he whispered, “Can’t you tell? I really like you—”
As if enchanted or compelled by her own feelings, Lin Xiche clenched her fist and looked into his eyes, softly saying, “Do you like someone like me—”
She paused for a moment and then added in a hushed voice, “Then, I think I can help you fulfill that wish.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt Xu Fang’s breath seemed to pause for a moment. After a long while, he chuckled softly and then continued to approach her. Lin Xiche felt that all her senses were under Xu Fang’s control, influenced by his every word and action.
His scent filled the air, more intoxicating than any previous encounter. At this distance, all she needed to do was tilt her head slightly, and he would lower his head.
Just one more second.
But that second never came.
The dorm room door was suddenly pushed open, and the voices of several guys sounded urgent and rough, as if they had just rushed back.
“Damn it, they checked our room for cleanliness yesterday, and now they’re back today.”
“Yeah, did Xu Fang wake up? Been looking for him for half the day—”
The lights in the dorm room turned on.
Lin Xiche’s breath caught, and she abruptly pushed Xu Fang away, acting as if nothing had happened. She immediately turned to face the three guys outside, pursed her lips, and without a hint of panic, started blowing out the candles on the cake. Her back was to the three guys, and she could hear Xu Fang swearing unhappily in front of her.
“Damn it.”
The moment the lights came on, the three male students noticed the romantic atmosphere between the two and Xu Fang’s icy gaze at its limit. They immediately fell silent, turning their heads away very consciously, and walked out, even thoughtfully closing the door behind them.
The dorm room returned to silence.
The next moment, the door was opened again, and Yu Tong poked his head in, softly reminding, “Comrade, you better hurry. The leaders are coming to inspect cleanliness—”
“Get lost.”
With a slam, the door was closed once more.
Xu Fang didn’t waste any time. He and Lin Xiche quickly extinguished the candles on the cake and placed them back in the box. He stood up, grabbed Lin Xiche’s wrist, and pulled her to her feet.
“Let’s go.”
As soon as Lin Xiche stood up, he handed her the cake box. She looked up at him, watching him quietly tidy her hair before taking the box from her hand. Then he pulled her wrist and headed out.
Pushing open the door, his three roommates were standing side by side by the railing in the hallway. They all turned to look at the sound of the door, their expressions very ambiguous.
“We’ll be back later.” After dropping this statement, Xu Fang calmly pulled Lin Xiche downstairs.
They walked side by side, both of them silent. Their relationship had taken an unexpected step forward, and Lin Xiche was finding it hard to believe and adjust. But more than anything, she was filled with joy and sweetness.
Xu Fang pulled her into a coffee shop on campus and found a seat.
The self-adjustment on the way had completely dispelled the awkwardness and uneasiness Lin Xiche had felt earlier. She quickly got into her usual role, smiling and talking to Xu Fang, “Appa, let me tell you, I spent 200 yuan on this cake! And those shoes cost over 1,800…”
She talked just as much as usual, and her attitude was no different from usual.
Xu Fang glanced at her a few times, paused for a moment, and felt that her reaction seemed a bit off. He started to feel uneasy, but he didn’t say anything more. He continued to respond to her as he normally would, listening to her talk and replying in kind.
After finishing the cake, Xu Fang accompanied Lin Xiche to the dormitory building and watched her with a slightly furrowed brow as she happily chatted away. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease. However, he didn’t say anything until the very end.
“Don’t forget.”
Hearing this, Lin Xiche, who was about to say goodbye, was puzzled, “Huh?”
Xu Fang turned his head away, his face stiff, and his eyes showed a hint of discomfort.
“You have a boyfriend now.”
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