When Luo Jingyu pulled Zhan Xi into his embrace, she didn’t struggle or show surprise. She just kept muttering, “Why did you run? What were you running from? You ran away, and now you’re back. Why did you…”
Luo Jingyu’s arms suddenly tightened around her, holding her closer. Zhan Xi’s voice gradually faded as she was enveloped in the young man’s deep, warm presence.
She was cold from the rain, but his embrace was burning hot. His hands firmly rubbed her back, pressing her body against his chest.
He had no other way to tell her — his longing, his apologies, his helplessness, his uncertainty, and his humble love for her that he could never express in words.
The bag in Zhan Xi’s hand dropped to the ground with a thud. She finally raised her arms and held him tight.
As if trying to compete with him to see who was stronger, she frantically grabbed at him. She even complained that his clothes were too thick, preventing her from holding him properly. She wanted to tear through his coat and sweater, just to be closer to him.
Her cheek was buried in the crook of his neck, nuzzling him like a cat.
It was so warm, so blissful — it was Little Fish’s embrace. She had replayed it in her mind many times. That desperate hug on his birthday night had left his scent deeply imprinted in her memory.
She wanted to be held by him again, to be caressed, to be cherished. Simply patting her head or pulling her sleeve wasn’t enough anymore. She wanted to be close to him, wanted more and more, wanted to stay by his side and never leave…
Her response almost drove Luo Jingyu crazy. His heart rate had reached a critical point — if it kept beating like this, it might burst out of his chest.
However, human desires are endless. The embrace he had once desperately yearned for now seemed insufficient. He slowly loosened his hold and looked down at the girl’s face. His left arm stayed around her waist while his right hand gently caressed her cheek.
Their bodies remained pressed together. Though she felt shy, she didn’t resist. Her eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings, and she turned her head slightly, too embarrassed to look at him.
Luo Jingyu’s gaze fell on her lips. Those lips, once pale and bloodless, had now turned rosy. He knew these lips well — he had to watch them when she spoke, and he had memorized their every shape.
He knew how they curved when she smiled, how they revealed neat white teeth when she laughed, how they looked when pressed together in nervousness, how small they became when she pouted… She was so considerate, always slowing down and enunciating clearly when speaking to him. He loved watching her talk! There was no pressure, and he never worried about her becoming impatient.
Yet there was still regret. He couldn’t hear her voice and never would. The sound coming from those lovely lips must be beautiful. Gu Xinchi had said it was like a bird singing!
Luo Jingyu moved his right hand from her cheek to her lips, his thumb gently caressing them. They were so soft and plump — he wondered what it would feel like to kiss them.
He was startled by his own thoughts, feeling deeply ashamed.
But Zhan Xi seemed to sense his inner thoughts. When he tried to remove his hand from her face, she raised her left hand and pressed it against the back of his right hand.
She thought she must be drunk. People say alcohol makes you do crazy things. She didn’t want to do anything too crazy, just had a small craving — she wanted to… eat fish.
At this moment, they only saw each other, forgetting everything else. Zhan Xi stubbornly held onto Luo Jingyu’s right hand. When his thumb touched her lips again, she gently licked it, lifted her eyelashes, and caught his dark gaze with her big eyes, completely uninhibited.
Like a wildfire spreading across the plains, like water piercing through stone;
Like a silent breeze that could still create waves;
Like honey that could sweeten bitter medicine with just a few drops;
Like… the tempting bait under a fishing rod.
Luo Jingyu felt like he was about to burst into flames.
The touch of her tongue on his thumb was so light, even lighter than the earlier sucking of the gift.
Yet it made his entire heart melt and tremble, his throat parched, barely able to breathe.
He leaned down slightly, tilting his face, willingly falling into her trap as he moved to bite that bait. Just before he could, a door suddenly opened in the hallway.
Luo Jingyu couldn’t hear it, but Zhan Xi was startled. She frantically struggled, turning her head away and pushing his chest. Luo Jingyu didn’t understand why she suddenly resisted. Zhan Xi looked up at him, moving her lips without sound: “Someone’s coming out.”
Now even Luo Jingyu became nervous. They quickly separated, facing each other and breathing heavily, both their faces burning. Zhan Xi glanced from the corner of her eye — it was Mr. Gu from 1501, who had already seen them and was walking out leisurely.
Zhan Xi immediately lowered her head and covered her face with her hand. Luo Jingyu simply didn’t turn around, treating whoever was behind him as nonexistent.
Mr. Gu had heard the commotion in the hallway from inside his home — a woman shouting and some other noise — so he decided to take out the trash as an excuse to check it out.
And he saw Little Fish hugging a girl! When he came out, they quickly separated.
Was it Miss Zhan from the eighth floor? She didn’t look quite like her — this girl looked rather disheveled, nothing like the fresh and sweet Miss Zhan.
Tsk! How exciting.
Ah, to be young!
Mr. Gu held a cigarette pack and lighter in his left hand and garbage bags in his right. He had planned to greet Little Fish but changed his mind at the sight. After pressing the elevator button, he stared straight at the elevator doors, pretending the couple was invisible.
He was even humming a song: “My youthful little bird won’t come back, my youthful little bird won’t come back…”
Zhan Xi: “…”
After Mr. Gu took the elevator downstairs, Zhan Xi finally dared to look at Luo Jingyu.
He hadn’t moved, unaware of what had happened behind him. Zhan Xi said, “It was Gu Xinchi’s father. He’s gone now.”
Only then did Luo Jingyu relax, letting out a soft breath.
Their rationality returned, as if they had just woken from a dream. Zhan Xi no longer dared to think about eating fish, and Luo Jingyu felt the same. After that small interruption, the atmosphere had completely changed.
He tried to pick at a spot of black mud on Zhan Xi’s collar but couldn’t remove it. He signed to her in a way she could understand: [What happened to you?]
Reminded of this, Zhan Xi got angry again. She pouted and glared at him: “I fell while chasing after you.”
Luo Jingyu: “…”
This was a serious offense. He signed: [I’m sorry.]
He touched Zhan Xi’s coat — it was wet and sticky. Luo Jingyu touched her sleeve and pointed to door 1504. Zhan Xi looked at the door warily and asked, “What?”
Luo Jingyu sighed and typed on his phone: [Your clothes are wet, it’s cold here. Don’t catch a cold. Come sit for a while.]
Zhan Xi hesitated: “I can go home and deal with it. I just came to beat you up.”
Luo Jingyu: “…”
He didn’t want to let her go. It wasn’t about taking the bait anymore — he just wanted to spend more time with her. He didn’t want her to leave.
She hadn’t spoken to him for a week, and he was afraid if she left now, she would ignore him again.
Luo Jingyu stopped typing and directly pulled Zhan Xi’s sleeve, pointing to his home.
Zhan Xi looked at him sideways. Luo Jingyu did what she had done before, gently shaking her arm. Zhan Xi looked up and noticed he had gotten a haircut. He seemed to have been caught in the rain too — his hair was wet, his eyes were moist, and when he looked at her, his gaze even held a hint of pleading.
How could Zhan Xi stay angry with him? Her heart had already softened. Seeing her expression change, Luo Jingyu grew bolder and pulled her sleeve, leading her towards his home. After a few reluctant steps, Zhan Xi suddenly stopped, thinking about that girl and feeling uneasy.
If Little Fish really had a girlfriend, what was that hug and almost-kiss about?
He didn’t seem like that kind of person…
Luo Jingyu looked at her worriedly and signed again: [What’s wrong?]
Zhan Xi asked directly: “The other day, who was that girl with you in the elevator?”
Luo Jingyu paused for a moment, his furrowed brows suddenly relaxing as a smile appeared on his lips. He typed on his phone: [Is that why you’ve been ignoring me?]
Ha! He dared to avoid her question and try to get information out of her instead!
Zhan Xi wouldn’t answer honestly either, retorting: “What do you mean I’ve been ignoring you? I sent you messages before, but you were the one who ignored me!”
Luo Jingyu made a simple sign: [I was busy.]
“Hmph.” Zhan Xi said, “You still haven’t told me who that girl was.”
Luo Jingyu smiled and typed: [My sister.]
Zhan Xi: “…”
Ahhhh! She couldn’t go on living! Let her explode right here!
Luo Jingyu discovered that what had troubled him for a week was just a misunderstanding. He was so happy! His eyes curved with his smile as he picked up the keys and umbrella from the ground, then helped Zhan Xi collect her bag, umbrella, and gift box. He gently pushed her with his elbow, and Zhan Xi reluctantly followed him to door 1504.
When the door opened, she remembered what she had said before about never visiting his home again. Ah… how embarrassing. She shouldn’t make such promises so carelessly in the future.
When Luo Jingyu went out to return the umbrella, he hadn’t turned off the air conditioning or lights. The room temperature was comfortable now, and as soon as Zhan Xi entered, her cold body felt much better.
After closing the door, Luo Jingyu piled everything on the entrance cabinet and immediately helped Zhan Xi remove her wet and dirty coat. He felt her sweater — fortunately, it wasn’t wet, but when he saw her lower half, he drew in a sharp breath. He immediately knelt down, his fingers gently touching her right knee.
Zhan Xi was wearing the black shorts from her dance practice with black stockings underneath. The stockings were torn in several places, with the worst damage at her right knee, which was bleeding.
Luo Jingyu looked up at her, and Zhan Xi wrinkled her nose: “It’s all your fault. If you hadn’t run away, I wouldn’t have fallen. It hurts so much.”
Luo Jingyu was terribly worried. He quickly gathered his facial cleanser and moisturizer from the master bathroom, along with a new towel, and handed everything to Zhan Xi. He pushed her into the guest bathroom, gesturing for her to wash her face and remove her stockings to clean the wound.
Seeing his anxious expression, Zhan Xi’s complaints vanished. She smiled and said, “I know, I was just kidding earlier. It doesn’t really hurt that much.”
Luo Jingyu helplessly ruffled her hair, left the guest bathroom, and closed the door for her.
When Zhan Xi saw herself in the mirror, she nearly had an out-of-body experience.
She clutched her head and, knowing Luo Jingyu couldn’t hear her, let out a miserable “Ah!”
Was this really how she had appeared in front of Little Fish earlier?
How did he manage not to laugh? How could he bear to hug someone who looked like this? And how could he even think about kissing such a face?
Where did she find the confidence to try to “seduce” him looking like this? She had even thought she was being alluring — just how thick were Little Fish’s rose-tinted glasses!
Zhan Xi hadn’t brought makeup remover, so she had to make do with Luo Jingyu’s facial cleanser. When she saw the brand of his skincare products, she fell silent again.
Little Fish used much more high-end brands than she did. No wonder his skin was so good. What a fancy fish… If she wanted to buy him skincare products in the future, she wouldn’t even be able to afford them.
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