BSS - Chapter 46
Chapter 46
Xu Wei's body stiffened. She buried her head in Deng Chuan's neck without a word.
Deng Chuan held her, tentatively kissing her ear. The thin, round curve of it was like a sliver of a white moon, only this moon was tinged with a red mist, and its temperature seemed to rise. The moment their skin touched, Xu Wei stirred slightly, as if waking up, and tried to pull away.
"Stop messing around," she said. Her voice was faint, but her tone was firm.
"I'm not." Deng Chuan reached out to cup her face, rubbing her nose with a hint of a smile. "It's rare to see you like this."
The corners of Xu Wei's mouth twitched into a faint, shallow smile. "Like what?"
"Like you are today."
Deng Chuan's kisses landed one by one beside Xu Wei's lips. She didn't miss the unease and gloom in Xu Wei's expression, but her hot breath still carried her words, tossing them to Xu Wei one by one. "You're mischievous, you show disdain for me, you're fierce with me, you laugh, you're awkward, you wrinkle your nose when you scold someone... and you reject me, just like now."
"You like me like this?"
"Extremely."
The smile on Xu Wei's lips widened. "Such a sweet talker."
"Because I... am completely sincere," Deng Chuan murmured, her gaze earnest as she pressed her forehead against Xu Wei's.
Xu Wei leaned in and initiated a light touch of her Little Friend's lips. "That's what I wanted to say, too... Deng Chuan, I told you a long time ago, I might not be who you imagine."
"I thought I already gave you my answer," Deng Chuan said. "You just need to be yourself. As long as it's you, I'll love you."
This wasn't just a sweet nothing. Deng Chuan thought about the days before she got together with Xu Wei, how she had imagined what Xu Wei was like countless times. Perhaps everyone who has a crush feels this way-longing for everything about them, wanting to figure them out, to understand them completely.
But none of that mattered now.
She gazed into Xu Wei's smiling eyes, where the smile was as sweet as the lychees she had eaten, and said softly, "I love you."
Xu Wei broke into a full smile, and the shadow that had been lingering in her heart completely dissipated. I'm done for, she thought. How is this kid so good at coaxing people?
Out loud, however, she changed the subject. "Alright-let me go first. I'm going to check on Zhou Liu."
Zhou Liu was timid, and Yang Jing was a stranger. He hadn't shown himself all evening, and she didn't know where he was hiding.
"Zhou Liu is sleeping behind the curtain," Deng Chuan said. She had already looked for him.
She let go of Xu Wei and watched her walk to the curtain, squat down, and reach out to pet the soundly sleeping Zhou Liu.
Xu Wei's back was a familiar sight to Deng Chuan. She watched quietly, her heart filled with a softness like that of a weary bird returning to the forest.
Night clung to the windowpane. In the distance, the commercial district was a brilliant river of lights. These scattered lights passed through the glass, landing on the crown of Xu Wei's hair like shattered stars. Deng Chuan walked over slowly and stroked her head.
Xu Wei tilted her head up to look at her, her eyes moist, holding a hint of reproach as gentle as water.
Deng Chuan smiled unconsciously, squatted down, and also reached out to pet Zhou Liu's head.
Zhou Liu slept, completely unguarded. He didn't wake even when touched, his soft belly rising and falling. Deng Chuan gave one of his whiskers a gentle tug, and the side of his cheek moved along with it, looking both innocent and comical.
Xu Wei didn't look at her. Her fingertips stroked lightly over the top of Zhou Liu's head, deliberate and slow, like a moment of profound thought.
The saying that petting a cat can slow down the flow of time seemed to be true. Under Xu Wei's fingertips, time felt as if it were gradually stretching out.
Their arms were pressed intimately together. Deng Chuan would occasionally touch Xu Wei's hand with clingy, affectionate little gestures. Xu Wei indulged her, and they both sank into this silent intimacy.
The clock on the wall ticked on without pause. The eternal movement of a clock is an act that ignores all else, deeper than any laughter or tears, any words. No matter what happened, it ticked steadily onward, time hidden within time.
Deng Chuan stayed with Xu Wei for a while. In the middle of it, Xu Wei took a phone call. Deng Chuan didn't know what was said on the other end, but Xu Wei's expression turned cold. She remained silent and expressionless, then hung up abruptly.
Deng Chuan watched from the side. Seeing Xu Wei hang up and toss her phone onto the sofa in exasperation, she decided to ask directly, "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing," Xu Wei said calmly.
After a moment's thought, she added, "It was my dad."
Seeing Deng Chuan's brow furrow at her answer, Xu Wei laughed softly and reached out to smooth her eyebrows. "It's not important. Don't worry about it."
Afraid Deng Chuan would still be worried, Xu Wei carefully added, "He just asked how I've been. It was nothing."
Deng Chuan didn't quite believe the casualness in Xu Wei's tone, but she went along with it. "That's good, then."
She said, "I was afraid you were unhappy."
"I'm not unhappy," Xu Wei said, speaking frankly for the first time. "And I wasn't trying to hide it from you."
Her fingers traced the arch of Deng Chuan's brow. "I just don't know how to talk about it. I'll tell you everything in the future."
"Okay." Deng Chuan listened quietly, accepting the explanation. Xu Wei had said her piece, and the topic was closed. Pushing it further would be pointless. She reached out, caught the hand that was on her face, and asked, "Is Chaoshan fun?"
Xu Wei couldn't help but smile. The change of subject was so obvious. The mix of immaturity and maturity in Deng Chuan always left her in a daze; the traces time had left on her were so lyrical. Xu Wei's heart settled because of this immaturity and lyricism. She let out a barely audible sigh and said in a drawn-out voice, "That depends on who you ask."
The two of them leaned against the window and talked for a while longer. At one point, Yang Jing came out for a glass of water. As she passed through the living room, she saw them, Deng Chuan's hand resting on Xu Wei's waist. She didn't make a sound, just poured her water and quietly left with her glass.
The night deepened. Deng Chuan gathered her things, preparing to go home. Xu Wei didn't ask her to stay, instead helping her check if she had left anything behind.
Just before leaving, after changing her shoes, Deng Chuan leaned in and kissed Xu Wei again. "I'm going now."
Deng Chuan usually seemed calm and rational, but when it came to romance, she was very clingy, always wanting to be close. Xu Wei didn't mind this intimacy; in fact, she enjoyed this unique side of her. She lowered her gaze and pinched Deng Chuan's earlobe. "Be careful on your way."
"Message me when you get home."
"Got it." Deng Chuan reached for the door, stepped into the hallway, and pressed the button for the elevator. Xu Wei leaned against the doorframe, watching her without a word.
The elevator was ascending, its sound distinct in the quiet hallway. Just as it was about to arrive, Xu Wei suddenly called out softly, "Deng Chuan."
Deng Chuan turned to look at her, her gaze gentle. "Yes, I'm here."
Xu Wei opened her arms slightly. "Come here."
Through the thin fabric of her T-shirt, Xu Wei could feel Deng Chuan's warmth and her youthful heartbeat. Her arms tightened inch by inch. Xu Wei held Deng Chuan tightly, her lips pressed against Deng Chuan's neck, where the blue veins were distinct against her fair skin. She paused, silent for a long time. Deng Chuan didn't speak either, just stroked Xu Wei's slender back again and again.
The elevator doors opened and closed. The motion-sensor light in the hallway went out. After what felt like a long time, Deng Chuan heard Xu Wei whisper, "Just give me a little more time."
Deng Chuan hummed in agreement, reaching up to stroke Xu Wei's smooth hair.
It was a sentence that came out of nowhere, but Deng Chuan understood. Xu Wei had been very passive in the process of them getting together; she hadn't had the heart to refuse her. But for two people to be together, their feelings needed to blend, and more importantly, they needed to be honest with each other.
Xu Wei had something on her mind; Deng Chuan had known from the very beginning. There were too many clues. Not going home for holidays could be explained away as not being a homebody, but in the year she had known Xu Wei, she had only gone back for a few days during the New Year. She seemed to pointedly avoid her hometown and her past. Even Yang Jing, who had grown up with her, rarely mentioned how things were back home or in the past.
Deng Chuan saw all this but wasn't in a hurry to find out why. She believed in herself, and she believed that Xu Wei was happy with her-happiness couldn't be faked. If avoiding the topic made Xu Wei happy, then that was fine.
Besides, everyone had the right to keep their secrets.
"It's okay." Deng Chuan caressed her face, coaxing her softly. "I'm not in a hurry, so you don't have to be, either. We can take our time, alright?"
"Okay." Xu Wei looked at her, her gaze soft, and replied earnestly, "We have a long, long time."
Deng Chuan wrapped an arm back around her waist and brought her lips to hers. She was a good student; her kissing skills were no longer clumsy, but they still carried the same earnestness and sincerity as always.
With their backs to the light from the living room, they kissed for a while in the dim hallway. Xu Wei shifted her feet, the first to come to her senses. "It's getting late. You should go back."
Deng Chuan readily took the opportunity. "I'll come see you guys again tomorrow?"
Xu Wei nodded and agreed softly.
She watched Deng Chuan take two steps away. The warmth from her embrace receded and vanished, and a wave of reluctance washed over her, soaking her heart bit by bit. Xu Wei clenched her fingertips with restraint, watching as Deng Chuan stepped into the elevator and the doors slowly closed.
Yang Jing spent a few days completely relaxing at Xu Wei's place. She managed to dispel all the gloom that had built up from her work. A healer cannot heal themself, and a psychologist isn't an emotionless mannequin; their mood is inevitably affected by the oppressive and complex nature of their job.
Deng Chuan also came over often during these few days. The harmony in her relationship with Xu Wei was plain to see. Out of professional habit, and also out of concern, Yang Jing took the opportunity to carefully observe her friend's young lover.
This was an extremely confident person with an exceptionally strong sense of planning-that was Yang Jing's initial conclusion. Deng Chuan had a mature aesthetic system and very clear artistic preferences; she didn't just follow the crowd, nor was she easily swayed. She was methodical in her actions and serious about everything she did. You could hardly see any negative emotions in her.
Her composure and confidence allowed her to navigate life with ease. Only the vibrant glow in her eyes betrayed a hint of her youth.
Young people are good. Confident young people are even better. As a friend, although Yang Jing had met Deng Chuan and formed an initial judgment, she couldn't help but worry. Now, she was beginning to understand Xu Wei's choice.
It was true that a person's eyes wouldn't be blind a second time. Yang Jing watched Deng Chuan, who was peeling crayfish for Xu Wei. Even while performing a trivial task like peeling crayfish, that handsome face looked exceptionally full of tender affection. Yang Jing thought this calmly to herself.
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