Drifting on a String - Chapter 34
Chapter 34
The desk lamp cast a dim, yellow halo. Chen Piaopiao held her middle finger up to her eyes, confirming the faint stain of blood on it.
Her breath caught. She sucked in a sharp breath, her other hand pinching the corner of the comforter. Her voice was very soft. "What happened?"
"Are you… in pain?" Did she get her period?
The end of her sentence trailed off.
Tao Jin gazed at her, her eyes like a crescent moon spring. The spring came to life, and she smiled. In the lamplight, her face was peaceful and serene.
She used her smile to soothe Chen Piaopiao, then sat up and pulled out a tissue, wiping her finger just as she had the past two days.
"A little, but it's okay."
Her eyelashes were lowered, making her look fragile and frail, yet the nape of her neck was a delicate pink, like a faded tulip.
After wiping Chen Piaopiao's hand, Tao Jin turned her palm over and gave it a light tap, saying softly, "That place is very delicate, and you… haven't trimmed your nails."
The little fox didn't understand. As embarrassed as Tao Jin was, she also felt a little happy.
She hoped that she would be the one to teach Chen Piaopiao many things. She wasn't sure if that counted as possessiveness.
Chen Piaopiao curled her fingers, the pad of her thumb rubbing against the nail of her middle finger. It was a bit long.
"Should we go to the hospital?" Chen Piaopiao felt awful, unsure of what to do. She hesitantly reached for Tao Jin's wrist.
"Can I… take a look?"
"No need." Tao Jin shook her head. She was about to pick up her phone to check the time when she noticed a new text message. Worried that Chen Piaopiao would blame herself too much, Tao Jin said as she unlocked her phone, "Can you go pour me a cup of hot water?"
"Okay." Chen Piaopiao got up and went to the bathroom to wash her hands. A moment later, the sounds of rinsing a kettle and boiling water came from the kitchen.
With a soft click, the phone unlocked, and the message details appeared on the screen: "How have you been lately?"
Tao Jin thought for a moment, typed a few words in reply, then locked the phone and set it aside.
After drinking the hot water, much of the worry on Chen Piaopiao's face had dissipated. Tao Jin went to the bathroom to take care of things, then changed into her pajamas and came out to hold Chen Piaopiao as they slept.
Chen Piaopiao couldn't sleep. She was still searching online to see if this symptom could be a problem. Tao Jin reached out, placed her phone face down on the nightstand, wrapped an arm around her waist, and pressed her forehead against her back. "Sleep."
They had class tomorrow.
"Good night," Chen Piaopiao said.
"Good night." Tao Jin kissed the back of her neck.
It had been an exhausting night, and both of them slept very soundly.
The sun rose as usual. The next day, they returned to campus together, still buying breakfast from the small stall at the school gate before heading to their respective classes.
Sitting in the classroom, Chen Piaopiao asked Luo Yue to grab her textbook for her, then sent a message to Gaogao: "Senior Gaogao, I want to ask you something. It's a bit private, but I don't know who else to ask."
"What is it?"
"When you and your girlfriend are… you know… if she bleeds, is it serious?"
Gaogao: ?
Based on the previous situation in the group chat, Gaogao naturally assumed she was talking about that T with the alternate account. After a moment of surprise, she offered her experienced advice: "It depends. If it's just a one-time thing and not a lot of blood, it should be fine. But you have to keep an eye on it. If there's more bleeding later or persistent discomfort, it's best to see a doctor."
Chen Piaopiao took note, thanked her, and listened to the lecture with a heavy heart.
The professor talked for a long time, but she only heard two or three sentences. She kept picking up her phone and looking at it. If she messaged Tao Jin, she would just be told to focus on her studies. She waited in agony for the bell to ring, only to receive a message from Tao Jin saying she had a club rehearsal and wouldn't be having lunch with her.
Chen Piaopiao checked the message history in the club's group chat, then packed her books and headed for the rehearsal hall.
This time, it was for a city-wide university drama exhibition, and the producer was a big name in the industry. Strictly speaking, it was a Drama Club affair, but since the Musical Theater Club had won an award last time, and Tao Jin had participated in many plays since her freshman year, the school leadership had both the Drama Club and the Musical Theater Club prepare a play for submission.
The timeline was tight, with the preliminary selection set for December. Tao Jin was busy again, racing against time to work on the script, cast actors, design the set, and rehearse.
She had also invited two relatively famous industry professionals to serve as advisors, as well as an author friend to help write the playbill.
The meeting was in the small lecture hall on the third floor of Mingyan Building. They had some music playing and were sitting on the edge of the stage. A whiteboard stood on the stage for recording ideas. Several people were proposing themes and related materials, writing them on the board one by one, and then discussing the feasibility of turning them into a script.
When Chen Piaopiao entered, Tao Jin was turning her head to look at the whiteboard, speaking softly with her collaborators.
She pointed at something, and the club member in charge of writing crossed out a piece of material.
Chen Piaopiao didn't disturb her, quietly walking to the front row and sitting down, watching as the stage lights outlined her figure. She was dressed in her usual casual style: a long black slip dress with an unbuttoned blue and white plaid shirt over it. The shirt sleeves were rolled up, revealing the delicate and charming lines of her arms.
The student writing on the whiteboard noticed Chen Piaopiao first and called out to her. Then Tao Jin turned around and smiled, her eyes bright and her teeth pearly.
Chen Piaopiao was reminded of an overused description: it was as if all the light and shadow in the world had gathered in her eyes. She was graceful and elegant, beautiful beyond compare.
She hopped down from the edge of the stage and waved at Chen Piaopiao.
Chen Piaopiao walked over. While listening to the others talk, Tao Jin whispered to her, "Class is over?"
"Yeah."
"Aren't you going to eat?" Tao Jin glanced at the books in her arms.
"I wanted to come see you," Chen Piaopiao said, her eyes darting to Tao Jin's waist. In a low voice, she added, "Are you feeling uncomfortable at all?"
Tao Jin had been about to say no, but seeing the look on Chen Piaopiao's face, she lowered her gaze and thought for a moment. Then she raised her arm, wrapped it around Chen Piaopiao's right shoulder, rested her chin on the left, and tilted her head lazily, murmuring, "I am a little uncomfortable. My back hurts from sitting. Let me lean on you for a bit."
She openly nestled against Chen Piaopiao in front of everyone else, participating in the discussion with a casual yet serious air.
Although their classmates might not think anything of it, probably assuming they were just very close best friends, being held by her made Chen Piaopiao's heart feel like it was floating in water, being carefully wiped and washed by a pair of hands, then held up as if it were a precious treasure.
Thump, thump, thump.
When you were loved by someone, your heart was like a newborn baby—fragile, sensitive, yet full of vigorous life.
But what touched Chen Piaopiao even more was that she knew Tao Jin was deliberately showing weakness for her. If she had said she was fine, Chen Piaopiao wouldn't have been at ease. But by saying her back hurt, she was proving that the other place was truly fine, that she wasn't hiding anything.
Her girlfriend was always so smart, so considerate, so good at loving someone.
By the time she finished her meeting, it was already past four o'clock. Tao Jin was a bit tired, so the two of them went straight back to the dorm. Chen Piaopiao ordered takeout, had Tao Jin sit on a stool, and went to get her hot water. She poured it into a thermos, mixed in some mineral water to get the temperature just right, and then handed it to her.
Tao Jin just watched her with a warm smile. Even though Chen Piaopiao hadn't said a word, Tao Jin knew why.
She took the thermos, drank a little, and said softly, "I want a Coke."
"I think you're the Coke," Xiao Ma turned around and scolded her.
She couldn't stand to watch. The junior was sitting while the freshman was standing, even fetching her tea and water, and Tao Jin had the nerve to just sit there.
And now she wanted a Coke.
Chen Piaopiao burst out laughing with a "pfft." Tao Jin laughed too, gently shaking Chen Piaopiao's hand. Seeing that Xiao Ma had turned back around, Chen Piaopiao reached out to tuck Tao Jin's hair back, took out her phone, and said in a soft voice, "I'll order another one then. It might not meet the delivery minimum. Is there anything else you want?"
Her claws had hurt someone, so the slightly guilty little fox was completely obedient. Tao Jin gazed at her, finding her utterly endearing.
She thought for a moment, then said gently, "I don't feel like it anymore. We can get it next time we order something else."
"Okay."
Chen Piaopiao observed Tao Jin for a week, and Tao Jin, in turn, logically allowed herself to rely on Chen Piaopiao a little for a week. The two spent the observation period in a delicate balance, and both were very comfortable with it.
It had to be said, Tao Jin was a 100-point girlfriend. It seemed that with her, nothing was ever a problem; any conflict could be resolved with her gentle smile.
The long-awaited Friday finally arrived. Chen Piaopiao had already looked up recipes and was thinking about what to cook, but at noon, she received a message from Tao Jin. Her parents wanted her to come home, so they couldn't stay together this week.
Disappointment hit her out of nowhere, and Chen Piaopiao's heart felt empty.
Tao Jin didn't want her to be unhappy, so she said she would bring her back some of their family helper's Cola Chicken Wings, which were much better than the cafeteria's. She also sent her a picture of a blank piece of paper, saying Chen Piaopiao had one chance to order, and she could pick four dishes—any more and she wouldn't be able to carry them.
Chen Piaopiao could almost taste the Cola Chicken Wings already. With a sweet aftertaste in her heart, she saved the picture of the blank paper.
The dorm was as lively as ever, made even more so by Qi Mian, who was wailing on a video call after a fight with Wang Xing. After comforting her, Chen Piaopiao went to the school forum to look for a temporary part-time job. She wanted to take this opportunity to earn some money to buy a gift for Tao Jin.
Unexpectedly, she saw a part-time job posting from the Whale Bar.
Thirty yuan an hour was much higher than at a chain fast-food restaurant. Although it required working a night shift, she knew the boss, so it was relatively reliable.
Precisely because of the night shift, many students who didn't want to return late hadn't applied. As a result, the job posting was still up, with only the original poster's ID continuously bumping the thread. It was clear they hadn't found anyone yet.
Chen Piaopiao's mind started turning. She calculated the distance and the cost of a taxi, then sent a message to Tao Jin: "Since you're going home, can I stay at our plan b by myself?"
She called the rental apartment her and Tao Jin's "plan b." Every time she mentioned it, it made her feel a sense of security.
"Of course you can. But won't you be scared staying alone?" Tao Jin replied from the car.
"I won't be. It has air conditioning, so it's more comfortable than the dorm."
Chen Piaopiao hid the fact that she wanted to work part-time at the bar. Tao Jin would probably worry about her working a night shift.
"Okay, be safe."
Tao Jin sent a head-patting emoji.
🤌✨🙂↔️
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