âWhy are you here?â Shi Ran asked softly, looking at Chen Ruoyu, who was sitting beside her.
âShi Yu said you quarreled with your family, so I came here.â Chen Ruoyu explained it simply.
Shi Ran felt a little joy in her heart, but she also pursued the corners of her lips, hugged her knees, and said, âSo thatâs how it is.â
âThat person wanted me to marry someone I didnât know at all, but now I donât even talk about love.â
The wind was blowing gently between the two of them, and Shi Ranâs voice sounded more scattered than the swaying reeds.
She was wearing a thin orange coat, and the little one was curled up and looked extra fragile.
âIsnât it cold?â Chen Ruoyu asked, then took off her coat and put it on Shi Ranâs shoulders.
The familiar smell of Chen Ruoyuâs body fell on Shi Ranâs body with warmth, wrapping her tightly and making people feel at ease.
Shi Ran squeezed the coat hanging beside her in surprise and turned to look at Chen Ruoyu beside her.
She looked less dressed than herself, a white turtleneck covering her slightly flushed cheeks from the wind.
How could Shi Ran accept Chen Ruoyuâs kindness, take off the clothes from her body, and put them back on her body, âGive me the clothes, how about you?â
âIâm not cold.â Chen Ruoyu said it lightly as if to prove it. She turned her hands and held Shi Ranâs hand as she put the coat on her.
As Chen Ruoyu said, her hand was indeed warm, and it was warm and damp when it was attached to Shi Ranâs cold hand.
But Shi Ran still didnât accept Chen Ruoyuâs good intentions and preached a lesson: âThen you also wear your coat honestly. You donât seem to be as patient as me.â
âSo you came here with this unresolved hole?â Chen Ruoyu asked rhetorically.
Shi Ran choked and looked at Chen Ruoyu without saying a word.
Chen Ruoyu didnât bother with her anymore about âNaturalâ. She raised her other hand and pinched Shi Ranâs chin.
She didnât give Shi Ran any notice of her actions, and suddenly the distance between the two was brought closer.
Shi Ran was forced to raise her eyes, staring at the person in front of her who was observing her wound through the light on the other side.
The soft finger pads pressed against the frozen skin, which was unconscious, and slowly melted into the frozen cold.
Chen Ruoyuâs usual indifference suddenly disappeared, and the only thing left was the tenderness radiating from her actions.
âThe wound is not deep. It will hurt a little.â Chen Ruoyu took out the iodophor and cotton swabs she bought at the drugstore from her pocket.
Shi Ran, like a domesticated fox, sat obediently in front of Chen Ruoyu and gave a soft âumâ.
Chen Ruoyuâs hands, which she was holding together with Shi Ran, hung down between them as if soothing the person taking the medicine, but she didnât let go for a long time.
The fireworks on the other side illuminated this side a lot, and Chen Ruoyuâs face in Shi Ranâs line of sight also became much clearer.
Those dark and deep pupils stared at the wound on her forehead so earnestly that every movement revealed carefulness.
To be honest, Shi Ran liked the tenderness Chen Ruoyu gave her at this moment as if it was about to penetrate her heart. Even pain could be softened by this tenderness.
Things that should have clear boundaries, because that nightâs events blurred the relationship between the two people.
Strangeness and familiarity, innocence and ambiguity, all become indistinguishable. Even though the two were tacit, they were still intertwined and chaotic.
I want to kiss Chen Ruoyu.
A voice in Shi Ranâs mind was clamoring in a low voice, and her gaze kept urging her to cross the boundary between the two.
It was just that Shi Ran still had a bit of rationality to restrain this impulse, so she only spoke to Chen Ruoyu to ease her worries: âActually, I canât help but find something unpleasant today, but my mother rarely remembers that I enjoy eating pine nuts and mandarin fish. There are four happy balls, and the family has never had such a New Yearâs Eve dinner before.â
âI know he must have bad intentions, but I just thought they were just thinking about Shi Yuâs return. It was a rare family reunion this year.â
Shi Ran lowered her gaze a bit as she spoke, with a tone of frustration and yearning: âYou know⦠thatâs it, home.â
After the word came out of Shi Ranâs mouth, she blinked her eyes unnaturally and smiled at Chen Ruoyu with a self-deprecating smile, âActually, itâs pretty stupid to put this kind of sustenance on them.â
However, Chen Ruoyu shook her head and put her hand on Shi Ranâs head, âThey are not worth it.â
Those slender fingers were wrapped around her jet-black hair, and Chen Ruoyuâs fingertips fell on Shi Ranâs head with the coolness of the wind and the gentleness of the night, touching every nerve of hers gently.
The alcohol evaporated quickly in the warmth, and Shi Ranâs breathing gradually became warmer.
She just stared at the person who appeared in front of her when she needed it the most, her heart beating faster and faster, tearing at the stretched rationality.
She wanted to kiss Chen Ruoyu.
The reed pole was pressed to make a messy rustling sound. Just when Chen Ruoyu realized what was about to happen, cold lips were placed on her lips.
The soft lips touched together and became wet in the heat.
Shi Ranâs kiss was turbulent, like the huge waves that would set off on the sea when lightning strikes, while Chen Ruoyuâs was the sea that contained her.
The hand she had with Shi Ran was still tightly gripped around her, allowing her to be arrogant to herself.
She also wanted to kiss Shi Ran for a long, long time.
From that night at the hot spring villa, from the end of the birthday kiss, from catching her ginkgo leafâ¦
Shi Ranâs kiss gradually descended, and a warm kiss fell on the skin on the side of her neck.
It was not gentle, but it was also wrapped in strength, carefully stating that she did not want to hurt Chen Ruoyu.
Chen Ruoyuâs nerves were completely lifted by the kiss. She raised her neck slightly, but she panted.
The cold wind swept across the cheeks of the two at this moment. Chen Ruoyu knew what was going to happen. She nudged Shi Ran lightly and said, âGo to the car.â
Shi Ran shook her head: âLetâs go home. No oneâs there.â