Chapter 48

Time moves forward, but the present is life.

One month into their university life, He Jin bought a small flat near the school because the School of Information and Electronic Engineering and the School of Economics were on the same campus. They did not live on campus but would go home no matter how late it was.

Except for a few occasions, the two have basically never been apart in their free time. It seems that they have made up for all the regrets in high school. They go out together, which makes people envious.

It's autumn again.

The autumn wind was a little chilly, and the dead leaves hanging on the branches finally fell to the ground, making a rustling sound where footsteps passed, leaving the world with a final echo.

The people accompanying you are different, but the same scenery brings completely different moods.

There are very few people on the street she often walks on. She used to feel it was desolate, but now she enjoys this tranquility.

Perhaps because he was afraid that she would be cold, He Jin held her in his arms, his hands on her shoulders. He stared straight ahead for a few seconds, then lowered his eyes to stare at the girl's profile, not knowing what he was thinking.

"Brother Jin, I want to get a tattoo." Jiang Xu saw the tattoo shop on the corner and seemed to be in a good mood.

He Jin raised his eyebrows slightly, lowered his head slightly and leaned close to her, and asked, "Where do you want the tattoo?"

"On the back." Jiang Xu became interested and seemed to have to get a tattoo.

"Okay." He Jin was silent for a few seconds and responded.

It's been two months and the wound has healed well enough to get a tattoo.

The two walked into the shop. There was only one person inside, a girl with a delicate baby face. She stood up from a stool nearby with a smile on her face: "Welcome, would you like a tattoo?"

"Yeah." Jiang Xu responded, "Can I get a tattoo of my own picture?"

"Sure, is that you who wants a tattoo?" the girl said.

"Yes." Jiang Xu nodded, then looked at the man beside him, "Brother Jin, go ahead and do your work. I'll tell you when I'm done."

She handed him the snacks in her hand and only kept her cell phone.

He Jin didn't refuse. He just received a phone call, which was not a big deal, so he planned to deal with it tomorrow.

He nodded and said, "Okay, wait for me to pick you up."

Jiang Xu went into the inner room with the girl, chatted casually for a few words, then added her contact information and sent her the picture on his phone.

The pattern is not big, and the overall colors are red and orange. At first glance, it looks like a very clear flame. Only when you look closely can you see that it is a word, the cursive "绛".

She painted for several days and originally thought that He Jin would not agree to let her do the tattoo.

"It looks good, you can get a tattoo." The girl said with a smile, "Take off your coat later and wear this. This tattoo won't take long. If you don't want to lie down, you can sit there."

She was very skilled and quick, finishing it in an hour and a half.

Finally, she covered the small flame with a layer of plastic wrap, took off her gloves, paused for a moment, and said, "Uncover it after three hours, scrub it with warm water, and then dry it..."

Jiang Xu agreed to all the things to pay attention to, paid the money and waited at the door for He Jin to pick her up.

There were not many people in the store at this time, so the girl stood at the door.

They get along quite well.

"Chu Yue, Chu for clothes, Yue for stars and moons." The girl introduced her name, then lit a cigarette and put it in her mouth. Her temperament was inconsistent with her delicate baby face, and it was a bit wild.

Jiang Xu tilted his head to look at her, raised his eyebrows in surprise, and said with a smirk, "Jiang Xu, the Xu of Liu Xu."

Chu Yue narrowed her eyes and handed her one.

Jiang Xu took it naturally and said with a smile, "Thank you."

Chu Yue raised her head slightly and gestured, "Your boyfriend was here a few days ago. One of the other guys in the shop had a tattoo done for him. I didn't go into the back room, but I saw the pattern. It's a willow branch. I was wondering why a man would get that tattoo. It turns out it's the 'Xu' in your name."

Chu Yue flicked the ash from her cigarette, clasped one hand across her chest, and noticing the confusion in the other person's eyes, she said frivolously, "I'm not mistaken. After all, you two are so good-looking, it's hard not to remember. Plus, the tattoo on him is quite impressive."

I don't know when I put the cigarette in my mouth. I touched my pocket and suddenly remembered that I hadn't smoked for a long time and didn't have a lighter.

Jiang Xu then realized that after being with He Jin, the space in her pocket where cigarettes and lighters were originally placed was now empty, but she had never thought about smoking.

Chu Yue handed over the lighter in her hand. Just as Jiang Xu was about to take it, a hand reached out from behind and stopped her.

They stood face to face, and Chu Yue obviously saw He Jin coming over, but she didn't say anything.

"What's wrong?" He Jin took the cigarette from her mouth and rubbed his thumb against her lips.

Jiang Xu turned around, shook her head, and touched the tip of her nose with a nonchalant look. He Jin seemed to have told her that he wanted to quit smoking.

Chu Yue stood aside and watched the two of them with great interest. She did not miss the warning in the man's eyes.

He Jin said, "Shall we go home?"

"Okay." Jiang Xu looked at Chu Yao, "I'm leaving first. We'll be together when we have time."

"Yeah." Chu Yue raised her eyebrows, didn't say much, put out the cigarette in the trash can beside her, and walked into the store.

"Brother Jin, are you done with your work?" Since this place was not far from home, He Jin didn't drive over.

"I'm done." He Jin squeezed her hand and was about to ask what happened when she said, "Brother Jin, did you get a tattoo too? Same spot."

He Jin responded quickly: "Yeah."

Jiang Xu continued to ask: "When? Are we so in sync?" Not only did we choose the same store, but we also painted them all ourselves.

"Last time when I was helping you take a shower, I saw this tattoo shop the next day and got the tattoo." He Jin couldn't deny it. Although the wound on Jiang Xu's back healed well, the difference could still be seen without scar removal surgery, and this difference was because of him.

"..." Jiang Xu didn't think too much about it. She only thought about He Jin helping her take a bath. She blushed a little. No wonder she hadn't let him touch her in the past few days. She said dissatisfiedly, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Kiss her all over again and you'll know." He Jin leaned his head towards her, his tone not very serious. He pulled her into his arms, and the two of them got closer.

"...What?" Jiang Xu pretended to be stupid, feeling guilty.

He Jin snorted and chuckled. He put his hand on the girl's cheek and used some force to lift her chin. "You dare not admit it, classmate Jiang?"

The two of them were almost touching each other, but Jiang Xu pretended to be indifferent and glanced away, "No."

"Well, let's try it tonight. That's where I feel good." He Jin stretched out his tone and lowered his eyes to see the girl's reaction.

Jiang Xu straightened up, not looking at him, cleared his throat, and said seriously: "I... I'm not well yet."

What's the point of saying this on the street?

The two of them walked and stopped, and the journey took from ten minutes to half an hour.

After returning home, He Jin went into the bathroom first and said he would help her deal with the tattoo on her back.

Jiang Xu sat on the sofa and suddenly thought of something.

He Jin doesn't lock the door when taking a shower.

She must see the pattern that impressed even the tattoo artist today.

So she took off her shoes and tiptoed towards the bathroom.

She didn't pry open the door. She only turned the door handle and pressed it down little by little after hearing the sound of water in the room.

The sound of water did not stop, and she managed to smile triumphantly. However, just when her handle was about to press the door all the way down, the door suddenly opened inwards. She was caught off guard, screamed, and fell straight inside. Of course, she was caught, but she was soaked with water.

"What are you doing sneaking around?" The man's voice echoed in the small bathroom, deep and seductive.

"..." Jiang Xu subconsciously broke free from his hand and found that the person in front of her was naked.

She wiped away most of the water on his muscular chest and well-defined abdominal muscles, and then...

She suddenly raised her hands to cover her eyes. The air was a little quiet, with only the sound of water dripping on the ground. She couldn't help but open a gap between her index and middle fingers, but she didn't expect to meet the man's slightly aggressive gaze directly.

Steam rose, and the man sneered, closing the distance between them. "Hasn't it been enough for you to see? Why are you shy?"

"I...you..." Jiang Xu felt guilty and didn't know how to start.

"What about me, what about you?" He Jin noticed the girl's uneasiness and sighed slightly. He knew that they couldn't communicate normally without covering something, so he pulled a bath towel from the side and wrapped it around his lower body.

Jiang Xu indeed breathed a sigh of relief, blinked, and quickly got out from under the hand that was supporting her head, went around behind him, and finally saw what she wanted to see.

The green willow branch, with seven leaves, was exactly in the same position as her.

"Have you seen it?" After a while, He Jin felt that she had touched the pattern all over.

Jiang Xu nodded seriously: "Okay."

"Then, it's my turn." As he said that, He Jin turned around, put his arm around the girl's waist and spun her around, and the two looked at each other in the mirror.

Jiang Xu was wearing the light blue shirt that she liked very much. She looked in the mirror and watched the man unbutton the buttons on her shirt one by one, moving neither hurriedly nor slowly.

With the shirt hanging on his arm, He Jin lowered his eyes and saw the small red flame, which completely covered the scar. The skin around it was a little red, which looked very abrupt against the whiteness.

His handwriting.

Gently remove the plastic wrap, wipe it with the sterile wipes dipped in warm water that you just prepared, and finally wipe it dry with paper.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

"A little bit." Jiang Xu turned to face him, thought for a moment and said, "I'll get another tattoo next time."

"What else do you want to tattoo?" He Jin reached out and pinched her slender waist, frowning slightly.

Jiang Xu didn't say anything. She felt a little itchy and rubbed against his arms with a smile.

"Can you stop getting tattoos?" He rested his chin on her shoulder. He had always particularly liked this posture. "You can stop smoking too, huh?"

"Okay." She never refused.

"Yeah." He Jin then stood up and kissed her lips lightly, his voice a little hoarse, "You can't get wet there yet, get out first."

"Don't you need my help?" Jiang Xu smiled, his eyes curved, and his smile was like a fox wagging its tail with evil intentions.

"..." He Jin naturally saw through her, laughed, covered her eyes for a moment, then picked her up with one hand and put her at the door, "I'll remember, we'll be together next time."

Jiang Xu: ...

I'm sorry, I was wrong.