Chapter 69: Not Touched

Wen Jiu looked up at Zhou Yanchuan.

It was cold when he went out at night, so he wore an extra black coat, which blended almost into the night.

Even in the dim light, her face was still beautiful. Her deep eyes were filled with her.

Her heart skipped a beat, and her concern became even more apparent.

"I'm not tired," she replied softly, then lowered her head again.

Seeing her resistance, Zhou Yanchuan didn't press her for answers, but he was still worried about letting her walk on her own any longer. He moved his hand down from her arm and started holding her hand.

Wen Jiu's body stiffened.

Lin Meng had already taken a step back when Zhou Yanchuan stepped forward, but when she saw him reach for her deskmate's hand, her eyes widened in disbelief. She quickly reached for the two girls behind her.

"Look, look!"

"What?" Ning Yixue was so exhausted that she could barely breathe, let alone look up.

"Look!" Lin Meng couldn't help but want to scream.

Ning Yixue took a deep breath and looked up. When she saw the two hands clasped together, she blinked twice, and then her expression became excited.

This trip truly brought them surprise after surprise.

Zhou Yanchuan gave them a similar feeling to usual: tough, handsome, and unapproachable.

However, once he was with Wen Jiu, there was a very unique atmosphere in the air, an atmosphere that was hard to describe in words.

Their relationship isn't the kind that's high-profile or flamboyant; rather, it's a sweetness that emanates from the little things.

He subconsciously helped the girl with her schoolbag, subconsciously loosened the cap when handing her water, and even when talking to the person next to him, he would always pay attention to her.

There are also small, everyday gestures like pulling on a hat or putting on a scarf.

He was still that aloof young man, but with an added touch of something else: gentlemanly manners and childlike innocence.

All of these things together create a feeling of gentleness.

Zhou Yanchuan looked so gentle next to Wen Jiu.

Not only the girls, but also the boys noticed the hands clasped together.

"They're protecting them really well."

*

Time was ticking away, and all around were sounds of people chatting and cheering each other on.

The group stopped at a supply station. Chen Yu and Su Shun put their backpacks on the ground and ran towards the sausage stall.

Seeing this, Ning Yixue said, winking at Lin Meng and Zhou Qingyun, "Let's go see if there's anything to eat."

The two immediately nodded perceptively: "Let's go, let's go."

Watching the people disappear in a flash, Wen Jiu blinked.

Just then, a voice sounded in my ear: "Can you speak now?"

"What?"

"What are you thinking about, ignoring me the whole way?"

Wen Jiu looked at the person who had turned their head away. He was looking at her intently, as if wondering why she wasn't speaking.

She pursed her lips and then looked down at the tips of her shoes.

Seeing that the man was still avoiding the question, Zhou Yanchuan was about to speak again when a soft voice suddenly sounded in his ear: "Have you ever kissed a girl?"

He paused for a rare moment, then, realizing what the person was asking, he smiled and said, "So that's what you were thinking about."

Wen Jiu's face flushed slightly. She regretted asking the question as soon as she finished, afraid that she wouldn't be able to accept the answer.

Zhou Yanchuan then said, "I didn't let you touch it."

Her heart raced a little, and she unconsciously bit her lip, unaware of the gaze that naturally fell upon her lips.

With a mixture of doubt and confusion, she asked, "No?"

"No," he replied frankly.

The unexpected answer prompted Wen Jiu to ask instinctively, "Why not?"

Zhou Yanchuan looked at the girl who was unusually curious about whether he had kissed anyone else, and slightly curled his lips: "No?"

"No, it's just..." she hesitated.

Zhou Yanchuan chuckled and answered for her, "Am I that much of a jerk?"

"Um."

Wen Jiu had just nodded when the person next to her raised his hand and slapped her forehead: "Hmm? So I'm that bad in your eyes?"

Zhou Yanchuan didn't bother to explain anything; he didn't care what others thought of him, but the people around him were different.

If she cares about him, she should say so, and he likes it when she cares.

He unscrewed the cup and handed it to him: "Do you remember the last time I went back to the old house?"

Wen Jiu took two sips of warm water and nodded.

"I was in a bad mood after receiving a message from Zhou Huaiqian that day, and I also happened to run into Qiao Qingxue. At that time, I only had one thought in my mind: I didn't want to make Zhou Huaiqian happy, so," Zhou Yanchuan thought to himself that he was a bastard when he thought about it.

"So what?"

"So I agreed to confess my feelings."

The moment she finished speaking, Wen Jiu clenched her fingers tightly.

Zhou Yanchuan noticed her little movements and tightened his grip on her hand. "But I figured it out when we got to the door, and then I told her the truth."

That short sentence contained a lot of information that needed to be digested. Wen Jiu paused for a moment and said, "What a jerk."

Hearing the three words that came out of his mouth, Zhou Yanchuan replied seriously: "Yes, but it was too late when I realized this, so all I can do is cut my losses and try my best to make amends."

Have you apologized to her?

"I understand."

"What about the other girls?"

"I don't know him."

Wen Jiu was stunned.

She thought of all sorts of reasons to break up, but she never expected it to be these three words.

Why don't you recognize me?

After she asked that question, Zhou Yanchuan didn't speak immediately. He paused for a few seconds, and amidst the noise, Wen Jiu heard him say—

"Because I didn't talk to them."

*

Didn't you talk to them?

Wen Jiu didn't react for a moment. While she was in a daze, a voice suddenly rang in her ears: "Now it's my turn to ask you, isn't it?"

"What?" Distracted, she didn't react much and stared blankly as she raised her eyes.

Zhou Yanchuan asked directly, "Why are you asking me these questions?"

Wen Jiu's dazed mind resumed functioning, and she whispered, "I wasn't playing Truth or Dare with you."

"Um?"

"I won't tell."

Wen Jiu tried to run away after she finished speaking, but forgot that her hand was still in his palm.

The moment she looked up, she saw someone raising an eyebrow and smiling at her.

It's like saying, "Run!"

*

Chen Yu stood a few steps away from the two under a tree, and his thoughts were momentarily swayed as he watched them.

I never expected Zhou Yanchuan to be like this.

*

The gloomy sky gradually turned dark blue, the flashlight beam dimmed, and visibility returned to normal.

"Finally!" Ning Yixue stepped onto the last step, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably. "I never want to climb mountains again."

Wen Jiu and Lin Meng exchanged a smile.

Amidst the bustling crowd, Ning Yixue sat on the ground to rest and saw several girls taking pictures by the railing. Suddenly, she remembered that she hadn't taken any pictures yet.

Immediately, his leg pain and backache disappeared, and he got up from the ground and walked towards Su Shun.

Su Shun looked at the girl walking towards him: "What's wrong?"

"I want to get the camera from my bag," she said gently.

Lin Meng whispered from the side, "Ning Xiaoxue has never spoken to me so gently before."

“They never told me that,” Zhou Qingyun echoed.

Wen Jiu simply smiled at this.

Ning Yixue took the backpack from Su Shun, took out the camera, and then felt too embarrassed to let him take the backpack anymore. Just as she was about to sling it over her shoulder herself, she heard a voice ask, "Are you done?"

"Um."

“Then give it to me,” Su Shun said, reaching out his hand.

Ning Yixue was clearly taken aback when she saw the hand reaching out to her.