Chapter 50, Number 50: My index finger was gently hooked...

Xu Wu unconsciously licked her lips, her soft tongue only peeking out a little between her lips before retracting, leaving her moist lips touched by the air.

She looked up and met Jie Ying's deep eyes. The undisguised, condescending heat in his eyes felt like a scalding hot potato, making her instinctively want to look away. She unconsciously held her breath, and for a few seconds, her heart stopped beating, disrupting the rhythm of her breathing. Without fresh air to refresh her mind, her thoughts became chaotic and heavy.

In the silent eye contact, she could even feel the other person's light, fleeting gaze deliberately brushing past her lips.

Xu Wu felt her back stiffen and her scalp tingle under his gaze. She had no doubt that if they were in a private space, this person's hypocritical facade would be torn to shreds.

"Excuse me, could you move over a bit more?"

The photographer's voice rang out from the front. Xu Wu glanced at his hand gestures and pursed her lips.

As he took a step closer to Jie Ying, his gaze swept over the corner of her clothes that had brushed against the back of his hand as she leaned in, his expression indifferent as if nothing had happened.

Xu Wu noticed that the fingertip of his hand hanging by his side curled up unconsciously, but she didn't look at him or lower her head. She just quietly took another step, not even wanting her clothes to touch him.

Before she could even make that small move, Jie Ying gently hooked her index finger.

The warmth of her fingertips covered her, then was released in a fleeting moment. The force was like being scratched by a foxtail grass. It wasn't exactly unbearable, but the indescribable, dense itching made her nerves tense, churning her heart unbearably, and her lower abdomen felt swollen and astringent.

Fearing that someone would notice something was wrong, Xu Wu forced himself to clench his fists tightly, holding onto the last bit of warmth that was almost dissipating in the cold air, until the root between his wrists bulged on his fair skin, and fine strands of sweat seeped from his palms.

She rubbed her fingers together, slightly loosening her grip to let the cool air seep in through the gaps. It soon soothed the heat and forced her mind to clear.

"What are you doing?" Xu Wu whispered through gritted teeth, her voice low and menacing.

"Come a little closer." Jie Ying replied in the same voice, but his expression was not clear because of his profile, height, and long hair.

His voice was deep, and Xu Wu could hear the buzzing in his chest when he got close.

The zipper of his jacket was pulled up high, almost encircling his delicate neck. Yet, despite this, Xu Wu could inexplicably imagine his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he spoke, always forming a beautiful curve.

This sudden fantasy even made Xu Wu belatedly realize that his throat was a little thirsty.

Like someone who hadn't had water for days, she felt a deep thirst and an impatient urge. She lowered her eyes and endured it, licking her dry lips again to relieve the restlessness caused by the lack of moisture.

"Alright, don't move," the photographer said, adjusting the camera.

Upon hearing this, Xu Wu snapped out of her daze and forced herself to shift her attention from Jie Ying to the camera not far in front of her.

After Jie Ying finished speaking those words, Xu Wu stood frozen in place, not moving an inch. But at that moment, as her gaze focused on the camera lens, she was distracted, thinking that it was still too close. So close that with the slightest movement of his hand, his fingers would touch the back of her hand, and his knuckles would almost brush against her skin.

Unfortunately, Shang Xu, who was standing next to her, also took two steps toward her, leaving her sandwiched in the middle, with the distance between the two sides being roughly the same.

The familiar scent of sea salt and unfamiliar, unknown aromas swirled around her, making her head spin. Taking advantage of a moment when the photographer wasn't looking, Xu Wu lowered her head slightly, her nose touching the collar of her down jacket. Her long, drooping eyelashes concealed the deep infatuation in her eyes, and she took a shallow breath.

This refreshing scent entered her internal organs through her nasal cavity and lips, permeated every meridian in her body, and flowed with her blood, sticking to every bone.

With a click of the shutter, the group photo of the New Year's Day performance was taken.

The people around dispersed; some went back to their classrooms, while others prepared to go to the playground to finish watching the show.

Xu Wu stood still, watching Fu Xi and Chu Lian go forward to discuss the photos with the photographer.

She pulled her clothes closer, making the oversized down jacket fit her body better and highlighting her shapely waistline.

"Xu Wu." Shang Xu walked over and asked, "Are you going back?"

Xu Wu frowned almost imperceptibly, then quickly relaxed, took a step back, and nodded: "Yes, Chu Lian will take the group photo."

“Perfect, I’ll go back with you.” He smiled, looking at the girl’s puzzled expression, and explained, “I just called my family, and I think I’m at the school gate now. The road is still easy.”

...This is incredibly troublesome.

Xu Wu sighed silently and glanced at Jie Ying, who was sitting behind him, engrossed in her phone.

He didn't look up, as if he hadn't noticed her at all.

Xu Wu gritted her teeth and glared at him fiercely.

Unmoved.

Xu Wu glared again.

......

"Ahem." Xu Wu cleared his throat.

The condescending wooden figure was finally attracted by the voice and deigned to look up in this direction.

Shang Xu asked with concern, "Did you catch a cold from the cold wind?"

Xu Wu turned around, but before she could answer, Fu Xi walked over and raised an eyebrow: "Got a cold?"

“No,” she said, crossing her arms and looking away. “It’s just a little itchy in my throat.”

"Isn't it said that idiots don't catch colds?"

"...You're the idiot."

Fu Xi chuckled twice, glanced at Shang Xu who was staring at Xu Wu, coughed lightly, and continued to ask, "I need to go back to the classroom to get something. Do you want to come with me?"

Seeing that Shang Xu was about to speak again after hearing this, Xu Wu quickly agreed before he could, "Okay."

Ignoring Jie Ying's reaction, she followed Fu Xi out the door.

The cold wind that hit her face finally cooled down a bit, making her face as hot as boiling water.

There was still a distance to walk back to the classroom from here, and Xu Wu obediently walked beside Fu Xi with her head down, watching the road.

Two seconds later, Fu Xi suddenly spoke up: "Eh."

"Hmm?" Xu Wu subconsciously looked up at her.

Are you in a bad mood?

Xu Wu paused for a moment: "Why do you ask that?"

“I’m not blind,” Fu Xi raised an eyebrow. “When we were taking the picture, you were practically 800 meters away from Jie Ying.”

Actually, she wanted to ask if they had a fight, but judging from his stubborn expression, she figured it would be pointless to ask.

"I'm not that obvious, am I?" Xu Wu muttered softly.

Although she was a little unhappy before the photoshoot, she believed she had good self-control and could at least keep a straight face. Besides, the smell of the clothes had somewhat improved her mood.

Thinking of this, Xu Wu buried her face, with the tip of her nose pointing down, into her collar again, and gently sniffed. It did smell quite nice.

Hearing her say that, Fu Xi didn't even bother to roll his eyes, and simply changed the subject: "So, are you going to stay in your rented apartment for the New Year this year?"

This year's winter vacation started relatively early, just two weeks after New Year's Day, with the holiday ending three days before the Lunar New Year.

It's no wonder Fu Xi asked that question, since Xu Wu didn't go home for the Spring Festival last year, and Fu Xi only found out when he had a fight with his family and went to stay with her.

"Uncertain," Xu Wu said honestly, "I estimate it will be the same."

Due to personal circumstances, Fu Xi was too embarrassed to ask more questions, but he simply told her that if she didn't want to go home, she could stay at her house.

Xu Wu smiled but didn't respond to that.

The two stopped at the entrance of Class 2. Fu Xi was going in to get her schoolbag and clothes, and Xu Wu was waiting for her at the door.

There were still some students in the classrooms on the floor, and a few classrooms were even closed to show movies using multimedia equipment.

Xu Wu rested his hand on the low wall, looking down at the ground floor. The neatly trimmed flowerbeds cast dark shadows under the dim streetlights, and occasionally a few students would pass by in groups, the deafening sounds from the playground echoing throughout the campus.

The next second, the phone in my coat pocket vibrated.

Xu Wu took out her phone, the cool light of the screen reflecting off her expressionless yet superior features. After glancing at the message, she turned her head and glanced at Fu Xi, who was packing up his things in the classroom.

After thinking for a moment, she started walking downstairs, not forgetting to send Fu Xi a message to let her know that she had to leave first.

Without waiting for a reply, she put her phone back in her pocket the moment she reached the first floor.

I walked towards the school gate, but suddenly stopped when I was still quite a distance away from the gate.

Here grows a century-old tree that the affiliated high school treasures. Its trunk is thick and its branches and leaves are lush. The lush leaves cover the area and cast a large shade.

In the shadows, the newcomer stood there, watching her without moving.

Xu Wu was stunned. She wondered if it was just her imagination. Although he was almost completely swallowed up by the blackness, she could still see his hidden eyes without any obstruction.

Her skin appeared even paler and bloodless in comparison, but her lips were excessively vibrant.

His eyes swirled with intense emotion, but he remained silent, his gaze fixed on Xu Wu's breathing rhythm, engulfing her while simultaneously harboring an unbridled desire.

Xu Wu's heart skipped a beat; she then realized what kind of look that was.

-envy.

An overwhelming wave of jealousy.

Every time Jie Ying looked at her, it was as if he wanted to attach a kite fishing line to her wrist. Within the prescribed safe radius, whenever the signal was weak or intermittent, he would immediately grasp this line to control the kite's high altitude.

No matter how strong the force, it could cause the thread to seep into the flesh, flowing out scarlet and terrifying blood, staining the pure white silk thread red.

Painful yet pleasurable.

In a daze, Xu Wu seemed to actually see the thread slicing through the flesh of her wrist, revealing the stark white bone, and even severing the meridians.

And the culprit—

She crashed straight into Jie Ying's aggressive aura.

It wasn't fear, but a profound stirring of emotion.

She thought—

Embrace the past.

She wanted to bury her head in his arms and let his scent envelop her.

She wrapped her arms around his waist, making their bodies press tightly together and fit perfectly.

Xu Wu thought this way and did it unconsciously.

Author's Note: There are probably about three more chapters until the end.

Send red envelopes! Send red envelopes!