The night wind never sleeps
On Shen Muwei's first day back at school, Xiang Zhixing waited for her downstairs at the dormitory to have dinner together.
They'd both gotten a bit tanned after not seeing each other for so long.
Shen Muwei stood on the steps in front of the dormitory, looking at Xiang Zhixing standing under the tree, and felt a sense of unfamiliarity.
It was early summer, and the drying wind made her feel hot all over. The cicadas chirped everywhere, their noise making Shen Muwei even more flustered and at a loss.
After confirming our relationship, it feels like nothing has changed, yet everything has changed at the same time. I don't know how to communicate properly anymore.
Even more nervous than her was Xiang Zhixing, who stood there looking perfectly composed, his palms sweating.
He controlled his hands, suppressing the urge to reach out and scratch his head.
Shen Muwei walked down the steps and stood in front of him: "You look like you've gotten a tan."
Xiang Zhixing couldn't help but scratch his head: "Running around outside every day."
He opened the umbrella: "But I won't let you get a tan, I brought an umbrella."
The umbrella he was carrying was the one Shen Muwei had given him before, and it had a tiny Kitty cat on it.
It's only been half a year. Last year when I saw him using this umbrella, it didn't seem out of place. Now he's strong and big, and walking next to him, it feels like he's grown even taller.
His hand enveloped the delicate umbrella handle, tilting the small parasol entirely towards her. He suddenly remembered the sunshade method that Shen Muwei had once taught him, and adjusted the position of the parasol.
Shen Muwei felt it. Just then, a cool breeze blew through from under the umbrella, blowing her newly cut hair and wiping away the sweat on her neck.
This was their first real date since they got together, and they were both clueless and awkward, like online friends meeting for the first time.
They took a taxi to the mall, and their first activity of the morning was watching a movie. This was Shen Muwei's suggestion; she had never watched a movie alone with him before and wanted to experience what it was like for a couple to watch a movie together.
I didn't feel anything.
Shen Muwei sat in the soft movie theater seat, surrounded by the cool air from the air conditioner and the sweet aroma of popcorn.
There were no changes in the physical conditions, but there was a slight change in the mindset.
However, because the movie was so good, she often forgot that the person next to her was her boyfriend.
By the time she came to her senses, the movie had already ended.
The lights in the screening room lit up one by one, and the film credits continued to scroll.
The cleaning lady stood at the entrance, waiting for the area to be cleared out.
Both of them stood up. Shen Muwei was not holding anything in his hands, while Xiang Zhixing was holding popcorn in his left hand and two cups of still-cold cola in his right hand. He had big hands and could hold both cups with his fingers spread apart.
After leaving the theater, Shen Muwei turned around and saw him, a tall man carrying so many things. She wanted to help him carry them, but as she reached out her right hand, Xiang Zhixing misunderstood and handed her a drink, saying, "This one is yours."
Shen Muwei swore that her heart was beating abnormally at this moment. Without offering any explanation, she lowered her head, took a sip of the straw, and drank a large mouthful of iced cola.
Xiang Zhixing's ears turned bright red, and he didn't dare to look down at Shen Muwei, thinking that the air conditioning in this movie theater was not very good.
After finishing his cola, Shen Muwei gently patted his hand: "Why don't I take it?"
How could he let his girlfriend carry things? Xiang Zhixing, who had done his homework carefully before leaving, knew very well that he couldn't let his girlfriend carry things. He believed that he had followed this principle very well; before they were even together, he was the one who followed Shen Muwei around, carrying her things.
So he shook his head: "It's okay, I can do it."
For lunch, they had hot pot, which was Shen Muwei's choice. She had finally returned from the countryside and hadn't had this kind of food in a long time, so she was craving it terribly.
Xiang Zhixing, having learned this from somewhere, pulled out a chair for her, handed her chopsticks, mixed the condiments, and served her the self-service snacks at the hot pot restaurant. Shen Muwei sat there doing nothing, watching him bustling around, and he certainly did seem like a proper boyfriend.
The thought flashed through her mind for a moment, and she gripped the word "boyfriend" tightly, feeling a warm sensation and her face turning red.
Turning my head, I saw that my boyfriend had already prepared the condiments and was carrying two small bowls over, which looked tiny in comparison to him.
The meal was rather ordinary; Chen Mu was probably the only one who felt extremely uncomfortable throughout. The hot pot was both spicy and scalding, and coupled with Xiang Zhixing's meticulous care, she felt very out of place.
After finishing their meal, Shen Muwei hurriedly left the hot pot restaurant, lying that she needed to go to the restroom.
In the bathroom mirror, her face was flushed from the meal. If she hadn't put on makeup before leaving the house, she would definitely have splashed some water on her face to wash it off and ease the unnatural blush.
"Oh my god..." Shen Muwei cried out in her heart. When had she ever acted like this before? This was so unlike her.
After touching up her makeup, encouraged by her friends, she cheered herself up, calmed herself down, and left the restroom.
Xiang Zhixing stood not far from the restroom exit, leaning against the glass handrail, looking at his phone. When he saw Shen Muwei come out, he stopped looking at it, put it away, and put it in his pocket.
It was blazing hot outside at that moment, and going out was practically impossible.
Feeling a bit tired after dinner, I found a cold drink shop and sat down to chat while drinking beverages. The shop was quite large and even had a reading area. The collection of books wasn't huge, but it was enough to pass the time.
Shen Muwei sipped her refreshing fruit tea, which was sweet and sour, and silently avoided Xiang Zhixing's gaze until he looked down at his phone or did something else. Only then did she begin to scrutinize him closely.
Perhaps it was because his changes were too drastic that Shen Muwei couldn't connect him with the frail person she once knew, especially since this person was her boyfriend, and they hadn't seen each other for almost two months. Although they had video chatted during that time, discussing everything from daily meals to space travel on their phones, there was still a sense of disconnect when they actually met in person.
It was as if God had bestowed upon her a boyfriend who satisfied her in every way, leaving her somewhat at a loss for words.
When people in the dorm group said she was just shy, she completely lost her composure and tried to justify herself: "How could I be shy! I'm not shy at all! He's Xiang Zhixing, we're so close, how could I be shy!"
After typing that line, she looked up, her resentful gaze meeting Xiang Zhixing's eyes. She smiled at him sheepishly.
Xiang Zhixing asked her what was wrong, and she shook her head and said it was nothing, just a small matter.
The afternoon activities were uneventful, except for two things that Shen Muwei found interesting. One was that Xiang Zhixing was suddenly contacted by his mentor and needed to handle something quickly on his phone. During this time, Shen Muwei watched him while lying on the table, and later fell asleep. When she woke up, there was a blanket on her shoulder.
Xiang Zhixing said he borrowed it from the shop assistant, but he folded it up and returned it to him later.
Shen Muwei actually felt that this was better than watching a movie in a dark movie theater, and the interaction between the two became natural without them even realizing it.
The uneventful time passed, and we headed to the dinner table.
Shen Muwei was surprised that Xiang Zhixing would take her to a Michelin three-star Western restaurant that evening. She thought that the two students would just spend money at the mall at most.
Someone came to play the violin and gave him roses, and Shen Muwei stared blankly at them.
No one had ever done these things for her, and no one had expressed it as directly as he had.
Song Yuanbai used to like her, but he made her guess. She couldn't guess, she was too lazy to guess, and she couldn't be sure anyway. She didn't like guessing games.
Knowing that she wasn't quite comfortable, when only the two of them were left in the private room, Xiang Zhixing walked around to sit next to her.
Did I make you unhappy?
Shen Muwei shook her head.
Do you regret being with me?
Shen Muwei shook her head.
Xiang Zhixing pursed his lips and pondered for a moment before asking her, "You can just tell me directly, it's okay."
Shen Muwei retorted, "Why are you forcing me to admit I regret it? Do you want to break up?"
"I don't want to break up!" Xiang Zhixing said with a slightly aggrieved expression. "I noticed you weren't happy and didn't talk to me much today. I thought you regretted being with me."
So that's what he was thinking. Shen Muwei blinked. No wonder he was always so polite to her afterward, not daring to overstep any boundaries. She had thought they were both just shy.
"I... I'm just embarrassed. It's been so long since I've seen you. You've changed a lot, and I haven't been able to adjust yet. We should be able to see each other more often in the future."
Xiang Zhixing smiled, took her hand and gently squeezed it: "Can we meet often?"
Shen Muwei laughed along, then asked him, "Otherwise what?"
The weight lifted from her shoulders, and Xiang Zhixing asked her again, "Have I changed a lot? Am I quite ugly?"
"Of course it's better than before, and my overall mental state is much better too."
After dinner, we went for a walk in the riverside park.
The early summer evening breeze still carried a slight chill, stirring up ripples on the lake's surface.
Shen Muwei's hand was held tightly by Xiang Zhixing, and her heart was filled with emotion. Her heartbeat seemed to ripple, spreading layer by layer to her throat, making it hard to breathe.
They simply held hands, rarely spoke, and walked quietly along the path.
A faint guitar melody drifted from not far away, and someone jogged past them. Xiang Zhixing silently switched places with her, shielding her inside.
There weren't many people in the park tonight, but Xiang Zhixing didn't plan to walk there any longer. He wouldn't be happy if he just held her hand and let her walk like that forever.
There was a small garden not far away, with a covered walkway and benches. He arranged for Shen Muwei to sit and rest there, and then went to buy her ice cream and water.
The ice cream was vanilla flavored. Halfway through, she asked him if he wanted some. He shook his head. Shen Muwei had no choice but to eat it herself. Towards the end, the ice cream became a bit cloying. Xiang Zhixing, as if he could read minds, unscrewed the water bottle and handed it to her.
Shen Muwei took the water, drank it, screwed the cap back on, and looked up to see his dark eyes.
"What's wrong?"
"There's ice cream on your lips." He looked flustered, wanting to wipe it off for her but too embarrassed to do so.
Shen Muwei felt she should reward him, so she took out a tissue from her bag and handed it to him: "Help me wipe it."
He took it, looked closely at her glistening lips, and gently wiped them as if afraid of pulling on her skin and hurting her.
"Xiang Zhixing, haven't you eaten?"
"Huh?" He was momentarily stunned before realizing she was teasing him; it seemed like she always teased him.
So I wiped it again.
He stared blankly at her lips, as if the air itself had stopped circulating; at that moment, his entire world consisted only of her.
The distance kept shrinking, the heart was pounding wildly, and the breathing became increasingly disordered.
A child's voice rang out: "What are you doing here?"
Both of them coughed to varying degrees, turned their heads away, and pretended to be busy.
"Little friend, what are you doing here? Where are your family members?"
"Little friend, you can't run around outside by yourself, or bad people will kidnap you."
After Xiang Zhixing finished speaking, he gave him a serious glare, which startled the little boy. He shouted "Grandma!" and ran away.
The atmosphere was just right, but now that the child is gone, it's even quieter. The consequence of this quietness is that the two newly dating friends are incredibly awkward.
After sitting in silence for a while, Xiang Zhixing suddenly asked her, "Is the ice cream delicious?"
Shen Muwei casually replied, "It's delicious, vanilla flavored, would you like to try some?"
She only realized after the words were out that she had already finished eating, and she had actually asked him if he wanted to try some. Wait a minute, didn't he say he didn't want any?
The thought had barely formed when someone gently pinched her chin with warm fingertips. Their eyes met, and her heart pounded wildly again.
Xiang Zhixing lowered his head and placed a shy kiss on Shen Muwei's lips, who was already frozen in shock.
The kiss landed, but he couldn't bear to leave. Her soft lips were still cool from eating ice cream, but they warmed up after a while of his kisses.
He pried open her teeth and finally tasted the vanilla ice cream, sweet and refreshing.
Shen Muwei gradually found it hard to breathe and let out a soft moan. She had intended to protest, but somehow she had offended him, and he used one hand to protect the back of her head, deepening the kiss.
Shen Muwei's hands were clenched tightly, leaning weakly against her thighs, like a rootless duckweed, not knowing where to put them.
Soon, a warm, gentle hand grasped her wrist, then long, slender fingers slipped into her palm, separating her five fingers and interlocking them tightly.
When he released her, Xiang Zhixing looked down at her, and her eyes were filled with tears.
He laughed and said, "It's delicious. I'll buy you the strawberry flavor next time."
As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Muwei seemed to come back to life. Just as she was about to give him a blow, she found that her hand was being held tightly by him.
But she didn't have her other hand, so she didn't hesitate to give him a blow.
"Next time I'll buy you the strawberry flavor, I'll try it!"
The night breeze never sleeps, gently brushing against his lips. Xiang Zhixing opened his lips, his voice weaving through the path of the wind.
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