Chapter 76. [Revised] The elevator door is like a mirror...
He Yan's consciousness was hazy and confused.
After parting ways with Zhou Zhan in the evening, he only wanted to see Wen Xue immediately. When he was almost near Xida University, he suddenly remembered that she was having dinner with her club members.
In fact, it was all just his one-sided guess. He didn't know whether the child in Zhou Zhan's girlfriend's belly was a boy or a girl, and he couldn't just assume that the child the aunt who took care of her in her previous life was Zhou Zhan's daughter simply because the age might match.
However, even a mere guess without any actual evidence was enough to unsettle him.
He drove to a random restaurant, initially intending to meet her at Xida University after her dinner party. He had no idea what to do or say after meeting her. As he waited, he became increasingly agitated and even had the urge to give up and just find Zhou Xianyi to end it all.
He kept unlocking his phone to look at her photos.
I ordered two bottles of wine from the waiter, and once I started drinking, I couldn't stop.
At this very moment, she stood before him. Before he could tell if it was a dream or reality, he had already opened the door and gotten out of the car. He was a little unsteady and stumbled, but she quickly caught him, her unique, serene aura wafting over him.
Be careful!
Wen Xue looked nervous, took his arm and put it on her slender shoulder, looked up at him and asked worriedly, "Are you alright?"
He Yan stared at her almost greedily.
He leaned towards her, his hot breath and burning gaze undisguised. For a moment, Wen Xue thought he was going to take advantage of her drunkenness like last time. After a long eye contact that lasted for more than ten seconds, he turned his head away, not wanting her to smell the alcohol. "It's nothing."
Which building do you live in?
She also subconsciously tensed up, knowing that now was not the time to ask for details.
Based on her understanding of He Yan, he wouldn't appear here for no reason; there was only one reason: he had a place to stay here.
He must have had his reasons for not telling her.
“Building 18,” he replied softly.
As expected. The smell of snow evoked a complex mix of emotions.
She helped him take two steps to the side and found the keys in his pocket to lock the car.
Alcohol does indeed numb one's thinking. He Yan stared intently at her, not even looking at the road beneath his feet. He was very close to her. When he was sober, he could suppress his instinct to get close to her, but now he seemed to have no scruples, hanging most of his body weight on her.
Wen Xue stopped after taking a few steps, panting heavily.
He was so tall, with broad shoulders and a heavy back, that he pressed down on her like a towering mountain.
Suddenly, her body stiffened.
Under the moonlight, He Yan, who was much taller than her, lowered his head without warning and buried his face in her neck, breathing lightly and heavily. She stood there, stunned. The skin he touched with his breath seemed to be getting hot. She looked down at the shadows on the ground, as if they were embracing intimately. She could hear the heartbeat gradually quickening, but she didn't know if it was hers or his.
Wen Xue did not push him away, and continued to lead him forward as if nothing had happened.
Passersby glanced back at them a few times, and even from a distance, they could hear the casual discussion: "That guy is so clingy..."
After walking and stopping frequently, they finally arrived at Building 18. Wen Xue breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully there was an elevator, otherwise she would have been too exhausted to walk up the stairs.
"Which floor?" she asked, panting.
After drinking, He Yan revealed his true colors, far from his usual mature and steady self. Not only did he not appreciate her hard work, but he also deliberately added to her burden. Along the way, it was as if she was carrying a mountain on her back.
The mountain shows no sign of letting her go.
He replied in a muffled voice, "701."
The motion-activated lights in the hallway were on, and the elevator doors were like a mirror, reflecting their figures so closely that even their shadows were indistinguishable.
Wen Xue smelled the alcohol on him and felt as if she herself was also a little drunk.
The elevator doors slowly opened, and the two entered.
"When did you rent the house?" She paused for half a second, then asked uncertainly, "Or did you buy it?"
Given his reckless spending habits, the latter is quite possible.
"I didn't buy it."
He Yan was actually not feeling well. It was his habit; usually, people would speak their minds after drinking, but when he was drunk, he didn't want to say a word.
But she was the one beside him, and he endured his discomfort and tried his best to answer in a calm tone.
Wen Xue breathed a sigh of relief, her heart, which had been hanging in mid-air, finally settled down.
Thank goodness.
For her, buying a house is a major life event and must be considered seriously.
The elevator quickly reached the seventh floor. The building had two elevators serving three apartments per floor. She glanced up and then slowly dragged him to the door of apartment 701. She asked him for the key to open the door. There was a light switch at the door, and she fumbled in the dark to turn it on.
"arrive."
"Um."
He nodded, but still refused to let go.
She couldn't do anything about him, so she could only walk from the entrance to the sofa, which she kept "inseparable" from him, and push him to sit down. After breaking free from his restraints, she looked around at the furnishings of the house and felt helpless. The house looked big, but it was very cold and deserted.
Would you like some water?
He Yan leaned back on the sofa, looking up at the ceiling. Her voice seemed to flip a switch in his body, and his gaze moved slowly.
He was truly drunk.
Her cheekbones were flushed, and there were bloodshot veins in her deep eyes, making her look very uncomfortable.
He stared intently at her, neither nodding nor shaking his head.
Wen Xue sighed softly, "I don't even know if you have any water here."
If she hadn't bumped into his car today, when was he planning to tell her that he had rented a house here? Judging from the signs of life in the house, he probably hadn't been living here for very long.
She wanted to go to the kitchen to see if there was any water, but before she could take a step, he grabbed her wrist forcefully, stopping her in her tracks.
He was still somewhat lucid when he wasn't sitting down, but once he returned to the house and lay down, his mind became completely muddled, and everything he did was driven by instinct.
For example, I don't want her to leave.
…
Wen Xue finally managed to coax him to let go after a lot of effort. She walked towards the kitchen and looked down at her wrist, where she saw that he had gripped her so tightly that it left marks.
The kitchen felt even more deserted than the living room.
At first glance, the kitchen counter was empty, without even oil, salt, or seasonings. After finally finding the kettle, she washed and cleaned it for a long time before filling it with water and turning on the gas stove. As if sensing something, she turned her head to look at the doorway.
He was leaning against the door, gazing intently at her.
I don't know how long I watched it.
"Thirsty?" she said. "Wait a while."
There is bottled water in the refrigerator, but warm water is better after getting drunk.
He Yan remained silent, his eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions: sorrow, heartache, and deep attachment.
Wen Xue didn't know if he was sober or not. It seemed that both times she had run into him drunk, he had been staring at her with a look she couldn't understand, as if he had so much to say to her but couldn't bring himself to say it.
The water boiled quickly. Under his ever-present gaze, she poured a cup of boiling water, let it cool to a comfortable temperature, tested it with her fingertip, and then came to him, saying softly, "It's drinkable now, it's not too hot."
He Yan stared at her for a few seconds, but instead of taking the cup, he lowered his head and approached the rim of the cup.
She paused for a moment, a hint of a smile flashing in her eyes, and fed him water.
Taking care of He Yan when he's drunk isn't difficult. He won't talk nonsense or vomit. If it weren't for the smell of alcohol on him and his not-so-clear eyes, he would look no different from usual—no, that's not right, he's very well-behaved when he's drunk.
"Which room is your bedroom?" she asked after feeding him most of a glass of water.
He casually pointed with his hand.
She put down the cup and helped him back to the room. They stumbled along the way, and if she hadn't been able to keep her balance, she might have fallen onto the bed with him. "You can take a shower tomorrow morning. Just make do tonight. I'll get some water for you to wash your face."
Sensing that she had no intention of leaving, he lazily hummed in agreement.
Wen Xue turned and walked out of the master bedroom, into the bathroom, found the towel he had hung in front of the sink, wet it and wrung it out, then sat down on the bedside and gently and meticulously wiped his face. Although He Yan was drunk, he was very familiar with her scent. He closed his eyes wearily, and his furrowed brows relaxed, showing that he was very comfortable being taken care of by her.
She was amused by his contented expression. As she laughed, she gradually became lost in thought, gazing at his face. She couldn't help but reach out and touch his high, straight nose, feeling his warm breath. She loved this feeling.
He is He Yan.
He is not He Heng.
He said he would always be there for her.
She felt a surge of satisfaction and lowered her neck to gently wipe his large hands with a towel. She would never have done this when they were both sober, but now that he was drunk, she finally had the chance to properly observe him.
After a while, she felt his breathing gradually become even. She stared at him for a few moments, then quietly got up, turned off the light, and closed the door.
…
He Yan didn't sleep well. When he woke up, he found himself lying in bed. He turned his head and glanced at the water glass on the bedside table in the moonlight. He raised his arm and pressed his forehead. All those fragmented images rushed into his mind.
He threw back the covers, got out of bed, and walked out of the room. The living room lights were off. Even though he knew she was gone, he couldn't help but call out in a hoarse voice, "Wen Xue."
Naturally, no one responded.
He endured his dizziness and found his phone. His vision was blurry, so he shook his head, trying to concentrate. He found her number in his call log and dialed it directly. A few seconds later, she answered, and his surprised voice came through: "You woke up so quickly?"
"You went back to your dorm?" His voice was still a little hoarse, but more than that, it sounded disapproving. "It's late, it's not safe for you to be alone."
This is He Yan's habit.
Whether it was day or night, he would never let her go back to the dormitory building alone. He would always watch her go inside before leaving.
Wen Xue squatted in front of the grocery store's shelves. Hearing this, she covered her phone with her hand. There weren't many customers in the store at this time, and she was afraid that he would hear the voice of a stranger. If he knew that she hadn't returned to her dormitory and was still wandering around outside, he would definitely come out to look for her.
She whispered, "I'm going back to my dorm."
"Okay." He paused. "We'll talk about it tomorrow."
"Okay, you should go to sleep now."
After hanging up the phone, Wen Xue felt a sense of relief. Lying to He Yan was something that required courage.
She picked out two towels of different colors from the shelf, then took a toothbrush to the checkout counter to pay. The supermarket wasn't very close to the faculty and staff residential area, so she walked slowly. When she got to Building 18, she didn't rush up. Instead, she craned her neck to look up and counted the floors one by one. She stopped when she reached the 7th floor.
Light was faintly shining through the window at the far end.
He wasn't asleep yet; she guessed he must have gone to take a shower.
In fact, he had encountered situations like today countless times. She knew that even without her, he could still get home, but she still couldn't forget the look in his eyes when he was boiling water in the kitchen.
She had a feeling that something big had happened to him today.
Therefore, she had already walked to the door, changed her shoes, and was about to go back to her dormitory when her eyes swept over the keys on the shoe cabinet, and she inexplicably picked them up.
…
After taking a quick shower, He Yan lay back on the bed, put his hands behind his head, and soon fell into a deep sleep, not even hearing the sound of someone taking out a key to open the door.
Wen Xue entered the house, put the plastic bag containing the towel and toothbrush aside, and peeked out. He lived alone and naturally didn't have the habit of closing the door. There was a lingering scent of his shower in the air, clean and refreshing.
She stood at the door of the master bedroom and looked inside. He was fast asleep. Worried that the noise she would make while washing up would wake him, she reached out and gently closed the door.
Wen Xue washed up as quickly as possible. She tried her luck by rummaging through the cabinets in the living room and actually found a new blanket. She planned to make do on the sofa for the night. Her mind was a mess, and she was so tired that she drifted off to sleep.
It was in the early hours of the morning.
He Yan woke up thirsty and drank the glass of water she had placed on the bedside table in one gulp. His drowsy gaze froze for a moment when he saw the closed door. He frowned, and without even putting on his shoes, his heart raced the moment he opened the door.
She lay on the sofa, covered with a blanket, her long, soft hair spread out.
He walked over barefoot without making a sound, stood in front of the sofa, and stared intently at her peaceful sleeping face. He leaned down, the distance between them closing, their breaths mingling. He slipped his arms under her legs and gently lifted her up.
From the living room sofa to the master bedroom bed, the short distance seemed to take He Yan a long time. He bent down to put her down, covered her with the blanket, and his eyes still couldn't bear to leave her face for even half a second. Only at times like this could he look at her without restraint, without worrying about scaring her.
After a long while, he restrained himself, withdrew his gaze, and turned to leave the room.
Clatter—
As the door closed, Wen Xue, who had been pretending to be asleep with her eyes closed, opened them. She turned her head and rested her face on the soft pillow, enveloped by his scent. She felt as if they were both underwater, locked in a standoff, tormented, waiting for one of them to finally break down and surface for air. She had been holding her breath for too long, and tears streamed down her face, soaking into the pillow.
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