Chapter 26
As dusk settled, the living room gradually became shrouded in twilight, growing increasingly dark with the setting sun. The lights were off, and Chi Ran's expression was hidden in the shadows, impossible to discern.
Being alone with a man whose physical strength far surpasses hers in such an environment should have been an unsettling experience.
But Chi Ran was different. He always kept his head slightly lowered, seemingly indifferent to everything. All his gentleness and thoughtfulness were hidden beneath his aloofness, which ironically made people feel safe.
He leaned back lazily on the sofa, his voice low: "Take your time, I'm listening."
Song Yihuan had a heart full of things to say, but didn't know where to begin. The helplessness and reluctance to let Guoguo move away, the loneliness and frustration of being alone, the resentment towards Ms. Wang yet the inability to do so, and the perpetual confusion that surrounded her…
These mixed feelings intertwined and tangled together, piling up in my chest like a tangled mess, causing a tightness in my chest.
But when he said "speak slowly," she really slowed down, untangling her thoughts from the mess, and said slowly, "I feel like... I really don't know what I want... You're right."
“I ran away from home, right? My mom… is a little too protective of me. I might have started rebelling a little late, but after I ran away, I basically did whatever my mom told me not to do…” Song Yihuan slowly pinched the pretty pink bagel, feeling a little regretful, and turned to ask him, “Have you eaten?”
“…You can’t finish it? That little bit isn’t even enough for your stomach to move around for eight beats.” Chi Ran held out her hand. “Give it to me if you can’t finish it.”
She broke the bagel in half and handed him one half: "I haven't bitten this half."
"Hmm," Chi Ran said, "It's okay even though it was bitten..."
Before he could finish speaking, Song Yihuan handed him the piece she was holding, saying, "That's the one you've already bitten."
Chi Ran: "?"
Song Yihuan suddenly felt relieved and laughed: "I was just testing whether you were being polite or not. False politeness comes at a price."
"...You can be really infuriating sometimes." Chi Ran didn't hold it against her and started eating the remaining bagel. She then got back to the main topic, "What...doesn't your mother let you do?"
“Then I’ll have to make a list for you,” Song Yihuan said half-jokingly, “enough to read all the way until tomorrow morning.”
Chi Ran didn't laugh, but chewed on her bagel, waiting for her answer.
Song Yihuan tore off a small piece from the bagel, put it in her mouth and chewed slowly. "She basically doesn't let me do anything that's dangerous or affects... my health. For example... the first time we encountered that idol stage, she helped me terminate my contract that day because she felt the air in the basement was bad and the spray equipment on the stage was unsafe."
"And also... I've never had many friends growing up; Guoguo is my first." She thought for a moment, then shook her head. "But it's not entirely her fault..."
"Don't you have any friends?" Chi Ran asked.
What kind of talk is that?
Song Yihuan was somewhat offended, and without thinking, she retorted, "You have a lot of friends? Is it because you stay at home all day and don't go out that you have too many friends?"
Chi Ran was stunned by her retort, then laughed in exasperation: "Your mouth... even if you donated it, no one would want it."
“Likewise.” Song Yihuan glared at him.
"That's not what I meant." Chi Ran gritted his teeth while grinding the bagel, patiently explaining, "With your personality, I always thought you had a lot of friends... I thought so when you came to bang on the door for Guoguo."
Song Yihuan blinked, feeling a little awkward after being praised, having just finished criticizing someone.
"Regret it now? You weren't nicer to your brother Lü Dongbin." Chi Ran said with a smile, "Your brother Lü Dongbin really doesn't have many friends. You can't even gather eight of them to cross the sea together."
"Who are you calling a dog!" she glared at him fiercely.
“I always felt that you were the kind of guy in the class who could call out a bunch of girls just by waving your hand,” he said.
"It was around when I was in elementary school, my class had a COVID-19 outbreak, and more than half of the students got infected. I didn't know what contagion was, so I didn't tell my mom. When she found out I'd been with half a room full of people with COVID-19 for several days, she exploded... She made a scene from the classroom all the way to the principal's office, or maybe she would have taken it all the way to the education bureau..."
She said with a wry smile, "My family lives in a small county town. There are only a few schools in the town. After my mother made such a fuss, I became a well-known porcelain doll. No one dares to play with me anymore."
Chi Ran stopped chewing, reached out as if to pat her, but ultimately put her down.
“I was in Class 2 in junior high school, and there was an autistic boy in our class.” She laughed carelessly. “How should I put it? The way my classmates took care of that autistic boy was the same way they took care of me, like two mascots.”
Chi Ran said, "At first I thought you didn't care about other people's opinions at all... If you did care, you would probably be in more pain."
"I wouldn't call it painful," she said. "It's just a bit of a regret. Last semester, my grades weren't good, I only sang for fun, I didn't have any friends, and I didn't even have a boyfriend. It's like my student days just slipped by like a copy and paste."
Chi Ran asked, "Do you still think that way now?"
"What are you thinking about?" She didn't understand, as the question seemed to have no context.
"I want to do everything your mother forbids," he said.
“Yes!” Song Yihuan said without hesitation, “Let’s do it first. How will we know if I want to or not if I don’t try?”
After a long silence, Chi Ran nodded, "As expected of you."
As the sun sets, the light from outside the window gradually narrows and retreats from the living room. It's as if with each blink and breath, the surroundings dim slightly.
As dusk settled in, it enveloped them all.
The fading outline grew increasingly blurry, swaying slightly in the dim light with the rhythm of breathing.
Song Yihuan looked over, but her gaze couldn't catch any specific person.
The atmosphere was somewhat ambiguous.
It didn't begin at the moment it got dark, but much earlier. Perhaps it began when they shared that pink rose-flavored bagel, or perhaps even earlier, when he agreed to stay with her.
She only realized this belatedly after she had emptied her mind of all her frustrations.
Chi Ran rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb knuckle, the fabric rustling in the darkness. This even more ambiguous sound made him freeze.
Darkness breeds courage that cannot see the light, and Song Yihuan suddenly spoke up: "I said I want to try, including my birthday wish."
Chi Ran tilted her head dramatically, as if she couldn't believe her ears.
"Or at least, could we have a kiss?" she continued. "You still owe me a birthday present..."
Chi Ran gripped his phone tightly, the screen illuminating his angry face.
"Is this never going to end?"
Song Yihuan immediately backed down: "Okay, okay."
That day in the recording studio, Chi Ran leaned in and tried to scare her, even mocking her for bluffing, and he had the upper hand. Logically speaking, now that she brought it up again today, he had no reason to be angry anymore.
Even if someone is going to be angry and embarrassed, it should be her who is angry and embarrassed, I don't know why he is so angry.
Once the screen that had been activated went dark again, leaving only the quiet darkness of night in the room, Chi Ran spoke again:
"Tell me about the others."
And you even let her make a wish?
Song Yihuan rolled her eyes, tilted her head and said, "Actually, a kiss would be fine, if we don't kiss."
"I didn't ask you that!"
Now Chi Ran's voice was filled with anger and impatience as she got up.
Song Yihuan quickly leaned out to stop him. It was dark and she couldn't see clearly, but she reached out her right hand and grabbed his hand.
The moment she grabbed him, her knee slipped, and she lost her balance and fell off the sofa to the floor.
She quickly grabbed his wrist with her left hand, then clung to his arm with both hands, desperately trying to steady herself.
Chi Ran quickly realized she was about to fall, and grabbed her hand with his own. He braced himself with his left arm, placed his right hand under her wrists, and gently lifted her back onto the sofa.
"...I take back what I said before, you can exercise without leaving home," she said. "After all, it can save lives."
"Still not behaving yourself?" He sounded even angrier.
She pleaded, "...was very honest."
Chi Ran didn't leave. He let go of her and sat back on the sofa.
He rubbed his right index and middle fingers together, repeatedly checking the texture, before asking, "Are you calcium deficient? Your fingers are so soft."
Song Yihuan touched her nose guiltily, "A little bit."
"Want another chance?" he warned. "Speak properly."
Song Yihuan nodded vigorously, like a chick pecking at rice, "Yes, yes, yes, yes!"
He sat down next to her. "Go ahead and say it."
"Hmm... I actually kind of want to go hiking. I've never hiked before," Song Yihuan said. "I was thinking of having Guoguo come with me... but you're not going out either..."
As she spoke, she leaned closer, secretly observing Chi Ran's expression. He still looked very impatient, frowning and taking deep breaths.
Instead of answering directly, he asked, "What about the others?"
Song Yihuan thought for a moment, then continued, "There's a lawn music festival at the end of the month, and I asked the operations team to sign me up... but it doesn't seem to have much to do with you..."
She thought and thought, but couldn't come up with any wish that Chi Ran could help her fulfill—except for the one he forbade her to mention.
…But then again, why wouldn't he let me mention it? What's he so angry about?
He was so angry that his breathing became rapid.
In the darkness, Chi Ran suddenly stretched out his hand in front of her, creating a rustling sound and a slight breeze.
He said, "Put your face up."
"Wipe my tears?" Song Yihuan said blankly, "I didn't cry."
"I'll kiss you." His hand was still outstretched. "If you're willing... then put it on."
Song Yihuan stared blankly at him, or rather, at the hazy darkness where he was, somewhat bewildered.
One second Chi Ran looked extremely angry, as if she wanted to storm off, but the next second she suddenly…
She only had time to think that before her chin honestly leaned forward and rested in his palm. The instant it touched her, Chi Ran's fingers tightened, gripping her chin.
His hand was bigger than her face. He cupped it around her, his index finger pressing against the tragus in front of her ear. The sound of his heartbeat made her dizzy. Mixed with the sound of breathing, she couldn't tell whose it was.
He slid his thumb from her cheek to the corner of her lips, gently caressing her. His face gradually filled her vision, his warm breath carrying a hint of the sweet scent of rose bagel, growing hotter the closer he got. He lowered his head…
...I kissed the top of her head.
Is that all?
She looked up at his face, which was so close to hers, and her eyelashes brushed against his cheek, making him tilt his head slightly as if tickled.
That's not all.
His lips didn't leave, but instead traced down his nose, cheekbones, and jawline... warm kisses and breaths took turns clearing a path, slowly moving downwards—
It landed on the corner of her mouth.
He stepped back somewhat annoyed, his thumb tracing the shape of her lips. After confirming the position, he lowered his head and kissed her again.
The moment her soft lips touched her, all her senses were focused on those two lips. Her mouth was slightly open, and she didn't know what to do.
The delayed kiss was soft yet…dry. He merely used his lips to push and grind against hers, sometimes gently pursing them, sometimes pecking at them. His teeth and tongue obediently waited in place, only his lips pressed together inch by inch, lingering and caressing.
The familiar scent of pine and honeycomb emanating from him wafted over with each breath, then, warmed by his body heat, enveloped her face.
hot.
The heat emanated from his body, passing through their tightly pressed lips, and slowly spread across her skin like steam. It was a very strange heat, similar to the heat that seeps from the inside out when creating a contrast agent, but far more wonderful.
The kiss was dry, yet it brought a lot of heat.
Chi Ran's breathing gradually filled her ears, and just as the sound of his breathing was so loud that it almost drowned out her heartbeat, he suddenly stepped back.
Song Yihuan rested her chin on his hand, forgetting to use her neck, and remained stunned for a while.
He silently supported her, his hand gripping her cheeks tightly. When he loosened his grip, she realized that her jaw was aching from the clamp.
Chi Ran just kissed... no, shouldn't that count as a kiss?
Yes, kissing.
Although it wasn't exactly a passionate kiss, just some close contact, it was still a kiss.
The moment he pressed against her, Song Yihuan was completely absorbed in the kiss, not having time to think. But just a second before the kiss, he was clearly still angry and wouldn't let her mention the word "kiss"... Is this person really that contradictory?
Her brain cells were so deactivated by the steam that she blurted out, "Why were you so angry when I said I wanted to kiss you? You wouldn't let me say it, but can we do it... ugh!"
He tightened his grip on her hand, pinching her face until it bulged out. Her cries of pain were muffled and unclear.
Chi, as if enraged, burst into laughter.
"Let go! Let go!!"
She mumbled something and patted the back of his hand.
He loosened his grip, not letting go of her completely, and pulled her closer, nose to nose.
Concealed by those hazy, almost fragilely beautiful eyes, Song Yihuan asked again, "...What are you angry about?"
His breathing, which had finally calmed down, became erratic again. Using nose to nose as an anchor, he tilted his head to find her lips.
"I'm angry at my own weak willpower," he said. "Even so, I still want to..."
Even so, what would it be like?
Song Yihuan tightened her lips, forgetting how to speak, and asked softly with her mouth closed, "Hmm?"
I want to... kiss you.
The last two words floated out indistinctly; she didn't hear them, but felt them, with the tip of her tongue. His tongue tip gently pressed against hers, then withdrew and touched her palate, the final sound lingering in her mouth.
Moist lips and tongues intertwined, heat rising from the spine and flowing into every part of the body.
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