Chapter 104 Sense of Ritual
Especially Fang Qing and Senior Brother Gu.
Watching their relationship warm up little by little at a speed visible to the naked eye as they spend time together in the laboratory day after day is a subtle feeling.
In the past, if Fang Qing had something on her mind, she would probably come and complain to me for a long time.
Now? Haha, I've seen them several times huddled together in the corner of the lab table, heads touching, whispering something in low voices, with uncontrollable smiles on their lips.
The air is filled with a pink bubble atmosphere of "keep away from outsiders".
One day, while Senior Brother Gu was called away by his instructor and Lin Yan was printing materials, I couldn't contain my burning desire for gossip. I slid over to Fang Qing, nudged her with my elbow, and asked tentatively in a low voice, "Hey, Fang Qing, you and Senior Brother Gu...how far have things progressed? When are you officially going to announce your relationship?"
Fang Qing's face flushed red, her eyes wandering, her hands pretending to be busy tidying up the wires, her tone a little shy and a little helpless: "This... This depends on him."
"Huh?" I didn't understand. "What do you mean by 'it depends on him'? A relationship is a two-person thing, right?"
Fang Qing pointed at her fingers and lowered her voice: "He hasn't... hasn't officially confessed his feelings to me... I can't just stick to him myself, right?"
I was practically stunned by her incredible train of thought. "No, Miss Fang, you two have been hanging out together every day, flirting with each other like conjoined twins. Do you really need to go through the formalities of confessing your love first? Isn't it enough to just express your feelings?"
Fang Qing looked as if her tail had been stepped on. She raised her head sharply, her voice rising: "What else?! At least there needs to be a clear and formal confession before I can nod my head in agreement, right? This is a basic sense of ritual! Isn't it the same for you and Lin Yan?"
She looked at me with an expression that said, "You wouldn't be so casual, would you?"
I held my forehead, feeling that communicating with her was a bit difficult: "The two of us? The two of us...it seems like we were together after just one kiss."
I tried hard to recall that chaotic and thrilling night.
"What?!!" Fang Qing stood up suddenly, her eyes wide open, as if she had heard some shocking secret. "You two kissed before you confirmed your relationship?! Chen Rui, Chen Rui! I thought you were a reserved gentleman, but I didn't expect that when it comes to love, you would be so... so outrageous!" She was heartbroken, as if I had gone astray.
"What's wrong?" I was a little amused by her reaction. "We were inseparable for almost a semester. We went to class, ate, and studied together every day. We already knew each other's feelings. It's not like we weren't strangers! If you felt it, what's wrong with a kiss? It was natural!"
"We can kiss just because we're familiar with each other?!" Fang Qing's voice became increasingly louder. "Okay, okay, according to your logic, we're pretty familiar with each other. Come on, give me a kiss and let me see."
She deliberately moved her face closer.
"Shit!" I was so scared that I quickly jumped back and almost knocked over the oscilloscope next to me. "Fang Qing, you're crazy! If those two hear this, we'll both be killed!"
I pointed to the door, still feeling a lingering fear.
"Don't change the subject!" Fang Qing insisted, crossing her arms and shaking her head in disappointment. "I'm really disappointed in you, Chen Rui! I thought you'd be like me, advocating for this normal, healthy, ritualized relationship process! I didn't expect you to be so... casual!"
"You have such a thick filter for me, big sister!" I was speechless. "Besides, Lin Yan and I liked each other at that time! Although the kiss was a bit sudden, I didn't reject it at all, even..." I paused, feeling a little embarrassed, "I quite liked it."
"What a 'not rejecting'!" Fang Qing snorted coldly.
"And I really liked him at that time!" I tried to explain.
"What a 'like'!" she continued sarcastically.
"That's enough, Fang Qing!"
I was annoyed by her repeating herself. "Everyone's relationship style is different, okay? Some people just let things flow naturally. But for you and Senior Brother Gu, you clearly love each other to death, but you still have to hold it in and wait for the other to confess first. Aren't you tired?"
I couldn't help but fight back, "Besides, if Senior Brother Gu didn't confess to you, why didn't you take the initiative to confess to him? What era is this? Why are you still talking about gender differences?"
"I...I..." Fang Qing was choked by me and was speechless. Her face flushed red. Finally, she managed to say, "Why?! In this kind of thing, no girl should speak first!"
I:"……"
Well, this young lady's awkwardness and competitive spirit came to the fore again, and she wanted to fight for victory or defeat in such matters.
Forget it, forget it. Matters of the heart are like drinking water, only you know whether it is hot or cold.
What am I worrying about here?
I waved my hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, okay, you're right. The sense of ceremony is most important! Just wait for Senior Brother Gu's grand confession! I'm waiting to eat the wedding candy!"
Just at this moment, the door of the laboratory was pushed open and Lin Yan walked in with printed materials.
He caught my position at a glance, walked over naturally, put his arms around my waist from behind, and rested his chin on my shoulder affectionately. His voice was a bit lazy and a little coquettish, as if he had just finished a job:
"Baby, I was just printing some materials, and when I turned around I couldn't find you. It took me so long to find you."
He nuzzled my neck, then raised his eyes to look at Fang Qing, who looked uneasy across from him. He asked casually, "What are you talking about here? The atmosphere seems a bit... intense?"
Fang Qing glared at Lin Yan unhappily, slapped me fiercely, snorted, turned around and left, leaving us with an angry back.
"Wow," Lin Yan raised his eyebrows, a little puzzled, "What's wrong with this young lady? Who offended her?"
I sighed helplessly and leaned into his arms, feeling the warmth and solidity coming from behind me. "Nothing, it's just... I shared with her how we confirmed our relationship in the first place. She thought we were too 'outrageous' and didn't fit her idea of a 'normal' relationship process. We were together without a formal confession, and it lacked a sense of ceremony."
Hearing this, Lin Yan was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. He raised his hand and rubbed his brow, his tone a little helpless and indulgent: "Then this is indeed my fault. At that time... I was indeed a little anxious and couldn't help myself."
He tightened his arms and held me tighter.
I shook my head and turned my face to rub his cheek. "But if you hadn't been so anxious back then, maybe we would have really drifted apart due to all the concerns and hesitations. After all, at that time... there were so many people eyeing you covetously."
When I think of the confession scene at the confession wall, I still feel a little sad.
Lin Yan laughed softly, the vibration of his chest transmitting to my back through the thin fabric. "Yes, baby. The sense of crisis was too strong at that time. I didn't want to delay at all. I didn't want you to feel uneasy or be snatched away by someone else. I just desperately wanted to let you know that I like you, very much. I like you so much that I have to put my mark on you right now."
He lowered his head, resting his forehead against mine, our noses rubbing against each other, our breaths blending together, his eyes so deep that he seemed to want to suck me in. "Now that I think about it, it was indeed quite impulsive, even a little risky. What if...what if you don't have the same feelings about me and I scare you away?"
There was a hint of fear in his tone.
My face suddenly grew hot, and my heartbeat quickened. I looked into his eyes, so close to me, and whispered, "I was just following my instincts. In the end... I trusted my body."
"Hmm?" Lin Yan's eyes darkened, with a hint of dangerous inquiry, "What's your body's reaction?"
My face got even hotter, and I quickly explained, "It's just... I think kissing feels good! Hey! Don't think too much!"
I hit him in shame and anger.
Lin Yan grabbed my hand, placed it on his lips and kissed it, a gentle smile spreading in his eyes: "I know, Ruirui. I know you and I had the same feelings at that time, so you tolerated my reckless behavior."
He paused, his voice lowered, with a sense of relief as if he had survived a disaster. "It's because you accepted and even responded that I became braver. If you had chosen to escape or refuse... I wouldn't know what to do. I might have regretted and been depressed for a long time."
As I listened to his words, my heart softened and all those arguments about "process" and "ritual" suddenly seemed less important.
I sighed and shook his hand back, my tone filled with a sweet resignation: "Well, it seems that the two of us are really made for each other. Neither of us plays by the rules."
Lin Yan smiled with his eyebrows curved, and came over to give me a loud kiss on the lips: "Before you met me, did you ever think that your future partner would be a man?"
There was a hint of curiosity and teasing in his tone.
I answered honestly, shifting the blame: "Who knows what that old man Yue Lao did? The red thread must have gotten tangled."
Lin Yan chuckled and kissed me again, his tone full of pride and satisfaction: "Then we have to thank Yue Lao for tying such a handsome and capable boyfriend for our Ruirui."
He deliberately put emphasis on the word "capable" and his eyes were ambiguous.
My face instantly flushed red, and I glared at him in embarrassment: "...This matchmaker is quite considerate of me!"
We looked at each other and couldn't help laughing. The little argument in the laboratory just now completely disappeared.
The setting sun was just right outside the window, and the laboratory was filled with the scent of pine resin and the sweet smell of love.
As for Fang Qing and Senior Brother Gu's long and tortuous "road to confession"... well, let them slowly explore it on their own.
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