Lu Shizhen has spent most of her life in hospital wards and has little experience in interpersonal relationships.
She didn't understand if this feeling arose whenever people got too close to each other—absurd and unbalanced, like a program that had malfunctioned, giving rise to many terrible thoughts.
Lu Shizhen really didn't know what was wrong with her.
Why do these things arise out of nowhere? Why do such absurd ideas come to mind?
The light shone down on Lu Shizhen's vision, but it was gradually devoured by Xu Shiyue's approaching figure.
The default behavior was like a lagging program, or perhaps it was her subconscious choice in response to Xu Shiyue's actions, without her intervening for even a second.
Night draped the snow outside the French windows in a thick black, and the whole world fell silent.
The last time Lu Shizhen had this thought when she looked at Xu Shiyue was because she was afraid of accidentally falling into her arms. This time, however, it was because of a punishment that this person took the initiative to lean on her.
The light and shadow were imprinted frame by frame in Lu Shizhen's eyes, and Xu Shiyue's reflection in her eyes remained cold and calm.
Unlike her usual enigmatic behavior, Lu Shizhen was perfectly clear about the purpose of her actions at this moment.
The alcohol, which wasn't very strong, slowly evaporated, and the scent on Xu Shiyue's body became the most cunning invader.
Lu Shizhen knew what this person was going to do and what she was facing, so getting close to him became exceptionally agonizing.
Lu Shizhen felt that her body was really not very reliable; she got drunk just from smelling the alcohol.
Her heart pounded wildly within her, and countless petals of expectation surged forth from the vast, desolate grassland, fluttering and swirling through her mind.
Xu Shiyue's breath slowly and increasingly intensely enveloped and surged into Lu Shizhen's body, and under Lu Shizhen's gaze, her warm breath swirled around Lu Shizhen's lips and nose...
Finally, under the watchful eyes of everyone, it was imprinted on Lu Shizhen's forehead.
This is a kiss.
But it wasn't a kiss.
The cards restricted the scope of the kiss, but Xu Shiyue's lips still cleverly found a loophole in the rules.
Lu Shizhen's expectations were dashed, but in an instant, even more flowers bloomed in her heart.
Xu Shiyue's lips were cool and soft, and the moment they touched Lu Shizhen's forehead, her heart started beating in a completely erratic rhythm.
The place where Xu Shiyue kissed her felt like it was on fire, burning and boiling all the way. Her blood, as hot as lava, suddenly surged to her brain, burning her ears and neck red.
Lu Shizhen had never felt such intense heat in winter.
A lip print on the forehead is more deadly than a moist, soft one on the lips.
She suddenly remembered a sentence she had read a long time ago.
That's Camus's words.
—In the dead of winter, I finally realized that there was an invincible summer within me.
Xu Shiyue seems to be her summer.
"Crack, snap—"
Lu Shizhen's body was undergoing a grand change when she heard the sound of a camera taking pictures.
She suddenly turned her head and saw that Cheng Meiyan had produced a camera from somewhere and was sitting next to her, watching the commotion and taking pictures.
Cheng Meiyan was very satisfied with the picture she had just captured. She cupped her face in one hand and admired her masterpiece with relish: "Oh my, it's such a beautiful photo."
The burning sensation on Lu Shizhen's ears instantly spread to her face as she cried out, "Mom..."
"What's wrong? It's really beautiful~" Cheng Meiyan was still admiring it when Lu Shize interrupted her: "Mom, you're drunk."
Cheng Meiyan hadn't noticed the change in Lu Shize's expression yet, and held up her camera: "No way, I'm perfectly sober!"
Lu Shize ignored her explanation and, with a stern face, instructed the bodyguard beside him: "Wu, help Madam into the car and go home."
“Yes, sir.” Wu nodded slightly and walked over to Cheng Meiyan’s side.
Cheng Meiyan protested: "Why? I'm not leaving! My game isn't over yet! I haven't taken any pictures of Zhenzhen and Shiyue..."
As soon as Cheng Meiyan mentioned the two names side by side, Lu Shize frowned again.
He put down the cards in his hand and stood up straight, his tone gentle but not argumentative: "Mom, it's getting late. You have to go abroad tomorrow to attend a fashion exchange meeting, and Xiao En also has to prepare for her final exams on Friday. You should both go home and rest early."
"Brother, why did you even do it to me..."
Lu Shi'en was innocently implicated and was about to protest, but Lu Shize glared at him and shut him up.
Compared to the unpredictable Lu Shizhen, she was more afraid of her older brother, who was like a father to her.
Lu Shi'en was more perceptive than Cheng Meiyan; she knew that Xu Shiyue's kiss on Lu Shizhen's forehead had deeply affected Lu Shize.
Although Lu Shi'en had to admit that for a moment just now, she did truly recognize Xu Shiyue's elegance and beauty.
The allure emanating from her lowered eyelashes almost made her forget to breathe, and the word "perfect match" seemed somewhat monotonous.
Lu Shien admitted that he had indeed compromised once again for this scene, which was quite disappointing.
But her brother wasn't as easy to compromise as she was.
After giving these instructions, Lu Shize turned his gaze to Xu Shiyue: "The company matters are not yet finished. I hope to see you at the company on time tomorrow."
His voice wasn't loud, but the warmth of the home made the oppressive warning in his voice all the more obvious.
However, Xu Shiyue was not suppressed by his voice.
"Don't worry, Mr. Lu."
Her eyes, which had just been flushed with the smell of alcohol, were now clear and calm, and her voice was exceptionally composed.
Like a fox deliberately challenging authority.
Lu Shize didn't want Xu Shiyue to have that intimate thing happen between her and Lu Shizhen again, so he personally saw Cheng Meiyan off, who wanted to stay.
Lu Shizhen watched the two cars leave the villa and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. The winter wind was chilly, so she didn't linger at the door for long before returning to the villa with Xu Shiyue, where they prepared to go back to their respective rooms.
The shadows of the two people side by side were reflected on the wall, and the corridor was quiet because no one was speaking.
Lu Shizhen didn't know what to say, but she didn't want to separate from Xu Shiyue too soon.
The cold wind from outside lingered on her forehead, the interrupted kiss still faintly warm.
Lu Shizhen wasn't uncomfortable about the matter itself, but rather somewhat flustered.
She thought that once she figured out what was wrong with her, everything would be fine.
Walking in silence, the two arrived at their respective doorways.
Just as Lu Shizhen was about to push open the door to enter the room, Xu Shiyue called out to her from behind: "Lu Shizhen."
Almost instinctively, Lu Shizhen stopped what she was doing.
The lights were flickering, and just as Lu Shizhen fixed her gaze on Xu Shiyue, a beautifully packaged orange cube-shaped box was placed below her line of sight.
"Happy birthday," Xu Shiyue said softly.
Lu Shizhen was slightly taken aback, somewhat surprised.
Xu Shiyue seemed to notice her surprise and said, "You didn't think that me organizing a birthday party for you was a gift from me, did you?"
Lu Shizhen really thought so, and felt that it was the best birthday gift she had ever received.
But little did I know that behind this best, there was an even better one.
Lu Shizhen was pleasantly surprised and accepted the gift from Xu Shiyue, saying habitually, "Thank you."
Xu Shiyue was somewhat dissatisfied: "Why is it that you say thank you to me, but not to Lu Shien and the others? It makes us seem very distant."
Lu Shizhen didn't expect Xu Shiyue to say that, but after she said it, it really seemed like they were distant and estranged.
But that's not what she thought.
Her relationship with Xu Shiyue was much closer than that with Lu Shien and the others...
Unsure whether she was worried that Xu Shiyue would misunderstand further, or that her recently accomplished task would result in a greater loss of points and a more serious failure, Lu Shizhen quickly tried to cover it up, saying, "No, I didn't, I just didn't know what to say..."
"Then say goodnight," Xu Shiyue interrupted.
Her voice was no longer as cold as before; it was calm yet gentle. She repeated, "Goodnight, Xu Shiyue."
Lu Shizhen was taken aback for a moment.
The light from the corridor above fell gently into Xu Shiyue's eyes, her face reflected in the dark light.
I can't quite put my finger on it, but the atmosphere suddenly felt a bit ambiguous.
Xu Shiyue seemed to be teaching him how to please her.
Lu Shizhen blinked and, as if possessed, accepted Xu Shiyue's instruction.
Like a well-behaved student, she mimicked Xu Shiyue's words, saying, "Goodnight, Xu Shiyue."
Xu Shiyue slightly curved her eyes, seemingly quite satisfied with Lu Shizhen's reaction.
Just as she was about to say goodnight to Lu Shizhen as well, her student, surpassing her teacher, added "Sweet dreams" to the phrase she had taught her.
thump.
It's the sound of a heart skipping a beat.
Xu Shiyue's slightly curved eyes paused for a moment, her voice even gentler than before: "Good night, Lu Shizhen."
Sweet dreams to you too.
Two "goodnights" blended together in the deep night, the darkness becoming the perfect time to conceal ambiguity.
Lu Shizhen carried the gift Xu Shiyue had given her back to her room and carefully untied the ribbon tied to the top of the gift, a gesture she had never made before.
She rarely appears so dignified.
She was even afraid that any movement might cause something to go wrong with the gift, so she held her breath.
The tightly sealed packaging was opened, and a cluster of warm, bright yellow light gently appeared in Lu Shizhen's eyes.
The circular glass breaks down and then reassembles the light, illuminating the tiny world contained within the crystal ball.
The ground was covered with bright red roses, vibrant and full of life.
Lu Shizhen saw the little prince smiling at her, and the fox that accompanied him was sitting beside him.
There are some things that only the two of them know, secrets they both understand.
This feeling made Lu Shizhen's heart skip a beat. It was as if the desolate winter wilderness had been planted with roses, and the endless red made her feel as if she could smell the scent of roses.
The girl's eyes curved like two crescent moons, and this joy made her eager to show it off to others. So she pulled Qiuqiu, who should have been resting, out of the room: "Qiuqiu, do you think it looks good?"
"What—wow, is this a crystal ball? It's so beautiful, so pretty... But host." Qiuqiu's exclamation suddenly paused, and her round body pressed against the crystal ball. "Why doesn't this fox look like a fox... it looks more like a dog?"
"ah?"
Lu Shizhen hadn't noticed it before, but after Qiuqiu reminded her, she couldn't help but take notice.
Originally, a fox should have a pointed but somewhat blunt mouth, and its slanted eyes should resemble two beautiful apricots.
"Huh? I don't know, that's strange..." Lu Shizhen couldn't quite figure out what Xu Shiyue meant, after all, in her opinion, Xu Shiyue wasn't such a careless person.
"What happened... Ouch."
As Lu Shizhen was wondering, she suddenly felt a sharp pain coming from her teeth.
Before she could recover from the toothache, she heard the system's voice in her ear.
-10
Lu Shizhen hadn't heard any announcements about point deductions in a long time, and she was immediately filled with panic: "Qiuqiu!"
Upon hearing this voice, Qiuqiu immediately opened the system interface and calmly said, "Host, don't panic! Our mission is still in a completed state."
Lu Shizhen covered her face, unsure whether the toothache or the heartache was worse: "What's wrong?"
"Host, do you remember what I told you at the beginning? The points are composed of Xu Shiyue's favorability index towards you and your safety index in the world," Qiuqiu explained. "Although Xu Shiyue will no longer deduct points from you now, according to the development of the story, your safety index will continue to decrease in the future, eventually leading to your predetermined death."
"The closer you get to the end, the more unstable your world's safety index becomes. If you don't stop the damage in time, your points will be deducted and you will fail the mission, and you will really die in this world."
Upon hearing Qiuqiu's words, Lu Shizhen felt a deep sense of despair.
The darkness outside seeped through the cracks in the window and gradually enveloped her; it was no longer just cold.
Qiuqiu was still looking at the data when she came up with another piece of bad news: "Moreover, your toothache isn't because you ate too many sweets. It's because after the mission was completed, your temporary body started to gradually break free from the main system's control and started to reject you, the soul that was living inside it."
Lu Shizhen's heart skipped a beat, and her thoughts seemed to freeze: "Then what should I do?"
"Leave," Qiuqiu replied.
As if realizing something, or as if unwilling to face it, Lu Shizhen's thoughts seemed to freeze, and she repeatedly asked, "What do you mean?"
"It means we should go," Qiuqiu said, "Host."
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