Chapter 107
Guan Nan was so intelligent, how could he not understand the meaning of these words?
Her fingers curled up, slowly clenched and then gently loosened, then moved up his shirt, rubbing against the fabric until they touched his skin, and she lightly grasped his arm.
The two leaned against each other until the hand that hadn't fallen was clasped with the other hand's fingers.
Jiang Li tilted his head and stared at the hand that was being held tightly and proactively.
A moment later, Guan Nan raised her head and kissed the side of his neck where his jaw met.
The soft touch caught Jiang Li off guard, causing him to freeze for two seconds. He looked away and stared at her, as if trying to confirm some kind of information.
Seeing this, Guan Nan stood on tiptoe and went up.
In the blink of an eye, the positions changed in an instant, so fast that Guan Nan didn't even have time to react. The empty space behind her suddenly turned into a solid and powerful white wall, as if it would forever support her and prevent her from falling.
Almost instinctively, Guan Nan felt a sense of panic and instinctively reached out to grab something.
Jiang Li gripped her hand tightly, hooked his foot around the iron gate, and with a loud clang followed by a muffled thud. Perhaps it was his innate strength that allowed him to turn the tables in an instant.
Their fingers were tightly clasped together, revealing the man's well-defined, taut yet lean and powerful arms.
He held her captive with an absolute power and posture.
The sound of rain came from outside the window. Under the scorching incandescent light, the two stood silently facing each other, as if they had crossed countless rain curtains and stood here for a long time, never leaving.
The chess and card room downstairs was unusually closed, and the whole building was free of the sounds of chickens crowing, dogs barking, and children being scolded. However, the old building was not soundproof, and the occasional footsteps could be heard clearly, and even a cough could be identified.
Guan Nan grew up in this environment and was used to it, but the more she did so, the more nervous and worried she became.
She looked up.
The man lowered his head and kissed her precisely, his lips lightly lingering on her eyelids.
It was clearly a casual action, but Guan Nan sensed his cautiousness, as if he was afraid of disturbing him.
Perhaps it was the stillness of the night, perhaps it was a loss of control over her senses, or perhaps it was the allure of beauty, but at this moment, those secrets that were usually hidden away and not particularly noticeable seemed to be about to engulf her.
The culprit is right here.
Guan Nan felt as if she had returned to that Christmas Eve under the clock tower.
That day, she didn't drink. When she went to return the car, the family was drinking and having fun, and someone happened to drop a half-full glass of wine.
Her clothes were accidentally stained a few times.
Guan Nan tried to use the same trick again, but she wasn't a drunkard, and there was no alcohol available.
No.
some.
There is alcohol.
Guan Nan thought of this, and the still dazed Guan Nan began to react. This kiss, which was quick and decisive, gave her time to process it.
During this time, when he relaxed, Guan Nan opened his body.
She turned and headed towards the kitchen.
At the edge of the kitchen, the refrigerator door was open. Guan Nanli stood in front of the refrigerator, looking at the bright words on the sticky note, examining it from top to bottom, before taking out two cans of Sprite from the corner and closing the door.
Guan Nan took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and stood in front of him again.
As soon as he entered, Jiang Li said, "You left so quickly. I thought you didn't want me anymore."
"Didn't you say you were thirsty?" Guan Nan made up a story.
Jiang Li glanced at the Sprite in her hand, then his gaze returned to her face. "Did I say that?"
"Yes," Guan Nan said expressionlessly, "I did."
"..." After a two-second silence, Jiang Li smiled, "Your ability to turn the tables on me now is really something—"
Guan Nan looked at him without saying a word.
Under her expectant gaze, Jiang Li drawled out each word in a lazy, deliberate tone: "Masterful."
"...Really?" Guan Nan suppressed her embarrassment and forced herself to remain calm, saying, "Then shouldn't you be proud?"
Jiang Li: "?"
"After all, I have a legitimate reason to act."
Jiang Li was astonished by her audacity: "When did I ever teach you that?"
"Always." Guan Nan said without changing his expression.
"Oh..." Jiang Li tilted his head and smiled, a captivating glint in his eye, "So, what are we now?"
This question immediately stumped Guan Nan.
couple?
It exists in name only, without substance.
Couple?
It seems a bit of a stretch.
So what about now?
In the ensuing silence, Jiang Li asked casually yet with unusual sincerity, "Incest?"
Guan Nan couldn't stand it anymore and immediately retorted, "No!"
"What is that?" Jiang Li asked in return.
"Yes, yes..." Guan Nan pursed her lips, and after holding back for a long time, she squeezed out two words in a flash, "Cousin."
Jiang Li looked down at her, his gaze lingering on those two words, clearly thinking the same thing as her. He teased, "Oh, 'cousin'?"
"······"
It seems I said something wrong again.
Guan Nan was a little annoyed.
Speaking again, Guan Nan tried to salvage the situation: "So you're not satisfied—"
"No need, my cousin is fine," Jiang Li interrupted her promptly, saying slowly, "My cousin doesn't need it either."
"······"
Jiang Li added at the end, "I'm quite satisfied."
Guan Nan looked at him.
"What, did I say something wrong?" Jiang Li's eyes were smiling, his words were casual and lazy, and then he seemed to admit defeat, "Fine, then tell me, what is it?"
Guan Nan squeezed the Sprite tightly; the coolness of the bottle still lingered on her fingertips, glistening with tiny droplets of water, like an ice cream cone gradually melting under the sun.
She glanced down at him, then looked up again and stared at him.
Seeing that she didn't speak, Jiang Li reluctantly said, "Alright, cousin it is then."
"······"
"Anyway, it's all up to you."
“Jiang Li,” Guan Nan paused, then said slowly, “you seem a bit, well, unreasonable.”
Jiang Li lifted his eyelids, took a bottle of Sprite from her hand, and kept pulling the tab on. He looked at her and nodded seriously, then began to settle scores with a half-smile.
"Last time you said I was unreasonable."
"This time they're saying I'm being unreasonable."
What are you going to say next time?
The truth was embarrassing to hear, but Guan Nan kept a straight face and asked in a serious tone, "Then what do you want to hear?"
"What do I want to hear?" Jiang Li laughed after hearing this, taking a slow sip of Sprite, his voice cool, "You're being unreasonable."
"So what if it is?" Guan Nan blurted out.
Jiang Li was somewhat surprised, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up. He said lazily, "Not so good."
Guan Nan stared at him.
"It's great." Jiang Li chuckled softly, and seeing her awkward and tense expression, he added seriously, "Really."
"······"
It's unclear whether the word "really" opened up her meridians.
She skillfully pulled the tab, raised her glass to the grinning person in front of her, and then, abandoning her refined demeanor, boldly tilted her head back and gulped it down in one go.
After finishing the bottle, she crushed it, then quickly grabbed another one.
Perhaps emboldened by the Sprite she had just drunk, when she stood in front of Jiang Li again, she took a deep breath and said, "Actually, I went to see my mother today."
Jiang Li listened to her words without interrupting.
“Then,” Guan Nan said calmly, as if she were talking about someone else, “I also went to… well, my mom passed away, you know. I’d been wanting to go for a while, but I didn’t have the time.”
Is it that they really don't have time, or that they're unwilling to face it?
Only she knows the truth behind these two things.
Jiang Li's eyes widened in surprise, as if she hadn't expected her to say that so readily, which showed that she had no intention of stopping.
“Then today I… I…” Guan Nan gestured awkwardly with her hands, her words slowly stammering out, but they sounded incoherent compared to her composure. “I went to close an account on the way, and then I was a little tired, so I sat on a chair for a while. I didn’t know it would rain, I didn’t know the rain would be this heavy. I was a little tired, and I just didn’t want to… I forgot to leave, but the rain was too heavy, and I didn’t know you would come.”
As she spoke, her voice grew softer and softer, like a child blaming herself for making a mistake.
She was feeling very depressed, so depressed that she could hardly speak. She wanted to say something, even if it was to avoid disappointing Jiang Li, even if it was because she was in a lot of pain.
But she didn't want Jiang Li to be disappointed in her again.
Thus, these few fragmented words, like a child learning to speak, require the speaker to piece together the chaotic information from beginning to end.
Finally, Guan Nan looked at him hopefully and suddenly blurted out, "Jiang Li, do you still remember my mother?"
As if afraid he might forget, Guan Nan carefully reminded him, nervously but pretending to be nonchalant as she brushed it off: "You've met at the senior year parent-teacher conference before."
As she said those words, she herself was unaware that her clean and gentle eyes were filled with unease.
It was as if everything before this statement was a prelude to it.
The atmosphere inside the room visibly somber.
Because Jiang Li remained silent.
Guan Nan, who was used to being turned away, saw silence as another form of response.
"It's okay," Guan Nan said, covering her nose and forcing a smile despite her heartache. She slowly shook her head, unsure whether she was speaking to herself or to Jiang Li. "It's okay, it's okay if you don't remember. It's not a big deal."
Jiang Li lowered his eyes, his gaze dark and deep, and replied in a hoarse voice, "I remember."
Upon hearing this, Guan Nan was clearly taken aback.
“I said I remember.” Jiang Li raised his hand, his thumb gently stroking her eyelids. “I haven’t forgotten your mother.”
Guan Nan let him do as he pleased, remaining silent, though her eyes were slightly moist.
She closed her eyes, tilted her head back and opened her mouth as if to say something, but then closed her mouth again. She slowly pulled the tab on her Sprite, raised her hand and slowly moved closer to him, then bent her elbow in the process.
The two men's arms crossed, keeping their inner walls pressed together.
Jiang Li glanced at the Sprite, then slowly met her gaze, deliberately misinterpreting her meaning, and teased, "Want to become sworn brothers with me?"
"······"
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