Carry her
With her heart pounding, Zhu Shiyi quietly raised her eyes.
The man's dark eyes were unfathomable, and his direct gaze revealed his seriousness.
He wrapped his shirt tightly with one hand and carried two backpacks in the other.
Zhu Shiyi's lips twitched slightly: "You don't need to..."
She was startled to realize that her voice was trembling.
Fine raindrops fell in a flurry, mingling with a damp, ambiguous, sticky atmosphere.
"During this special period, you mustn't catch a cold." Pan Yue said calmly, as if nothing had happened.
"..." Zhu Shiyi steadied her breath, "I'm afraid you'll catch a cold."
She quickly tilted the umbrella forward slightly.
"You should put it back on quickly." She tossed her coat aside.
"No need." Pan Yue stretched out his arm and pulled his coat tighter.
Her heart was like a glass jar filled with honey, bubbling away. Zhu Shiyi looked down and laughed, "If I walk a few more steps like this, I can mop the floor dry."
Pan Yue lifted his eyes, then looked away.
His coat, which she was wearing, was almost dragging on the ground.
His thoughts drifted subtly with the wind. Pan Yue lowered his eyelashes, turned to the side, and gestured with his chin: "Go over there."
Zhu Shiyi glanced at the flowerbed by the roadside, not understanding, but she inexplicably took a step.
Pan Yue tilted his head: "Go up."
The edge of the flower bed has a certain area where some casual pedestrians will sit.
Of course, people can stand here too.
Zhu Shiyi had a vague idea.
She couldn't help but tentatively ask, "...What do you want?"
The streetlights were dim and yellowish, and Pan Yue stood like a lighthouse beside them.
Zhu Shiyi looked up. Behind the curtain of rain, the warm light was blurred into a hazy mass, the mist swallowing the path of the light, only revealing him.
The man had strong, defined features, but at this moment, his eyes held an unusually gentle and affectionate look.
Zhu Shiyi: ......
She instinctively peeked out, wanting to get a closer look.
“…” Pan Yue looked away, turned around, and bent down slightly, “Come up.”
My heart skipped a beat.
"Um..." Zhu Shiyi's brain went blank, "Actually, it's not necessary."
The conversation suddenly stopped.
Feelings can never lie.
She did think about it.
Pan Yue straightened up and turned his head.
Zhu Shiyi pursed her lips, feeling somewhat regretful.
What is she pretending for? Why is she refusing? What if he takes it seriously?
“Caring for the elderly, the infirm, and the disabled is a social responsibility,” Pan Yue said, his tone unchanged.
Zhu Shiyi: ?
"Who are you calling old, weak, sick, or disabled?" A light sneer escaped her nose, tinged with arrogance. "You're the old one."
"You're sick," Pan Yue chuckled, drawing out the last syllable. He patted his shoulder. "Are you sure you want to get stuck here? Or is it just cold?"
The wind was strong and the rain was heavy; pedestrians hurried along.
Occasionally, someone passing by will stop and glance at them.
Her lower abdomen was rumbling involuntarily. Zhu Shiyi bit her lip, steeled her heart, and stepped onto the flower bed.
“Give me your bag first,” she said, reaching out her hand, “otherwise it will be difficult for you to carry it.”
Pan Yue paused, then looked down and handed her his backpack: "You can carry one."
Zhu Shiyi took them from his back and then beckoned to him, "Give me both."
Pan Yue remained silent and bowed his head.
The man's back was as broad and thick as a mountain.
Zhu Shiyi swallowed hard, stood on tiptoe, and slowly reached out to touch those shoulders.
Pan Yue put his arm around her knees and gently lifted her up.
His body momentarily lost control, and Zhu Shiyi instinctively reached out and wrapped his arms around the neck of the person in front of him.
Pan Yue's back stiffened. He moved his arms to balance his weight, and slowly took a step without daring to turn his head.
The back of his hand was burning hot to the touch, and Zhu Shiyi loosened his grip slightly out of habit, a sudden surge of illusory emotions rising within him.
She controlled her strength, not daring to breathe too freely.
She unconsciously tightened her arms around him; she understood that this illusory emotion was called reluctance to part.
The night wind swept through the corridor, and raindrops pattered from the eaves.
Pan Yue carried Zhu Shiyi on his back, his steps steady.
Zhu Shiyi held the umbrella steady with one hand, his body stiff.
An unspoken silence fermented in the night.
A glimpse of silk light flashed in my peripheral vision.
Zhu Shiyi turned his head; an electric scooter was not far behind him.
She quickly patted Pan Yue: "Move to the right a bit, watch out for cars."
"Okay." Pan Yue moved to the right side of the road.
A soft voice brushed past my ear, gentle and soothing.
Zhu Shiyi's ears turned red.
She still couldn't bear to give him up.
His gaze wandered uncontrollably, passing over the mountain peaks above his head and wading through the streams beside his neck, finally settling on the narrow, valley-like space between his arms.
Pan Yue had his arm around her knees, and his backpack was hanging from her elbow.
Zhu Shiyi asked with slight unease, "Are you alright? Aren't you too tired?"
"...Nothing is impossible."
"Why don't you give me the bag? I'll carry it, and it'll save you some effort."
"It's nothing," Pan Yue said softly.
Zhu Shiyi bit her lip, speaking hesitantly, "...Am I heavy?"
She quickly looked down at her clothes: "I guess I'm wearing a bit too much today, you know, sweaters are always heavier, yeah—"
“And my bag!” Zhu Shiyi raised her voice. “My bag weighs about twenty pounds, um.”
She laughed, then started acting crazy: "And your umbrella, plus your coat, those two together weigh at least thirty pounds."
Pan Yue: ......
He curved his lips into a smile, and intense emotions welled up in his eyes, instantly plunging into a deep pool.
“It’s not heavy,” Pan Yue said helplessly. “This weight isn’t even enough for strength training.”
Zhu Shiyi took a breath and then asked, "Are you cold?"
"It's not cold."
"Really?"
"real."
She bent her wrist and quietly pressed it against his skin.
It was familiar, warm and cool.
Zhu Shiyi wasn't sure if Pan Yue was cold, so she pulled her coat tighter and covered his shoulders with it as well.
"Oh, right!" Zhu Shiyi exclaimed, "We didn't eat properly for dinner, are you hungry?"
Pan Yue: ......
The little girl. She can't have a moment's peace.
Unable to finish his sentence, Pan Yue turned his head slightly and patiently lowered his voice, saying, "I'm not hungry."
Are you thirsty?
"I'm not thirsty."
Are you sleepy?
"Not sleepy."
Zhu Shiyi burst out laughing, getting excited: "So, are you happy?"
“No…” Pan Yue paused, “It’s alright.”
Taking advantage of the fact that the other person couldn't see her, Zhu Shiyi pouted and said in a low voice, "No way?"
Pan Yue chuckled: "A slip of the tongue."
Zhu Shiyi pressed his advantage: "Is it alright?"
Pan Yue paused for a moment, then resumed his usual pace.
"...And what about you?"
He raised the note at the end, and in the hazy night, it was inexplicably alluring.
Zhu Shiyi suppressed a laugh and hummed softly, "I'm... alright, I guess."
She tightened her arms slightly and lowered her body a little.
The mountain ridge on her chest, as she expected, was warm;
But unexpectedly, his back was also soft.
Zhu Shiyi tried her best to control her breathing rate and stabilize her heartbeat.
Beneath my feet was empty space, yet my body did not lose its weight.
A faint, refreshing fragrance wafts to my nose, and it feels cool.
No, it feels warm. Zhu Shiyi couldn't quite put her finger on it.
It's the scent of hormones—soothing and reassuring, yet passionate, like a wildfire spreading, like a scorching heat.
The pleasant temperature is within reach, but the path of the heart is dark and winding, and greed quietly meanders and rises.
As his body slowly slid down following gravity, Pan Yue tightened his upper arms and lifted himself up.
Zhu Shiyi's fingertips trembled.
A light rain was falling softly.
She softened her body, letting the force press down, her lower abdomen pressed tightly against Pan Yue's back.
If his back were a mountain, Zhu Shiyi felt it must be a volcano, warm and scalding.
Warmth is a pain reliever; suddenly, the menstrual cramps seemed to be relieved a bit.
Zhu Shiyi secretly rubbed his fingertips together, trying to suppress his lustful desires.
She asked the source of her bad mood: "How was your blind date?"
Pan Yue's breath hitched.
"I don't feel anything."
Zhu Shiyi was anxious, but he felt nothing? So, if he didn't dislike her, could they still get along?
Curiosity, like rain, nourishes the soil and sprouts new buds. She couldn't resist probing, "Did you go on another blind date yesterday?"
"No."
Zhu Shiyi felt a little relieved: "Is that work?"
No, not exactly.
"Then what did you go to do?" She was completely baffled.
"I......"
Pan Yue was speechless for a moment.
With his appetite dwindling to almost unbearable, Zhu Shiyi was frantic. Finally, his resolve hardened: "What?"
Pan Yue coughed lightly twice: "It's nothing."
"Nothing?" Zhu Shiyi sat up straight anxiously, raising her voice, but dared not ask further, "...Can't I say?"
Why are you hiding things like this?
Zhu Shiyi prayed again, wondering if etiquette and manners could just disappear for this very second.
“No, not exactly,” Pan Yue said hesitantly, “I’m just with Lin Changren, there’s something I need to do.”
"Oh." Zhu Shiyi let out a soft breath and slumped down.
Why didn't he just say so about such a small thing?
I'm making her worry about offending me, so she's speaking in a rushed and disjointed manner.
Since it wasn't a blind date, Zhu Shiyi didn't push his luck and ask any more questions.
"Does it still hurt?" Pan Yue suddenly asked.
After carefully feeling her lower abdomen, Zhu Shiyi responded with a slight shake of her head: "It's better."
She lowered her head and gently pressed it against the crook of his neck.
The tip of my nose touched the skin of my neck and shoulders. Like the rain, it was moist and cool, mixed with the scent of urban vegetation and dust, delicate and real.
Zhu Shiyi took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
For some reason, it calms the nerves.
She pressed down on her chest and exhaled softly.
My heart tightened, and greed was about to burst forth.
Streets where wind and rain meet.
The biting wind had turned into a golden breeze; the continuous night rain had resembled jade dew.
Quietly, Zhu Shiyi smiled, tilted her head slightly, and gently nuzzled against her.
My nose felt tingly and itchy, like an electric shock.
An addiction called obsession rises straight to my heart.
Unable to resist any longer, she secretly turned her head and slightly raised her chin.
Her lips, through his clothes, gently touched his shoulder.
The night rain in Jinrong moved with the wind, and one or two drops would always fall on him, wet and cold.
Only a touch of warmth was an exception.
A gentle, soft breeze caressed my shoulder.
Outside of sight, Pan Yue's eyes flickered slightly.
The weather is not sunny tonight.
On the stone ground, two figures quietly overlapped, and two toes swayed slightly from time to time.
Pan Yue smiled.
Tonight is quiet, surpassing countless other nights in the human world.
......
"Thank you," Pan Yue said as he helped Zhu Shiyi out of the car. She handed him the umbrella, took the bag from his hand, and got into the car. "Thank you for your hard work."
Pan Yue blinked rapidly twice: "It's nothing."
As Zhu Shiyi tossed his bag into the back seat, Pan Yue suddenly said, "Wait for me in the car."
She quickly turned around: "Where are you going?"
Pan Yue pursed his lips: "I'm going to buy something."
Zhu Shiyi scratched his face: "Oh."
It was windy outside, and Pan Yue was still wearing his coat.
She quickly took off her clothes: "Put your clothes back on."
Pan Yue didn't push him away. He took the coat, put it on, walked around the front of the car, opened the driver's side door, and leaned half his body into the car.
Zhu Shiyi was puzzled.
Pan Yue started the car and pressed a few buttons.
A warm breeze roared in my face.
"Keep these for me for a while," Pan Yue tossed the car keys over.
“...Oh.” Zhu Shiyi’s face felt hot from the breeze.
In the drizzling rain, Pan Yue's figure gradually faded into the distance.
Zhu Shiyi let out a heavy sigh, propped up his hand, and fanned himself by shaking his wrist to cool down his face.
A delicate fragrance wafted from my sleeve.
Zhu Shiyi lowered his head and took a deep breath.
She carried a familiar calming scent.
She touched her chest; the lingering warmth of her body still clung to her sweater.
ah--
Zhu Shiyi looked up at the sky and sighed deeply.
A gentle man who's irresistibly charming...
I'll accept it even if it doesn't grow a mouth.
......
Pan Yue got back into the car and gave Zhu Shiyi a plastic bag.
Zhu Shiyi opened it and found painkillers, heat packs, and a small bag of brown sugar inside.
My heart was filled with a jolt.
"Thank you!" Zhu Shiyi's gratitude was so genuine that she almost wet herself. "Luckily, I found it early, otherwise the pool would have turned into a murder scene."
She was still shaken.
Bleeding while swimming, what about the princess's train?
That would be so embarrassing.
“No,” Pan Yue’s voice was a little hoarse, “there’s water pressure, it won’t flow out.”
"Really?" Zhu Shiyi felt relieved for a moment and was in the mood to joke. "If it really leaks out, I'll scream."
Pan Yue raised an eyebrow, his expression filled with doubt.
Zhu Shiyi's eyes crinkled into a smile: "Sharks are coming! Run!"
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