Chapter 41 Rumors about the Camping Area
"Jiang Jinyue..." Lu Qingmian grabbed Jiang Jinyue's soft wrist to stop him from taking any further action.
Jiang Jinyue's face was covered with traces of tears, and the little fangs faintly visible between her lips were not scary at all, but rather cute and fragile. The close distance allowed him to clearly smell the scent of Lu Qingmian's blood hidden under her skin. Her red eyes flashed with a charming red light, but her eyes were not charming at all, but full of worry, worry about Lu Qingmian.
He was afraid that he would hurt Lu Qingmian. Even though he was so hungry, he would rather eat Lu Qingmian's essence than bite Lu Qingmian.
Lu Qingmian let go of Jiang Jinyue's wrist and gently held Jiang Jinyue in his arms. His big hand pinched the back of Jiang Jinyue's neck soothingly. His long eyelashes drooped, his black eyes were soft, and his heart was soft.
"Even after all this, you won't bite me? Jiang Jinyue, you really are..."
Make him never want to let go.
"Don't worry, I won't let you go hungry."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Qingmian loosened his arms, suddenly pulled the quilt beside him, wrapped Jiang Jinyue in the quilt, and then put Jiang Jinyue back on the bed, letting him sit there wrapped in the quilt with his back to the door.
Jiang Jinyue was still sobbing, and the next moment, Lu Qingmian sat behind him, the two of them back to back.
Lu Qingmian raised his head and rested it on Jiang Jinyue's thin shoulders.
The sudden weight made Jiang Jinyue tremble, and he immediately sat up straight. He subconsciously wanted to look back, but was stopped by Lu Qingmian.
"Don't look back."
Jiang Jinyue's head turned halfway and then froze there.
Lu Qingmian relaxed her body and let herself lean against Jiang Jinyue's back. Her hair brushed over Jiang Jinyue's ears, and her slender and powerful fingers fell on the zipper of his pants.
"Jiang Jinyue, don't look back, don't look at me, close your eyes, and don't say anything."
Jiang Jinyue obediently closed his eyes, his snow-white eyelashes trembling constantly, and his body trembling uncontrollably. Excessive hunger made him feel weak all over, but he still forced himself to straighten his back so that Lu Qingmian could lean on his back.
The sound of a zipper rang out in the quiet room.
Jiang Jinyue vaguely realized what Lu Qingmian was going to do. Her eyelashes trembled even more violently, her pale skin was dyed bright red, and she looked like a cherry blossom blooming in the snow.
The bedroom window was closed, leaving only a gap in the thick curtains. The soft light of dusk squeezed in through the gap and fell on the bodies of two people pressed back to back, leaving a hint of ambiguity.
Lu Qingmian's body moved slightly, and her fine hair kept rubbing against Jiang Jinyue's ears. The dense itch spread from her ears to her whole body. Jiang Jinyue wanted to quietly turn her head, but as soon as she moved her body a little, Lu Qingmian's suppressed breathing sound briefly escaped and quickly disappeared.
Jiang Jinyue's body froze in place, and he subconsciously looked for Lu Qingmian's breathing.
The dull air in the room gradually changed, and a strange fragrance spread out, pouring into Jiang Jinyue's stomach with every breath, constantly satisfying his hungry stomach and filling his body.
The crazy feeling of hunger gradually subsided. Jiang Jinyue opened his lips slightly and made a breathing sound heavier than Lu Qingmian. The sound of his inhalation was particularly obvious, which made Lu Qingmian realize for the first time that Jiang Jinyue was really eating.
“Plop, plop.”
Besides the sound of breathing, the sound of a faster and more intense heartbeat rang in his ears. Jiang Jinyue couldn't tell for a moment whether it was his own heartbeat or Lu Qingmian's.
He tilted his head back, and leaned back against Lu Qingmian, resting his head on each other's shoulders, doing something overly intimate at the closest yet most distant distance.
Lu Qingmian suddenly chuckled softly, "Jiang Jinyue, I really can't do anything to you."
The voice was low and hoarse, and it penetrated into Jiang Jinyue's ears at a very close distance, making his already itchy ears even more itchy, and the itch went all the way to the bottom of his heart.
Time seemed to stretch infinitely at this moment. After Lu Qingmian's last heavy and uncontrollable gasp, Jiang Jinyue covered his round belly, feeling so full that he couldn't be any fuller.
Lu Qingmian seemed to have given up hope and no longer suppressed his heavy and rapid breathing. He let himself lean against Jiang Jinyue, his body lazily not wanting to move at all.
An even stranger smell filled the air. Jiang Jinyue only sniffed it twice, and her cheeks immediately turned red. She didn't even dare to move.
After a while, Lu Qingmian suddenly said, "Give me the tissue."
"Ah?" Jiang Jinyue was too nervous and didn't hear Lu Qingmian's words clearly.
A hand fell on Jiang Jinyue's side. Jiang Jinyue subconsciously turned his head to look, and saw that the fingertips of the big hand that was always holding his seemed to be stained with something milky white.
He just took a glance and immediately looked away, never daring to look again.
Lu Qingmian's voice was also lazy. "The tissue is over there with you. Give it to me."
Jiang Jinyue crawled forward as if awakened. Just as he grabbed the tissue, he found that Lu Qingmian had no strength at all. He lay down on the bed in the direction he had crawled away, looking very lazy.
He handed the tissue over, and Lu Qingmian took it with his other hand. Their fingertips accidentally touched, and Jiang Jinyue immediately withdrew his hand, more panicked than before when his PTSD was triggered.
Lu Qingmian propped himself up, Jiang Jinyue turned his head away without looking at him any further, but he couldn't help but prick up his ears and listen carefully to the movements from Lu Qingmian's side.
The rustling sound of plastic wrapping of tissues continued. Lu Qingmian seemed to have pulled out a lot of paper. Then the sound of tissues being crumpled was heard. The sound was very small and could not be heard at all unless you listened carefully.
Jiang Jinyue supported the bed with one hand and unconsciously rubbed his body towards Lu Qingmian.
Lu Qingmian threw the tissue into the trash can, tidied his clothes, turned around and saw Jiang Jinyue leaning sideways, revealing his red ears, looking like he was eavesdropping seriously.
He had just finished feeding Jiang Jinyue and was feeling lazy and satisfied. Seeing Jiang Jinyue like this, he felt itchy in his heart and couldn't help but grab Jiang Jinyue's arm and pull him in front of him.
The quilt wrapped around Jiang Jinyue had long been untied. He had eaten his fill and regained his energy, but was suddenly pulled under Lu Qingmian and pressed down. His eyes were wide open, and his hands gently rested on Lu Qingmian's shoulders. He was obviously very shy, but he did not resist, and looked like he was willing to do whatever he wanted.
Lu Qingmian scratched Jiang Jinyue's chin with his fingers, his long eyelashes drooping as he looked Jiang Jinyue up and down. He looked more like a vampire looking for a place to bite than Jiang Jinyue the vampire himself.
"Jiang Jinyue, are you full?"
Lu Qingmian's voice was particularly low and pleasant. Jiang Jinyue met Lu Qingmian's gaze, then hurriedly turned his head away and whispered, "I'm full..."
"Now that you're full, I can always ask you for a tip, right?"
Jiang Jinyue thought of Lu Qingmian lying on the bed looking very tired, and thought that maybe this kind of thing was particularly tiring?
He nodded and answered seriously, "Okay, how much do you want?"
He now has a lot of money and feels more confident.
Lu Qingmian sneered: "You want to get rid of me with money?"
Jiang Jinyue was puzzled and frowned at Lu Qingmian, his beautiful red eyes full of accusations. It was Lu Qingmian who asked for the tip, so why did he say that he was getting rid of him when he wanted to give it to Lu Qingmian?
Lu Qingmian's expression relaxed, and he tapped Jiang Jinyue's shoulder with his finger. "Are you really going to give me a tip?"
Jiang Jinyue nodded vigorously: "Give it to me! I'll give you as much as you want!"
Lu Qingmian changed his hands to grab Jiang Jinyue's shoulders, and suddenly exerted force, turning Jiang Jinyue over.
"Then I won't be polite."
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Jinyue felt a chill on the back of his waist, and the hem of his clothes was lifted up.
The next moment, the hot breath sprayed on the skin in the middle of the lower back. Jiang Jinyue didn't know what Lu Qingmian was going to do, and her body subconsciously crawled forward, straightening her upper body, and her waist naturally sank, revealing her beautiful waist dimples.
Lu Qingmian lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the soft waist against the milky white skin.
He opened his lips slightly, then suddenly lowered his head and kissed her.
The small waist was pressed against the warm thin lips, and Jiang Jinyue groaned, clutching the bed sheet with both hands, burying her face in her arms, leaving only her red ears hidden under her black hair.
"Lu Qingmian..."
How could Lu Qingmian suddenly kiss him there...
The feeling of the skin being ground and pulled by the teeth was clearly felt, and the skin there gradually became hot. It was hard to tell whether it was a tingling or a numb feeling, which rushed along the waist into the spine and rushed straight to Jiang Jinyue's brain. Jiang Jinyue's body trembled more violently, but he could no longer crawl forward.
Lu Qingmian's hands were tightly wrapped around his waist, and he could only kick his legs helplessly until Lu Qingmian raised his head, leaving a deep red and purple mark on the small of his waist.
Jiang Jinyue collapsed on the bed, feeling Lu Qingmian loosen his waist and leave the bed. The wetness on the skin on his lower back gradually turned cold, leaving only an unignorable tingling sensation.
Lu Qingmian helped Jiang Jinyue tidy up her clothes, then stood by the bed, waited for a while, and asked, "Why don't you get up? How long are you going to stay in bed?"
Jiang Jinyue's shoulders trembled, and he slowly sat up with the help of his arms. Looking back, he saw Lu Qingmian standing beside him in neat clothes, not looking like he had just done anything like that.
He was a little dazed. If it weren't for the feeling of fullness in his stomach, he would have suspected that everything that had just happened was an illusion.
Getting down from the bed, Jiang Jinyue caught a glimpse of the crumpled tissue paper in the trash can out of the corner of his eye. His dazed nerves were awakened, and he quickly looked away, but the blush on his skin had not faded.
Lu Qingmian had regained his usual calmness. His voice was cold and he said in a very calm tone, "I will come to feed you every day from now on."
Jiang Jinyue bit her lip, not knowing whether she should refuse.
Lu Qingmian's gaze fell on Jiang Jinyue's lips, "Don't bite your lips so hard."
Jiang Jinyue immediately loosened his grip, and then he heard Lu Qingmian suddenly lean over and whisper in his ear, "Jiang Jinyue, I'm here, I won't let you go hungry."
After saying that, Lu Qingmian stood up and left Jiang Jinyue's house.
Jiang Jinyue listened to the sound of the door opening and closing. His legs softened and he sat down on the ground again. He covered his burning cheeks with his hands and murmured:
"Oh my God... How should I face Lu Qingmian..."
Outside the door of room 1203, Lu Qingmian, who seemed to have regained his composure, was leaning against the door of room 1203. He lowered his head, his black hair falling down to cover his eyebrows, and he looked a little dazed.
After a while, Lu Qingmian raised his hand and pressed it on his chest. He could clearly feel his rapidly beating heart in his palm.
His legs went limp, and his body slowly slid down to the ground, leaning against the door panel. He buried his cheek in his arms, revealing only a small part of his face. A rare trace of shyness and embarrassment appeared on his face, and his dark eyes no longer had the usual inscrutable look, but were filled with helplessness.
"To do such a thing next to Jiang Jinyue..."
Lu Qingmian tilted his head and buried his entire face in his arms. His ears, hidden by his hair, had already turned red.
Jiang Jinyue is not the only one who is shy.
In the next few days, Jiang Jinyue resumed his daily routine of going to and from get out of class with Lu Qingmian. In addition to going to and from get out of class, he had an additional must-do item: go to Lu Qingmian's house once a day.
The bathroom door in Lu Qingmian's house has been replaced with a new one. After that, Lu Qingmian would go into the bathroom every day when Jiang Jinyue was there. Jiang Jinyue would also lean against the bathroom door at this time, fill his stomach by absorbing Lu Qingmian's essence, and then run home before Lu Qingmian came out to avoid any awkward meeting.
The only difference was that every time Lu Qingmian took a shower, Jiang Jinyue never heard Lu Qingmian breathing under the sound of water. If it weren't for the delicious smell in the air, he would have thought that Lu Qingmian was just taking a shower.
The next morning, they went to school together as if nothing had happened, but the atmosphere between them became increasingly strange, and they barely maintained an awkward peace.
He thought that this kind of thing would become easier with practice, but after a few days, Jiang Jinyue still couldn't get used to it. He was extremely nervous every time and ran out immediately after eating, not daring to stay for even a second.
In this awkward yet wonderful way of getting along, time flew by, and soon it was the day before the seven-day National Day holiday.
That night, Jiang Jinyue ran back home as usual after having a full meal, but Lu Qingmian soon caught up with him.
He was carrying a lot of bags, containing daily necessities and new clothes, all prepared for Jiang Jinyue.
After Jiang Jinyue no longer lacked money, Lu Qingmian intended to improve Jiang Jinyue's quality of life.
But Jiang Jinyue was not very interested in these things. He flipped through the paper bag, gently touching the clothes inside that he couldn't recognize the brand but were of good quality, and couldn't help but say:
"I don't need to wear such nice clothes. I'm just a student anyway. As long as the clothes are clean and tidy and can be worn, it's fine."
Lu Qingmian frowned slightly, took out some snacks and stuffed them into Jiang Jinyue's storage cabinet without saying a word.
The snacks were beautifully packaged, with foreign characters written all over them. One could tell at a glance that they were quite expensive. Jiang Jinyue had never been willing to eat snacks before, let alone such expensive ones. Seeing Lu Qingmian stuffing something in, he immediately refused.
"I'm a vampire now. Eating those things has no taste and won't fill my stomach. Lu Qingmian, you should take it away. I..."
"Jiang Jinyue, these things have a long shelf life. You can wait a month before eating them." Lu Qingmian interrupted Jiang Jinyue.
Jiang Jinyue paused and said nothing more, but his eyes were a little empty, and he was obviously distracted.
He couldn't help but take out his cell phone and send a text message to Wang Xiaoya.
[Mom, have you scratched off all the scratch tickets I sent you earlier?]
The small supermarket at home is entirely run by Wang Xiaoya. She is very busy on weekdays, but she always responds to Jiang Jinyue's messages very quickly. As long as she sees it, she will definitely not wait.
Soon, Wang Xiaoya's text message came back.
[Not yet. I can't bear to scratch them all off, so I scratch one now and then to relax. I've won ten yuan twice, and I've redeemed them both.]
It seems that Wang Xiaoya hasn't won the scratch-off ticket with a grand prize of 200,000 yuan yet. Jiang Jinyue felt a little disappointed, but he didn't want to urge her, for fear that Wang Xiaoya would find out something was wrong, so he didn't continue the topic.
He looked at the pile of new clothes in front of him again. He actually liked them. Who wouldn't like new clothes? But Jiang Jinyue always felt guilty. He would think that Wang Xiaoya had never worn such nice clothes, and Wang Xiaoya had never eaten such expensive snacks... So he couldn't bear to wear them or eat them. He couldn't be calm.
Lu Qingmian noticed something, but he had no experience of getting along with normal relatives, so he didn't say much.
Some things can only be figured out by yourself.
Tomorrow is the first day of the National Day holiday. They have made an appointment with Chen Keai to meet at the school gate in the morning, and then take a bus to the camping area that has been booked in advance.
The camping area is located in the vicinity of H City. It is a very famous camping area and is very popular.
Jiang Jinyue was both excited and nervous about tomorrow's trip. He had never gone out with friends before, and he was afraid that he would cause trouble for everyone because of the stress reaction caused by his PTSD.
Lu Qingmian took the clothes out of the bag and placed them next to Jiang Jinyue, saying, "It's so hard to go out and play once, so wear new clothes."
Jiang Jinyue nodded slightly, but his eyes were a little hesitant.
Lu Qingmian didn't say anything else. He put down some things he needed to take with him tomorrow and left.
The next morning, Jiang Jinyue put on the large backpack he had prepared, went out and went downstairs, and waited at the door of the corridor.
After a while, Lu Qingmian also came down with a big backpack. The first thing he saw was Jiang Jinyue's old clothes.
Jiang Jinyue hurriedly explained, "I've packed the new clothes in my backpack. Aren't we going to be staying in the camping area for several days? I'll wear them later!"
Lu Qingmian patted Jiang Jinyue's head and didn't say much about it. The two of them walked towards the gate of H University together.
It wasn't too late when they left, but there were already a few people waiting at the gate of H University.
It was the National Day holiday, and H University was deserted. The few people at the school gate were very conspicuous, especially Chen Keai with her pink hair.
When Chen Keai saw Jiang Jinyue and Lu Qingmian walking towards her, she started jumping and waving from afar.
As the two approached, Chen Keai introduced the two people beside her to Jiang Jinyue: "This is Cen Yingjie, a junior, and the president of the camping club. This is Tian Xiuxun, also a junior, and the vice president of the camping club. A few more people will be arriving soon. Let's wait here for a while."
Finally, Chen Keai introduced Lu Qingmian and Jiang Jinyue to Cen Yingjie and Tian Xiuxun.
Cen Yingjie was tall, but he still looked a little shorter standing next to Lu Qingmian. He nodded at the two of them with a friendly smile, "Hello, I hope this camping trip will bring you a good experience."
Tian Xiuxun, who was standing next to Cen Yingjie, also smiled. "I've heard of you, H University's new male idol Lu Qingmian and the welcome party siren Jiang Jinyue. I've heard of you for a long time."
Jiang Jinyue was very nervous. He stood behind Lu Qingmian and nodded to the two of them. Although he had white hair and red eyes, he looked particularly well-behaved. "Hello, seniors."
The two of them were standing under a big black umbrella, looking particularly close.
After a round of greetings, Cen Yingjie said, "There are two more members. They should be here soon. Let's wait for a while."
There was still some time before the agreed meeting time, so they arrived early.
After a while, two girls came running over hand in hand.
Jiang Jinyue felt that one of the girls looked familiar. She was the girl who had stopped him and Lu Qingmian at the school gate and gave him a cup of milk tea and a big bag of snacks.
When Lu Qingmian saw the girl, he frowned slightly.
Two girls came running over breathlessly and introduced themselves first.
The girl with curly hair looked outgoing. She smiled and said, "Sorry to have kept you waiting. My name is Zhen Lingwei, and I'm a sophomore. You two are freshmen, right? I've heard of you! Oh, please don't call me senior! Just call me Zhen Lingwei!"
Lu Qingmian nodded indifferently, not enthusiastically but not rudely either. Jiang Jinyue replied with a stuttering voice, "Senior...Zhen, Zhen Lingwei, hello."
The girl next to Zhen Lingwei had a high ponytail and seemed a little embarrassed compared to Zhen Lingwei. After Zhen Lingwei finished introducing herself, she walked forward and said, "My name is Zheng Yue, and I'm also a sophomore. I hope we can become good friends during this camping trip."
Although she was introducing herself, her eyes were mostly on Jiang Jinyue, especially when she said the name "Zheng Yue".
After she finished speaking, Zheng Yue stared at Jiang Jinyue, her eyes full of anxiety.
Jiang Jinyue's hand rested on Lu Qingmian's wrist, which was holding the umbrella. He raised the umbrella slightly and looked at Zheng Yue, his eyebrows curved and a beautiful smile appeared on his face. He seemed not to recognize Zheng Yue at all and only said, "Hello, Zheng Yue."
Zheng Yue was stunned for a few seconds before nodding, "Jiang Jinyue, hello."
After the group gathered, they got into the car rented by Cen Yingjie.
The car was a seven-seater family car, very spacious. Jiang Jinyue was arranged by Lu Qingmian to sit in the back corner. Lu Qingmian sat next to him, and Chen Keai sat on the other side of Lu Qingmian. This could effectively prevent others from accidentally bumping into Jiang Jinyue.
"It will probably take a whole morning to drive. If you feel tired, you can take a nap in the car." Cen Yingjie said.
Jiang Jinyue was not sleepy at all. He looked at the scenery receding outside the car window and whispered a few words to Lu Qingmian from time to time.
Not only did he not sleep, but everyone else was also a little excited. Everyone talked and chatted from time to time, and the atmosphere in the car was very relaxed.
Suddenly, Cen Yingjie, who was driving, said, "Do you know there's a rumor about the camping area we're going to this time?"
Zhen Lingwei asked, "Is it the rumor about making a wish under the moon at 12 o'clock at night?"
Cen Yingjie nodded and continued, "Yes, this rumor has been around for a long time, seemingly ever since the camping area was established. It's said that at midnight, if you walk alone to the small woods next to the camping area and make a wish to the moon, you will see your deceased relatives."
"If this rumor is any more exaggerated, it will become a supernatural incident, right?" Chen Keai complained.
Everyone in the car immediately burst into laughter, and Jiang Jinyue also laughed. Suddenly, a flash of black flashed past the car window.
Jiang Jinyue looked over immediately and saw a black butterfly landed on the rearview mirror next to the car window. Its wings trembled in the speeding traffic and it flew away after a while.
Lu Qingmian noticed something was wrong with Jiang Jinyue, and came over to ask quietly, "What's wrong?"
Jiang Jinyue quietly pointed outside. Afraid of being overheard, he leaned close to Lu Qingmian's ear and whispered, "I saw those black butterflies again."
Lu Qingmian looked in the direction Jiang Jinyue pointed, but there was nothing there.
Chen Keai interrupted their whisper at this time, "Hey! What are you whispering about!"
Jiang Jinyue immediately left Lu Qingmian's ear and shook his head repeatedly: "No, no!"
During the rest of the trip, Jiang Jinyue did not see the black butterfly again.
At around two o'clock in the afternoon, the car finally drove into the camping area. Everyone was a little tired, but they still got out of the car together to move their luggage.
The camping site was rented in advance, and they only needed to set up the tent there.
Cen Yingjie and Tian Xiuxun were both veterans and set up the tent very quickly. Although Lu Qingmian had never set up a tent before, he was very smart and learned how to do it just by watching. He soon joined in.
Jiang Jinyue was not idle either. He helped others move things. The group was busy and finally packed up everything before dark.
Everyone planned to cook hot pot for dinner. They brought all the ingredients with them, and the store in the camping area also sold them, so they could go there to replenish if they were short of anything.
After eating hot pot, it was completely dark. A group of people sat under the largest activity tent and played games around the stove where mulled wine was bubbling.
Zhen Lingwei took out a box of game cards and said, "Camping is all about having fun. It's so boring to go to bed so early. How about we play quiz cards? It's a bit like Truth or Dare, but this one doesn't have the dare part. Everyone takes turns drawing cards and answers the question they draw. If you don't want to answer, you drink. How about that?"
Everyone had no objection and started drawing cards in a clockwise direction.
The game officially begins.
Chen Keai drew first and got a rather boring question, "Do you have a secret crush on someone right now? No, I don't have secret crushes. I always just go for whoever I like."
After Chen Keai, it was Lu Qingmian and Jiang Jinyue's turn soon. Both of them drew questions that were not very important and answered them quickly. The cards continued to be passed down and reached Cen Yingjie's hands.
The camping club's president, who always had a gentle expression and looked very reliable, pulled a card from the deck and read the question softly: "What's the thing you feel most guilty about?"
This kind of question is actually very easy to answer, but Cen Yingjie's expression became visibly gloomy. He was silent for a long time and suddenly took off his coat.
He was wearing a very ordinary shirt, but there was a circle of black cloth hanging on one sleeve. It was the black cloth used for mourning, indicating that an elder in his family had recently passed away.
"Actually... I didn't want to tell you all this. We've finally gotten together to have fun, and I was afraid of disturbing everyone's fun. But when I suddenly saw this question... I couldn't help it..."
Seeing this, Tian Xiuxun patted Cen Yingjie on the shoulder and said, "If you have anything on your mind, just tell me."
Cen Yingjie turned the card over, revealing the question on it. "Last week... my grandmother passed away."
"My grandmother had been ill for a long time, and everyone in the family knew she had passed away only in the past two years... I was very anxious and scared at first, but as time went on, I gradually became numb."
"A lot of things happened at school that day. I was a little upset and had a conflict with a friend. Then I got a call from home. I saw it but didn't answer it."
"I didn't expect that the call was from my grandma. She was already dying at the time, and she wanted to say a few words to me in her final moments..."
"The phone rang several more times afterwards, but I didn't answer it once."
"Not only did I not get to see my grandmother for the last time, I even turned down the chance to speak to her."
"This matter has always weighed on my heart. After my grandmother passed away, I really wanted her to come to me in a dream or something, but until now, I have never dreamed of her once."
"I guess she must be very angry, so she doesn't want to appear in my dreams. But I miss her very much, I really miss her..."
Cen Yingjie's voice gradually became choked. When he talked about his grandmother, a black butterfly quietly flew over and landed on Cen Yingjie's shoulder. Except for Jiang Jinyue, no one saw the butterfly.
Jiang Jinyue stared at the butterfly in a daze until Cen Yingjie calmed down and passed the cards to the next level. Only then did Jiang Jinyue come to his senses.
After that, the game went on for several more rounds, but the atmosphere was not very good, but rather a bit heavy.
The cards were passed to Lu Qingmian again. Lu Qingmian randomly picked one out. The question on it was: "Do you have someone you like now?"
Jiang Jinyue sat up straight in an instant and glanced at Lu Qingmian secretly with what he thought was a very covert gaze.
Chen Keai also took the opportunity to tease Lu Qingmian to liven up the atmosphere. The dull atmosphere slowly dissipated and everyone looked at Lu Qingmian, waiting for his answer.
The small card flipped between Lu Qingmian's fingers. Lu Qingmian seemed to be thinking for a long time before he replied, "Yes."
When he answered, his eyes fell directly on Jiang Jinyue.
Jiang Jinyue stared at the steaming pot of red wine in front of him and clearly felt his cheeks getting hot.
Why did Lu Qingmian look at him and say that?
Everyone kept making noises, and Chen Keai took advantage of the situation and asked, "Lu Qingmian, who do you like?"
Lu Qingmian slowly withdrew his gaze from Jiang Jinyue, "That's the second question."
Chen Keai tsk-tsk-tsk, and the game continues.
But in the subsequent games, Jiang Jinyue was always a little distracted.
After playing for a while, the game ended and everyone packed up and prepared to go back to the tent to rest.
They set up a total of four small double tents for sleeping and one large mobile tent. The four sleeping tents were one for the two girls, one for Lu Qingmian and Jiang Jinyue, one for Cen Yingjie and Tian Xiuxun, and one for Chen Keai alone.
After washing up in the bathroom of the camping area, Jiang Jinyue went into the tent first. After a while, Lu Qingmian also came in, covered in sweat.
The double tent is very small. Although there are two sleeping bags, they are placed close together. When lying down, shoulders are touching, which is very intimate.
After Lu Qingmian lay down, he suddenly whispered in Jiang Jinyue's ear, "Do you want to eat?"
Jiang Jinyue was still thinking about the question that Lu Qingmian had answered before. When he suddenly heard Lu Qingmian's words, he was so shocked that he almost jumped up.
Lu Qingmian held Jiang Jinyue's shoulders, put his fingers between his lips and made a "hush" sound.
"Don't make so much noise, aren't you afraid that others will hear you?"
Jiang Jinyue immediately lay back down, looking at Lu Qingmian in panic, and couldn't help looking down at Lu Qingmian. Fortunately, he withdrew his gaze halfway through, and his eyes began to dart around, but not at Lu Qingmian.
Lu Qingmian asked again in a low voice: "Aren't you hungry?"
They had hotpot in the evening. Jiang Jinyue was afraid of being discovered to be abnormal, so he ate some as well. However, the food was not only unpalatable, but also could not fill his stomach. Jiang Jinyue had been hungry for a long time, but was just too embarrassed to bring it up.
"Hungry..." came the answer, so soft that it was almost inaudible.
Lu Qingmian raised his hand and suddenly covered Jiang Jinyue's face with a clean towel.
"Close your eyes."
Jiang Jinyue closed his eyes obediently.
The slight friction of the sleeping bag fabric came to his ears, and the next moment, Lu Qingmian said again: "Close your ears!"
Jiang Jinyue covered his ears with his hands, and this time he could only hear the chaotic beating of his own heart.
He counted his heartbeats, and soon he could smell a sweet scent in the air.
The tightly closed red lips subconsciously opened a gap, and the essence flowed into his stomach through his nose and lips, filling his belly.
After eating, Jiang Jinyue didn't dare to say anything, just waiting for Lu Qingmian to end it on his own initiative.
After an unknown amount of time, the towel covering Jiang Jinyue's face was removed. Lu Qingmian pulled away her hands that were covering her ears and said, "Go to sleep!"
There was a dim light on in the tent. Jiang Jinyue blinked slowly, exhaled quietly, turned his head, and found that Lu Qingmian had his back to him, as if he had fallen asleep.
He looked for a while, then quietly leaned over, put his forehead against Lu Qingmian's back, and closed his eyes.
Lu Qingmian's back was hot, quietly revealing what Lu Qingmian had just done.
After Jiang Jinyue leaned over, Lu Qingmian's back stiffened. Soon, Lu Qingmian turned around, opened his arms and hugged Jiang Jinyue in his arms.
Jiang Jinyue's cheek pressed against Lu Qingmian's warm chest. The temperature was not high on the autumn night, and they were squeezed in the small tent, but they didn't feel cold at all.
Gradually, Jiang Jinyue fell asleep.
This sleep did not last long. At 12 o'clock midnight, Jiang Jinyue suddenly woke up.
He opened his eyes and found that the small light in the tent had been turned off, leaving him in complete darkness. He could faintly hear the sound of footsteps outside the tent, and a light was reflected on the tent fabric, flickering.
Someone left the tent area with a lantern!
Jiang Jinyue turned his head and met Lu Qingmian's gaze in the darkness.
Lu Qingmian took out his cell phone and showed Jiang Jinyue the current time: midnight.
Jiang Jinyue instantly recalled the rumor that Cen Yingjie had mentioned during the day. It was said that if one went alone to the grove next to the camping area at midnight and made a wish to the moon, one would be able to see deceased relatives.
"Is the person outside Cen Yingjie?" Jiang Jinyue asked in a low voice.
Lu Qingmian nodded, sat up, unzipped the tent a little, and looked outside. He saw Cen Yingjie holding a camping lantern and walking towards the woods nearby.
Jiang Jinyue also moved closer and discovered that the black butterfly that appeared and disappeared several times was following Cen Yingjie.
He paused and said, "Lu Qingmian, I want to follow and see."
Lu Qingmian: "Are you worried about him getting into trouble?"
Jiang Jinyue nodded and looked at Lu Qingmian nervously, afraid that Lu Qingmian would refuse.
In the end, Lu Qingmian said nothing. He gently opened the tent, picked up the flashlight, grabbed Jiang Jinyue's hand, and took him out.
It was midnight now, and there was no sunlight that would harm Jiang Jinyue. They did not need an umbrella when going out, and it was much more convenient for them to move around.
Cen Yingjie didn't notice anyone following him. He walked alone into the grove and stopped at a place where he could see the moon. He put the camping light aside, clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and whispered a wish:
"Grandma, please come and see me. I really miss you. I still have a lot to say to you. Can you come and see me?"
After making the wish, Cen Yingjie slowly opened his eyes.
The woods were quiet. There were few insects chirping in autumn, and only the rustling sound of the leaves in the breeze.
There was nothing in front of him except the faint glow of the camping lamp on the ground, and his grandmother did not come to see him.
Cen Yingjie stood there for a long time before slowly picking up the camping lamp on the ground and leaving the grove.
Jiang Jinyue and Lu Qingmian did not leave. They were still hiding in the same place as before.
At this time, Jiang Jinyue was looking down at his hand. A black butterfly was resting on his hand, flapping its wings constantly, as if telling Jiang Jinyue something.
Jiang Jinyue's red eyes flashed with dazzling light, and complex patterns appeared in his eyes. After a while, the patterns in his eyes disappeared, and the red light went out. He looked at Lu Qingmian, who had been silently accompanying him, and said softly, "Lu Qingmian, I know what these black butterflies are."
He raised his hand, motioning Lu Qingmian to look over, and said, "The one resting on my hand is Cen Yingjie's grandmother."
After he finished speaking, Lu Qingmian's eyes suddenly narrowed and he looked at Jiang Jinyue's hand.
He should not have seen anything, but after Jiang Jinyue finished speaking, he vaguely saw a black butterfly flapping its wings.
Is this actually a butterfly transformed from the soul of a deceased person?
Jiang Jinyue continued, "These butterflies are very fragile. They don't have any abilities of their own and won't hurt people, so they can't communicate with their relatives."
Lu Qingmian guessed something, "You want to help these butterflies?"
Jiang Jinyue nodded gently: "I think... I can do it."
"How do you plan to help?" Lu Qingmian asked.
Before Jiang Jinyue could speak, the sound of rustling footsteps came from the grove again. The two looked at each other and fell silent.
After a while, a girl holding a camping lantern came over. She seemed very scared, walking and stopping, looking behind her from time to time. Although she was so scared, she still walked here.
She stopped where Cen Yingjie had just stood, holding the camping light, also closed her eyes, and began to make a wish in a low voice.
At this moment, Lu Qingmian and Jiang Jinyue had already seen the girl's appearance clearly. It was Zhen Lingwei.
Zhen Lingwei was obviously very scared to come to the grove alone in the middle of the night. She didn't dare to put down the camping light, so she held it in her arms and expressed her wish with her eyes closed.
"Mom... Although you passed away when I was a child and my memory of you is becoming increasingly vague, I miss you terribly. I want to see you again. Can you come and see me? I've grown up and I'm incredibly beautiful, just like you..."
Zhen Lingwei talked a lot, and after she finished, she slowly opened her eyes, and there was still nothing in front of her.
"It really is a lie... I actually believed it..."
Zhen Lingwei murmured and turned away.
Behind Zhen Lingwei, two people walked out from behind a tree.
Lu Qingmian and Jiang Jinyue walked under the moonlight. Jiang Jinyue raised his hand, and a black butterfly appeared on the back of his hand, turning from one into two.
Although the two butterflies look similar, some subtle differences can be seen at close range.
Lu Qingmian frowned slightly, "This is...Zhen Lingwei's mother?"
Jiang Jinyue nodded slowly. He also found all this a little unbelievable.
"What are you going to do?" Lu Qingmian asked.
Jiang Jinyue thought for a moment and said, "I want to try to send these two butterflies to the dreams of Cen Yingjie and Zhen Lingwei respectively."
The two returned to the camping area. At this time, Cen Yingjie and Zhen Lingwei had already returned to their tents to sleep.
Jiang Jinyue walked to Cen Yingjie's tent, turned to look at Lu Qingmian, and asked, "Lu Qingmian, do you have a knife?"
He knew that Lu Qingmian liked to carry a folding knife with him.
Lu Qingmian's dark eyes looked over, "What are you going to do?"
Jiang Jinyue pulled Lu Qingmian's sleeve and shook it flatteringly, "I need some blood, my blood."
Lu Qingmian's expression instantly turned cold. He looked at the two black butterflies that had been quietly staying on the back of Jiang Jinyue's hand, as if he wanted to drive them away.
Jiang Jinyue hid the black butterfly behind her back, moved closer to Lu Qingmian, raised the corners of her mouth, and smiled cutely and softly: "Just a little bit of blood is enough, really!"
Lu Qingmian looked at Jiang Jinyue for a long time, until Jiang Jinyue felt a little guilty, then he took out the folding knife, threw away the blade and handed it over.
Jiang Jinyue held the folding knife, took a deep breath, and gently cut his fingertip. A drop of blood instantly appeared on the fingertip.
At this moment, two black butterflies flapped their wings, took off gracefully, and pecked at the blood bead twice each.
After drinking Jiang Jinyue's blood, the two black butterflies became obviously more flexible. One flew towards Cen Yingjie's tent and the other flew towards Zhen Lingwei's tent.
They did not enter through the tent door, but went straight through the tent and disappeared in front of the two people.
Lu Qingmian held Jiang Jinyue's cut finger, took out a Band-Aid from his pocket and carefully applied it to him, his tone rather stern: "Doesn't it hurt?"
Jiang Jinyue smiled pleadingly: "It hurts a little bit!"
After this time of tossing and turning, they were not sleepy at all, so they simply sat outside and looked at the night sky in the camping area together.
The night sky here is much cleaner than that in the city, and there are more stars.
Jiang Jinyue leaned on Lu Qingmian's shoulder, counting the pearls one by one, chatting with Lu Qingmian in a low voice from time to time. Gradually, he felt sleepy again, yawned, and just as he was about to fall asleep, he heard suppressed crying coming from Zhen Lingwei's tent.
After a while, Zhen Lingwei's tent was opened. Zhen Lingwei came out wiping her tears. She was stunned when she saw Jiang Jinyue and Lu Qingmian sitting outside.
After Zhen Lingwei came out, the tent on the other side was also opened. Cen Yingjie walked out with red eyes and was a little surprised to see them.
Jiang Jinyue's sleepiness had mostly dissipated. He sat up straight, looked at the two people, thought for a moment, and said, "Want to chat?"
The two hesitated for a while, then walked over and sat opposite Lu Qingmian and Jiang Jinyue.
The atmosphere was silent for a while. After a long while, Zhen Lingwei finally spoke: "I just... dreamed about my mother."
"My mother passed away when I was a child. Our family wasn't well off when she died. She never had any good food or nice clothes in her life. Later, my father's business became prosperous. Every time I ate something delicious or went to some fun place, I would always think that my mother hadn't eaten it yet. She never had the chance to come here to play..."
"I've always missed her, but as I grow older, I find that her appearance in my memory is becoming increasingly blurred. I really want to see her again..."
"So, tonight I went to the grove to make a wish. Am I really stupid? I even believed a rumor that was just a figment of my imagination."
"I really didn't see her, but I actually dreamed about her just now. I haven't dreamed about her in many years."
"My mom...my mom said she missed me too. She told me not to feel guilty and to live happily. She said everything I've eaten and seen is what she's eaten and seen. No parent who truly loves their children wouldn't want their children to eat lots of delicious food and go to the places they love. She said I feel guilty, which makes her sad."
Zhen Lingwei began to cry as she spoke, her voice choked and her words were intermittent, but Jiang Jinyue listened very carefully.
When Zhen Lingwei stopped talking, Cen Yingjie continued, "Actually... I also went to the grove to make a wish... I just... dreamed of my grandma."
"Maybe... maybe the legend of the grove is true, but the way I saw my relatives was just a dream."
"Grandma said she didn't blame me. She told me to have fun and enjoy myself. She's always known that I love camping, and she also knows that I've been preparing for this trip for a long time... She, she also told me not to feel guilty..."
As Cen Yingjie spoke, his voice began to choke. The tall boy lowered his head and tears fell one by one.
Jiang Jinyue didn't say anything. He just leaned back into Lu Qingmian's arms, and the two of them looked up at the moon together.
In the second half of the night, they each returned to their tents to sleep.
The next morning, when Lu Qingmian opened his eyes, he found that Jiang Jinyue was already awake.
Jiang Jinyue changed out of her old clothes and put on expensive new ones, and was clumsily adjusting the collar of her new clothes.
Seeing Lu Qingmian wake up, he put down his hand a little awkwardly, tugged at the hem of his clothes, and asked carefully: "Lu Qingmian, does this look good on me?"
Lu Qingmian was lying on the side, with her hair scattered, and her black eyes staring at Jiang Jinyue steadily.
The morning light was blocked outside the tent. Although it was dimly lit inside, Lu Qingmian felt that Jiang Jinyue seemed to be glowing.
He propped himself up, looked carefully at Jiang Jinyue's drooping brows and blushing cheeks, and whispered, "It looks good."
Jiang Jinyue's snow-white, curled eyelashes trembled slightly, and she slowly raised her eyes, her blood-red eyes filled with joy.
He gently hooked Lu Qingmian's fingers and said seriously, "When I turn back into a human, I want to go out and eat steak, eat hot pot, and buy lots of snacks for the house!"
Lu Qingmian tightened his grip, gripping Jiang Jinyue's fingers into his palm. The two of them moved closer and closer. "Okay, I'll go eat steak and hot pot with you, and then buy lots of snacks."
Outside the tent, things gradually became lively. Cen Yingjie shouted, "Lu Qingmian! Jiang Jinyue! Are you awake? Come out for breakfast! We still have many activities to do today!"
Jiang Jinyue hurriedly looked away and her fingertips left Lu Qingmian's palm.
He picked up the big black umbrella, unzipped the tent, opened the umbrella, and was about to go out when he suddenly stopped.
Jiang Jinyue knelt at the entrance of the tent, head lowered, her soft white hair draped over her even whiter neck. Her snow-white eyelashes hid the shyness and uneasiness in her red eyes. Her red lips parted slightly as she suddenly asked:
"Lu Qingmian, you said last night that you had someone you liked...who was it?"
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