Chapter 21 of the movie: His eyes were somewhat deep.
Xing Ze felt that Mu Tingyu had been acting a little strange these past two days.
His expression and tone were no different from usual, but something was different.
She used to go straight home after class and linger around him, eagerly waiting for dinner to be served.
These past few days, I've been either going to visit Grandpa Village Chief, chatting with Stone's mom, or playing on the beach, and I don't come back until mealtime.
She wasn't as talkative at the dinner table as before, and after finishing her meal, she went to sit by the door. But when you talked to her, you could tell she seemed the same, just a little listless.
He thought she was sick, so he pressed her down to take her temperature, but everything was normal.
For example, right now, he had just finished washing the dishes and turned off the kitchen light. Before he even reached the door, he saw her figure flash in from the doorway, brush past him, and say in the same tone as before, "I'm going upstairs now!"
Xing Ze stood at the door, watching her quickly go upstairs, and soon heard the sound of a door closing loudly from upstairs.
"......"
He frowned in confusion, closed the door without a word, and went upstairs. When he reached the second floor, he couldn't help but stop.
The room was quiet; there was no sound.
He gripped the escalator slightly, clicked his tongue after a moment, and then stepped forward.
"Mu Tingyu." He knocked on the door.
No one responded.
He lowered his brow and tapped again.
This time, a response came from inside the room: "W-What's wrong! I didn't hear you because I was wearing headphones!"
Xing Ze paused for a second, then said, "Come out."
"What's wrong?" Mu Tingyu called out, "I'm getting ready for bed!"
"Are you an old person sleeping at this hour?" Xing Ze returned her words, squinting his eyes as he said, "I know you're not asleep, open the door."
"......"
The room was quiet for a moment, then a slow, deliberate footstep could be heard.
The chair moved, and the door opened.
Mu Tingyu tilted her head back, her tone somewhat reluctant: "What's wrong?"
The ceiling light was still on, its bright light shining on her face and highlighting the obvious dark circles under her eyes.
Xing Ze looked down at her and said, "I should be the one asking you what's wrong."
Mu Tingyu's eyelashes twitched, and the corners of her mouth curved into a smile: "I didn't do anything, why do you say that?"
Xing Ze had been worn down by her lukewarm attitude for several days, and today he was determined not to let her off the hook.
Afraid she would back down, he reached out and grabbed her wrist, taking a step closer to her, his tone somewhat irritated: "Mu Tingyu, do you think I'm blind?"
Mu Tingyu tried to break free, but failed, so she had to look up at him.
With just one glance, all his temper vanished, and he couldn't utter a single harsh word.
He took a breath and said in a low voice, "...I'm not being mean to you."
He then pointed to the area under her eyes: "Your dark circles are so heavy, what happened?"
The calloused hand tickled the area under her eyes, and Mu Tingyu spoke somewhat awkwardly, "I've been having some trouble sleeping these past few days."
Why am I having insomnia?
She avoided eye contact: "I don't know."
Xing Ze's tall figure blocked the doorway, one hand bracing against it, his voice low and deep: "Did someone bully you?"
"......No."
"Did I upset you?"
"No."
"Mu Tingyu," he said patiently, almost coaxing her, "You have something to tell me. If you don't tell me, I won't know."
Mu Tingyu lowered her head and shook it, then after a while squeezed out a sentence: "No."
Xing Ze frowned.
The little clam's mouth was very hard, and he couldn't pry it open, but he didn't want to leave so easily.
"Is there anything else...? I..."
"Would you like to see a movie?"
"Um?"
"Let's watch a movie." Xing Ze patiently repeated, gesturing to the open space on the second floor, "There's a projector there."
......
When Mu Tingyu sat down on the straw mat, she was still dazed, not understanding why she had agreed.
She stared blankly at Xing Ze, who was adjusting the projector, feeling completely lost. She didn't know what to say or what expression to make.
While adjusting the device, Xing Ze asked her without looking up, "It's so late, why don't you drink tea? I'll go get you some honey water?"
Mu Tingyu shook her head: "No need."
Xing Ze stopped what he was doing, raised his hand and touched her forehead: "Want a drink?"
"..." She licked her lips and tilted her head back: "Is it okay?"
A part of Xing Ze's heart sank. He gently touched her eyelashes with his hand and told her, "Okay."
She squinted her eyes slightly, and her long eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings.
Xing Ze went downstairs to get the wine.
Mu Tingyu sat on the straw mat with her knees drawn up to her chest, her thoughts slow and somewhat dazed—was her face really that easy to touch?
She reached out and pinched it.
It is indeed quite soft, but there's not much flesh in it, so it doesn't feel good to squeeze.
Xing Ze seems to enjoy touching her face more and more lately.
His movements carried an innate nonchalance, casual yet effortless.
This was an unfamiliar kind of intimacy from a man.
Strangely, she didn't feel disgusted; in fact, she became more and more accustomed to the touch.
During her university years, she received many love letters, and some people even confessed their feelings to her in public. They were all shy and inexperienced boys.
She would always smile politely and tell them that she had no intention of being in a relationship.
Some people have tried to win her over for a while, but she has rejected them without hesitation.
These boys, without even exchanging more than a few words with her, showered her with affection, saying things like "You're so pretty" and "Your smile is so beautiful," and wanted to be with her.
But does anyone want to understand their true self?
"......"
Mu Tingyu shook her head, clearing her mind of the jumbled thoughts.
But Xing Ze was different from any of the boys she had ever met.
He was a man of few words, but he always did more than he said, and his thoughtfulness almost made her doubt the truth of the fact that he had never been in a relationship.
Whether it was preparing the room and daily necessities, borrowing a bicycle overnight, standing at the intersection waiting for her to come home, or other subtle ways of taking care of her that she was unaware of, he never mentioned it.
Perhaps it was her personality, but it was precisely this silence that struck her very, very deeply.
Perhaps he didn't see himself as a female peer at all, since he didn't show any other emotions besides tolerance.
From the first day she arrived, he had always indulged her in everything, treating her like an immature child or someone else, to the point that these affectionate gestures might all be out of concern and care for her.
It's the same principle as feeling pity for a puppy caught in the rain on the roadside and reaching out to pat its head.
She was the only one struggling with this dilemma.
What is she struggling with?
It's wonderful that someone older than her is willing to spoil her like this, to prepare and consider everything for her, and even to care about her well-being. To make her happier, he specifically suggested going to the movies.
He probably has his own things to do, right?
Does he usually find her noisy?
Mu Tingyu hugged her legs and shrank back against the wall.
However, when he was scolding her for pointing out her dark circles, he was genuinely concerned about her.
He was worried about his condition.
I heard the sound of lights being turned off downstairs, followed by footsteps coming upstairs.
Mu Tingyu turned her head and watched his figure slowly emerge from the stairwell. She smiled and asked in a light tone, "You're back?"
Xing Ze grunted in agreement and walked over.
She smiled and said, “I can drink again! Last time I only took a sip and didn’t even taste it. You can’t stop me today!”
"It has a high alcohol content, so you can't drink too much."
She laughed and joked, "At worst, I'll just lie down and sleep; the bed is right over there."
Xing Ze placed the wine on the coffee table and looked at her.
She asked with a smile, "What movie are we watching?"
"Anything is fine."
"You choose, I don't watch movies much."
While Xing Ze was looking for movies on the computer, she opened the lid of the wine jar, picked up the long spoon that was placed aside, and scooped a full cup for both of them.
She leaned down and took a small sip.
The rich aroma of osmanthus instantly filled my mouth, and after swallowing, I felt my whole body begin to warm up.
The movie has been found. Judging from the title, it should be a rather artistic film. Perhaps Xing Ze wanted to cater to her tastes, thinking that girls should like this type of movie.
Actually, she didn't particularly like it. Or rather, she didn't like watching movies.
She has been to the movie theater only a handful of times in her life.
The first time was with my aunt Lin Yulan's family. I think it was because my cousin's exam results had improved or for some other reason, but I don't remember.
My uncle was a timid and honest man who never had much say. Lin Yulan made all the decisions at home, even choosing the movies she liked to watch.
The movie theater was dark, with only the large screen providing light. After watching for a while, she became somewhat puzzled.
She didn't understand why the male and female protagonists in the movie were so deeply in love. If it was really that painful, they should just leave. Why torture themselves like that?
She found it all so boring, so she fell asleep.
She didn't wake up until the movie ended. Lin Yulan looked at her with disdain and said, "Sleeping in the movie theater is such a waste of money."
She usually doesn't speak during these conversations, just silently thinking that she's just too tired to sleep.
Because she had just finished her housework and homework before coming, she really didn't have the energy to watch the two of them having a boring emotional entanglement and bickering.
But perhaps Lin Yulan's gaze back then stung her, because when she grew up and had the right to choose what kind of movies to watch, she no longer enjoyed watching movies.
Mu Tingyu handed the wine glass to Xing Ze, rested her chin on her bent knee, and whispered, "Cheers."
Xing Ze said helplessly, "You'll collapse right after I finish."
He held his cup and gently tapped it against Mu Tingyu's cup.
Mu Tingyu retorted, "There's so much! Anyone would collapse on the spot if they drank it all in one go!"
Xing Ze raised an eyebrow but didn't reply.
"You don't know how?" Mu Tingyu looked at him with some doubt.
"He shouldn't collapse," Xing Ze said slowly, "but he'll definitely need some time to recover."
She asked curiously, "You're so good at drinking! How did you train your alcohol tolerance?"
“I’ve been drinking it since I was little,” Xing Ze said, taking a sip from his glass. “My dad used to dip chopsticks in alcohol and put them in my mouth when I was a child.”
Mu Tingyu couldn't help but laugh: "Uncle is a wild and unrestrained parent!"
Xing Ze said calmly, "He's just raising kids haphazardly."
Mu Tingyu kept laughing, and when she picked up her wine glass, she didn't notice and accidentally took a big gulp.
The sweet osmanthus flavor masked the strong taste of alcohol, making her feel as if it were a beverage, so she took another sip.
The movie, which they had been ignoring for a while, soon reached its first minor climax.
It's a classic formula for art films: the male and female leads start arguing, gossiping about everyday things, and exchanging heated words that get angrier and angrier.
Mu Tingyu glanced at it a few times, then looked away, somewhat bored.
But the next second, the two who were just fighting to the death in the movie suddenly hugged each other and started kissing passionately.
They were so inseparable, so completely absorbed in each other, that they even made blush-inducing sounds as they intertwined.
She sat there, dumbfounded, not understanding why the plot had taken this turn.
"......"
She quickly lowered her gaze and awkwardly curled up into a ball.
How is this scene any different from watching porn with your parents while watching TV?
The wine she had just drunk seemed to be taking effect, and her cheeks and eyes were slightly flushed.
As the movie continued with its commotion, she felt like she was about to explode.
Mu Tingyu bit her lip and secretly glanced to the side.
Xing Ze noticed her gaze and turned his head to meet her eyes.
"......"
The two sat very close, but because the lights had just been turned off, the dim lighting softened even the contours of their faces.
Xing Ze sat with one leg propped up, his expression calm, but his eyes were dark, with a deep black hue.
Suddenly, Mu Tingyu noticed that his gaze had shifted downwards slightly.
It moved down from the eyes to below the nose, paused for a moment, and then quickly withdrew.
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