Chapter 56 Somber… “…Don’t give me the silent treatment, okay…”
Xing Ze kissed her for a long time, and when he finally let go of her, he didn't loosen his grip on her hand.
Mu Tingyu didn't resist anymore and let him kiss her without saying a word, but her eyes were still red.
Her skin was fair, and her eyelids were thin, so even a slight redness would be very noticeable. Her eyes were moist, and when she glanced at me, they carried a hint of resentment, as if she had suffered a great injustice.
Xing Ze was always at a loss when she was like this. Even though he kissed away all her tears and they didn't fall again, he still felt extremely distressed looking at her.
The rain grew heavier and heavier, hanging down from the eaves like a white curtain, splashing water onto the ground.
The leaden clouds hung low and moved forward silently, as if brewing a storm.
Xing Ze carried her a little further into the house to keep her feet dry.
The sky was hazy and dark, and only one light was on in the kitchen, so the light didn't reach this side.
In the dim light and the sound of rain, Xing Ze held her close, his cheek pressed against her hair, his hand gently patting her back, as if using this action to suppress the restlessness in his heart.
Mu Tingyu was still being held by him, her arms hanging down at her sides, her head bowed, like a little bird with wet wings.
Neither of them spoke.
After a while, Xing Ze asked, "Is it hot?"
The rain made the room incredibly damp and stuffy, with no wind, and everyone felt sticky and uncomfortable.
Mu Tingyu broke out in a sweat on her back and scratched her neck uncomfortably.
Xing Ze didn't hear her reply, but he wasn't discouraged. He coaxed her, "How about we go upstairs? It'll be cooler with the air conditioning on."
She shook her head.
“It’s raining too hard outside, you’ll get wet if you sit there.” Xing Ze thought she was still outside, so he patiently told her, “A typhoon is coming soon, the rain will get heavier and heavier, and there will be wind. You can’t go out for the next few days.”
Mu Tingyu lowered her eyes, and the corners of her mouth turned down slightly.
Xing Ze knew she was afraid of being bored, so he offered a compromise: "If you don't want to go into the room, how about we sit on the balcony for a while?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Tingyu moved her head, as if looking for a cane.
Xing Ze quickly said, "Shall I carry you up?"
"......."
Mu Tingyu stopped moving, neither saying yes nor no.
This means she has agreed.
Xing Ze walked to the door, took her cane, knelt down in front of her, stretched out an arm, and looked up at her.
Mu Tingyu lowered her eyes and met his slightly pleading gaze. After a few seconds of silence, she leaned down and put her arm around his shoulder.
Xing Ze's lips slowly curved into a smile as he picked her up.
The girl exuded a fresh, clean scent, both similar to and different from his. It carried her unique fragrance, the scent of sunshine and rain emanating from her skin, mingling with his and blending together, making them almost indistinguishable.
His heart ached, and he carried her up to the third floor and placed her in a rocking chair.
"You can only sit for a little while. You'll have to go inside when the wind picks up, okay?" he instructed.
Mu Tingyu shrank back into the rocking chair and finally hummed in agreement.
The girl's cold demeanor stung him. He moved closer to her legs, took her hand, and said in a hoarse voice, "...Don't give me the silent treatment."
"......"
Her voice was low: "No."
"You have."
Xing Ze held her fair fingertips and kissed them repeatedly, his eyes full of pleading: "If you're angry, just scold me, don't ignore me."
Mu Tingyu's free hand twitched slightly, gripping the tassels of the cushion tightly.
"...I'm ignoring you. Who am I talking to right now?"
Xing Ze, tall and imposing, knelt on one knee, head tilted back: "With me."
"......"
Mu Tingyu leaned back in her rocking chair, looking down at him.
She rarely looked at him from this angle. Xing Ze was much taller than her, and she always had to look up at him, only able to see his sharp eyebrows and thin lips. He looked fierce when he wasn't smiling.
But now, she could clearly see the gentle expression beneath his strong features; his gaze was focused and fixed on her.
"......."
The more I look at him, the more he seems like a large dog.
Like a German Shepherd. They look tall, strong, and very fierce, but they are actually loyal and affectionate.
The man held her fingers, his nose pressed against the back of her hand, his dark eyelashes drooping, his eyes fixed on her, making no attempt to hide the desire in them.
It's as if it's saying, "Please don't ignore me, please."
She could almost hear the sound of its tail slapping against the ground.
"......."
She's still angry, what's she doing?
She hesitated for a moment, then awkwardly pulled her hand away: "Don't disturb my view of the scenery."
The rain outside was falling haphazardly and without any pattern, turning everything into a gray haze. The branches and leaves on the trees were being pattered down, making a rustling sound, which was rather noisy and hardly a beautiful sight.
Xing Ze knew she was trying to get rid of him, and he lowered his eyes somewhat disappointedly, but he still didn't let go.
"......."
But at least she's willing to talk to herself.
She couldn't go to class because of the typhoon, but he was actually happy about it and didn't want to waste their time together on a cold war.
But he really didn't know how to bring it up, afraid that if he did, he would upset her again.
She's unhappy now, and she won't even talk to him; her expression is indifferent.
Xing Ze couldn't bear this feeling, but he could only sulk to himself.
He had no right to demand that she stay, and he couldn't get over the hurdle in his heart, leaving him feeling empty and anxious.
Mu Tingyu glanced at him, her lips moved as if she was about to speak, when she heard him say, "Then I'll stay in the room. If you need anything, just call me. I can hear you."
She paused for a moment, then slowly hummed in agreement.
Xing Ze kissed her fingertips, stood up, and left the balcony.
-
The rain continued to pour down, but there was no wind, so Xing Ze had no reason to call Mu Tingyu inside.
He checked the weather forecast and it predicted the typhoon would brush past them before making landfall next door. This area wouldn't be directly affected, but it would likely rain for several days before it passed. Strong winds would start by tonight at the latest.
Mu Tingyu was clearly not appeased by him, and spent the whole afternoon sullenly curled up in the rocking chair watching the rain.
He washed some fruit and made a cup of honey water, bringing it up to her. He went in and out several times, but she didn't seem to have any particular reaction.
The only time I knelt down in front of her, she waved me away.
She told him to go away and stop bothering her.
Xing Ze had no choice but to sit alone in front of the computer, staring blankly at a pile of model structure data.
After a while, he couldn't help but get up again.
The window faces the backyard, where the quilt cover that was drying on the iron pole was taken down yesterday afternoon, leaving the area completely empty.
He got up in the morning and harvested all the vegetables he could, as well as everything he could bring into the house. His house was built on high ground, so he didn't have to worry about the risk of flooding. He had also built the foundation himself, piece by piece, so it was very sturdy and wouldn't be blown down unless there was a gale.
"......"
So why hasn't the wind gotten stronger yet?
He frowned and looked out the window at the seedlings in the field not far away, which were drooping and wilting under the pounding of the rain.
A few minutes later, he turned around and looked at the open door.
It was quiet outside; there was no sound except for the rain.
"......"
He didn't know how many times he had gone out, but he walked quietly in that direction, and could see what she was doing from the doorway of the storage room.
She is peeling grapes.
He picked the grapes one by one and washed them; they were red grapes that could be eaten without peeling.
She was turned to the side, with her hands hanging out of the rocking chair, probably to avoid the juice dripping down and staining her clothes. But this position was a bit awkward, and the skin was difficult to peel off, so the juice quickly flowed down the sides of her palms.
Mu Tingyu frowned, wiped the grapes with a hint of annoyance, spread her hands, and put them aside in a huff.
There are no tissues on the balcony, so we don't usually need them. When we need them, we just go inside and grab one.
But now she was leaning back in the rocking chair, not wanting to move, and the sticky juice on her palms was making her feel uncomfortable.
"......."
Xing Ze saw her open her mouth slightly, as if she was about to call out, so he quickly went inside to get some tissues, but after waiting for a long time, he still didn't hear her voice.
He went back again.
Mu Tingyu struggled internally for a while, and was about to lick the juice off her hands with some disgust when she heard footsteps behind her.
She had just turned her head when Xing Ze appeared in front of her, silently took her wrist, and used the tissue he had been holding for a while to wipe her hands.
Several tissues were folded together into a square, and he squeezed them until they were warm and damp.
He didn't have any wet wipes at home, so he soaked them in water beforehand, otherwise they would be difficult to wipe.
Xing Zezai carefully wiped her clean, then took another grape from the fruit plate and slowly began to peel it.
The skin is very thin, making it difficult to peel.
Xing Ze knew that she was actually a bit picky about food. She would eat more if she liked something, and she wouldn't say anything if she didn't like it; she would just eat less or not at all. Every time he wanted her to eat more, he would choose to cook the dishes that she would eat more of.
However, her picky eating habits are somewhat low-key and niche. For example, she loves to eat shrimp, but only river shrimp; she doesn't like to eat vegetables, but she is willing to eat the leaves of leafy greens.
Moreover, she's a bit lazy and dislikes trouble; she doesn't eat things like crabs that require peeling.
So when he buys fruit, he specifically buys red grapes that don't need to be peeled.
Before he could even peel it twice, Mu Tingyu snatched the grape from his hand.
"Stop messing with it, look what you've done to it."
She muttered to herself as she popped a grape into her mouth.
“Hmm,” Xing Ze wiped his hands and said with his head down, “I won’t buy this next time.”
"......"
Actually, they were quite delicious. Why was she suddenly deprived of her right to eat grapes?
Mu Tingyu chewed for a moment, then saw Xing Ze put his hand to her mouth.
She raised an eyebrow at him.
Xing Ze said, "Seed."
"......."
She quickly tore off a piece of paper he had just handed her and spat the seeds into it.
Xing Ze slowly withdrew his hand.
He said softly, "...It looks like it's getting windy, shall we go back to our room?"
Mu Tingyu looked at the sky, and it seemed that rain was indeed about to drift in, so she nodded.
He carried her back to the room, placed her on the bed, and put the cane beside the bed, within easy reach of her.
For the next few hours, she stayed in bed in front of the computer, probably watching a movie with headphones on, without making a sound.
Xing Ze sat at the table for a while, but his mind was not on it at all, so he changed his clothes and sat down next to her.
She was indeed watching a movie. Judging from the title, it seemed to be a heartwarming story. She was so engrossed in watching it that she didn't even react when he got into bed with her.
He leaned against the headboard, not daring to crowd her too much, and could only turn his head to look at the top of her soft hair.
Before, when she was outside, he felt the room was too quiet and unbearable.
But even with her in the room, it still felt incredibly dull.
-
This pent-up frustration finally reached its peak after she finished dinner, went upstairs to wash up, and picked up her pillow to leave.
Xing Ze frowned, grabbed her wrist, and blocked her steps to leave: "Where are you going?"
"Go back upstairs to sleep."
"........"
He suppressed his breathing and whispered, "Why is there suddenly... no bed made up downstairs...?"
"I've laid it out," Mu Tingyu said, hugging her pillow.
He was taken aback: "...When?"
"When you're cooking."
"...Did you make this bed? The sheets..."
“I found it in your closet,” she said.
"......."
Xing Ze's throat tightened, and he couldn't utter a single sound.
He held her stubbornly, remaining silent for a long while before finally finding his voice from somewhere and speaking with difficulty: "...Why?"
"You're so clingy at night, you always hug me so tightly I can't turn around." Mu Tingyu's expression was the same as usual, and her voice was clear and soft. "Besides, you're too big, you make me uncomfortable."
"...I won't hold you anymore, okay?" Xing Ze's Adam's apple bobbed as he coaxed her in a hoarse voice, "...I'll sleep a little to the side, so you won't get cramped..."
"No." The girl's voice was crisp and decisive as she easily pried his hands off.
Her foot is almost fully recovered, and she walks much more lightly and naturally, as if her crutches will soon be retired.
Xing Ze's hand froze in mid-air, and then he followed her all the way to the door, but dared not pull her any further.
Mu Tingyu seemed not to see the expression on his face, smiled and said "Goodnight" to him, then went downstairs alone with her cane.
The footsteps faded away, followed by the soft sound of a door closing.
Xing Ze stood at the doorway, still staring at the direction of the stairwell.
I don't know how much time passed, but then there was complete silence downstairs.
"......."
He leaned back against the wall as if deflated, covering his eyes with one hand.
-----------------------
Author's Note: I suddenly realized I have 600 nutrient solutions! Thank you to all the babies who have been feeding me! Love you all!
Let me see which little darling is the first to notice I added an extra chapter (hands on hips) [cat emoji]
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