Chapter 59
In the narrow, dimly lit space, only their clear breathing could be heard. Tong Yao pressed her back against the cool wall, her hands bracing against his approaching chest in a final act of resistance.
"Teachers will be patrolling!"
"Don't be afraid." Lin Li's voice was a little hoarse. He trapped her in the small space between himself and the wall, lowered his head, and gently pressed his forehead against hers, his gaze fixed intently on her somewhat flustered eyes.
Then, he slowly leaned down and precisely pressed his lips against her slightly parted, cool, rosy lips.
It was just a fleeting touch, a brief encounter that ended immediately.
He straightened up and, by the dim light filtering through the crack in the door, saw with satisfaction the blush rising on the girl's fair cheeks. Her usually clear and calm eyes were now shimmering with tears, carrying a hint of bewildered annoyance.
Tong Yao glared at him angrily, but the glare had no power; instead, it felt like a feather brushing against Lin Li's heart.
"If..." Lin Li's Adam's apple bobbed, her voice laced with a seductive tone, "if I do well on my midterm exams, could we... eat together, and go to and from school together?"
"No." Tong Yao refused decisively, her eyes regaining some clarity. "I want to study."
Thinking of Zhou Mingfang, who had always been one step ahead of her, Tong Yao's fighting spirit was rekindled.
Lin Li was speechless for a moment, and seeing her instantly revert to her "academic genius" mode, he felt a surge of anger mixed with a sense of frustration. He said nothing more, took a deep breath, and lowered his head to kiss her again.
This time, he didn't close his eyes, but stared intently at her reaction, trying to find a trace of wavering on her face.
But Tong Yao's blush faded quickly, her eyes glazed over, and she even seemed to have a hint of... numbness and helplessness, as if she had been licked by a dog?
This expression completely enraged Lin Li, and also made him feel inexplicably panicked.
The next second, he made a snap decision, with a reckless "I don't care" attitude, and tried to pry open her slightly parted teeth in surprise.
On his first attempt, the position was a bit off, and his teeth accidentally hit her lower lip.
Both of them froze for a moment.
Lin Li's ears turned bright red instantly, but fortunately it was not clearly visible in the darkness.
"Hmm..."
A short, muffled whimper escaped Tong Yao's throat, whether from pain or shock, it was unclear.
Lin Li herself was also stunned.
His original plan to "crazy takeover" was completely disrupted, and his movements became chaotic, merely exploring in a clumsy, instinctive manner.
Her breathing was already erratic, even more rapid than Tong Yao's, and her hot breath was blowing on her face, revealing obvious tension.
...
I don't know how much time passed.
"Is it... alright now?" His voice was incredibly low and hoarse, carrying lingering emotions and a hint of uncertain probing.
Tong Yao caught her breath, and her embarrassment and anger instantly overwhelmed her previous infatuation.
She suddenly opened her eyes, the tears still glistening, but a flame of anger already burning within them.
She stomped on his foot hard (though her legs were weak and she didn't have much strength), then pushed him away, opened the door, and rushed out as if fleeing in panic.
Lin Li was pushed back half a step by her. Looking at her back, he was stunned for a moment, then raised his hand to touch his lips, which seemed to still retain her warmth and breath. He couldn't help but chuckle softly, a smile that was a little silly.
He quickly followed, his steps light and joyful.
_
Room 404, male dormitory.
The door creaked open, and Lin Li practically hummed a song as she stepped in, her steps light and quick. She had an uncontrollable, slightly silly smile on her face, and she seemed to be soaking in a jar of honey, radiating an aura of "I'm so happy."
Inside the dormitory, Huang Wen and his two roommates were shirtless, vigorously lifting dumbbells, their sweat glistening under the light.
Hearing the noise, Huang Wen subconsciously turned his head to look, his gaze lingering on Lin Li's face for two seconds before he raised an eyebrow in surprise and blurted out:
"Damn, Lin Li, what delicious food did you sneak up on? Why are your lips so red?"
"!!!"
Lin Li's heart skipped a beat, like a child caught doing something wrong, her cheeks instantly burning.
He tried to remain calm, saying "Really?", but his movements were somewhat flustered as he immediately pulled out his phone and switched to the front-facing camera.
On the screen, a face with an undisguised smile was reflected in the corners of the eyes and brows. Sure enough, the lips were much redder and fuller than usual, and even showed signs of slight swelling. Anyone with eyes could tell that something was wrong.
He quickly locked the screen, put his phone back in his pocket, and coughed to try and hide his embarrassment, but the upturned corners of his mouth betrayed him:
"Um... I ate something good." He admitted vaguely, his eyes darting around, avoiding Huang Wen's probing gaze.
Upon hearing this, Huang Wen immediately threw the dumbbells on the ground with a clatter, came over, and looked on with a greedy expression.
"What delicious food is it? Where did you hide it? We'll share it in half when we meet, you know? Hurry up and bring it out!"
Lin Li's expression changed instantly. He grabbed the change of clothes from the bed, glared at Huang Wen, and headed straight for the bathroom.
As he brushed past Huang Wen, he lowered his voice, a mixture of smugness and disdain in his tone, and uttered:
"Dream on! There's only one of its kind, not for you!"
After saying that, he slammed the bathroom door shut, shutting out Huang Wen's shouts of "Damn it, you're so unfair!" from outside.
In the cramped bathroom space, Lin Li leaned against the door and finally couldn't help but grin silently.
He raised his hand, his fingertips gently brushing against his lips, which still held a strange tingling sensation and her sweet scent. Recalling the chaotic yet sweet scene in the stairwell just now, his heart raced uncontrollably once again.
Yes, Huang Wen is right, it really is... a unique, the best-tasting "good thing" in the world.
Stop! Don't think about it anymore!
Lin Li quickly turned on the shower to banish her distracting thoughts.
_
The second day's morning exercise.
Lin Li stood on the playground, inspecting the equipment with Luo Yan.
My gaze drifted to the figure in Class One, and my mind started racing again.
As soon as the bell rang, Lin Li excitedly handed the clipboard to Luo Yan.
"Could you please compile this list for me? I have to go now."
With that, he abandoned Luo Yan and ran out.
On the way, he finally caught up with the figure that was trying to run away. Lin Li had prepared to catch her after finishing his morning exercise, but Tong Yao ran faster than a rabbit.
Lin Li's gaze swept across the person's face, which was pretending to be calm, and finally landed on the slightly red and swollen lips.
He couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Tong Yao naturally understood where he was looking, and angrily grabbed Lin Li's ear and twisted it.
"hiss,"
"Didn't I swell up too?" Lin Li quickly pointed to her rosy lips.
Tong Yao snorted coldly, "Serves you right!" Then she quickened her pace and left Lin Li behind.
Lin Li watched Tong Yao leave with a relaxed expression; it seemed that someone had become shy again.
_
The tense atmosphere of the midterm exams had just dissipated when the homeroom teacher announced the arts festival on the podium and asked if any students would like to sign up.
A small commotion arose in the classroom. Some people whispered excitedly to each other, while others, like Lin Li, lowered their heads silently, wishing they could minimize their presence.
He disliked being in the spotlight and was currently trying to bury himself in his textbook, pretending to be completely uninterested in the topic being discussed.
Sitting next to him, Luo Yan took in his reaction. She hesitated for a moment, then turned her head and, in a voice only the two of them could hear, asked softly with a hint of barely perceptible inquiry:
"Don't you like playing the guitar and flute?" She clearly remembered that Lin Li had said that during her self-introduction at the beginning of the semester.
Upon hearing this, Lin Li lowered her head even further, her ears turning slightly red. Her voice, muffled, came from her arms, carrying a hint of embarrassment and stubbornness at having her feelings exposed:
"I do like it... but that's just my own liking, and I don't want to go on stage and perform for them."
His mind was already replaying various embarrassing scenes: playing the wrong chord, cracking the flute, the audience's laughter... Just thinking about it made him want to dig three bedrooms and a living room. Face is important! He silently added to himself.
However, as soon as he said it, he felt it was a bit of a downer, especially to Luo Yan, who remembered his interest in this area.
He raised his head slightly, turned his face to the side, his eyes darting around, avoiding direct eye contact with her, but his tone deliberately carried a hint of feigned ease and boastfulness, attempting to salvage his image:
"However... if there's a chance, I wouldn't mind showing you my skills in private!"
He emphasized the word "in private," as if it were some kind of special privilege.
The subtext couldn't be clearer: performing alone is fine, but once he's on stage and facing so many eyes, he's afraid of losing face. If something goes wrong, where will Lin Li's reputation be?
These words took on a different meaning in Luo Yan's ears. She gave a soft "hmm" and stopped asking questions, turning her gaze back to the podium while her fingertips unconsciously fiddled with her notebook.
He was willing to perform just for her...
alone?
Luo Yan repeated these two words, seemingly lost in thought.
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