Chapter 26: Burst Pipe
Thinking of the box in the trunk, Ling Shen looked at the nearby bookstore again, and without hesitation, he stepped on the accelerator and drove directly towards the bookstore.
Since Ling Shen left on New Year's Eve, Su Nian has hardly left his bedroom. After a busy year, he finally has a few days to stay in bed.
But no matter how lazy Su Nian was, time finally came to the third year of junior high school. He looked at the calendar on the bedside and smiled bitterly.
As expected, once people slack off, time always flies by. No matter how reluctant he is, he has to get up and pack up to prepare for the bookstore opening tomorrow.
A sparrow outside the window fluttered across the frosted glass, startling the strands of hair that tumbled down his back. Wrapped tightly in his plush pajamas with a bear print, he slipped on the cool wooden floor. The stairs groaned softly under his feet, mingling with the stifled yawns in his throat.
As he turned the last step, he froze in his tracks when he saw a figure outside. Ling Shen, clad in a black coat, stood in the chill wind, tiny ice crystals clinging to his eyelashes as he peered through the foggy glass.
For a moment, Su Nian wanted to find a crack in the ground to bury himself in. He began to regret why he was lazy and ended up facing such a dilemma.
Su Nian stood there struggling constantly, completely caught in a dilemma. After thinking about it, he decided to give up and opened the door of the bookstore.
Ling Shen's fingers had barely touched the cold doorknob when he heard a rustling noise from inside. With a creak, the door slowly opened, revealing Su Nian, wrapped in plush pajamas. Her hair was disheveled, and her slippers were tucked away, revealing half of her ankle, red from the cold.
The morning light filtered through the loose collar of his pajamas, casting a warm shadow on his collarbone, making him look like a ragdoll cat that had just woken up.
"Good morning." The white mist exhaled by Ling Shen condensed into tiny ice crystals in the cold air. He suppressed his smile and glanced at the crooked little bear pattern on Su Nian's pajamas.
This was completely different from the Su Nian in my memory who always buttoned his shirt collar to the top button, and it even made the copper bell at the door of the bookstore come alive.
Su Nian tightened her collar and made way for Ling Shen to enter. Her ears turned slightly red: "I thought no one would come today..." Before she finished speaking, a gust of north wind blew in through the open door, bringing up the thin dust deposited between the bookshelves.
The dust in the sunlight was like a flock of awakened butterflies, swirling and dancing between the two of them, catching Ling Shen off guard and causing him to cough.
"This is great. It's more popular than usual." Ling coughed a few times, suppressed the corners of his mouth, walked into the bookstore and looked around.
"Why don't you go upstairs for a while? I haven't had time to clean." Su Nian looked at Ling Shen apologetically after hearing his cough and pointed upstairs.
Ling Shen waved his hand, "Let me help you clean up. I don't have anything to do."
After saying that, without waiting for Su Nian to refuse, he took off his coat and walked towards the bar.
Su Nian wrapped herself tightly in her pajamas, hesitated for a moment, and finally followed Ling Shen's footsteps, "You..."
Before he could finish his words, cold water sprayed from the pipe over their heads. Ling Shen's clothes were mostly wet, and Su Nian's pajamas were also soaked with water. The coolness slowly seeped in.
Before Su Nian could react, Ling Shen pounced over almost reflexively, his eyelashes stained with water droplets casting fine shadows under his eyes.
He grabbed a towel to block the splashing water pipe, his voice cut off by the sound of water: "Water gate! Where is the water gate?"
The sudden change made Su Nian just point blankly in the direction of the storage room.
Ling Shen walked over and turned the sluice gate, and the water pipe that had been spouting water finally stopped. Su Nian also felt the chill coming from his body at this moment, and suddenly came to his senses.
"What happened to the water pipe..." Su Nian looked at the mess on the ground, bewildered. He had never known that a water pipe could break, and in such a situation.
Ling Shen looked at his soaked coat, shook the water off his hands, and draped the coat over the back of a chair. "Maybe the weather was too cold and the water pipe burst."
As he spoke, Ling Shen looked at Su Nian who was still in a daze. Her plush pajamas were particularly heavy due to the water, and water kept dripping down from the hem. The usually smart man now looked a little stupid.
"Is the water upstairs still usable?" Ling Shen's palm was suspended half an inch in front of Su Nian's eyes, and the scent of cedar perfume mixed with humid air lingered on his fingertips.
Su Nian's eyelashes trembled, and he leaned back belatedly, his bangs wet with moisture sticking to his forehead. "I don't know, this has never happened before." His voice trembled, not only because of the cold, but also because of the oppressive feeling brought by Ling Shen's sudden approach.
Ling Shen couldn't help laughing at Su Nian's panic-stricken look. A gentle smile appeared on the corner of his lips. He reached out and gently pressed his shoulders, pushing him to sit on the chair.
Su Nian sat down obediently like a frightened deer, a hint of unease still lingering in his downcast eyes. Ling Shen rubbed the top of his head, turned around, and hurried upstairs. The wooden stairs creaked slightly under his feet, breaking the silence in the room.
Not long after, Ling Shen's hurried footsteps approached from afar. He was clutching a soft bath towel tightly in his hand, his hair still dripping with water. "Wipe it first. The water pipe upstairs is also broken."
Su Nian took the towel and gently wiped his head and face. Water droplets slid down his fingertips, leaving dark marks on his pajamas. He looked up and saw Ling Shen's thin shirt clinging to his body, outlining his slender figure. The ends of his hair were still dripping with water, and he felt a surge of guilt.
It was clearly his laziness that caused Ling Shen to suffer. He handed the towel to Ling Shen a little embarrassedly, "You... wipe yourself too. It's quite cold, don't catch a cold."
Ling Shen's gaze seemed to be glued to him, staring straight at the person in front of him. The warm yellow light cast a soft halo on Su Nian.
The fluffy pajamas loosely wrapped around his fair body. As he moved, the collar opened slightly, revealing his pearly collarbone. Su Nian, usually calm and composed, now looked like a kitten who had done something wrong. Her eyes were evasive, her ears were red, and she nervously tugged at the corner of her bath towel.
It was not until Su Nian called out softly again that Ling Shen woke up from his dream. He hurriedly looked away, covered his mouth with his hand and coughed twice, trying to hide the burning tips of his ears.
But the urge in his heart grew stronger. He suddenly wanted to hide this soft and tender person in front of him into his own world, to monopolize all his tenderness and smiles. Realizing his almost paranoid thoughts, Ling Shen secretly cursed his own absurdity in his heart and reached out to take the bath towel handed to him by Su Nian.
The moment his fingertips touched the bath towel, a warmth with Su Nian's body temperature spread along his fingertips. Ling Shen's wiping movements unconsciously quickened, as if this could dispel the inexplicable restlessness in his heart.
Su Nian didn't notice Ling Shen's actions. He just looked at the messy ground with some worry. He had no other place to stay here, and the bookstore was the only place he could stay. If the bookstore was no longer available, he would have to stay in a hotel, but the bookstore had to be open.
After wiping the water off his body, Ling Shen's gaze fell on Su Nian's lowered face. Looking at his furrowed brows and slightly drooping mouth corners, he suddenly felt a pang of heartache in his heart.
He cleared his throat and said casually, "I have an empty apartment that I can lend to you temporarily. As for the bookstore, I'll have someone fix it up for you as soon as possible."
Su Nian suddenly raised her head, her eyes gleaming with surprise as she stared straight at Ling Shen. Being stared at by such a fiery gaze, Ling Shen's heart skipped a beat. He turned away in panic, adding in a feigned nonchalance, "Don't overthink it. I'll lend it to you, but you'll be responsible for cooking and cleaning."
Although Ling Shen's tone was stiff and arrogant, Su Nian didn't care at all. A bright smile instantly blossomed on his face. He nodded heavily, his voice full of joy: "Sure, I can cook and clean!"
Before he finished speaking, he ran upstairs like a happy little rabbit. After running a few steps, he suddenly stopped, turned around, smiled at Ling Shen with curved eyebrows and said, "Thank you!" That smile was more dazzling than the warm spring sun, and it went straight into Ling Shen's heart, causing ripples in his heart.
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