Chapter 11 A Long Hug: I love you too, did you see it? ...
A powerful typhoon passed through, and the apartment building was without power all night, with power not being restored until the early hours of the morning.
Xing Lan was still a little dizzy, so she went to bed to rest. Li Baidong took apart the candles, lit them, and patiently placed them in every corner of the room.
Using the dim light of the white candle, he managed to take a shower in the bathroom.
When I dried my hair and returned to bed, I immediately saw a slender, familiar figure huddled at the very edge of the bed, the thin, frail lines of his back outlined by the dim candlelight.
Xing Lan quietly huddled in the corner of the bed, burying her face deep in the blankets. From behind, only half of her round, dark head was visible, and her hair looked very soft.
The thin fabric of the pajamas couldn't completely conceal her milky white skin and the two distinct deep dimples at the bottom of her waist.
In the night breeze, her slender shoulder bones trembled slightly, like the fluttering wings of a butterfly.
His face was pale and bloodless, and although his eyes were closed, he was clearly not asleep.
Nightmares played out repeatedly in his mind, like an endless downpour that drowned his entire world.
Unbeknownst to him, his forehead was soaked with cold sweat. Like a wounded little bird, he endured the pain of his wounds, curled himself into a small ball, and tried his best to resist the fierce wind and frost of the snowy day.
Suddenly, a familiar presence came from behind.
He opened his eyes slightly and felt a pair of warm and strong arms gently wrapping around his waist from behind.
Soft, light blonde hair brushed against his neck, like a golden retriever trying to please its owner, innocent and affectionate.
Xing Lan's mind suddenly went blank, and her body stiffened for a moment. But after realizing that the person behind her hadn't done anything inappropriate and it was just a simple hug, she slowly relaxed.
Although rationally she knew she should push Li Baidong away and maintain a normal roommate distance, her overly nervous heartbeat couldn't help but crave that reassuring warmth.
The wounded little bird was picked up and held in the palm of a kind passerby's hand. Compared to the cold ground that would cause it to lose its temperature severely, it was dazed and wanted to stay in this gentle embrace a little longer.
After a few seconds of internal struggle, Xing Lan ultimately did not break free, but closed her eyes and acquiesced to his actions.
The candlelight flickered faintly in the corner.
Outside, thunder roared and wind and rain raged, but inside, the two huddled together like two small animals seeking warmth.
In the slightly cool air, the rising body temperatures burned like a bonfire, dispelling all fear and unease.
As Li Baidong felt the person in his arms gradually quiet down and listened to his relaxed and steady breathing, he couldn't help but bury his head in his snow-white neck and shoulder, greedily inhaling his scent.
During the day, Xing Lan's eyebrows and eyes were aloof, her lips pursed into a thin line, and her back beneath her shirt was always ramrod straight. But at this moment, her figure was both fragrant and supple, her bones and muscles perfectly proportioned, and her skin felt as soft and smooth as the finest silk, making him reluctant to let go.
The way he had been huddled alone in the corner of the bed, trembling slightly, reminded Li Baidong of the time when he had just rescued the fox from the ditch at the school.
The kitten was trembling all over at first, its four paws were dirty and wet, and it scurried around like a little mouse, keeping its distance from people.
Later, when wrapped in a small blanket and held in someone's arms, it gradually became much more obedient, tentatively sticking out its tongue to lick people's fingertips.
For some reason, an idea suddenly popped into Li Baidong's mind.
The reason why kittens are afraid of people is because they have been hurt by humans.
Xing Lan is very clingy every night and has an extreme lack of security...
Did you have a similar experience?
As he pondered, his eyes deepened. He raised his hand and carefully smoothed the soft hair by the ear of the person in his arms. After a while, he gently touched the faint scar on the back of the person.
My fingertips were burning hot, and they trembled uncontrollably along the long, winding veins of the scar.
Xing Lan was fast asleep and did not react to his movements.
His body was supple, his expression serene, and the contours of his face were gilded with a layer of moonlight silver frost, making him appear even more aloof and superior, stirring one's heart and making one's throat dry.
For a fleeting moment, countless thoughts flashed through Li Baidong's mind, some excessive, some wicked, some savage and dark. The image of Xing Lan in his mind gradually lost its former composure, transforming into one of a woman with a slender neck covered in sweat and slightly red eyes.
However, in the end, on this quiet rainy night, he merely used his fingertips to gently lift a few strands of his soft hair, placed them to his lips, and kissed them lightly, his gaze gentle and devout.
-
When the two woke up the next day, they both tacitly agreed not to mention the incident from the previous night.
There was no mention of the long embrace that lasted all night, or the gradually synchronized breathing. It was as if it were just a sleepwalking experience without memory, where the two of them happened to be in the same dream.
Because Li Baidong's hand injury hadn't healed yet, Xing Lan didn't let him cook anymore and instead chose to cook herself.
Li Baidong recalled the bacon and scrambled eggs that Xing Lan had made last time, and his heart skipped a beat.
But on the surface, he still asked with a smile, "Brother, what do you want to do?"
"Fried rice with egg," Xing Lan replied calmly.
It's just fried rice. Just fry the rice, add some soy sauce, and crack in two eggs. Even a primary school student could make it. It shouldn't taste too bad.
Li Baidong felt a little relieved and lowered his head to continue teasing the kitten with the cat toy.
After the cat and the person had played for a while and got a little tired, Xing Lan's freshly made fried rice was ready.
"Stop playing around and go wash your hands and eat." Xing Lan placed two bowls of rice on the coffee table on the sofa and nodded her chin to signal him to wash his hands.
Li Baidong obediently washed his hands and came back, then sat down and tasted two bites of the fried rice Xing Lan had made.
He ate with great enthusiasm at the first bite, but struggled a bit with the second. By the third bite, he suddenly put down his spoon, placed his hands on his knees, and began looking around nervously.
"Is it not good?" Xing Lan put down her spoon and glanced at him slightly.
“No, brother, it’s delicious.” Li Baidong carefully chose his words, “It’s just… it’s so delicious that it reminds me of my grandma.”
Xing Lan lowered her head and ate slowly and deliberately, casually saying, "Is your grandma's fried rice also delicious?"
Li Baidong glanced long at Xing Lan, who was still shoveling rice into his mouth. Looking at his fair and delicate small face, slender and distinct fingers, and the fried rice in his bowl that tasted worse than shit, he wondered if God had been so focused on adding to his beauty that he had accidentally deleted his sense of taste.
He sighed heavily and nodded: "Yes."
“My grandma won my grandpa’s heart because she made really good fried rice,” Li Baidong said with a wink and a smile. “My grandpa was very handsome when he was young, and most of the girls in the village had a crush on him.”
"Your grandfather is Grey Wolf?" Xing Lan said abruptly, her face grim.
"..." Li Baidong was stunned for a moment, then suddenly seemed to realize something and smiled with narrowed eyes, "Brother, so you watch cartoons too?"
“How could that be?” Xing Lan immediately denied, shaking her head and saying, “I haven’t seen it.”
"Then how do you know that Red Wolf chased Gray Wolf with fried rice?" Li Baidong was quick-witted and immediately grasped the key point.
"..."
"I guessed." Xing Lan's expression remained normal, but a blush quietly crept onto the tips of her ears.
Li Baidong didn't expose Xing Lan. He picked up the rice spoon again and ate the rice in his bowl very slowly, bit by bit.
After a while, when the rice in the bowl was almost gone, he suddenly said, "Brother, you know what? Actually, the fried rice that Red Wolf makes is not tasty at all."
"Impossible." Xing Lan looked at him and questioned him logically, "Then why did Grey Wolf eat them all?"
"Because Grey Wolf loves her." Li Baidong calmly met his gaze, his eyes revealing a faint smile and deep affection.
For some reason, Xing Lan felt that his gaze was unusually serious, not at all like he was telling a boring joke.
Li Baidong's serious attitude in discussing such a silly question made Xing Lan begin to doubt his intelligence, and at the same time, she deeply reflected on herself, realizing that she shouldn't have responded to his conversation earlier.
He stood up, abruptly interrupting Li Baidong and the man's inexplicably persistent gaze.
"Have you finished eating? I'm going to wash the dishes."
Li Baidong proudly held up his bowl to show him. The bottom of the bowl was perfectly clean; not a single grain of rice was left.
"Brother, I love you too, can you tell?" Li Baidong winked affectionately with his left eye and said to Xing Lan in a lighthearted, joking tone.
Xing Lan paused, ignored his nonsense, picked up the two bowls and turned to go to the kitchen to wash them.
Although Li Baidong's hand was injured and he couldn't wash the dishes, he didn't stay idle. He picked up a mop and started mopping the floor.
He has a habit of exercising and is very strong. He can mop the floor with one hand without any problem, making the marble floor shine so brightly that it can be used as a mirror.
Most young people these days are quite lazy, unlike the older generation who were so diligent. Someone like Li Baidong, who is proactive and resourceful, is truly a hidden gem.
When Xing Lan finished washing the dishes and came out, she saw that Li Baidong had already cleaned the living room spotless, and all the toys for the dog and cat had been put away, which was very reassuring.
He took out two tissues to wipe his hands and said to Li Baidong casually, "If you're injured, just rest more. There's a housekeeper who comes to clean the house every month, so you don't need to bother."
"It's nothing," Li Baidong said optimistically, looking at the back of his hand. "It's just a minor injury, it's almost healed."
His words reminded Xing Lan.
He casually tossed aside the tissue in his hand, took a few steps over, grabbed Li Baidong's wrist, and carefully examined the back of his hand under the bright light of the living room.
Li Baidong, young and vigorous, indeed has an impressive recovery ability. In just a few days, the wound has already faded considerably and no longer looks as shocking as before.
He had a strangely youthful face, with long eyes and a straight nose. He looked handsome when he smiled, with a touch of dark complexion. However, his hands were unexpectedly rough, with long fingers, rough and dry knuckles, and bold lines of veins.
When the two hands, one large and one small, were placed side by side for comparison, Xing Lan's hands appeared slender and white, with delicate skin and tender flesh, as if they could be completely enveloped in his hands, thanks to his hunter-like large hands.
Xing Lan lowered her eyes and looked closely for a long time before finally saying, "You still need to keep applying the medicine," and then released his hand.
Li Baidong stood there, feeling the faint warmth left on his wrist, and suddenly felt a little down.
He was somewhat reluctant for his injury to heal.
A note from the author:
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