Chapter 19 A Guilty Conscience: What would it feel like to kiss someone...?
The dim light in the corridor shone on them, as if they were covered with a blurry and ambiguous movie filter.
Time itself seemed to be stretched out in slow motion, as if a special filming technique had been used to make the short half-minute feel much longer.
The surroundings weren't quiet; you could vaguely hear the rustling of bamboo leaves in the wind outside the window, as well as music coming from other private rooms, which sounded somewhat muffled through the wall.
The nearest private room was playing a recently popular love song. The melody was very romantic, like a light rain falling on a nighttime shopping street, with lovers' slightly flushed cheeks and burning palms under an umbrella.
Xing Lan slightly raised her head.
Li Baidong had been staring at him with his eyes down since the beginning, his burning gaze gradually moving from the blushing tips of his ears that were visible when he turned his head to the bright and clear eyes that were now like black glass beads.
The two met eyes again. Li Baidong licked his lips imperceptibly, his tongue slowly tracing the sharp canine teeth that resembled those of a puppy.
The corners of his lips were slightly upturned as always, but the smile in his dark eyes was faint, replaced by a more profound and enigmatic emotion.
Xing Lan's lips looked very soft, her eyelashes were black and long, and her skin was smooth and white, with a thin layer of pink showing through in the sweltering air.
Lips, eyelashes, every inch of skin on the body.
What would it feel like to kiss him?
A fleeting glint of obsession and aggression flashed in the shadows, unnoticed by anyone. Li Baidong blinked, then quickly and naturally switched to an innocent and normal look in front of Xing Lan, his brow furrowing slightly, his eyes revealing a genuine sense of confusion.
Xing Lan sensed the doubt in his eyes and turned her face away, feeling a little guilty.
The tips of her ears were bright red, as if they were on fire.
Being suddenly hugged and held tightly by a roommate who likes the same sex while walking down the street, even if it's just a game, is a bit too inappropriate.
Xing Lan thought that Li Baidong could push him away now, and even had reason to get angry and keep his distance.
But Li Baidong did nothing; he simply looked down at him cautiously.
Although she didn't quite understand what he was doing, she didn't ask any more questions after hearing his blunt and unreasonable demands.
Compared to his blatant disgust and aversion, his kind and good-natured attitude made Xing Lan feel even more awkward and even a little guilty.
The boy's fervent yet warm aura, like scalding seawater under the sun, surged and enveloped Xing Lan completely.
"Beep beep beep."
The timer on my phone went off.
The hug, which lasted only half a minute but felt exceptionally long, finally ended. Xing Lan coughed lightly and gently pushed Li Baidong away.
Finally free from punishment, his tense body relaxed slightly, and the color of his ears gradually returned to normal.
“…I lost the game, this is the punishment.” Xing Lan turned her face away from Li Baidong and said stiffly.
"I wanted to hug the first person I saw after I went out, and I never expected it to be you."
His tone was complex, neither clear whether he felt fortunate nor regretful.
Li Baidong paused for a moment, then shrugged in relief and comforted him with a smile: "It's okay, bro, I guessed it. It's Truth or Dare, we've played both."
Xing Lan didn't speak, and kept her head down.
He took his phone out of his pocket and tapped the chat interface with Li Baidong.
A short while later, Li Baidong's phone rang.
He received two coupons from Xing Lan in his WeChat wallet.
“These are two vouchers for a nearby Western restaurant. They’re all free for single-person purchases under a thousand yuan.” Xing Lan said calmly to Li Baidong, trying to keep her voice steady. “You and your classmate can use them if you want to eat later. Consider it compensation for taking up your time.”
"Thank you, brother." Li Baidong smiled and squinted his eyes, as if joking, "But it didn't take up any time at all. I actually thought time went by too fast and I wanted to hug you a little longer."
Xing Lan put away her phone and gave him a dismissive glance.
Although Li Baidong is young, he has always had high emotional intelligence. Just like now, he easily got him out of a tight spot with just a few words.
He's handsome, sincere, and sociable; no wonder he has a lot of friends at school.
In contrast, Xing Lan's social circle is pitifully small. Apart from Li Baidong, her roommate whom she met this year, she doesn't even have anyone she can talk to occasionally.
Although Xing Lan had long ago decided that he didn't need any friends in his life, at this moment, a very subtle feeling suddenly arose in his heart.
The feeling was a bit like envy, and a bit like a deep-seated longing he had always been unwilling to confront.
If he weren't Xing Lan, he would just be an ordinary young student, with the most ordinary appearance and the most ordinary family.
Given this background, he might naturally become one of Li Baidong's friends, a social butterfly.
They may not be the closest or most intimate friends, but they will greet each other when they bump into each other, and occasionally meet up for meals or trips during holidays.
The relationship is neither too close nor too distant, but it flows gently and steadily.
-
After returning from the team-building activity, Xing Lan received a call from his psychologist.
Xing Lan has been receiving regular psychological treatment since she was a teenager. She has changed several doctors, and the one she finally stayed with was very professional and responsible.
Because he was busy with work, he didn't have time to go to the hospital for a follow-up appointment this month, so the doctor called to ask about his recent condition.
"How has your sleep been lately?" the doctor asked with concern.
Xing Lan thought for a moment, recalling the scenes of sleeping with Li Baidong every night for the past few days, and nodded, saying, "It's fine."
"Following your advice, I found... a suitable person to live with." He carefully chose his words and told the doctor about the true situation of his life. "It has really helped. I haven't had insomnia lately, and I've been sleeping quite well."
"That's good." The doctor was temporarily relieved and instructed Xing Lan, "Your situation is quite special. Now that you've found a suitable lifestyle, you must stick to it."
"Hmm." Xing Lan paused, then suddenly seemed to think of something, her expression becoming somewhat conflicted.
"What's wrong? Is there anything else?" Because he had been silent for so long, the doctor on the other end noticed the change in his emotions and asked with concern.
"……No."
Xing Lan hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping herself.
Her pale fingertips gripped the phone tightly, but in the end, she didn't utter the words in her heart.
After that, the doctor asked him a few more questions as usual, which he answered briefly before hanging up the phone.
"Brother, are you still coming to the vet with me tomorrow?" Li Baidong's clear voice came from the doorway of the room. He had just finished showering and came out of the bathroom.
"Um."
Xing Lan looked up and suddenly saw that Li Baidong hadn't had time to change into his pajamas yet, and was only casually draped a white bath towel around his waist, his upper body was naked.
The boy was very tall with slightly dark skin and well-defined muscles. His broad shoulders and narrow waist formed a powerful inverted triangle, making him strong and powerful without losing his youthful charm.
A beautiful, youthful body, damp with moisture.
Xing Lan subconsciously glanced at him a couple more times.
He grabbed a towel and dried his hair, casually asking Xing Lan, "Brother, what did you guys do for team building today? Was it just Truth or Dare?"
Seeing that Xing Lan did not answer, he sat down on the edge of the bed while drying his hair, his long legs close to Xing Lan's, his golden hair wet and the scent of his orange shampoo could be smelled from miles away.
"That KTV has pretty good sound equipment. Bro, did you sing?" Li Baidong asked with a light laugh. "Your voice is so nice, your singing must be even better, right?"
Xing Lan didn't know where he got so many questions every day, so she frowned and replied perfunctorily, "No. I can't sing."
He looked at Li Baidong again and couldn't help but say, "Could you put your clothes on and dry your hair?"
“Brother…” Li Baidong blinked pitifully at him, tilted his head back and tossed his hair, saying, “I’m hot.”
"I'll turn on the air conditioning for you." Xing Lan said expressionlessly.
The temperature tonight is only seventeen degrees Celsius. In order to get Li Baidong to put on his clothes, Xing Lan insisted on turning on the air conditioner, which was only one degree lower than the room temperature.
Something is better than nothing.
Li Baidong dawdled for a while, finally dried his hair, and changed into his pajamas.
Just before going to sleep, he suddenly had a strange idea and asked Xing Lan, "Brother, does vasectomy hurt?"
Xing Lan: "..."
How would I know?
He didn't know why Li Baidong suddenly asked this.
Thinking about eliminating all threats at only twenty years old seems a bit hasty.
What will my future girlfriend think?
"Has the little prince been sterilized?" Li Baidong asked.
...So that's the topic we were talking about.
Xing Lan coughed and nodded: "I was sterilized several years ago."
"Will it blame you?" Li Baidong frowned, seemingly worried. "Will it be unhappy, feeling that you've deprived it of its right to be a father?"
"I don't know." Xing Lan glanced at him and said coldly, "Anyway, I can't understand its language. If you can, you can go to the living room outside and ask it now."
"But remember to keep your voice down and don't disturb the neighbors."
Li Baidong lowered his eyes and hesitated, saying, "I'm a little reluctant to have the fox sterilized... what if it wants to have babies later?"
“There’s no need to be reluctant,” Xing Lan said. “Sterilization is a good thing for both humans and animals.”
As if he had just thought of something, his tone suddenly turned extremely cold.
"Isn't it selfish to give birth to a child without asking for his/her wishes?"
Li Baidong was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, and looked at Xing Lan.
“Spaying or neutering animals is very beneficial to their health and helps prevent many diseases later on.” Xing Lan met his gaze, paused, and rationally analyzed, “If you’re unwilling to have it spayed or neutered now, can you bear to see it get sick later?”
"You're right, then I'll take it to get spayed/neutered tomorrow."
Li Baidong thought for a moment, put his hands behind his head, lay on the bed and said to himself, "Brother, I hope the fox can live a long time, so that when I get married, it can accompany me and help me deliver the ring or something."
His eyes were bright, and his words were filled with hopeful anticipation for the future.
"..."
That's thinking way too far ahead.
Xing Lan put down her phone, glanced at him with a complicated expression, and said casually, "Let's talk about it after you find someone."
-
Because he was taking the fox to the vet the next day, Li Baidong didn't stay up late and went to bed early.
He wasn't usually a light sleeper, but the events of the day kept replaying in his mind, making his heartbeat erratic and impossible to calm.
Li Baidong did have a classmate who worked part-time at the camp, but today he made a special trip by taking the subway three times to that godforsaken place, mainly to find Xing Lan.
When Xing Lan suddenly hugged him and buried her head in his neck, although he immediately guessed it was a game punishment, he still couldn't help but feel both happy and surprised, and savored the moment.
Xing Lan has already hugged him, so she can't be far from kissing him first. Maybe she'll even sit on his lap in the future...
Li Baidong silently licked his lips, suddenly feeling that they were a little dry. Just as he was about to get up and go to the bathroom, he heard a very slight rustling sound beside him.
The next second, he felt his arm being tentatively and gently grasped by someone; the fingertips were slender and white, and the temperature was slightly cool.
He froze for a moment, his breathing becoming hot and uneven.
A note from the author:
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The next chapter is the day after tomorrow! qwq [pity][pity]
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