Chapter 14
Wen Sixue never intended to leave Yun Zhan to face this alone. When Yun Zhan opened the door, she quietly came out of the room.
The moment she heard the confession, Wen Sixue froze for a second, her heart pounding like a water sleeve hanging in the air after the drumbeats had stopped.
Yun Zhan stood in front of her, his tall, slender back casting shadows on the dim lights of the corridor.
The minty scent, mixed with a hint of soap from the shirt, suddenly filled Wen Sixue's chest, making her heart race more than any spoken line.
Yun Zhan's words, "Coincidentally, I also like Wen Sixue," were as light as a mint leaf falling on the water, yet they stirred up ripples of intense heat in Wen Sixue's ears.
Wen Sixue stood frozen in place, her back pressed against the thin wooden panel of the wardrobe, feeling the wood grain undulating gently in her body heat.
After realizing what was happening, Wen Sixue first opened her eyes wide—Yun Zhan's figure was reflected in her dark pupils, so bright it was almost dripping with water, and her eyelashes fluttered frantically.
Does Yun Zhan... like her?
An overwhelming sense of joy nearly burst from her chest; for the first time since birth, she had experienced such a soaring, cloud-like feeling.
Unconsciously, her fingertips gripped the fabric of her skirt, the soft cotton and linen forming a small wrinkle as she squeezed it tighter and tighter, as if it were the only piece of driftwood she could hold onto.
The tips of her ears turned red, the color creeping from her thin earlobes all the way to the nape of her neck, blurring into a transparent pomegranate color under the light, and her collarbones felt slightly hot.
She mustered her courage and looked up, but only dared to focus her gaze on the second button on Yun Zhan's collar.
Ah... if Yun Zhan likes her, then... she really will be moved...
Wen Sixue blinked, and after a long while, she called out "Yun Zhan" very softly, the last syllable of her voice carrying the softness unique to a young girl.
She gently tugged at Yun Zhan's sleeve, her heart pounding as she waited for him to turn around.
But when Yun Zhan actually turned around, Wen Sixue was not met with Yun Zhan's tender gaze, but rather with Yun Zhan's somewhat sullen expression.
"Yun Zhan..."
Wen Sixue was a little startled and tugged at her clothes, whispering her name softly.
"Don't live here anymore."
After Yun Zhan finished speaking, he silently closed the door, as if the tenderness from just moments ago had never existed...
Yun Zhan sat in the chair, resting her hands on her knees and pinching her brow with her fingertips... She was a little angry. Right now, she really wanted to take care of all the thugs around here who had harassed Wen Sixue.
But... the world wouldn't allow her to do that.
In short... we can't let Wen Sixue continue living here. I can run into her even when I'm around, so you can imagine what it's like at other times.
Yun Zhan's silence suddenly made Wen Sixue feel a little wronged.
Didn't you just say you liked her...? Why are you silent now?
Moreover, Yun Zhan is ignoring her... and his words are now icy cold.
The scent of soapberry wafted from Yun Zhan's shirt, mixed with the aroma of mint, making Wen Sixue's nose tingle.
She was tossed between Yun Zhan's confession and silence, her emotions fluctuating like a rollercoaster.
What is she expecting...? Were Yun Zhan's words false? Or perhaps he was just trying to deceive that drunkard?
In the lamplight, a glimmer of light clung to her eyelashes, like shattered diamonds or tears that hadn't yet fallen.
Only one light bulb remained in the room, its light casting spots that beat like cold drumbeats at her feet.
Wen Sixue leaned against the wardrobe door, her fingertips unconsciously gripping the corner of the paper. Her palms were clenched so tightly that they made a very soft "crack" sound.
She tried to keep her chin up, attempting to appear calm, but as soon as she looked up, her eyes misted over—a layer of real moisture trembling on her eyelashes, like dewdrops about to fall.
"Why...why are you crying?" Yun Zhan saw the tears in her eyes and panicked instantly.
No... the drunkard is gone. Yun Zhan couldn't understand what was wrong with Wen Sixue. She hurriedly grabbed a tissue from the side and gently wiped the corner of her eye.
"Don't cry, don't cry... Tell me what's wrong, okay? I'll help you." Yun Zhan hurriedly caught the girl's tears.
Wen Sixue's lips were pressed so tightly they turned white, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn down. She didn't want to be like this in front of Yun Zhan, so she could only stuff all her grievances into her breath.
Wen Sixue's voice was muffled in her arms, like a very soft "hmm", but it was tinged with sobs, as if she was calling Yun Zhan's name, or as if she was saying "I'm sorry".
The voice was so low it was almost inaudible, yet it struck Yun Zhan's heart with a heavy thud, making her tremble.
"I'm sorry... Wen Sixue, I... please don't cry." Yun Zhan rarely comforted girls, and she didn't know what to do.
"Let me hold you, you'll feel better after you've vented." Yun Zhan pulled Wen Sixue into his arms, his warm palms stroking her back.
"Stop touching me..."
Wen Sixue trembled as Yun Zhan touched her, her sensitive body shaking uncontrollably.
Her eyelashes were pressed down very low by the tears, trembling slightly. The tears didn't roll down, but just hung at the corners of her eyes.
Yun Zhan coaxed Wen Sixue for a while before she calmed down.
Looking at Yun Zhan's wet clothes, Wen Sixue suddenly felt shy and lowered her eyes, not daring to meet Yun Zhan's gaze.
Where Yun Zhan couldn't see, Wen Sixue clutched the hem of her clothes tightly... She shouldn't have been so willful. Yun Zhan had already been so good to her; she shouldn't have shown such emotion, crying like this in front of him...
Looking into Yun Zhan's concerned eyes, Wen Sixue felt a surge of warmth in her heart.
The girl bit her lip. Since Yun Zhan allowed her to act so coquettishly, did that mean... Yun Zhan actually had some feelings for her too...?
"How about we move somewhere else?" Yun Zhan softened his voice and stuffed a bank card into Wen Sixue's hand: "There's 500,000 in the card. How about we move to a high-end neighborhood? The security there is excellent."
She really couldn't stand seeing Wen Sixue continue living in such a place.
"Yun Zhan, you've already helped me so much, how can I take your money again?" Wen Sixue pulled her hand back. What did she have to deserve Yun Zhan's kindness?
Five hundred thousand is not a small amount of money for anyone... She can't just accept it casually.
"I'm worried about you. If you continue to live here, I'll bring you back." Yun Zhan looked at her calmly, his eyes firm.
Yun Zhan was not joking at all. If Wen Sixue insisted on doing this, then he would follow her home every time she came home.
"Yun Zhan... is what you said what I thought you meant?"
Wen Sixue took a deep breath, the mist still lingering in her crimson eyes.
She felt somewhat uneasy, but more than that, she was nervous and expectant. Yun Zhan's concern for her had long surpassed that of ordinary friends.
You've spent so much money on me and been so good to me, but it seems like there's nothing I can do for you.
I don't know if that's what you mean, but if you're thinking about it, I think... I wouldn't want to refuse.
He's so gentle, Yun Zhan is so kind to her.
He throws a tantrum and she has to coax him.
She tilted her head back and wiped away her tears, feeling utterly helpless...
Yun Zhan is such a good person, and it seems like Senior Pei likes him too...
"I want you to be okay, so please promise me, okay? We'll move to a different place, and you'll be safe and sound." Yun Zhan took her hand and held her slender hand in his palm.
“Okay…” Wen Sixue nodded gently.
...
Wen Sixue's family didn't have much food, so Yun Zhan glanced at the refrigerator and realized they could only eat whatever they could find today.
In the kitchen, Yun Zhan stood with his back to her, his white shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing the clearly defined lines of his forearms.
On his left wrist was an old apron, leftover from Wen Sixue's previous costume, embroidered with half an unfinished plum blossom—at this moment, the plum blossom was pressed against Yun Zhan's waist, swaying gently with his chopping movements.
The knife made a steady, rhythmic sound as it struck the cutting board, like the gentle tapping of a clapper.
After Yun Zhan finished slicing the last bit of tender ginger, he casually scraped the rim of the bowl with the back of the knife, and the ginger slices lined up and jumped into the boiling soup, stirring up a small cluster of clear oil.
"It will be ready to eat in a few more minutes."
Yun Zhan turned around and smiled at her, his voice low and steady.
As Wen Sixue tidied up the living room, she saw Yun Zhan smiling and telling her, "We'll eat soon." Her eyelashes seemed slightly damp from the steam, like two raven feathers covered in dew.
The moment the box was placed down, Wen Sixue seemed to hear her own inner voice: If only time could stand still at this moment.
A delicious aroma suddenly wafted from the pot. Yun Zhan turned to the side, and with a gentle swirl of his long-handled ladle in the soup, the oil droplets shattered into tiny golden sparks.
With the other hand, heat oil in a wok. With a sizzle, garlic slices and river shrimp fall in together. In just three seconds, the pinkish-white shrimp curl into crescent shapes, with glistening caramelized sugar showing through the edges.
“Take a sip first,” Yun Zhan said. “It’s not salty, so I added half a spoonful of salt.”
Wen Sixue took a sip, and the umami flavor first burst on the tip of her tongue, followed by the warmth of ginger and the coolness of mint, sliding all the way down to her stomach. It was very comfortable and warm.
...
As night fell, Yun Zhan showed no signs of leaving. When Wen Sixue saw Yun Zhan carrying a pillow and walking towards her room, her heart began to pound wildly.
Is Yun Zhan going to sleep with her...?
Wen Sixue bit her lower lip, if Yun Zhan wanted to…
"Here, take this pillow. It seems a bit softer." Yun Zhan tucked the pillow into Wen Sixue's arms and then went to sleep.
Oh, so it was a pillow delivery.
After closing the door, in the darkness, Wen Sixue hugged her knees and buried her face in them...
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