Chapter 31
At two o'clock in the morning, Pei Yanxi's villa was brightly lit.
The crystal chandelier in the entryway was so bright that Yun Zhan didn't even have time to change his shoes before Pei Yanxi led him directly into the living room.
"Dr. Luo, I'll be there in ten minutes." Pei Yanxi hung up the phone, her voice calm.
The doctor arrived carrying a portable scanning kit, his white coat fogged up by the warmth of the heater.
Pei Yanxi raised her hand to indicate: "Full body examination, with a focus on the lungs and external injuries."
Yun Zhan nodded slightly, his fingertips rubbing the edge of his pocket. The principal's notebook was pressed against the lining, as cold as a thunderbolt that could explode at any moment.
A few beads of sweat appeared on Yun Zhan's forehead. She pinched her leg hard. What should she do... she can't let her see this.
"I'll change my clothes first."
Yun Zhan spoke in a low voice, and before anyone could reply, he reached out and unbuttoned his coat. The metal buttons came undone one by one, and the fabric slid down his arm and piled up on his feet.
In the end, Yun Zhan was left with only a tank top on his upper body.
Under the light, Yun Zhan's shoulder and back lines were clear and neat, and the thin shoulder straps were like two rays of morning light, gently falling on his shoulders.
Her skin was extremely white, like rice paper soaked in milk, with a touch of translucency like cold porcelain, and even the faintest veins were faintly visible.
The collarbone, like a crescent moon, lies quietly and clearly below the neck, while the shoulder blades, like two folded wings, rise and fall gently with each breath, drawing clean and crisp lines.
The camisole was as white as moonlight; she had secretly glimpsed Yun Zhan's body when they shared the same bed...
The familiar body made her forget to breathe for a moment. Her collarbone was faintly shadowed, and her shoulder blades protruded slightly under the thin fabric, like a pair of feathers ready to take flight at any moment.
Pei Yanxi stood by the door, her fingertips still gripping the doorknob, her knuckles white from the force—the only thing she used to restrain herself from rushing in.
Her heartbeat was so loud it seemed to shatter the air. Her throat bobbed slightly, and Pei Yanxi heard herself swallow.
Her gaze slid down the shoulder strap to the nape of her neck, then carefully traced the thin, clean groove on the inside of her collarbone, as if afraid of disturbing a snowfall.
But she couldn't just possess Yun Zhan like that.
She had a slight urge to touch Yun Zhan...
Pei Yanxi was momentarily shocked by her own thoughts. Once she could no longer hide the thoughts in her heart, her eyelashes trembled, and the light in her eyes gradually dimmed, becoming as dark as the sea in the deep night, yet tiny sparks crackled and exploded deep within her pupils.
Walking to Yun Zhan's side, she squatted down, her palm hovering less than a centimeter above his snow-white shoulder blade, yet she hesitated to lower it, as if if she got any closer, those moon-like bones would melt at her fingertips.
She whispered "Yun Zhan" in a low, almost breathy voice, the last syllable trembling uncontrollably, as if she had poured her whole heart into those two words.
"Senior, I'm a little cold..." Yun Zhan obediently leaned against Pei Yanxi, his eyes glistening with tears when he looked up, making him look very pitiful.
"I'll get you a blanket."
Pei Yanxi hurried along, completely forgetting the coat Yun Zhan had tossed aside; hidden inside that coat was the list she had been searching for...
21: You succeeded in seducing me. You're truly amazing.
Yun Zhan: What do you mean by seduction? I was just distracting her.
When Dr. Luo gave Yun Zhan the medicine, every breath she took, every rise and fall of her ribs, made Pei Yanxi's heart tremble.
An old scar lay across his left arm; the pale brown mark was softened by the warm light, making the rest of his skin appear even whiter.
Pei Yanxi's gaze was momentarily burned by the texture of those muscles. She instinctively looked away, but the tips of her ears quickly turned red, and her knuckles tightened behind her back.
The doctor was adjusting the equipment with his head down, and she could only stare at the crystal chandelier on the ceiling, but her peripheral vision still involuntarily slipped back.
The waistline is tucked into the waistband, and the V-line is hidden below the belt, like an unfinished ellipsis.
"Please... take off your last shirt as well."
Dr. Luo's voice broke the silence.
Yun Zhan paused for a moment, then decisively pulled the hem of the halter top from his waist.
One button at a time, the fabric was undone, revealing only a bra, and the smooth V-line cast a faint shadow under the light.
Pei Yanxi's breathing became erratic.
She forced herself to turn around and grab the sterile blanket the doctor handed her, but the redness behind her ear spread all the way to her collarbone.
When she unfolded the blanket, her fingers trembled slightly, almost wrinkling the edges.
Yun Zhan handed her the suspenders, his fingertips brushing against her palm intentionally or unintentionally.
In that instant, Pei Yanxi felt as if she had been struck by a low-voltage electric current, her fingertips going numb and she almost let go.
She lowered her eyes, her voice low but steady: "Don't move around, stay covered with the blanket, or you'll catch a cold."
The doctor began listening to the chest, the metal stethoscope pressed against the chest, emitting a faint "thump" sound.
Pei Yanxi stood two steps away, her back taut, her gaze fixed on the night sky outside the window, but she could see nothing—what kept replaying in her mind was the curve of that waistline under the light, and her own heartbeat that had suddenly gone awry.
"The lung markings are a bit coarse, and the nodules are small. No medication is needed for now, but you must quit smoking." Dr. Luo looped the stethoscope back around his neck, the metal plate flashing under the light.
Yun Zhan hung her head. She drank some water, and the water droplets that overflowed from the corner of her lips dripped down her collarbone, sliding along the beautiful indentation and into the edge of her suspender strap.
She gave a muffled "hmm," drawing out the last syllable, sounding like she was both being coquettish and being unreasonable.
Pei Yanxi sighed, raised her hand to tuck a stray hair behind her ear, and tapped her chest with her fingertips: "Go take a shower, but don't let the water temperature exceed forty degrees. After you're done, come to my study, and I'll prepare a new nebulizer for you."
...
The sound of water in the bathroom stopped.
Yun Zhan was wearing a loose shirt with tiny "PYX" embroidered on the collar and the hem just covering his upper thighs.
She dried her hair as she walked barefoot down the corridor. The teak floor of the old house was slightly warm from her body heat, carrying a faint scent of disinfectant and cedar.
“This looks like Pei Yanxi’s clothes…” Yun Zhan tugged at the collar, feeling inexplicably shy.
As I turned the corner, the wall lamp at the end of the corridor suddenly flickered.
She subconsciously looked up and noticed a very thin crack in the wall, through which a white light, colder than the one in the corridor, shone through.
Yun Zhan reached out, his fingertips tracing the seam until he touched a slightly concave metal plate. He pressed it gently—
"Click".
A hidden door, the same color as the wall, popped open a crack, and a blast of cold air, carrying the smell of paper, ink, and iodine, hit us.
Inside was a dark room of less than two square meters, with lead plates embedded in the four walls, and only a recessed spotlight shining directly on a silver-gray fireproof cabinet.
The cabinet door was unlocked, and a corner of a black folder peeked out from the gap. The label, written in red pen, read "Project A-γ" and included a date.
The top page prominently displayed her name, date of birth, blood type, and even the exact minute of her first visit to the Pei family.
Yun Zhan's breath hitched, his fingertips hovering above the page, water droplets falling from his hair and landing on the words "key focus," leaving a small wet patch.
Cold sweat broke out on Yun Zhan's back. At that moment, time seemed to stand still, stretching out for a frighteningly long time.
Yun Zhan quickly closed the door to the dark room and leaned against the wall.
Soon, very light footsteps came from the end of the corridor. Yun Zhan was all too familiar with this walking rhythm.
She half-closed her eyes, leaned against the wall, and slumped down as if she had no bones.
At the corner, Pei Yanxi, draped in a silk robe, her long hair loosely tied up, revealed her slender neck. When she looked up, the corridor light shattered into two cold stars in her pupils.
"What are you doing here?" The voice wasn't loud, but the tone carried a hint of interrogation.
Like a cat that has been woken up, Yun Zhan lazily raised his hand to rub his eyes, deliberately making the corners of his eyes slightly red with his fingertips.
She leaned forward and fell into Pei Yanxi's arms, her forehead resting on his collarbone, her voice muffled as if shrouded in mist: "I was a little tired after taking a shower, and now I'm a bit sleepy... Senior's house is too big, I didn't know where your study was, so I rested here for a while."
Pei Yanxi held her waist with one hand, while the other hand subtly brushed against the wall.
The hidden door was perfectly sealed; even fingerprints were blurred by the steam...
"It was my fault for not taking you to the study. Let me take you to bed." Pei Yanxi coaxed her, skillfully pulling her into her arms as if Yun Zhan were her private property.
At this moment, Yun Zhan squatted down, his face somewhat pale. Pei Yanxi hurriedly bent down to support Yun Zhan, her expression worried.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?" Pei Yanxi asked anxiously. She took out her phone; the doctor shouldn't be far away yet...
"No, it's nothing serious."
Yun Zhan buried his face in the crook of her neck, his voice muffled and trailing off: "My leg seems to hurt a little; I accidentally bumped it in the bathtub just now..."
Pei Yanxi frowned, squatted down, and saw that Yun Zhan wasn't wearing pants, and there was indeed a bruise on his thigh. Her skin was very delicate, so the bruise looked very conspicuous.
"I'll spray some medicine on you later. Next time, I'll change the bathtub to your size. Be more careful when you take a bath in the future..." Pei Yanxi didn't dare to touch her wound.
"Come a little closer. If your legs are uncomfortable, hug me and I'll carry you back."
Yun Zhan obediently let Pei Yanxi hug him.
Pei Yanxi lowered her eyes and saw that the collar of her bathrobe was slightly open due to her movement, and there were still water droplets on her collarbone, like tiny ice crystals, which eventually merged into her cleavage.
As Pei Yanxi bent down to pick up Yun Zhan, her fingertips silently brushed along the edge of the hidden door.
Yun Zhan wrapped his arms around her neck, his eyelashes casting a small shadow under the light, concealing the fleeting calm sharpness in his eyes.
The corridor lights were off, and two shadows overlapped, like a tender conspiracy yet to be exposed.
The corridor lights swept past one by one, casting intermittent flashes of light on Yun Zhan's profile.
Her eyes were downcast, and her breathing was even, as if she were extremely sleepy.
But every time the light flickered, Yun Zhan could catch the slight tension in Pei Yanxi's jawline... What was Pei Yanxi nervous about?
Something's not right.
Yun Zhan keenly noticed something... Sure enough, Pei Yanxi was still doubting herself.
Pei Yanxi closed the door with the back of her foot, the latch clicking softly.
Yun Zhan was placed on the edge of the bed. The silk quilt was cold. She deliberately tucked her ankles in and rubbed her toes against Pei Yanxi's calf: "Cold."
Pei Yanxi didn't reply, but instead knelt down on one knee and straightened the hem of her bathrobe.
When her fingertips touched the bruise on Yun Zhan's outer thigh, Yun Zhan immediately hissed, her voice as soft as a cat's pleading. She reached out and hooked her arm around her neck: "It hurts. Senior, I'm a little tired... Why don't you help me apply the medicine?"
Pei Yanxi looked up, her eyes so deep under the warm bedside lamp that her emotions were unreadable.
She got up, took out disposable iodine swabs and a small tube of clear gel from the drawer, and moved in an orderly manner.
Yun Zhan noticed that she tapped the tube twice with her left ring finger, a habitual tapping motion that Pei Yanxi made unconsciously when she was thinking.
The ointment was unscrewed, releasing the aroma of mint and dragon's blood.
Pei Yanxi didn't rush to apply the medicine. First, she used her fingertips to press around Yun Zhan's knee, as if checking for any hidden injuries.
Yun Zhan casually draped his leg over her thigh, his toes seemingly unintentionally hooking the tie of her robe: "Thank you, senior..."
The moment the cotton swab dipped in ointment touched the wound with its coolness, Yun Zhan's calf muscles tensed slightly. Pei Yanxi paused, her voice almost touching Yun Zhan's skin: "If it hurts, grab me."
Yun Zhan didn't grab her, but instead leaned forward, resting his forehead on her shoulder, his voice muffled by the silk fabric: "Senior doesn't seem to be in a good mood?"
The gel was squeezed out, and a transparent blob spread on Pei Yanxi's fingertip. She applied it slowly, pushing it little by little from the edge of the wound towards the center, her fingertip making circles to turn the pain into a tingling sensation.
Yun Zhan's breath brushed against her neck, warm and carrying the scent of grapefruit from her recent bath.
"alright."
After finishing the last round, Pei Yanxi raised her hand, but couldn't take it away—Yun Zhan's leg was still draped over her, his toes sliding along the slit of his robe, stopping at the inside of her knee, like a probing question, or a teasing gesture, like a white eel emerging from the dark water, deftly wrapping around the inside of her thigh.
He first lightly touched her with his toes to make sure she wouldn't dodge, then he went all the way in, sliding down the slit of her nightgown and stopping at the most crucial spot—above her knee, where the artery was closest to her.
Her toes curled up, hooking onto the fabric and also onto Pei Yanxi's breath.
In that instant, all the unspoken doubts in Pei Yanxi's eyes seemed to melt away in the sudden heat.
Her fingers, hanging at her sides, unconsciously tightened, and faint blue veins appeared on the back of her fingers, as if she was trying to grasp her reason back into her palm, but to no avail.
Yun Zhan's legs were still slowly rubbing against her, his skin so thin it was almost transparent, still damp and warm from his bath, pressing against her like a red-hot iron.
"Stop messing around..." Pei Yanxi's voice was so low and hoarse that it didn't sound like her own, but the last syllable trembled uncontrollably.
Yun Zhan heard it, and his toes followed the trembling sound upwards, almost touching the knot of his robe's belt.
She deliberately rubbed her knee against Pei Yanxi's lower abdomen, like a cat testing the edge of danger with its whiskers.
Pei Yanxi's eyes suddenly darkened, like ink dripping into cold water, spreading instantly.
She raised her hand, placing her palm on that restless ankle bone, her fingertips pressing against the hollow behind the ankle—Yun Zhan's most sensitive spot.
With a gentle pinch, Yun Zhan trembled uncontrollably, his legs so weak he could barely hold on, yet he still tried to be strong and pushed himself forward.
Pei Yanxi bent down and gently touched Yun Zhan's knee with her fingertips. The ointment that had just been applied emitted a bitter medicinal smell.
Yun Zhan took a deep breath, his legs unconsciously tightening.
"Stop fooling around, get some rest, you have class tomorrow."
Goodnight, senior.
"good evening."
Pei Yanxi lowered her eyes, and finally, she reached out to re-tie Yun Zhan's bathrobe belt, stood up and left Yun Zhan's room.
When she closed the door, Pei Yanxi's voice was as soft as a feather falling on a knife's edge:
Sweet dreams, Yunzhan.
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