Chapter 39
After a long embrace, Yun Zhan slowly lowered his head, his eyes somewhat dim.
"Are you unhappy, Yun Zhan?" Shi Mingyue sensed her emotions. She felt that Yun Zhan's shoulder line was tighter than before, and his breathing was unusually heavy.
Shi Mingyue slowly released her grip, but her palms still gently supported Yun Zhan's back, as if afraid that she would be blown away by the wind.
"Is it because Pei Yanxi confessed to you that you're so troubled?"
Her voice was so soft, as if afraid to disturb the air, yet it carried a warm, damp quality, spreading against Yun Zhan's earlobe.
Yun Zhan pursed his lips, his eyelashes drooping like two feathers wet with rain.
"...Hmm. It was only after she said that that I truly faced my own feelings for the first time. Can I really be in a relationship? In other words, am I really ready to date a girl?" Yun Zhan's voice trailed off so low it was almost inaudible.
Shi Mingyue did not rush to comfort her, nor did she inquire about the details.
She gently dragged the low stool next to her to Yun Zhan, squatted down, and looked at her eye level.
"Then tell me about it, okay?"
Her tone was as gentle as if she were coaxing a child, yet it carried an undeniable seriousness: "I'll be your sounding board this time; just consider me your confidante."
Yun Zhan looked up and saw the soft, bright lamplight reflected in Shi Mingyue's eyes. There was no judgment, no urging, only quiet waiting.
"Yun Zhan, do you remember what we talked about before? I asked you if you could accept girls, and your answer was 'yes.' Was that answer from your heart?"
Shi Mingyue looked at Yun Zhan seriously. This question was not only on behalf of Pei Yanxi, but also on behalf of herself.
If Yun Zhan hadn't approached girls in the first place, then neither she nor Pei Yanxi would have had the chance...
Shi Mingyue's gentleness made Yun Zhan suddenly feel as if a crack had been gently pried open in his chest, giving all his restless panic a place to settle.
Yun Zhan's voice trembled: "I think I'm willing to be with girls, but I'm conflicted. I don't know what liking someone means, or how I should treat someone I like."
Shi Mingyue reached out and gently rubbed Yun Zhan's head with her palm: "Time will give you the answer. Love doesn't need too many tricks."
Shi Mingyue pondered for a while, then said, "Let me tell you about my past experiences. Yun Zhan, I've never been in a relationship. From birth until I was eighteen, I've never had a romantic relationship with anyone."
Yun Zhan was somewhat surprised. She continued Shi Mingyue's words, "You're so beautiful, you should have a lot of people who like you, why...?"
"Yes, many people have confessed their feelings to me and said they like me."
Shi Mingyue nodded, then changed the subject and continued, "But my father doesn't allow me to date, and he's very strict with me. But thankfully, I've never liked any of them."
"Why is it fortunate?" Yun Zhan seized on this blind spot.
Young love is sincere and passionate; surely no one would refuse a sweet and heartwarming romance.
Shi Mingyue lowered her eyes, her fingertips slowly tracing circles on the rim of the cup, her voice so low it was as if she were afraid of disturbing the air.
"because--"
She looked up, her gaze piercing through the circle of lights and landing directly in Yun Zhan's eyes.
"My first kiss, and my first time, are still here."
Shi Mingyue paused for a moment, then smiled, her expression earnest with a touch of childlike innocence: "They can be left to my favorite person."
That sentence, spoken softly, was like a pebble thrown into Yun Zhan's heart lake, rippling outwards in waves.
“My father said that chastity and tears are a girl’s best dowry. But I don’t like this saying. I think such ideas are outdated and disgusting to girls.”
"I still don't like that argument now, but... I'm surprisingly glad that I didn't rebel back then and didn't do something I'll regret because I wanted to go against him."
Fortunately, she wasn't rebellious.
I didn't casually start a relationship out of curiosity or a rebellious streak.
Fortunately, she met Yun Zhan when she was eighteen.
To meet the person you want to spend your life with at the best age of your life.
Shi Mingyue smiled, her eyes crinkling with a hint of reassurance: "I'm so happy that I can leave something so precious to my future wife."
"Wife?" Yun Zhan tilted his head, genuine surprise evident in his expression.
"Yes, I like girls too, Yun Zhan."
The lamplight cast a soft velvet edge on Shi Mingyue's profile, and her eyes held undisguised solemnity and joy.
Shi Mingyue's eyes shone brightly, as if to say: Look, I've kept the best for you.
Yun Zhan froze, his eyelashes trembled, and the tips of his ears quietly warmed.
"Do you think I'll get what I want, Yun Zhan?" Shi Mingyue met her gaze, her dark hair falling over her rounded shoulders, her eyes filled with tenderness.
The air still carried the damp scent of rain, mixed with the faint scent of roses and cedar on Shi Mingyue's body, quietly seeping into Yun Zhan's breath.
Yun Zhan's fingers, hanging at his sides, curled unconsciously.
It seemed like Shi Mingyue was hinting at something to her.
What exactly is she so nervous about?
Yun Zhan took a deep breath and stammered, "Yes... You're so wonderful, no one can refuse you."
Shi Mingyue narrowed her eyes, her expression gradually becoming hazy. She slowly approached Yun Zhan, and a faint fragrance wafted from her body.
Yun Zhan instinctively backed away, but his body felt like paper soaked in warm water, so soft that he couldn't muster the slightest resistance.
Shi Mingyue is so gentle...
There was absolutely no sense of oppression.
Thank you for your blessing.
Shi Mingyue leaned closer and gently patted her head before gradually pulling away.
She sat quietly opposite me, her gaze gentle and restrained, as if waiting for a tide that would not rush.
When Yun Zhan looked up, he was met with that soft warmth, without any aggression or urgency, only a kind of almost devout patience.
Under the lamplight, the shadows of the two people gently overlapped on the floor, like two leaves that met by chance, trembling slightly in the wind, but not separating.
...
At six o'clock in the morning, the gray-blue sea fog had not yet dissipated.
The lifeboats on the side of the cruise ship were hoisted back onto the deck, the anchor chains clanging loudly.
Pei Yanxi stood at the boarding gate, wearing a white trench coat, her face even paler than the night before.
Her gaze swept over Shi Mingyue first, and she simply nodded in greeting.
Then, under the pretext of explaining school affairs, she led Yun Zhan into the shadows behind the gangway.
The sea breeze, carrying a salty, damp scent, ruffled the stray hairs on her forehead.
Pei Yanxi's voice was very low, her eyes were red and pleading: "Yun Zhan, I still have follow-up work to do, so I can't go back with you today. But I have something I want to tell you."
Pei Yanxi paused, her fingertips turning white as she clenched her fists in her trench coat pocket: "I want to say those words from last night again, seriously: Be with me, okay? As long as you nod your head, we can get married."
Just as Yun Zhan was about to speak, Pei Yanxi raised her hand to stop him, as if afraid of hearing a refusal.
"Let me finish."
She took a deep breath and looked straight into Yun Zhan's eyes.
“I know you’re not ready, so you can think about it carefully for a long time. If you’re willing, wait for me to come home, and we’ll have a wedding. As soon as you reach the legal age, we’ll get our marriage certificate.”
The wind made Pei Yanxi's voice tremble slightly, but every word was clear.
"If you want, the entire Pei family can be registered in your name. Trusts, shares, real estate, everything."
By the end, Pei Yanxi's voice was almost cracking, but she stubbornly maintained her composure: "I just want you to say 'okay'."
"Yun Zhan, I've lived for eighteen years, and this is the first time I've wanted to live for someone. I can wait for you for a very long time, but please don't let me down in the end, okay?"
Pei Yanxi stretched out her hand, palm up, her fingertips still carrying the smell of disinfectant from the early morning.
That gesture wasn't a request for a kiss, nor was it a plea to stay; rather, it was a way of throwing all the chips for the rest of her life at Yun Zhan in one go.
Pei Yanxi is gambling.
Let's gamble on a belated spring.
Take a gamble on the pleasures of your later years.
The ship's horn sounded a long blast on deck, urging them to leave the shore.
Pei Yanxi withdrew her hand, took a half step back, but her gaze seemed fixed on Yun Zhan.
She left behind a very soft "Choose me," turned and boarded the ship, her figure fading into a white line in the mist.
The wind made her long hair flutter in the wind...
"After we get back, let's have him stay in the hospital for observation for a few days. I'll get the best doctor to come over." Shi Mingyue looked at Yun Zhan's swollen arm, her delicate eyebrows furrowing slightly. It would be a lie to say she wasn't heartbroken.
"No need, I'm recovering quickly. I'll just go to the infirmary to change the bandage." Yun Zhan looked at his arm; 21 had already treated it for him again.
"Yun Zhan...please listen to me, what if you get infected?" Shi Mingyue was unusually angry; how could such a serious injury be treated by the infirmary?
"I've missed so many classes already, please let me study properly..."
Shi Mingyue: ....
Finally, unable to dissuade Yun Zhan, Shi Mingyue sent several good doctors to the infirmary.
The door to the infirmary was half-open, the smell of disinfectant mixed with the dampness after the rain.
Yun Zhan sat on the folding bed, his white shirt rolled up to his shoulders, the bandages stained with blood.
The door creaked open, and Wen Sixue burst in, her knees hitting the edge of the bed. She half-knelt down, her fingertips hovering above the gauze, trembling violently.
Wen Sixue hadn't seen Yun Zhan for several days and was extremely anxious. When she heard someone in the corridor say that they had seen Yun Zhan go to the infirmary, she immediately rushed over.
"How did this happen?" Wen Sixue's voice was low and urgent, with a tremor at the end.
She knelt on the ground, carefully examining Yun Zhan's bleeding arm, where the dressing had just been changed, and there were still drops of iodine on the floor.
Just as Yun Zhan was about to answer, the light at the doorway dimmed, and Shi Mingyue leaned against the door frame, her knuckles tightening silently.
"Cut the bandage first, then the doctor will prepare your medication." Shi Mingyue walked straight to Yun Zhan's side.
As she approached Yun Zhan, a tear glistened in the corner of Wen Sixue's eye under the light.
Shi Mingyue's gaze swept over, her lips remained unchanged, but her eyes seemed to be covered with a thin layer of ice.
Their eyes met in mid-air:
Wen Sixue lowered her eyelashes, and tears rolled into her fingers;
Shi Mingyue raised her hand and gripped the tray tightly, her knuckles turning white.
The air tensed instantly.
“I’ll do it. I’ve volunteered at the hospital before, so I’ve been through this before. I’ll be very careful when cutting bandages.”
Wen Sixue cut Yun Zhan's bandages, the scissors making a soft sound, each cut like scraping Shi Mingyue's nerves.
Shi Mingyue approached and placed a bottle of iodine solution on the side of the tray. The bottom of the bottle made a crisp sound as it touched the metal.
Warnings are also boundaries.
From an angle unseen by Yun Zhan, Wen Sixue's fingertips paused, and Shi Mingyue raised her wrist to check her watch.
The silence lasted only three seconds, tears welling in her pale eyes...
The smell of iodine quietly filled the room.
The two stopped at the same time; one tucked in the bandage, and the other unscrewed the bottle cap.
No one spoke, but no one backed down.
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