Chapter 60 Nmub.60 I want to hear
Not good at all.
His voice trembled uncontrollably and carried a hint of fear. Although it was low and there was nothing unusual on his face, Xu Wu inexplicably understood it.
She lowered her eyes and frowned slightly. Her wrist, which was restrained in Jie Ying's palm, moved slightly, only to be met with an even tighter grip. The warmth on her skin grew stronger, as if even her meridians were burning.
The sounds of conversation and the clinking of glasses were constant. In a daze, Xu Wu was afraid that someone would look over and whisper about this scene, so her body stiffened. She turned around and tried to forcefully pull her hand away, but she stopped when she looked up and met Jie Ying's eyes.
He stared at her without moving, he had been watching her ever since.
Xu Wu was no stranger to this kind of gaze. When she first gained recognition after occasionally making cameo appearances in art films, many people spoke to her with ulterior motives, and lewd stares were always glued to her.
Some seniors who had taken shortcuts advised her to give it a try, since everyone wants to become famous early. However, Xu Wu disagreed; she was so disgusted she almost vomited. She had seen far too many of those same looks.
Many people wanted her to lie on top of them, but Jieying didn't. He just looked at her, that was all.
He was attracting her, even though he acted timidly.
Out of the corner of her eye, Xu Wu noticed Chen Wei walking over and witnessing the scene. Seeing Chen Wei's less-than-pleasant expression, Xu Wu felt a sense of shame, as if her girlfriend had discovered her infidelity. This snapped her back to reality, her fingers unconsciously curling up. Her heart sank to the bottom, and the inexplicable emotions that had arisen just moments before were suppressed and extinguished.
Realizing this, she ignored Jie Ying's terrible expression and pulled her hand away easily this time.
Xu Wu glanced at her wrist, which clearly bore red marks, particularly glaring against her fair skin. She frowned slightly, then nodded to Chen Wei.
"Are you leaving?" Chen Wei's smile was a little forced.
Xu Wu subtly took a few steps to the side, distancing herself from Jie Ying. She didn't mind Chen Wei's attitude. After all, if she put herself in her boyfriend's shoes, she would be lucky not to go crazy if he acted so intimately with another girl. How could she possibly maintain her composure?
"Well, I have some things to do, so I don't plan to stay any longer." She smiled politely, but the expectant gaze on her from the side was particularly irritating. She pinched the hem of her trousers with her hand hanging by her side, and only then did she manage to resist looking away.
“Oh, I see,” Chen Wei said. “I thought he would be very happy to see you, after all, you’re a fan.”
Upon hearing this, Xu Wu didn't respond, and seeing Chen Wei smiling as she looked at Jie Ying, he remained silent.
"I'll be going now," Xu Wu said politely.
Chen Wei nodded as well.
However, regardless of the circumstances, it's not for me, an outsider, to comment on what happened between them.
Xu Wu pretended not to see Jie Ying's outstretched hand. The moment she pushed open the door and smelled the cold air outside, she felt her turbid lungs clear up considerably, and her mind became clearer as well.
It was still the same familiar scent. She raised her hand, gently pressed the tip of her nose against the skin where the red mark had not yet faded, and smelled it, suppressing her gloomy and unclear thoughts.
There was no other scent besides sea salt, and the marks left on the places where Jie Ying had grabbed were more pronounced than on other parts of the body.
"Jie Ying"
She really hates this name.
Like a shadow, it haunts us relentlessly.
Xu Wu touched the red mark on her right wrist with her other hand. The lingering warmth was still there, almost mingling with her skin.
I wonder how many times I'll have to rub it to cover it up.
It will not disappear; it can only occupy a place like this, its bones still warm.
The next second, a slight creaking sound came from the back door behind them, as it was slowly pushed open from the inside.
Xu Wu snapped out of her daze and subconsciously turned to glance at the source of the sound, only to be met with Jie Ying's face, half of which was hidden in the darkness. She froze.
His lower body was positioned where the light source shone, but half of his face was shrouded in darkness, obscuring his distorted expression. Yet, the gaze fixed on her face was so intense that it was impossible to ignore, filled with an almost uncontrollable aggression and a slight bitterness.
"How could you..." Xu Wu took a few steps back and silently looked behind him, but did not see Chen Wei's figure.
She asked in surprise, "You ran out by yourself?"
Unexpectedly, Jie Ying did not answer her question, nor did she take another step forward.
Separated by the steps, the two stared at each other from above and below, the sudden sense of oppression making Xu Wu feel uncomfortable.
“Let’s talk,” he said after a long pause, his voice hoarse.
"You're going out with me alone without telling your girlfriend?" she asked.
When Xu Wu asked this question, which she already knew the answer to, she felt as if her heart was being squeezed tightly, her blood supply cut off, causing her brain to feel dizzy and painful.
She recalled the argument she had with Fang Rumei after the college entrance exam results came out, over the issue of college application choices. Fang wanted her to apply for finance and stay in the city, but when she refused, she was scolded for being selfish.
Xu Wu belatedly realized this.
Even though she knew he had a girlfriend, her damned memory still clung to those fragments of the past, and she even wanted to dig out those photos that Jieying had taken when they were young and throw them in front of the two of them.
She was never magnanimous; on the contrary, morbidity, sin, and struggle were the foundation of her humanity, upon which all her thoughts were based.
"Girlfriend?" Jie Ying looked bewildered.
Xu Wu observed carefully and realized that this did not seem like a lie. Then, he stepped forward and walked down the steps, stammering with some urgency and familiar stuttering: "I-I-I, I didn't, it's not, it's not my girlfriend."
A wave of sea salt washed over her, quickly climbing up her delicate neck, nestling against her throbbing arteries, listening to her rapid heartbeat.
Xu Wu stood frozen in place, even her hand hesitated for a moment. She was only three steps away from Jie Ying, and for some reason, she didn't dare to look him in the eye.
She silently repeated those words in her mind, trying to restrain herself, but the surging blood within her wouldn't obey. She had to admit that this was the answer she had vaguely wanted to hear from the very beginning.
"No?" Xu Wu looked at him. "Chen Yunrang said you two are dating, and that his sister will be bringing her boyfriend over today."
She tried her best to keep her voice calm, but the quiet complaints and grievances that were quietly overflowing made her stop abruptly, afraid that Jie Ying would see her.
"Chen Yunrang?"
"Well, your girlfriend... the girl who came with you, her brother said that he's a little worried because his sister has a boyfriend."
Jie Ying finally understood. He sighed and wanted to take Xu Wu's hand as before, but after hesitating for two seconds, he didn't do anything offensive.
He explained earnestly, "She's not my girlfriend, she's a classmate from the same club. She asked us for help when she moved, and there were a few other people in her living room who arrived before me."
Jie Ying softened her tone and continued, "She said she could bring me here tonight, but I didn't expect..."
Xu Wu was puzzled: "I didn't expect that? But this is just a get-together, there's no need for an invitation or for someone you know to bring you in."
"I...I don't know." His pupils widened, and he began to stammer in nervousness. Fearing further misunderstanding, even his gestures betrayed his anxiety: "She...she...she said she needed her to come along, so I..."
The evening breeze gently brushed against the strands of hair on Xu Wu's cheek, and his words seemed to calm her restless heart, making it no longer strain her blood supply.
She could hear nothing but the sound of the wind; it was quiet, so quiet.
The name Jieying was like a thorn, rooted in her throat for nearly five years, swelling untouchably, licking her fragile throat. Every time she opened her mouth, the vibration of her vocal cords was painfully stimulated by that thorn, and the words she never uttered gradually twisted into hatred in silence.
But now, the thorn-wielder himself made her open her mouth and pulled out the thorn that was about to kill her.
She can finally breathe again, even if it's five years late.
At some point, the stammering, urgent explanations stopped.
The distance between the two remained unchanged, and the wind between them intertwined and crushed their breaths, hiding them deep within their bones.
Xu Wu's drooping fingertips twitched slightly.
A moment later, she heard the other person say softly, "I'm sorry."
It was a very soft sound, but it was enough for her to hear, making her eardrums ache.
“I didn’t bring back the snow,” he said. “I’m sorry, I broke my promise.”
Xu Wu bit her lower lip and didn't reply. Her nose stung so much that tears welled up in her eyes, and she clenched her fists tightly, trying to force the tears back.
She lowered her head to avoid Xie Ying's gaze, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She didn't know what to do, just like when he resolutely left her alone in the cold house back then.
A pair of warm hands touched her cold cheeks, gradually warming the skin that had been chilled by the cold wind. Before Xu Wu could react, in that position, the other person's tall figure slowly moved closer and gently cupped her face.
He turned his terrifying eyes, all the past accumulated in his gaze, reflecting Xu Wu's tightly pursed thin lips and reddened eye corners.
"Tell me, talk to me." Jie Ying lowered his head, his damp breath spraying onto the area beneath her eyelids. As his trembling lips touched her falling tears, a soft murmur escaped between his teeth: "I want to hear."
Author's note: So there are still people reading this? (Surprised)
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