A different kind of touch
In mid-January, when the temperature was only in the single digits, Bai Yixia had already put on a down jacket. The light yellow puffer jacket made her look like a marshmallow.
She ran up to Zhou Qingchi in a few quick steps and stopped in front of him, grinning, "Hehe, how long have you been waiting, Brother Zhou?"
Zhou Qingchi said, "I sent you a message as soon as I arrived, not long ago."
He looked at Bai Yixia, then suddenly reached out and pinched her bulging sleeve, "Like a little pomelo."
Bai Yixia adjusted her scarf and then realized that in the temperature of City C, Zhou Qingchi was only wearing a coat and a shirt, which made her suddenly feel a bit cold around her neck.
"You're dressed too thinly. Is it warmer in City B?" Bai Yixia said, raising her hand to feel the thickness of the coat, but she paused and touched the shirt directly.
"Huh?"
Bai Yixia lightly rubbed the fabric with her fingertips. Zhou Qingchi noticed her confusion, grabbed her hand and pressed it against himself. "Huh? Isn't this the dress you picked out for me?"
Since growing up, Bai Yixia had rarely had such direct physical contact with Zhou Qingchi. The last hug could be described as concern between friends, but this one—Zhou Qingchi's hand was warm, resting on the back of her hand, with his chest rising and falling gently beneath his palm.
Bai Yixia's face flushed, and her fingers curled slightly. She wasn't sure if she was blushing, but instead of pulling her hand back, she continued to grope Zhou Qingchi's body in that position.
Compared to a thin summer shirt, this one is definitely a bit thicker, and the buttons are pine cone style.
Bai Yixia tugged at a button, then looked up at Zhou Qingchi. "I remember now, it was indeed me who chose it. But it's not very thick, aren't you cold, Brother Zhou?"
In particular, Zhou Qingchi unbuttoned the top button, revealing a section of her fair neck.
Zhou Qingchi looked down at her, hummed in response, and clenched his fist as he held the hand in mid-air. “You’ve been walking all this way, you won’t be cold.”
"But you..." Zhou Qingchi paused for a moment.
Bai Yixia looked over in confusion, only to see him reach out towards her face.
"Have you been studying too hard lately? How come you've become nearsighted—wait, huh?" Zhou Qingchi said, reaching out to touch Bai Yixia's glasses, but his fingers slipped through the frame and landed right in front of her eyes.
Bai Yixia blinked slowly, feeling her eyelashes brush against Zhou Qingchi's fingertips.
She paused for a moment, then burst into laughter, pulling Zhou Qingchi's hand away. "What? These are decorative glasses; they're part of my outfit today."
After saying that, she twirled in front of Zhou Qingchi and asked, "How is it? Does it look good?"
Winter isn't a good time to expose your neck, so Bai Yixia didn't tie her hair into a bun. Instead, she gathered it all together and braided it into a low plait on the left side. The hair tie was a beige flower, which made her look even more gentle and graceful.
The black-rimmed glasses on her face almost covered half of her face, making her look more like a child than a scholarly one.
Zhou Qingchi inexplicably thought of Bai Yixia from high school. Back then, she didn't wear glasses, but she also wore her hair in a similar style, letting it hang down her back. When Zhou Qingchi walked beside her, she could see Bai Yixia's cheeks puffed up from eating.
Just like when I was a baby and still had chubby cheeks.
Bai Yixia was still looking at Zhou Qingchi, waiting for a reply, when her glasses were ruthlessly taken away.
"Ah!" Bai Yixia looked at Zhou Qingchi with a puzzled expression.
Zhou Qingchi had already put the glasses into his own bag, and then gently tapped Bai Yixia's forehead.
"Oh, it's not like your nose is going to collapse from being pressed down like that?" Zhou Qingchi joked.
Upon hearing this, Bai Yixia touched the bridge of her nose. Although it didn't have glasses or lenses, it still had some weight to it. She hadn't noticed it before when she wasn't paying attention, but after Zhou Qingchi pointed it out, she felt a little uncomfortable.
This was just a spontaneous outfit choice, so Bai Yixia didn't pay much attention to it and smiled, "Okay. Let's go home then."
She peeked at the crowd at the entrance and thought that if she tried to hail a taxi at this hour, she would be stuck in traffic for ages.
When I opened the ride-hailing app again, the road leading out of the school was completely red.
Well, how should I put it? It was expected.
Bai Yixia asked Zhou Qingchi for his opinion, "Brother Zhou, how should we get there? By taxi or by subway?"
She glanced at her luggage; it was just a small suitcase, convenient no matter which way she traveled. But Zhou Qingchi, being from out of town, had more luggage, with a suitcase half his height standing behind him.
Zhou Qingchi looked at the already congested road and smiled helplessly, "Take the subway? Taking a taxi now might not be as fast as walking back."
Bai Yixia was amused by her exaggerated statement, nodded, and walked alongside him toward the subway station.
It was a holiday, and it happened to be Friday evening, so even the subway was packed with people.
Bai Yixia survives in the cracks of the crowd.
Because of the large box, not many people were around Zhou Qingchi; they mostly walked around him.
Noticing Bai Yixia's predicament, Zhou Qingchi reached out and put his arm around Bai Yixia's shoulder, pulling her into his embrace as they walked forward.
"Be careful, there are quite a lot of people around right now."
Bai Yixia sighed regretfully, "If I had known! If I had known it would be like this, I would have just sat comfortably in the car and let the traffic jam pass by." Especially Zhou Qingchi, who was dragging a large suitcase, seemed to have some difficulty moving when the flow of people was fast.
But as soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Qingchi smacked him on the back of the head. "What are you saying? When we're stuck in traffic, it's a stop-and-go situation. You might throw up on me before long."
Bai Yixia shut her mouth.
The two were squeezed together by the crowd, and Bai Yixia could almost feel Zhou Qingchi's body temperature and the trembling that came with his laughter.
“Taking the subway is great, we can get home earlier and collapse. Right?” Zhou Qingchi’s gentle, deep voice fell into my ear.
Bai Yixia hummed in agreement and rubbed her slightly warm ear tips.
The subway station is so cold in summer and hot in winter; I wish I hadn't worn such thick clothes.
This stop is at the end of the line, and many people get on the bus, but there aren't too many people on the bus.
Bai Yixia took Zhou Qingchi's hand and squeezed to stand at the door. Although it wasn't ideal, it was incredibly convenient for them, who were dragging two suitcases.
Bai Yixia leaned against the car door, chuckling to herself, "This door only opens at our stop, so I know how to use it pretty well. Heh heh~"
She tilted her head back, squinted her eyes, and smiled, looking just like a smug little kitten. Zhou Qingchi had never quite understood why some people always liked to create animal sculptures of people.
Now he understands.
His hand, gripping the lever, was itching to pinch Bai Yixia's cheek.
Bai Yixia was still waiting for Zhou Qingchi's reply. Seeing him staring blankly at her, she wanted to tug at his sleeve to call him back.
But remembering the hand he had pressed against her chest earlier, Bai Yixia changed her mind, reaching out to place her hand on the back of his hand and gently scratching it twice. "Little Zhou?"
"Hmm?" The effect was immediate, and Zhou Qingchi quickly came to his senses. "So familiar with it, do you usually take the subway home?"
"Oh, no, I usually hitch a ride home with my dad," Bai Yixia said with a smile.
Zhou Qingchi looked up at the route, then down at Bai Yixia's shoes—thick-soled leather shoes. He frowned slightly. "Thirty-two stops. Your feet will hurt from standing for so long."
As he spoke, he moved his suitcase slightly, gestured with his chin towards Bai Yixia, and said, "While there aren't many people around, let's grab a good spot and sit on my suitcase."
Bai Yixia was taken aback. "This...this isn't a good idea."
She said this, but her body moved accordingly. Bai Yixia sat diagonally on the suitcase, her feet a centimeter or two off the ground, and couldn't help but sway, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Zhou Qingchi.
Seeing that she was seated, Zhou Qingchi braced himself on either side of her body, pulling her into his arms.
The two were close together, and Zhou Qingchi's nose brushed against Bai Yixia's forehead, the soft wisps of hair tickling her.
Their eyes met, and the atmosphere suddenly became somewhat romantic, the air itself becoming sweet. Bai Yixia lowered her head, pulled out her earphones, and put one into Zhou Qingchi's ear.
"Let's listen to music, but it'll still take a long time," Bai Yixia whispered.
Zhou Qingchi tilted her head slightly, her ear tips turning a little red, and said, "Mm."
Bai Yixia's playlist is mostly soothing instrumental music, which serves as her spiritual nourishment while she paints.
The passengers on the subway were all quiet, wearing headphones and looking at their own things, with only a few people occasionally saying a few words in hushed tones.
The whistling wind inside the tunnel became a constant source of "white noise."
The subway was well-heated, and the familiar tunes filled the air. Familiar faces were also in front of her. Bai Yixia blinked and then closed her eyes in a carefree manner.
She stumbled forward into Zhou Qingchi's arms, her phone dangling precariously from her hand.
Zhou Qingchi quickly grabbed the phone, then reached out and wrapped his arms around the person in front of him, holding them firmly in his embrace.
He chuckled and ruffled Bai Yixia's hair, then plucked the round little flower as if fulfilling a dream, saying, "I'm on a long journey and I'm not sleepy at all, but you're tired."
It sounded like he was complaining, but only he knew how much laughter was in his tone.
Zhou Qingchi turned off the music and put the earphones into Bai Yixia's ears to block out the subway noise. He patted her back casually.
Bai Yixia suddenly felt incredibly sleepy; this was the consequence of staying up all night studying. But the embrace was so comfortable that she struggled for a moment before obediently falling asleep.
When she came to her senses again, Bai Yixia felt something moving under her chin. She opened her eyes drowsily and subconsciously looked up.
Suddenly, her cheek touched a warm palm, and Bai Yixia realized with a start that her action was just like when she rubbed her face against Zhou Qingchi's palm.
She woke up abruptly, her eyes wide open. She tilted her head awkwardly and stammered, "Oh, oh, Brother Zhou, I just fell asleep."
Zhou Qingchi was also taken aback, but he didn't pull his hand back. Instead, he straightened Bai Yixia's disheveled scarf and said, "Your face is so red. I was just about to untie it a little for you."
Bai Yixia's heart pounded so hard it almost drowned out Zhou Qingchi's voice, making it somewhat muffled. She opened her eyes wide, trying hard to hear Zhou Qingchi's words clearly.
Zhou Qingchi couldn't help but laugh and took off one of her earphones for her. "Silly. This earphone has such good noise cancellation."
Perhaps her mind was completely blank after a good night's sleep, for Bai Yixia felt weak all over at Zhou Qingchi's smile. She raised her hand to her chest, the words of her heart about to spill out, "Zhou Qingchi, I...I—"
drop.
The subway doors across the street opened, taking away a group of passengers, leaving the carriage much emptier.
Bai Yixia immediately shut her mouth. She felt like crying inside; this was no good time or place.
Zhou Qingchi looked at her and finally reached out to pinch her cheek. "Get up and stand up for a bit. We're almost there, your legs will go numb soon."
The romantic atmosphere was instantly shattered. Bai Yixia slowly stood up and muttered to herself, "If I get numb, I'll just fall into your arms."
Zhou Qingchi, who happened to be looking down, was speechless.
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