Come home with me
It's unlikely he'll fall into her arms. We arrived at the station in less than three minutes; not many people got off at this stop, just a handful.
The subway passage was completely empty. Bai Yixia dragged her small suitcase behind Zhou Qingchi, staring at his back, when a whimsical idea suddenly popped into her head.
If a child is quiet, they're definitely up to no good.
Zhou Qingchi didn't hear Bai Yixia speak for a while, so he stopped and looked back in confusion, only to see her giving him a sweet smile.
Zhou Qingchi took a step back. "Every time you act like this, you're about to do something bad." He shrugged helplessly. "What are you planning to do?"
Bai Yixia's eyes darted back and forth between him and his suitcase. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Zhou Qingchi said righteously, "No."
Bai Yixia: "?"
She pouted, looking up at him pitifully, "Why? Brother Zhou, you've changed. You never used to refuse me."
Zhou Qingchi wasn't buying it, "Because I'm all grown up and more mature now."
Seeing that Bai Yixia still looked aggrieved, even though he knew she was faking it, Zhou Qingchi was still deeply moved. He awkwardly pointed to his own size and then looked at his suitcase.
He said with great difficulty, "How many pounds heavier am I than you? Hmm? If the wheel breaks, we'll have to carry you back."
Bai Yixia tilted her head and thought for a moment, then reluctantly accepted the explanation. However, when she passed Zhou Qingchi, she reached out and tested the weight of the box.
Bai Yixia: ...Oh my god, she's quite strong. Is Zhou Qingchi's box full of bricks?
"What did you put in the box?" Bai Yixia couldn't help but ask.
Zhou Qingchi raised an eyebrow, as if he could read minds, and replied, "Hmm, it's probably a brick."
The two stood there for no apparent reason, their eyes met, and they both smiled with their eyes crinkling.
Bai Yixia said, "Zhou Qingchi, you're so childish!"
Zhou Qingchi, unwilling to admit defeat, reached out and ruffled her hair. "Oh? Who just wanted me to sit on their suitcase and push it around? Who's the childish one here?"
Bai Yixia covered her head and took a step back. "Damn it! Don't think I don't know you were secretly pulling my hair tie in the car. You childish brat!"
Zhou Qingchi pressed on, chuckling, "Who added the sheep song to the instrumental music? Childish!"
"This!" Bai Yixia blushed. She pursed her lips, thought for a moment, and blurted out, "Didn't you watch this when you were little? It's not like we were having a cold war!"
Upon hearing this, both of them froze. They tacitly avoided mentioning the awkward two months that followed National Day when they met again.
But it wasn't dust that would blow away; it was like a tiny thorn, sneaking between them. It didn't hurt, but it was always bothersome.
"I..." Bai Yixia realized she had misspoke and twisted her hands helplessly.
Zhou Qingchi leaned closer to her and whispered, "Does Xia blame me?"
His expression remained unchanged; upon closer inspection, there was no sign of displeasure, and he was as gentle as ever.
Bai Yixia fidgeted with her cuffs, and instead of answering, asked, "Does Brother Zhou blame me?"
The answer is, of course, no.
Their long-standing tacit understanding allowed them to read each other's minds without needing to answer, and they couldn't help but laugh again.
Bai Yixia poked Zhou Qingchi's shoulder with her fingertip, the gentle pressure actually making Zhou Qingchi stand up straight. Her eyes were bright and lively, her spirits high. "Alright then, no one is allowed to mention it again!"
Zhou Qingchi nodded seriously, trying to change the subject, "Yes, from another perspective, our brainwaves are synchronized."
As they talked, the two dragged their suitcases toward the exit, making up several ridiculous excuses along the way.
The streetlights at the exit were already on. Bai Yixia squinted at the lights and felt that they looked like criminals being interrogated in a movie. So she poked Zhou Qingchi's waist and whispered, "That's enough, that's a bit too much."
If they stopped talking about this topic, the two of them would end up talking about "I like to chat with you all".
Bai Yixia wondered to herself, "Are we twenty or ten years old?"
She turned her head to look at Zhou Qingchi, who still seemed to be enjoying himself.
Bai Yixia chuckled softly twice and muttered to herself, "Okay, then it seems she's ten years old."
After exiting the subway station, it was immediately noticeable that the temperature had dropped considerably in the evening. Bai Yixia tucked her hands into her sleeves and tightened her scarf, but then, remembering Zhou Qingchi's thin clothing, she paused and took the scarf off.
Zhou Qingchi had been watching her the whole time. Seeing her like this, he asked knowingly, "Are you going to let me wear it?"
Bai Yixia looked at him, nodded, and gestured for him to lower his head a little. "Hmm~"
“But this color doesn’t match my clothes.” Zhou Qingchi said this, but obediently lowered his head and offered his neck to Bai Yixia.
This winter, Bai Yixia especially loves light yellow, even her scarf is in a similar color, which doesn't really match Zhou Qingchi's gray coat.
But Bai Yixia grabbed the scarf and yanked it hard, causing Zhou Qingchi to stumble. "Who told you to wear so little? Do you only care about style and not warmth?"
Zhou Qingchi smiled slightly, took Bai Yixia's hand and put the scarf on himself. His gaze fell directly on her face, and he said softly, "Then, am I just showing off like a peacock?"
The light gave him a golden edge, making him appear even gentler. Bai Yixia's heart skipped a beat, and she felt the palm covering the back of her hand burning like fire.
Ding-a-ling.
The two people, who were getting closer and closer, suddenly realized what was happening and turned their heads away, looking in the direction from which the sound came.
Zhou Qingyan propped his bicycle up by the roadside, his face flushed from the wind. He hissed twice and looked at his older brother and sister with a puzzled expression: "Brother, Sister Xiaxia, I recognized you two from afar. What are you doing here?"
Bai Yixia lowered her hand from Zhou Qingchi's neck, while Zhou Qingchi lowered her eyes and adjusted her scarf as if nothing had happened.
Seeing that neither of them spoke, Zhou Qingyan was a little confused. He glanced back and forth between them, noticing the slightly out-of-place scarf and Zhou Qingchi's coat, which looked even thinner than his school uniform. He suddenly realized, "Oh! It must be Sister Xiaxia. Brother, have you forgotten how warm it is back home after staying in B City for so long? Wearing so little..."
His tone carried a hint of disdain, and Bai Yixia and Zhou Qingchi secretly exchanged a glance, their eyes crinkling into a smile.
Zhou Qingchi glanced at Zhou Qingyan's clothes and snorted coldly, "Do you really have to show your bright red claws to teach me a lesson?"
Zhou Qingyan gave an awkward smile, withdrew his hand, and sped off on his bike, his voice slightly erratic in the wind, "I don't care about you! I'm leaving first, it's so cold!"
His free-spirited nature amused Bai Yixia, who nudged Zhou Qingchi with her shoulder and teased, "Peacock, you've been rejected, haven't you?"
Zhou Qingchi put his arm around her shoulder and walked slowly forward, his tone somewhat matter-of-fact, "Who cares about him? As long as you don't mind."
He lowered his head. "Will you dislike me?"
Bai Yixia felt as if the ground she was touching was about to catch fire, so she had no desire to complain.
The subway station was only a ten-minute walk from the residential area. When the two of them strolled over, Zhou Qingyan was nowhere to be seen.
A kind-faced middle-aged man peeked out from the security booth and smiled at the two of them.
"Oh, Xiaxia and Qingchi, it's been so long since I've seen you two come back together," Uncle Wang said, leaning against the window and talking to them.
Bai Yixia smiled and said, "I haven't seen Uncle Wang in a long time either. We're studying in different places now, so it's hard to even see each other."
Uncle Wang laughed heartily, then looked at the two of them. "You've grown up, you've all grown up. Where's the little girl? Didn't she come back with you?"
Remembering Nie Jiayuan's resentment about their early holiday, Bai Yixia chuckled, "That girl can't wait to get here."
After laughing, she said seriously, "She hasn't finished her exams yet, she'll be back in a couple of days."
As she spoke, she nudged Zhou Qingchi with her elbow, "Jiajia asked us to go pick her up together."
Zhou Qingchi nodded haphazardly, unable to resist teasing, "The emperor, after all, must be greeted."
Bai Yixia was surprised by the affection between them who were playfully bickering. "Her exact words were that we two should go and greet the emperor..."
Zhou Qingchi: "..."
He pushed Bai Yixia's shoulder and walked into the residential area, saying goodbye to Uncle Wang as they walked. "What's my relationship with her? We've been arguing since we were kids."
Zhou Qingchi shook his head in annoyance, as if he couldn't understand Nie Jiayuan either. "She's been like a little madwoman since she was a child."
Bai Yixia was shocked and grabbed his hand tightly. She turned her head suddenly and said, "Don't—" let it slip in front of her.
Their lips brushed lightly and quickly across each other's slightly cold cheeks, and both of them froze in place.
Zhou Qingchi slowly raised his hand and touched his face, instinctively wanting to make a joke, but seeing Bai Yixia's face turn red, he changed his words accordingly.
"Alright, for Xia's sake, let's give her a good title." Zhou Qingchi patted Bai Yixia's shoulder. "She was an empress even when she was a child."
Bai Yixia hadn't expected his reaction and didn't know how to respond for a moment. But her mouth moved faster than her brain, and by the time she realized what Zhou Qingchi had just said, she had already started laughing.
She wasn't embarrassed by a light kiss on the cheek; she had done it secretly before, but back then she didn't know Zhou Qingchi's feelings and was confused and bewildered herself.
But now that their unspoken feelings have come together, they surprisingly feel uneasy.
That's strange.
Bai Yixia slowly walked forward following Zhou Qingchi's lead, her head turning slowly as she thought: Before, when things weren't explicitly stated, everything she did was natural, so why is she so hesitant now?
Zhou Qingchi behind him also fell silent. His thick scarf covered his earlobes, and only when he unnaturally loosened his collar could a hint of blush be seen.
When she arrived at her doorstep, Bai Yixia was still lost in thought. She subconsciously opened the door and then closed it behind her. Stepping inside, she realized something was amiss when she saw Zhou Qingyan sitting at her dining table.
Zhou Qingyan was chewing on fruit while waiting for them to eat together. When he saw that only Bai Yixia was there, he was taken aback. "Sister Xiaxia, did my brother go home first?"
Bai Yixia finally realized what was happening and went back to the door to open it. She had assumed that Zhou Qingchi must have already gone home to put away his luggage, but when she opened the door, she was met with a pair of stunned eyes, and a few ripples suddenly stirred in her heart.
She spoke before Zhou Qingchi could, placing her hand on the suitcase handle and gently hooking her little finger around Zhou Qingchi's arm, "Come home with me more often, so you won't forget that you're following behind you."
Zhou Qingchi shut his mouth, lowered his head slightly, and paused for a few seconds before saying, "Okay. I'll go home with you."
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