ORCBRB – Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Speaking of the past, Jian Cenyu asked, “Do you remember how we became friends?”
When Sang Shi'an was in elementary school, Sang Shiyue was studying abroad. One day, her mother brought an older girl home, saying that she would be staying with them for a while.
Then, she picked out the prettiest lollipop, knocked on Jian Cenyu’s door, and declared that she wanted to be friends with the older girl.
Sang Shi'an avoided Jian Cenyu’s gaze. “How would I remember that?”
Jian Cenyu’s eyes followed her. “Alright, you were too young back then. It’s normal not to remember.”
Hearing Jian Cenyu’s nonchalant tone, Sang Shi'an felt a little uncomfortable again. She thought of the ‘friend she really likes’ that Jian Cenyu had mentioned before.
“It’s not because I was too young, it’s because I only remember people I particularly care about,” Sang Shi'an said deliberately. “Don’t act like I’m so important to you. Go reminisce with that friend you like so much.”
After a brief silence, Jian Cenyu asked with an ambiguous tone, “Do you mind that I have close friends?”
Sang Shi'an looked away, feigning indifference. “What is there for me to mind?”
Jian Cenyu nodded. “That’s true.”
Sang Shi'an: ...
Sang Shi'an felt the air in the lab was a bit stuffy and quickly found an excuse to leave.
After returning home, Sang Shi'an ordered dinner from a new, trendy online restaurant. The delivery was a far cry from the dine-in experience; there was no beautiful plating, nor was it fresh-out-of-the-kitchen hot.
Upon opening it, it had the distinct look of a pre-made meal.
Sang Shi'an instantly lost interest. To make matters worse, it started to rain heavily outside. Winter was approaching, and each downpour brought a new wave of cold. Living on a high floor, the sound of the wind was particularly loud. Thinking of the delivery drivers, she put away the thought of ordering again and forced herself to continue eating.
In the middle of her meal, her mother made a WeChat call, asking her to come home for dinner this Saturday. She said an important guest was coming. Sang Shi'an wanted to ask more, but the call was cut off due to a bad signal on her mother’s end.
Sang Shi'an had planned to watch a movie to pass the time, but seeing that Jian Cenyu hadn't returned yet, she inexplicably took out the photo of Jian Cenyu's browser history she had taken from her computer.
She first connected her computer to a VPN, then searched for the first term: #lesbian high H yuri film#.
Perhaps because she was using a different browser than the one on Jian Cenyu’s computer, she only found a website link at the bottom of the first page of search results.
Without paying attention to the movie title, she randomly clicked on the first one and started watching. The video was only half an hour long.
At the beginning, a protagonist knocked on the door of a villa. The hostess who opened the door looked nervous upon seeing her, and then a series of threats followed. It was entirely in English with no subtitles, and the pronunciation was quite muffled. To put it simply, it was a cheating-themed story where the younger sister-in-law forces herself on the older sister-in-law after the brother leaves.
After less than a minute of dialogue, the two protagonists started getting physical. Sang Shi'an propped her chin on her hand and stared at the computer screen, listening as their argument grew quieter, gradually replaced by the sound of intense kissing.
As a sense of moisture filled the entire screen, Sang Shi'an felt her scalp tingle, her mouth go dry, and her breathing quicken for a moment.
This inexplicable physiological reaction made her extremely uncomfortable. She checked the time and realized, without noticing, that twenty minutes had passed. Startled, Sang Shi'an quickly shut her laptop.
She got out of bed and took a shower.
Later, when she tried to sleep, she tossed and turned all night, having all sorts of chaotic dreams. In her dreams, the bodies of the two protagonists from the movie would appear from time to time, but when they turned their heads, their faces would become blurry.
Sang Shi'an tried hard to see clearly. When the mist covering their faces finally dissipated, one of the faces became her own, and Jian Cenyu was on top of her, leaning in to kiss her cheek. Everywhere she touched felt like it was being ignited by sparks.
The subsequent kisses got closer and closer to her lips, brushing past the corner of her mouth before landing on her lips. Even the moist breath felt incredibly real.
It was truly a nightmare.
The next day was Wednesday. The afternoon was a public break, and it was the second-year students from the School of Economics and Management's turn for the physical fitness test.
The smaller events like sit-ups weren't too difficult, but the 800-meter run was a headache.
Right after lunch, Xu Taotao was wailing in the dorm, “It’s been a year! I’ve been lying around like a corpse for a whole year since high school, how can I possibly run anymore? I heard that those who don’t pass have to retake it in small groups. Do you think it’s too late for me to find someone to run for me?”
Sang Shi'an hadn't slept well last night and listlessly pushed her head away. “Don’t lean on me. If you cripple my legs, how am I supposed to run 800 meters?”
Xu Taotao let out an exaggerated ‘Awu!’ and pounced on Jiang Xinqi. “Jiang Jiang, look at her! I knew she wouldn’t want me anymore after getting with Senior Jian. I’m as light as a feather, and she’s saying I’ll crush her legs!”
Sang Shi'an’s teasing voice was weak. “Aren’t you afraid her girlfriend will get jealous if you hug Jiang Jiang like that?”
Xu Taotao quickly retracted her hands, declaring righteously, “Which one of your eyes saw me hugging her?”
At one in the afternoon, the group went downstairs to the sports field.
The standing long jump and sit-and-reach were completed with ease. When it was time for sit-ups, she let out a yawn and noticed that Su Ningyue, who had promised to hold her legs, was nowhere to be seen.
Sang Shi'an sat on the mat where the teacher was calling out names and asked Xu Taotao beside her, “Where did Su Ningyue go?”
“She was just here. Why don’t you find someone else to help you?” Xu Taotao frowned at her exhausted appearance. “You’ve never been this sleepy before, even when you didn’t sleep well. Why do you look like you’ve been completely drained today? Are you not feeling well?”
Sang Shi'an pressed her temples, thinking to herself: Wasn't my energy drained by Jian Cenyu in my dream?
She mumbled, “I’m fine.”
The number of girls in their class was even, so pairing up to hold each other’s legs would have been perfect. With Su Ningyue gone, she could only find a boy.
Someone immediately volunteered, sounding rather excited. “How about I do it?”
The PE teacher holding the stopwatch looked impatient. Sang Shi'an was reluctant, but just as she was about to agree, she saw Su Ningyue rushing back from the entrance, pulling someone with her. “My hands aren’t strong enough, I can’t hold your legs, so I went to the entrance and grabbed someone for you.”
Sang Shi'an looked up, her sluggish spirit instantly waking up.
The person being pulled over was Jian Cenyu.
Su Ningyue leaned close to her ear and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, “See how loyal I am? Not sleepy anymore, are you?”
Sang Shi'an: ...
Sang Shi'an was numb.
Her friend might be an idiot.
Jian Cenyu didn't seem to understand the situation yet. “What are you guys doing?”
The people around them hadn't gotten into the sit-up position yet. Sang Shi'an recited in a flat, mantra-like tone, “You might not have needed physical tests at Oxford, but as you can see, we’re about to do sit-ups. I happen to need someone to hold my legs. Do you still remember how you used to hold people’s legs in high school?”
Hearing this, Jian Cenyu nodded, looking a bit surprised.
Sang Shi'an sighed, and with an expression that said, ‘I knew you’d be speechless too,’ she lifted her chin. “You better hold them tight. If I don’t pass, I’m dragging you to the make-up test to be embarrassed with me.”
Jian Cenyu still didn't speak, just nodded.
Sang Shi'an suddenly hesitated. “You haven’t actually forgotten how to give someone leverage during sit-ups, have you? Then… then forget it, I’ll just find Su Ning—”
Just as Sang Shi'an was about to get up to call Su Ningyue, Jian Cenyu’s hands suddenly wrapped around Sang Shi'an’s legs. Her palms pressed towards herself, and like a soft little kitten, Sang Shi'an was pulled back without warning.
After barely steadying herself, she glared at Jian Cenyu. “What are you doing?”
Jian Cenyu pointed to the other students who were ready. “They’re all ready.”
Before they could say more, the fierce-looking PE teacher looked over. “Everyone, get ready, we’re about to start.”
Sang Shi'an held her breath and lay down on the mat sullenly.
The sunlight above was a bit glaring, blurring Jian Cenyu’s face behind a halo of light. Beside the PE teacher, students who were watching the spectacle came and went.
She heard Jian Cenyu ask, “Is this pressure enough?”
Sang Shi'an moved her legs, confirming the pressure from Jian Cenyu’s knees. Just as she was about to nod, her rising gaze met Jian Cenyu’s.
Bumping into Jian Cenyu on the sports field during the once-a-year fitness test… she could probably go buy a lottery ticket, right?
“Don’t curl up your body,” she heard the passing PE teacher say. “You won’t be able to do sit-ups like that.”
Sang Shi'an pursed her lips. Without even touching her face, she could feel how hot it was.
But in the next moment, she felt Jian Cenyu’s hands on her waist, moving her up a little. The scent from Jian Cenyu’s body invaded her senses. “Nervous?”
Jian Cenyu’s voice was very low, probably inaudible even to Xu Taotao lying next to her. The hands on her waist moved back to the bend of her knees. “The passing mark isn’t hard to reach. Just relax.”
The PE teacher’s whistle blew. Sang Shi'an placed her hands behind her head and used her core strength to sit up, getting closer and closer to Jian Cenyu. She fell back down before even completing the standard form.
The PE teacher seemed to have her eyes on her. “The girl in the blue shirt, your form isn’t standard. It doesn’t count.”
Sang Shi'an suddenly felt that she was being a coward. So many people were doing sit-ups, wasn't it normal for faces to get close? It wasn't like they were actually touching, so what was the big deal?
Even if Jian Cenyu’s sexual orientation was towards women, was she going to eat her or something?
So, the next time she sat up, Sang Shi'an used more core strength.
As she rose, she kissed Jian Cenyu’s neck.
As her lips brushed past, the hands on her calves suddenly tightened, the fingers clenching and sending a scorching heat through her pants.
It was the same force as when her calves were grabbed and pulled back in last night’s dream.
Sang Shi'an’s vision swam.
She thought.
She was going to die.
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