BSS - Chapter 62

Chapter 62

Pei Qingyu froze for two seconds, then reached out and gave Deng Chuan's waist a push. "Who are you? I don't know you. Stand back."

It was just a joke, of course. Deng Chuan looked down at her, smiling without a word.

Pei Qingyu's hand rested on Deng Chuan's waist, then slid along it until she found the firm abdomen Deng Chuan had toned from working out. Before she could explore any further, Deng Chuan seized her hand.

Pei Qingyu condemned her disapprovingly, "Stingy!"

Deng Chuan nonchalantly looked away, pretending not to hear.

Pei Qingyu lowered her voice, trying to wiggle the hand that was being held tight. "Just one touch."

"No," Deng Chuan said.

"You're being so petty." Pei Qingyu struggled for a moment, but Deng Chuan only gripped her with more force.

Their strengths were about equal. Pei Qingyu wouldn't let go, and neither would Deng Chuan. They childishly remained locked in a stalemate for the rest of the ride. Just before they got off, Deng Chuan finally released her to help check her luggage, which was when Pei Qingyu seized the opportunity to sneak in another touch.

Having gotten her way, Pei Qingyu thoughtfully stood in front to clear a path for Deng Chuan, pulling her off the subway just before the crowd of people waiting at the next stop could surge on.

There was still some distance from the subway station exit to Y University. Seeing all the luggage, Deng Chuan was about to wave down a taxi when a car that had pulled over to the side honked at them.

She paid it no mind, turning her head to tell Pei Qingyu, "There's too much stuff, let's get a cab." As she spoke, she adjusted the strap of her crossbody bag and straightened the slightly rumpled collar of her T-shirt.

Pei Qingyu's reply came at the same time the car's window rolled down.

Gu Ninglu took off her sunglasses, revealing a pair of beautiful eyes. She lifted her delicate chin toward them and called out, "What a coincidence, Junior Sister."

Deng Chuan was a little surprised to see her. She pulled Pei Qingyu closer and replied with graceful composure, "Hello, Senior Sister Gu."

"Going back to the university? I'll give you a ride," Gu Ninglu offered.

Pei Qingyu glanced at Deng Chuan and said nothing, waiting for her to answer.

Deng Chuan thought for a moment and politely declined. "We're not going back to our university, so it might not be on your way. Thank you, Senior Sister."

Gu Ninglu's lips curved. She tucked a strand of long hair behind her ear and gave Deng Chuan a steady look.

Under her gaze, Deng Chuan's expression was perfectly calm. She looked back into Gu Ninglu's eyes, her dark hair and features clearly defined under the bright sun. The sense of purity that emanated from her seemed to overwhelm Gu Ninglu once more. For a fleeting moment, Gu Ninglu was dazed, her mind conjuring an image of a vast, footprint-less snowfield under a pale blue night sky.

"Why be so polite with me?" she heard herself say, her voice carrying an eagerness she had never felt in her twenty-some years of life. "I don't mind the trouble."

With things having come to this, another refusal would have been improper. Deng Chuan and Pei Qingyu thanked Gu Ninglu earnestly several times before preparing to put their luggage in the trunk. To their surprise, after opening the trunk, Gu Ninglu got out of the car to help them carry it.

Gu Ninglu was wearing culottes and a tight tank top today, revealing a sexy sliver of her fair waist. The necklace at her chest was especially dazzling in the sunlight. Deng Chuan intercepted the hand she extended to help, quickly lifting the heaviest suitcase inside first. "I've got it."

Gu Ninglu, thoroughly blocked, wasn't angry. She stood to the side with her arms crossed, a smile playing on her lips as she watched Deng Chuan load the several heavy suitcases into the trunk. The contours of Deng Chuan's arms tensed beneath the soft cotton of her white T-shirt. Gu Ninglu took it all in, inconspicuously pinching her own fingertips.

The three of them got into the car. Out of politeness, Deng Chuan sat in the front passenger seat. Gu Ninglu turned her head, watched her fasten her seatbelt, and only then started the car, asking in a light tone, "Where are we headed?"

"Y University," Deng Chuan said.

Gu Ninglu put on a thoughtful expression. "I'm not very familiar with the roads over there, and my phone is charging. Could you help me with the navigation?"

Deng Chuan was taken aback for a second before agreeing. "Okay."

Gu Ninglu turned the car onto the road. Worried she wouldn't be able to see the navigation screen, Deng Chuan turned up the volume and placed her phone on the holder next to the steering wheel.

Guided by the navigation voice, the car headed toward Y University. For a while, no one spoke. The view ahead was excellent; the sky was a vast, empty blue, so thin and light it looked as if a single puff of air could blow it away. The monotonous sound of driving made Deng Chuan a little sleepy. Just as her eyes were drooping and she was about to doze off, she suddenly heard Gu Ninglu speak from beside her.

"You have a WeChat message," she said. "Want to check it first?"

Deng Chuan's first thought was that it was a message from Xu Wei, so she unhesitatingly replied, "Okay," and reached for the phone on the holder.

It was indeed a message from Xu Wei. She was having lunch and had casually asked if Deng Chuan and Pei Qingyu had eaten yet.

Deng Chuan replied: Not yet, we have to drop her stuff off at her university first.

She added: You eat more.

Xu Wei replied quickly: When I'm alone, anything I eat is too much. What's there to 'eat more' of?

Deng Chuan smiled and asked her directly: You miss me, huh?

On Xu Wei's end, the "typing…" indicator flashed for a few seconds before a sticker of a cat pouncing on food appeared.

The smile on Deng Chuan's lips widened, like ripples spreading from the center of a lake, reaching the corners of her eyes. Gu Ninglu, while driving, discreetly glanced at her several times but said nothing.

But even if she didn't say it, a sour feeling bubbled up inside her like fizz from a soda bottle, stinging her nose. She had never felt anything like it before. Forcing herself to calm down, she said gently to Deng Chuan, who was still looking down at her phone, "Junior Sister, could you move that a little closer? I can't quite hear the navigation."

Deng Chuan looked up, and upon hearing her, she replied apologetically and put the phone back.

Her lack of hesitation made Gu Ninglu feel a little better. She took the initiative to start a conversation. "Your friend is from Y University?"

"Yes," Deng Chuan said. "She's also from the art academy."

Gu Ninglu was pleasantly surprised. Deng Chuan was so gentle yet distant that she had found no way to get close to her. This friend, whom Deng Chuan would go to the airport to pick up, must be very close to her. It was a glaringly obvious common topic. "What's her major?"

"Oil painting," Pei Qingyu said.

Gu Ninglu chuckled softly and casually revealed, "I think the art academy is holding an oil painting exhibition in a few days. I have a friend who works there. If you want tickets, you can ask me."

Deng Chuan didn't know much about art exhibitions in the country, but when she heard Pei Qingyu let out a "wow," she understood that these tickets were probably hard to come by. She quickly thanked Gu Ninglu. "Thank you, Senior Sister."

Pei Qingyu, unaware of Gu Ninglu's hidden intentions, was simply impressed by her connections. "That's amazing, Senior Sister! Even scalpers can't get tickets to the art academy's exhibitions. Is this what connections are?!"

Her words were bubbly, and she went on for a while, praising Gu Ninglu until she laughed. "It's not that exaggerated. Internal tickets are actually easy to get."

"Internal tickets are a whole different story!"

With one praising and the other laughing, the atmosphere in the car was no longer silent. By the time they got out at Y University, Pei Qingyu was already adding Gu Ninglu on WeChat.

Deng Chuan pulled Pei Qingyu, who wanted to keep chatting with Gu Ninglu, and smiled as she said her goodbyes. "Thank you, Senior Sister. You've been a great help today. When I have time, I'll treat you and Senior Sister Liang Xue to a meal."

Gu Ninglu stared straight at her. "You promised, okay?" She tilted her head in a coquettish manner. "I have work during the day, so you'll have to make an exception and treat us to dinner. Is that okay?"

"Of course," Deng Chuan said with a smile, seeing her to her car. "Goodbye, Senior Sister."

"Goodbye."

Watching Gu Ninglu's car speed away, Pei Qingyu pulled Deng Chuan toward the entrance to register and asked, "How do you know this senior sister? Being able to get internal tickets to the art academy's exhibition… that's not just any connection."

"I modeled for her graduation project once," Deng Chuan said.

Pei Qingyu nodded in understanding. As they pulled their luggage into the campus, she said, "If I didn't know you liked Teacher Xu, I would've thought you had something going on with that rich sister."

"Huh?"

"The way she looks at you is so… you know," Pei Qingyu said. Growing up, she had become all too familiar with that kind of gaze directed at Deng Chuan.

Deng Chuan was speechless for a moment, then laughed. "No way."

She thought about it seriously. "Senior Sister Gu is… very enthusiastic. But there's nothing between us."

Although some of Gu Ninglu's actions were a bit strange, including today, they had only met twice. Deng Chuan didn't think they would have any significant interactions in the future, other than perhaps sharing a meal through their mutual connection with Liang Xue. She pushed Pei Qingyu, urging her to walk faster. "Hurry, hurry. I'm starving. Let's drop your stuff off and go eat."

It was lunchtime, and only two of Pei Qingyu's roommates were in the dorm. Deng Chuan put an arm around her shoulder, introduced her to her roommates, passed around some snacks, and helped her briefly tidy up her bed and desk. Finally, they left Y University with a sense of relief and sat down at a barbecue restaurant not far from the campus gate.

They were having griddle barbecue. The waiter helped them cook the fresh lamb, mixed with onions and cilantro, on a round iron plate called a zhizi. The lamb was tender and juicy, its aroma filling the air. They dipped it in chili oil and ate it tucked inside sesame seed buns.

Pei Qingyu took one bite, and her eyes lit up. Deng Chuan snapped a photo and sent it to Xu Wei before unhurriedly picking up her chopsticks to eat.

The waiter came over a few times to check the heat and refill their dipping sauces, giving a polite nod to Deng Chuan when she thanked him. "Please, enjoy your meal."

Both of them were hungry, so they ate solidly for a while without speaking. After finishing two buns, Pei Qingyu finally slowed down and asked Deng Chuan, "What are your plans for the National Day holiday?"

"I'm going back," Deng Chuan said.

Pei Qingyu laughed. "I knew it."

Deng Chuan asked her, "What did you know?"

"Go look in a mirror, will you?" Pei Qingyu said. "This look of yours, so deeply in love… think of how many hearts you'd be breaking among the junior girls at our old school."

Deng Chuan blinked, not understanding. After a long moment, she said, "I only love her. What anyone else thinks has nothing to do with me."

When she said this, her tone was no longer gentle, no longer casual. The statement carried a finality and cruelty, sharp as the bang of a gavel, like a judge in a courtroom announcing the final verdict, to be proclaimed for all the countless summers to come.

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