BSS - Chapter 78

Chapter 78

The sink area outside was separate from the shower room. Steam billowed in the inner room, coating the glass door with water droplets, while the outside area remained completely dry and free of moisture. Deng Chuan was caught off guard when Xu Wei forcefully pulled her in. Before she could even steady herself, her eyes fell upon a graceful trail of dark footprints on the gray floor. Xu Wei's fair, bare feet stood on the ground, still dripping with water, instantly dampening a small patch of the floor.

The sight made Deng Chuan feel cold, but before she could hand over the clothes in her hands, she lost her grip. Xu Wei, throwing herself into her arms, knocked them to the floor.

Xu Wei was soaking wet. She stumbled into Deng Chuan's embrace, instantly drenching her clothes. Her cheeks were flushed red, and she bent her porcelain-white neck to get closer. Her skin was warm, still carrying the heat from her shower.

Deng Chuan could only support her while looking into her hazy eyes. "How are you? Can you stand steady? Are you cold?"

She hadn't even taken off her coat since coming in, and as Xu Wei burrowed into her, she ended up being wrapped tightly within it.

Their bodies were pressed together. Deng Chuan could feel Xu Wei's arms around her waist, her warm breath falling by her ear, bringing a tingling itch.

Deng Chuan belatedly felt a little shy, her heart fluttering.

Water droplets slid down Xu Wei's cheeks, and her wet hair clung to her skin. Black hair against white skin. The ends of her hair, clinging to her neck, extended downward, perfectly concealed by the coat. Watching her, Deng Chuan couldn't help but reach out to brush the stray hairs from her face.

Xu Wei held her tightly. They were so close that Deng Chuan became aware of the undulating curves of her body. Realizing the situation, the tips of her ears burned fiercely. She spoke as if to distract herself, hugging Xu Wei tightly and trying to inch her outside, wanting to get her to the bed and under the covers to keep warm.

But Xu Wei ignored her questions and didn't follow her. She raised her hands to hook them around Deng Chuan's neck, letting her collarbones and shoulders peek out from the open collar of the black coat. Tilting her head up, she asked slowly, "I told you to come in. Why didn't you?"

Her tone even held a hint of grievance.

It was clear that Xu Wei was a bit dazed. Her eyes lacked their usual clarity, which made her seem especially cute. Deng Chuan, on the other hand, sobered up, finding the situation a bit amusing. Mindful that Xu Wei was still standing barefoot, she placated her with a kiss on the cheek, then used some force to half-drag, half-carry her out. She helped her onto the bed and wrapped her in the blanket.

Once she was carried out, Xu Wei quieted down, obediently letting Deng Chuan move her. She sank into the snow-white bedding, which covered half her face.

Patting the well-wrapped blanket, Deng Chuan let out a sigh of relief and prepared to change out of her damp clothes. But she was still worried about Xu Wei. Fearing she might be thirsty after drinking and then showering, she first opened a bottle of mineral water and placed it on the bedside table. She leaned close to the woman who had unknowingly closed her eyes amidst the bedding, her tone gentle and considerate. "There's water here if you get thirsty. I'll come join you after my shower."

Xu Wei listened with her eyes closed, but then she furrowed her brows and burrowed deeper into the blanket, nearly covering her entire face.

To check on her condition, Deng Chuan brushed aside the hair hanging on her face. Seeing no reaction from the closed-eyed Xu Wei, whose long eyelashes rose and fell with her breathing, she couldn't resist gently kissing her cheek again. "I'll be right back."

Xu Wei's arrival had been sudden, so Deng Chuan hadn't brought a change of clothes. She wore Xu Wei's pajamas; thankfully, Xu Wei had also brought disposable underwear. She quietly gathered her things, showered, and came out. Xu Wei was still lying in the pile of blankets, breathing evenly, seemingly sound asleep.

With a click, Deng Chuan turned off the room's lights. Leaving only the faint glow from the hallway, she walked to the bed, tucked the blanket around Xu Wei, and carefully lay down beside her.

The space under the covers was warm. As if sensing Deng Chuan's arrival, Xu Wei snuggled into her arms like a spoiled child the moment she got in. Deng Chuan wrapped an arm around her waist. Xu Wei's skin was dry now, and in the warmth of the bed, it felt like warm jade. Worried she might catch a cold, Deng Chuan felt her forehead for a while to check her temperature, and still not reassured, she pressed their foreheads together to gauge it.

Xu Wei let her do as she pleased. After snuggling closer, she kept her eyes closed and rested her head in the crook of Deng Chuan's neck, letting out a sigh of deep contentment before falling into a heavy sleep.

It was still early. Although Deng Chuan had also had a little to drink, her nerves were instead buzzing with excitement. She wasn't sleepy at all. She held Xu Wei and adjusted them into a comfortable position. Cradling her, she quietly picked up her phone.

Opening WeChat, she finally noticed the pile of @s in her class group and smaller group chats. Her gossipy classmates were all asking who the pretty older sister who came to find her was. Not only had they been seen in the library, but their walk across campus had also been spotted, and someone had even taken a photo from behind.

The person who took the photo was shorter than both of them, and since it was taken from behind, the faint halo outlined around them by the setting sun was especially obvious. They were holding hands, their bodies involuntarily leaning toward each other as they talked. Deng Chuan's gaze on Xu Wei's profile looked especially focused and affectionate; anyone could see she was different.

Deng Chuan stared at the photo for a long while, silently saved it, and didn't reply to the class group. She only replied in her dorm group chat: She's my girlfriend.

Xie Yao, who was holed up in the library, replied in seconds: OMG I SHIP IT SO HARD!!!

She was so excited she added three exclamation points, followed by a series of cat-rolling-on-the-floor stickers. Deng Chuan found it amusing, and her mood became especially light.

She sent a cat-rolling-on-the-floor sticker back to Xie Yao. Before she could say anything else, she saw Li Mingtang pop up in the chat. She sent a long string of drooling soybean emojis and said dazedly: Deng Chuan… your girlfriend is so pretty,,, sister,,,

The two of them launched into a heated discussion about Xu Wei's beauty, so enthusiastic that Deng Chuan couldn't even get a word in. In the end, it was Zhou Zhi who finally asked Deng Chuan: Are you coming back tonight?

Deng Chuan replied: No.

The three university students in the dorm immediately sent a flurry of "I get it, I get it" messages, mixed with plenty of stickers. Xie Yao grandly suggested: Why don't you just not come back ever again? I give you permission to go out there and love her hard!

Li Mingtang actively responded: I support this! With a sister this beautiful, you should be with her and love her hard every single day!

Deng Chuan couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Her laughter, however, woke Xu Wei up. Xu Wei opened her eyes and took a few seconds to process her surroundings in the dimness. She looked at Deng Chuan quietly, without a word.

Sensing Xu Wei's gaze, Deng Chuan looked down, put her phone aside, and tightened her arm around her waist, asking in a low voice, "You're awake? Does your head hurt? Do you want some water?"

Xu Wei shook her head. Her gaze had already regained its usual focused intensity. She stretched out her arms, wrapped them around Deng Chuan's neck, revealing half a bare shoulder, and asked curiously, "What are you laughing at? You seem so happy."

Deng Chuan nuzzled her cheek and held up her phone screen for her to see. "My classmates saw us."

Xu Wei looked at the chat history, motioning for Deng Chuan to scroll. A faint smile played on her lips. She didn't mention the compliments from Xie Yao and the others, only saying, "Me coming here… it won't affect you, will it?"

Deng Chuan replied without a second thought, "No."

She soothingly stroked Xu Wei's face, then propped herself up to reach for the mineral water on the bedside table and brought it to Xu Wei's lips. "Have a sip of water- the hotel kettle might not be clean, so I didn't boil any. There's only mineral water."

Xu Wei took a few sips from her hand, then pushed it away. "That's enough. You drink." Her lips were now moist, shining with a dewy light in the dimness. Deng Chuan put the bottle back, pulled the blanket up higher, and tucked it in tightly, covering her exposed shoulder completely. "Don't catch a cold."

She heard Xu Wei, nestled in her arms, ask slowly, "Deng Chuan. Do you know about an ancient figure… named Liuxia Hui?"

Before Deng Chuan could reply, Xu Wei lifted her head and planted a kiss on the kid's lips. "That's you."

Deng Chuan's throat moved. "Teacher Xu."

After the kiss, Xu Wei tilted her head to look at her, the smile in her eyes especially obvious even in the dark. "Hm?"

"I know who Liuxia Hui is." The kid's fingertips traced a path from her waist, gradually moving up to grip her slender shoulder. "But I'm not him."

The water droplets on Xu Wei's lips were consumed by Deng Chuan. As she endured the kid's fervent lips and tongue, she murmured between messy breaths, "How will you prove it…"

A faint glimmer of light from the hallway spilled onto the snow-white bed, stretching from the flat edge of the blanket to the undulating center. Outside the curtains was the radiant, colorful city of Beijing, its skyscrapers endlessly lit with prosperous lights. On the roads, a river of lights flowed, almost making the moon in the night sky pale in comparison. But inside the room, there was only the faint glow from the hallway, like a newborn candle flame, or like the way they were looking at each other at this very moment. It was the only thing flowing in the darkness.

She was sweating, and the blanket was too much. Deng Chuan stuck her foot out from under the covers and inadvertently touched Xu Wei's bare calf.

Xu Wei reached out and switched on the bedside lamp. Deng Chuan's vision was instantly flooded with light.

The light outlined Xu Wei's form at that moment. She had leaned out to turn on the lamp, the curve of her waist forming an extremely beautiful silhouette. After turning on the light, she turned back to look at Deng Chuan. Her gaze was like a sentence without any aggression, both affectionate and silent.

No emotion could survive in the face of Xu Wei at this moment. Looking at her, Deng Chuan only felt an incomparable calm in her heart.

She propped herself up against the headboard and held Xu Wei in her arms.

The blanket was pulled up to their shoulders, covering more of the dark red marks.

Deng Chuan said to Xu Wei in a low voice, "There's something… I want to tell you."

Xu Wei lowered her eyes quietly and listened as Deng Chuan struggled to finish explaining the year-long exchange student program.

After hearing her out, she didn't speak at first. Instead, she looked up and studied Deng Chuan carefully.

Deng Chuan watched her nervously as silence stretched on in the room. Even though she had mentally prepared herself that afternoon and during dinner, Xu Wei's silence left her feeling uncertain. In the quiet, she couldn't help but bite her lip, about to say something.

But Xu Wei spoke first.

Her voice was soft. She said her name softly, then asked softly, "Deng Chuan. What are you really afraid of?"

Deng Chuan's mouth opened, but no words came out. Then she heard Xu Wei say, "Are you afraid of yourself, or are you afraid of me?"

Deng Chuan immediately denied it by reflex. "I'm not…"

"Don't talk." Xu Wei turned her face away. "A short one-year program, that's still half a year away, is enough to make you so afraid for our future, enough to make you overthink things so much. Who do you lack confidence in? I came to Beijing to celebrate your birthday, and this is how you treat me?"

Deng Chuan was stunned by Xu Wei's string of words. Xu Wei had never spoken to her like this before. She wanted to cry, but she gritted her teeth and held it back, reaching out to hug her tightly. "That's not it… I just…"

"You're just stupid!"

Xu Wei broke free from her arms and sat up straight, looking down at her. She turned her face away angrily, then, after a thought, turned back and bit Deng Chuan on the shoulder. "You listen to me. Our relationship can never become a burden to you. Your future is our future. We're still young, what is there to be afraid of?"

Xu Wei squeezed Deng Chuan's cheek forcefully. "I'll tell you again, we still have a long life ahead of us. Do you understand?"

Deng Chuan nodded repeatedly, looking up at Xu Wei with a pitiful expression. She reached out to hug her, but Xu Wei grabbed her hand and placed it on her own waist. "You hold me."

"Do you feel it?" She looked deeply into Deng Chuan's eyes. "I'm willing to let you hold me. I'm willing to be with you. Deng Chuan, do you understand?"

The dim yellow light of the bedside lamp illuminated their small world, making Xu Wei's voice as soft and tender as a flickering candle flame. "It's almost twelve o'clock. You're about to turn nineteen. You were the one who said that at nineteen, you could protect me well."

"I have always believed in you, unwavering. Whether it's about the future, or about me, I won't allow you to have the slightest hesitation."

Footnotes

Liuxia Hui: An ancient Chinese figure renowned for his self-discipline. According to legend, he once held a woman in his arms all night to keep her warm without any improper conduct, making his name a byword for sexual restraint.

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