BSS - Chapter 79

Chapter 79

The light was soft, pouring down along Xu Wei's hair, outlining her well-defined shoulders and collarbones. She held onto Deng Chuan's shoulders and leaned in to kiss the Little Friend's wet eyelashes. "Crying again? How come I never noticed before that you're such a crybaby?"

Deng Chuan's throat bobbed. She wanted to speak, but a sob escaped the moment she opened her mouth. She hiccuped and sobbed, trying to regulate her breathing, hugging Xu Wei tightly, taking a deep breath, and then exhaling. "I'm sorry."

Hugging Xu Wei, she said softly, "I was wrong."

Xu Wei hummed in acknowledgment. She heard the Little Friend say intermittently, "I'm so stupid... Don't be harsh with me."

Xu Wei stared at Deng Chuan's tear-filled eyes for a moment, then leaned in gently. "I'm not being harsh with you..." She thought for a moment, then sighed. "I'm sorry, Deng Chuan. I shouldn't be trying to guide your life. I can't still be your teacher now... But I just want you to know that everything you've experienced-the confusion, the loss, the feeling of being adrift, or the happiness, the ambition, or even... that feeling of wanting to give your all for someone, to throw caution to the wind for them-I've been through it all."

"I understand how you feel, and precisely because I understand, I have to tell you what you need to be doing right now. You need to be brave, to walk your own path forward, and not look back."

"Everything in the world changes. The only thing that's truly real is your own growth. And if my existence can give you even a little bit of motivation during this process, then that's enough. Really."

Xu Wei lowered her eyes and murmured, "Deng Chuan, do you remember? On New Year's Eve this year, you called me... I wished for all your dreams to come true. Your birthday is almost here... and I still wish for all your dreams to come true. Because I know... your wish will never change, right?"

Her voice was trembling slightly. Deng Chuan noticed and hugged her tighter, feeling Xu Wei's body trembling slightly as well. "Deng Chuan, I get scared too. No one is more afraid of change, more afraid of life, than I am. But whenever I think of you, think that I still have you, that you're here loving me, I'm not scared at all."

"You think so too, don't you?"

Xu Wei pressed against Deng Chuan's thin shoulder. She wiped her tears on Deng Chuan, while also feeling the Little Friend's warm tears falling ceaselessly onto her own neck.

After saying all this, she paused for a long while before looking up. She helped the Little Friend wipe her tears, then gestured with her chin toward the backpack on the chair by the bed. Taking a deep breath, she said in a lighthearted tone, "Alright- let's not talk about this anymore. Did you bring the documents with you?"

Deng Chuan, her eyes red-rimmed, looked at her and nodded.

Xu Wei caressed her face. "Then bring that file folder over and fill it out now."

Xu Wei's palm was warm. Deng Chuan sniffled and couldn't help but narrow her eyes, like a cat tired from crying, nuzzling against her palm again and again as she softly agreed.

For the first time in two days, the manila envelope was opened. Deng Chuan unwound the thin string wrapped around the clasp and poured out the papers inside.

There were quite a few application forms and documents to fill out. Deng Chuan sorted the papers and spread them out on the headboard. By the light of the bedside lamp, she picked up a pen and began to carefully fill them out one by one.

Xu Wei rested her chin on her hand, leaning to one side to watch her. Occasionally, she would lean over to see what she was writing.

Through the application forms in the folder, Xu Wei was able to get a truly detailed understanding of Deng Chuan's life from childhood to the present. From elementary school, to middle school, high school, and now. As Xu Wei watched Deng Chuan meticulously list her years of schooling and the honors she had received, it was as if she could see every footstep Deng Chuan had taken, from a young child to a young woman, to get to where she was today.

Wrapped in the quilt, Deng Chuan was propped up against the headboard, writing, occasionally turning back to say a few words to Xu Wei. The tip of the pen rustled as it moved across the paper.

Outside the curtains, the city was still bustling, but the room had become quiet and warm. The light from the bedside lamp seemed to flow silently along with the tip of Deng Chuan's pen, flowing toward Xu Wei's watching gaze.

Before they knew it, it was almost twelve o'clock.

Xu Wei had been keeping an eye on the time. As soon as it struck twelve, she immediately looked up at the Little Friend propped up beside her.

Deng Chuan's head was down, still filling in information on the application form, completely unaware.

Xu Wei watched for a long while before leaning over to kiss the Little Friend's focused profile. Her voice was as soft as her kiss. "Silly girl, happy birthday."

Deng Chuan was completely absorbed in filling out the application materials when Xu Wei's kiss suddenly broke her train of thought. She turned to look at her and saw a small patch of orange light reflected in Xu Wei's eyes. And within that light, she saw her own reflection.

Seeing herself in Xu Wei's eyes, Deng Chuan's heart couldn't help but soften. That small patch of light was like a warm current, flowing from Xu Wei's eyes through her entire body. Deng Chuan immediately put down her pen, leaned over to kiss the corner of Xu Wei's lips, and said on a sudden inspiration, "Thank you, wife."

The next second, she saw Xu Wei's ears turn red instantly. "What did you call me?"

"Wife." Deng Chuan finally broke into her first smile since crying, a very bright smile that Xu Wei was familiar with. As if ignited by that smile, Xu Wei felt a heat spread from the base of her ears to her cheeks. She turned her face away, but Deng Chuan pursued her, hugging her. "You're not my teacher anymore. You're my wife."

Xu Wei's face grew even redder. "Stop talking."

Deng Chuan ignored her evasion, hugging her firmly from behind, pressing close to her ear, and calling out again, "Wife."

Her tone was so natural, so matter-of-fact, that Xu Wei didn't know how to respond. She could only vaguely change the subject. "Mm, are you finished writing?"

The Little Friend rested her chin on her shoulder, gently brushing her neck with the corner of her lips. "Almost done." Seeing Xu Wei lower her eyes without speaking, she asked in a low voice, "Wife, why are you ignoring me?"

Deng Chuan's lowered voice was very different from her usual one, tinged with a hoarseness from crying. As her words fell by her ear, Xu Wei's heart suddenly pounded like a drum. Flustered and annoyed, she turned her head, bumping the forehead of Deng Chuan, who was nuzzling her neck. "Why should I pay attention to you? So you can annoy me?"

"Are you angry?" Deng Chuan carefully studied her expression. Seeing that Xu Wei wasn't truly angry, just blushing, she shamelessly sidled closer, whining coaxingly, "Don't be angry- I just want to call you that. You're mine, so you're my wife, right?"

Xu Wei was even more at a loss for words. She pretended not to hear, letting Deng Chuan hug her as she reached for the forms Deng Chuan had filled out. She carefully placed them back in the manila envelope and wound the string around the clasp. "Alright, it's getting late. You can finish the rest tomorrow. Don't you have class tomorrow morning?"

Deng Chuan thought for a moment. "My class tomorrow morning is a little after ten."

Xu Wei hummed. "That's good, then. You don't have to get up extra early to go back."

Deng Chuan hugged her, nuzzling her face. "Since I can wake up later, does that mean I can go to sleep later too?"

Xu Wei's mood had relaxed a little because of Deng Chuan's smile and affectionate actions. Hearing this, she turned and kissed the Little Friend's cheek, her voice tinged with a smile. "What are you thinking about, hmm?"

Deng Chuan hugged her, cupping Xu Wei's face to keep her from moving away. She captured Xu Wei's lips and tongue as she leaned in to kiss her, beginning their first kiss of her nineteenth year. As Deng Chuan kissed her, she sighed in satisfaction, murmuring coaxingly, "Wife..."

"Mm." Xu Wei held her face as she leaned in, managing to pull back slightly from the Little Friend's fervent lips and tongue. "What are you still calling me for? - You were just holding a pen. Go wash your hands now."

The Little Friend nodded repeatedly, then planted another loud, firm kiss on Xu Wei's cheek. She got out of bed and zipped into the bathroom like a whirlwind.

Xu Wei heard the sound of running water splashing in the bathroom. The Little Friend was always very thorough when washing her hands, so she wasn't worried. The present moment made her feel relaxed, yet also full of anticipation. Carried by this leisurely mood, Xu Wei also got out of bed, draped some clothes on, and walked to the window, lifting a corner of the curtain to look outside.

Deng Chuan washed up for quite a while before coming out of the bathroom. When she emerged, Xu Wei was already sitting on the windowsill. She held onto the window frame, gazing out quietly, the city below reflected in her eyes.

Deng Chuan walked over and hugged her, feeling Xu Wei's hand calmly come to rest on her own as she reached out.

By the windowsill, they shared the second kiss of Deng Chuan's nineteenth year.

Deng Chuan turned to face Xu Wei, allowing her to watch Xu Wei's expression closely as they kissed. She would close her eyes, her long lashes resting quietly, trembling slightly with their shared breaths.

Outside the windowsill was the neon-lit Beijing and a sky sprinkled with soft moonlight. The room they were in was high up, but still very far from the moon.

Poised between the city and the night, Xu Wei's hand unconsciously rested on Deng Chuan's shoulder. Following Deng Chuan's movements, she gradually tightened her grip on her shoulder, only letting go after a long moment as if drained of strength, listening quietly to the sound of Deng Chuan's breathing by her ear.

---

The next morning, in Deng Chuan's dorm, Xie Yao and the others got up early, heading to the cafeteria for breakfast in high spirits. Zhou Zhi had a bowl of red bean porridge, Li Mingtang had soy milk and steamed buns, and Xie Yao was eating beef brisket noodles. The three of them shared their breakfast, chatting idly and playing on their phones.

After discussing the day's news and trending gossip, Zhou Zhi plucked a piece of beef brisket from Xie Yao's bowl. Seeing Xie Yao staring down at her phone without reacting, she tapped the table, about to remind her to focus on eating, but then she saw Xie Yao look up with a blissful expression, holding her phone out for the other two to see. "Friends, I'm dying from the sweetness..."

On her phone screen was a Moments post Deng Chuan had sent a few minutes earlier. There was no text, only a picture.

The photo was of a woman sitting on a windowsill. Due to the backlighting, her face was obscured; the light only outlined the silhouette of her sitting cross-legged. The woman had a slender figure, her hair falling smoothly down her back. Behind her was the view from the window. Below were skyscrapers stretching into the distance, and above was a sea of layered clouds. Amidst the clouds was a small, red sun that had just risen into the sky.

Although Deng Chuan hadn't included a caption, anyone who saw the post could recognize from her figure and aura that the woman in the photo was the beautiful older sister she had been holding hands with on the campus path yesterday.

Xie Yao immediately sent Deng Chuan a message: "Are you back yet?"

Two minutes later, she received Deng Chuan's reply: "Not yet, I'll be back a bit later. Isn't my class after ten?"

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