BSS - Chapter 86

Chapter 86

The car moved steadily down the road under the vast night sky.

Hearing Deng Chuan's words, Xu Wei raised an eyebrow and asked casually, "What are you going to school with me for? You finally have a break. You should sleep in, get some rest. I'll be back soon."

The little friend was still looking at her, her head tilted in a relaxed manner. "But I want to go see the school."

High school felt so distant, yet as if it were only yesterday. Because of Xu Wei's presence, it had become an exceptionally unique and complex time. In the countless times Deng Chuan had looked back, she thought that perhaps everyone goes through such a period—breaking out of a cocoon to become a butterfly, transforming from a true child into a fledgling adult, possessing an equally fledgling love. But she was just such a fledgling adult, yet she was incredibly lucky to have Xu Wei's patient acceptance. So what did love truly mean? Deng Chuan once didn't understand, then thought she did. In the end, she concluded, love was a flood of mixed feelings.

As Deng Chuan thought this, her heart filled to the brim. She added, "I'll just go take a look… I promise I won't disturb your work."

Her words were laden with so many transparent emotions and memories. Xu Wei listened without speaking, her expression serene as she turned the steering wheel and entered an intersection.

Music flowed like water through the air. Seeing Xu Wei's silence, Deng Chuan secretly glanced at her face, then reached out to touch her sleeve. When she still got no reaction, her hand slid down past Xu Wei's elbow, landing on her coat-covered leg.

She gave a gentle nudge. "Can I? Teacher Xu?"

This time, Xu Wei finally reacted. But they were just at a busy intersection, and she was following the car in front, unable to spare any attention. She let Deng Chuan get in a couple of good squeezes before she freed a hand to grab Deng Chuan's, moving it away as she chided playfully, "Don't mess around, I'm driving."

She then added, "If you come to school with me, I'll be proctoring an exam. What will you do?"

Deng Chuan said, "I'll just walk around and wait for you to get off work."

Xu Wei smiled, a hint of teasing in her voice. "Keeping such a close eye on me, huh? What are you waiting for? Afraid I'll run away?"

She said it lightly, but Deng Chuan nodded very seriously. "Afraid you'll run away. I'm watching you."

Xu Wei pondered for a long moment. The words of refusal circled on her tongue but never came out. In the end, she agreed. "Alright."

She thought for a moment, then said, "It's good for you to go back to the school for a walk and a look around."

A quiet moment passed between them after that sentence. Deng Chuan could feel that Xu Wei understood her mood. Content and happy, she let out a quiet sigh and gazed for a long time at Xu Wei's profile as she focused on driving. Xu Wei's face flickered with the passing lights, reflected in her eyes like traces of time left on freshly fallen snow.

The car traveled along the elevated highway, onto the asphalt roads, and finally turned onto the tree-lined street in front of their complex before entering the parking garage. The light suddenly dimmed. Xu Wei parked the car, unlocked the doors with a click, and said breezily, "Let's get out."

As she watched Deng Chuan get her luggage from the trunk, she asked, "Have you told your family you're back?"

Deng Chuan shook her head. "No."

Seeing Xu Wei's somewhat helpless expression, Deng Chuan slammed the trunk shut, grabbed her suitcase, and wrapped an arm around Xu Wei to guide her along. "Alright, alright- I'll tell them in a few days. I want to spend more time with you."

Xu Wei compliantly let herself be led toward the elevator, resting the back of her head slightly on Deng Chuan's shoulder. She smiled faintly and said, "Your parents probably never expected to raise a daughter whose loyalties lie elsewhere."

"Why do you say my loyalties lie elsewhere?" Deng Chuan lowered her head and nuzzled Xu Wei's cheek, like a dog shaking off all the dust from the journey. "We're a family."

Xu Wei just smiled and said nothing.

The little friend buried her nose and chin in the fragrance of Xu Wei's clothes. She took a deep breath, pressing her face closer to Xu Wei's, and mumbled coaxingly, "Why are you ignoring me again… Aren't we a family?"

The elevator was about to arrive, and footsteps sounded from behind them. Xu Wei turned her head placatingly and gave her a kiss. "We are… Now stand up straight, someone's coming."

The little friend reluctantly straightened up, standing a bit more properly, but her hand remained on Xu Wei's waist.

The person behind them came to a stop beside them, leaving a small distance. Deng Chuan glanced over. It was the young man she had seen in the elevator before. Of course, this time he wasn't with his group of friends, just by himself. Deng Chuan remembered his face because he had asked Xu Wei for her WeChat last time.

Xu Wei recognized him too. She held Deng Chuan's hand that was resting on her waist, idly stroking Deng Chuan's fingertips with an unmistakable intimacy.

The three of them rode the elevator in silence, each pressing their own floor button. Deng Chuan didn't look at the uninvited guest's expression again, focusing her gaze downward on Xu Wei's hand covering her own, a silent smile on her face.

The two of them were demonstrating a different level of being oblivious to everyone else.

The young man's floor was lower than theirs, and he soon exited the elevator. Only then did Deng Chuan hug Xu Wei tightly from behind again, resting her head on her shoulder. Their long hair mingled, tickling both their ears.

Xu Wei turned her head, her hand still resting on Deng Chuan's. She didn't mention what had just happened, only asking nonchalantly, "Are you hungry?"

"I'm hungry," Deng Chuan said.

The little friend's tone made it sound like she was about to take a huge bite out of something. Xu Wei found it adorable. She couldn't help but squeeze her hand. "There's porridge in the pot. I set it to keep warm before I left."

Deng Chuan's nose brushed against her ear, and she lowered her voice. "Thank you, wife."

The elevator arrived with a ding. The two walked to the door, and as Xu Wei unlocked it, Deng Chuan quietly took in the strange yet familiar entryway.

There was a new mat in front of the door, and a pot of asparagus fern sat on the shoe cabinet, so lush and green in this weather that it looked fake.

Xu Wei noticed her gaze. "A colleague gave it to me."

Deng Chuan knew that Xu Wei's colleagues had come over for a dinner party on New Year's Day. She let out an understanding "oh" and reached out to pinch a leaf. It was real.

Xu Wei slapped her hand and pulled her inside. "Aren't you cold, just standing in the doorway?"

Zhou Liu shot out of the room like an arrow. Seeing Deng Chuan, whom he hadn't seen in a while, he wanted to get closer but didn't dare. He just circled her, cautiously sniffing her scent.

Xu Wei ignored Zhou Liu, who was spinning around on the floor. She tossed her car keys into the box on the shoe cabinet, took the trench coat Deng Chuan was taking off, and hung it on the hook behind the door before hanging up her own. "Weren't you hungry? Go have some porridge first. Do you want a bath? I'll run the water for you."

Knowing Xu Wei liked to be clean, Deng Chuan nodded obediently. "Yes."

While Xu Wei ran the bath, Deng Chuan, who was truly hungry, went to the kitchen to ladle out some porridge. Zhou Liu followed her every step. Remembering that Xu Wei had mentioned there were cold dishes in the fridge, she took them out, put them on a plate, and carried everything to the dining table, where she began slurping up the porridge.

Halfway through her meal, Xu Wei came out. Her hair was gathered in a low bun at the nape of her neck, with loose strands framing her face, making her look exceptionally soft. She was holding Deng Chuan's clothes. Seeing how heartily Deng Chuan was eating, she casually ruffled the little friend's hair. "The water's ready. I put your clothes beside the tub for you."

Deng Chuan, with a piece of crispy bamboo shoot soaked in red chili oil in her mouth, nodded vigorously.

The billowing steam seemed to wash away all the fatigue from her journey. Deng Chuan used Xu Wei's shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and body lotion, until her entire body smelled exactly like Xu Wei.

After her bath, she came out to dry her hair. The hairdryer roared, and Zhou Liu immediately hid far away, watching her from the windowsill.

Her dirty clothes were in the laundry basket. When Xu Wei took them to be washed, she carefully checked the pockets, pulling out a handful of tissues, both used and unused, along with a boarding pass, keys, an ID card, and a single paper crane.

She was utterly exasperated by Deng Chuan's habit of stuffing everything into her pants pockets. She placed the pile of items on the bedside table before tossing the clothes into the washing machine.

Deng Chuan turned off the hairdryer and sat on the bed, looking at her phone for a while. Zhou Liu observed her for a long time before hesitantly approaching. He sniffed, and sniffed again, then, as if suddenly recognizing who this person was, pounced onto Deng Chuan's lap, purring up a storm and pressing his warm body into her palm.

Xu Wei put the empty laundry basket back and walked into the room to see the two of them frolicking on the bed. She didn't scold Deng Chuan, only pointing at the excited Zhou Liu. "No shedding."

Deng Chuan shielded Zhou Liu. "He's not, he's not."

Xu Wei looked down at her. "You're not much better. Your pants pockets were stuffed with a bunch of random things you didn't even take out. Your ID card was in there."

Deng Chuan's eyes widened. She let out a frustrated "Aiya!" and immediately apologized, "Sorry, I forgot."

Xu Wei didn't say anything.

Deng Chuan placatingly held up Zhou Liu's paw and touched Xu Wei's arm with it. "Quick, say sorry to your big sister… I'm sorry…"

The little friend had just bathed, and her fluffy long hair made her face look exceptionally small. Her hair had grown out over the semester, now falling below her shoulders. Xu Wei couldn't bring herself to be angry with such a soft Deng Chuan. She drew the curtains, sat down on the edge of the bed, and her tone softened. "I put everything on the bedside table. Take a look and sort it out yourself."

Deng Chuan nodded, let go of Zhou Liu, and moved closer to hug her. "Thank you, wife."

Xu Wei blocked her approaching face. "Don't."

The two of them tumbled together. Zhou Liu tactfully moved away, settling down at the foot of the bed.

Suddenly pushed down, Xu Wei felt Deng Chuan kissing her neck. She pushed at her shoulder, her voice firm. "No… I still have to proctor an exam tomorrow."

They separated a little. Xu Wei caressed Deng Chuan's face, then leaned in to kiss the little friend's eyes, which were staring straight at her. "We'll talk about it tomorrow. After the exam tomorrow, all that's left is grading."

Deng Chuan looked at her, pausing for a long moment before nodding obediently. She found Xu Wei's hand on her face, interlaced their fingers, and lay down. "Okay. I'm going to sleep then. You can turn off the light."

The light was switched off with a click. Xu Wei felt Deng Chuan hold her hand for a moment before she couldn't resist snuggling closer to embrace her. The strength in her arms wrapped tightly around her waist, bringing a hint of sweet pain.

She endured it for a moment, then took a breath and patted her arm. The pressure instantly lessened, becoming a soft touch that was still undeniably present, speaking of their current embrace.

The night often holds more memories and emotions than the day. Deng Chuan seemed to have fallen asleep. The little friend rested against her shoulder, her breath puffing against Xu Wei's ear, one after another. Amidst this rhythmic breathing, Xu Wei thought of the lonely, sleepless night before, of the past, of countless nights spent together or apart. Then she thought of tomorrow, and of the countless tomorrows after tomorrow.

She lay in silence, not really finding any clarity in her thoughts about the past and future, only feeling a flood of mixed emotions.

In the end, love was a flood of mixed feelings.

On this winter night, sleeping in Deng Chuan's arms was warmer than Xu Wei had imagined. She gradually stopped dwelling on yesterdays and tomorrows, simply holding the little friend's hand on her waist, giving it a gentle squeeze. Even her breathing became soft and content.

Softly, silently, she sighed in her heart, "Good night."

All the profound and unforgettable pasts, the painful or sweet yesterdays; all the seen and unseen futures, the uncertain or predictable tomorrows. All the confusion and love settled into the deep of the night, needing only a single "good night" to bring the curtain down on everything.

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