BSS - Chapter 116

Chapter 116

The sunlight was lovely. The entire room was clearly visible.

Deng Chuan leaned down, naturally displacing the two cats that had been lounging on Xu Wei. Zhou Liu moved to the foot of the bed, while the active Orange Dumpling jumped off and began batting at a small ball under the curtain with its paw.

It probably didn't know that, just a few seconds ago, it had been given a real name.

Before Deng Chuan's lips and tongue descended, Xu Wei still had the leisure to entertain this thought. Then, another idea occurred to her: what does a little cat understand? Even if Juzi was a kitten who single-mindedly adored Deng Chuan, he wouldn't know that his destiny had taken a new turn.

Just as it wouldn't know what was currently happening in the room.

Xu Wei tried to trace the source of her nonsensical thoughts. Thanks to her consistently sharp intuition, she soon realized that perhaps she just needed a vessel, another being that also loved Deng Chuan, to share the affection that was about to overflow from her body.

The logic was flawless. Xu Wei embraced this love that left her almost at a loss. Her hands climbed onto Deng Chuan's shoulders and slid over the lines of the back of her neck-the very spot Xu Wei had been watching a few days ago when Deng Chuan was giving her speech on stage.

The line of the young woman's neck and shoulders, extending from her straight spine, had once been the sole focus of Xu Wei's gaze. Now, it was in her hands.

With this thought, Xu Wei caressed Deng Chuan's soft hair a few times and cupped her face. Deng Chuan lifted her head from Xu Wei's neck. Xu Wei's eyes were still open, and her gaze made Deng Chuan travel upward, kissing her eyes. Her tongue curled over Xu Wei's eyelashes. Xu Wei should have closed her eyes, but she stubbornly kept looking at her.

The kitten's claws snagged on the fine gauze of the curtain, causing the light and shadows in the room to ripple like water. With her eyes half-open, Xu Wei saw the ceiling shift between light and dark. Her bare shoulders felt a cool breeze from the air conditioner, but Deng Chuan, who was usually so sensitive to heat and would be covered in a sheen of sweat after the slightest movement, was now as if she'd been drenched in water, completely soaked. Her eyes shimmered with moisture. Looking into them, Xu Wei belatedly felt a wave of dizziness, like seasickness.

It was as if they were on the sea.

A drop of Deng Chuan's sweat fell onto her face, only to be hastily wiped away. The Little Friend's look of longing made Xu Wei want to laugh, but Deng Chuan's descending kisses were wet and hot. She bit Xu Wei's lip, as if wanting to swallow her and her smile whole.

They were pressed so very close. Xu Wei's nose and mouth surfaced from the tide of that sea, only to be pulled back down by Deng Chuan. She led her to rise and fall in the water. Xu Wei felt as if she were about to drown, yet she still clung to Deng Chuan's shoulders in a posture of complete trust.

The two were inseparable. Outside, the sun was at its peak. Deng Chuan heard Xu Wei pant raggedly in her ear a few times, then she trembled and softly called her name.

Her full name, just as she had a thousand times before: "Deng Chuan…"

And she turned her head, biting her ear, tormenting the small crescent of her ear. "I'm here."

Xu Wei's eyes were moist. Her face was also slick with sweat. Both of them were panting, and it was impossible to tell whose sweat was whose. Xu Wei looked a bit dazed. Hearing Deng Chuan's words, she stared blankly for a long while before rolling over and pinning her down.

Now, she closed her eyes.

With her eyes closed, Xu Wei leaned down, kissing her own self reverently. The sight made Deng Chuan's heart melt. She tilted her head, pressing her cheek against Xu Wei's, brushing against her soft eyelashes. Xu Wei's lashes trembled, and her kisses were somewhat rushed. Deng Chuan could hardly breathe. In the gaps between kisses, she raised a hand, wrapped it around her back, and soothingly caressed Xu Wei's spine, her hand touching the damp hair stuck to her back.

The curtain stopped swaying, and the light in the room grew still. Juzi had long since freed his snagged claw. Tired of the ball, he took a few bored steps and lay down again beside Zhou Liu.

He snuggled against Zhou Liu, rubbing his head against him ingratiatingly. Zhou Liu lowered his head and good-naturedly began to lick its fur.

When the storm had passed, the thin blanket that had fallen to the floor was picked up again. Deng Chuan grabbed the air conditioner remote from the bedside table and lowered the temperature by a few degrees.

Xu Wei leaned against her, clutching the thin blanket, not moving.

Deng Chuan turned her head to cup Xu Wei's face and touched it lightly. Both their faces were beaded with sweat, but Deng Chuan's lips and tongue felt a little dry. Xu Wei raised her eyes to look at her. Deng Chuan's voice involuntarily softened, as if afraid to disturb that gaze. "Do you want some water?"

Xu Wei nodded.

"And another shower, okay?"

Xu Wei nodded again.

She leaned on Deng Chuan's shoulder, her eyes downcast, looking so dazed she seemed almost innocent. Only then did Deng Chuan notice Zhou Liu and Juzi snuggled together asleep at the foot of the bed. She suddenly felt that the current Xu Wei was no different from the two of them.

After resting for a while, Deng Chuan picked up her clothes from the floor, stood up, and went to the kitchen to pour two glasses of water. She then ran a bath for Xu Wei before going back to the bedroom to call her.

The room was quiet. A large patch of the bedsheet was damp. Xu Wei was wrapped in the blanket, curled up pitifully to one side. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was even; she looked as if she had fallen asleep.

It was rare for Deng Chuan to see her so exhausted. She crouched down and watched her quietly for a long while before stroking her face. But before she could speak, Xu Wei opened her eyes, her voice a little muffled. "…Hmm? You're back?"

Xu Wei's face held the daze of just waking up. Deng Chuan reflexively wanted to smile, but the corners of her mouth wouldn't move. She just stared at her earnestly. "Are you very sleepy? Do you want to sleep a little longer?"

Xu Wei blinked slowly. "No." Her voice was soft, with a childishness that came from just waking up. "I want to drink water."

As she spoke, Xu Wei sat up straight. Her hair fell forward, hiding her collarbone and shoulders, which were dotted with marks. She gathered her hair, and all the marks were clearly revealed. Seeing them, Deng Chuan felt her ears burn, a belated sense of shyness washing over her. Her gaze shifted upward, avoiding the expanse of snow dotted with red plum blossoms, only to see a teasing smile in Xu Wei's eyes. She quickly handed her the glass of water. "The bath is ready for you," she said in a low voice.

Sipping the water, Xu Wei's eyes flickered over the Little Friend's reddened ears. Her previously dazed mind cleared, and she smiled faintly. "Mm." She pinched Deng Chuan's chin and pressed her lips, still dewy with water, against hers. "So good."

A reward-like kiss was always brief. Before Deng Chuan could react, Xu Wei let go, threw off the blanket, and casually slipped out of bed.

Deng Chuan stood stunned for a good while, then walked to the bathroom door and knocked. "Wife?" she asked tentatively. "Did you grab your clothes?"

From inside the bathroom, Xu Wei's voice sounded as if it were submerged in water, clear and brimming with laughter. "Stay out there. You're not allowed in."

The Little Friend obediently said, "Oh." A moment later, she asked through the door again, "What do you want to eat tonight?" For some reason, she had become happy again. "How about I grill you some chicken wings?"

They had a new, small oven at home, which they had bought while grocery shopping the previous night. The reason was that Deng Chuan had seen some recipes for baked egg tarts and chicken wings, so they had also bought a box of egg tart shells and raw chicken wings.

Xu Wei soaked herself in the water. A summer bath, no matter how warm the water, felt refreshing inside. Through the door, Deng Chuan chattered on, discussing flavors with her. "Barbecue sauce or honey? Do you like cumin? Or should we do a little of each? … Zhou Liu, don't look at me like that, you've already had your canned food today. Oh, right, these chicken wings… once they're cooked, we can give some to Zhou Liu and Juzi, right?"

Xu Wei answered her absently, "Mm, mm, okay, okay, right, whatever you say." She knew what she answered wasn't really important, because Deng Chuan would always do a great job, making it just the way she liked it most… Xu Wei gently stirred the surface of the water, feeling an unprecedented sense of ease in that moment.

As they talked, Deng Chuan's voice grew more distant. It seemed Zhou Liu and Juzi had pestered her into going to the kitchen to open a can of food. The bathroom fell silent, with only the soft sound of water, yet Xu Wei still felt a lively warmth around her.

.

This lively warmth continued until mid-August, when Deng Chuan's final departure date was confirmed. Her flight was at nine in the evening. On the afternoon before she left, she stubbornly insisted on having that day's dinner with Xu Wei.

That night, Deng Chuan's entire family was going to see her off. Worried about delaying them, Xu Wei took her to a ramen shop near their apartment complex.

The Little Friend had been making a fuss before she came, with an air of "I'll be angry if you don't see me this evening." But after they met, she just kept her head down, eating her noodles, not daring to look up at her. Xu Wei held back her hair, which was about to fall into the bowl, and said softly, "We won't see each other for a year. Aren't you going to say a proper goodbye to me?"

Only when Deng Chuan looked up did Xu Wei see her reddened eyes. She sighed helplessly and got her a napkin. "You're such a big girl, almost twenty, why do you still love to cry so much?"

Deng Chuan wiped her mouth with the napkin, her voice coming out muffled from behind her hand. "I'll only be twenty when we see each other next year."

The implication was that she had to have a good cry right now.

Xu Wei helplessly tidied her hair, which had grown a bit longer, but she still didn't like to tie it up. "Alright-the next time we meet, it will be the twenty-year-old Deng Chuan." She paused, then added, "We won't see each other for so long, and all you're doing is crying. Aren't you going to hug me?"

Hearing this, tears welled up in the Little Friend's eyes. "Okay." She sniffled and buried her head in Xu Wei's neck, whispering, "I'll miss you always and always."

"Okay~"

"You have to miss me always and always too."

"I know."

The Little Friend's voice caught, followed by a sob. Xu Wei could hear her trying hard to control her breathing against her neck.

After a long while, she finally spoke, her voice hoarse.

"I love you," Deng Chuan said softly. "Xu Wei, I love you."

Deng Chuan couldn't hear Xu Wei's reply. Xu Wei was hugging her tightly; she couldn't bear to watch the scene of Deng Chuan walking towards the security checkpoint. This hug would be their final farewell, even though they had already said goodbye so many times over the last few days.

"I love you too," Xu Wei said just as softly after a long pause. "You're about to grow up. But I will always love you."

In that moment, Xu Wei remembered so many moments from the past: the seventeen-year-old Deng Chuan, sitting below the teacher's desk looking at her; the eighteen-year-old Deng Chuan, who said she loved her; the nineteen-year-old Deng Chuan, who returned to her hometown with her and gave her complete peace of mind; and then the twenty-year-old her, whom she could not yet see.

Her little lover was about to grow up, and she was standing in place, waiting for her to come running.

Perhaps having such a memorable farewell was a good thing, Xu Wei thought hazily in Deng Chuan's fervent embrace. They would never forget this moment, a moment etched into their shared life.

Outside the window was the same fervent summer.

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