CSGM - Chapter 115
Chapter 115: She's So Interesting
Inside the private theater booth.
Jin Yuan delivered a long-winded speech: "If you really can't figure out why Teacher Ren Zhi is angry, then maybe you should stop thinking about it for now. There's more than one way to break the ice… %#!*&……%¥@!!…… (blah blah blah) ……You have to put yourself in the highest-priority, unbeatable position first!"
After integrating the useful information she heard, Chu Xi summarized it as-
"Stop worrying about whether you're straight or not, just confess to Teacher Ren Zhi already! While Teacher Ren Zhi still likes you, a successful confession means you can be close to her twenty-four hours a day for any reason. A couple's relationship has far more privileges than a friendship!"
The logic was surprisingly clear.
The result-oriented approach was also correct.
Jin Yuan even knew to help her eliminate conflicting factors first, telling her not to think about her own sexual orientation for the time being.
This made Chu Xi look at Jin Yuan's argument in a new light.
She even pondered it seriously for a good while.
Jin Yuan added fuel to the fire.
"Going from being the best, most special friend to a girlfriend might not feel that different for you, but it's a different story for Teacher Ren Zhi."
"If you establish a relationship, she'll be able to open her heart to you more!"
"And that way, Xixi, you won't have to fly a drone to keep Teacher Ren Zhi company while she sleeps. You can just go straight upstairs, hold her, and coax her to sleep!"
"If your confession is successful, Teacher Ren Zhi can tell you whatever is on her mind. A girlfriend and a friend are ultimately different."
Chu Xi's gaze drifted into the void, unfocused, like a ship lost in the deep sea.
Jin Yuan tilted her head and asked, "Xixi, don't you want to know what's on Teacher Ren Zhi's mind?"
"I do," Chu Xi said without a doubt.
She turned her head, narrowed her eyes, and asked Jin Yuan, "You think I'm a lesbian too?"
That was why she was telling her to confess to Ren Zhi.
Jin Yuan's attitude clearly suggested she thought Chu Xi and Ren Zhi could be girlfriends.
"Ah, I don't know about that. Maybe, Xixi, you just happen to like Teacher Ren Zhi."
Jin Yuan had a dazed expression, shaking her head in confusion.
She had figured it out. Xixi was stubborn and single-minded. It was best to let her preserve her stubborn "straight girl" dignity!
Otherwise, Xixi would just get rebellious again!
Even if Xixi was a block of wood, she, Jin Yuan, would be the woodpecker and peck a hole right through her!
Even if Xixi's "delusion of being a straight girl" was incurable, she, Jin Yuan, would be a reincarnated Bian Que, a modern-day Hua Tuo, and cure this patient!
Even if Xixi was dying of love for Teacher Zhizhi without realizing it, then she, Jin Yuan, had an even greater responsibility! Watch her send a flying kick and give Xixi the final push she needed to score!
Heh-!
[Jin Yuan: Goal!]
Chu Xi raised a finger and wagged it.
"I can't possibly be a lesbian, but if this will help Ren Zhi, I can give it a try."
She remembered that Ren Zhi wasn't straight.
Since Ren Zhi was gay anyway, she wouldn't be opposed to dating a woman.
Jin Yuan's eyes sparkled. "Wow!"
"The day after tomorrow is Valentine's Day. It's the perfect day for you to confess!"
As if she had made up her mind, Chu Xi settled the matter.
"Alright, I'll tell her, so she can open her heart to me. Thank you, Xiao Yuan. It's late, you should go home. I'll give you tomorrow morning off."
Although she still didn't know why Ren Zhi was angry and giving her the cold shoulder.
She wanted her relationship with Ren Zhi to be completely intimate.
Being girlfriends was… fine.
Initially, this was just a reluctantly accepted backup plan to break the ice.
But soon after, it became like a Pandora's box that Chu Xi had accidentally opened in her heart.
-By the time Chu Xi realized she was in too deep, there was no turning back.
When she walked out of the theater, the sky outside had already become a curtain of water.
The long-awaited spring rain had slipped in with the night wind, silently nourishing all things.
The pitter-patter of water dripping from the eaves echoed in her ears, and the air was filled with the scent of the earth and the landscaped trees on either side.
Well-prepared, Chu Xi opened her umbrella, pulled her hat down, and headed back with her head lowered.
Splash-
As she reached the entrance of the residential complex, the sound of tires rolling through a puddle came from behind her. She glanced back.
It just goes to show that there's such a thing as fate between people.
As luck would have it, the car Chu Xi saw pulling over was that beautiful blue Mercedes.
The same one that had picked Ren Zhi up was now dropping her off.
Since they had run into each other head-on, she turned her whole body to face the roadside, waiting leisurely for Ren Zhi to get out of the car.
She didn't want to see me, but I still ran into her.
Heh.
Just as Chu Xi was secretly gloating, the blue car door opened, and Ren Zhi emerged, bending over with a slight frown.
The moment Chu Xi saw Ren Zhi's pained yet restrained expression, the secret delight lingering on her lips was instantly washed away by the rain.
Ren Zhi's brows furrowed and her expression changed. As her high heel landed in a puddle, she subconsciously used her hand to support her left leg as she stood up.
A figure flashed before her eyes.
Ren Zhi was startled. Before she could even open her own umbrella, the rain from the sky was already blocked.
She looked up and met Chu Xi's concerned, burning gaze.
After her initial surprise, she quickly said to the person who drove her home, "I'm here. You can go back now."
The blue Mercedes slowly pulled away.
The grateful voice of a female artist drifted out from inside.
"Thank you, Sister Zhi! Sorry to bother you tonight!"
Then it drove off into the distance.
Ren Zhi turned back to find a hint of displeasure added to Chu Xi's concerned, fervent gaze.
She frowned slightly, pushed the umbrella handle into Ren Zhi's hand, and bent down. Her hand slipped under the hem of Ren Zhi's dress by her calf.
In an instant, her warm palm touched the ice-cold skin of Ren Zhi's leg.
It then moved quickly and unceremoniously upward.
Ren Zhi's entire left leg stiffened. She almost kicked her away on reflex!
But seeing it was Chu Xi, she paused, and the reflex vanished.
"Stop touching me. What are you doing…" Ren Zhi whispered under the umbrella.
Chu Xi felt her left leg; it was cold enough to make one shiver. There was no medicated patch on her knee either. Looking up again, she saw Ren Zhi's weak expression.
"You went out without putting on a patch. Hold the umbrella properly."
After saying that, Chu Xi wrapped one arm behind her knees and the other around her back, lifting her into a princess carry in the blink of an eye.
She was almost hit in the face by the umbrella Ren Zhi was brandishing and had to lean her head back to dodge it.
"Put me down! I'm fine," Ren Zhi exclaimed in shock.
Chu Xi looked at her, a hint of helplessness in her eyes.
"How are you going to walk with your leg hurting? There's no one here. I'll carry you back."
Ren Zhi was very light; carrying her didn't affect Chu Xi's walking speed at all.
Meanwhile, Ren Zhi caught the floral scent of shower gel lingering on Chu Xi from her recent bath.
The light, refreshing fragrance filled her nose.
In her arms, Ren Zhi's heart raced. She didn't know what to do with her hands, so she just gripped the umbrella with both of them.
Once they were in the building and the umbrella was closed, she still held onto it.
She turned her face away, her eyes watching the path they had just walked.
The air between them seemed to have taken on the temperature of the rain, cool and condensed.
In the elevator, after Chu Xi pressed the button for the floor, Ren Zhi nervously pursed her lips and said,
"Thank you… You can just drop me at my door. You should go back."
There was no reply for a long time. She turned to look at Chu Xi, who wore a cold expression.
Chu Xi carried her to her front door.
Chu Xi: "Open the door."
Ren Zhi insisted, "Put me down first."
Chu Xi had no choice but to gently set her down on the floor, but she kept an arm wrapped around her waist for support.
Ren Zhi gritted her teeth, her left leg only tentatively touching the ground as she stood on her right.
Chu Xi watched her from the side.
The moment the door unlocked, Ren Zhi's body was lifted into the air again as she was unceremoniously carried into the apartment.
"You-!" Ren Zhi cried out.
Chu Xi took off her shoes at the bedroom door and, wearing only her socks, carried her all the way to the bedside before setting her down.
The moment Ren Zhi sat on the bed, Chu Xi knelt down to help her take off her shoes.
Chu Xi held her ankle, her movements extremely gentle, and her tone of voice was flat and even.
But this flatness seemed to be born from frustration.
"How did I make you angry again? Why didn't you let me pick you up? If you had told me you didn't have a patch, I could have brought one for you."
On rainy days, if Ren Zhi didn't apply a medicated patch to warm the joint in her leg, which had lasting complications, the dampness would cause it to ache.
Ren Zhi's hands quietly clutched the bedsheet.
At that moment, she felt deeply that things couldn't go on like this.
Chu Xi doted on her too much. Even for a friend, this was going too far.
She suppressed the turmoil in her heart and explained rationally,
"No, I'm fine. I just don't want to trouble you with everything."
"That's impossible. It's not like this is the first or second time you've troubled me."
Ren Zhi was momentarily speechless. "…"
Chu Xi took her high heels out and came back with her slippers.
Seeing that Ren Zhi hadn't moved, she immediately went over, lifted Ren Zhi's feet, and tucked them under the covers. "Warm up quickly."
Her hands followed, cupping Ren Zhi's left foot to help warm it up.
Startled, Ren Zhi tried to pull her leg back. "They're dirty, don't touch them."
Chu Xi looked around and asked, "Where do you keep your medicated patches?"
"You should go home. I'll do it myself."
"Why?"
Chu Xi looked directly at her, determined to get a clear answer.
"Why are you suddenly rejecting me? Tell me what I did wrong. I'll apologize."
Ren Zhi's mind was already a mess, yet Chu Xi continued to press her.
"Or do you have other friends now? The one from tonight? Do you feel like spending time with me is a waste?"
Chu Xi suddenly stood up, planting her hands on either side of Ren Zhi's legs and leaning in to question her.
Ren Zhi sighed.
"No, she's just a colleague. We were just discussing work tonight. We're not close."
Chu Xi said, "Forget it. Just tell me where the patches are first. We can talk after you've applied it."
"I'm an adult. I don't need anyone to take care of me."
Ren Zhi hobbled out of bed herself, found the box of patches on a storage shelf, and slowly walked back.
But the box she brought back was snatched away by Chu Xi.
"Give it back…"
Even more outrageously, Chu Xi cut her off and pushed her down to sit on the edge of the bed.
"Sit still," Chu Xi said, her clear, bright eyes looking at her. "Please don't reject me anymore, okay? I get sad too."
Guilt made Ren Zhi's words catch in her throat.
It was only when Chu Xi lifted the hem of her dress and slowly began to apply the patch that her rationality snapped back.
Ren Zhi reacted strongly, unable to stop herself from kicking her away!
Caught off guard, Chu Xi fell to the floor with a thud. The stickiness of the patch still clung to her fingertips as she dazedly touched her chest.
Ren Zhi came to her senses, feeling nothing but exhaustion. She just wanted to roll her eyes, fall back onto the bed, and play dead.
But the kick had been delivered, the rejection made. Now she had to be direct.
"Keep your distance from me, Chu Xi. Friends don't need to do this much for me. I don't want to always feel indebted to you."
The innocent, uncomprehending look in Chu Xi's eyes made Ren Zhi's resolve waver endlessly.
It was as if a hook was pulling at her, trying to drag her soul from her body.
In matters of love, this was called sinking.
The difficult part was that Ren Zhi absolutely could not do this. She quietly took a breath, sorted out right and wrong in her mind, and then spoke.
"You know this isn't the first or second time I've troubled you. I'm not the type of person who likes to owe people favors."
She hoped Chu Xi understood now and would stop doting on her so excessively.
She was a child who had never tasted candy; she would naturally be afraid of a giant, sweet confection.
Chu Xi slowly stood up, remaining silent for a few moments.
She had been trying to decipher the serious expression on Ren Zhi's face for just as long.
She nodded and said, "I understand."
Ren Zhi's heart finally settled, but it also sank.
The next second, Chu Xi knelt beside her again and carefully pressed down the folded corner of the patch that hadn't been smoothed out.
"So you just don't want to be indebted to me. But I don't think of it as you owing me anything. I just can't help but care about you, worry about you, and want to take care of you."
Chu Xi finally understood. So that was it.
What's the big deal? Ren Zhi's sense of morality must be too strong. She's so interesting.
"Even as friends, I'm willing to do these things for you. After all, making you happy makes me happy too."
"…"
Chu Xi looked up at her with a sunny smile, relieved to have finally figured out the reason for Ren Zhi's sudden unhappiness today.
Ren Zhi was stunned.
Are straight girls really this invincible?
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