CSGM - Chapter 124
Chapter 124: My Heart Beats for You
That night, Ren Zhi had a terrible dream.
The sunlight in the dream was the color of syrup, spreading viscously across a yellowing sky. The very air of the scene seemed to have a nostalgic filter applied to it, like a frame from a vintage film camera.
Unfortunately, the plot was far from as gentle as the filter.
She returned to her parentless childhood, time rewinding to her school days, a lone, frail figure standing in the vast schoolyard.
By then, her features had already blossomed into their own unique beauty, a perfect little Ren Zhi, as if she were a goddess's masterpiece.
Among her peers, her beautiful face had already begun to stand out, setting her apart from the rest.
But her excessive beauty didn't bring her affection and care; instead, it brought endless jealousy and hostility from her peers.
The scene shifted into a familiar flashback.
A square classroom built for forty students, a rectangular blackboard covered in chalk, a bulky wooden lectern, rows of more-or-less neat desks and chairs, books and notebooks piled messily on the desks, and her homework, hidden in a classmate's desk drawer…
The gazes of those around her turned, waiting to watch the show. The air was thick with an undercurrent of unseen schadenfreude and mockery, along with the teacher's angry, stony-faced glare.
Humiliated at such a young age, she lowered her head, her legs ramrod straight, her body so stiff she couldn't move. Only her face and the rims of her eyes burned with heat.
The athletic field during gym class. Lush green trees with drooping branches, a trash can overflowing with bread and ice cream wrappers, an empty ping-pong table, and students lining up to return sports equipment to the storage room.
She sat under a tree, at a complete loss, head buried, staring at where her fingers pressed into the ground, biting her lip with worry and unease.
She had only gone to the bathroom, and when she came back, someone had punctured her basketball. Her panic was mixed with the embarrassment of not knowing how to explain it to the teacher and the fear of having to pay for it.
In the wide corridor, five or six students were jumping rope, seven or eight were tossing beanbags, and a group of boys was playing cards in the distance. A student proudly wove through them, carrying a stack of homework from the teacher's office.
She stood there watching for a moment, only to be met with a proud rejection from the girls: "We're already full."
She felt as awkward as an extra piece of pudding, a leftover in the world.
Ren Zhi's body, lying on its side, curled up tightly, her eyes squeezed shut.
School lunch. Two teachers sat behind four large, insulated metal barrels at the front. Students with metal trays lined up one by one, got their lunch, and returned to the classroom to eat.
The aroma of food drifted through the hallway, carrying with it the relaxed and cheerful atmosphere of post-class freedom, punctuated by complaints of "it's xx dish again."
A moment later, she was standing there awkwardly, her school uniform splattered with the food and grease from a classmate's tray that had been knocked into her.
The next day, she was deliberately tripped, falling in almost the exact same spot.
Seeing her wretched, comical state, many voices around her erupted in roaring laughter.
But she could never find the leg that had tripped her.
In the girls' bathroom after school, the mop sink next to the washbasins always reeked of summer sewage, mixed with the unpleasant smell of ammonia wafting from the stalls. The floor of the simple bathroom was covered in strings of wet, dirty footprints.
Trapped behind a bathroom stall door she couldn't push open, she listened to the gleeful, collective laughter from outside.
A wet mop head slapped against the top of the door, and dirty water rained down in a drizzle. All she could do was cover her hair and face, curling into a ball in the corner.
Outside the school, in front of the boutique gift shop most popular with the girls, the stationery store with oden and skewers at its entrance, the individual vendor selling cold noodles and fried potatoes from a shoulder pole, and the junk food stall where everything cost an average of fifty cents a bag—these were the most popular spots for students. Just standing nearby, you could smell the artificial flavorings and chili in the air.
Carrying her schoolbag, she passed through the most crowded area and was cornered in a small, branching alley by older female students.
The tall, imposing group of older students forced her to play with the recently popular "electric shock prank chewing gum," threatening not to let her go otherwise. After everyone figured out the trick, the little toy couldn't fool anyone anymore.
When you forcefully pulled on the fake stick of gum, your hand would get shocked by an electric current.
Her eyes filled with tears she was holding back. The older students were still laughing at her, cursing her with words she could no longer process. The tips of her fingers turned red, her hands slick with sweat.
Suddenly, a new voice broke into the old dream: "What are you all doing? Move!"
A taller, colder, more imposing figure scared the students away. A delicate and beautiful face appeared before her, the short hair at the back of her head styled like a wolf's tail—such a modern haircut.
Ren Zhi's knees drew up to her chest, then she kicked out violently. This jolted her awake from the muddled dream.
"Chu Xi…" she heard herself call out in a trembling voice, her mind still in the dream.
Ren Zhi slowly sat up, trying to clear her head to avoid falling back into the lingering dream.
She gasped for air as if she had just survived a disaster, her weary breaths laced with disgust for the past.
She picked up her phone, the bright light making her instinctively squint.
【Are you asleep?】
It was already 2:35 AM. After sending the message, she froze for a moment, then quickly retracted it.
Was she crazy? What was she doing looking for Chu Xi at past two in the morning?
Ren Zhi realized she had lost control for a moment. Her state of mind was a little different than usual, but thankfully, it was just for a second. She wearily rubbed the bridge of her nose.
But as luck would have it, Chu Xi, for whatever reason, happened to see the message and was now frantically replying.
【Not asleep.】
【Not asleep, not asleep.】
【What's up?】
【I saw it, what did you want to say?】
Several messages from her popped up in the chat. Finally, unable to wait, she called.
After forty seconds of ringing, Ren Zhi finally lowered the hand covering her face and answered.
Her voice was still drowsy. "Nothing…"
Chu Xi's anxious voice sounded at the same time as hers. "I'm already at your door. Open up."
Ren Zhi: "…"
She was stunned for a moment before Chu Xi urged her again.
"Hurry and open the door, I'm getting cold out here."
Well, she was the one who had started it…
Ren Zhi resignedly went to open the door. Chu Xi burst in. Ren Zhi touched her pajamas; they were a bit cold from the wind.
"What are you doing up here?" Ren Zhi asked, a little exasperated.
"What were you looking for me for?" Chu Xi retorted, following her into the bedroom.
Ren Zhi turned on the light. "It's nothing, I sent the message by mistake."
Chu Xi frowned. "Then who were you trying to send it to?"
"…"
Ren Zhi was momentarily speechless.
Chu Xi took both of her wrists and stood before her.
"Is something wrong? Tell me." Chu Xi studied her, then said with concern, "You don't look well."
Ren Zhi explained, "I just had a nightmare."
"Oh…" Chu Xi patted her on the back.
"I even dreamed about you, got a little confused, and sent the message by mistake."
"Huh?" Chu Xi was a bit dumbfounded. She was the nightmare?
Feeling like she'd been hit by a stray bullet, she found it both funny and absurd. She explained:
"Dreams have no scientific basis. Whether it's a good dream or a nightmare, it just means your cerebral cortex was in an excited state while you were sleeping, with active self-awareness…"
As she spoke, she noticed Ren Zhi's eyelids droop. Her expression was still not good, clearly in a bad mood. Chu Xi paused, her words trailing off.
She looked around, grabbed the keychain from the sofa, and started again:
"Okay, okay, it's all my fault. I'm the bad guy. Don't be scared. Just hit me hard, and you won't be scared anymore."
She took Ren Zhi's hand and had her hit the little brown felt dog.
She looked down at the little dog getting bopped on the head, a smile in her eyes.
Her sunny, happy, sweet smile seemed to heal something. As Ren Zhi looked at her, the gloom in her eyes slowly dissipated, like mist touched by light.
The moment Chu Xi looked up, Ren Zhi lowered her gaze and sat back down on the edge of the bed.
Chu Xi followed, crouching at her feet and looking up to ask softly, "Do you want me to go back and fly the drone up to sleep with you?"
Ren Zhi suddenly lifted her leg and gave her a gentle kick.
The force was extremely light, but Chu Xi still went with it, backing away and sitting on the floor. She blinked, thought for a moment, and said:
"I promise I won't play my voice this time. It'll just keep you company while you sleep."
Outside the room was the gentle, pure night; inside, a warm light glowed. In the light, Ren Zhi's soft, low voice suddenly drifted through the air.
She looked at Chu Xi's face and suddenly felt that sleeping alone was a bit cold.
She stroked the little brown dog's fur, her cherry lips parting.
"Confess to me…"
Her low voice carried clearly to Chu Xi's ears. Her eyes, reflecting the gentle light, suddenly lit up, as if all the stars in the world had suddenly awakened in the night sky.
She scrambled up without a second thought, but then paused slightly, half-kneeling by the bed and taking the hand that rested by Ren Zhi's leg.
"I…"
All of a sudden, Chu Xi seemed to be at a loss for words. Now that she actually had to say it, she didn't know what to say.
Her face instantly flushed, her eagerness palpable.
Ren Zhi almost wanted to laugh at her. It's not like I'm asking her to propose, what's with this pose?
She helped Chu Xi up and pulled her to sit on the edge of the bed. Chu Xi's throat moved. She suddenly grabbed Ren Zhi's hand and pressed it against her own heart.
"Sorry, I'm so nervous…"
Heaven knows that when Ren Zhi spoke just now, her heart felt like it wanted to leap out of her chest and start dancing in the air!!
She could barely contain its violent thumping.
Ren Zhi felt it—that fervent heart felt like it was about to burst from her chest.
"You have an arrhythmia," she said.
"It's my heart beating for you," Chu Xi replied almost without thinking.
Ren Zhi met her gaze, momentarily stunned.
Chu Xi gently clasped her five fingers, holding them in her palm.
"I absolutely love you. Just thinking about being with you makes me happy, and thinking about not being with you makes me sad. My IQ is 170 now, so my judgment can't be wrong. I love you. I love Ren Zhi."
Her voice was gentle yet firm, her ardent eyes fixed on Ren Zhi's face.
"If… even if… we can't go public for now, would you still be willing?"
A flicker of guilt crossed Ren Zhi's eyes.
But to her surprise, Chu Xi said excitedly, "An underground romance? That's so exciting!"
Ren Zhi froze. "………………"
What brand of silly dog was she, anyway?
Chu Xi's face drew closer, her eyes gazing at her imploringly, shimmering like the most beautiful scene in the night sky, presented just for her.
"So you agree, right? You're my girlfriend now? Eheh, you've liked me for a while, haven't you? Starting now, I can do more things to you, right? Girlfriend things…"
Ren Zhi had no choice but to look up and push away the face that was about to collide with her nose.
A dark current surged in Ren Zhi's eyes, like a rushing river. Even she was overwhelmed by Chu Xi's enthusiasm and couldn't help but turn her face away.
But, she tacitly agreed.
The inky sky was pure and boundless, the stars and moon like lights arranged by heaven to illuminate the world's sweet dreams.
Suddenly, Ren Zhi's body felt light. She was lifted into the air without warning. By the time she realized what was happening, Chu Xi was already holding her and spinning her around by the bed.
"Whoo!!"
Startled, Ren Zhi didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and quickly wrapped her arms around Chu Xi's neck.
She suspected Chu Xi had suddenly been filled with the inexhaustible strength of an ox. She carried her from the bedroom to the living room for a lap, then rushed back, a brilliant smile plastered on her face.
"Enough, enough, stop running…" Ren Zhi was getting dizzy.
"Okay."
Chu Xi placed her back on the bed, then immediately fell down herself, propping herself up over her.
She nuzzled all over Ren Zhi, then, face to face, looked directly into her eyes.
Ren Zhi felt she couldn't take her gaze much longer, as if a fire were about to ignite in her eyes.
"Can you… not look at me like that?"
As she spoke, she unconsciously reached out and hooked her hand around the back of Chu Xi's neck.
It was a large patch of silky, warm skin.
The smile in Chu Xi's eyes gradually grew hazy, lost in the moment. In the faint air, the sweet breath escaping Ren Zhi's lips made her throat go dry.
She moved closer and closer to Ren Zhi, murmuring, "Baby, I'm poisoned. I'm so hot. I need to kiss you."
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