BSS - Chapter 124

Chapter 124

That night, Deng Chuan had a dream.

The rain was endless. She was soaked to the bone, as if submerged in water. The sky was filled with dark, churning clouds, and the surrounding roar of the downpour made it impossible for Deng Chuan to tell where she was. Was she in Beijing, in England, or at home?

Perhaps traveling to many places at a young age wasn't always a fortunate thing.

Rainwater trickled down her chin, and her eyelashes were so wet she could barely open her eyes. Squinting, she saw that the road was completely empty. The entire world consisted of nothing but an infinite curtain of rain, as if she were standing before the closed curtain just before a grand play.

For some reason, the Deng Chuan in the dream suddenly thought of the day she finished her Gaokao. The sun that day had been the complete opposite of this torrential downpour, still dazzlingly bright even in the evening. Sweat had trickled down the back of her neck, gradually dissipating in the cool night breeze.

Now, only rain rolled down her cheeks.

Recalling past events in a dream was not unfamiliar to Deng Chuan. She was a good sleeper and didn't dream often, which made her very sensitive to them. The heavy rain in this dream gave her a clue, so she had to grasp onto something real, something that had left the deepest impression on her, to remind herself that she was dreaming.

While the Deng Chuan in the dream was thinking this with great calm, the sleeping Deng Chuan furrowed her brow deeply.

The rain continued to fall endlessly. Deng Chuan couldn't recognize the street. It was dark all around, darker than the deepest night.

As the rain kept falling, Deng Chuan gradually grew accustomed to the incessant sound. Sometimes, stillness is a dynamic state. Just like now, amidst the sound of the rain, Deng Chuan suddenly caught a faint, distant noise, echoing again and again, like steel striking steel.

When will this dream end? she wondered, and suddenly, her vision brightened.

It was as if a beam of light had performed a brilliant flourish before her eyes.

Like a bolt of lightning, two beams of white light suddenly pierced the rain curtain not far away. A giant beast, puffing out white steam, seemed to have driven straight out of the steam age, letting out a long, shrill cry. There were clearly no tracks on the ground, yet Deng Chuan could distinctly hear the thunderous sound of a black train advancing, carriage by carriage. She saw that the carriages were completely empty.

As the roar grew closer, the rain flew in all directions, lashing down on Deng Chuan. The scorching summer in her mind was torn to shreds, which was why she had never been so clearly aware that she was dreaming. The oncoming wave of hot air and the smell of gasoline, along with the flying raindrops, felt like a mountain bearing down on her.

It was too close. Deng Chuan calmly closed her eyes.

Amidst the ever-louder clanging, a warm, dry hand suddenly reached out and yanked her arm hard.

Deng Chuan's eyes flew open.

Outside the window, there was the faint, pitter-pattering sound of rain tapping against the pane. The phone on her pillow was lit up silently.

Everything was so quiet. Deng Chuan unconsciously let out a breath. Not noticing the lit-up phone, she raised an arm to cover her eyes, lingering in bed for a while in a daze.

After a moment, she lazily rolled over to grab the phone by her pillow.

The phone's lock screen showed a missed call from Xu Wei. There were also several new messages on WeChat.

Deng Chuan couldn't help but curve her lips into a smile. She subconsciously hugged the blanket in her arms tighter, feeling that it was a soft comfort, whether after a dream of a torrential downpour or on a morning with a light drizzle.

Deng Chuan rubbed her face against the fluffy blanket, then unlocked the screen.

Of course, there were new messages from other people on WeChat, but she didn't even look at them, tapping straight into her pinned chat.

In the chat, Xu Wei had sent a new picture.

The picture was of a pot of Eustoma she had recently started growing on her balcony. This was a new hobby she had developed. Xu Wei was patient with everything she did; she was good at growing flowers, and she was particularly stern when it came to disciplining the two cats who messed with them.

Thanks to Teacher Xu's meticulous care, this pot of purple Eustoma had quickly bloomed. Xu Wei's hand was resting to one side for scale as she took the photo for Deng Chuan. In the sunlight, the fingers pinching the flower stem were so fair they were almost translucent.

Deng Chuan pursed her lips and smiled, rolling over in bed and tapping out a message with her fingers: So pretty.

The status on the other end quickly changed to "typing...". Before Xu Wei could reply, Deng Chuan sent another message: Can I see the pretty Teacher Xu too?

Her internet connection wasn't great, and the message showed a spinning circle for a few moments before it was sent successfully. But the very next second, a video call from Xu Wei came through.

Deng Chuan rolled over, looking at the camera from what could only be described as a horribly unflattering angle as she lay on her side.

She didn't care about her appearance, only snuggling up to the screen and saying coquettishly, "What are you doing, Teacher Xu?" Then she added, "Now that you have flowers, you've taken away a little bit of your love for me."

Xu Wei said, "Taking away a little bit of love refers to me squatting on the balcony at noon to take a picture of a flower for you?"

She huffed softly. "Honestly."

The kid's face took up most of the screen. The warm air from her breath fogged up the lens a little, and her features, usually so distinct, seemed to melt into the white background, hazy and unclear.

Xu Wei found herself involuntarily staring at the bridge of Deng Chuan's nose, which looked like it was about to touch the screen. She then glanced at the ceiling behind Deng Chuan as if to cover it up, her voice remaining calm. "Still acting spoiled? Hmm?"

Deng Chuan obediently shook her head, then buried her face in the nearby blanket, rubbing against it.

Xu Wei saw her own blanket and couldn't help but smile with a hint of resignation. She asked casually, "Do you like it that much?"

Deng Chuan nodded eagerly.

"Of course," she said with a smile. "This is the blanket that Teacher Xu accompanied across the ocean with me, and it's spent so much time with me. Think about it, I spend a third of my day with it, you know?"

Xu Wei walked indoors, stepping carefully to prevent Juzi from rushing over to trip her up. Hearing this, she smiled with a hint of deeper meaning. "How do you spend it together?"

"I hug it," the kid said, completely oblivious. "Just like this."

Xu Wei settled comfortably on the sofa, just in time to hear her say, "It's like hugging you."

The kid bit her lip, looking a little lonely.

Xu Wei said, "Then do you do anything bad while hugging it?" She watched as Deng Chuan froze at her words, a blush slowly creeping up to the roots of her ears. "Didn't you say it was just like me?"

"Of course... not," Deng Chuan stammered. She seemed to want to let go of the blanket but was reluctant to, so she could only push it away a little. Seeing Xu Wei raise an eyebrow at the camera, she hurriedly added, "I'm not that kind of person!"

"I know," Xu Wei laughed softly. "You don't have to say it so loudly."

Deng Chuan's face was burning. They exchanged a few more words, but the ambiguous smile on Xu Wei's face when she'd said that kept flashing before her eyes. She stared blankly for a long time before finally making up her mind. She pushed the blanket away, sat up, and leaned against the headboard. Adopting the angle and stern expression of someone posing for an ID photo, she said, "Teacher Xu, do you miss me?"

For some reason, Xu Wei blushed slightly, then said softly, "I do."

"Mmm..." Deng Chuan had originally planned to say something to return the shyness and heat to Xu Wei, but as soon as Xu Wei adopted such a gentle demeanor, her resolve immediately crumbled. She swallowed the words she had intended to say and said softly, "I miss you too."

Xu Wei chuckled and scooped up Juzi, who was nudging against her, holding him up to the camera. "What about him?"

Juzi had grown up. The fur on his belly had been shaved for his neutering surgery, and he was wearing an Elizabethan collar, struggling and shaking his head in Xu Wei's arms.

"I miss him a ton," Deng Chuan said. "When I left, Juzi was still so small, I could pick him up with one hand."

Xu Wei said, "The way he's been following Zhou Liu's lead, I'll have to take them both to the vet to lose weight one of these days."

As if the topic had turned to food, Xu Wei's brow furrowed slightly. She asked Deng Chuan, "You just woke up. Aren't you going to eat?"

Deng Chuan nonchalantly grabbed a pillow to lean on, propping her chin on her knees and moving closer to the camera again. "I'll go in a bit."

Xu Wei grabbed Juzi's paw and waved it at her. "Go eat."

"Let's talk a little longer," the kid said, frowning pitifully. "Stay with me a little longer."

"I'm always with you," Xu Wei said. "We can talk anytime. Go on."

Deng Chuan slowly got out of bed, slowly slipped on her slippers, and then slowly walked to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water. Under Xu Wei's satisfied gaze, she gulped it down before heading to the bathroom to wash up.

"Good girl," Xu Wei said, watching the kid on the other end munching on a slice of bread. "It's still early, there's plenty of time."

Perhaps to make up for the lack of video calls recently, Xu Wei stayed with Deng Chuan until she finished breakfast, and they chatted for a long while longer before reluctantly switching to a voice call so they could both read their books.

When it was noon on Deng Chuan's side, there was a beautiful sunset on Xu Wei's. She stood once again next to the pot of blooming Eustoma and took several pictures in a row for Deng Chuan.

"So beautiful," Deng Chuan's voice sounded gently from the other end. "Thank you, Teacher Xu."

A day as gentle and long as the sunset came to an end. Xu Wei said goodnight to Deng Chuan and went to sleep as usual. Deng Chuan, however, remained at her desk, poring over the cases and exercises she had to analyze for the week, sitting there until late into the night.

At two in the morning, her phone vibrated.

Deng Chuan glanced at the caller ID, and her lips curled up uncontrollably. She answered the phone quickly, and before Xu Wei could speak, she rushed to say, "Happy birthday!"

Deng Chuan said, "Did you get the flowers? I specifically told them not to deliver them too early."

Xu Wei's voice was soft, making Deng Chuan instinctively grip her phone tighter, wanting to be closer to her. "Mmm..."

She still seemed a bit dazed. "They're beautiful... thank you."

"Did you think I forgot?" Deng Chuan said with a laugh.

"Hmph." She heard Xu Wei sniffle softly. "Honestly... I purposely stayed up past midnight last night."

"I know! That's why I had to hold it in for so long! I almost couldn't keep it in," Deng Chuan said. "Teacher Xu, when you go to school tomorrow, my birthday present will be on your desk."

Honestly, red roses again. While listening to Deng Chuan talk, Xu Wei found a clean glass vase in the cabinet. They had bought this vase together, its purpose being to hold the flowers Deng Chuan sent her.

She took a moment to compose herself before saying softly, "Who did you bribe that would dare to put a gift on my desk?"

The kid sounded quite pleased with herself. "It's a secret!"

Xu Wei took the flowers out of the wrapping paper and carefully transferred them to the glass vase, which had been empty for some time, and placed it on the dining table. Zhou Liu and Juzi jumped onto the table curiously, craning their necks to look, but she shooed them down.

"Is Teacher Xu happy?" Deng Chuan suddenly asked.

Xu Wei didn't hesitate. "I'm happy."

"Then how about a video call?" Deng Chuan said. "I want to see you."

"Okay."

Where Deng Chuan couldn't see, an involuntary smile hung on Xu Wei's lips. The girlish apprehension and joy on her face would captivate anyone who saw it.

The call didn't connect right away. Holding her phone, Xu Wei quickly walked into her room and checked her appearance in the mirror before accepting the video call from Deng Chuan.

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