BSS - Chapter 154

Chapter 154

Xu Wei's kiss was very light. She merely brushed her lips against the back of Deng Chuan's hand, a fleeting warmth that vanished as soon as it came, carrying with it a tender caution. It seemed to be comforting Deng Chuan, but even more so, comforting herself.

Deng Chuan said she only loved her. Xu Wei believed her, of course, but from the moment she went home with Deng Chuan, their love was no longer just about the two of them. Having already lost a family of her own, Xu Wei's heart softened when she looked at Deng Chuan and the family that had raised her. She was even more reluctant to let Deng Chuan face those conflicts because of her.

Deng Chuan said she would listen to her, but Xu Wei could no longer truly think from her own perspective. Her heart was mixed with too many things-heartache, worry, panic, gratitude, sorrow. After meeting Deng Chuan, Xu Wei was no longer living just for herself. Her desires were no longer pure; she always had to think, Deng Chuan, what will happen to Deng Chuan?

She didn't want her kid to suffer in the slightest.

So, a person can have many ways of comforting themselves. But Xu Wei kissed Deng Chuan, placing the right to choose in her hands. After that one kiss, no matter what actions Lao Deng and Tang Lijuan might take in the future, no matter what else Deng Chuan might say or do, or what changes in attitude she might have, Xu Wei could convince herself to accept it.

She would accept it all.

Fortunately, however, Deng Chuan could read the complexity of Xu Wei's mood in that kiss. Even though she hadn't completely sorted out the issue Xu Wei was considering-because many things couldn't be reduced to a simple multiple-choice question, a yes or no, a want or not want-Deng Chuan hadn't figured out how to accept, how to refuse, or how to compromise.

But with such a complex problem, Deng Chuan, acting on intuition alone, could recognize that only the feeling of love could be certain.

Holding on to this clear attitude, Deng Chuan became very composed. Not only did she calmly accept Xu Wei's kiss, but she also turned her hand palm-up, took the opportunity to stroke Xu Wei's face, and gave it a playful pinch.

The kid's actions were openly affectionate. In such a public place, Xu Wei finally registered where they were. She felt a little embarrassed and whispered, "Don't mess around."

Xu Wei's expression was very unnatural now, like she was trying to remain calm but couldn't help feeling flustered. It was very cute, like a startled fawn. Deng Chuan's eyes curved as she smiled right at her.

This time, it was a true comfort.

It was as if a person couldn't help but tremble in an overly warm environment. Xu Wei watched Deng Chuan smile at her, feeling a little lost. The kid's nose, brows, and eyes were cast in deepening shadow by the sunlight in front of the library's floor-to-ceiling windows, as if she had grown up a lot in an instant. But the white ointment evenly spread on one side of her face made her features, which seemed to be coated in a soft light, exceptionally vivid.

Xu Wei could only whisper again, "Let go."

Her voice was light and airy.

The kid glanced at her again with a smile, and Xu Wei felt as if she would melt in that smile. She had to do something to restrain herself. So, with a slight lack of self-control, Xu Wei pulled down the hand Deng Chuan had on her face. Deng Chuan didn't use much force, and her hand was easily encircled by Xu Wei's palm.

She leaned closer. Xu Wei soon heard her whispering too, "Let's go home."

The kid's thoughts were written all over her face, her eagerness plain to see. Xu Wei heard the unspoken meaning in her words and couldn't help but want to laugh, nor could she help the fluttering in her heart. It was as if all the complex emotions of the morning had settled into that one sentence. She squeezed Deng Chuan's hand tightly but asked in return, "Aren't you going to study anymore?"

Deng Chuan had already started packing up her scattered books and notebooks, answering with righteous confidence, "I can study at home too."

Soon, Deng Chuan was holding Xu Wei's hand, carrying their books and laptops on her back, and rushing to catch the midday subway back to their small rented apartment.

When Xu Wei had left that morning, she hadn't drawn the curtains. So when Deng Chuan pushed open the door, she was greeted by the sight of a dim, soft bed. The quilt wasn't folded, lying open messily at one corner, and the air was faintly filled with Xu Wei's scent.

It looked like the perfect place for an afternoon nap.

The kid was very proactive. While Xu Wei was still out in the main room pouring a glass of water, she was suddenly hugged from behind by the waist.

Deng Chuan was half a head taller than her and could easily wrap her arms all the way around her.

Someone was hugging her from behind. Xu Wei's hand, which was pouring water, paused. "Do you want some water? It's too dry. Drinking some water will help your face heal faster."

"Let's go to sleep." They weren't in the library anymore. Deng Chuan ignored the question and spoke loudly and frankly right next to Xu Wei's ear.

Before Xu Wei could say anything, she snuggled closer again, murmuring, "Sigh, I really want to kiss you. I've wanted to since just now. Do you know how cute you were earlier?"

Xu Wei only remembered her own panic. "When?"

"In the library."

Perhaps the quiet environment had amplified her anxiety. Now that they were home, with Deng Chuan holding her so intimately, Xu Wei thought back to the issue they had discussed earlier, and it no longer seemed so extreme. Her mood softened. Hearing this, she reached out a hand to pinch Deng Chuan's nose and said, "I was talking about something serious with you just now. What were you thinking about?"

"A kiss," Deng Chuan said, then buried her face in Xu Wei's neck and took a deep breath.

Xu Wei obediently turned around, hooked her arms around Deng Chuan's neck, and stroked the hair tied up at the back of her head, fumbling until she pulled the hair tie off.

As they nuzzled against each other, Xu Wei's face inevitably came into contact with the allergy medicine on Deng Chuan's. The kid didn't seem to mind at all, tilting her head to rub against her like a big dog eager to have its head petted. With her long arms and legs, Deng Chuan had Xu Wei completely entangled. Xu Wei had no choice but to hold her head, smelling a faint, bitter fragrance from the ointment amidst Deng Chuan's searing, lingering kiss.

This trace of fragrance lingered around them, faint yet ever-present.

After Xu Wei fell asleep, Deng Chuan leaned against the headboard by herself and turned on the projector. They didn't have a TV at home; they usually used this projector to watch movies, but now Deng Chuan was using it to watch case analysis videos, which seemed surprisingly fitting.

When Xu Wei woke up, the first thing she saw was the lecturer in a suit and tie on the wall in front of her. Because Deng Chuan was wearing headphones, the person on the wall was opening and closing their mouth without a sound. The room was very dim, which gave the seriously analyzing elite a certain comedic quality, like a black-and-white, whimsical silent film.

Home was indeed much better than the library.

Thinking this, Xu Wei turned over, slipped her hand around Deng Chuan's arm, and leaned against her gently.

The kid quickly pressed pause, then lowered her head to look at her.

Xu Wei whispered something. Deng Chuan didn't hear it clearly, so she took off her headphones and leaned closer, gesturing for her to say it again.

The elite on the wall was frozen on a frame displaying a data table for analysis. Xu Wei gave him one last look, then turned her head and shook it, wrapping her arms around Deng Chuan's neck. She didn't speak, just wanted to be held.

Finally, Xu Wei got her wish and settled into Deng Chuan's embrace. She pressed close to her ear and whispered, "You can keep watching."

"Okay." Deng Chuan held her, soothingly stroking her slender back. "It's still early," she said gently. "You can sleep a little longer."

"What are we having for dinner?" Xu Wei asked after a moment of silence, her face buried in Deng Chuan's neck.

"Oh, right. Today's the day Teacher Xu becomes Dr. Xu." Deng Chuan affectionately tapped Xu Wei's chin with her finger, as if teasing a cat. "What do you want to eat?"

Xu Wei was silent for a long while before saying softly, "I want to eat beef hot pot."

"Okay." Deng Chuan understood what she meant. "We'll go to the supermarket to buy meat later. For the soup base, is it just white radish and half a cob of corn? I saw them do it that way in the Chaoshan food videos."

"Mhm," Xu Wei said, trying to recall. After a moment, she added, "Maybe some green onions too."

"Okay." Deng Chuan patted her head and said comfortingly, "It's very simple. We can have it tonight."

Xu Wei nodded silently, curled up in Deng Chuan's arms, and watched her take notes while facing the projection on the wall.

When they went out in the evening, it was very cold outside. After stepping into the hallway, Deng Chuan had to go back inside to wrap scarves around both of them. Now, they could only see each other's eyes.

Walking down the street, everyone was bundled up tightly. When they entered the supermarket, a wave of warm air hit them, and sweat began to bead on their backs.

The supermarket sold pre-packaged boxes of beef. Deng Chuan searched for the names of beef cuts on Baidu while trying to match them with the names used in Chaoshan beef hot pot. Just as Deng Chuan had said, wanting to eat beef hot pot wasn't a difficult thing. Soon, they were heading home with their shopping bags full.

The nearest supermarket was two subway stops away. It was now the evening rush hour, and a glance into the subway entrance revealed a level of crowding that was almost daunting enough to make one turn back.

Xu Wei, wearing gloves, linked her arm through Deng Chuan's and led her past the subway entrance, planning to take the bus instead. The streetlights were just beginning to flicker on. There weren't many people walking on the street, only the whistling stream of traffic.

Xu Wei was wearing a wool hat, a mask, a scarf, and a thick cotton coat, all bundled up until she was round and looked very cute. Deng Chuan watched the white puff of her breath float in the air as she spoke. She reached out as if to catch it and was lightly slapped away by Xu Wei.

They walked to a nearby bus stop. Before long, Deng Chuan saw their bus swaying toward them. Holding the shopping bag in one hand and Xu Wei's hand in the other, she took a large step onto the bus.

Rarely, although there were no seats, there was still a decent amount of standing room. Deng Chuan placed the things she was holding by her feet and let Xu Wei lean against her quietly, gazing out the window.

The bus passed an office building, its grid-like windows lighting up one by one. The restaurant on the first floor was full of white-collar workers having dinner. The bus stopped at the stop near the office building, and a crowd of people quickly surged aboard.

The driver shouted for people to move to the back. Deng Chuan picked up the shopping bag again and guided Xu Wei toward the rear of the bus.

Once everyone was settled, the bus continued on its way, passing a nearby wet market, a residential area, and a public fitness square. There was a lot of traffic, and the bus frequently accelerated and decelerated, but everyone managed to stand steadily.

The lights inside the bus made the evening darkness outside seem especially deep. The window reflected the dark shadow of an overpass above, and within that shadow were a few bright white points of light-the headlights of the cars outside. Deng Chuan followed Xu Wei's gaze to the window she had been staring at.

"We're almost home," she couldn't help but whisper.

Xu Wei came back to her senses, looking startled for a moment.

"Mhm."

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