BSS - Chapter 155

Chapter 155

After that day, Deng Chuan rarely went to the library before the winter break began.

She was very comfortable at home. Xu Wei didn't have much to do, so she would occasionally glance at Deng Chuan's textbooks and explain the mathematical significance of certain data. Xu Wei had helped many students process data for their theses before, so she was more than adept at handling these simple undergraduate statistical calculations.

After studying until noon, Deng Chuan would go to the kitchen to boil water and cook. Xu Wei often leaned against the doorframe, watching her. The Little Friend wore an apron, methodically handling fish, meat, and various chopped vegetables with a certain grace in her movements. Deng Chuan had good habits; she liked to clean as she cooked, wiping away any visible grease stains. By the time the meal was ready, the kitchen was still mostly tidy.

Even though Xu Wei had never liked being near a kitchen her entire life, it didn't stop her from finding Deng Chuan captivating when she cooked.

The aroma of bone broth filled the house. The Little Friend carefully carried out a still-boiling clay pot containing a chicken wing stew she had recently learned to make. Their tastes were becoming more and more similar now—light, low in oil, and medium spicy at most.

The short two-week review period passed quickly. Deng Chuan moved back into the school dormitory. Because their courses were different, Deng Chuan's exam schedule wasn't the same as her roommates'. Her last exam was two days later than the typical third-year student's. When Deng Chuan returned to the dorm to pack, everyone was already gone, leaving only clean desks and bare bed boards.

Xu Wei also went back to the university that day. While Deng Chuan took her exam, Xu Wei paid a visit to her advisor. After their conversation, she followed her advisor to the office to check out her future workstation, then went to the dorm to help Deng Chuan finish packing.

The next day, Deng Chuan accompanied her to her physical examination.

After submitting the documents and confirming the list of prospective students, the admission notice was issued quickly. They went downstairs together to get the delivery, signing for it from the courier. As the winter break began, the laughter of children in the residential complex echoed from morning till evening, a perfect complement to the bright red cover of the admission notice.

They stayed in Beijing for another half a month, fully enjoying its rich cultural and entertainment life before slowly packing their luggage to go home for the New Year.

This year, Xu Wei was still not going back to Chaoshan. She had made up her mind not to have any more entanglements with her family. She would fulfill the responsibilities she had to, but there was no need to continue with the social obligations and familial ties.

Many people might choose to maintain a superficial compromise, thinking that they are family after all. But Xu Wei felt that if the outcome was weighed against the mental energy she had to expend, it was better not to have it at all.

She had always been a person who valued efficiency and data.

Humans are, after all, mortal flesh; it's not easy to sever those ties and concerns. But Xu Wei found a certain sense of relief in doing so.

She told Deng Chuan about this.

People often place emotional shackles on themselves and others, creating baseless accusations. It's too difficult to put oneself in another's shoes. Xu Wei hadn't wanted Deng Chuan to understand her on this point, because this outcome wasn't a clean break, but rather a slow, painful process, like being cut with a dull knife. It would take years to gradually wear away the repeated disappointment and lingering affection. To understand her, one would first have to experience her pain. Xu Wei couldn't bear that, yet she couldn't help but confide in her kid, seeking Deng Chuan's comfort and embrace.

It wasn't just that she needed that warmth; she knew Deng Chuan wanted to know, too.

They both longed to be completely intimate with each other.

So Xu Wei spoke without any burden, and just as she expected, she received a big hug from the Little Friend when she finished.

They had just finished dinner. The luggage they needed to pack was scattered all over the floor, and next to Xu Wei was a pile of half-folded clothes. Deng Chuan hugged her, kissing her face comfortingly. Her actions were clingy, and her words were just as sweet: "It's okay, we have our own home too."

Xu Wei smiled and turned her head to the side. The movement made it easier for Deng Chuan to lean down and kiss her fair neck, then move downwards, nosing aside the soft fabric like a puppy.

Xu Wei caressed the small bone on the bridge of Deng Chuan's nose, watching as the lower half of her face sank into the pile of clothes. Deng Chuan followed her touch and lifted her eyes to look at her. Her eyes were moist, and her downward gaze was particularly captivating.

As Deng Chuan moved, Xu Wei's gaze slowly began to drift. Deng Chuan observed her reaction, feeling her muscles tense and then relax. Unconsciously, a bead of sweat formed on the tip of Deng Chuan's nose and trickled down, tickling slightly. Deng Chuan reached up to wipe it away, unable to tell if it was her sweat or someone else's, as there were also glistening beads of sweat on Xu Wei's slender, white neck. Xu Wei was holding Deng Chuan's neck, but Deng Chuan felt that she was no longer clinging tightly; she seemed to have completely relaxed.

The pile of half-folded clothes beside them was messed up again.

The heating in the room was turned up too high. Both of their cheeks were burning hot. Deng Chuan straightened up and grabbed a tissue from the side, unable to stop herself from panting.

Watching her, Xu Wei leaned against the messy pile of clothes and laughed softly. She didn't say anything, but Deng Chuan heard the laugh and hugged her again. "Happy now?" she said. "Looks like I wasn't a complete failure."

"No." Xu Wei stroked her face, then wiped the corner of her lips with her thumb. "You were amazing."

The Little Friend got carried away with the praise and soon tried to nuzzle closer again, but her attempted kiss missed its mark. Xu Wei had no strength left. After dodging the kiss, she could only placatingly wrap her arms around her neck and say, "Be good... slow down. I'm a little thirsty. Go get me a glass of water first."

Deng Chuan didn't speak, just stared at her intently for a long moment.

It seemed she was still thinking about that missed kiss. Xu Wei lifted her head and brushed her lips against hers until the Little Friend was placated. She gently cupped her face, then gave her another push. "Go on."

Because they were indoors, Xu Wei was only wearing a thin pajama top. The buttoned placket had been pulled into disarray. Deng Chuan didn't linger; she helped tuck her clothes back in, then pushed herself up and swung her legs over to get her some water.

When she returned, Xu Wei had already tidied her messy hair and started re-folding the pile of clothes. Neither of them was sleepy, so they chatted idly as they finished packing most of their luggage for the New Year trip home.

That evening, Deng Chuan made chicken wing stew again. She was quite skilled at it now and could even adapt the recipe for cola chicken wings, making a cola chicken wing stew. She would add a layer of eggplant and glass noodles, which they both loved, at the bottom, creating something of a north-south fusion hotchpotch.

At the dinner table, Xu Wei gave the dish extremely high praise.

After dinner, having been cooped up at home for several days, Xu Wei suggested to Deng Chuan that they go for a walk. It was still early, during the first wave of the evening rush hour for office workers. The sky was dimming, but the winter sunset was still gentle, and it wasn't as cold as it would be later in the night.

Despite this, Deng Chuan still made sure Xu Wei put on the hoods of both her sweatshirt and her cotton coat. Xu Wei had a bad cervical spine and occasionally suffered from headaches, so she couldn't be exposed to the wind. But she was always careless about it herself, so Deng Chuan had to watch over her. Just like now, she supervised her item by item, making her put on gloves and then a scarf.

Xu Wei said, "You're all grown up, your wings have hardened, and now you're ordering me around?" The end of her sentence was soft. When Xu Wei was relaxed, she would unconsciously speak with a slight southern accent.

Deng Chuan reached out and pinched the tiny bit of her cheek that was still exposed to the air, her tone teasing. "Mhm, so you have to listen to me. Be a good girl, don't always make me worry."

Xu Wei's muffled laugh came from behind the scarf. "Honestly... who asked you to worry?"

Her tone was coquettish.

Deng Chuan closed the door, tossed a bag of trash into the large bin in the hallway, and turned back to take her hand.

Xu Wei already had her hand suspended in mid-air, not saying a word, just looking at her.

Deng Chuan took it and praised her, "So good."

The elevator doors opened right on time, and the light, brighter than in the hallway, illuminated the triumphant look in the Little Friend's eyes with perfect clarity. Xu Wei had to hold back for a while to keep a laugh from escaping her nose.

They went down to the ground floor of the complex together. It was a rather old residential area, and because it was winter, there wasn't much greenery. The streetlights were on, but they seemed dimmer than the twilight sky. The few people out for a stroll were mostly elderly.

Because the New Year was approaching, the usual grilled cold noodle and fried chicken skeleton stalls at the complex entrance were closing up early. When a late-returning office worker came to pick up a pre-ordered item, the vendor would open an insulated box and pull out the packaged snacks bag by bag.

Having just eaten, Deng Chuan wasn't hungry at all. She held Xu Wei's hand and walked past these stalls with great self-control.

There was a small park nearby, but because of the cold weather, there weren't many people around. The park looked like a typical northern park, with dusty slides and stone benches and chairs. The trees had lost most of their leaves, and the thin layer on the ground was no longer crisp to step on because it had snowed a few days before.

As far as the eye could see, the only splash of color came from the scattered pieces of exercise equipment in the distance.

Deng Chuan was just getting eager to try them when she heard Xu Wei pull her back and say, "I fell off of that when I was a kid."

She stared at the set of bars in the distance, a helpless look in her eyes.

"Really?" Seeing that no one was around, Deng Chuan smiled and pulled her into a full embrace, her white breath puffing onto Xu Wei's face. "How pitiful."

"Mhm." Xu Wei let her hold her and tilted her face up to look at her. "I was short when I was little and my feet couldn't reach the ground. I stood on top and swayed a few times, lost my balance, and fell. I sprained my ankle and it hurt for days."

"So pitiful," Deng Chuan said with a smile, leaning her face closer. "A little kiss... mmm—did you cry back then?"

Xu Wei said, "No."

In fact, not only did she not cry, but she also didn't get any comfort, and she still had to go to school the next day.

At the time, Xu Wei hadn't cried because she felt it was embarrassing. She hadn't received any comfort because the adults saw she wasn't crying and didn't think it was serious. And she had to go to school the next day because she preferred being at school to being at home.

But the Xu Wei of today wanted comfort from her Little Friend.

What wonderfully soft and strange creatures humans are. The stubborn pride of youth could, more than twenty years later, become a reason to act spoiled, just as steel could be melted into something pliable enough to wrap around a finger.

And so, Xu Wei got her wish, receiving a kiss on her face from Deng Chuan.

The Little Friend also asked in a low voice, "Are you cold?"

Before Xu Wei could reply, she eagerly added a tight, heartfelt hug.

They both liked winter.

Because in winter, everyone is an island, but love connects them into a continent.

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