"Hug." Xu Chacha wrapped her arms around Wen Mubai and buried her head in her neck. "Smells good."
His breath tickled the side of her neck, and Wen Mubai suppressed his urges, lowering his voice, "Behave yourself, okay?"
"I am very honest."
As she spoke, her lips brushed against Wen Mubai's chin, and the latter suddenly tightened his grip, almost throwing her off.
"..."
Wen Mubai gave up arguing with the drunkard, gritted his teeth, quickened his pace, shoved the man into the back seat, and then got into the driver's seat.
She drove in silence, pressing the accelerator, and half an hour later parked the car downstairs at Xu Chacha's apartment building. She then used the same method to carry the person upstairs.
Xu Chacha, who had taken a nap in the car, seemed even more dazed. When she was laid down on the sofa, she didn't move at all, only keeping her eyes open and following Wen Mubai's figure.
Wen Mubai's coat was on her, and now she was only wearing a black turtleneck underneath. The collar hugged her clean and beautiful chin, accentuating the length of her neck. It was adorned with a necklace from a niche brand, with a pendant that looked like a sun.
The necklace was so dazzling that it made her eyes water. Xu Chacha blinked her slightly cloudy eyes and reached out towards Wen Mubai, "You, stop shaking it."
Wen Mubai poured her a cup of hot water. "Drink some water first."
"Ah." Xu Chacha rested her hands on her sides and leaned her chin toward her.
Wen Mubai resignedly squatted down, held the cup, and tilted it to bring it to her lips.
Xu Chacha obediently lowered her head and swallowed the water with her mouth on the cup, but she drank too fast and choked. The water that overflowed fell from her lips and down her neck into her collar.
The neckline of her dress was very low, and from Wen Mubai's angle, he could see a patch of fair skin that had been soaked in water. Her whole body had a faint pinkish hue, like a ripe peach that could be squeezed to release its juice.
"It's hot." Xu Chacha licked her lips, frowning as if she felt a little aggrieved.
Wen Mubai lowered his head and took a sip. "It's not hot."
"I mean, I'm very hot." Xu Chacha took her hand and placed it on her cheek, her moist eyes slightly open as she looked at her. "Isn't it very hot?"
When his fingertips touched her soft cheek, Wen Mubai's fingers recoiled as if they had been scalded by boiling water.
"I told you not to drink so much."
“But Sister Chen Qian said that the alcohol content isn’t high.” She licked her dry lips again, her tongue moving nimbly like a little snake. “It tastes like a peach-flavored drink, and it’s very delicious.”
"You keep calling everyone 'sister,' do you call everyone that sweetly?"
"Would you get jealous?"
The question, bolder and more direct than usual, left Wen Mubai momentarily speechless.
"Wen Mubai." Xu Chacha stood up, wrapped her arms around Wen Mubai's neck, and leaned forward, her moist, light red lips shining brightly into the center of Wen Mubai's vision. "Do you want to try some?"
"Um?"
"Peach." Xu Chacha gently blew on it, "Does it smell good?"
Wen Mubai's mind went blank for a moment, and he almost lost control and was led into a trap by the person in front of him.
She restrained herself with reason, abruptly looked away, and tried to push Xu Chacha away while holding her waist, saying, "Go take a shower first."
Wake up, wake up, she is herself.
"Will I wash myself?" Xu Chacha swung her legs, her bare feet stepping on Wen Mubai's trouser leg. "Aren't you going to help me wash now? What if I fall in the bathroom?"
"..."
Five minutes later, in the bathroom
Xu Chacha had changed into a thin undershirt and was forced to sit on a bench.
Wen Mubai was standing to the side testing the water temperature for her. Once the temperature was about right, he walked behind her and said, "Lower your head."
"Oh." Xu Chacha obediently lowered her head, and several vertebrae protruded from under the thin skin on the back of her bent neck, all the way down to her vest.
The red butterfly birthmark on her back, as time went by and her body grew larger, unfolded from its original small, shrunken state, like a butterfly about to take flight.
Even after so many years, Wen Mubai could still clearly remember the injuries her body had suffered. His gaze slid down her shoulders and neck, repeatedly tracing those scars one by one.
It shouldn't hurt anymore.
Xu Chacha's hair is quite long, and it took quite a while just to wet it. Once her hair was fully wet, Wen Mubai turned off the shower and squeezed out the shampoo.
I squeezed a light blue ball of foam into my palm, slowly rubbed it to create fine bubbles, and then rubbed it onto her head.
Xu Chacha seemed to enjoy her gentle and meticulous technique, squinting her eyes and letting out a few soft hums through her nose.
"Lower your head." Wen Mubai discovered that he might actually have a knack for serving people, at least he was more than capable of dealing with this little tyrant.
After rinsing off the foam, she took a towel and wrapped it around Xu Chacha's hair.
Xu Chacha raised her head, her face even redder than before. She frowned and complained softly, "Ugh."
"Your head is congested with blood, but you'll feel better after a while."
Wen Mubai placed one hand under her chin, lifted her head, and took a makeup remover pad to remove her makeup.
Xu Chacha obediently closed her eyes, and with a single sentence, she pulled the originally harmonious and quiet atmosphere back into turmoil.
"Could you stay by my side like this forever?"
Wen Mubai paused, then quickly replied, "Isn't it already being done?"
“It’s different.” Xu Chacha opened her eyes, the complex expression in them making it impossible to tell whether she was fully awake or still under the influence of alcohol. “You know what I mean.”
Wen Mubai lowered his eyes, silently threw away the dirty cotton pad in his hand, and replaced it with a new one.
She remained silent, trying to gloss over the difficult question with her silence. Xu Chacha knew what she was up to, but surprisingly, she didn't press her further.
“And here,” she pointed to her lips, “the lip gloss is really hard to remove today.”
Wen Mubai glanced at her slightly parted lips, then changed his eye and lip makeup remover and soaked a cotton pad to cover them.
I left it damp for a few seconds, then rubbed it off, bit by bit, not even missing the tiny corners of my lips.
"Is it clean?" Xu Chacha asked her, her eyes wide open.
"Um."
"That's good." Xu Chacha suddenly smiled.
Wen Mubai nodded and was about to get up to wash her hands when she saw Xu Chacha suddenly approaching her. In that instant, her rapidly spinning brain seemed to have already figured out what the other person was going to do, but she hesitated to make the right reaction.
When that soft touch met her lips, and hot breath enveloped her nostrils, it felt like it was all too late.
Xu Chacha is right, that peach-flavored cocktail is indeed very sweet.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Xu Chacha stepped back slightly, her eyes, tinged with pink, fixed on her. "So, you don't feel anything either?"
Wen Mubai clenched his fists at his sides. How could this be? His heart felt like it was going to jump out of his body.
But she could only do what she had to do, pressing Xu Chacha's forehead and pushing her back, "I'm going out. You should wash up and go to sleep early. You probably won't remember tomorrow."
Xu Chacha grabbed her wrist, her eyes welling up with tears that looked like they were about to condense and fall. "Do you know how annoying it is that you're always so stubborn and unyielding?"
She stared intently at Wen Mubai. Just like that damned turtleneck, it could subtly accentuate the graceful lines of her body to attract attention, yet it firmly maintained its defensive line above the neck, making it unassailable by anyone.
She wished she could tear the turtleneck off right now, and rip off her aloof, unattainable facade.
"Why are you crying?" Wen Mubai frowned, curling his index finger to wipe away the tears from the corner of her eyes. "You look like you've been bullied."
"It's because you bullied me." Xu Chacha's voice was nasal. "Why do you always treat me like a child? I can stand by your side. I can do what Dufiana can do. You used to protect me, now it's my turn to protect you, is that not allowed?"
Wen Mubai's eyes showed emotion. He placed his palm on her cheek and asked softly, "Do you know what it means to say such things?"
Xu Chacha may not know, but she cannot be unaware.
She once thought when she was eighteen that it would be great if she were twenty-eight, so that she could give Xu Chacha more and give her everything she wanted.
But when she actually reached this age, Wen Mubai realized that the limitations of this age were no less than when she was eighteen. She could give Xu Chacha more now than when she was eighteen, but she didn't forget that she was always an outsider and would become a part of her past, only the proportion in her memories would be more or less.
She had seen her friends overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of young children, completely captivated, like parched land encountering rare rain.
But passion comes and goes quickly. By the time the girls realized what was happening, the clowns had already turned the city walls into their deep affection.
This is why she hasn't gotten involved in relationships for so many years; her friends are the same, and so is her own mother.
Wen Mubai's mother is like a butterfly flitting among the grass, free and unrestrained, but inevitably selfish towards her family. Wen Mubai doesn't want to become like her; she wants to have only one, from beginning to end.
She couldn't forget the winter day her mother left, and she didn't want to repeat her mistakes. She even thought that it would be better if her memories with Xu Chacha only stayed in that bright summer.
She didn't have these struggles, these psychological battles, and she didn't feel like a cowardly clown.
"I can give you anything you want." But this isn't a decision that can be made with just a nod.
She couldn't be sure if her momentary infatuation was just a delusion born from caring too much, nor could she be certain that Xu Chacha would stay by her side forever. This was something that required a lifetime commitment, and Wen Mubai wouldn't take the risk lightly, nor could he let Xu Chacha get involved.
"Why won't you give me what I want most, even though you want it too?"
Xu Chacha's words were so precise, it was as if she could read minds. They struck her heart like a thunderbolt, even disrupting her breathing rhythm.
"If I date that girl from earlier, would you be willing to give me your blessing? If you really don't want to, will you be able to avoid my kiss?"
One question after another caught her off guard, and the docile rabbit suddenly bared its teeth and claws, displaying a surprisingly aggressive nature.
Why do you think so much?
Wen Mubai lowered his eyes and gently stroked her face, his fingers tracing from her eyebrows to her lips. "You'll regret this."
"Do you think I really care about that little bit of protection?" Xu Chacha said, enunciating each word clearly. "What I care about is you."
Xu Chacha angrily opened her mouth and bit the finger that was making her feel itchy.
Chapter 49 I'll Take Care of You
At that moment, she shed her harmless disguise, revealing sharp fangs, and desperately showed Wen Mubai her sharpness.
She wanted to wake up this wicked woman who didn't take her words seriously.
"And the answer?"
Wen Mubai's eyes couldn't hide her emotion. No one could resist such a sincere and passionate heart; others could, and she, who was already moved, certainly couldn't.
"If you don't regret it when you wake up tomorrow." Okay.
Early the next morning
With a splitting headache, Xu Chacha got out of bed, her long hair disheveled and plastered on her face, looking like a female ghost who had just crawled out of the TV.