Xu Chacha, who hadn't been particularly interested just moments before, suddenly brightened up. The dim lighting in the private room couldn't hide the rosy blush on her face caused by the smell of alcohol.
Those watery, deer-like eyes looked at Wen Mubai, a hint of drunkenness in them. "Auntie, you're here."
Wen Mubai picked up the wine glass on the table in front of her, held it to his nose and sniffed it, then frowned. "This is so strong?"
Xu Chacha nodded, "It's okay, you'll come to pick me up anyway."
Hearing these trusting words softened Wen Mubai's heart, and he couldn't bring himself to say the words he had originally intended to use to discipline the disobedient child.
Jiang Miao was right next to Xu Chacha, and he could hear their conversation clearly.
She lowered her head, unable to hide the disappointment in her eyes. It was the first time she had heard Xu Chacha use such a soft voice to coax her. Her clear and lively voice slowly drew out each word, as if it were wads of cotton being stuffed into her chest.
The more beautiful and moving the music was, the more bitter it felt on her tongue. She knew that Wen Mubai was just Xu Chacha's so-called aunt, but the relationship between the two was just too good.
Who else would contact their elders so frequently after going to university, and even prioritize their elders in everything they do?
She thought Xu Chacha's gentleness towards her was already special, but after glimpsing her behavior in front of Wen Mubai, that completely different side, she realized that she, like everyone else, had never truly understood the complete Xu Chacha.
Jiang Miao got up, escaped the noise, and stood in the doorway for a while to get some fresh air, finally regaining some clarity of thought.
But the more she was alone, the more opportunities she had to overthink, and she couldn't help but recall the things her friends had said on Sunday.
"I like girls, come and confess your feelings to me!"
Was this a hint from Xu Chacha to her?
Jiang Miao's hand trembled slightly as she sent the message. She stared intently at the send button for more than ten seconds before finally gritting her teeth and sending it.
She stomped her feet and waited for a few minutes before footsteps finally came from behind her. She turned around happily, only to be met with Wen Mubai's expressionless face.
“She’s drunk, so she asked me to come.” Wen Mubai held out his hand. “You’re here to give her a gift, right?”
Jiang Miao was torn between giving the box in his hand and not giving it to her.
"I have something I want to say to her." She withdrew her hand. "If she can't come, I'll give it to her myself next time. Thank you for coming out."
Wen Mubai was wearing flat shoes today, but even when she stood up straight, she was still half a head taller than Jiang Miao. Her sharp gaze, like a security scanner, swept over her from head to toe.
"Are you going to confess your feelings?"
Originally, Wen Mubai was too lazy to care about the young people confessing their feelings to each other. Xu Chacha had always been good at attracting attention since she was a child, and as long as she didn't cause trouble, she wouldn't interfere.
But this time, she didn't know why, and she blurted out that sentence uncontrollably.
I could hear my own voice in my ear; it was a somewhat cold tone, with a light, questioning tone that wasn't exactly friendly.
Jiang Miao was taken aback, probably because he didn't expect her to be so blunt, but he still mustered up the courage to nod.
"Actually, I don't know if I really like girls, because I've only ever dated boyfriends before." She probably didn't notice the unfriendly side hidden beneath Wen Mubai's mature mask, and poured out her heart as if confiding in an elder.
"When I first met her, I just felt that this girl was exceptionally gentle and kind, so I had the idea of wanting to be friends with her."
"Later I found that my gaze was always uncontrollably fixed on her. I would feel lost when she smiled at others, and I would suddenly feel a competitive mentality when she praised others. But as soon as she turned around, smiled at me, and called my name, I could forget all these feelings instantly."
“I know.” Jiang Miao chuckled self-deprecatingly. “In her heart, she probably just sees me as an easy-going senior, but I don’t want to stop there. I want to be the most special person in her heart, I want to do more intimate things with her, and I want our relationship to become even more special…”
As Jiang Miao spoke, she looked up at Wen Mubai and asked, "Do you think I'm being particularly perverted?"
Wen Mubai didn't reply immediately; her mind was a little blank.
She found that she resonated deeply with what Jiang Miao said, because it seemed to be a true reflection of her own inner thoughts.
Wen Mubai didn't know when their feelings started to change.
It might be in Xu Chacha's unguarded sweet smiles, or it might have started with that basketball thrown out of control, or even just hearing the girl's soft voice say, "It's okay, you'll come to pick me up anyway," that your heart was shaken.
Wen Mubai looked back at Jiang Miao, who was just as confused as he was.
She asked herself in her heart, Wen Mubai, are you willing to stop here?
Chapter 42 Let's Sleep Together
But she didn't miss Jiang Miao's last sentence.
"Do you think I'm particularly abnormal?"
"Where is the pervert?" Wen Mubai asked back.
Jiang Miao was a little embarrassed. "It's just that I secretly like her and secretly fantasize about something happening between us... I always feel like it's weird."
"That just means you like her." Wen Mubai's voice sounded quite calm. "There's no need to ask outsiders about these things. If you like someone, you like them. If you want to confess, you confess. Just be prepared to be rejected."
She is quick and efficient when instructing others, but when it comes to herself, she is left with countless questions.
Those involved are often blinded by their own perspective. Wen Mubai felt like prey trapped in a spider web, struggling but unable to break free, yet a tiny thought still lingered in his mind.
So what if you give up? What's the worst that could happen?
She could almost see the girl's focused and trusting eyes again. Her hands, which were in her coat pockets, clenched unconsciously, her nails digging into her flesh without her noticing.
No, she was different from Jiang Miao. The other party might still have room for willfulness and trial and error, but she didn't.
Her relationship with Xu Chacha is far more complicated; a single move could have far-reaching consequences, let alone the worst-case scenario.
When it comes to matters concerning her, Wen Mubai doesn't allow himself to make the slightest mistake.
"It's too late today, I'll take her home first," Wen Mubai said to Jiang Miao. "Thank you for taking care of her at school."
"Wait a minute," Jiang Miao called out to her, "Don't you have any other suggestions for me?"
Wen Mubai didn't turn around. His voice was very soft, and it was unclear whether he was speaking to her or to himself.
"Think about it again. Maybe you already have more than enough."
...
Wen Mubai stepped into the private room again, gave a perfunctory greeting to the others, and then pulled the limp Xu Chacha into his arms.
Before leaving, she handed Zhu Zhu and the others a bank card, saying, "If you can't go back to the dorm, use this to stay in a hotel. The password is her birthday. You must have brought your ID card with you."
"I brought it, I brought it!"
"Alright, be careful on your way back, and don't linger outside in groups of three."
"Mmm-hmm." Zhu Zhu nodded vigorously. "Goddess, you are so gentle and kind."
"Let's go." Wen Mubai nodded to them and helped Xu Chacha up.
Upon smelling that familiar gardenia scent, Xu Chacha didn't even need to look up to recognize the person before comfortably holding onto her waist and following along.
"Auntie, you haven't wished me a happy birthday yet."
"Didn't we talk about that last night?"
“But that’s on the phone. I want to hear your voice.” Xu Chacha climbed onto her shoulder and smiled at her.
Through her hazy vision, she saw her breath brush against Wen Mubai's ear, which was as clear as white jade, and then the jade was slowly tinged with pink by her breath.
Wen Mubai's voice was the same as always. He held Xu Chacha's waist and used a little force to lift her body up, saying, "Happy birthday."
"So cold." Xu Chacha's voice was a little aggrieved, like the drooping foxtail grass. "Doesn't Auntie love me anymore?"
Every syllable she uttered tugged at Wen Mubai's heartstrings, and the aftershocks of each plucked string lingered for a long time.
Wen Mubai still didn't turn around. It wasn't that she didn't want to, but that she didn't dare to.
She was afraid to see those wet, unguarded eyes staring at her, so soft like a ball of cotton, making her want to squeeze them tightly.
"I love you." Finally reaching the car, she placed her hand on Xu Chacha's head to prevent her from bumping her head when she went inside. "Take a nap first, I'll wake you up when we get home."
Xu Chacha tugged at the hem of her coat and tilted her head back, "You sit in the back."
"It's not good for you to sleep if I sit in the back."
"I can only sleep well if you sit in the back."
"..." The two stared at each other for a while, and Wen Mubai gave in. She coaxed the other person inside before bending down to sit down herself.
Xu Chacha leaned back, resting her head gently on her thigh, and smiled up at her, "It's been so long since I've felt like this, it feels so good."
Her cheeks were rosy, and her skin was so smooth that you could see the fine downy texture under the light. Combined with her youthful apple cheeks, she looked like a juicy peach.
"Go to sleep." Wen Mubai looked away and gestured for the driver to start driving.
"Where's my gift?" Xu Chacha didn't close her eyes. She pulled her long legs up and lay on her side, facing Wen Mubai. She blinked twice.
Wen Mubai thought that if Xu Chacha had a tail, it would definitely be wagging happily.
"Now?" She brushed aside the strands of hair clinging to Xu Chacha's face with her fingers, carefully removing them one by one.
"want."
Xu Chacha blinked, unaware that Wen Mubai had suddenly pulled a box out of nowhere for her.
"Give."
"A bracelet?" Having received so many gifts, Xu Chacha could guess the size of the box.
Wen Mubai didn't deny it, "Open it and take a look."
The box was quite tight. Xu Chacha frowned and pried at it with her fingers for a long time before finally managing to open it a crack, only to have it snap shut again.
Seeing that she was about to explode with anger, Wen Mubai quickly took the bottle and opened it for her.
It is a silver bracelet, unlike mass-produced handicrafts. The bracelet has many dense hammer marks on its surface, and a round gold piece is embedded in the center, cut into the shape of a sun.
"Hmm?" She held the bracelet, looking puzzled.
There's no brand, big or small, that she doesn't know, and given her keen sense of fashion, she'll have at least heard of even the most niche brands.
“I did it.” She raised Xu Chacha’s left hand.
Because she had been drinking, her body temperature was a little high, and the skin on her wrists had a faint pinkish tinge. If you pressed your fingertips a little harder, you could feel her pulse.
"Let's change this." Wen Mubai rubbed the red string with his thumb. Even though its owner had taken good care of it, it had faded slightly due to being worn for so long. "No, this is a token of our love." Even after all these years, Xu Chacha still refused to correct him. She stared into Wen Mubai's eyes. "You didn't throw away the string I gave you, did you?"
"Of course not." Wen Mubai rolled up his left sleeve in front of her.
Actually, her fate wasn't much better than Xu Chacha's; the connection point of the bracelet was already frayed and looked like it was about to break.
"But tokens of love should be a pair, right? I changed mine, what about yours?"
“There’s a second layer.” Wen Mubai gestured to her with his eyes.