She curled up into a ball and deliberately sank to the bottom of the pool.
At the time, Ji Yuning's attention was entirely focused on another matter, and she had long forgotten how Fang Bai had saved her.
The dazzling water ripples were like illusory starlight, and the moon reflected in the water rushing towards her and the air she was breathing in rushed into her mind.
The images in her memory overlapped, and Ji Yuning clearly remembered how Fang Bai pulled her out of the water. She even remembered the trembling, suffocating feeling, but she forgot what the touch felt like.
Does artificial respiration count as kissing?
It doesn’t count.
That was a pure redemption.
Can…
That counts, right?
Ji Yuning put down her pen at some point and picked up her phone.
When Ji Yuning looked down at the screen, she found that she had already opened the browser.
[Girls and girls—]
Before Ji Yuning could finish typing, several search terms popped up below the search box:
What does it feel like for two girls to kiss?
How do girls date?
How should girls drive together?
Ji Yuning frowned.
The first one is what she wanted to search for, and the last two are?
The last result, in particular, was clearly unrelated to what she was searching for.
Although Ji Yuning didn't understand what "driving" meant, her first instinct told her that it definitely wasn't the kind of driving with a driver's license.
Whether to confirm her suspicions or to ignite a spark of curiosity, Ji Yuning's finger hovered over the screen for a few seconds before finally clicking on the third entry.
One second, two seconds.
Three seconds later, as Ji Yuning swiped down the screen—
"What are you looking at?"
Another person's voice suddenly appeared in the room.
After dinner, Fang Bai sat on the coffee table, petting the cat and eating fruit.
After careful care, Beibei's fur became thicker and thicker, and its body became rounder. It was extremely comfortable to hold in my arms, and it felt great to the touch.
After finishing a small plate of blueberries, Fang Bai took out a tissue to wipe his hands. As he threw away the trash, he caught a glimpse of a corner of the coffee table.
Ji Yuning's medicine was laid out there.
Fang Bai thought for a moment, then picked up Bei Bei from the sofa and said, "Shall we go take Xiao Ning's medicine? So she can get better from her cold soon!"
Beibei rested its front paws on Fang Bai's arm and whispered, "Meow~"
Unable to discern whether the other person agreed or disagreed, Fang Bai categorized all cases as agreement.
Bending down to pick up the medicine box, Fang Bai carried Bei Bei step by step up to the attic.
Ji Yuning's door was not closed. Fang Bai stood at the door and saw Ji Yuning holding her phone, looking at something.
Fang Bai did not rush into Ji Yuning's room. He bent his hand holding the medicine and knocked three times on the door with his knuckles.
The knocking wasn't very loud, but the person inside could hear it.
But the person sitting in the chair remained motionless, intently watching their phone.
Fang Bai raised an eyebrow, placed his hand on Bei Bei's head, and asked as he walked towards Ji Yuning, "What are you looking at?"
She didn't even hear her knocking.
The person in the chair stiffened for a second, then, realizing that the person was Fang Bai, calmly put away their phone, looked up at Fang Bai, and said, "Search for questions."
His dark eyes were calm and undisturbed.
But out of Fang Bai's sight, Ji Yuning gripped her phone tightly, trying to slow her breathing and calm her rapidly beating heart.
Fang Bai didn't see what Ji Yuning's screen was displaying. She glanced at the exercise book on the table, had no doubt about Ji Yuning's words, and put the medicine in her hand on the table. "Take your medicine first."
Ji Yuning whispered, "Thank you."
Fang Bai said "You're welcome" and turned to leave.
Beibei struggled twice in her arms, jumped to the ground, circled her tail twice in the room, and then jumped onto Ji Yuning's bed.
Fang Bai spoke up to stop her: "Beibei, come down."
Ji Yuning took her medicine and looked at the cat curled up on the bed. "Let it stay."
"Aren't you afraid it will do something bad on your bed?" Fang Bai chuckled, walked to the bedside, and picked up Bei Bei.
Ji Yuning: "It goes to the toilet."
Fang Bai was about to tell Ji Yuning that she shouldn't be spoiled even if she needed to use the restroom, but when she turned around, she met Ji Yuning's dark eyes.
Fang Bai felt a pang of anxiety, sensing that Ji Yuning was acting strangely today, her eyes revealing a stronger emotion than usual.
The only constant was that no matter how they looked at each other, her gaze could never reach the depths of Ji Yuning's eyes, and she could not discern any of the other's thoughts.
Fang Bai averted his gaze and shifted it to Ji Yuning's dry lips.
It might be caused by a cold.
The words Fang Bai was about to say were abruptly replaced by: "Do you have lip balm?"
Fang Bai's gaze was too direct, and his question was equally straightforward, making the reason immediately clear.
Ji Yuning pursed her lips, ignoring their dryness, and said, "No."
Beibei squirmed in his arms, and Fang Bai pressed its little head down with his hand, saying to Ji Yuning, "Come with me for a moment."
Ji Yuning responded after Fang Bai had walked three steps away. She slowly got up from the chair, making sure she wouldn't be seen doing anything. Ji Yuning unlocked her phone and calmly exited the browser.
Then Ji Yuning put her phone on the table and silently followed Fang Bai downstairs to the second floor.
Once they reached the second floor, Fang Bai put Bei Bei down on the ground and let it run around.
She then said to the person behind her, "I have lipstick in my room. Come in with me and I'll get it for you."
Ji Yuning's hands hung at her sides. Before she could answer, Fang Bai had already entered her bedroom.
This was Ji Yuning's third time entering Fang Bai's bedroom.
Compared to the previous two times, apart from Ji Yuning's change in mindset, the feeling of the room was the same.
If the room used to be like a cold, impersonal hotel room, it's now much warmer. There haven't been many changes, just a few more decorations and two or three more plush toys on the bed.
Also, there's a group photo on the bedside table.
Fang Bai took out a lip balm from the drawer, straightened up, and saw Ji Yuning standing not far from the door, her eyes looking at a certain place inside the room.
Fang Bai followed Ji Yuning's gaze and saw the same photo.
The photo is a picture of Fang Bai and Ji Yuning together.
It was taken by Mu Xuerou in front of a tourist attraction in Qing City.
In the photo, Ji Yuning's brows are slightly furrowed, her gaze is aloof as she looks at the camera, her hands are straight on her legs, and her body is as straight as a tourist statue. Compared to Ji Yuning, Fang Bai appears quite relaxed, one hand in her coat pocket and the other making a peace sign near her face.
Fang Bai looked away, a smile playing on his lips: "How does it look? I had Uncle Li wash it yesterday."
Besides this one, several other photos of me with Mu Xuerou and He Ziyan, as well as group photos of the group, were also developed, but only this one was placed on the bedside table.
Fang Bai seized the opportunity and said softly, "The photos with Xiao Mu and Zi Yan have all been developed, but they've all been put into albums. Auntie picked one that I thought looked good and put it out in front of us. What do you think?"
Ji Yuning turned around and said, "It looks good."
Fang Bai was surprised; these words didn't sound like they came from Ji Yuning's mouth, but they were exactly what she wanted to hear.
Fang Bai smiled and handed the item in his hand to Ji Yuning, "It's new and hasn't been used before."
Ji Yuning lowered her eyes. There was a small square plastic box, unlike the cylindrical ones she usually saw.
Ji Yuning took it and slowly lifted the lid.
Looking at the box full of yellowish paste, I knew that it needed to be applied with my fingers.
Ji Yuning frowned involuntarily and prepared to go back to find cotton swabs.
Seeing that Ji Yuning didn't move, Fang Bai subconsciously asked, "Do you need my help?"
After asking the question, Fang Bai gave the answer himself: no need.
To everyone's surprise, Ji Yuning hesitated for a moment, then softly hummed in agreement, "Thank you for your help."
Fang Bai paused for a few seconds, then came to his senses and said, "I'm going to wash my hands."
She had just held the cat.
Half a minute later, Fang Bai wiped the water off her hands with a tissue, opened the lid, and rubbed her fingertip on the cream.
Ji Yuning stood still, silently watching Fang Bai's actions.
She didn't know why she agreed.
Maybe they felt uncomfortable with the cotton swabs.
Fang Bai held up his finger in front of her and gently instructed Ji Yuning to open her mouth.
When Ji Yuning's tightly pursed lips parted slightly, Fang Bai's fingers, coated with ointment, touched Ji Yuning's lips.
The balm was cool to the touch, and the warmth of Fang Bai's fingertips spread across it as his fingers moved back and forth across Ji Yuning's lips, sending a tingling sensation through them.
After applying the cream, my lips felt moisturized. Although it was only a thin layer, it didn't have the smooth feel of the skin; instead, it felt heavy.
Remove the fingers from the lips.
Ji Yuning lowered her lips involuntarily, wanting to purse off the thick layer of skin.
The fingers that had been moved away unexpectedly came back, Fang Bai's fingertips pressed against Ji Yuning's lips, and Ji Yuning's lips pressed against Fang Bai's fingertips.