The warm towel pressed against that soft spot, and the pain seemed to be slowly absorbed, leaving behind only a vague sense of comfort.
Qu Yun carefully moved the towel slowly, wiping away the items that belonged to the two of them.
Although only an outline could be seen, Qu Yun's entire body movements were full of seriousness.
This was the first time You Ran had seen him like this. In the past, Qu Yun was always leisurely and indifferent when doing things. Although he had a beautiful demeanor, he seemed to care less about anything.
Now, he is doing something seriously and attentively, without the slightest hint of perfunctoriness.
Although it was embarrassing, You Ran had to admit that applying the towel had indeed relieved her pain a lot.
But... that pose is really quite unsightly.
You Ran could only cover her face with the sheet again, muttering her last request in a low voice: "Qu Yun... you can wipe it, but please... don't look."
"I can't see it," Qu Yun said. "I didn't turn on the light, and besides..."
"Add what?"
"Plus, this part of yours doesn't emit light."
"..."
What a filthy-minded lecher!
Tears welled up in You Ran's eyes. If her eyes could glow, wouldn't they be like a luminous pearl?
As she silently shed tears, Qu Yun's voice came through the window, "I'm sorry."
sorry?!
You Ran's whole body suddenly tensed up.
After that incident, Qu Yun apologized to himself, and there were only two very bad possibilities.
First, he was drunk. He thought he was rowing a boat, but he ended up having sex with her. It was all the alcohol's fault, and he won't take responsibility.
Second, he just—went into the wrong passage.
You Ran felt that the second possibility was more likely; otherwise, why would she be in so much pain? She must have entered the wrong cave.
Thinking of this, I could wring a bucket of tears out of the pillow I was lying on. That damned man, if he knew he wasn't good enough, why did he have to show off? Would it kill him to shine a flashlight?
Just as she was crying her heart out, Qu Yun brought up the matter of apologizing: "It wasn't that I intentionally hid it from you, it's just that something bad happened on my birthday... I don't want to remember it."
It turns out he was apologizing for their previous argument.
You Ran breathed a long sigh of relief. As long as she hadn't entered the wrong passage, everything would be fine.
"Could it be related to your cat?" You Ran suddenly remembered Qu Yun's vague tone when they discussed the cause of the cat's death last time.
Qu Yun paused, then nodded: "Its death is also one of the reasons."
"It shouldn't be the pathetic way you described, right?" You Ran asked tentatively.
"He... was hit by a car and died on my birthday," Qu Yun said, his voice like a deep, quiet lament in an ancient well at dusk in autumn.
Qu Yun didn't continue, and You Ran didn't press him.
Those things are poison; they won't become less toxic or harmless just by being poured out. Only time will allow them to evaporate—if possible.
She never mentioned the injury that You Ran had suffered back then to anyone.
But now, at this moment, in the darkness where they cannot see each other's expressions, You Ran suddenly felt an urge to tell Qu Yun.
"Qu Yun, do you know? Actually, something bad happened on my birthday when I came of age."
Although it begins with this sentence, it revisits the lost item about harm and revenge.
The boy at their first meeting, the rich chocolate, the two fingers accidentally touched during tutoring, the innocent feelings, the noisy bar, the retreating corner, the forbidden promise, the birthday that unveils the climax of revenge, the lonely licking of wounds, the dark years.
Although her tone was natural and calm as she recounted the past, she didn't act as if she were an audience member. It's just that the intense pain of that time has been tempered by time.
She can face this past event as usual.
"I think you didn't expect that the man who hurt me would be my brother." You Ran gave a bitter smile in the darkness: "You also certainly didn't expect that I am this kind of person... that I would actually fall in love with someone who is half of me by blood for a while."
Qu Yun, who was beside him, did not react at all; in fact, he could not even be heard breathing.
This wasn't the worst-case scenario You Ran had anticipated, so she didn't experience any emotional fluctuations.
If Qu Yun can't accept it, then she... has nothing to say.
"Actually, thinking about it carefully, this is quite unbelievable. You might also think it's disgusting... It's getting late, and I've had enough rest... That's all."
After saying that, You Ran prepared to get up, put on her clothes, and leave.
But as she made her first move, a pair of hands hugged her from behind.
Hold him tightly.
One hand held You Ran's slender waist, while the other hand wrapped around You Ran's fragrant shoulder, pulling her into his arms in this posture.
Both of their bodies were slightly arched, interlocked, forming a perfect arc.
The smooth back touched Qu Yun's chest, with no clothing to obstruct the view.
Qu Yun's heartbeat seemed to leap across the skin of her back, each beat real and tangible.
This was the first time You Ran felt that she could truly hear Qu Yun's heartbeat.
That night, Qu Yun held You Ran in his arms and didn't let go.
You Ran originally thought that she had already been willful enough by giving away her virginity in a muddle, but she did not expect that her potential for willfulness would be so great - she did not go home, but stayed at Qu Yun's house directly.
That said, getting stuck in a quagmire is a gradual process.
You Ran originally planned to stay with Qu Yun for a couple more days before going back, but on January 20th, Qu Yun looked at the drizzle outside the window, which was so fine it was almost invisible, and calmly said, "The rain is too heavy, let's leave earlier another day."
After saying that, he pushed You Ran, who was dragging her luggage, onto the sofa and started reviewing aerobic exercises for men and women.
With her eyes half-closed, You Ran enjoyed Qu Yun's kiss and decided to leave tomorrow.
On January 21, Qu Yun turned off the TV and said very seriously to You Ran, who was about to leave, "Terrorist attacks have been frequent lately. Safety is paramount. Let's go another day."
After saying that, he pulled You Ran, who was dragging her luggage, upstairs to the room to continue their lovemaking scene.
You Ran's brows furrowed with doubt, but unable to resist Qu Yun's kissing skills, she obediently lay down, deciding to leave tomorrow.
On January 22nd, Qu Yun came out of the bathroom and said harmlessly to You Ran, who was tiptoeing away, "I accidentally poured out a little too much shower gel. It would be a waste to waste it. You can take a shower first and leave another day."
After saying that, he pulled You Ran into the bathroom, quickly took off her clothes, and began to play in the water with her.
Amidst her calm demeanor, Ran Yue's resolve hardened, and she decided that she must leave tomorrow.
On January 23, Qu Yun opened the door, pushed You Ran, who had been stopped and pulled upstairs, onto the carpet, and calmly said, "You'll miss your train, so you can leave another day."
"The train leaves at noon, and it's only a little before nine o'clock. How could we possibly miss it!"
"Because I move very slowly."
After speaking, Qu Yun, like an elegant and gentlemanly wild beast, pounced on You Ran on the carpet.
And so, the prospect of a leisurely return became very distant. In the end, she gave up and lied to her parents, saying that she had enrolled in a winter break tutoring class at school to prepare for the postgraduate entrance examination.
Her parents naturally agreed and even increased her allowance significantly.
You Ran felt guilty at first, but an hour later, she skipped and hopped to take the money and buy clothes.
At this point, You Ran finally joined forces with Qu Yun in his corrupt ways.
You Ran wasn't stupid; she realized that Qu Yun's attitude towards her had changed since that night.
Although there were no obvious expressions of affection or sweet words, You Ran sensed that Qu Yun seemed to care about her.
She captured his heart.
"Why is this happening?" You Ran couldn't hold back her questions, and finally, after a routine session in bed, she asked Qu Yun her doubts.
"Did I? You're overthinking it." Qu Yun closed his eyes, but before that, he put his arm around her waist.
A bare waist.
"Could it be," countless possibilities flashed through You Ran's mind, but the most likely reason was only one, "could it be that my body is really that amazing, making you unable to resist?!"
Qu Yun's hand, which was resting on her waist, twitched nervously.
"If that's the case... then I'd be at a huge loss." You Ran continued in her perfect imagination.
"Why?"
"Maybe I'm an absolute stunner? Maybe I can meet an even better man?"
"..."
"Qu Yun, why aren't you saying anything? What are you thinking about?"
"I'm thinking I shouldn't have let you eat so much tonight."
"..."
Although Qu Yun was an eccentric person and had never done anything to move her to tears, not even saying "I love you," You Ran did not regret taking her relationship with Qu Yun to the physical level.
Because she kept thinking about what was said that night.
Why do you want me?
Because you are Li Youran.
Because she is Li Youran.
You Ran's heart isn't big; just this sentence is enough to fill it.
So she started taking extra lessons with Qu Yun, but the lessons were for men and women.
This was the thirteenth lesson Qu Yun taught her—relationships can be taken to a higher level.
[Lesson Fourteen] Old friends, where can we not meet again?
In winter, the city is abandoned by the sun, and everything is gray and hazy, occasionally mixed with cold, needle-like rain that seems to have eyes and goes straight for people's necks.
Therefore, unless it's a major event, You Ran will never go out.
The so-called major events refer to things like Mars colliding with Earth, alien invasion, and going out to buy bedding.
Since they were both young and had nothing to do during the holidays, they did it quite frequently and quickly ran out of Durex condoms.
The first few times she went to buy them, You Ran kept a distance of three meters from Qu Yun, who was in charge of getting the condoms, and pretended not to know him.