Xiao Xin turned around and looked at her. For the first time, a hint of helplessness appeared on his brow: "Qu Yun and I are too different, so it's impossible for you to accept me, right?"
“That’s not the reason,” You Ran denied.
"No, that's the reason." The moonlight fell softly into Shin-chan's eyes: "Having seen the ocean, you can't possibly appreciate a small river anymore."
You Ran shook her head: "Long Xiang, I have never thought that you are inferior to him. In fact, you are not inferior to him in any way."
When You Ran is serious, she will call his name.
"The real truth is, I'm not his equal at all. In front of Qu Yun, I'm like a spoiled, immature child, completely untrustworthy." Xiao Xin's tone was tinged with coldness.
"No!" You Ran vehemently denied.
Shin-chan: "Then why do you never treat me like a man?!"
You Ran: "You're framing me! I clearly did it!"
Shin-chan: "When?"
You Ran: "Every time you offer to pay the bill after we finish eating!"
Shin-chan: "..."
You get used to the lightning after a while, so You Ran wasn't worried at all about whether Xiao Xin had internal bleeding. She simply stepped on his stiff shadow and walked forward.
But suddenly, a gust of wind swept by, and You Ran felt the scenery in front of her move rapidly for a moment. Then, her back slammed heavily against a hard object.
When she came to her senses, she realized that Shin-chan had dragged her into the bushes next to them.
Each tree was lush and verdant, and together they seemed to block out the sky in You Ran's eyes.
Xiaoxin didn't give You Ran any time to think before leaning in and forcibly kissing her for the Nth time.
You Ran was confident enough to deal with Shin-chan, so she wasn't flustered at first.
However, this peace did not last long, because You Ran sensed that Xiao Xin was different from usual at this moment.
He unconsciously exuded a powerful aura, as if no one and nothing could stop his attack.
That aura, pressing against You Ran's internal organs, instilled in her a sense of fear for no reason.
Quickly, You Ran tried to break free, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't budge Long Xiang an inch.
The futile struggle only fueled Long Xiang's suppressed masculinity. He used one hand to pin You Ran's wrists above her head, while his other hand slipped under the hem of her sweater and directly grasped her femininity.
His hand was incredibly strong, like a cheetah biting through its prey's vulnerable throat and sucking out the sweet, fresh blood.
At this moment, You Ran had absolutely no ability to resist; in fact, she began to tremble.
But this is not what Long Xiang wants; he will not be satisfied with just this.
He lifted her long, knee-length skirt, forcibly raising one of her thighs, and his hand, somewhat roughly, slid over her delicate skin, grabbing the last piece of fabric and pulling it down.
The sudden chill from her lower body made You Ran open her eyes wide. She stared directly at Long Xiang, but she couldn't see any familiar figure in his eyes.
At this moment, You Ran felt that the man in front of her was a complete stranger to her.
The carefree heart fell into the dust, and after a few rolls, it scattered into ashes.
She felt that this time, she was finished.
Just as Long Xiang was about to finish his mistake, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps.
There were many dead leaves in the woods, and those shoes stepped on the broken bones of those dead leaves, their voices filled with cold anger.
Immediately afterwards, a muffled thud exploded in front of You Ran's ears.
At the same time, You Ran heard Long Xiang groan, and then all the shackles on her body disappeared.
You Ran had no strength left, so she slid down the tree and squatted on the fallen leaves. She wrapped her arms around herself, which was the only weak defense she could offer.
"Be good, get up, the ground is cold." Qu Yun's voice flowed gently into her ears, like a clear stream, washing away the unpleasantness.
A pair of hands pulled You Ran up, and a warm coat was draped over her. Then, You Ran was lifted up and suspended in the air.
Step by step, he carried her out of the woods.
You Ran gently raised her head, and the cold, pale moonlight, like wisps of silk, brushed across Qu Yun's face, across his slightly elegant and beautiful eyes, across his high and delicate nose, and across his... tightly pursed lips.
After the shock, You Ran experienced a momentary loss of memory. She forgot how she got to Qu Yun's house, but the familiar scenery in front of her kept reminding her of this fact.
The soft sofa, the carpet she had lain on countless times, and the pair of painted porcelain cups she had bought on the coffee table all assaulted her eyes at once.
The scene that left the deepest impression on You Ran was when she was sitting on the carpet, squatting down to carefully count the eyelashes of Qu Yun, who was sleeping on the sofa.
The left upper eyelid has 136 ligaments, and the right upper eyelid has 141 ligaments.
I counted until my back ached and my eyes were blurry, but I didn't feel bored at all. On the contrary, I had an inexplicable pleasure, as if I understood Qu Yun a little better.
Looking back, I realize how much I loved him back then.
As her thoughts drifted, a wool shawl was gently draped over her shoulders, bringing a touch of warmth.
Then, the hot coffee cup touched her cheek.
“Your favorite vanilla flavor,” Qu Yun said.
He took it leisurely and drank it in big gulps. The warm liquid calmed him down considerably.
After finishing the coffee, the cup still retained its warm aroma. I leisurely held it in my hand and examined it.
The top is printed with a cartoon image: a little boy and a little girl sitting side by side under a peach tree, while the sun in the sky is heart-shaped.
This quilt, which clashed completely with the calm and understated style of the house, was something You Ran insisted on buying. Qu Yun had threatened many times that he would throw it out.
Unexpectedly, it was You Ran who left last.
Just as she was feeling sentimental, Qu Yun suddenly lifted her sweater from behind. You Ran was so startled that she was about to jump up when Qu Yun held her down.
"If you don't treat the wound on your back, it will get infected."
Then, You Ran remembered that when she slipped and fell to the ground, her back had indeed been scratched by the rough bark of the tree.
The scratch was on her waist, far from any sensitive areas, and Qu Yun wouldn't give up unless she let him do it, so You Ran let him do as he pleased.
Qu Yun's fingers gently applied the ointment, and a tickling sensation spread from the wound, spreading in all directions along with the blood vessels under the skin.
Looking at the cup in his hand, he asked leisurely, "I thought you didn't like this cup."
"No," Qu Yun replied from behind.
"Then why do you always threaten to throw it out?" You Ran asked curiously.
"...I just wanted to tease you, to see how nervous you were, it was quite amusing." Qu Yun's voice was as soft and gentle as his movements.
Leisurely continued to look at the cup, and after a long while, put it down.
The porcelain cup touched the glass, making a soft shattering sound.
"Shin-chan... probably didn't do it on purpose."
The medicated fingertip lingered on the wound for a moment, then moved with slightly more force: "Is this what you wanted to say?"
“And also… you’re right.” You Ran’s long eyelashes drooped: “I was so immature, I hurt him, or perhaps… I’ve already lost him.”
"I think it's mostly my fault," Qu Yun said.
"Why do you say that?" You Ran asked, puzzled.
You Ran straightened her back unconsciously, seemingly waiting intently for Qu Yun's answer.
However, while waiting, the sensitive skin on her waist was suddenly licked by a tongue—Qu Yun's tongue.
He licked her wound with his tongue, which was slightly damp, slightly rough, and slightly throbbing.
You Ran froze, her next move was to jump up, but Qu Yun wrapped his arms around her slender waist and held her firmly on the sofa.
"Don't move, the medicine has just been applied." Qu Yun's voice carried a hint of languid reverie.
"What are you doing?" She tried to pry the hands off her waist, but in no time, her hands sank into the mud and were also grabbed by Qu Yun around her waist.
"Is it so that I can see it?" Qu Yun's breath lingered near You Ran's right ear.
"What?" You Ran turned her head away with difficulty.
"Did you agree to act with Long Xiang just so I could watch?" Qu Yun asked calmly.
Upon hearing this, You Ran stopped struggling. She wanted to laugh, but also felt angry: "Qu Yun, you're not that important."
“Ask yourself carefully, Youran,” Qu Yun said, “you want me to know that you two are together, right?”
“You have no idea about what happened between me and Long Xiang. You were never even considered by us.” You Ran’s voice unconsciously grew louder.
“Maybe even you don’t know.” Qu Yun said, as if patiently guiding a sullen child: “The reason you pretended to date him was to tell me that you’ve moved on.”
“I’ve already moved on,” You Ran said decisively.
"If that's the case, then why bother proving it?" Qu Yun spoke slowly, but with a pressing tone.
"I didn't," You Ran continued to deny.
"My shadow still lingers in your heart; you can't erase it." That voice, like a spell from the mysterious Western Regions, pierced You Ran's ears.
"I didn't." You Ran still denied it, but her voice unconsciously lowered by three points.
“You still care, otherwise you wouldn’t have seen Tang Yongzi lose his composure and drown his sorrows in alcohol after coming to me.” Qu Yun used the needle of memory to peel away You Ran’s heart piece by piece.
However, the needle was too sharp and pierced You Ran's flesh. She said coldly, "So, this was also part of your plan?"
Was Tang Yongzi nothing more than bait?
It turns out that Qu Yun deliberately let him see all of this.
Thinking of those moments of disappointment and loss of composure, all that she cared about, all of which had been seen by him at that time, You Ran felt that she had been deceived. She wanted to be angry, but she no longer had the strength.
After a long while, You Ran chuckled softly, "As expected, even if I had a few more heads, I still couldn't beat you... Luckily, I'm already out."
Fortunately, I'm already far away from him.
Upon hearing this, Qu Yun's hand on her waist tightened instantly, almost suffocating her in that instant.
He slowly released his hand, second by second.
His chin rested on You Ran's shoulder: "You Ran, forgive me... No, whether you forgive me or not, whatever your attitude is, whether you want to torment me or take revenge, as long as you come back. I'm different now. I know what I want. I won't do anything to hurt you again, I..."
“I don’t want to go back.” You Ran shook her head resolutely, interrupting him. “There will always be a man in this world who cherishes me like the apple of his eye. It’s very likely that, in the eyes of the world, that person is not as good as you, but at least he won’t hurt me in the slightest. So, I have to find him, so I can’t go back.”
After You Ran said those words, Qu Yun behind her did not reply. He simply... placed his mouth and nose on You Ran's shoulder.