“Tap, tap—”
Steady and powerful footsteps slowly approached from afar.
The moment I caught the sound, I held my breath, quietly listening to the details hidden in each step.
If I wasn’t mistaken… it should be him.
Realizing the conclusion that suddenly surfaced in my mind, I quickly lifted my head.
Against the light, his tall figure walked straight toward me without wavering. The strands of hair at his forehead partly covered his eyes, and the faint trace of a smile lingered at the corner of his lips.
When his gaze met mine, he didn’t react with any great excitement—he simply continued at his own pace, firm and steady.
“…Gu Fan…”
Murmuring the name of the one I cared about most, I tried to push myself up with the tips of my toes, but halfway through, I felt my leg muscles lose strength, growing numb.
Suddenly losing all support, I didn’t know what to do. Fear flashed in my heart, but I still struggled to restrain the panic on my face.
Even at a time like this, I was still worrying about my appearance—afraid that Gu Fan might see my expression twisted in panic.
I should have known better than to squat down and wait for him. Now my legs had gone completely numb. I was definitely about to fall and embarrass myself terribly…
Just as thoughts like that flashed across my mind while staring at the uneven cement ground, I clenched my teeth and forced my arms to push against the floor to keep from collapsing.
At that exact moment—my waist was suddenly and firmly held.
“………”
Maybe it happened too suddenly, but the hand that grabbed my waist was so rough that I couldn’t help but cry out in pain.
The black-haired boy standing beside me let out a deep breath. Even without looking directly at his face, I could imagine the expression of relief easing his tension.
The arm around my waist tightened slightly, and with ease, I was lifted up. But the numbness in my legs still hadn’t faded.
In fact, after being startled just now, they felt even weaker… In short, I couldn’t stand properly. But honestly, I didn’t mind that at all.
Pretending to be shaken, I placed my hand against Gu Fan’s chest and leaned tightly against him.
Because of the half-leaning position, I could clearly hear the strong thump-thump of his heartbeat in his left chest, the faint rhythm brushing against my cheek.
“Zhi Nian, are you hurt?”
Tilting my head slightly upward, I peeked at Gu Fan. He was looking down, carefully examining my legs, probably checking if I was injured.
Yet the hand resting at my waist seemed hesitant. The sudden crisis had already passed, but since I still couldn’t stand on my own, he kept adjusting his hold on me, as if trying to avoid taking advantage.
Gu Fan ah… You could be a little bolder, you know. There’s no need to mind those old rules about men and women keeping their distance. After all, our relationship has already crossed that line, hasn’t it?
We’ve held hands, hugged, fed each other, and I even used the excuse of being drunk to sit on your lap. So why are you still being so reserved now?
“I don’t think I’m injured, but my legs are weak. I’ll probably need a bit more time to recover.”
To make my point clear, I deliberately wrapped my arm around Gu Fan’s neck, pulling him closer in return.
While holding onto Gu Fan, I also pulled us closer together.
My right leg, feigning ignorance, brushed against that dangerous spot—would Gu Fan react?
With my movement, Gu Fan’s body trembled. He sucked in a sharp breath, then subtly shifted backward.
Although he didn’t push away the arm I had hooked around his neck, my leg was blocked by an inconvenient little bicycle, preventing me from teasing him any further.
As expected… even Gu Fan was just a man with normal desires.
Even though I couldn’t push things further, realizing this truth was enough to make me let out a quiet, satisfied laugh.
“Uh… Zhi Nian, are you anemic?”
Gu Fan awkwardly changed the subject. Seeing him flustered like this—such a rare sight—was unexpectedly adorable.
“I don’t know, maybe a little,” I answered after admiring his current expression, taking the question seriously.
When I lie down for too long and then get up, I do sometimes feel dizzy… But since I’m not the impatient type, and daily life doesn’t demand much rushing around, I usually just sit quietly and wait for the dizziness to pass.
Today was different though. I finally got to see Gu Fan after thinking about him all night and all morning.
Saying I wasn’t excited would’ve been a lie. If I had been leaning against a pillar instead of squatting on the ground, I probably wouldn’t have made such a silly mistake.
“Hm… could it be a fever? Or maybe a cold? Otherwise, why would your legs suddenly give out?”
I wasn’t sure what Gu Fan was thinking, but the corners of his lips lifted slightly—and then he leaned his face toward me…
What’s he trying to do?! I stared in shock at Gu Fan’s every move. When I realized he had no intention of pulling away, I drew in a quick breath, then closed my eyes. After a brief moment of surprise, I quickly readied myself for a kiss.
Mmh… I hope it’ll be gentle, soft… but then again, maybe rough wouldn’t be so bad either? If Gu Fan acts too skillful, I might start doubting whether this is really his first kiss with a girl.
Otherwise, how could his kissing technique be so practiced?
Yes, that’s it—it has to be clumsy, even a little biting. Only that kind of awkward, slightly painful first kiss would be exciting enough.
Pain and joy interwoven, forming a once-in-a-lifetime unforgettable memory.
While I was letting my imagination run wild, my tightly pressed lips never did receive the kiss I was waiting for.
Instead… the “favor” I received was on my forehead. Gu Fan gently brushed aside my bangs, then pressed his forehead to mine.
His face was so close to mine, it felt like if I just blinked, my eyelashes would brush against him.
Because of how near he was, I was finally able to catch the emotions flickering in Gu Fan’s eyes… it almost seemed like he was peering straight into my heart?
Even though the expectation I had built up for so long had been ruined, I wasn’t really disappointed.
Forehead-to-forehead contact was still pretty intimate, and rushing things too fast wouldn’t have been very realistic anyway.
Unless, of course, I drugged Gu Fan, dragged him home, and had a whole night of fun—forcing our relationship to “speedrun” down the fast track by wicked means. Hehe… it actually sounds pretty tempting, worth considering.
Although Gu Fan had used checking my forehead temperature as an excuse to lean in, we both seemed to forget that original reason, just staying there, silently maintaining that posture, gazing into each other’s eyes.
“Looks like… you don’t have a fever. After we finished talking on the phone yesterday, did you keep yourself warm?”
In the instant I drifted into a daze, the emotions in Gu Fan’s eyes vanished completely, as if sucked away into a black hole. His unfathomable gaze returned to those mysterious eyes once more.
“Mm, yesterday I wrapped myself up tightly in my blanket, and I also drank a lot of hot water.”
Half of that was a lie—because of my mother, I had only drunk one cup of hot water. The part about the thick blanket, though, wasn’t wrong.
Sensing Gu Fan’s intention to pull back, I sighed regretfully in my heart. Sensibly, I loosened the arms I had wrapped around him and stepped aside, leaving space behind me. Gu Fan’s motorcycle then came to a stop beneath the streetlamp behind me.
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