Not as good as someone else?!
Who?
Who is she comparing him to?!
Pei Yanqiu’s eyes immediately darkened, his lips pressed together, shifting from cheerful to decidedly un-cheerful.
He wanted to ask for clarification, but Shen Xingyao never allowed him to ask about her past. He could only slump his shoulders in disappointment.
Clenching his fists inside his sleeves, he silently stewed.
It seemed he still needed to find some materials to learn about kissing. Next time…
Next time, he would definitely be better than that person!
Shen Xingyao had just been carelessly putting him down. Seeing him exude coldness like a gloomy, damp male ghost, she nudged him with her shoulder.
“What are you doing? Cosplaying a refrigerator? It’s already cold enough; stop generating cold air, okay~”
“Zip up your jacket properly; we’re going home~”
Perhaps it was the words “going home” that struck a chord in Pei Yanqiu’s heart, as the gloomy, sour aura around him instantly dissipated by more than half.
He zipped up his jacket, and Shen Xingyao reached out to loop her arm through his. “It’s really slippery in the snow; you better hold onto me properly, or you’ll be in trouble!”
She had never walked in snow like this before and was still a bit nervous.
Pei Yanqiu glanced at her shoes and directly crouched down in front of her. “Let me carry you on my back.”
It had only been snowing for a short while, so there wasn’t much accumulation on the ground. After being walked on, it had melted, leaving the ground muddy and wet.
If she walked in the snow for a while, her delicate lambskin boots would be too dirty to look at.
His broad, sturdy back was now crouched right in front of Shen Xingyao.
Refuse?
That was impossible!
What did those relationship bloggers say in her past life?
When a man takes the initiative to be attentive, don’t pretend to be polite or independent.
If you refuse him carrying you today, tomorrow he might even think pouring you a glass of water is too much!
This is called cultivating sunk costs.
A good husband still has to be nurtured by oneself~~
“You said it yourself; don’t complain that I’m heavy.” Shen Xingyao didn’t hesitate at all. She placed her hands on his shoulders, lightly leaped up, and steadily settled onto his back.
Pei Yanqiu supported the backs of her knees with his hands and stood up effortlessly.
So light.
That was the first thought that flashed through Pei Yanqiu’s mind.
Immediately after, a fresh, sweet peach fragrance, carried by her warm breath, drifted in waves into the collar of his jacket, near his neck.
Accompanied by the fruity scent, Pei Yanqiu walked steadily along the muddy road where the snow had just begun to melt.
The warmth from her back seeped through their winter clothes, dispelling some of the late-night chill, but his mind was still preoccupied with what had just happened.
Not as good as someone else…
Who exactly was that “someone else”?
Could it be that CP in the game?
No, they’ve never met; they’re just online friends!
Pei Yanqiu gritted his teeth, unconsciously stepping more heavily, causing the muddy water on the ground to squelch loudly.
He secretly vowed that once they got back, he would definitely search on his phone for something like “a hundred kissing techniques” or the like!
The two walked in silence but managed to catch the last bus of the night.
The old, rickety bus swayed along the city’s outskirts, eventually dropping them off at their cramped rental apartment.
Pushing the door open, they didn’t feel much warmth from the heating. The heating issues in this old residential complex should be written into an official complaint essay, forcing everyone to write three thousand words as punishment!
“I’m freezing, I’m freezing!” Shen Xingyao took off her coat and hung it up, stomping her feet while swiftly rummaging for a change of clothes. “I’m going to take a shower first.”
After saying that, she rushed into the bathroom like a tornado. Soon, the sound of running water could be heard from inside.
Pei Yanqiu stood in the cramped space that served as the living room, dining area, and storage room, listening to the sound of the water.
Unconsciously, his mind drifted back to the scene in the snow earlier—her head tilted back, eyes closed, her eyes reddened and legs weakened from his kiss.
“Ahem…” He coughed abruptly, trying to banish those inappropriate images from his mind, but the tips of his ears were already flushed crimson.
However, thinking about technique, Pei Yanqiu sat rooted on the sofa, opened his phone, and began searching bit by bit…
Half an hour later, Shen Xingyao, wrapped in thick pajamas like a silkworm cocoon, rushed back into the only bedroom and dove straight under the covers.
As she passed Pei Yanqiu, who was playing on his phone, she reminded him, “It’s your turn now. Go take a shower while the water’s still warm!”
Pei Yanqiu acknowledged her words, grabbed his clothes, and pushed open the bathroom door.
A wave of warm, humid steam, heavy with the sweet scent of peaches, instantly enveloped him.
The mirror was fogged up, and the air seemed to linger with the warmth and fragrance of a girl.
Pei Yanqiu’s face flushed as red as a peach.
He took a deep breath, only to inhale a lungful of the cloyingly sweet peach scent, making it hard to breathe properly.
After finally clearing his mind of those distracting thoughts by splashing cold water on his face with his eyes closed, he quickly finished showering and got dressed. When he opened his eyes, he spotted the pile of clothes in the small plastic basin in the corner.
It was Shen Xingyao’s discarded clothes, with a pink-and-white intimate garment lying conspicuously on top.
Pei Yanqiu: “…”
Looking up—
What sin had he committed?
He sighed, resignedly pulled over a small stool, rolled up his sleeves, applied soap, and began scrubbing the clothes diligently.
As he washed, a little voice inside him wept.
His once-proud hand speed was now entirely devoted to scrubbing her clothes.
By the time he had washed, wrung out, and hung both their clothes on the precarious clothesline on the balcony, his hands were already red from the cold.
The night had grown deep.
Now, Pei Yanqiu faced a century-old dilemma.
Where would he sleep tonight?
He turned to look at the hard, short, and drafty broken sofa in the living room, then glanced at the slightly ajar bedroom door.
Originally, he had firmly decided not to enter the bedroom.
He was a traditional person. Although they were dating, it was still very early.
He had intended to take things slowly, gradually building their relationship.
But!
But Shen Xingyao had not only hinted and outright suggested it several times, she had even shamelessly forced a kiss on him tonight!
Last month, when they were still living in the apartment, Shen Xingyao would stir up trouble every few days, clamoring and making a fuss about wanting to do that with him.
Back then, he had used the excuse of having to stay at the club dormitory, running off as soon as it got dark and stubbornly refusing.
Later, after the incident when his account was frozen and they moved to this rundown place, perhaps because she was in a bad mood, she stopped bringing it up.
But today, she remembered again!
If he didn’t go to the bedroom tonight to fulfill his duties as a boyfriend, wouldn’t this young lady explode?
She had already tried crying and making a scene before—this time, would she go straight to hanging herself?!
Pei Yanqiu stood in the middle of the living room, engaged in a fierce internal struggle.
Go in? His pure and innocent self might not remain intact.
Not go in? There would be no peace at home.
In the end, he shivered, gritted his teeth, and tiptoed into the bedroom.
Time to risk it all!