Chen Kuang did not touch her the entire time, yet Qiao Ling had a kind of pressure as if her nape was being gripped.
He clearly was only pinching a strand of hair, yet her cheek and neck both followed in going numb, as if being swept into Chen Kuang’s heatwave magnetic field.
The pores fresh and clean after bathing once again oozed out flustered sweat.
Her whole person became like a white mantou [steamed bun] lying on a steaming basket about to swell up.
Trapped in such an ambiguous distance and territory by him, yet without one extra step of overstepping words or actions, contradictory and at the same time completely in line with Chen Kuang’s style.
He was certain that doing things to this degree was already enough to scare her.
Qiao Ling’s brain was a blank sheet, continuously emitting that kind of zizi out-of-control noise like a television flashing snowflakes.
The person who made her heart thump wildly was close at hand, the good-looking brows and eyes she usually only dared to secretly peek at within reach.
Even if his attitude was cold, his tone not good, Qiao Ling still couldn’t help but, while being threatened, space out toward this handsome face.
Truly beyond cure.
Chen Kuang saw her staring at him with eyes dazed, obviously distracted, and furrowed his brows.
He pinched the strand of wet hair between his fingers, deliberately pressing his tone even rougher: “Did you hear?”
Qiao Ling returned to her senses, tilting her head slightly to the side, lightly pulling, freeing the hair from his fingers, smoothing it behind her ear.
Pretending not to understand: “Just like, what?”
Wait, why does it feel like provocation after saying it?
Forget it, words that are spoken are like water that’s been poured out. If you have the ability…
If you have the ability, then press down on me and tell me what is called fair skin thin flesh fierce man!! [白肤薄肌猛男—literally “fair skin, thin flesh, fierce man”; slang phrase for a muscular man with pale skin]
Qiao Ling glanced back from the corner of her eye, meeting his face of “you really only respond to hard not soft, huh” stinky expression.
Ga.
She trembled once, weakly said: “Why are you being so fierce…”
Fierce like that feeling the first time they met at the store entrance—like he had several human lives in hand, and was about to add hers to that number.
Chen Kuang’s chest sank, the way he pulled at the corner of his mouth with a cold face, the mocking meaning thicker than the rain steam outside the window.
When he smiled, it was like he’d finalized some kind of decision, at the same time once again lowering his body.
“Qiao Ling, from childhood to now, has anyone ever said you remember beatings but not food?” [记打不记吃—idiom meaning someone remembers punishments but not the cause or lesson]
Qiao Ling was so startled by the words spoken in his low voice that her hair stood up, shrinking into the triangular area blocked by his long legs, suddenly feeling a bit regretful.
The other party, like a flood bursting its banks, displayed to her a man’s exclusive aggressiveness.
It was a kind of attack power she fundamentally could not withstand.
Chen Kuang stretched his arm, bracing on the tea table behind her, his entire shadow completely shrouding her.
Qiao Ling was so nervous her heart jumped up to her throat, trying to escape on the spot, her voice even changing tone: “Wa-wait a moment…”
“Wait? Didn’t you want to know just what kind?” Chen Kuang cut her off mid-sentence, had just stretched his hand—
The phone on the sofa suddenly vibrated hurriedly.
The atmosphere was poked out with a gap, the two of them turned their heads in unison to look at that phone.
Qiao Ling let out a breath of relief, used her hand to push against the arm he was bracing beside her, almost tripping over her own tongue: “Ph-phone, yours.”
Chen Kuang’s already furrowed brows deepened, but upon seeing the caller, he neatly pulled away from her, answering the call: “You’ve arrived?”
Not knowing what the other side said, he glanced at Qiao Ling who was quietly crawling away with a red face right in front of him, “Didn’t check WeChat just now, fell asleep.”
“Already downstairs?”
Qiao Ling’s action of crawling away stopped, she raised her head to look at him, quietly asked: “Is it Sister Rouyin?”
Chen Kuang nodded, answering her: “They came to pick up Xiao Feng.”
She temporarily set aside the ambiguous emotions from just now, cleared her throat lightly, “Let them come up, I’ll open the building’s access control.”
After saying this she stood up, stepping with deng deng deng small quick steps to the entranceway to press the unit building’s access control.
Chen Kuang glanced at her back figure, after giving instructions hung up the call, Adam’s apple rolling as his gaze lowered, revealing a few traces of self-reflection.
Being stoked up by her to the point of almost losing decorum.
Already twenty-eight or twenty-nine and still messing around with a little girl.
After two minutes, from the doorway came dong dong dong knocking sounds.
Qiao Ling opened the home door, was startled by Xie Rouyin’s eyes red from crying, lost in a daze: “Sister Rouyin…”
The few times they’d met she had always been an elegant and proper big sister image, this was the first time seeing her so flustered.
Xie Rouyin grasped her hand, thanked her with full effort, her voice still a little hoarse: “Really troubled you, thank you, thank you.”
“I really don’t know how I should thank you.”
Qiao Ling welcomed her into the door, waving her hand: “No no no, has nothing to do with me, you should thank Chen Kuang.”
“I just ran along with him.”
“My brother?” She looked outside the door.
Xie Rouyin explained: “There aren’t temporary parking spots in the neighborhood, he’s in the car and didn’t come up.”
Walking to the living room, she saw Chen Kuang standing in front of the sofa, her eyes once again turning sore, “You worked hard, luckily you were here this time, otherwise Xiao Feng would definitely be scared out of her mind.”
Chen Kuang stuffed both hands into the kangaroo pocket in front of his hoodie, lazily comforting her: “What’s hard about it, it’s as it should be.”
“I promised him to take care of you and Xiao Feng. If I didn’t do it, he’d nag me for several months.” He said with deeper meaning.
Xie Rouyin knew who he was talking about, gave a laugh, the anxious heart finally settling down.
Qiao Ling walked over, suspiciously thinking: Who?
She pushed aside the doubt and explained the situation, “Xiao Feng is sleeping in my bedroom, completely fine, the firefighters protected her very well.”
“Are you taking her back now?”
Xie Rouyin thought for two seconds, “Let her sleep a bit longer. The windows at my house broke, inside’s been smoked up and can’t be lived in for now, tonight for sure will be a mess.”
Qiao Ling immediately invited her to sit on the sofa, turned around to the open kitchen, saying as she moved: “Just now I heated up a bag of milk for Xiao Feng, there’s still more than a cup left, you drink some too to warm your stomach.”
Xie Rouyin gave her a smile, not declining.
Hearing what she had said just now, Chen Kuang simply decided to help all the way through to the end, taking the initiative to suggest: “The house can’t be repaired in a short while, even if you want to rent a new place it’ll take time. These next few days, just stay at my apartment first. I don’t live there anyway.”
“The apartment building has Qiao Ling’s shop upstairs, there are familiar people around. And that location is close to the bar, if something comes up you can go back anytime.”
Qiao Ling came over holding the hot milk, handed it to Xie Rouyin, picking up the conversation: “Mm, Xiao Feng can directly come upstairs to find me.”
She didn’t know what she thought of, gave a slightly embarrassed laugh: “If she doesn’t mind the noise.”
“This, really troubles you two too much.” Although this was the best solution right now, Xie Rouyin still felt a bit sorry as she looked at them.
“Actually, just staying at a hotel with Xiao Feng is fine.”
“If staying at a hotel, can Xiao Feng stay by herself in a completely unfamiliar environment? How would you take care of both her and the bar?”
Chen Kuang pointed out the key point, his tone calm yet very persuasive: “Xiao Feng’s been to my apartment before. Besides, there’s still Qiao Ling, Xiao Feng quite likes her.”
Qiao Ling nodded like a pecking chick: “It’s not troublesome, I also like Xiao Feng, she’s very well-behaved.”
Xie Rouyin trusted them very much, but with things like this, another problem appeared.
She looked at Chen Kuang with confusion, “But if I live with Xiao Feng at your…”
Chen Kuang’s expression shifted slightly, cutting her off: “It’s fine, you two just stay there at ease.”
Xie Rouyin quickly swept a glance at the third person present, thinking he probably had his own arrangements, so she didn’t continue asking, nodding: “Alright, then Xiao Feng and I will trouble you for a few days first.”
“It’s getting late, I still have to go home and pack my things.”
Qiao Ling was sleepy and a little dazed, not noticing the subtle meaning in their conversation, leading Xie Rouyin to the bedroom to wake Xiao Feng.
When Xiao Feng woke up and saw her mom, the fear from experiencing the fire once again rushed over her, and she wailed out loud, hugging her mom while tears pattered down.
With Xiao Feng crying, Xie Rouyin did her best to hold back her own tears, wiping her daughter’s tears and coaxing her, her gentle brows and eyes fully revealing heartbreak.
“Xiao Feng was especially great, didn’t the firefighter uncles also praise you?”
“It was mommy’s fault, from now on mommy won’t let Xiao Feng get so scared again, alright?”
Xiao Feng nodded, not saying any more grievances.
Chen Kuang didn’t stay either, accompanying the mother and daughter downstairs to find Qiao Jing who was driving.
The atmosphere was so tense and tight that until she sent them into the elevator, Qiao Ling had completely forgotten the tugging and pulling with Chen Kuang in the living room just now.
By the time the three of them left and she returned home, standing in the suddenly completely quiet environment, she was overcome by an unspeakable sense of loss.
She silently returned to the living room, picking up the glass cup Chen Kuang had used.
Qiao Ling stared at the narrow space beneath her feet, this small area between the tea table and sofa—
The sticky atmosphere from just now when facing off against him hadn’t completely dissipated yet, still left behind that refreshing scent that made her keep imagining.
A man’s, unique scent.
She recalled every sentence Chen Kuang had said.
So he rejected her suggestion because he felt suddenly stepping into a single girl’s home was too rude?
Could there really be men who kept that much of a sense of propriety with the opposite sex?
Or is it that, toward girls he completely has no feelings for, he would keep such a sense of boundaries?
The more Qiao Ling thought about it, the more her mood felt off. She patted her head to stop herself from thinking in a bad direction.
She washed and put away the cups they had used, and couldn’t help pulling out her phone to send Chen Kuang a WeChat message.
【L.ing: You letting Sister Rouyin stay at your place, won’t it be a problem for you?】
The other party replied not long after.
【Gum: Forgot? Haven’t I been sleeping at the bar for a long time already.】
Qiao Ling thought: That’s true. Chen Kuang sleeps at the bar, the apartment would be empty anyway, letting Sister Rouyin and her daughter stay temporarily is just right.
The topic couldn’t go on from here. She sighed, clutching her phone as she walked into the bathroom.
Just as she was feeling down, she reached out to get a face mask, and caught a glimpse of men’s clothes draped over the edge of the washbasin.
Qiao Ling froze.
She almost forgot, Chen Kuang had left wearing that ill-fitting set of her clothes.
Qiao Ling reached out, her fingertips lightly sweeping over his still damp clothes, as if there was still some of the man’s body heat from when he’d taken them off left on them.
She quietly curved her lips up, opened the WeChat chat box again.
………
At this moment.
Chen Kuang was standing at Xie Rouyin’s door, just about to help Qiao Jing move things when his phone vibrating stopped his movement.
He straightened up, pulled out his phone and took a look.
【L.ing: (photo)】
【L.ing: Your clothes, you forgot to take them.】
Chen Kuang pulled back his thoughts, lowered his head and glanced at himself, only then realizing.
No wonder his ankles felt chilly—it turned out the pants weren’t his own, they were too short.
He let out a light sigh, tapped the screen to reply.
Why did he keep doing brainless things tonight?
【Gum: Sorry, forgot. Next time you come to the bar to find your brother, help me bring them along?】
【Gum: I’ll buy you a drink.】
Chen Kuang stood where he was, watching the “the other party is typing” flash a few times at the top of the screen, then a message came through.
【L.ing: I don’t necessarily always have free time to go to the bar, you know.】
【L.ing: Let’s talk about it later then. (Little bunny sticking tongue out in apology .gif)】
He stared at that moving bunny sticker, and his mind automatically filled in her expression at this very moment, his lips quietly lifting.
An unexpected “refusal,” huh.
After simply replying with a “Okay,” Chen Kuang turned off his phone, let out a long sigh toward the ceiling, feeling a little troubled.
The bar’s rest area had been taken up by a colleague.
The apartment was being temporarily used by Xie Rouyin and her daughter.
Now here was the problem.
Where should he go to sleep now?