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Chapter 86: Goodnight Hug (2)

Li Mu’s hair was not long, so there was no need to blow-dry it; a simple towel rub was enough.

He lay on the sofa, adjusted the equipment, and played a sci-fi movie he had watched before, wanting to relive it.

Things from the past often gave people a sense of control; people would unconsciously wear a “childhood filter” over past events, and under the accumulation of various sentiments, one would always feel that the present was far inferior to the past.

In terms of movies, Li Mu also believed that older films had more flavor.

The fact that he could still enjoy them after the passage of time indicated that they were inherently excellent.

Lu Xiaoxi was the same; even after a five-year estrangement, he still couldn’t forget her. Even during that estrangement, he would occasionally think of the little moments he had shared with Lu Xiaoxi.

Li Mu did not focus on the movie.

Perhaps, he had liked Lu Xiaoxi for a long time; it was just that due to age and understanding, he had never realized it.

Thanks to his thick skin, the two reconciled quickly.

If Lu Xiaoxi, with her thin skin, had to take the initiative to reconcile, the timeline for that reconciliation would have been infinitely prolonged. They could only move at a snail’s pace, and who knew how long it would take to reach the current level of reconciliation.

Hmm, he gave himself a thumbs up for his thick skin.

Li Mu pinched his face; in every sense, he was quite satisfied with his face.

“Is your skin itchy?” Lu Xiaoxi had just come out of the bathroom and saw Li Mu pulling at his face. She was already used to his confusing behavior, or rather, she had grown accustomed to it.

“I missed you.”

“……!” The straightforward words made Lu Xiaoxi freeze in place. After reacting, her eyes turned resentful, “I just took a shower.”

“Twenty-seven minutes apart feels like three…”

“Feels like your head.” Lu Xiaoxi interrupted him, using a line he had used many times before, “So you were timing how long I took a shower, huh?”

He even knew how many minutes it had been.

If he couldn’t live without her, why didn’t he come to find her sooner during that long estrangement?

Lu Xiaoxi pouted, complaining inwardly.

If he had come to reconcile during middle school, she would have definitely agreed.

Maybe now, she and Li Mu would have become childhood sweethearts.

“Come sit over here; I’ll help you dry your hair.” Li Mu sat up and patted the spot next to him.

“Blowing hair also has its techniques; do you know how to do it?” Lu Xiaoxi walked over, handed the hairdryer to Li Mu, and sat on the sofa with her legs crossed.

“You teach me, and I’ll learn on the spot; then I can help you dry your hair in the future.”

“Just look it up online.”

Li Mu really did check on his phone.

There were quite a few tutorial videos about blow-drying hair online. He watched while imitating the videos, and when he felt he had learned enough, he stood up and ran to the back of the sofa.

“The internet says to blow-dry from the back.” Before Lu Xiaoxi could ask why, he explained first.

“Oh, if you lose a lot of hair, you’re doomed.”

“How could that be? I’m so gentle…” Li Mu confidently ruffled Lu Xiaoxi’s damp hair from start to finish. When he saw two fine strands of hair on his hand, he fell into deep thought, unable to voice his words.

“Those are just normal hair loss; it’s not your fault.” Lu Xiaoxi saw him speaking halfway and turned to look, only to see the two or three strands of hair in his hand, feeling amused.

These ordinary strands of hair loss were unavoidable; girls’ hair often stuck to other strands, making it hard to notice without the help of hands or a comb.

It was clear he had never dried a girl’s hair before.

She was Li Mu’s first experience of having her hair combed and also his first experience of blow-drying hair.

Lu Xiaoxi felt inexplicably happy, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly, and her rounded little toes relaxed.

This was also her first time being blow-dried by a boy.

It felt a bit strange.

It was completely different from when she had her hair dried by her mother, but she couldn’t quite pinpoint what was different.

Perhaps it was the psychological difference of knowing that it was Li Mu behind her.

In any case, she really liked it.

Since it wasn’t her fault, Li Mu felt relieved.

His movements gradually became bolder, loosening the girl’s hair to help it dry faster.

He could also take the opportunity to observe the girl’s fair neck and the rosy earlobes, secretly brushing with his pinky finger. The girl would shrink her neck as if being tickled, then turn back to glare at him with a resentful look, super cute!

He wanted to hug the adorable Lu Xiaoxi.

“I’ll give you a massage.” Li Mu, following the video, had almost finished drying her hair. He gently pressed on Lu Xiaoxi’s head with one hand. Perhaps the position was not quite right, but his strength wouldn’t make Lu Xiaoxi feel uncomfortable; no matter what, it was positive feedback.

“When did you learn all this?” Lu Xiaoxi tilted her little head to look at the tall person. In this awkward angle, Li Mu’s face still looked so good.

“Just now.” Li Mu turned off the hairdryer and set it aside, both hands gently caressing Lu Xiaoxi’s little face.

Soft and warm.

“Enviable learning ability,” Lu Xiaoxi mumbled, her little mouth pouting as Li Mu pinched it, making her speech a bit unclear. But she didn’t resist, treating it as a small reward for Li Mu helping her dry her hair and massage her scalp.

Speaking of learning ability, Li Mu was the most impressive she had ever seen.

From complex origami to problem-solving strategies, no matter the area, Li Mu grasped things quickly. His learning ability was astonishing; she was well aware of this and envied it.

She wondered if this ability could be inherited.

Li Mu reluctantly moved his hands away from Lu Xiaoxi’s face, quickly sat back on the sofa, leaned against her, and pulled her hand over to play with on his lap.

He had become unable to live without Lu Xiaoxi’s cute little hands.

After a day of classes, both of them felt a bit tired.

After finishing a movie, it was already midnight.

It was Li Mu’s bedtime.

“Bored, I’m sleepy.” Lu Xiaoxi half-closed her eyes, feeling her eyelids were heavy, and randomly slipped on her slippers to head for the door.

“Wait.” Li Mu stopped her, “You wore the wrong shoes.”

“Oh.” Lu Xiaoxi tiptoed and swapped shoes with Li Mu, but he still didn’t move out of her way, blocking her door.

“？I’m going to sleep; what are you doing?”

“Lu Xiaoxi.”

“Spit it out quickly.” Lu Xiaoxi yawned, her eyes feeling moist.

“I want a hug.”

“……” Lu Xiaoxi’s heart skipped a beat.

“Uh, back in middle school, you clearly distanced yourself from me, and now you want me to reconcile with you. It feels a bit unfair; I need a hug to heal my wounded heart.”

“Unfair my head; if you want a hug, just say it. What excuses are you making?” Lu Xiaoxi saw through his trick.

Between her and Li Mu, childhood sweethearts, they wouldn’t maintain such a balanced scale of giving and receiving.

“Is that okay?” Li Mu’s gulp was drowned out by the sound of the movie.

“……” Lu Xiaoxi lost all sleepiness and remained silent.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Li Mu grinned, opened his arms, and wrapped them around the little girl’s back, pulling her into his embrace.

It had been a long time since they had hugged face-to-face.

The two were very close; he could feel Lu Xiaoxi’s warm body, and the scent of the girl filled his nostrils. Holding her felt so comfortable, he wanted to hold her forever.

“Your heart is beating so fast.” Lu Xiaoxi could feel his rapid heartbeat and breathing as she struggled to lift her head.

She wasn’t doing much better; her breathing was rapid, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes glistened with moisture, a result of Li Mu’s scorching breath.

“I’m a bit excited; understand?” Li Mu said.

“Oh, I’m a bit too.” Lu Xiaoxi gently wrapped her arms around Li Mu’s waist, slowly intertwining her fingers.

She felt completely enveloped by her little bamboo horse.

When Li Mu hugged her, she almost fainted from nervousness.

It was so sudden.

Li Mu’s breath tickled her forehead.

“Lu Xiaoxi.”

“What now?”

“This is called a goodnight hug, okay? Let’s do it every night before sleeping.”

“Have some self-respect.”

“If I had self-respect, we wouldn’t be childhood sweethearts.”

“……Then you can’t hug for too long; I’ll get nervous…” Lu Xiaoxi’s voice trembled, genuinely feeling nervous.

“Okay, just a quick hug.”

Li Mu took a deep breath and released Lu Xiaoxi.

“Hehe, your face is so red.” Lu Xiaoxi covered her mouth and giggled, completely unaware that she had also turned into a little tomato. Even if she knew, she wouldn’t admit it.

“Uh, what I said just now was a bit embarrassing; little Qingmei won’t mind, right?”

“I do mind; you’re so dumb; you can’t hug next time.”

“But you said I could hug just now.”

“What I said just now doesn’t count.”

“I’m a nostalgic person; what you say now doesn’t count.”

“……Nervous… Haha…”

“One more hug.”

Lu Xiaoxi was still smiling brightly when she was hugged again the next second, her face pressed against Li Mu’s collarbone, where she could see his Adam’s apple moving up and down.

“You swallowing saliva turned into a manual transmission.”

“Damn, it wasn’t like that before; now that you mention it, it is.”

“Hahaha, serves you right.”

“You’ve changed too.”

“……It’s all your fault!”

“Alright, I can’t take it anymore; can you turn off the lights and the computer? The clothes haven’t been dried yet; remember to dry them.” Li Mu turned around, carrying Lu Xiaoxi, and dashed back to his room, leaving behind a flustered figure.

Lu Xiaoxi stood frozen at the door, blinking her eyes and stamping her feet. The hug was so sudden, and the running away was just as sudden!

Stinky Li Mu, bad Li Mu!

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