Chapter 28

2:00 PM (2)

Outside, lightning flashed, and thunder roared, the room resonating with the booming sounds, flickering in and out of light.

This room was much larger than Xu Muzi’s, spacious, yet Deng Yun’s warm palm pressed against the back of her neck, trapping her in the narrowest space of the entire room at the entrance.

He only kissed her once.

As the kiss ended, Deng Yun’s brow was furrowed, his eyes filled with swirling emotions, staring intently at Xu Muzi.

This sudden kiss left Xu Muzi dazed; all the careful thoughts she had planned to say vanished into thin air.

Her eyelashes trembled, and her breath was chaotic. She didn’t know how to respond and could only stare blankly back at him.

In the past, whenever they kissed, there was always a hint of playful amusement in Deng Yun’s eyes.

Today was different.

He seemed a bit fierce, a bit restless, squinting his eyes as if he were trying to see through her, more dominant and more desirous.

Their gazes locked, and after silently staring at each other for more than ten seconds, Deng Yun’s hand on Xu Muzi’s neck moved. His thumb wandered over her skin, his fingertip ambiguously stroking the pulsing artery in her neck.

Xu Muzi bit her lip, not pulling away.

As Deng Yun caressed the sensitive spot on her neck, a light flush appeared on her fair skin, causing her to shiver slightly.

When Xu Muzi trembled, Deng Yun leaned in closer, so close that their noses nearly touched, his warm breath brushing against her lips, yet he stopped there.

The doors and windows of the room were tightly closed, and the air conditioning worked hard, almost burning the oxygen in this space.

Their breaths mingled together, hurried and chaotic, as if they were lacking oxygen.

Deng Yun asked Xu Muzi, almost in a threatening tone, “Now do you understand how indifferent I feel?”

Xu Muzi remained silent.

“Why didn’t you dodge?”

Xu Muzi looked confused, appearing very innocent, and slowly shook her head, “I don’t know…”

Was she saying that she didn’t know he was going to kiss her and, in that moment, couldn’t avoid it?

Or was she completely bewildered, not understanding what he was saying and unsure how to respond?

These questions were ones Xu Muzi hadn’t clarified for herself.

Deng Yun continued to frown as he looked at her, seemed to sigh lightly, and then kissed her again.

Xu Muzi’s heart raced; instinctively, she parted her lips, stood on her toes, discarded the thick bathrobe warmed by the blow dryer, and, relying on muscle memory, skillfully wrapped her arms around Deng Yun’s neck.

The old phone she hadn’t changed for over two years fell out of the bathrobe pocket, hitting the floor with a dull sound.

They were completely unaware of this, entangled in heavy breaths, kissing each other.

The kiss was too stimulating, intoxicating, and uncontrollable.

Xu Muzi was wearing only a dress with a zipper at the back, and Deng Yun’s fingers deftly slid down the zipper.

Her hair, tied up with a silk scrunchie, had already loosened, and strands fell as they kissed passionately.

Eventually, the scrunchie fell to the floor, landing on the bathrobe, and Xu Muzi’s thick, black hair instantly cascaded down over her shoulders.

Deng Yun pushed aside her silky hair and also slipped down her shoulder strap.

Xu Muzi trembled, feeling nervous, as if she were back on the night during her freshman winter break trying her first kiss.

She covered the fabric of her dress with her hands and murmured, “Deng Yun.”

Deng Yun paused.

He didn’t seem much calmer than before; he still looked like he was suppressing his anger but didn’t continue with anything further, helping her pull her strap back up onto her shoulder: “Are you still planning to thank me for something? Want to continue talking?”

Xu Muzi felt as if her mind was stuffed with cotton, hazily wondering what she was supposed to discuss with him.

Oh right, it was about the dress.

Xu Muzi had received the dress at the end of last year.

When she got it, the outer wrapping paper was stained with a large blot of grease, and the satin bow had come undone, leaving only the knot inside.

At the end of last year, her parents, who had been down for quite a while, finally received some new business opportunities.

They frequently went out for social gatherings and spoke glowingly at the dining table, saying that through a wealthy benefactor’s introduction, they had found a new supply channel and should be able to make some money.

Regarding that benefactor, her parents didn’t elaborate at the time, and Xu Muzi didn’t think to ask.

She cautiously reminded them to be careful not to be cheated again.

The unintentional use of “again” in her words hurt her father’s pride, leaving him silent for a long time.

Life is very realistic; when they were in debt, relatives and old friends stayed far away, watching coldly, fearing they might ask to borrow money.

When Xu Muzi’s family was close to paying off their debts and showed signs of making some small money, those people began to restore their connections with her family.

It was as if everything from the past had never happened.

During the New Year, Xu Muzi encountered a family of old acquaintances with whom they hadn’t interacted for a long time.

In the past, they had always tried to curry favor with these families, hoping to share in any good fortune. Now, as they resumed contact, the same familiar phrases were used: “Old Xu, if anything good happens, don’t forget to bring us along.”

That family’s younger generation was two years older than Xu Muzi and the same age as Deng Yun. He was also studying abroad, and the school wasn’t far from hers, but they hadn’t interacted much.

After they met, the boy smiled warmly and exchanged pleasantries with Xu Muzi, wishing her a Happy New Year, looking as warm and gentle as jade.

Xu Muzi silently recalled that after her family encountered trouble, she had tried various methods to reach out for opportunities to earn money when she returned to school.

She often heard that family say their son worked part-time to support himself, and she had even messaged the boy for help, wanting to consult about part-time jobs. After sending the message, she realized she had already been deleted from his contacts.

On the fifth day of the New Year, the boy’s family visited her home again.

While the elders discussed matters, the boy called Xu Muzi outside and brought out a very large gift box from the car’s trunk.

It was old, even the bow had come undone, like a long-overdue item.

Xu Muzi didn’t understand his intentions until he avoided her probing gaze, touched his nose awkwardly, and sheepishly mentioned Deng Yun’s name.

That was a birthday gift Deng Yun had given Xu Muzi a long time ago.

Because he was busy preparing application materials for studying abroad and researching entrepreneurial ideas with friends, Deng Yun hadn’t been able to personally deliver the gift and had asked this boy, who was in the same city as Xu Muzi, to help him pass it on.

Why did it take so long for Xu Muzi to receive it?

Thinking carefully, she could understand the crux of the issue; it was likely after Deng Yun handed the gift to the boy, news of their respective families going bankrupt and accumulating debts had gradually spread.

The boy chose to avoid any associations, deleted their contact information, and no longer helped with the gift.

The boy forgot how their families used to flatter and curry favor with Deng Yun’s parents and actually said—

“I’m also thinking for your sake; who knew what it meant for Deng Yun to give you a gift?”

“He owes so much money, it’s much worse than your family was then. He wasn’t even a local, sold his house and car, and his parents went off to work in some southern place. What good could come from keeping in touch with him?”

“If you don’t want it, you can just throw it away. But whatever you do, don’t tell the elders about me giving you this.”

Perhaps seeing that Xu Muzi didn’t have any intention of throwing it away, the boy awkwardly took credit: “At least I’ve kept it safe for two or three years, so you’re not going to say thank you?”

Xu Muzi reluctantly held the nearly one-meter-tall gift box and ultimately said “thank you” to the boy.

After moving out of the villa, the house they rented wasn’t large, and Xu Muzi had been abroad for years, leaving the bedroom stuffed with many miscellaneous items by her parents.

She placed the gift box on the floor and opened it.

Inside was a very beautiful glacier blue dress, adorned with dazzling crystals on the hem. It had a backless design, but the back was shrouded in a sheer layer of fabric, with the crystal embellishments perfectly covering her scar.

The handwritten card only had one line:

“Happy birthday in advance, Xu Muzi. Good luck in the competition.”

There was no signature.

The person giving the gift was confident, certain that there was some understanding between them.

When Xu Muzi received the dress, she may have felt a mix of emotions.

It was like suddenly realizing that the sheet music clearly indicated whole notes but had been mistakenly played as half notes, leaving her in a state of helpless panic.

However, at that time, Xu Muzi needed to prepare her graduation thesis and find a job to support herself. She could only push the dress deep into her wardrobe, covering it with several layers of winter clothing, fearing that she might see it again.

She didn’t have the energy or the right to stay in one place, wallowing in self-pity.

Just like that June, when Xu Muzi was in her unairconditioned rental living room, sweating profusely, busy packing up several ceramic items she had just sold on a second-hand website.

The new home was filled with the sounds of “ripping” and “taping,” and in the quiet gaps between the tape being applied, she heard her dad speaking softly to her mom.

“I heard Deng Shixun and the others went to work for a friend in the south.”

Upon first hearing such news, it felt like reaching into her backpack before a speech at school and not finding the USB drive where it was expected, leaving her chest suddenly hollow.

At that time, numb with emotions and only seeking survival, many feelings had to be buried under the issue of “not having money.”

The grievances, unwillingness, and sadness that she couldn’t process back then erupted suddenly under Deng Yun’s seemingly aggressive advances.

Why could Deng Yun’s actions easily affect her emotions?

Why was she the only one trying to reminisce about the past?

Didn’t Deng Yun have any expectations for their relationship?

Was there none in the past?

What about now? Was there really none?

Carrying these late-blooming emotions, Xu Muzi stood on her toes and suddenly hugged Deng Yun’s neck.

She pulled him down and asked him to kiss her.

Deng Yun frowned at Xu Muzi’s proactive kiss, instinctively steadying her waist with both hands. He quickly reacted, shifting from passive to active, and began to kiss her deeply.

Xu Muzi found herself retreating step by step under Deng Yun’s kisses, stepping on the thick bathrobe belt on the floor and accidentally kicking her heel against the entryway cabinet.

He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, lifting her up and placing her on the entryway cabinet, his palm brushing against the scar on her back that she never showed.

Was someone’s phone ringing outside?

The ringtone rang for a long time before Xu Muzi realized it was her own phone.

Her phone was muffled in the bathrobe pocket, ringing continuously as Deng Yun gradually slowed down.

He rested his chin on her shoulder, his disordered breaths resonating clearly in her ears, quite seductive.

Deng Yun asked Xu Muzi, “Answer the call, or do you want me to continue?”