Chapter 38: I Will Always Be With You

The spring thunder rumbled through the dark night, as if exploding right beside the ear.

Jian Li felt the strength of the arms holding her—tentative, cautious, yet with a trace of persistence and force. She couldn’t understand, only knowing that Zhou Shubei really needed this hug right now.

She raised her hand, gently placing it around his waist. Zhou Shubei’s body stiffened for a moment, and then, as though relieved, his arms tightened around her.

Jian Li’s waist was hurting from the pressure, but she didn’t push him away. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Zhou Shubei’s voice was low, hard to mask the weariness, “Let me lean on you for a while.”

Jian Li didn’t ask any more questions, listening to the steady and powerful beat of his heartbeat, smelling the sandalwood scent on him.

Something rubbed against her feet, trying to join them. Seeing that the two didn’t pay attention to it, it was displeased and scratched her pants. “Meow! Meow!”

Zhou Shubei bent down and picked up the demanding cat. “Don’t curse like that.”

Cotton Candy shot him a glance, pushing his face away with its paw in clear defiance. It broke free from his arms and jumped to Jian Li, placing its front paws on her lap, giving Zhou Shubei a look of victory and disdain.

Zhou Shubei grabbed it by the scruff of its neck, pulling his girlfriend closer. “You scoop the litter for the rest of this month.”

“Meow!”

Cotton Candy was not happy, very angry. It jumped onto the table, knocked a pair of chopsticks to the floor, then turned and left in a huff.

“……”

Zhou Shubei clicked his tongue, amused by the situation. “Don’t let me catch you.”

Cotton Candy wasn’t scared, its tail flicked twice on the stairs before it dashed upstairs.

Zhou Shubei picked up the chopsticks, casually throwing them into the trash can, then took Jian Li to the bathroom to wet a towel and wring it dry.

“I’ll do it myself.” Jian Li said.

Zhou Shubei handed her the towel.

Her clothes were black, and the wet towel wiped away the flour stains without a trace. Jian Li lowered her head, carefully wiping, then turned her body slightly to check in the mirror, confirming there was nothing on her back.

After wiping away the flour, Zhou Shubei found a medical kit at home, tore open a band-aid, and thankfully, the wound wasn’t deep. He disinfected it again and put a new band-aid on.

He didn’t let go of her hand, his grip extending from her fingers to her wrist.

“Look up.” He said.

Jian Li subconsciously looked up, and a shadow fell over her face. Before she could react, his lips were on hers. She almost lost her balance and tried to retreat, but he followed her in, pushing her back against the wall, leaving her no room to retreat.

Her vision blurred, difficult to focus.

Zhou Shubei cupped her face in both hands, lifting her chin, his thumb pressing under it. His lips shifted direction, and his tongue boldly entered.

Jian Li felt like it was hard to breathe, wanting to call out to him, but that only gave him more opportunity. The moment their tongues touched, Jian Li felt as if she had been electrocuted, the sensation spreading from her spine to the rest of her body. All surrounding sounds seemed to be blocked out, and she could only stare at the handsome face in front of her. Every ounce of strength seemed to drain from her with the kiss, and even her phone almost slipped from her grip.

Zhou Shubei gently stroked her chin with his thumb, as if teasing her, but also controlling her. With his eyes half-closed, the kiss moved from her lips to her eyes.

“Close your eyes.”

His voice was soft, slightly panting, his breath hot against her skin, as if it was about to catch fire.

Jian Li’s limbs went numb, and her phone dropped onto the carpet.

“……”

She didn’t know how much time had passed, but when Zhou Shubei released her, Jian Li gasped for air like someone who had been drowning, her legs feeling weak.

Zhou Shubei bent down and picked up her phone, chuckling lightly, then ran his finger over her ear. “Next time, I’ll teach you how to breathe.”

Next time…

Jian Li’s ears turned red, but her heart was beginning to look forward to it.

She didn’t know what it was like for others to be in love, but she liked the physical contact between her and Zhou Shubei. Before they were together, he had always been polite and distant with her, gentle but casual. But just now, he had been dominant and fierce, like a wild wolf trying to devour her.

The food they had covered was still warm. Jian Li covered her burning ears with her hand, watching Zhou Shubei calmly drinking soup.

Zhou Shubei raised his eyes. “Not eating?”

Jian Li shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”

Zhou Shubei didn’t say anything more. He served another bowl of shrimp soup. Knowing he was in a bad mood, Jian Li also stayed silent, just sitting quietly. Cotton Candy, at some point, came running down the stairs and rubbed against her feet. She bent down and picked it up, stroking its fluffy belly.

Zhou Shubei glanced over a few times. After finishing his meal, he grabbed the car keys and drove her back to school.

The car was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. At a red light, Zhou Shubei unscrewed a bottle of water and asked, “Have you taken your driving test?”

Jian Li told her roommate she was on her way back. “No.”

“Better take it later, it’ll come in handy.”

Most of the part-time jobs in the business hall required a driver’s license, and the cheapest C1 license cost more than 3,000.

“I don’t have time this semester, and it’s too expensive.” Jian Li replied.

Zhou Shubei tightened the bottle cap. “I’ll sign you up.”

“……” Jian Li wanted to refuse, but the words were swallowed before they could come out. “I’ll sign up myself.”

Half an hour later, the car stopped at the gate of North City University.

Jian Li unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car. “I’m leaving now, take care.”

“Jian Li.” Zhou Shubei got out of the car and called her.

Jian Li turned around. “What’s wrong?”

Zhou Shubei walked around the front of the car and stood in front of her, his dark eyes looking at her. He stretched out his arms and hugged her. “I’m sorry for how I spoke to you earlier. I shouldn’t have said it like that.”

Jian Li froze, her eyes starting to sting. “It’s okay. I lied to you first.”

“When I saw you push the door open, I panicked, spoke without thinking, and hurt you.” Zhou Shubei inhaled the faint fragrance of her hair and spoke softly, “I’m sorry, forgive me.”

Zhou Shubei lowered his head, lifting her chin so she would look at him. “It won’t happen again.”

Jian Li nodded. She didn’t know why she hadn’t felt like crying back then, but now she couldn’t help it.

No one had ever apologized to her before.

Zhang Wenxiu and Jian Zhiguo had yelled at her, hit her. Even after it was proven that she was right, and they were wrong, they just ignored it. Even if she brought it up, they would brush it off with a simple “Oh, got it.”

Before Zhou Shubei spoke, she never imagined anyone would apologize to her.

She had gotten used to it.

“This is the first time anyone has apologized to me.” Jian Li smiled, “Thank you.”

Zhou Shubei’s eyelid flicked. He tucked her messy hair behind her ear. “No matter who it is, if they’re wrong, they have to apologize to you. Don’t get used to it, and don’t think it’s a small matter to let it go.” His gaze turned serious. “Your feelings should come first.”

The thunder of the awakening insects continued, and the fine rain fell on her cheeks.

Jian Li looked into his eyes, feeling a flutter in her heart. “Got it.”

Zhou Shubei nodded. “Go back.”

Jian Li turned and took a few steps, then paused, remembering something. Zhou Shubei was still standing in the same spot, his eyebrows slightly raised, thinking there was something else.

Jian Li pointed at the sky. “Look up, the sky will clear soon.”

She wasn’t good at saying sweet things, so she simply said, “I’ll always be with you, waiting for the clear sky and rainbow.”

Every word was said with determination.

The streetlights cast a warm glow over her, like she was wrapped in a layer of soft, warm gauze. Zhou Shubei swallowed, but didn’t say a word. The rain that had dampened his shoulders now seemed less bothersome.

He stepped forward, pinched her chin, and kissed her.

A quick kiss, barely a touch.

“Okay.”

……

After the awakening insects, the temperature gradually warmed.

The dormitory heating could finally be turned off. The thick clothes were washed and put away in the closet. Group assignments were submitted, and Jian Li received a message from Zhou Shubei.

[I’m at the South Gate.]

She was going to practice for her second driving test today.

After returning from last time, she had signed up for a driver’s license. After passing the first test, the instructor arranged for her to practice the second test that afternoon.

On Friday afternoon, there were no classes, and the practice was in the suburbs, so Zhou Shubei drove her there.

Jian Li could clearly feel that since that day, her relationship with Zhou Shubei had become closer, from the initial somewhat restrained and awkward dating to the prelude to a passionate romance.

Jian Li replied to the message and quickly walked towards the South Gate.

Zhou Shubei stood by the roadside. There was a child beside him, the same one who had wanted to learn how to yo-yo before. The child seemed to be on his way to school and showed Zhou Shubei his yo-yo skills.

After the child left, Zhou Shubei turned around and saw her. He opened the passenger side door and waited for her to sit before closing it and walking around to the driver’s seat.

“Is the second test really that difficult?” Jian Li asked.

Tan Xueying had passed her driving test, so she asked her about it. Tan Xueying said reversing into a parking space was the hardest, and she had to retake that part.

“It’s not hard.” Zhou Shubei replied. “The instructor will tell you the points, as long as you pay attention to them, it’ll be fine.”

Jian Li felt a little more at ease, probably due to the aftermath of the first test. Whenever she saw warning signs on the roadside, she unconsciously confirmed what they meant.

The instructor was in his fifties. After checking her information, he led her into a small room. “Over here.”

Inside, there were several people sitting in front of simulation driving machines, all turning the steering wheels.

“The steering wheel should be straight like this. Turning it all the way left is one and a half turns, straightening it is one and a half turns as well, and turning it all the way right is one and a half turns. You need to adjust quickly, especially when making sharp turns. If you go too slow, you’ll cross the line.” The instructor demonstrated, then went out to teach the others.

Jian Li sat down, and the screen displayed the tire direction.

“Like this?” She turned it one and a half turns and asked Zhou Shubei.

Zhou Shubei, slinging her backpack over one shoulder, lazily replied when she looked at him. “Yes, but you should go a little faster.”

Jian Li sped up a little. Curious, she asked, “Why didn’t you turn like this when you drove?”

Zhou Shubei was patient. “There aren’t such sharp turns on the road, unless it’s an emergency U-turn. The second test has a time limit, and the space for maneuvering is limited. You need to go fast, otherwise, you’ll cross the line and lose points, and have to retake the test.”

Jian Li nodded and practiced carefully for a while. Her wrist hurt, so she stood up for a break, and then realized Zhou Shubei wasn’t in the room. She went out and saw him sitting with two other guys by a tent at the edge of the practice area. A tall figure bent over slightly, holding a deck of cards, with her backpack on his shoulders.

It was a bit out of place with his temperament, but somehow harmonious.

“Bro, you’re also here to practice with your girlfriend?” The guy across from him asked.

Zhou Shubei laid down a few cards. “Yeah, 3456789.”

“We are too. Thank goodness you came. The other day we were so bored, I suggested she practice on her own, but she wasn’t happy.” The other guy picked up the cards. “In my opinion, girlfriends shouldn’t be spoiled too much. Otherwise, they’ll take advantage of you.”

The other person couldn’t play a card. Zhou Shubei, chewing on a mint candy, picked up his cards and played another two jokers.

“Wait, do you really have such good cards, already got a bomb?” The guy said.

“Sorry, my girlfriend is too great. I can’t live without her.” Zhou Shubei’s tone was cocky, showing off, and he played another 2. After confirming the other two couldn’t play, he finished all his cards and looked at the guy across from him. “Break up early, set your girlfriend free.”

The guy across from him: “……”

Jian Li couldn’t hold back and laughed out loud. The guys playing cards turned their heads. Zhou Shubei walked over.

“Finished practicing?” He asked.

“Taking a break.” Jian Li lowered her eyes as he grabbed her hand. “You keep playing, I’ll go back and practice.”

“I’m not playing anymore.” Zhou Shubei took her inside, stopping in a quiet place. He lowered his head and kissed her. “My girlfriend misses me.”

Jian Li: “.”