Chapter 31: Unable to Sleep Tonight, Thoughts of Her Fill My Mind

Fu Huayi looked at her old bicycle.

Although he thought it was a bit too worn out.

What if it broke? Would she cry?

He didn’t want to upset her.

“How about I…” He could still call Yi Yunshuo to come pick him up.

But his hesitation made Lin Yuyao think he was stubbornly waiting.

“Big Brother Fu, there aren’t any buses right now. Waiting until morning won’t help.”

Having already mounted the bike, she said, “Just get on; I’ll take you home.”

This…

“O–Okay, sorry for the trouble.” hesitant, Fu Huayi rode on her bike.

Lin Yuyao was quite good at riding, but Fu Huayi was heavy. At first, it was manageable, but after riding a couple of miles, she started feeling exhausted. The road was still long and late at night; she couldn’t just drop him off halfway.

Fu Huayi had helped her so much, and she had no chance to repay him.

Now that he was sick, she couldn’t just leave him stranded.

Gritting her teeth, she pushed on to take him home.

Sitting behind her, Fu Huayi felt uncomfortable; his long legs were cramped, and the jolting ride made his backside sore.

He was also biting back discomfort.

Suddenly, they hit a pothole, and the bike jolted violently, nearly throwing him off.

Fu Huayi instinctively wrapped his arms around Lin Yuyao’s waist.

Huh?

Lin Yuyao’s face flushed instantly.

Behind her, Fu Huayi’s embarrassed voice rang out, “Sorry, the road was a bit bumpy.”

“N-no problem; it’s my fault for not watching the road.”

Fu Huayi released her, realizing his arms were covered in sweat.

It was her sweat.

He suddenly remembered that she was a young girl, riding him for so long in this June heat; she must be so tired.

She truly was resilient; despite how exhausting it was, she hadn’t complained at all.

The girls he knew would have given up at the first sign of hardship.

But Lin Yuyao endured, no matter how tired she was.

“Stop for a moment; I’ll walk for a bit.”

“I’m fine,” Lin Yuyao heavily panted, pushing on. “We’re almost there.”

From the library in Chenshan Town to the base at the foot of the mountain, it was over ten miles.

Lin Yuyao gritted her teeth and kept pedaling, feeling hot and exhausted, nearly reaching her limit, but finally, they arrived.

“Big Brother Fu, can we stop here?”

Fu Huayi replied, “Sure, you can park by the roadside.”

“Okay.”

She sighed in relief and parked the bicycle under a streetlight. As soon as she got off, she gasped for breath, her legs shaking, nearly unable to stand. Fearing Fu Huayi would notice, she tried hard to hold it together.

Fu Huayi was also in discomfort; his backside hurt, his legs were numb, and he was worried that she would see through him, so he stayed still.

He’s afraid that if he moved, he would fall and embarrass himself.

He just stood there watching her.

Sweat soaked her entire body, her dark hair clinging to her face, beads of sweat hanging from her eyelashes.

Under the streetlight, the sweat on her face glimmered with an orange glow, crystal clear.

Her whole face looked radiant and translucent.

Fu Huayi felt his heart racing uncontrollably.

Lin Yuyao is completely unaware, feeling only that she looks disheveled.

Afraid Fu Huayi would tease her, she awkwardly took out a handkerchief to wipe her sweat.

“I’m sorry; I sweat a lot.”

“Mm.” Fu Huayi averted his gaze awkwardly.

Following the trail of her sweat, he caught sight of something he shouldn’t have. Her clothes clung tightly to her body, and with her heavy breathing, her chest rose and fell rhythmically.

He really shouldn’t have looked.

Both of them stood there, legs numb, taking a break.

The atmosphere became strange.

Lin Yuyao said, “Big Brother Fu, you should head back; I need to rest for a bit.” She smiled, saying, “I’m still a bit tired.”

Fu Huayi coughed a couple of times and said, “It’s okay, I’ll take a break too.”

Lin Yuyao thought he was weak from being sick and didn’t think much of it.

Standing there in silence wasn’t a good idea, and after a moment, Fu Huayi spoke up.

“Lu Jiangting isn’t in the city these days, so you can relax.”

Lin Yuyao was taken aback.

Fu Huayi explained, “He went on a mission to the neighboring city; he probably won’t be back for ten days to half a month.”

Lin Yuyao let out a breath of relief. “Thank you for telling me. By the time he returns, Comrade Zhou should be off his break too, right?”

“Yes, I’ll introduce you to him when the time comes.”

“Alright, thank you very much.”

After resting a bit, noticing the time was getting late, Lin Yuyao said to Fu Huayi, “I have to go now; you…”

“I’ll head in shortly.”

“Okay, then I’m off.”

As she was about to ride away, Fu Huayi called out, “Wait a moment.”

Lin Yuyao stopped. “Big Brother Fu, is there something else?”

Fu Huayi pulled a small black object from his pocket and held it out to her. She realized it was a small…

A small pistol!

She was startled. “Big Brother Fu, what is this…?”

“Take it; for self-defense.”

Lin Yuyao hurriedly shook her head in refusal.

Gun ownership wasn’t restricted yet; her family had one; her brother used a hunting rifle to hunt birds and rabbits every year.

But she wouldn’t dare to take a military-grade weapon.

“I can’t take it.”

Fu Huayi insisted on putting it in her hand. “It’s not what you think; it can’t kill anyone; the bullets are plastic.”

Plastic?

“A toy gun?”

Fu Huayi was speechless.

“It’s not a child’s toy gun; it has more power.”

This… did she really have to take it?

“You’re a young woman, and your shift ends late at night. The area isn’t as safe as you think. Take it; it might scare people off, and you might need it.”

Hearing this, Lin Yuyao accepted it.

“T–thank you, Big Brother Fu.” She said

“You’re welcome. Go, quickly; it’s getting even later.”

Lin Yuyao took the intimidating toy gun and rode away.

Fu Huayi continued standing under the streetlight, watching until she was out of sight before heading back.

That night, Fu Huayi couldn’t sleep. As soon as he closed his eyes, images filled his mind of her body drenched in sweat.

Her summer clothes were thin, clinging to her body, revealing glimpses of her fair skin.

Finally falling asleep, he dreamt.

He dreamt of her, drenched in sweat, suppressing her sobs beneath him, her cries soft and melodious. What made it even more stimulating was that he dreamt that Lu Jiangting was sleeping in the next bed. He was afraid that Lu Jiangting would hear her suppressed cries, but at the same time, he wished he would hear, intentionally making her cry out.

The thrill and guilt stimulated his nerves.

Finally, the stimulation reached its peak, the dam broke, and the floodgates opened.

At that moment, someone patted his head.

“Hey…”

In the dream, it was Lu Jiangting, who seemed to have finally discovered that there was someone else in his bed.

Fu Huayi jolted awake, startled.

He was in his familiar dorm room, with familiar people.

Fu Huayi let out a long sigh of relief.

Next door, Yi Yunshuo leaned over from his bed. “Ah Yi, are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” he said hoarsely.

“Then why were you moaning ?”

Fu Huayi was speechless. “…”