Chapter 21 Part 2

After he finished one cigarette, the sound of water from the bathroom stopped. A little while later, the door opened.

Lin Qingye was sitting on the sofa in the living room. The bedroom door wasn't closed, and from his angle, he could just see her slender figure.

The remaining shred of reason in Xu Zhinan's subconscious prevented her from coming out in a stranger's home wearing a short slip dress. She had a bath towel draped over her shoulders.

Lin Qingye hadn't even given her slippers just now. She probably showered barefoot, unaware of the cold. Now, she was stepping directly on her canvas shoes, her heels exposed, small and round, her skin even fairer.

His eyes darkened slightly. He expressionlessly retracted his gaze, put another cigarette between his lips, took a deep drag, and slowly blew out a smoke ring.

Only after finishing the second cigarette did he get up and walk into the bedroom.

The young woman was curled into a ball, occupying only one corner of the bed, already asleep.

The slip dress was already short, and in this position, it had ridden up even more, barely covering her bottom.

Lin Qingye walked over and tossed the bath towel onto her waist and hips. This way, her upper body was left uncovered.

Slender, fair arms, two thin straps on her shoulders, revealing a large expanse of smooth, lean back. She was lying on her side, her arms drawn in, creating an ample view of her chest from the compression.

Lin Qingye's eyelid twitched.

What kind of crappy dress did Ji Yan buy?

He stopped looking, grabbed the blanket, and casually covered her with it. His movements weren't gentle. Then he turned back and switched off the bedroom light.

Then he walked into the bathroom. Her original soiled dress was neatly folded and placed by the sink.

Lin Qingye threw the dirty clothes into the washing machine and started it.

The washing machine in the studio was the most common type, very noisy.

Lin Qingye didn't think about whether the noise would wake Xu Zhinan, but he didn't dare stay in the bedroom any longer. He went out to the living room, planning to just make do on the sofa for the night.

There were several cigarette butts standing upright in the ashtray. He still felt no sleepiness at all, and the sensual scenes from his past dreams began to surface in his mind.

Two years after he got to know Xu Zhinan, today was the first time he had ever spoken to her.

If he had known earlier, he shouldn't have stirred up that trouble in the bar. Now it seemed he probably wouldn't be sleeping tonight either.

Lin Qingye pulled a bottle of liquor from the cabinet on the side and poured himself a glass.

In the band's group chat, Guan Chi asked where he was. The three of them were planning to buy a late-night snack and asked if they should bring some to the studio for him.

[Lin Qingye: I'm at the studio. I'm busy right now, no need to bring me anything.]

Guan Chi had also heard from Ji Yan about him asking for a dress and also asked if something had happened.

[Lin Qingye: It's nothing.]

He had always been like this, not enthusiastic about anything. Guan Chi was long used to it, so seeing him say this, he shut up and didn't ask further.

The lights in both the studio's living room and bedroom were off. It was pitch black.

It started to rain outside, pitter-pattering, creating a low-decibel noise. Every drop of rain seemed to smash onto the tip of Lin Qingye's heart, stirring up a sense of restlessness that was hard to calm.

Even though his expression showed no hint of the undercurrents swirling in his heart at this moment.

He drank a bit too quickly. His mind gradually went blank, his vision was no longer clear, and he started seeing double.

Lin Qingye couldn't calm down, so he simply drank himself into a stupor. He slumped onto the sofa, groggily raised the back of his hand to his forehead, and half-closed his eyes.

The sofa was very soft, sinking down, like slowly sinking into a bog.

Suddenly—

A "thud" came from the bedroom.

It was the sound of something hitting the floor.

Lin Qingye frowned, his reaction a half-beat slow. He didn't know if he was hearing things or if it was real. It wasn't until a rustling sound continued to come from the bedroom that he propped up his drunken body, got up from the sofa, and went into the room.

Xu Zhinan had fallen off the bed. Her black hair was disheveled and spread over her shoulders, the dress had slid up, and her pair of straight, long legs were very eye-catching.

She was drunk. After her feet slipped and she rolled off the bed, she actually couldn't climb back up.

Lin Qingye leaned against the doorframe and watched for a long while before walking forward, bending down, and lifting her up horizontally in his arms.

He was already drunk himself and his body was unsteady. He swayed as he stood up, and Xu Zhinan whimpered and squirmed a few times in his arms.

"Fuck," Lin Qingye said hoarsely, rarely swearing. "Don't fucking move."

His voice was thick with the smell of alcohol.

But how could a drunk person listen to him? She continued to squirm.

Lin Qingye's eyes grew darker. He directly tossed her onto the bed and pressed down on her shoulders. "Even sleeping is so much damn trouble."

His movements were too rough. Xu Zhinan frowned and woke up, struggling to open her eyelids.

The young woman's eyes were very clear, so clear one could see to the bottom at a glance.

Their eyes met. She didn't react, just stared at him and blinked a few times. Her thick, curly eyelashes fluttered like a small fan.

Lin Qingye had been drinking. The nerve responsible for rationality had also been soaked in alcohol and was already in a precarious state, liable to snap at any moment.

His throat tightened, his lips pressed into a firm line, and he looked deeply into Xu Zhinan's eyes.

She indeed had an extremely beautiful pair of eyes. So much so that the saying "the eyes are the window to the soul," when applied to Xu Zhinan, would truly make one feel it was a golden rule.

Too pure.

Lin Qingye watched for a while, then raised his hand and covered her eyes.

He didn't dare to look anymore.

The alcohol seemed to be boiling in his body. He was afraid he would lose control.

From a long time ago, he had wanted to recklessly pull Xu Zhinan into hell and possess her.

But she was just too pure. He didn't dare to defile her.

He was tormented by the "so pitiful" on that snowy night, tormented by the light, sympathy, and pride in her eyes at that time. Yet, he also wanted to worship her as a goddess, just like that day she stood under the streetlight, surrounded by darkness, with her being the only source of light.

But Xu Zhinan did not let him have his wish.

Her eyes were covered, but his palm wasn't pressed tightly. She didn't close her eyes and continued to blink. Her curly, thick eyelashes brushed against his palm, making it a little itchy.

Then she raised her hand, her cool fingertips climbing onto Lin Qingye's hand.

Like an entangling rope, it wound tightly around his heart.

Xu Zhinan pulled his hand away, and Lin Qingye once again saw that pair of her eyes.

After their eyes met for a moment, he leaned down slightly, moving closer to Xu Zhinan.

Their lips were almost touching, but Lin Qingye stopped again, maintaining this distance, his Adam's apple bobbing sharply.

"Ah Nan," he said hoarsely.

This was the first time he had ever called Xu Zhinan this way.

Before, he had only heard her friends call her that from a bystander's perspective. It was very intimate, and he didn't have the right.

Lin Qingye closed his eyes, the turbulent emotions within them forcibly suppressed once again. He called out in a low voice again, "Ah Nan."

Suddenly, Xu Zhinan tilted her chin up slightly, touching his lips.

It was easy to get thirsty after drinking too much. She had already closed her eyes, kissing him as if searching for a source of water, her arms immediately wrapping around his neck.

Strictly speaking, it wasn't a kiss, just her lips touching Lin Qingye's lips.

Lin Qingye froze abruptly. That last nerve finally snapped. The aftereffects of the alcohol he drank earlier kicked in. The alcohol went to his head, his breathing became a little tight, and his thoughts gradually became unclear.

The obsession of all these years was released at this moment. The dream came true, but it tasted even better than in the dream.

After a good while, Xu Zhinan let go, still dazed. She blankly licked her moist lips.

Pausing for two seconds, he kissed her again, taking the lead. The tips of his teeth bit forcefully into her soft lips, then released before she could feel the pain, and he gently licked them instead.

He murmured between their lips, "Ah Nan."

He had originally thought this would be an unbearable, sleepless night, but unexpectedly, it turned out to be the best sleep he'd had in two years.

So much so that later, he couldn't even tell if this was reality or that dream he had been having for the past two years.

The author has something to say:

Shameless Lin Qingye