Chapter 3
Thin light slipped through the gap in the curtains into the dim room. Consciousness rose like overnight sparkling water, bubbling up one by one. Chi Mo woke up.
Her head was heavy, her temples throbbing, a buzzing ringing in her ears. She stared blankly at the ceiling, only remembering that after leaving the art gallery, she’d gone to a newly opened bar.
Discounted. Pretty good deal.
The waiter had recommended several set menus, so she figured she’d buy a few to try them out....
And then...?
The fresh air system in the room was still running. The smell of alcohol had already faded, it’s just.... Chi Mo remembered she seemed to have thrown up...
So she subconsciously reached out to feel the clothes on her body...
Two seconds later, she suddenly shot upright in bed!
!!!
Chi Mo turned her head mechanically. Once she made out the figure lying beside her, she was so scared she hiccupped.
The blanket only covered the man down to his waist. His bare upper body still showed off a perfect skeletal outline even in the dimness. The hand that had originally been resting on Chi Mo’s waist and stomach slid down to her upper thigh as she sat up. That slight pressure made her cover her mouth and let out a silent scream.
That wasn’t the point.
Right, it wasn’t.
Because even if it was a one-night stand, for a single woman like Chi Mo, it was no big deal.
But..
The point was that half-profile the man was showing!
Chi Mo covered her mouth and carefully leaned closer, looking over his features again and again in disbelief. Then her whole body felt like it had been instantly boiled, flushing red from her face all the way down to her neck.
It.. it was Song Huaiyu!
“Song Huaiyu!” Chi Mo finally screamed out loud. “Are you fucking insane!?”
Song Huaiyu was woken up. He frowned slightly, buried his face back into the pillow crease, and muttered in displeasure, “Chi Mo, you’re so noisy...”
Chi Mo.. you’re so noisy...
Chi Mo....
He actually knew who he slept with?!
That tiny sliver of hope Chi Mo had about it being “drunken sex” instantly turned to ash. Without thinking, she shoved Song Huaiyu. “Get up! Get up!”
“Chi Mo, quiet down...”
Quiet? Quiet!
“Song Huaiyu, you’re telling me to be quiet?!” Chi Mo felt the leftover alcohol in her body rush straight to her brain. She swayed, barely able to keep herself sitting up.
“We slept together, Song Huaiyu! Are you a fucking ghost! You actually followed me to the bar!!!”
Song Huaiyu unconsciously licked the corner of his mouth. He impatiently turned half his face out from the pillow crease, then glanced at Chi Mo with half-open eyes.
She was clutching the corner of the blanket, her back still exposed.
A streak of light happened to fall on her shoulder blade, illuminating the lines of her entire back in shifting light and shadow, extending all the way down....
Very smooth.
Song Huaiyu happened to remember how it felt.
So without thinking, he reached out and pulled her down.
Chi Mo had no clothes on, and her head was spinning. Being yanked like that made stars explode before her eyes. By the time she reacted, she was already wrapped in Song Huaiyu’s arms.
Skin pressed against skin, carrying a strange but heavy fear.
Chi Mo didn’t know what she was afraid of, but her heart was panicking like crazy.
She even started having wild thoughts: Does this count as... betrayal?
Before she could figure out the “ethics” of it, a warm, wet kiss was already lingering around her ear.
Damn it, Song Huaiyu! This bastard!
Chi Mo pushed hard, but he wouldn’t let go. He even took it a step further, reaching his hand downward...
“Let go! Song Huaiyu!”
“Mm...” He had closed his eyes again. Hearing Chi Mo call his name through gritted teeth actually gave him a subtle thrill. “Call it a few more times...”
“I—call your ass! Let go! Are you crazy?!”
Probably not. Song Huaiyu hooked the corner of his lips, tightened his arm with force, and flipped over, pinning Chi Mo onto the bed.
How could it be called crazy?
After all, last night, the name Chi Mo was screaming was his.
*
*
“Song Huaiyu?” The girl wore a dusty gray school uniform. Her face was quite fair, but she looked timid. Her hands trembled slightly as she reached out to take the branded paper bags from Song Huaiyu. She nodded carefully, “I got it. I’ll... I’ll take them inside to... to him in a bit...”
Song Huaiyu was only eighteen that year. Standing at the gate of Huaicheng No. 1 High School, he spotted Chi Mo at first glance—wearing a backpack, hair braided into two plaits.
He called out to her, sizing her up with curiosity and a hint of playful amusement: “Classmate? Do you know the new transfer student at your school?”
Her face instantly turned red.
Like a round little apple.
Song Huaiyu shook the sneakers and game console Guan Yizhou had asked him to buy, raising an eyebrow at Chi Mo: Could you do me a favor and bring these to him?
After saying that, he pointed at the guardhouse of Huaicheng No. 1 High School: That old grandpa won’t let me in.
The sunlight was beautiful that day, but unfortunately, Chi Mo didn’t dare lift her head to look at him even once.
On the narrow road in front of Huaicheng No. 1 High School, a silver sports car sat idling. Its paint job gleamed, and compared to the peeling billboards on either side, it was eye-catching no matter how you looked at it.
There were plenty of other students with backpacks at the school gate too. They kept turning their heads, whispering. It was as if ten years had passed, yet those whispers still echoed clearly in Chi Mo’s ears.
She stared wide-eyed at the ceiling. For some reason, amidst the chaos, she suddenly remembered that morning when she first met Song Huaiyu.
Smack!
A slap woke Song Huaiyu up.
He stopped moving and slowly raised his head.
His brow bone cast a shadow across the dim room. The room was so quiet there wasn’t a single sound. A few seconds later, Song Huaiyu actually raised an eyebrow slightly.
Chi Mo only panicked after the fact, realizing what she’d done after landing that slap.
She turned her head away, just like that morning, not daring to look at him even once.