The room is not as spotless as she imagined.
There’s Duan Ye’s clothes casually tossed on the sofa, and there are empty mineral water bottles that haven’t been thrown away on the coffee table.
However, the room is not that messy and dirty, quite ordinary. Jiang Yumo pretends to pick up a comb and says to Duan Ye, “I heard that I should start inspecting from the comb.”
Duan Ye unscrews a mineral water bottle cap for her, “Check as you like.”
Of course, there won’t be any findings, because since he rented this place until now, the only opposite sex who has entered is her.
Jiang Yumo surveys the room and accidentally touches the switch on the wall. The next second, the living room goes completely dark.
She realizes she turned off the lights herself and hurriedly reaches out to find the switch to turn them back on.
Before she can find the switch, he holds her hand.
Darkness can stimulate one’s senses. Before she can react, she instinctively intertwines her fingers with his. His breath comes invading, as if it has become a habit. When he approaches, she tiptoes and he bends down. A month without seeing each other is really too long for a couple still in the honeymoon phase, so long that they urgently want to leave their marks and scents on each other.
No wonder the intimacy between people is kindled by these actions.
First, holding hands. In that sweltering summer, their hands were sweaty, yet they couldn’t bear to let go.
Then, embracing. Holding each other tightly, smelling the other’s scent, feeling their warmth, leaning on each other.
And then, kissing.
Jiang Yumo is almost out of breath. At first, she can keep up with the pace, but in the end, he wraps his arm around her waist and forcefully kisses her. Everything around them is so still; the whole world is reduced to the sound of breaths, whether hers or his. The hand placed on her waist carries a magical warmth.
Perhaps it’s because he missed her so much.
Today, Duan Ye is much more eager than before, and there’s also an abruptness to his actions.
Even though she should be flustered, she unconsciously complies.
She missed him a lot too.
The light comes back on, and the two of them sit on the sofa, or to be precise, Jiang Yumo sits on Duan Ye’s legs. They both greatly enjoy this time with only each other.
“My parents went on a trip. It’s a benefit from my Dad’s workplace, so it’s free,” Jiang Yumo explained the reason. “I thought about it, if I go back, it would just be me alone. Even though Yan Qing and Meng Ting are there, but…”
Well, she had to admit, she was also someone who valued love over friendships.
Her initial reaction was to find Duan Ye, rather than return to her hometown to meet her best friends.
Duan Ye nodded and gently touched her hair, a moment of sheer happiness. Throughout their lives, there weren’t many people who had surprised him intentionally. Perhaps it was his poor memory, but all the memories associated with the word ‘surprise’ were all related to her.
Both of them tacitly avoided discussing hotel reservations.
Jiang Yumo wasn’t very keen on staying in hotels. She was even afraid of watching horror movies, so naturally, she feared staying alone in a hotel. Moreover, not long ago, she accidentally stumbled upon a post that described supernatural events in hotels. Now, she wouldn’t dare to sleep in a hotel alone, even if God gave her ten times the courage.
Of course, even more importantly, for a long-distance relationship, every meeting was too rare, every minute and second too precious. She didn’t want to be apart from him at all, only wanting to stick together every moment.
Duan Ye had the same mindset.
But he would also test her. In this relationship, he was like a child, subtly testing the boundaries to see what she could accept. Even the initial kisses were like this. He was inexperienced and relied on instinct. They were both clueless and lacked any technique at the beginning, only kissing each other’s lips. He learned on his own, waiting until she was comfortable before gently parting her lips with his. If she showed even the slightest resistance, he would retreat like a startled shellfish in a supermarket.
“Do you want to go to the supermarket?” he asked as calmly as possible. “To buy some daily necessities?”
“Daily necessities?” Jiang Yumo looked at him. “I already brought everything.”
Duan Ye replied, “Shower gel and shampoo.”
Jiang Yumo looked puzzled. “But there are some, I just saw them.”
“That won’t do,” Duan Ye explained. “They’re too cheap, not good.”
He could use whatever himself, so when he went to the supermarket before, he picked up the cheapest options. But now that she was here, he didn’t want her to use those cheap shower gels and shampoos.
She deserved better.
Jiang Yumo smiled, pursing her lips. “Sure, it’s fine. After all, this definitely won’t be my last time here.”
“Let’s go grab something to eat,” Duan Ye suggested.
Jiang Yumo naturally had no objections. They tidied up a bit, held hands, and went out sweetly. From the fifth floor to the first floor, maybe because they liked each other so much, they would stop almost every floor and steal a kiss when there was no one around.
There was a supermarket nearby. Duan Ye had never noticed the environment and scenery here before. He used to come and go in a hurry, never stopping. However, this evening, they walked slowly, chatting and discussing each other’s lives. They were enveloped in bubbles of happiness.
Arriving at the supermarket, Duan Ye pushed a shopping cart. “I don’t have much food at home. What do you want to eat?”
“Let’s browse first.”
Jiang Yumo also learned to be thrifty. She came to the daily necessities section, walking through shelf after shelf, comparing prices and sizes. Finally, she picked up a set of hair and body care products, including shampoo and shower gel, from her preferred brand. The price was discounted significantly.
Duan Ye gazed at her attentively and gently.
In his mind, he was also considering whether he should buy a small refrigerator. She enjoyed drinking yogurt, especially in the current hot weather.
She remarked that this wouldn’t be her last visit.
However, it seemed she would need to buy quite a few more things.
They bought a lot of items, with Duan Ye carrying shopping bags while holding her hand. After a month apart, they had accumulated so much to share with each other. Despite daily phone calls, meeting in person felt different. Duan Ye silently resolved to put in even more effort than before. Only through this could they shorten the time they spent apart.
“I’ve noticed it’s much cooler here than in Yanjing,” Jiang Yumo complained to Duan Ye. “You don’t know how much I’ve tanned from the long military training. Have you noticed?”
Duan Ye chuckled. “You’re not tanned.”
“It’s true!” Jiang Yumo insisted. “Our generation is really lucky. Our dormitories all have air conditioning. I heard the seniors before us didn’t have that luxury. It was practically unbearable.”
Duan Ye quietly listened to her.
“I get along well with my three roommates. They’re all nice people. Our counselor is also really good.”
“But I still feel happier back when I was in Fifth High School.”
Duan Ye gave her hand a squeeze. “How about we go visit the school next time?”
“Sure!”
They both cherished their past experiences deeply.
Their best friends and favorite people were all around them back then, and every day was joyful.
However, they also looked forward to the future.
Everything was beautiful, but as Jiang Yumo entered the restroom to take a shower, she encountered a century-old dilemma. She hadn’t forgotten her phone, so she quickly asked for help in the four-girl-friends group chat : [Hey, girls, I’ve arrived!]
Yan Qing : [🙄]
Sun Mengting : [As far as I know, you’ve arrived over two hours ago 😏]
She’s just remembering to update them now?
It’s too late!
Jiang Yumo tried to justify herself somewhat nervously : [It’s just that… I used up all my data since it’s the end of the month.]
Yan Qing : [Hehe.]
Sun Mengting : [You definitely have something going on. Just spill it out. We’ve long figured out that you’re heartless when you’re with your love.]
Jiang Yumo : […Don’t be like this!]
Yan Qing : [Acting spoiled won’t work! Go act spoiled with your Brother Duan!]
Jiang Yumo : [Really… it’s an emergency!]
Yan Qing : [Hmph, go ahead, I only have one minute. After all, it’s the end of the month and not just you have used up data.]
Jiang Yumo : [Let me get to the point. I need to take a shower.]
Sun Mengting : [?]
Yan Qing : [Got it, you and Brother Duan will have a few days of cohabitation. You’ll take a shower, and then what? I know you don’t have that mischievous intent, and Brother Duan probably doesn’t have that audacity for now.]
Jiang Yumo was truly at a loss for words when she saw this message.
Indeed, even though they had come close to losing control, a shred of reason remained.
Jiang Yumo : […And then, what should I do? 😭 I didn’t even think about this issue.]
It can only be said that Yan Qing truly was Jiang Yumo’s best friend; she understood Jiang Yumo’s distress : [Is it a set?]
Jiang Yumo: […Is that the point?]
Yan Qing : [Yes, come on, send me a picture.]
Jiang Yum o: [No!!]
Sun Mengting : [I can’t understand what you’re talking about. 🤭]
Yan Qing : [Alright, answer my question, is it a set?]
Jiang Yumo : [.]
A period means ‘yes.’
Yan Qing was almost laughing to death : [Hehehe! Man, you always say I’m coy, but you seem to be the coyest here!]
Jiang Yumo could only play dead for the time being. Even though she was already frustrated and regretful, she couldn’t defend herself at this moment.
Yan Qing : [@Xiu_Hua, Yuyu~ You should learn from our Yumo here. Among the four of us, she’s probably the best at romance, having her own little schemes!]
Ning Zhiyu : [.]
Sun Mengting spotted the flaw : [Tsk, we truly are good friends. It seems Yuyu understood, haha!]
Jiang Yumo sighed : [Back to the main point, how, should, I, handle, this?]
Yan Qing : [Show, it, to, him!]
Sun Mengting : [Perhaps Brother Duan is also troubled by the same problem? Hehe.]
Jiang Yumo promptly went offline.
Outside, Duan Ye was also not idle. He knew she was going to wash her hair, but there wasn’t a hairdryer in the room, nor did Zhou Ji have one. The air conditioning was on in the room, and he worried that she might catch a cold and get a headache. After some consideration, he walked out of the room, preparing to borrow a hairdryer from a neighbor.
He still wasn’t attentive enough; otherwise, he should have thought of buying a hairdryer when they were at the supermarket just now.
The third floor was the landlord’s office and residence.
The landlord was a woman in her fifties, kind-hearted, and caring towards her tenants. Duan Ye arrived on the third floor, knocked on the landlord’s door, and seeing it was Duan Ye, the landlord auntie, who was watching a TV drama, smiled and asked, “Xiao Duan, what’s the matter?”
“Aunt Zhao,” Duan Ye said politely, “do you have a hairdryer?”
“Yes,” the landlord casually replied, “why do you need to borrow a hairdryer?”
Duan Ye smiled.
This piqued the landlord auntie’s curiosity. Of course, she had a deep impression of this young tenant. He seemed fierce but had a good heart. When he first rented the place, he didn’t even know she was the landlord. She was carrying heavy things downstairs, and he came forward to help.
Though this young tenant was polite, he didn’t smile often.
Right now, he appeared more like a nineteen-year-old young man.
There was a hint of shyness, but more so, he’s exuding a lively happiness.
“My girlfriend has come.”