Qing Xinxue suddenly asked, a hint of anticipation gradually appearing in her eyes.
“…I don’t know how,” Lan Yucheng replied truthfully. Yet, out of indulgence for Qing Xinxue, she still pulled out her phone, intending to look it up.
“I think I might know a little…” Qing Xinxue’s voice was soft, laced with a touch of shyness. She had always secretly paid close attention to every detail concerning Lan Yucheng, so for a situation like this, her heart was already prepared.
“You do? Then let’s do it here.” Lan Yucheng was slightly surprised, not expecting Qing Xinxue to offer so readily. However, knowing little about such matters herself, she didn’t press further.
“Here?” Qing Xinxue glanced at the sofa, quietly weighing whether its width would be suitable.
“Perhaps… we should go to the bedroom instead.”
“As you wish.” Lan Yucheng handed her two small, exquisitely packaged boxes.
“Are two boxes enough?”
“…They’re enough.” Qing Xinxue took the boxes, her fingertips slightly warm, as if she were holding a precious promise.
“Shall we shower together?” Lan Yucheng walked into the bathroom, turning back to look at her.
“Mm… alright.” Qing Xinxue’s cheeks flushed. She gently placed the boxes on the bedside table and followed Lan Yucheng into the bathroom, never daring to lift her gaze.
“Aren’t you going to take off your clothes?” Lan Yucheng turned on the shower, testing the water temperature.
“Oh, right…” Qing Xinxue lowered her head, slowly unbuttoning her clothes.
“Do you not eat much normally?” Lan Yucheng observed her for a moment, her tone as flat as if discussing the weather. Her heart truly held no ripples of interest for a body that didn’t intrigue her.
“Sister Cheng! You’re mean!” Qing Xinxue froze for a moment, then mumbled in a low voice, laced with shy annoyance.
“So what if you’re a little taller than me? Later on, won’t you still be…” She didn’t finish her sentence, her thoughts already drifting elsewhere.
“Come here and help me wash my hair.” Once the water temperature was suitable, Lan Yucheng called out to her.
“Oh, coming.” Qing Xinxue cast aside her stray thoughts and took the showerhead.
Warm water cascaded gently, filling the bathroom with a misty haze that blurred their outlines, yet made their breaths remarkably clear.
Qing Xinxue’s fingers gently threaded through Lan Yucheng’s wet hair, her movements delicate and cautious, imbued with an almost imperceptible tremble. She could smell Sister Cheng’s faint fragrance, made even clearer by the steaming water; she could see water droplets sliding down the back of the other’s neck, disappearing beneath the edge of her clothing. Every inch they drew closer accelerated her heartbeat.
“Sister Cheng…” Her voice was a little hoarse, moist with the steam.
“Mm?” Lan Yucheng’s eyes were closed, feeling the touch of water and fingertips. Her tone remained calm, even a little nonchalant. Her mind was occupied with how to naturally conclude this interaction and how to maintain the delicate balance between them afterward.
This calmness was like a cool breeze, waking Qing Xinxue from her somewhat heated thoughts. Sister Cheng, it seemed, did not share her feelings. This realization made her movements falter, and a hint of bitterness welled up in her heart.
Lan Yucheng noticed her pause and tilted her head slightly. “What’s wrong?”
“…Nothing.” Qing Xinxue lowered her head, concealing the fleeting shadow of despondency in her eyes.
‘What was she hoping for? Was she hoping Sister Cheng would be as flustered as she was by this closeness? She knew full well this was more like a silent acquiescence, a closeness bought with ‘obedience.’ But even so, she couldn’t bring herself to push it away.’
Hurriedly finishing their shower, the two returned to the bedroom wrapped in towels. The air seemed to thicken, and even their breathing grew soft.
The two small boxes lay silently on the bedsheet, conspicuously visible.
Qing Xinxue stood by the bed, unconsciously clutching the edge of her towel, her knuckles slightly white. The courage she’d had earlier seemed to have drained away, leaving only panic and hesitation.
‘Could she truly continue to draw closer to Sister Cheng when she was so completely lucid?’
Lan Yucheng observed her slightly pale face and trembling shoulders, understanding dawned in her heart. Nervousness had overshadowed impulse, which aligned perfectly with her expectations.
“Hesitating?” She walked to the bedside, picked up one of the small items, and gently twirled it between her fingers. The subtle sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet room.
“…No,” Qing Xinxue denied in a whisper, her voice almost inaudible.
Lan Yucheng looked up at her, her gaze calm. “If you haven’t made up your mind, you don’t have to.” She returned the choice to Qing Xinxue, her tone detached. “I told you, it’s up to you.”
These words, however, stirred Qing Xinxue. What she feared was not closeness, but Sister Cheng’s detachment.
“No!” She responded almost immediately, taking a small step forward as if afraid the other would change her mind. “I… I can do it.”
She took a deep breath, as if steeling her resolve, and reached out to touch the small box. The rustling sound of tearing packaging was remarkably clear in the silence. When her cool fingertips touched the soft material inside, her entire body trembled slightly.
Holding it, she looked helplessly at Lan Yucheng, her eyes questioning—’What should I do next?’
Lan Yucheng watched her completely dependent demeanor, and a sense of control quietly settled within her. She knew it was up to her to guide this ‘plot’ that she had tacitly allowed to unfold.
She stepped forward, gently caressing Qing Xinxue’s flushed cheek. Her fingertips carried a trace of lingering moisture, yet the skin they touched trembled slightly.
“Don’t rush,” she whispered, her voice slow and gentle, carrying a reassuring power. “Tell me, what do you want?”
She guided, yet did not initiate. She wanted Qing Xinxue to make her own choices, to step more firmly into this relationship.
Under Lan Yucheng’s gaze and gentle touch, Qing Xinxue’s last shred of rationality dissipated. She tilted her face upward, her eyes moist, with a hint of determination, and softly said, “I… I want to be closer to you…”
Lan Yucheng’s eyelashes fluttered almost imperceptibly.
She did not answer, merely lowered her head slightly, closing the distance between them. Their breaths mingled, and she could clearly see her own reflection in Qing Xinxue’s pupils, along with the shimmering, luminous eagerness within them.
This was a subtle boundary.
To draw closer, or to pause?
Lan Yucheng calmly weighed it in her mind. Some intimacy could be allowed; it was the warmth needed to sustain the relationship. But more than that had to be reserved for the future, as an expectation to maintain this balance.
The moment Qing Xinxue closed her eyes and leaned slightly forward, Lan Yucheng gently turned her face.
That raw, gentle touch, imbued with the scent of strawberries, ultimately landed on the corner of her lips.
Warm, moist, with a hint of reckless sincerity.
A fleeting touch.
Qing Xinxue opened her eyes, a flicker of bewilderment passing through them.
Lan Yucheng, still keeping the close distance, whispered into her ear:
“The rest… next time.”
“When you… are a little more ready.”
These words were like a tender promise, and a seed planted for the future. They both soothed Qing Xinxue’s current unease and left room for their relationship to continue growing.
Qing Xinxue watched, dazed, as Lan Yucheng straightened up, her gaze returning to that calm expression that both reassured and saddened her.
“It’s late tonight, let’s sleep.” Lan Yucheng said, then naturally lay down, as if the light touch on her lips and the soft whisper just moments ago were merely part of the night.
Qing Xinxue gazed at her back, her heart pounding. Disappointment, shyness, a hint of reluctance, and the quiet anticipation sparked by the phrase “next time” intertwined, leaving her restless.
She slowly curled up and lay beside Lan Yucheng, still not daring to get too close.
For Qing Xinxue, this night was destined to be long and restless. The closeness of their souls had been gently accepted, yet softly bounded, leaving her with new hope amidst her wistfulness.
For Lan Yucheng, this was a delicate adjustment of their relationship. She quietly reviewed every step of the evening, pondering how, upon returning to campus tomorrow, she would continue to maintain this perfectly calibrated distance in her interactions.