The Rabbit’s Escape Plan

The rain outside finally began to pour down in earnest.

The dark clouds that had been stifling the air all evening were finally released. The downpour was so heavy that the splashing sounds made the already insomniac Ye Nanzhi lose all traces of sleepiness.

What was even more critical was that, at this very moment, Chu Ran was holding her pillow, settling down on the left side of the bed.

Ye Nanzhi couldn’t remember what she had been thinking at the time—perhaps it was guilt, or perhaps she felt bad. Ultimately, she had been the one to proactively invite Chu Ran in to share the same bed.

Chu Ran hadn’t refused. The surprise on her face lasted only a second before she swiftly got up and carried her pillow into the bedroom.

And thus, the current scene unfolded.

Although the bed wasn’t small, the moment Chu Ran lay down, Ye Nanzhi could still clearly feel the other woman’s warmth settling beside her. Instinctively, she scooted her body to the right—this was already the countless time she had shifted over in the last five minutes.

Having adjusted herself to a satisfactory position, Ye Nanzhi clung to the edge of the bed and forced her eyes shut.

After a few seconds of silence in the air, Ye Nanzhi felt the person behind her turn over, moving closer in her direction.

The sudden proximity made Ye Nanzhi instinctively try to scoot forward again, but before she could move, Chu Ran spoke up first: “If you hide any further, you’ll fall off.”

Ye Nanzhi: …

She had to abandon her planned movement. She kept her eyes tightly shut, pretending to be asleep.

But since she had been moving just seconds ago, there was no way she could be asleep now.

Chu Ran wasn’t polite either, asking bluntly: “Did you call me in just to show me this?”

“I don’t sleep very steadily at night. I was afraid of disturbing your rest.” Ye Nanzhi shifted into a slightly less uncomfortable position, curling up in the corner of the bed.

“But I remember you like sleeping on your left side.”

“…”

Seeing this, Chu Ran didn’t bother to argue further. She knew Ye Nanzhi’s temperament best; if they kept going back and forth like this, the little rabbit would likely stay on that edge until dawn.

It was better to take direct action.

Before Ye Nanzhi could react, Chu Ran wrapped her arm around the other’s body and pulled her back, landing her right in the middle of the mattress.

“Don’t move.” Chu Ran scolded Ye Nanzhi’s struggling movements and properly withdrew her arm. “I’m not at ease with you sleeping there; it would make me restless instead.”

Chu Ran backed off a few inches, staying at what she considered an appropriate distance. She wasn’t touching her, yet she could just barely catch the fragrance surrounding the other woman.

A faint fruity scent with a hint of sweetness. Chu Ran wondered why she had never noticed her own body wash smelled this good before.

Feeling Chu Ran retreat to a safe distance, Ye Nanzhi’s tense body gradually relaxed. She pulled the thin quilt around herself, turned her face away, and closed her eyes.

She thought they could spend the night in peace like this, but Chu Ran had no intention of letting her off.

After a period of silence, Chu Ran called out to her again.

“Zhizhi.”

Chu Ran knew Ye Nanzhi wasn’t asleep. Her body remained stiff with visible tension, yet she still refused to turn back and look at her, not even for a glance.

“Zhizhi. Are you hiding from me?”

Ye Nanzhi’s fake-sleeping eyes snapped open. What entered her vision was the curtain of rain outside the glass window.

Chu Ran’s words were like the raindrops from the sky, one following another. She didn’t seem to care if Ye Nanzhi answered her, continuing on her own.

“Regardless, I’m very happy that you were willing to let me in.”

“I’m also very happy that you were willing to come back with me.”

As the words fell, Ye Nanzhi still gave no reaction. Chu Ran simply moved forward, feeling the temperature of the other’s body through the fabric.

The sudden closeness made Ye Nanzhi’s body go stiff as a board. She just stayed there, unmoving. She didn’t hide, but she wouldn’t turn around either. Only in a place Chu Ran couldn’t see, her slender fingertips quietly gripped the quilt.

She had expected Chu Ran to press her with those questions she didn’t want to recall, just like during the day, but Chu Ran’s next words were completely unexpected.

“Zhizhi, originally, I had so many things I wanted to say to you, but now…”

Now, Ye Nanzhi was lying right in front of her. She could reach out and touch her hair, see the soft fuzz on her skin, and smell the sweet scent on her.

To Chu Ran, certain questions clearly weren’t important anymore.

“Zhizhi, I only want to ask you one thing now.” Chu Ran took a deep breath and asked slowly: “If I said I want to start over with you, would you be willing?”

The tense body visibly faltered. The person who had been facing away finally turned her head, her eyes filled with surprise.

The two stared at each other, neither speaking. But in the quiet air, there was a sudden, hurried flurry.

It was the frequency of the rain hitting the glass—low, dense, and urgent.

Ye Nanzhi couldn’t believe such blunt words had come from Chu Ran. Chu Ran had never expressed her feelings before, whether it was like or dislike.

Everything proved that Chu Ran had changed; she wasn’t the same as before.

And the person who changed Chu Ran, Ye Nanzhi knew in her heart, clearly wasn’t herself.

Back then, even when things had escalated to that point, Chu Ran had refused to break the thin veil between them. It seemed that in these four years, Chu Ran had changed a lot for someone else.

Thinking of this, Ye Nanzhi’s eyes dimmed, and her hand gripping the quilt slowly pulled back. She turned her head, returning to the position facing away from Chu Ran. Staring at the clattering raindrops on the glass, she made a decision.

Seeing that Ye Nanzhi remained silent, Chu Ran wasn’t in a hurry. Instead, she moved closer.

Warm breath fell on the nape of Ye Nanzhi’s neck. Chu Ran’s arm gently circled her body, tentatively at first, before finally settling down.

“If you don’t speak, I’ll take it as you agreeing.” There was undisguised joy in her tone.

Seeing no rejection, Chu Ran’s movements became bolder. Her arm around her tightened, and their bodies moved even closer.

When was the last time she had held her like this? Chu Ran’s memory was blurry.

She only knew that the girl was much thinner than before. The once soft rabbit now felt full of bone and structure.

Then, Chu Ran buried her face in the other’s hair, savoring the fragrance—a scent she could smell every time she held her.

This feeling was something Chu Ran had missed for a long time. Having the beauty back in her arms was a long-awaited satisfaction.

However, just then, the person in her arms finally reacted.

“Teacher Chu.” Ye Nanzhi’s tone was as calm as water.

“Teacher Chu, it’s very late. Let’s rest.” She repeated it. Although she didn’t struggle physically, the sense of distance was more than obvious.

Chu Ran, naturally, could tell.

There was no imagined awkwardness or loneliness. Chu Ran only replied with a low laugh: “Okay.”

The arm that had been around her slowly withdrew, retreating to a proper distance. Then she turned over, facing away from Ye Nanzhi.

“You like facing the left. I’ll turn away so I’m not looking at you. Turn over and sleep; it’ll be more comfortable.”

Then, Chu Ran seemed to truly fall into a quiet sleep. She didn’t turn back, nor did she speak again. The air grew still.

Ye Nanzhi’s injury was on her right foot, so sleeping on her left side was indeed more comfortable. After listening to the silence behind her for a long time, she tentatively looked back. Seeing Chu Ran unmoving, she thought for a moment and finally decided to turn over.

Switching to her habitual posture, Ye Nanzhi fell asleep very quickly.

In the dark night, the originally closed-eyed Chu Ran finally turned back quietly after hearing the breathing behind her become even.

The rabbit was breathing shallowly; she had indeed entered dreamland.

Very naturally, Chu Ran moved closer and wrapped her arm around her.

She had planned all night, hiding the extra quilts and intentionally staying in the living room to catch a chill. After all that effort, this moment was finally worth it.

It seemed that only when she was asleep would her Zhizhi be this obedient—neither hiding from her nor rejecting her.

Chu Ran didn’t understand why, when she wasn’t around, Zhizhi could go to her hometown alone and secretly find that keepsake symbolizing their relationship. Yet now that she was back, the girl kept her at a distance.

The girl’s sleeping face was peaceful, her chest rising and falling slightly. Chu Ran quietly slid her fingers between Ye Nanzhi’s, interlocking their hands.

Familiar warmth seeped through from her palm. Chu Ran gently kissed the other’s forehead.

It didn’t matter. The rabbit was already lying in her bed; could she possibly run away now?

Ye Nanzhi had a strange dream. In the dream, she was holding a bouquet of beautiful flowers to show Chu Ran. Chu Ran took the bouquet and threw it to the ground.

Then, Chu Ran followed behind another woman and walked away from her.

She was left with nothing but a mess on the ground, broken flowers, and herself.

When she opened her eyes again, the first thing she saw was Chu Ran’s elegant face.

Looking closer, she was naturally nestled in the other’s arms, her own arm even wrapped around the other’s waist.

Realizing all this, Ye Nanzhi instinctively pulled her hand back. Her palm still held the residual warmth from Chu Ran’s body.

Before she could think too much, she saw that Chu Ran’s eyes were tightly shut; it looked like she wasn’t awake yet. Ye Nanzhi quietly backed away, trying to slip out of the “confinement.”

Who would have thought that just as she moved an inch, the “confinement” followed.

“Don’t move.” Chu Ran still kept her eyes closed, pulling her back into her arms: “It’s still early. Sleep a bit longer.”

“You really don’t sleep steadily. You were kicking the covers all night. I tried to cover you several times but it didn’t work, and you kept clutching onto me. Look!”

Chu Ran pulled back her collar, revealing the “evidence” manufactured overnight—two dark red marks were left on her snow-white neck.

“Did… I do that?”

“Could I have done it to myself?”

Ye Nanzhi was in disbelief. Saying she didn’t sleep steadily yesterday was just an excuse to stall Chu Ran. Since she was a child, she never had any bad sleeping habits.

Why did everything change when it came to Chu Ran?

Chu Ran straightened her collar: “I say, Student Ye, don’t you have anything to say?”

“Say… say what?” Ye Nanzhi kept her face down, not daring to look into Chu Ran’s eyes.

Chu Ran cleared her throat: “You tossed and turned all night so I couldn’t rest, and you took the opportunity to take advantage of me. You don’t think we can just turn the page that easily, do you?”

“I didn’t do it on purpose.” Ye Nanzhi pouted: “What do you want then?”

“What do you mean ‘what do I want’? Shouldn’t you show some sincerity?” Chu Ran lifted Ye Nanzhi’s chin, forcing her to look at her: “As compensation, have dinner with me tonight!”

“Just… dinner?” How could Chu Ran let her off so easily? She probably just wanted to trick her back again tonight.

But Chu Ran played the part of the one acting dumb: “Of course. Unless you feel bad and want to add something else, I wouldn’t mind!”

With that, her arm holding Ye Nanzhi tightened, and she leaned in. Seeing their faces getting closer and closer, Ye Nanzhi sat up with a swish, successfully avoiding Chu Ran’s approach.

However, because she sat up too quickly, she almost twisted her cast-bound ankle.

Ignoring the injury, Ye Nanzhi answered firmly: “Teacher Chu, it’s a deal. See you tonight.”

Originally, Chu Ran didn’t intend to let Ye Nanzhi go back to school with her. Ye Nanzhi had already completed all her course credits, and since Professor Song was on a business trip and not at school, there was nothing that absolutely had to be done there.

As long as she had a computer and WiFi, writing a thesis was the same anywhere.

But Ye Nanzhi said they had a fixed group meeting every Friday.

“Professor Song isn’t here. Isn’t an online meeting the same wherever you have it?”

“But…” But if she didn’t go back to school? Was the rabbit supposed to wait obediently to be thrown into a pot and made into spicy rabbit cubes?

Naturally, Ye Nanzhi wouldn’t say that. Instead, she changed her tactic, quietly tugging on Chu Ran’s sleeve: “But you won’t be here. It would be so lonely for me to stay here alone. Besides, didn’t we agree to have dinner together tonight? Take me back to school with you!”

With such a soft tone and words that hit Chu Ran’s heart, Ye Nanzhi easily achieved her goal.

She had thought it was a long way to Shen University, but it took less than ten minutes to get there by car.

Ye Nanzhi turned back, looking at Chu Ran with a resentful gaze. Yesterday, she had lied to her, saying there wouldn’t be enough time to take a taxi back.

How could there not be enough time? What time was it even then!

“You lied to me!” Ye Nanzhi questioned indignantly: “Yesterday, there was clearly enough time to go back to school!”

“Is that so?” Chu Ran laughed lightly, her tone devoid of any guilt: “Sorry, I remembered wrong.”

Ye Nanzhi: …

After eating breakfast, just as they reached the cafeteria entrance, they ran into Guo Peng carrying soy milk.

“Xiao Ye!” His gaze swept over Ye Nanzhi’s right foot: “What happened to you?”

Ye Nanzhi didn’t rush to explain her injury to Guo Peng. Instead, she turned to Chu Ran first: “Teacher Chu, you go ahead with your work. My classmate will accompany me; I can walk the rest of the way myself.”

Fine, the moment they arrived, she was in a hurry to chase her away.

But Chu Ran wasn’t annoyed. Instead, she unhurriedly took out a rabbit hair clip from her pocket. After smoothing out the stray hairs, she clipped it to Ye Nanzhi’s temple: “Don’t forget our appointment tonight.”

The ambiguous gesture, especially in front of a third person, made Ye Nanzhi’s cheeks instantly turn as red as apples. Fearing Guo Peng would notice something was off, she hurried to make her escape: “I know, I know!”

Ye Nanzhi waved at Chu Ran and walked away, chatting and laughing with Guo Peng right in front of her.

Guo Peng naturally took Ye Nanzhi’s backpack and supported her arm: “Xiao Ye, slow down. How did this happen? Does it hurt? How did you do it…”

Their voices grew further and further away until they disappeared from Chu Ran’s sight. She was left standing there alone for a long time.

The look in her eyes grew increasingly dark.

Meanwhile, in the research lab, Zheng Xiaorou and Guo Peng circled Ye Nanzhi, asking questions for a long time.

“Ah? Then how are you going to stay in the dorm during this time? Are you going to keep living at that teacher’s house?”

“Of course not!” Ye Nanzhi refuted righteously: “Disturbing her for one day was already embarrassing enough. We’re not related; it’s not right to keep bothering people. I booked a room at an express hotel across from the school. The price is fair. I can stay there for a few days until my follow-up appointment next Wednesday. Maybe I won’t have to wear the cast anymore.”

Ye Nanzhi’s plan was perfect. Today was Friday. All teachers had a meeting on Friday afternoon, so she could use the opportunity to slip away.

Either way, she was determined never to go back to Chu Ran’s house a second time. Especially on a special day like Friday; if she gave in, she would surely fall into Chu Ran’s hands for the entire weekend.

The wolf’s den was simply too dangerous for a rabbit like her.

By the time Chu Ran’s meeting ended tonight, she would already be happily snuggled in a comfortable hotel room with her phone off. Even if Chu Ran searched three feet underground, she wouldn’t be able to find her!