The First Lesson

This was the first time Ye Nanzhi had entered the private territory belonging to Chu Ran.

It was a small one-bedroom apartment, decorated simply and elegantly. The furniture was of neutral tones, and even the bedding featured the most basic patterns, entirely lacking the lively and brilliant colors found in the dorms of young girls like Ye Nanzhi.

Inside the room, the bed and the desk occupied most of the space. The clock, the desk lamp, and even the empty water cup under the lamp were of the most austere designs.

Various books and materials were neatly arranged on the desk. In the center, a book lay face down, suggesting the reader had only stepped away briefly and intended to continue their work upon returning.

Everything manifested Chu Ran’s orderly daily life. Surrounded by it, Ye Nanzhi felt a bit cramped.

The pale pink cake became the most vibrant color in the room.

“Put the things down.” Chu Ran didn’t care if the cream would stain the materials on the desk. Instead, she poured a glass of hot water for Ye Nanzhi first.

When their fingertips touched, the icy temperature made Chu Ran frown. As she expected, the girl was frozen through.

Even though she was a local who grew up here, did she think the negative twenty-something degree temperatures of a Harbin winter night were a joke?

Seeing Chu Ran’s expression, Ye Nanzhi quickly changed the subject, pulling matches and a candle from her pocket. “Senior Chu, let’s light the candle!”

On the palm-sized cake, she inserted a single pink candle right in the middle. The lights went out, leaving only the flickering candlelight and the shadows of two people sitting very close together on the white wall.

“Make a wish!” Ye Nanzhi urged.

As Chu Ran folded her hands and closed her eyes, a melodious and familiar melody played in her ears.

As if coaxing a child, Ye Nanzhi sang the birthday song for her.

This was the first time Chu Ran had heard her sing. Many people’s singing voices differ from their normal speaking voices. Ye Nanzhi was exactly like that.

Her usual speaking voice was soft, but when she sang, the sugar content seemed to skyrocket.

In a place Ye Nanzhi couldn’t see, Chu Ran gave a quiet, husky laugh.

She truly lived up to her major in early childhood education; she really was treating her like a child. For many years, she hadn’t made birthday wishes, relying instead on her own efforts to reach every goal.

But a person cannot be too selfish after all.

The girl had been busy for her all evening. Even if just for show, Chu Ran had to accompany her and put on the appearance of making a wish.

But if she really had to name a wish… a figure surfaced in Chu Ran’s mind.

Under the streetlights, the girl had looked tough while talking back to the crowd, but her hands had been nervously twisting the strap of her bag.

Inside the cafe, she had a look of pure satisfaction upon tasting the ice cream.

By the claw machine, she had jumped up happily, saying Senior Chu was amazing.

And just now, downstairs, the girl had her hands behind her back, her eyes full of brilliance while waiting for her.

If wishes truly could come true, Chu Ran hoped that having someone sincerely celebrate her birthday like this wouldn’t be the last time.

It was nice to have someone care, even if this “caring” wouldn’t last forever.

Hadn’t the girl stated it clearly: in Harbin, she was no longer alone.

Harbin. Chu Ran’s time here was limited to her journey at Jiangzhou University. In other words, this was likely just an attempt to flatter the “art club teacher.” Once they left the school gates, who would know who?

Everything before her was but brilliant fireworks, destined to vanish.

The sky, sooner or later, would return to darkness.

Thinking of this, Chu Ran opened her eyes.

“Finished?”

“Mhm.”

Then, the flickering candlelight was blown out. The fluorescent lights flickered back on.

The cake was small, leaving no room to share by cutting it. Consequently, the two of them sat on either side, each holding a plastic fork and taking a bite.

It was, after all, a cheap product from a convenience store. It seemed the pastry chef hadn’t controlled the sugar well; the cream was not only greasy enough to tighten the throat, but also exceptionally sweet.

“Maybe… don’t eat it.” Ye Nanzhi lowered her head, clutching her fork. It looked so nice with the little flower on top, who knew it would be so…

As expected, appearance and substance could not be conflated.

“It’s a pity to waste it.”

“I have a way to make sure it isn’t wasted.” Having said that, Chu Ran put down her fork, scraped a bit of cream with her index finger, and aimed straight for Ye Nanzhi’s cheek.

Before she could react, Ye Nanzhi suffered an attack from Chu Ran.

The girl froze in surprise for a moment, then pulled a tissue from the side to wipe her cheek, saying calmly as she wiped, “Senior Chu, you’re so childish!”

There was a hint of disdain in her tone.

Before her voice had even faded, she imitated Chu Ran’s action, swiped the bright red center of the flower, and aimed straight for the other’s nose.

The usually stoic Senior Chu now had a glob of red cream perched on the tip of her nose.

Ye Nanzhi raised her face triumphantly. “Senior Chu, have you seen the clowns at the amusement park!”

As Ye Nanzhi was laughing, Chu Ran suddenly grabbed her wrist.

As expected, that glass of hot water hadn’t helped; the girl’s hand was still terrifyingly cold. After wiping her nose, Chu Ran led her to the bathroom door.

“Go take a bath.”

Ye Nanzhi: …

“But I took a bath today!”

A simple sentence, yet as the two of them processed it, Ye Nanzhi became extremely embarrassed. This was so…

Chu Ran tapped Ye Nanzhi’s forehead with her index finger. “What are you thinking! Take a hot bath to drive out the cold. You’re about to turn into frozen rabbit meat!”

“Oh.”

Her stray thoughts reeled in, Ye Nanzhi lowered her head and ducked into the bathroom.

Ye Nanzhi was indeed frozen. As the hot water poured over her, her stiff joints seemed to become flexible again. Specifically, the scent of the body wash and shampoo was the same fragrance Chu Ran carried daily.

After bathing, she took the opportunity to wash her undergarments and hang them on the rack. But next, the problem was how to get out.

The sound of water stopped, and Chu Ran’s knock sounded at the door.

“I’ve left clothes by the door.”

Hearing the other person go back into the room, Ye Nanzhi peeked out and saw a bathrobe on the chair by the door. It was Chu Ran’s size, which was a bit long for her. What should have reached the mid-thigh reached almost past her ankles.

But she had no choice; she could only wrap the robe around herself and brace her heart.

The robe was very soft, the fabric smooth against her skin. Most importantly, it carried Chu Ran’s scent—that faint jasmine smell from the laundry detergent, crisp and elegant.

By the time Ye Nanzhi came out, the desk in the bedroom had been pushed aside, and a thin mattress was spread on the floor next to the bed. Chu Ran was currently tidying the wardrobe.

“What are you… doing?”

The steam hadn’t fully left her hair, her small body was hidden inside Chu Ran’s robe, droplets of water still clung to her strands, and she stood barefoot on the mattress.

This was the scene when Chu Ran looked up.

The robe was indeed long, and snowy-white feet were faintly visible beneath the hem. Above, the tight sash traced her slender waist perfectly, and the cross-collar design happened to reveal a glimpse of her chest. Her fair skin, aided by the hot water, showed a faint pink tint. The dark blue fabric clung to her silhouette, and though she didn’t have towering peaks, she didn’t lack a petite charm.

When Chu Ran snapped back to her senses, Ye Nanzhi was waving a hand in front of her eyes. Realizing her lapse in composure, Chu Ran awkwardly turned away. It took a long time for her to remember she was looking for her summer bamboo pillow.

“Why are you taking that?” How cold would a bamboo pillow be in this weather?

“To sleep. I live alone and didn’t prepare an extra pillow.” Having said that, Chu Ran placed the pillow on the mattress at Ye Nanzhi’s feet.

Ye Nanzhi instantly understood Chu Ran’s intention. There was no extra pillow, and clearly no extra bed.

In this weather, the heating in the rental wasn’t great to begin with. Sleeping on the floor would surely lead to a chill.

Furthermore, Ye Nanzhi’s purpose was to celebrate Chu Ran’s birthday. There was no logic in celebrating someone’s birthday only to make the birthday girl sleep on the floor.

“How can you sleep when it’s this cold!” Ye Nanzhi snatched Chu Ran’s pillow and placed it on the right side of the bed.

“Are you sure?”

Chu Ran’s bed wasn’t large; it was a single bed. Even the two pillows were pressed tightly together.

“We’re both girls anyway, let’s just sleep on the bed together.” Ye Nanzhi ducked into the blanket, preemptively claiming the bamboo pillow.

“Get up.” Chu Ran called to her. “You use this pillow.”

She lay there motionless, pretending to be asleep.

The weather was cold to begin with, and Ye Nanzhi’s hair was still damp. Before long, waves of cold began to crawl slowly up her neck.

“You’re cold, aren’t you? Get up.” Chu Ran placed her own soft pillow in the center of the bed. “How about this—we each take half.”

Thus, the fluorescent light was quickly turned off. Neither spoke, thinking the night would pass peacefully like this.

On a single bed, even for someone as slender as Chu Ran, Ye Nanzhi felt it was a bit narrow when she lay down. Fortunately, the pillow wasn’t small, so sharing half didn’t feel especially cramped—unless Ye Nanzhi suddenly turned over.

She turned her head abruptly. Chu Ran lay peacefully beside her, eyes tightly closed. Long lashes cast shadows, the bridge of her nose had a beautiful curve, and her thin lips were pressed shut. By the moonlight, she could even see the small mole in the hollow of the other’s ear.

Realizing her lack of manners, Ye Nanzhi instinctively lowered her head, her gaze falling exactly on that snowy-white curve of the neck.

Unlike Ye Nanzhi’s faint pink skin, Chu Ran’s complexion was a cool white, which made her face always seem to lack the rosy glow typical of girls her age.

But looking closely today, Chu Ran’s skin was very fine, even covered in a thin layer of downy hair.

For a moment, Ye Nanzhi was lost in the sight.

Chu Ran lay there, and though she didn’t open her eyes, she seemed to sense the movement. “Have you seen enough?”

The moment she opened her eyes, the little rabbit happened to lower her head and turn her back.

But a rabbit is a rabbit after all; before falling asleep, she was never settled.

Before long, after a quiet peek at the situation behind her, Ye Nanzhi turned back around.

Just as she settled, a force circled around her waist.

“Can’t sleep?” Chu Ran opened her eyes. In fact, she had no desire to sleep tonight either and had been forcing herself to fake it. Since neither could sleep, she might as well get up and find something to do.

“Do you want to watch a movie?”

“On the laptop?”

Chu Ran didn’t answer, instead pulling out a small square box. Before long, the white wall opposite the bed projected the screen of Chu Ran’s phone.

She hadn’t expected Chu Ran to have a home projector. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to watch a movie while lying in bed? Ye Nanzhi was instantly intrigued.

Chu Ran gave her the choice. Ye Nanzhi flipped through and decided on a suspense drama.

“Are you sure you want to watch this?” Chu Ran asked after seeing Ye Nanzhi’s choice.

Ye Nanzhi nodded affirmatively.

She thought that given Chu Ran’s personality, she probably wouldn’t like brainless comedies or romance stories. A brain-burning suspense film should be easily accepted.

Chu Ran opened her mouth as if to say something, but ultimately chose silence and clicked on the film.

The movie began soon. The early plot was good; even though Ye Nanzhi rarely watched suspense films, she was led step by step by the story.

Two women, helping each other—it looked like a story of mutual redemption.

Until—on the screen, a different kind of emotion sprouted in the protagonist’s eyes.

At first, Ye Nanzhi didn’t dare be certain, holding a hint of hope in her heart.

Her hands quietly clutching the corner of the quilt betrayed her nervousness. The small movement fell right into Chu Ran’s line of sight.

Now you know how to be afraid? Where was that fear before?

She had given the other so many chances, but this clumsy rabbit not only didn’t know how to restrain herself, but grew increasingly bold, encroaching upon her territory again and again.

Now she was even being so flagrant as to wear her clothes and personally request to share a bed.

Asking herself honestly, Chu Ran never considered herself a good person. The “baseness” in her marrow had always been there; she had only been enduring because this rabbit was small and delicate.

Now, she didn’t want to endure anymore.

When prey delivers itself to the door, there is no reason to let it leave.

Since she entered the wolf’s den of her own accord, she would have to bear the consequences.

Having made her decision, Chu Ran deliberately did not stop the movie, but watched quietly.

Gradually, the atmosphere reached a climax. The two actresses embraced tightly, followed by a deep, passionate kiss.

Ye Nanzhi was so frightened she quickly covered her eyes, then pretended to look casually at Chu Ran beside her.

Chu Ran’s reaction was quite indifferent. The stimulation and intensity on the screen didn’t cause even a ripple on her face.

Then, the people on the screen shed their clothes, their two snowy-white bodies intertwining.

Just as Ye Nanzhi wanted to suggest ending this awkward scene, the previously calm person suddenly flipped over and pinned her down.

In the movie, the passionate scene continued. Outside the movie, Ye Nanzhi’s wrists were imprisoned by Chu Ran’s single hand, easily pinned above her head.

“Sen-Senior…”

“I like this birthday gift very much.” Chu Ran’s fingertip lightly brushed Ye Nanzhi’s cheek. “As a thank you, I’ll give you another lesson today.”

“Next time, don’t follow someone home so easily.” Chu Ran deliberately lowered her body, her originally clear voice now carrying a hint of suppressed deepness. “Even if we’re both girls, there are plenty of things that can be done in bed!”