The Red Line

On that frigid, snowy night, the heating in the rental apartment had been insufficient. Wrapped in only a bathrobe, Ye Nanzhi’s cheeks were as red as apples, and she kept her face turned sharply to the side.

Everything had been fine just a moment ago. She didn’t know what trigger she had tripped, but the usually gentle senior had suddenly flipped over and pinned her to the bed.

Across the room, the passionate scene in the movie had ended, but outside the screen, the standoff between the two of them continued.

Chu Ran saw the little rabbit beneath her—body tense, brow slightly furrowed.

Clearly, she was afraid.

Since she knew fear, the lesson hadn’t been in vain.

However, if she were let off too easily, it would be difficult for her to remember the lesson.

Chu Ran’s gaze swept over the porcelain skin. As if pulled by some invisible force, she leaned down, her breath lingering at the hollow of the girl’s neck.

Ye Nanzhi originally thought Chu Ran was just trying to scare her. But in the darkness, scalding breath pressed closer. In a sudden moment of sharp sensation, her tightly closed eyes flew open with a muffled groan.

A shallow tooth mark was left on her smooth neck.

Glistening eyes flickered with starlight, and the tip of Ye Nanzhi’s nose turned red.

That was the first time Chu Ran had left a mark on Ye Nanzhi.

It was also the first time Chu Ran personally pushed over the ramparts she had built around herself.

Time turned the pages of the years. Four years later, it was the same two people. The golden morning light spilled across Chu Ran’s profile, sounding as genial and warm as her current voice. Chu Ran lightly kissed her fingertips, her tone incredibly soft.

“Zhizhi, come home with me.”

Returning to Chu Ran’s apartment, they were met with a faint floral fragrance. The glass vase on the coffee table now held a blooming bouquet of pale pink lilies.

The window was open, and the flowers swayed with the breeze like the fluttering skirts of a young girl.

“It’s not tulip season right now. But these are also from the lily family. We’ll switch back to tulips next year,” Chu Ran explained while closing the door.

The meaning behind her words was all too clear… next year.

Though Ye Nanzhi didn’t quite see it that way.

“Next year, just change them to whatever flowers you like. There’s no need to choose those specifically,” Ye Nanzhi said, intentionally feigning ignorance.

“Is that so?” Chu Ran smiled, her voice carrying a deeper meaning. “Then I like plum blossoms. Maybe we should switch to plum blossoms in the winter.”

Faced with that simple sentence, Ye Nanzhi didn’t follow up. Instead, she turned her head away and mumbled softly, “This is the South, how could you grow…”

The faint sound was caught by Chu Ran. “How could I not! Winter sweets bloom here in winter too. After the New Year, shall I take you to see them?”

But Ye Nanzhi didn’t want to get entangled in topics about the “future.” She was more concerned with something else.

“Once Professor Song returns, you’ll let me leave, right?”

She knew in her heart that while Chu Ran wasn’t one to pester, as long as there was a sliver of hope, Chu Ran would charge forward with everything she had.

And that hope was undoubtedly the rabbit keychain Chu Ran had discovered at some point.

Therefore, even if she shook her head today, Chu Ran would find a hundred ways to keep pulling at her.

Instead of fighting it, it was better to agree. Only by letting her try could her notions be dispelled and this ambiguous relationship be ended once and for all.

Moreover, she trusted Chu Ran’s character. Chu Ran had always been a person who kept her promises.

If Chu Ran said she wouldn’t cross the line, she would certainly maintain a dignified distance from that red line.

So for now, she just needed Chu Ran to confirm one thing: when exactly this relationship would reach its end.

Ye Nanzhi’s eyes brightened slightly as she looked at Chu Ran, who was pouring milk tea for her by the fridge.

It was as if the question hadn’t caused a single ripple in the other woman’s heart. Chu Ran’s hands didn’t falter as she gave a shallow “Mhm.”

“Do you want ice cubes?”

“I’m asking you something serious!”

“What I’m asking is serious too.”

Chu Ran sat on the sofa opposite Ye Nanzhi. She turned the cup in her palms. Finally, she exhaled, and when she looked up, her face was still filled with a soft smile.

“Zhizhi, I know what you’re thinking. I won’t go back on what I promised you. When Professor Song returns, whether you stay or leave is up to your heart. I won’t stop you.”

Having finished, Chu Ran pushed the cup forward. “The weather is turning cold. Drink less cold stuff. No ice cubes today.”

Chu Ran’s reaction made Ye Nanzhi a bit embarrassed. Her behavior just now had indeed been a bit excessive. She took the cup and didn’t press further.

With the thesis topic finalized, everything regarding the paper was the most important thing. Settling in here, Ye Nanzhi’s attention gradually shifted toward academic research.

Once a person focuses on something, time passes exceptionally fast.

Because of her foot, Ye Nanzhi rarely went back to school, occasionally just taking walks in the downstairs community. Chu Ran’s neighborhood was beautiful, unlike the old community filled with abandoned bicycles from four years ago. The quiet lake by the rockery and the poetic corridors in the garden all displayed a very sophisticated landscape design.

Every day when work ended, Chu Ran would bring back ingredients according to her requests, and the two would eat dinner together.

It was quite a leisurely time.

During this period, Chu Ran did indeed provide her with a lot of care and gave her enough respect. She saw that Ye Nanzhi was embarrassed to occupy the master bedroom, so she proactively bought a giant carrot plushie to stand between them every night—though on many mornings, Ye Nanzhi would wake up to find the carrot lying lonely on the floor.

As for the injury on her foot, Chu Ran was more attentive than she was.

She handled it carefully every day before bathing.

Fortunately, after some time, the doctor said she was recovering well and could have the cast removed.

Speaking of the follow-up, as if she felt changing hospitals midway would be detrimental to the treatment, Chu Ran tirelessly returned to that more distant hospital every time.

“Why don’t we go to the hospital from last time? The one where you took me for my arm.” During the check-up after removing the cast, Ye Nanzhi finally voiced her confusion.

Now she just needed a simple X-ray to make sure everything was fine. There was no need to circle around the elevated highway and risk getting stuck in traffic.

“There’s a McDonald’s near that hospital. Do you want a McFlurry?” Chu Ran asked while buckling her seatbelt. “It seems they have a new flavor. What is it this time?”

“Ovaltine!” Ye Nanzhi answered instantly.

Sure enough, ice cream was an infinite temptation for her, let alone a new flavor.

At this follow-up, the doctor said Ye Nanzhi’s foot had completely healed. She just needed to be careful not to engage in strenuous exercise for a short period.

“Let’s go, let’s go! Let’s get the McFlurry!” Finally free, Ye Nanzhi was hopping with joy.

Once they arrived, the staff said the new ice cream liquid had just been poured into the machine and needed a moment to solidify. They were told to sit and wait.

Having just “recovered from a serious illness,” Ye Nanzhi couldn’t sit still. This McDonald’s was on the first floor of a mall, so Ye Nanzhi decided to take a stroll around the mall first and enjoy her treat once it reached its best state.

With the end of the year approaching, the mall had already started its holiday promotions.

In the atrium, a massive Christmas tree stood at the entrance, adorned with colorful decorations. Under the tree, gift boxes of all colors were piled together, and the joyful atmosphere was palpable.

“Before I knew it, it’s already December,” Ye Nanzhi mused. “I wonder how things are going with the Professor.”

This year, the early childhood education major had been tasked with supporting teaching staff in mountain areas, and Professor Song was the leader. After attending the academic conference, he hadn’t even had time to go home before heading to the next destination.

The environment in the mountains was naturally incomparable to the city. Professor Song was in his fifties, and his legs weren’t as agile as a young person’s, making things difficult. But at every weekly group meeting, he always laughed heartily on the other side of the screen.

“You kids who live in the city don’t know how fresh the mountain air is! The water here is great too. You can drink it straight from the well; it even has a bit of sweetness!”

Seeing the girl’s unhappy expression, Chu Ran comforted her. “Don’t worry. A few days ago, Professor Song was showing us the wild vegetables he picked in the group chat!”

During the recent thesis defense, Professor Song hadn’t been there. Fortunately, the questions asked by the defense committee were ones Chu Ran had helped her prepare for in advance. It was a smooth process, and Ye Nanzhi passed that hurdle easily.

Guo Peng wasn’t so lucky. A single question from the department head left him stunned. The department head felt his topic was unstable and ordered him to undergo rectification.

Now, Guo Peng’s second defense was approaching, but there was still no news of Professor Song’s return.

As they spoke, their gazes fell simultaneously on the rows of claw machines behind the Christmas tree.

Chu Ran looked at Ye Nanzhi with interest. “If I catch three more dolls today, will you agree to spend Christmas with me this year?”

Regarding claw machines, Ye Nanzhi had already suffered once four years ago. How could she be tripped by the same stone twice? She refused righteously, “I don’t want to.”

“Don’t worry, it won’t be too much,” Chu Ran said. “Think about it, Christmas is a workday; you’ll have classes during the day. You’d just be having dinner with me at most. If I fail and don’t catch anything, I’ll cover next year’s McFlurries. How about it? Try it; maybe this machine is as hard as the one with the rabbit hair clip.”

Speaking of the rabbit hair clip, Ye Nanzhi remembered the last time Chu Ran had deliberately mentioned her wearing it in front of Guo Peng.

Before she could speak, a saleswoman approached. “Little lady, want to play the claw machine? We have a Christmas promotion today: top up five hundred and get three hundred free. It’s a great deal, no time limit, you can come back whenever!”

One had to know, this wasn’t an arcade—it only had claw machines. Who would spend five hundred yuan on a claw machine? That money was enough to buy plenty of dolls. Ye Nanzhi wouldn’t be that sucker.

But someone would.

Chu Ran scanned the code to pay directly, then left her name and phone number.

The saleswoman was delighted. There weren’t many people in the mall today, and there would be even fewer people willing to spend a large sum specifically for “claw machines.”

“Why did you spend that money!”

“To celebrate Christmas.” Chu Ran exchanged a hundred tokens and headed straight for the machine.

At first, it didn’t go smoothly. Several consecutive attempts failed.

Just as Chu Ran was about to try again, Ye Nanzhi’s phone pinged.

It was a message from Professor Song in the group chat, saying the teaching support mission was ending and he would be back next week.

“The Professor is coming back!” Ye Nanzhi happily showed Chu Ran the message on the screen.

Great! She finally didn’t have to stay squeezed into Chu Ran’s home.

Although Chu Ran had always been good to her, living together like this still had many inconveniences. For example, Chu Ran would wash her discarded clothes while she was bathing—and this often included her intimate undergarments.

Ye Nanzhi was too embarrassed to say it directly. She had tried to express it tactfully several times, saying Chu Ran didn’t need to wash her clothes and she would do it herself once she came out.

However, it wasn’t very effective.

Additionally, during her time at Chu Ran’s, they had gone through two seasonal changes. Ye Nanzhi hadn’t once returned to the dorm to get her own clothes, simply because Chu Ran would always bring out brand new items in her size.

These things had been bought for a while and were stored in the north-side storage room.

Knowing these things were prepared for another person, yet having no standing to ask directly, Ye Nanzhi felt like a thief on countless nights.

Stealing everything Chu Ran had prepared for another girl.

She didn’t know who was the substitute between her and that girl, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was that everything in that home didn’t belong to her.

Now, she should return all this stolen preferential treatment once and for all.

“My Professor is back! I can go back to the dorm next week. I won’t have to trouble Teacher Chu anymore!” The smile on Ye Nanzhi’s face was irrepressible.

But Chu Ran’s expression wasn’t good. The news of Professor Song’s return seemed to unlock a hidden talent in Chu Ran. Three times in a row, she succeeded.

Taking out the third doll, Chu Ran handed it to Ye Nanzhi. “I won.”

“I never agreed to the bet!” Ye Nanzhi pushed away Chu Ran’s hand.

Chu Ran was silent for a moment before another idea sprouted. “How about Zhizhi tries once?”

“I don’t want to!” Ye Nanzhi turned her head and refused.

“This time, you control the claw, and I’ll press the button. If you can catch one, the bet from just now is void. And when you move back to the dorm next week, I’ll help you move your luggage, okay?”

When it came to claw machines, Ye Nanzhi knew her own lack of skill.

But as she shook her head, her gaze happened to catch a rabbit plushie inside the machine that had fallen near the exit. It looked as though moving it just a tiny bit would drop it into the hole.

Trying… didn’t seem impossible. What if, like catching the rabbit hair clip, she succeeded by accident?

“Really?”

Chu Ran opened her palm and offered two game tokens, a silent answer.

Ye Nanzhi took them and stepped in front of the machine.

The tokens went in. As Ye Nanzhi manipulated the joystick, the claw moved inside, heading straight for the target plushie.

After all, chances for Chu Ran to actively let her go weren’t common. Ye Nanzhi was extremely serious about correcting the position of the silver claw, completely failing to notice the change in the person behind her.

“Are you ready? Press it when I tell you.”

“3! 2! 1!”

“Press!”

With a clack, the button went down. Ye Nanzhi stared intently at the silver claw, watching it grab the plushie’s head, only for the grip to loosen the moment it was lifted.

The plushie fell back to its original spot.

Ye Nanzhi’s hope was dashed. She was so angry she couldn’t stop staring at the rabbit in the machine. After a long while, she tried to save face: “It doesn’t count, it doesn’t count! It’s the rabbit’s fault for being too hard to catch!”

Just as she was about to argue, a force suddenly circled around her waist. Then, warm breath pressed against the back of her neck.

Between the claw machine and Chu Ran’s body, where no one could see this ambiguous scene, Ye Nanzhi was pulled tightly into the embrace of the person behind her. Chu Ran lowered her head, burying her face exactly in the side of Ye Nanzhi’s neck.

This was the first time in over a month of living together that Chu Ran had crossed that red line.

The emotions in her chest were out of control. No matter how Ye Nanzhi struggled, the strength in her hands didn’t diminish at all.

She slowly lowered her head, her moist, warm lips kissing the side of Ye Nanzhi’s neck—the place where she had once left a mark.

Her originally clear voice was now low and carried a hint of hoarseness. Chu Ran whispered a sigh:

“Who said so? Look, haven’t I… caught it?”