Chapter 13

She took a small deep breath, then raised her hand and pressed the doorbell.
The phone screen in her other hand was still lit.
[Class 7 Lin Haoyuan: Nanyue Second Road, Apartment Complex E, Unit 513, Chen Hang's address]
[Class 7 Lin Haoyuan: He lives alone]
Was this a dream, or reality?
I stood frozen in the door-opening position, the fever-reducing patch still half-stuck to my forehead. My vocal cords seemed stunned by this impossible scene, unable to make a sound: Outside the door was... Luo Zhuowei.
She stood quietly before me, her usually tied-up hair now softly flowing down. She slightly raised her face to look at me. The evening glow through the semi-open corridor fell on her, forming a soft orange-red halo.
This scene before my eyes was exactly the same as the beginning of that absurd dream I had during break.
Especially under the influence of the low fever, this hazy sense of déjà vu was intensified into imagination, evolving into the continuation of that dream: Next, she should be pulled stumbling through the door by me, blocked in the entryway, then her mouth completely unable to make any sound except moans.
I frowned with a headache, almost falling into this absurd fantasy.
Luo Zhuowei, meeting my gaze, gently raised an apologetic smile: "Sorry to disturb you, coming to your home so abruptly."
The dizziness of reality and dreams almost mixing together was shattered.
"It's fine. What do you need?"
Fortunately, my clear reason hadn't been completely carried away by the fever. I also politely smiled back, raised my free left hand to tear off the fever-reducing patch that was about to fall from my forehead and held it in my palm. My right hand gripping the door handle tightened somewhat reluctantly.
Actually, blocking a girl outside the door to talk was very rude, but for various reasons, I didn't want Luo Zhuowei to come inside and sit down to slowly discuss something that required her to come find me.
If I let her into the apartment, I couldn't guarantee how calm I could be under that kind of stimulation: Being alone with such a beautiful girl, there probably wasn't a single boy in the world who wouldn't have even a trace of wandering thoughts!
Plus, even though my mind was conducting the above rational analysis, the restlessness of puberty hadn't subsided. Rather, it was taking advantage of this confused state from the low fever, ready to stir.
...Considering all of the above, I didn't want Luo Zhuowei to see my pathetic side.
"After you took leave today, the class handed out a very important set of papers." Luo Zhuowei didn't mind my earlier rudeness of staring at her while spacing out. Her expression was normal, showing no trace of awkwardness at being alone in a classmate's home. Her bearing was the dignified, proper manner I was familiar with from the highland flower: "I was originally going to give them to your friend to bring to you, but he had something come up."
[Lin Dog Yuan: Bringing you something, remember to open the door when the doorbell rings]
Luo Zhuowei's explanation matched this strangely polite WeChat message Lin Haoyuan had sent me half an hour ago. I maintained a smile on my face, but inside I was grinding my teeth, wanting to cut that dog Lin Haoyuan into a thousand pieces.
I knew it! That bastard who always came and went as he pleased without ever giving notice—why would he suddenly be so polite?!
"...So I came to disturb you." At this point, Luo Zhuowei slightly pursed her lips, as if observing my expression, then said with gentle apology: "I'm not causing you trouble, am I?"
"No, I'm the one troubling you, coming all the way from school." Having sorted out the beginning of things from Luo Zhuowei's words, I shook my head and proactively extended my hand toward her: "It's almost dark now. Let me call a car to take you back."
For some reason, Luo Zhuowei's expression became somewhat hesitant. She seemed to want to say something more, but I, still sick and tired, didn't notice her unspoken words: "...It's fine."
She took out a neatly folded set of papers from her backpack and handed them to me: "Here."
A clap of thunder.
With Luo Zhuowei's low exclamation, those papers fell to the ground.
The sound of pouring rain.
The moment the thunder crashed, I saw Luo Zhuowei clearly flinch her shoulders.
"Luo Zhuowei, are you okay?" I didn't care about those papers I actually wouldn't look at anyway, asking worriedly. I subconsciously reached out to support her shoulders, but stopped mid-air because I suddenly realized I was overstepping: "Were you scared?"
"...I'm fine."
Luo Zhuowei said softly after a delayed pause. If I hadn't been relatively close to her, her voice would have been completely lost in the incredibly loud rain.
"Then, I'll be going back now." She somewhat flusteredly picked up those papers and stuffed them into my hand, nodding to me.
Her eyes still held a shallow layer of moisture. Clearly, the lingering fear from being scared hadn't faded yet.
I shouldn't do this.
That string called reason, which had been constantly tightened, had already begun to quietly fray.
I actually understood I shouldn't do this, but the bottom line I had set for myself had inexplicably retreated step by step, yielded step by step in my interactions with her.
"Wait, Luo Zhuowei." Just as Luo Zhuowei was about to turn and leave, I called out to her, slightly turning sideways to reveal the entryway I had been blocking.
"...If you don't mind, come in and sit for a while. I'll walk you back when the rain lightens."
#20
Luo Zhuowei sat quietly on the sofa, her gaze restrained and polite as she slowly surveyed Chen Hang's living space.
It was somewhat different from what she imagined a boy living alone would be like, but also somewhat the same.
The difference was that Chen Hang's home was very clean. If you sniffed carefully, you could even smell the perfume Chen Hang had urgently dug out from his room to serve as a temporary air freshener. The living room didn't have any flashy decorations, everywhere revealing a practical "good enough" feeling.
The same was that this home, while neat, had a bit of lived-in messiness. For example, when she first sat down, she saw a school uniform jacket casually draped over the back of the sofa. Then Chen Hang repeatedly apologized and flusteredly stuffed that jacket back into his room.
"The drinks in the fridge have all been finished."
What brought her back to her senses was Chen Hang's voice.
She followed the direction of the sound. Chen Hang, who had already changed into casual clothes, was bending over, placing a steaming mug on the coffee table in front of her.
His hoodie collar was somewhat loose. When he bent over, that oversized collar also drooped softly, revealing half of his clearly defined collarbone. Hanging down with it was a thin dog tag-like work necklace around his neck.