Chapter 29: The Heart
In the night rain, the lights of the city, streetlights and car headlights, transformed into a soft, watery, and ambiguous affection, swirling endlessly in the darkness.
The soft music faded, the figures of the other patrons blurred, the entire coffee shop seemed to disappear, the whole world vanished. Xiang Er, looking at the person on her shoulder, held her breath in astonishment. Her world, in this moment, shrunk and shrunk, until only the beautiful head on her shoulder remained, and the…
Soft, comfortable, sweet-smelling, beautiful female body pressed against her arm.
Sweeter than all the cakes in the world combined.
Xiang Er’s body stiffened. She pursed her lips, completely unsure how to react, her heart pounding like it was about to explode, almost loud enough to be heard miles away.
She couldn’t think, but her hand seemed to have a mind of its own. Her left arm, held by Shen Yuhe, was rigid, but her right arm lifted, and to her own surprise, slowly and hesitantly reached out, towards Shen Yuhe’s head… and rested on her soft, black hair.
Her right hand gently stroked and patted the hair.
The hair felt softer than the finest silk, cooler than the snow on Tianshan Mountain, and more delicate than the newly sprouted willow branches in early spring. Just touching it was an exquisite pleasure.
Xiang Er was stunned by the sensation, and by her own actions, but… she continued stroking the hair, unable to pull her hand away.
Shen Yuhe nestled comfortably against her shoulder, her breath warm against Xiang Er’s neck. She could feel it, and she could imagine the angle of Shen Yuhe’s nose against her shoulder, the way her long, cool hair cascaded onto her shoulder and arm, the perfect shape of her lips, only inches away from her skin… She could barely contain the heat spreading through her body, her reason slipping away.
She knew she should push Shen Yuhe away, but… she thought, wasn’t it nice to just sit like this?
“Miss, is your friend alright?”
The question pulled Xiang Er back to reality.
It was the waitress, looking at them with concern, her eyes fixed on the coffee cups.
“Ah…”
Xiang Er’s voice was hoarse, her mind still hazy.
“Miss, some people are caffeine intolerant and can have allergic reactions. You shouldn’t take it lightly. Do you need me to call a doctor?”
The waitress continued, her voice filled with worry.
“Probably not?”
She had to push Shen Yuhe away now. Xiang Er placed her hand on Shen Yuhe’s shoulder and gently pushed, but Shen Yuhe didn’t budge, just let out a small whimper and nuzzled closer.
Like a fluffy, affectionate large dog, making it… impossible to push her away.
Could it be a caffeine allergy, causing her to faint? Xiang Er thought worriedly, pushing a little harder.
Shen Yuhe was finally pushed away, her head lolling to the side, her hands still clinging to Xiang Er’s arm, her eyes slightly red, the skin beneath them also flushed, her white teeth, like pearls, gently biting her lower lip, her eyes watery as she stared at Xiang Er.
Still looking utterly aggrieved.
If Xiang Er’s heart were a lake, its waters would be churning like a stormy sea.
She lowered her voice, involuntarily speaking to Shen Yuhe as if to a child, her tone gentle and coaxing:
“Are you okay now? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?”
Shen Yuhe’s full, red lips parted, and she said:
“Little liar.”
The tide in Xiang Er’s heart was rising to her throat. She looked helplessly at the waitress, then turned back to Shen Yuhe:
“Are you allergic to caffeine? Do you need to go to the hospital? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?”
Shen Yuhe pointed at her chest, her gaze fixed on Xiang Er, not even sparing a glance for the waitress.
She spoke slowly and clearly, her words as if pre-planned:
“Here. It hurts.”
Xiang Er was bewildered:
“Huh?”
The waitress became even more concerned:
“Caffeine allergies can be dangerous for the heart! I’ll call an ambulance…”
Shen Yuhe continued:
“Because you didn’t agree to my request, and you tricked me into drinking something bitter. My heart hurts.”
Her eyes were still red-rimmed, but her voice was calm and steady, her words clear and deliberate, leaving no room for misinterpretation.
Xiang Er froze, her face flushing crimson from her forehead to her chin, under Shen Yuhe’s intense gaze.
The waitress fell silent:
“Oh…”
She looked at Xiang Er, red as a lobster, then at Shen Yuhe, her lips slightly pouting, and, with a raised eyebrow, said quickly:
“I’m glad you’re okay. Please continue your conversation. Let me know if you need anything!”
Then she hurried away, but not too far, standing behind the counter, observing them closely, whispering to her colleagues.
Xiang Er saw everything, she wanted to explain, but she didn’t know how to explain. She just felt… that the waitress must have misunderstood something.
She lowered her voice and asked Shen Yuhe:
“Coffee is naturally bitter. I didn’t realize you disliked bitter things so much. Next time, we’ll have milk tea instead, okay? It’s very sweet.”
Shen Yuhe’s dark eyes reflected Xiang Er’s image clearly. Her gaze slowly moved from Xiang Er’s eyes to her lips, then back to her eyes, and she licked her lips, her gaze languid and seductive.
As if… savoring the taste through her eyes. Xiang Er was startled by this thought and quickly composed herself.
Shen Yuhe finally nodded slowly:
“Don’t trick me again.”
Xiang Er breathed a sigh of relief:
“I won’t, I’ll order it extra sweet. But… what didn’t I agree to?”
Shen Yuhe:
“You didn’t let me move in with you.”
Xiang Er:
“…”
She was speechless.
She turned away and took a sip of her coffee to hide her embarrassment. Just as she put down her cup, Shen Yuhe reached out and picked it up.
The latte art on the hazelnut latte had dissolved, and warm steam swirled upwards. Shen Yuhe frowned, carefully extended the tip of her tongue, and took a small lick, savoring the taste.
Then… her face crumpled again, and she placed the cup on the table, her expression sullen:
“It’s bitter too! You can’t drink it!”
Xiang Er:
“…”
She said cautiously:
“But I think it’s good.”
Shen Yuhe turned to look at her, still pouting, and said:
“Then you drink it. Don’t let me see it, it’ll make me feel bitter too.”
Xiang Er… found this incredibly endearing.
She picked up the coffee cup and quickly drank most of it, then picked up Shen Yuhe’s cup and finished that as well.
With two cups of hot coffee in her stomach, she finally figured out how to respond. Clearing her throat, she said:
“Actually, I already explained to you last time, that room isn’t mine. The person who lived there… might come back, you can’t rent it. And… it’s also not very convenient for me to have a roommate, I… I have some bad habits.”
Shen Yuhe looked at her for a long time, then suddenly said:
“Let’s go, I’ll take you home.”
Xiang Er:
“You don’t have to take me home, just to the subway station is fine. You should go home early too.”
Shen Yuhe shook her head matter-of-factly:
“I don’t have a home.”
Xiang Er almost choked on her coffee:
“Huh? Really?”
Shen Yuhe nodded sincerely.
Xiang Er was troubled:
“But aren’t you a CEO… then where do you usually live?”
Shen Yuhe sighed, tilting her head back and looking out the window, like a movie heroine, her face filled with unspoken stories, her gaze distant and melancholic… Outside the window was a luxurious hotel.
Xiang Er saw the five-star hotel and suddenly understood:
“Ah, you live in a hotel? Are you new to this city?”
The more she thought about it, the more sense it made. Shen Yuhe always seemed to be around the industrial park. Perhaps she had recently been hired by the company, previously living in another city, and being alone and friendless here, she had taken a liking to someone insignificant like herself.
Living in a hotel, although comfortable, wasn’t… a “home.”
Xiang Er looked at her sympathetically. Shen Yuhe turned her head, her long hair cascading down, covering half of her face, revealing her furrowed brows, a single melancholic eye, and half of her blood-red lips.
She looked even more pitiful.
Xiang Er sighed, then smiled:
“I know it can be lonely when you’re new to a city, but now you have me, don’t you? If you need anything, I’ll help you.”
Shen Yuhe immediately said:
“Live at your place.”
Xiang Er smiled wryly:
“Really, I can’t.”
Shen Yuhe fell silent and stood up, looking at her.
Xiang Er also stood up and went to the counter to pay. Shen Yuhe followed closely behind her, her gaze fixed on the back of Xiang Er’s neck.
The waitress behind the counter beamed, handing them a small gift, a pair of heart-shaped cards:
“Winter is almost here. This is a special gift from our shop. Put them together, and they form a complete heart! We hope to see you again!”
Xiang Er looked at the gift, feeling like something was off. Shen Yuhe took the cards from her and opened them. Inside, as expected, were two halves of a heart.
Shen Yuhe opened the other card, revealing the other half of the heart. She put the two cards together, and a complete red heart appeared.
Xiang Er said:
“This… seems like something for couples?”
But the waitress said:
“This is a small gift for the two of you.”
Shen Yuhe held the red heart and murmured:
“Beautiful.”
She then put the two cards together, tucked them into her coat pocket, smiled faintly, and said with dignified grace:
“Your shop is very nice.”
Xiang Er also smiled and thanked her, and they left together.
The waitress and her colleagues huddled together excitedly, gossiping about the two as they watched them leave. They didn’t know that, starting today, this shop, having received the Evil God’s approval, would see a surge in customers. Although they would be incredibly busy, their commissions would also multiply.
And the rain had almost stopped.
Xiang Er insisted on taking Shen Yuhe only to the subway station, then quickly descended the stairs, not giving Shen Yuhe a chance to follow her home. She was a little afraid, not of Shen Yuhe… but of the Evil God in her apartment causing trouble.
Last time Shen Yuhe had appeared, the Evil God had done that. If Shen Yuhe came over again, the Evil God might take it out on her, and that was something Xiang Er couldn’t tolerate.
Shen Yuhe, a faint smile playing on her lips, stood at the top of the subway stairs, holding the white umbrella, and gracefully turned to leave, not insisting on following, much to Xiang Er’s relief.
She returned home and opened the door.
Dark red tentacles were swaying all over the apartment, and for some reason, there were more of them this time, and thicker.
A quick glance revealed at least thirty or forty tentacles, as thick as her thighs, writhing and swaying aimlessly. The moment she opened the door, all the tentacles surged towards her.
The tips of the tentacles surrounded her, their suckers quickly attaching themselves to her body, several tentacles pressing her against the wall by the entrance, clinging to her randomly, crawling and sucking.
Xiang Er said coldly:
“Let go of me.”
Her voice, like a sharp blade coated in ice, instantly extinguished the tentacles’ enthusiasm. They dejectedly retreated, clearing the entranceway.
Xiang Er went to the shoe cabinet to change her shoes. Just as she took off her shoes, a dark red tentacle, holding a pair of slippers, extended towards her.
It was her favorite pair of pink rabbit slippers.
The tentacle carefully placed the slippers beside her feet and quickly retreated.
Xiang Er looked up and saw dozens of rounded, red tips peeking out from the corner of the wall, then quickly retracting as she looked at them.
Like a group of curious red-eyed rabbits, except without eyes, and without fur.
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