Chapter 40: The Date
As dusk approached, the pale pink and yellow clouds, like layers of sheer silk, veiled the light, casting a soft halo on the approaching night, like a delicate blush on a cheek.
The city nights were brilliant, everyone’s gaze fixed on the ground, this fleeting beauty of twilight appreciated by no one.
But Xiang Er looked up at the sky and sighed contentedly:
“So beautiful.”
The pale pink clouds, the towering skyscrapers, the gradually brightening neon lights, and the pale, colorless moon on the horizon, everything was beautiful.
Or perhaps, simply because her heart was happy, everything she saw was beautiful.
The most beautiful thing was still beside her, undoubtedly, Shen Yuhe. But Xiang Er avoided looking at her, her mind preoccupied, wondering if Shen Yuhe had noticed anything strange, her thoughts so tangled that she herself became confused.
But she had to maintain a “normal” image in front of Shen Yuhe. Xiang Er resolved this, although she wasn’t quite sure what “normal” even meant anymore.
Was a normal life working nine to five, enduring harassment from her boss in silence? Were normal humans just numb, walking corpses, toiling away for three meals a day, forgetting what they truly desired?
Xiang Er was also a little worried. She could feel the small thing on her wrist breathing softly, rising and falling, wriggling slightly beneath her clothes. She was now regretting her promise, letting it protect her, it was… what was she going to do with this thing?
Could she really keep it forever?
They strolled along the streets of the industrial park, neither of them wanting to take the subway yet.
Shen Yuhe held Xiang Er’s hand tightly, their fingers intertwined.
Every inch of skin on Xiang Er’s hand was incredibly sensitive, her palms sweaty, and although she felt embarrassed, she couldn’t bear to let go of Shen Yuhe’s hand.
The friction between their skin, the tiny electric currents, the subtle sensations, all combined into a powerful feeling.
In school, Xiang Er had held hands with other girls, but it had never felt like this.
The electric current, the warmth of their skin, the subtle touches as they walked, everything was a new experience, as if carried by the wind and the current, making Xiang Er feel like she could fly.
Shen Yuhe’s hand, initially cold, was now warmed by Xiang Er’s body heat, soft and pliable, the pads of her fingers, the base of her palm, the soft, elastic muscles between her thumb and forefinger, covered in smooth, satiny skin…
“Hmm?”
Xiang Er suddenly heard Shen Yuhe’s voice, and she snapped out of her reverie, turning to look at her.
“I was saying, let’s take a walk by the river, shall we?”
Shen Yuhe said gently, her fingertips lightly brushing against Xiang Er’s palm, a feather-light touch that sent shivers down Xiang Er’s spine.
“Okay.”
Xiang Er readily agreed. From now on, she could be with Shen Yuhe all the time, anywhere was fine.
They walked along the street, reaching the river after crossing a block.
The air was damp and cold, and with nightfall approaching, there wasn’t a single soul by the river. Xiang Er had bought two cups of milk tea on the way, double the sugar for Shen Yuhe’s, and they each held a warm cup, their other hands still intertwined.
Under the warm, golden glow of the streetlights, the reeds, taller than they were, swayed gently in the wind, the world seemingly silent except for the two of them.
Xiang Er took a sip of her milk tea, but it wasn’t as sweet as her current mood.
“That man in your company, do you want me to get rid of him?”
Shen Yuhe suddenly asked.
“Huh? Get rid of him? Hahaha, you’re so funny.”
Xiang Er chuckled, taking another sip of her milk tea, and turned to look at Shen Yuhe. The streetlight illuminated her face, highlighting her flawless skin.
“I can do it, but I want to know what you think.”
But Shen Yuhe’s eyes were hidden in the shadows, a coldness in her gaze as her eyelashes fluttered, her lips unsmiling, her tone serious.
“Ah… but I think he’s just a jerk, he doesn’t deserve to die… There are many other people in the world who deserve to die.”
Xiang Er said, looking out at the river.
The dark water flowed silently, its current gentle, the occasional glint of moonlight on the ripples, like fleeting fireworks. The river reminded Xiang Er of the black river in Akhe’s domain… She quickly dismissed the thought and turned back to Shen Yuhe.
Look at beautiful women, not Evil Gods, it was good for her mental stability.
“Really? Tell me who you want dead, and I’ll kill them for you.”
Shen Yuhe’s voice was calm and matter-of-fact.
As if she were saying, what do you want for dinner, I’ll buy it for you.
“Hahaha… you’re such a joker. Let’s not talk about killing people. I’m hungry, aren’t you? Let’s find something to eat.”
Xiang Er turned away with a smile, shaking Shen Yuhe’s hand, her tone unconsciously taking on a slightly coquettish quality.
Shen Yuhe’s gaze deepened as she looked at her.
A girl’s genuine smile was more beautiful than any scenery, the pale face flushed with happiness, her eyes curving into two small crescents.
And in those two small moons, there was only her. These were her own, private little moons.
Shen Yuhe smiled and followed Xiang Er towards the street.
After walking a short distance, Shen Yuhe’s voice lowered again:
“You know, I would kill anyone for you, if you asked me to.”
As she spoke, they happened to be passing through a crowded area, and several people turned to look at them, their faces filled with alarm.
“Huh? No… I would never ask you to kill anyone!”
Xiang Er blinked in surprise, unsure how to react, and quickly pulled Shen Yuhe away from the crowd, saying:
“I know you’re just trying to show your loyalty as a friend, but even as friends, we shouldn’t kill people! We live in a society with laws, we have to be law-abiding citizens!”
Shen Yuhe frowned slightly and said slowly:
“Law-abiding citizens?”
Xiang Er nodded:
“Yes! We can’t kill people, we can’t break the law, there are many things we can’t do, you should know that, you’re a leader!”
She really thought Shen Yuhe was acting strange today, talking about killing people since they were in the elevator, and still talking about it now. She felt a surge of alarm and quickly instilled some basic morals, hoping Shen Yuhe would listen.
They found a small restaurant and ordered beef noodle soup, as Xiang Er had suggested.
Shen Yuhe looked at the beef noodle soup, picked up her chopsticks, and tried to imitate Xiang Er, picking up the noodles, but the slippery rice noodles, combined with the metal chopsticks, proved too difficult.
“Pfft… no, I’m not laughing at you, it’s just… Excuse me! Can we have a spoon, please?”
Xiang Er couldn’t help but laugh, then asked the waiter for a spoon and placed it in Shen Yuhe’s bowl.
Shen Yuhe frowned:
“Aren’t you going to feed me?”
Xiang Er’s eyes widened, and she quickly looked around. Fortunately, no one was paying attention to them:
“We’re in public! It would be weird to feed each other!”
Shen Yuhe picked up the spoon herself, her expression sullen:
“I hate being in public.”
Xiang Er picked up a piece of beef and placed it in Shen Yuhe’s bowl, her tone unconsciously taking on a doting quality:
“But I think… this feels like a date…”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Xiang Er blushed crimson. Why had she said that out loud? This was so embarrassing… Shen Yuhe would definitely misunderstand… The more she blushed, the lower she bowed her head, until it was almost buried in her bowl, only her red ears visible.
Shen Yuhe, who had been watching her intently, asked:
“A date? Does that have a special meaning?”
Xiang Er looked up, saw the clear, innocent look in Shen Yuhe’s eyes, and relaxed:
“It’s nothing, just eat, before it gets cold.”
But she felt a pang of disappointment. Shen Yuhe hadn’t understood her meaning, which was good, it wasn’t awkward, but… her not understanding meant that she hadn’t thought about it in that way.
In other words, it was all in Xiang Er’s head… Xiang Er’s heart was in turmoil, and she channeled her anxiety into her appetite, focusing on her food.
Shen Yuhe scooped all the beef from her bowl into Xiang Er’s:
“You should eat more. You’re too thin, it’s not comfortable to hug you.”
Xiang Er’s chopsticks froze in mid-air. She suppressed the flutter of excitement in her chest, telling herself not to overthink, it was just a casual remark between friends! Just friends!
After their meal, Xiang Er paid the bill, and they left the restaurant, walking towards the bus stop.
As they passed by a jewelry store, a string of lustrous pearls in the window display caught Xiang Er’s eye, and she stopped to admire them.
Shen Yuhe looked at her profile:
“Do you like it?”
Xiang Er’s eyes sparkled:
“Who doesn’t like shiny pearls!”
Shen Yuhe, with her long legs, was about to enter the store when Xiang Er quickly grabbed her arm:
“Wait, what are you doing?”
Shen Yuhe:
“You like it, I’ll get it for you.”
Xiang Er chuckled:
“There’s no need, it’s so expensive. I was just looking, you don’t have to buy me such an expensive gift.”
Shen Yuhe seemed slightly disappointed as Xiang Er pulled her away, glancing back at the window display.
It was a bit cold, and Xiang Er, having just eaten, shivered slightly.
Before she could react, a wave of warm, sweet fragrance enveloped her.
A shadow fell over her, and Shen Yuhe stood before her, her arms around Xiang Er’s shoulders, draping her trench coat over Xiang Er, carefully adjusting the lapels.
“Hold it.”
Shen Yuhe’s voice, close to her ear, was as soft as silk.
Xiang Er held the lapels of the coat, wrapping it tightly around herself, and looked up.
Under the neon lights of the city, Shen Yuhe looked at her, her eyes soft and gentle, a tender smile on her face, as if all the romance in the world was contained within that gaze, her eyes filled with spring water and blossoming flowers.
In that moment, Xiang Er knew that this image of Shen Yuhe would forever be etched in her heart, never fading.
They boarded the bus home, a route she rarely took, the scenery unfamiliar, the bus almost empty.
The bus swayed gently, Xiang Er and Shen Yuhe sitting side by side in the back, Shen Yuhe’s warm, sweet fragrance filling the air. Xiang Er looked out the window at the passing city lights, her mind at peace.
She had been carrying so much stress lately, and she rarely felt this relaxed.
Her stomach was warm, the bus was warm, and Shen Yuhe’s coat was warm.
Her head nodded, her body involuntarily leaning forward, resting on Shen Yuhe’s shoulder, and she drifted off to sleep.
Unseen, a tentacle emerged from behind Shen Yuhe, pulling the coat tighter around Xiang Er.
Shen Yuhe held her phone in one hand, her other arm around Xiang Er’s shoulder, several tentacles typing on the screen, searching: date.
Couple… what was a couple? The most intimate… what did people do to become a couple?
The blue light of the phone screen reflected on Shen Yuhe’s expressionless face, a flicker of interest in her eyes.
She understood. The next step after good friends, was couple.
That night, Xiang Er was exhausted. After showering, she returned to her room, placed the small eyeball back in the storage box, and closed the lid.
She knew the lid was meaningless, but… for now, this would do.
Xiang Er stretched, yawned, and crawled into bed, quickly falling asleep.
In her dream, she found herself on a desolate hillside, surrounded by mist and withered trees.
She was walking forward anxiously when she suddenly heard footsteps rustling through the grass, someone approaching through the mist.
And that person was… Xiang Er’s eyes widened as she saw clearly!
It was Shen Yuhe, which wasn’t strange, the strange part was, she was completely naked!
Xiang Er gasped, covering her eyes with her hand, then peeking through her fingers.
Shen Yuhe’s black hair swirled around her, the mist a beautiful backdrop, her perfectly proportioned body striding towards her, colorful flowers blooming wherever her beautiful feet stepped, the withered trees around them coming alive, their branches swaying, bursting into large, vibrant blossoms of deep red, deep blue, deep green, deep yellow… beautiful and eerie!
Music, seemingly from nowhere, filled the air, a grand, sacred classical melody, or perhaps a chorus of children’s voices, the language unknown, the tune dark and enchanting, making her dizzy.
Shen Yuhe’s black hair billowed around her, her beautiful eyes fixed on Xiang Er, a boundless mist swirling within them… Her face was expressionless, or perhaps a mysterious smile played on her lips, her gaze traveling up and down Xiang Er’s body, a hint of appreciation in her eyes, as she slowly nodded.
Xiang Er suddenly realized something and looked down.
She… was also completely naked!
Leave a Reply to dweeb_com Cancel reply