“Really?”
Xie Dingyuan: “You sound surprised.”
Jiang Fuyue really was, because: “At your age…”
The atmosphere froze for a moment.
She quickly realized her words were inappropriate and swallowed the rest back down.
Xie Dingyuan: “What’s your type?”
“……”
“Why aren’t you answering? Is it hard to say?”
“……”
“Jiang Fuyue?”
A wave of dizziness hit. “I…”
Just as she got one word out, her body suddenly tilted backward, uncontrollably.
Xie Dingyuan hadn’t gotten an answer yet, but after a moment of hesitation, he finally turned to look—only to see the girl about to collapse.
His body reacted faster than his brain. By the time he snapped out of it, Jiang Fuyue was already in his arms, breathing faintly, eyes closed.
The shirt front she had been clutching slipped from her hands, swinging open sharply—
In that instant, a snowy expanse filled his vision, dotted faintly with the blush of red plum blossoms.
Xie Dingyuan’s mind exploded with a loud bang.
A flush raced up his cheeks at lightning speed, spreading to the tips of his ears and finally engulfing his entire neck in heat.
He fumbled awkwardly, hurriedly pulling her shirt closed and shakily buttoning it up.
Just as he smoothed the hem, his hands suddenly froze.
They paused at the girl’s slender waist.
What he saw was unexpected—faint bruises still lingering on her originally pale skin, most noticeable on both sides of her waist.
They looked like…
Finger marks?
Xie Dingyuan’s eyes narrowed slightly.
His gaze fixed on those marks. He raised both hands and hovered them above the bruises to compare. Then his eyes turned sharp and probing as he looked back at Jiang Fuyue.
His emotions shifted—uncertain, flickering between shadow and light.
Finally, all that tangled complexity melted into helplessness, and a soft sigh curled from his lips.
“No matter who you are or what your identity is… right now, you’re in my arms.”
He gently smoothed down her shirt hem, deliberately covering the marks on her waist.
His arms tightened, pressing the two of them close together.
The residual warmth from his body transferred to her, and the two began to share their body heat.
Although Jiang Fuyue’s eyes were shut, she wasn’t completely unconscious. The moment she touched the warmth, she instinctively leaned in closer…
“Hiss—!” Xie Dingyuan steadied her head and leaned away. “Don’t rub against me.”
The girl murmured softly, seemingly dissatisfied, but in the end, she stilled and quieted down.
It was as if, even in her dazed state, she knew it wasn’t appropriate.
Even in near-unconsciousness, her rationality and self-control were etched deep into her bones.
Xie Dingyuan let out a quiet breath. The room temperature was near freezing, yet sweat beaded across his back.
“Jiang Fuyue?” he called softly. “Wake up.”
“Don’t sleep—we can go out in five minutes.”
“Didn’t you say you’d hang in there?”
“So why are you collapsing now?”
“Jiang Fuyue…”
Whether it was his voice that reached her or her own willpower, her thick lashes trembled lightly. A moment later, the girl slowly opened her eyes.
“You’re awake.” Their eyes met, and he smiled softly.
Jiang Fuyue quickly realized she was leaning against him, but didn’t pull away right away—her will was there, but her strength wasn’t.
“Thank you,” she said.
“For what?”
“For not letting me fall to the ground.”
Xie Dingyuan chuckled, one hand around her waist, the other steadying her shoulder. “Do I look like that kind of guy?”
Jiang Fuyue curved her lips too, voice soft: “Well, they say men without girlfriends have low EQ. Maybe you are that kind of guy?”
“…” Seriously, are we not getting past the girlfriend thing or what?
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