The two of them rested for a bit, but the rain outside showed no signs of stopping.
Chen Yuan noticed Jiangg Yao anxiously checking the time on her phone and figured they couldn’t wait any longer. If it got too late, getting back would be even harder. Besides, the rain was only getting heavier. He really didn’t want to wait until the water in the streets was calf-deep before they left.
The risk would be too high.
"Should we go now?" he asked.
"Mm..." Jiangg Yao stood up from the sofa. She kept looking down, then up again, a complex expression on her face as if she had something to say. "Chen Yuan, actually..."
"What is it? You can tell me."
"Actually, I was really happy spending today with you! Yesterday, I was so happy about spending the weekend with you that I couldn’t sleep. I was so excited. Today has truly been the happiest time for me... If I leave, you won’t be sad, will you?"
"I’d be more upset if you *didn’t* leave," Chen Yuan said with a sudden laugh. "Don’t tell me you’re really planning on staying over? You have too much faith in me. What if I can’t control myself?"
"Pfft," Jiangg Yao blushed. "And here I was, thinking you were a perfect gentleman."
"Let’s cool it with the snuggling, to avoid..." Chen Yuan trailed off, suddenly unsure how to put it. His... condition was a common one for most guys in their first relationship. "To avoid... discomfort."
"Huh? You’re not feeling well? Where? Do you want me to take a look?"
Jiangg Yao was a bit baffled. ’Isn’t snuggling supposed to be a wonderful thing? How could he be uncomfortable when he has a warm girlfriend clinging to him?’
’Is it something about how I smell? Is he not used to it?’
’Or is he just not used to physical contact with a girlfriend?’
’How are we supposed to date then?’
Jiangg Yao even lifted her shirt, wrinkled her nose, and sniffed. ’Hmm, it does smell a bit like cooking fumes. I must have picked it up when I was making dinner.’
"You really shouldn’t look..."
Chen Yuan saw Jiangg Yao’s clueless expression and realized she hadn’t gotten his real meaning. ’This is something I can’t just spell out!’
’Forget it.’ He figured he just wasn’t used to it. He tried to control it, but couldn’t. It was just too unruly.
...
The two of them went to the bedroom. Chen Yuan dug out two windbreakers, one gray and one dark black. Both were freshly laundered. The last time he’d worn them was half a year ago when he went mountain climbing during summer break.
The temperature on the mountain was low, and it was shrouded in clouds and mist. The dampness seeped in so fast that regular clothes couldn’t block it.
"Which one do you want to wear?"
"The gray one."
Chen Yuan tossed it to her, then took off his own outer layer and slipped on his windbreaker. He didn’t bother changing his pants. No matter what he wore, the result would be the same—they’d be completely soaked. He could just toss them in the washing machine when he got back.
Unexpectedly, after he finished putting on his jacket, he glanced over at the rustling Jiangg Yao. The sight made Chen Yuan freeze.
It was a complete departure from her usual style. Dressed in this sleek, practical outfit, Jiangg Yao looked incredibly sharp and cool. She was retying her hair, probably so it wouldn’t be a pain when they had to run.
The scene reminded him of a female secret agent from a movie.
Chen Yuan’s windbreaker was naturally oversized on her. It covered her bottom completely, leaving only her pale, gleaming legs visible—long and straight.
’This is really one of the perks of being beautiful. She looks good in anything she wears.’
"You should probably take off your over-the-knee socks. They’ll get soaked and be super heavy."
"Okay." Jiangg Yao nodded in agreement. ’My little young master is so thoughtful!’ She’d taken the socks off for a while after lunch because she felt tired, but she’d put them back on just now without thinking about this.
She sat on the edge of the bed and slowly peeled off the socks, revealing her smooth, fair calves, then her delicate feet, until they were completely off.
She seemed unaware that there was anything wrong with this; to her, it was a perfectly normal action. But to a guy, the scene was far too alluring. And Chen Yuan really, *really* liked over-the-knee socks. That was something he’d only recently realized.
Because those kinds of socks made legs look even more shapely and gave off a kind of youthful vitality.
It reminded him of the heart-fluttering heroines in anime.
’Could it be that the gap between the over-the-knee socks and the thigh is the true portal connecting the 2D world with the 3D world?’
With a soft *SNAP*, the elastic sock came off Jiangg Yao’s ankle.
She very naturally picked up the sock and gave it a light sniff. She didn’t smell anything, just a faint, pleasant scent.
Then, Jiangg Yao looked up and froze, mortified.
’She had forgotten this was Chen Yuan’s bedroom! Why am I sniffing my socks?! This is so embarrassing.’
"Uh... you saw that?"
"I am... probably... maybe... not blind."
"They don’t stink!" Jiangg Yao hurriedly held up the over-the-knee socks as proof. "It’s just a habit. I don’t sniff them because they smell bad. Here, smell for yourself if you don’t believe me."
"Maybe next time."
"?"
Jiangg Yao jerked back, her brow furrowing slightly. She tensed her face so hard she gave herself a double chin. She thought Chen Yuan, who never said anything flirty, would refuse her outright. But he actually said "Maybe next time." ’Wait... you actually *want* to smell them?’
She felt like she had just discovered something incredible.
Jiangg Yao swung the over-the-knee socks to the left. Chen Yuan’s eyes followed.
Jiangg Yao swung the over-the-knee socks to the right. Chen Yuan’s eyes followed.
"You like these?"
"Huh...? No way. Not at all. Haha, who would be interested in socks? Don’t be ridiculous." Chen Yuan suddenly snapped out of his charmed state and said with a forced laugh, "I don’t like them one bit."
"Is that so? Then I’ll just... take... them... with me. I can wash them when I get home." Jiangg Yao deliberately dragged out her words.
"Wait," Chen Yuan said softly, averting his gaze. "You cooked a meal for me today. As payback, I can wash them for you. I was planning on doing laundry when I got back anyway."
"Right, right, right. You’d better just be washing them."
Jiangg Yao could barely hold back her laughter. It seemed her little young master’s penchant for over-the-knee socks was more than just a passing fancy.
’Such a stubborn guy, and he even came up with an excuse like "let me wash them for you."’
’He’s not going to... do weird things with these tonight, is he?’
Eeeek~
Jiangg Yao blushed slightly. She recalled some plots from the strange novels she’d read and suddenly felt an odd sensation on her legs, as if they were burning up. She had an urge to scratch them.
’Well, it’s understandable.’
She decided to let Chen Yuan off the hook and didn’t press him further. She just casually placed the socks on the edge of the bed, walked past him, and headed for the living room, pretending not to care.
’After spending just one day together, she felt like she had discovered so many of Chen Yuan’s secrets! She was starting to understand him a little, and that was what truly made her the happiest.’
’This was also where, after being brave, she had won out over Jiangg Ning!’
’Sister, you definitely don’t know!’
’You don’t know that Chen is stubborn on the outside but soft on the inside. You don’t know that he’s thoughtful and considerate. You don’t know that he notices little details others miss, that he can empathize with how I’m feeling and act accordingly. Even though his words can be dense, his actions aren’t dense at all.’
’He likes the over-the-knee socks I’ve worn, and he gets shy and flustered with just a little teasing. He has that ’boyfriend power’ but is kind at heart. And it seems his grades are excellent, too! While doing homework this afternoon, Jiangg Yao saw a classmate asking him about a problem.’
’It’s not that he shines just because I like him; it’s because he shines on his own.’
’Sister, aren’t those "excellent men" by worldly standards lacking in sincerity and kindness? We both fell for a sincere boy, even if he is only eighteen.’
’But he’s not pragmatic, not boastful, not vain, and not fake. If a boy like that isn’t worth liking,’
’then who is? Those greasy, potbellied men who just have money?’
Jiangg Yao was certain she wouldn’t. She would always love a boy as pure as him, even if he was still naive and his shoulders were still young.
’But he is worthy of being loved.’
...
A single downpour watered the burgeoning affection between them. The line between ’like’ and ’love’ has never been clear. Perhaps the moment a girl truly falls in love is the moment she feels she would never regret marrying him.
Jiangg Yao and Chen Yuan left together and took the elevator.
Inside the slightly cramped space, she secretly hooked her hand around Chen Yuan’s.