Chapter 15

Chen Sui walked me back downstairs to the dorm, his hand never letting go of mine.

But he didn’t say a word.

Not until we reached downstairs.

“Go take a shower and change your clothes,” he released my hand and said, “I’ll go buy you a box of cold medicine, just in case.”

I looked at him for a few seconds, inexplicably feeling something was off, though I couldn’t quite say what.

“Okay.” I didn’t ask any more and just nodded obediently.

After showering and blow-drying my hair, Chen Sui still hadn’t called.

I checked the Weibo super-topic again.

Only to find that the video had mysteriously disappeared.

Chen Sui is a Computer Science major.

That was the first thought that came to my mind.

I walked to the balcony and glanced outside casually.

Just in time to see Chen Sui standing downstairs, a cigarette pinched between his fingers.

He looked like he’d been standing there for a long time.

His tall, slender figure seemed silent and withdrawn.

I slipped on my cotton slippers and ran straight downstairs.

Chen Sui saw me coming out and raised his hand to stub out the cigarette.

“All done?”

I nodded.

He sat me on the step beside him so we were nearly level.

He bent down and pulled me into his arms.

He rubbed his cheek against my neck.

My lower face was still buried beneath his shoulder.

I wrinkled my nose and sniffed. The faint scent of tobacco, long absent, lingered on him again.

Since getting together with Chen Sui, he rarely smoked, and mostly did so behind my back.

I called him softly.

“Chen Sui.”

“Hm?”

“What’s wrong?”

He paused for a moment before slowly letting go of me.

His dark eyes looked at me. He seemed to be apologizing with his eyes for everything I’d been dragged into because of Duan Yutang.

And she kept threatening him, reminding him she’d once saved his life, so he couldn’t lash out at her.

I sighed softly.

Sure enough, he was blaming himself.

He blamed himself for being my boyfriend yet forced to stay silent and unable to stand up for me.

Chen Sui deliberately lowered his voice, as if to comfort me.

“Don’t be afraid, Xixi. She won’t bother you again.”

I blinked.

Xixi?

This was the first time Chen Sui had called me that…

I tugged at his sleeve, pulling him closer.

“It’s not like I can’t forgive you. Just kiss me and I’ll be fine.”

Chen Sui’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

His gaze suddenly grew darker.

“Where should I kiss you?” His tone was ambiguous.

Heat rushed to my ears. I looked at him, a little flustered.

I couldn’t answer.

He leaned in and gently touched my cheek, then pulled back slightly, looking at me.

“Here?”

Blushing, I said nothing.

Chen Sui kissed the tip of my nose. “Or here?”

My mind went blank. I craned my neck and bumped the corner of his mouth.

Murmuring, “Here.”

Chen Sui’s voice suddenly turned husky.

“Okay.”

Then he cupped my chin and kissed me.

Unlike before, this kiss was patient and lingering.

The apology in it was obvious.

Afterwards, we hugged for a long time.

Chen Sui explained his absence these past two days.

Duan Yutang took a leave of absence because she was hospitalized-the aftereffects of that fire.

As soon as she was discharged, Chen Sui’s mother forced him to accompany her out for a few days.

While Chen Sui was sleeping, she even had someone take his phone away.

But Chen Sui wasn’t a child anymore. After just a day and a half, he managed to get away from his mother and left.

As dusk fell, Chen Sui finally let me go back to the dorm.

“Qiao Xi, remember to brew a sachet of the 999 (999 cold medicine) and drink it when you get back.”

He handed me a plastic bag containing 999 cold medicine.

I stared at him, neither taking it nor saying anything.

“What’s wrong?”

I pouted and complained to him.

“It’s Xixi, don’t call me Qiao Xi.”

He smiled, walked over, rubbed his nose against mine, looking into my eyes.

“Xixi.”

His breath brushed against my lips.

And once again, I blushed uncontrollably.