It Turns Out I Really Love You - Chapter 5

“There are many types of visual impairment. You’ve met him so many times, and you didn’t notice he wasn’t completely blind?” Cheng Yin said.

“How would I know?” She just thought his abilities were super strong; he could move freely in many places without the aid of a white cane.

“I’m not completely blind; I can distinguish the movement of objects within three feet.” In the Ferris wheel cabin, although Su Nianqin’s expression remained unchanged when he said these words, Sang Wuyan bet he really wanted to laugh.

Naturally, Sang Wuyan belonged to the “objects moving within three feet,” so…

She just wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it.

Then, many small actions she had done in front of him before, perhaps he had noticed them all.

Cheng Yin continued, “He must have done it on purpose. Otherwise, why didn’t he stop you beforehand, but only spoke after you stopped, thinking you had achieved your goal?”

“Yeah, so cunning! So cunning! So—cunning—” Sang Wuyan was so angry that she waved her arms and shouted in the room, then punched the giant coffee cat’s nose fiercely, “He specifically wanted to see me make a fool of myself.”

He was such a petty man. All she did was call him “the child’s daddy,” and he actually waited until the end, holding back such a move to play a trick on her.

At the other end of A City, Su Nianqin was playing “Croatian Rhapsody” on his piano. Yu Xiaolu sat facing away from him on the sofa, applying a face mask, lightly patting her face. It seemed his mood was good after going out. The rhythm of “Croatian Rhapsody” was bright and lively. At its climax, his fingers almost flew across the piano keys, giving a sense of exhilaration.

Therefore, whenever Su Nianqin was in a good mood, he loved to play this piece.

“Did something good happen to you when you went out?” Yu Xiaolu asked indistinctly, her mouth difficult to move with the mask on.

“Nothing,” he continued to play his piano.

“You actually didn’t want me to take you, and you didn’t want me to pick you up.” Yu Xiaolu paused, then risked asking, “You didn’t go on a date, did you?”

Su Nianqin, surprisingly, didn’t get angry after hearing that. He answered calmly, “No.”

This attitude made Yu Xiaolu even more curious. She couldn’t help but look back at Su Nianqin’s back, “Is that little girl still bothering you lately?”

This time, he didn’t answer her, and played the song a second time.

Yu Xiaolu, feeling bored, went to the kitchen to wash fruit. Midway through, she suddenly heard the music deviate from its original track and take two turns. She then poked her head out, sighing, “No way, Su Nianqin. What are you thinking about? You’re so distracted, you’re playing the wrong tune.”

Su Nianqin’s face darkened, his fingers paused, and the piano music abruptly stopped.

Yu Xiaolu saw the situation was bad and quickly said, “I won’t say anything else. Please continue.”

Early Monday morning, Sang Wuyan went out of the office to empty the trash and met Su Nianqin head-on.

Her gaze couldn’t help but slide to his lips, and then her face suddenly turned red. She quickly made a turn, bypassed him, and hurried away. Sang Wuyan thought, This man’s move is ruthless enough. From now on, she would never dare to cross the line again to bother him. Wasn’t he afraid that if he had made a mistake then, she would really have planted a kiss?

For many days afterward, even when Sang Wuyan went to school, she would always go and return quickly to avoid seeing him and feeling awkward again. Unexpectedly, in mid-month, Teacher Zheng, who originally taught braille, returned from maternity leave. There was no warning at all. Sang Wuyan hadn’t even seen Su Nianqin pack his things, and the desk opposite hers had a different occupant.

Teacher Zheng greeted Sang Wuyan with a smile, “You must be Xiao Sang, who’s interning with Teacher Li. I heard the children like you very much.”

Teacher Xiao Wang interjected, “Teacher Zheng, everyone was looking forward to your return.”

“We only saw your chubby little one when she was one month old. When are you bringing her to school for us to play with?” another teacher asked.

“Oh, don’t even mention it. All she knows is crying. Her voice is as loud as a singer’s,” Teacher Zheng chuckled.

Immediately, the atmosphere in the office became lively, completely different from the atmosphere when Su Nianqin was there. No one mentioned Su Nianqin’s departure; it was clear that everyone except her knew about it.

Sang Wuyan also smiled and exchanged a few pleasantries before leaving. As she walked out, she couldn’t help but glance back at that desk again, feeling a little empty inside.

He just left like that, without even saying goodbye.

One day in late March, Sang Wuyan developed a high fever. At first, she thought it was just a mild cold and didn’t pay it much mind.

When she woke up in the morning, she found some red rashes on her arms.

When she went to the hospital, her face, neck, and limbs were densely covered. The doctor told her it was measles.

She had been very healthy since childhood and had never had a major illness. The doctor said the disease was highly contagious. Fortunately, Cheng Yin wasn’t with her, so she took the medicine and fell into a groggy sleep.

The curtains were drawn, and she didn’t know when, but the phone rang.

She wiped her nose and picked it up; it was a long-distance call from home.

Her mother seemed to have a telepathic feeling, saying she always felt something was uneasy. Sang Wuyan didn’t want to worry her, so she mumbled a few words and then couldn’t hold on, quickly saying she had something to do and hung up.

As soon as she put down the phone, she felt like crying.

It was truly so uncomfortable.

She woke up after falling asleep; it was late at night, and her body felt even worse.

She picked up her phone from under the covers and scrolled through her phonebook: Wei Hao, Xu Qian, Li Lulu, Nie Xi… gliding past each one. Finally, the name that stopped on the screen was—Su Nianqin.

As if by some strange impulse, she dialed that number.

She originally only wanted to let it ring a few times and then hang up, but the receiver only rang once before it connected.

“Hello—” His low, indifferent voice came from the other end through radio waves.

For a moment, she didn’t know how to speak.

“Speak,” the man was still extremely impatient, his tone severe.

She was a little embarrassed and hurriedly wanted to hang up. Unexpectedly, at that very moment, Su Nianqin on the other end of the line uttered a second sentence: “Sang Wuyan, speak.”

Sang Wuyan was so stunned that her urge to cry stopped.

“How did you know it was me?” she asked.

Even if she had called him on her phone, even if he wasn’t completely blind, he couldn’t see the caller ID on the screen.

This man was always so mysterious.

“Is something wrong?” A three-word question, with a slight upward inflection at the end.

Hearing his cold, condensed tone, if Sang Wuyan were to now make excuses and say she had accidentally misdialed, it would surely provoke his furious anger.

“I have measles, and I feel really uncomfortable,” Sang Wuyan said timidly. As soon as the three words “really uncomfortable” came out, her last line of defense in her heart collapsed, and tears finally couldn’t help but patter down.

Su Nianqin was silent for a moment, then slowly asked, “Where do you live?”

“You don’t need to come. I just don’t have anyone familiar here, and I purely wanted to find someone to talk to,” she said, then cautiously added, “And I’ll infect you.”

“I’ve had measles, so I won’t,” his tone was slightly softer than before.

“Are you really coming?”

“Tell me the address,” he said.

Su Nianqin appeared at Sang Wuyan’s doorstep half an hour later, accompanied by the pretty girl who always drove and guided him.

She smiled at Sang Wuyan, “My name is Yu Xiaolu.” This was both a greeting and a farewell; she was clearly leaving Su Nianqin here and then departing. She didn’t ask Su Nianqin, “Do you want to stay and help?” or anything like that.

She probably already knew that asking would only be in vain, and she would just make a fool of herself.

Sang Wuyan closed the door and sank back onto the sofa, her eyes black, her head spinning, her legs weak, yet still unable to resist her gossipy heart. She couldn’t help but ask, “Is she your driver?” Not the same surname, so not a sister then.

Su Nianqin still didn’t answer, turning instead to ask her, “Did you eat dinner?”

“I haven’t eaten two meals,” she replied.

Upon hearing this, Su Nianqin stood still for a moment, then said, “To my place.”

Then he called Yu Xiaolu.

“I’m taking her back.”

“You don’t need to pick us up.”

“Buy some food at the supermarket and put it at home.”

“Don’t come home these next few days.”

Sang Wuyan felt delighted hearing Su Nianqin’s words to his phone. Regardless of whether Yu Xiaolu was his girlfriend, sister, or driver, in any case, to take care of her, Su Nianqin told her not to come home.

But Sang Wuyan still suppressed her joy, deliberately asking, “Wouldn’t that be bad? What about Miss Yu, a girl alone?”

“She hasn’t had measles; she’ll easily get infected by you.”

Su Nianqin’s indifferent remark coldly doused Sang Wuyan’s recently joyful mood.

After a long moment, Sang Wuyan’s dizzy head suddenly made a major discovery, “Wait a minute!” She slapped her forehead, trying hard to adjust the logic in her brain, “Why does she live at your place?”

Su Nianqin fumbled in the bedroom and took out a blanket, wrapping Sang Wuyan tightly in it.

“I’m already very hot.”

“The wind outside is strong,” he said, and then picked her up horizontally.

She struggled a bit, saying awkwardly, “You don’t need to carry me, I…” She realized for the first time that although the man in front of her looked thin, he carried her so easily.

“Do you think you can walk downstairs?” he countered.

“But you’re… I… we…” Sang Wuyan endured and didn’t say it.

“You just need to tell me when to turn and go downstairs,” Su Nianqin vaguely understood her meaning.

It was a very firm expression. Sang Wuyan suddenly felt a sense of security and stability emanating from this man’s not-so-strong arms. She smiled faintly and said, “Okay.” Then, she squarely wrapped her arms around Su Nianqin’s neck.

At this moment, Su Nianqin’s usually indifferent face actually flushed faintly because of her actions.

Su Nianqin’s movements were slightly cautious when descending the first flight of stairs. Clearly, he was still not quite accustomed to the height of these steps; he tested his footing before slowly placing it down.

“It’s nine steps, then turn right.”

Su Nianqin walked cautiously under the guidance of the person in his arms. Suddenly, Sang Wuyan let out an “ah.”

He knew, the light went out.

“The light’s off,” Sang Wuyan reminded him, while snapping her fingers, but the sound-activated light still didn’t respond.

“Whether there’s light or not, it makes no difference to me,” he said, then continued silently counting the steps in his mind, seven, eight, nine…

“But I’m scared! If it were night, I wouldn’t dare go upstairs; I’d have to call Cheng Yin to pick me up.” Saying this, she tightened her arms around Su Nianqin’s neck and snuggled further into his embrace.

Her feverish cheek, hot from the rash, pressed against Su Nianqin’s collarbone through his thin shirt. Su Nianqin was momentarily distracted. After a daze, he realized he had forgotten what number he was on, so his foot stepped forward but hit solid ground, and he stumbled, sliding towards the right-hand wall.

Sang Wuyan was startled but saw Su Nianqin turn his body to shield her in his arms, letting his own arm scrape harshly against the wall.

“Are you okay?”

“Are you okay?”

After the close call, both asked each other simultaneously.

“I’m fine,” only Sang Wuyan replied, smiling faintly.

The taxi entered a small residential area by the West Lake in the city and then stopped in front of a two-story villa.

“Your home?” Sang Wuyan’s eyes widened. A house in this area was too luxurious.

“Not entirely,” Su Nianqin replied.

However, from the moment Sang Wuyan entered the door, Su Nianqin felt a little regret.

He was not someone who meddled in others’ affairs; he was inherently indifferent. Yet, he didn’t know why he had inexplicably not only gone to see her but also brought her home.

He was a little annoyed. He placed Sang Wuyan on the sofa and didn’t want to talk anymore.

Sang Wuyan ate some food, took her medicine, and then lay on Su Nianqin’s bed, resting her head on his pillow. She was covered by a soft cotton quilt, and the surroundings were filled with his scent.

This treatment immediately made her feel that being sick wasn’t so bad after all.

However, this thought only lasted for half an hour in Sang Wuyan’s mind. Because she was now terribly dizzy, and also had a high fever and cough.

She lay in the dark and began to overthink. The Thai movie she and Cheng Yin watched last time was quite scary. As she opened her eyes, she gradually felt a little scared. She had started to fear darkness these past few days, especially in this unfamiliar environment.

She slowly got up and walked to the living room, wanting to drink water. As soon as she entered the living room, she saw Su Nianqin sitting on the sofa in a blue plaid pajama set, reading.

He was barefoot in slippers, sitting upright, his hair perhaps freshly dried, appearing somewhat fluffy. He looked gentler and more approachable than his usual demeanor.

She saw a not-too-thick book lying flat on his lap, covered entirely with dense, incomprehensible braille dots. He closed his eyes, and his fingers moved swiftly and rhythmically across the lines.

Sang Wuyan sneaked out of the room, her movements light and silent, confident that she hadn’t made any noise, but he still acutely noticed her. Su Nianqin opened his eyes, stopped his fingers, and tilted his head. “Still awake?”

“You’re sleeping on the sofa?” Sang Wuyan saw the quilt and pillow on the other side of the sofa.

Isn’t the house quite big? Although there’s only one bedroom downstairs, but—

“Isn’t the second floor used?” she asked.

“The second floor is being used by Xiaolu.”

“Such a big house and only two of you live here? What if Miss Yu isn’t here?” Sang Wuyan’s implication was, who would take care of you?

“If she’s not here, I live alone.”

“You…” Sang Wuyan really wanted to tell him that what he said was nonsense.

“What?”

“I want water.”

He paused slightly, then took out the bookmark, clipped it to the page he had just read, closed the book, stood up, turned right, walked seven and a half steps, and stopped exactly at the refrigerator. His hand was originally going to pull the refrigerator door, but after a moment of consideration, he turned right again and entered the kitchen.

Sang Wuyan heard the sound of ignition. She was afraid he would cause trouble, so she stumbled out, wrapped in her quilt, to see.

In the kitchen, the stainless steel kettle sat steadily on the stove, while Su Nianqin stood with his arms crossed, quietly watching the direction of the flame, his eyes bright. The firelight reflected on his handsome face, making his contours particularly distinct.

“Fresh warm water is better for the body,” he said.

Only then did Sang Wuyan understand the true meaning of “If she’s not here, I live alone.”

She sat on the floor mat, weak-handed and heavy-headed, hugging her quilt, pitifully staring at the steaming hot water. Her throat was dry, and she was terribly thirsty. Did this man not know to move a finger to help cool the water down for her?

She looked at Su Nianqin again; he was indifferently continuing to “feel the book.”

“What book are you reading?”

“A celebrity biography.”

“Whose?”

“A celebrity’s.”

“…”

Sang Wuyan highly suspected he suffered from mild aphasia.

After a long silence, Sang Wuyan couldn’t resist talking to him again.

“Do you watch movies?” This was Sang Wuyan’s hobby, and she was confident that even if there was awkward silence, she could find something to chat about. After this question left her mouth, Sang Wuyan then felt that bringing up this topic was brain-dead.

“I never watch movies,” Su Nianqin finally stopped his hand movements and slowly spoke these words, each one stiff and cold.

He was a little annoyed.

However, anger was always more interesting than no reaction at all. Sang Wuyan achieved her desired effect and continued the topic with satisfaction.

“Then next time, I’ll treat you to a movie.”

“No need. Thank you,” the man squeezed these words through his teeth.

“You can try it. This world has rich and colorful lifestyles and lives, and we can only experience one of them. Movies are like a program that allows you to experience different tastes in a short time, like an adventure off the beaten path.”

“Reading is the same.”

“Movies are more direct.”

“To me, there’s no difference.”

“Do you cry when you read novels?”

“…No.”

“I cry when I watch movies. When the characters in the play are sad, I also get moved.”

“That’s because the emotional structures between men and women are different,” he paused. “Perhaps you cry easily.” His tone was full of mockery, completely different from the carefulness he showed when he carried her downstairs earlier.

Sang Wuyan’s thoughts paused at his unusually impolite tone, then she said, “Yes, for example, I want to cry right now.”

These words, truly spoken with a crying voice, made Su Nianqin a little surprised, and then he heard Sang Wuyan burst into tears.

Sang Wuyan originally intended to intimidate him, because this man was truly uncommonly stubborn. When she heard his indifferent sarcasm, she actually felt very sad. She only wanted to talk to him more and soften his cold attitude. Such pretense, even she herself hadn’t expected it to actually make her cry uncontrollably.

After the tears broke the dam, they became unstoppable.

“What did I do wrong? Why are you always so mean to me? When I met you in the elevator, I wanted to help you, and that was wrong; when I wanted to take you home on Valentine’s Day, that was wrong; when I asked you to pretend to be my boyfriend, that was also wrong; when I bought things for Xiao Wei, that was still wrong; I’m so sick, I can’t sleep, and I get up to chat with you, that’s truly a mistake on top of a mistake. So you dislike me and insist on mocking me, is that it?”

She pulled out a tissue, wiped her nose, and continued to complain, “My head is heavy and light-footed, and my brain feels like there’s a hammer frantically pounding, making me terribly uncomfortable. Not only do you not sympathize with me, but you’re also mean to me.”

The previously quiet living room was now filled with Sang Wuyan’s weeping complaints.

Su Nianqin sat beside her, truly feeling a helpless sense of frustration. When he heard her crying come to a pause, he said, “The water’s cooled down.” Then he handed her the cup, foolishly attempting to distract her.

His tone was indeed much softer than before.

Sang Wuyan took a few sips, moistened her throat, and continued to wipe her tears, saying choked, “I’m a patient. How can you be so cruel as to bully me like this?”

Su Nianqin felt a little regret. This was the first time in his life he had meddled in someone else’s business and it had come to such a pass. So he dared not engage her further, lest he stir up more trouble. He opened the book he had just put down and continued to read. However, his reading speed was much slower than before.

Sang Wuyan, wrapped in her quilt, curled up at his feet with her back against the sofa. After crying for a while, she felt tired. Coupled with Su Nianqin being almost like a wooden dummy, not even uttering a single word, she gradually grew bored. Eventually, her sadness dissipated, and she almost forgot why she was crying.

After a while, Su Nianqin heard her gradually quiet down. Some of her words turned into intermittent murmurs, then barely audible, and finally, her breathing became long and steady.

Perhaps she’s asleep?

His fingers stopped, and he tilted his head, listening quietly for a few seconds, confirming that she was asleep.

After reaching this conclusion, Su Nianqin finally dared to breathe a sigh of relief. She had cried twice in front of him so far, each time inexplicably and shockingly.

He put the cup and book away, and quietly left, fearing he would wake her and cause more trouble. He walked a few steps but then turned back, hesitating slightly.

Because there was a thick rug on the sofa, she had casually sat on it and talked to him. But if he left her curled up on the floor to sleep until morning, she would probably get even sicker.

Thinking of this, Su Nianqin sighed softly and turned back.

“Sang Wuyan,” he called her, “You need to sleep on the bed.”

She responded, groggily continuing to sleep. Su Nianqin was at a loss, and it wasn’t good to carry her again. He had carried Sang Wuyan earlier when she was conscious and had agreed to it herself. Now that she was deeply asleep, and recalling the awkwardness of carrying her down the stairs earlier, he simply decided not to carry her.

However, he knew she had only just managed to fall asleep. If he woke her directly, she might feel even worse. He stood in the center of the room, paused for a moment, then decided to turn on the heater and went back to his own room to sleep.

Thus, the two exchanged places: he slept back on his own bed, and she slept on the sofa in the living room.

He lay alone on the bed where Sang Wuyan had just been, feeling a bit sleepless. As soon as he closed his eyes, he thought of the contract he had signed yesterday, the lyrics, a pile of messy musical scores, the performance at the welfare institute on Saturday, and eventually, he thought of Sang Wuyan.

Su Nianqin couldn’t help but touch the still-visible burn mark on his hand that she had caused, and then felt the braille watch that hadn’t been taken off his wrist. It was a watch with raised markings and special hands, allowing him to tell time through touch. He opened the watch cover and touched it again: it was already two in the morning, unbeknownst to him.

After a while, he got up again, walking through the darkness to the living room. The temperature was lowest around dawn, so he had deliberately turned up the heating a little. Now, in this early spring night in March, it was perhaps a bit too warm.

He crouched down and felt for Sang Wuyan’s quilt; most of it had been kicked off because she felt hot. He fumbled and found the corner of the quilt, covering her again. As soon as he released his hand, Sang Wuyan kicked it off again.

He covered her again, she kicked it off again.

At this point, Su Nianqin started to get a little annoyed.

He had never taken care of anyone in his life, especially not in this situation. He somewhat irritably covered the quilt again, and this time, he held it in place, not letting go. He stayed there for a minute or two, during which Sang Wuyan tried to resist, but she moved a bit, found it ineffective, and then wisely changed her posture and continued to sleep.

When he finally let go, he thought, If Sang Wuyan dares to kick it off again, he’ll get a rope and tie her up in the quilt.

The result made him very satisfied; she obediently succumbed.

After checking his victory, Su Nianqin returned to his bedroom to continue sleeping. After lying down, he started thinking about other things. For example, it was eleven steps from here to the sofa; to go out the door, he had to go down three steps, turn right, walk another twenty-two steps, open the fence, and then it was the main road; how many steps was it from the teachers’ office to the classroom across the hall? Or more? He wasn’t entirely sure. He hadn’t taught there for half a month, and besides, every time he measured his steps there, children would always run around and interrupt him. Not just the children, Sang Wuyan also loved to interrupt him.

Thinking of Sang Wuyan’s name, Su Nianqin, feeling uneasy again, got up and went to the living room.

He leaned down and felt her forehead; it seemed even hotter than it had been in the evening.

He didn’t have much medical or nursing knowledge and didn’t know what to do, so he just found a cooling patch in the medicine box and placed it on her forehead.

Sang Wuyan stirred, seemingly not sleeping very soundly, occasionally mumbling a few words in her sleep.

He frowned and considered for a moment, then still carried her, quilt and all, back to the bedroom.

The next day, Sang Wuyan saw Su Nianqin and asked, “I think I remember sleeping in the living room last night. How did I end up in the bedroom when I woke up?”

“Mm-hmm,” Su Nianqin responded indifferently, placing the fried egg on the table.

Seeing Su Nianqin’s tired expression, Sang Wuyan asked, “Didn’t you sleep last night? What did you do?”

“Are you going to eat or not?” he asked impatiently, then threw a pair of chopsticks to her.

Sang Wuyan looked down at the fried egg on the plate, which was burnt both inside and out, and timidly asked, “Are you sure this thing won’t kill anyone after eating it?”

“I’m sure!” Su Nianqin said with anger, squeezing out the three words through clenched teeth.

By the third day, the rash was at its most rampant. The spots densely covered various parts of her body. The doctor said she would recover quickly once she got through this.

She didn’t like lying alone in her room; it felt too lonely, so she moved to the living room sofa.

The off-white sofa was large, big enough to comfortably accommodate her, including her pillow and quilt.

Su Nianqin rarely spoke to her, so Sang Wuyan was left talking to herself, which was boring. Plus, due to the medication, she eventually fell asleep while talking.

After a while, Su Nianqin came and placed a glass of warm water on the coffee table. Then he stood quietly beside the sofa for a moment, making sure she was sleeping soundly, before taking the keys and going out to buy food.

On the fourth night, she woke up in the middle of the night feeling refreshed. Looking in the mirror, indeed, much of the rash had receded.

She tiptoed to the sofa and found Su Nianqin already asleep on it. He slept very neatly and quietly, his quilt tucked in properly.

The lights were off, but the living room wasn’t pitch black.

Behind the sofa was the five-meter-high floor-to-ceiling window in the living room. The curtains had never been drawn, so moonlight streamed in, falling on Su Nianqin’s face, sweeping away his usual indifference and making his features appear exceptionally soft.

Sang Wuyan thought, Last time I was caught red-handed. Now that your eyes are closed, you definitely can’t see, so she leaned closer, wanting to get a closer look at him.

She held her breath. All that remained was Su Nianqin’s gentle breathing.

Sang Wuyan started to feel her heart thump-thump-thump, like a little deer flailing about.

That face in the hazy moonlight was truly stunning. His long eyelashes lay quietly, casting two curved shadows under the moonlight. And those lips—he usually kept them tightly pressed, but now that he was asleep, they were relaxed, slightly parted, full and inviting.

Sang Wuyan pursed her lips. She felt she was about to do something stupid again.

Suddenly, his eyelashes fluttered.

He parted his thin lips slightly and suddenly said in his uniquely low, slow voice, “I won’t let two opportunities slip by in a row.”

His action truly startled Sang Wuyan.

Her expression froze.

In an instant, Su Nianqin’s hand, she didn’t know when, had reached the back of Sang Wuyan’s head. He gently pulled downwards, bringing Sang Wuyan’s face closer to his.

Their noses almost touched.

Those unique eyes were fixed on her, dark and shimmering, beautiful enough to make her heart tremble.

This man, at times arrogant, at times indifferent and cold, at times impatient and irritable, and at times gentle and compassionate, was so elusive to her.

She was first curious, then unwilling to accept. Now, she truly loved him.

Thinking of this, Sang Wuyan paused slightly, then took the opportunity to press her lips against his. She boldly pecked him lightly, and said provocatively, “Do you think I would?”

Su Nianqin was caught off guard by her sudden主动 (initiative). He had only intended to continue teasing her. The moment her lips touched his, he seemed to smell the intertwined fragrance of aloe vera and privet flowers.

In less than a second, she left him.

But the warmth and soft touch remained on his lips, with a hint of reluctance.

He steadied himself a little. Just that simple touch between their lips made the emotions suppressed in his heart suddenly surge, disrupting his calm.

Suddenly, he finally understood. It turned out that he didn’t dislike her.

No. No. No.

It wasn’t that he didn’t dislike her; he even liked her. Yes, he liked her.

If he didn’t like her, why would his thoughts be disturbed by her when he played the piano?

If he didn’t like her, how would he let her hold his hand and teach him to distinguish between holly and privet?

If he didn’t like her, how would he accompany her to the amusement park?

If he didn’t like her, why did he rush over so quickly when he heard her helpless call that night?

If he didn’t like her, why would he break tradition and patiently take care of her?

If he didn’t like her, why would he tease her like this again and again?

Sang Wuyan saw Su Nianqin’s thoughtful expression and began to reflect on whether she had truly gone too far. She awkwardly tried to get off him, but unexpectedly, Su Nianqin held her back.

“How old are you?” he asked a completely unrelated question.

“Twenty-three, why?”

“You can be responsible for the consequences of your own actions,” Su Nianqin said in the same provocative tone, then picked Sang Wuyan up horizontally and walked towards the bedroom.

Sang Wuyan was furious. Was he really blind? How could he so skillfully open the door, close the door, and put her on the bed?

He sealed her breath.

“Su…” She finally managed to break free a little to breathe. As soon as she uttered one word, Su Nianqin’s tongue pried open her teeth, freely plundering inside.

She broke free from his kiss again, turning her head to the side. So Su Nianqin kissed her cheek.

He paused for a second, then slid to her earlobe, then continued downwards, to her neck, then her collarbone… He unbuttoned Sang Wuyan’s men’s pajama top one by one, sucking on the snowy skin of her chest.

His movements were much gentler than before.

“Su Nianqin,” she finally managed to fully articulate his name from a dazed state of inability to think.

“Mm?” he replied, not forgetting to continue his efforts.

“I like you. I’ve liked you since the first time I saw you.”

Sang Wuyan said these words with a crimson face.

These words seemed like a spell, making Su Nianqin stop his movements.

He was stunned for a moment, then re-adjusted her pajamas, and continued to look down at her until his deep breathing slightly calmed, as if his eyes could truly see.

He asked, “Why?”

“Love at first sight!”

Su Nianqin smiled upon hearing this.

That was the first time in Sang Wuyan’s life she had seen him smile. His eyebrows lifted, his eyes sparkled like stars, and his eyelashes trembled slightly, instantly making her heart feel soft and sweet.

“Blind people don’t understand English,” Su Nianqin said.

Sang Wuyan pouted, “Then if you don’t understand, why are you happy?”

Su Nianqin continued to smile but didn’t answer.

“Tell me, why are you smiling?” Sang Wuyan was unconvinced and reached out to poke his armpit. Su Nianqin seemed to be very ticklish; he immediately dodged and chuckled.

Sang Wuyan stubbornly said, “You only know how to bully me. What about you? When did you realize you were hopelessly in love with me?” She asked brazenly while inching closer on the bed.

Su Nianqin couldn’t escape, so he simply wrapped Sang Wuyan in his arms, preventing her hands from moving, and hugged her tightly.

His chin gently rested on Sang Wuyan’s head, his eyes tinged with a faint smile.

After a long while, he quietly said, “Perhaps it was on the Ferris wheel.”

“What?” Sang Wuyan hadn’t heard his murmur clearly.

Su Nianqin, however, refused to repeat it.