thebusnovel Chapter 278 Hug
Chapter 278 Hug
The pork belly sizzled on the grill, oil splattering out, and it was roasted to a fragrant brown by the charcoal fire.
Xiao Yunqing ate a few slices of meat, then suddenly stood up. "I'll go get something else."
She walked quickly to the self-service area, walked around it, and came back with a plate.
There were eight strawberries on the plate. They weren't very big, but they were bright red, washed clean, and still had water droplets on them.
She placed the plate on the table, picked up a strawberry, took a bite, and squinted her eyes.
"So sweet."
Song Huan glanced at the plate of strawberries, then at her. "Eight, four each?"
Xiao Yunqing nodded and continued eating strawberries.
She ate one, then another, and then another.
Song Huan looked at her and waited.
She ate the third one, and then stopped.
Song Huan asked, "Didn't you say we'd each eat half? Why aren't you eating?"
Xiao Yunqing looked down at the remaining strawberries on the plate.
She ate three, and there were five left on the plate.
She looked up at Song Huan and said matter-of-factly, "That's right, half for each of us, three for me and five for you."
Song Huan was taken aback. "How is this calculated as half for each person?"
"I'll eat one less, and you can eat one more."
Xiao Yunqing lowered her head and said indistinctly, "I just want to be a little bit nicer to you."
[Because...you've been so good to me. I don't know how to repay you, so I can only give you a little more.]
Song Huan looked at her.
She kept her head down, and the tips of her ears were red, whether from being roasted by charcoal or something else, it was hard to tell.
He didn't say anything, picked up a strawberry, and took a bite.
It's sweet, very sweet.
The two of them had almost finished eating the food on the table.
Xiao Yunqing leaned back in her chair, patted her belly, and felt completely satisfied.
Song Huan paid the bill.
When I came back, she was still sitting there, holding the last lettuce leaf, dipping it in sauce, and eating it in small bites.
"Let's go." Song Huan picked up the black plastic bag.
"Why are you so slow to get back?"
"Oh, I went to the restroom."
Xiao Yunqing didn't ask any more questions and stood up to follow him.
It was already dark when I left the barbecue restaurant.
The streetlights came on, casting a dim, yellowish light on the ground.
The neon lights in Xinjiekou also lit up, red, green, and blue, flashing on and off.
"Deji Plaza is just ahead, let's go take a look around." Xiao Yunqing pointed to the brightly lit high-rise building in front of them.
Song Huan nodded.
Deji Plaza is very large and brightly lit.
The first floor is filled with luxury goods, with mannequins in the windows wearing the latest styles, and the lighting is like a stage.
Xiao Yunqing peered through the shop window for a while, then walked away.
The two of them strolled from the first floor to the second floor, and from the second floor to the third floor, without buying anything, just walking slowly.
Xiao Yunqing walked in front, and Song Huan followed behind.
She would stop every now and then, point to something and say, "Look at this," and he would say, "Hmm." She would point to something else and say, "And that one?" and he would say, "Hmm."
She glared at him, and he smiled.
The two continued walking.
By the time I left Deji Plaza, it was completely dark.
The streetlights illuminated the entire street, and the traffic moved slowly in the middle of the road, their taillights glowing red.
"It's time to go back," Song Huan said.
Xiao Yunqing remained silent.
The two walked back along the road they had come from, past Xinjiekou, past the street lined with sycamore trees, and past the zebra crossing.
The south gate of Tunghai University is in front of us. The lights shine on the large stone gate, and students are going in and out.
The two people stood under the streetlights outside the school gate.
Xiao Yunqing stopped, turned around, and looked at him.
The streetlights shone on her face, making her eyes appear very bright.
Her white dress billowed slightly in the wind, and she reached out to press it down, holding the black plastic bag he had given her in her hand.
"Well... I'm going in."
Song Huan nodded. "Mm."
"Just another 'hmm,' how perfunctory."
Xiao Yunqing stood still, her mouth moved slightly, then closed again.
I turned around and walked into the school gate.
I took two steps, then slowed down, then took two more steps, then slowed down again.
[I don't want to go in; I want to stay a little longer.]
[Even if it's just for a little while... When will he leave? Will he stand there and watch me go in? He always watches me go in.]
Song Huan stood under the streetlight, watching her back.
I just want to hug him, just for a moment, just once.
[But I can't say it, it's too forward. Will he think I'm weird? Never mind...]
Xiao Yunqing took a deep breath and continued walking forward.
"etc."
Song Huan's voice came from behind.
Xiao Yunqing stopped, turned around, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Song Huan walked up and stood in front of her. "The water pipe in my dorm is broken. I want to buy a one-meter-long pipe to replace it, but I don't know how long one meter is."
Xiao Yunqing paused for a moment, "About one meter..."
She subconsciously opened her arms, stretching both hands out to the sides to measure length.
"It's this long, isn't it?"
She stretched out her arms like a little bird spreading its wings.
Song Huan took a step forward, then suddenly reached out and hugged her.
His arm slipped past her side, encircling her back, and gently, slowly tightened around her.
He rested his chin on the top of her head and smelled the fragrance of her hair.
It's a shampoo, light in flavor, with a hint of barbecue.
Xiao Yunqing froze.
My hand is still outstretched, hanging in mid-air, and I don't know where to put it.
My face was pressed against his chest, and I could feel his body temperature through his T-shirt; it was warm, like a hot water bottle in winter.
She could hear his heartbeat, thump-thump-thump, very fast, even faster than hers.
"Take good care of yourself while you're alone at the University of Tokyo."
His voice came down from above, very softly, "Call me if anything happens, don't try to handle it all by yourself."
Xiao Yunqing's eyes suddenly welled up with tears.
My nose feels sore.
She slowly lowered her hand, letting it hang at her side, then raised it again, gently and hesitantly, and placed it on his waist.
The streetlights shone on the two people, their shadows overlapping on the ground.
A few seconds passed, or maybe longer.
Xiao Yunqing suddenly realized what was happening, pushed him away abruptly, and took a step back.
Her face turned bright red, from her forehead to her chin, from her cheeks to the tips of her ears, like a boiled shrimp.
She stared at him, her mouth agape, her voice both urgent and shy.
"You...you lied to me again!"
Song Huan stood there with a smile on her face, "I'm not lying to you, I really don't know how long a meter is."
"The water pipes in your dorm room aren't broken at all!"
"broken."
"It's not broken!"
"Oh no, all my roommates have drowned."
Xiao Yunqing was so angry that she couldn't speak.
She raised her hand and slapped him, the slap landing on his chest.
I hit him again, this time even lighter.
The hand was raised, but it didn't fall on the third time, remaining suspended in mid-air.
"You always do this."
Her voice was muffled and trembling, "You lie to me every time, you take advantage of me every time."
Song Huan looked at her.
She kept her head down, her hand still raised, but she didn't strike.
Her eyes were red-rimmed, her nose was red, and there was a little water on her eyelashes.
He smiled and said, "Then I'm leaving."
Xiao Yunqing remained silent.
Song Huan turned around and walked away.
He walked at a moderate pace, his hands in his pockets.
The streetlights cast his shadow on the ground, making it grow longer and longer.
Xiao Yunqing raised her head and looked at his back.
"Song Huan!"
The sound came from behind.
Song Huan stopped and turned around.
Xiao Yunqing stood under the streetlight, her white dress billowing in the wind, her ponytail swaying behind her.
Her face was still red, her eyes were still red, but the corners of her mouth were upturned and her eyes were curved.
"Be careful on the road!"
The sound was not loud, and half of it was blown away by the wind.
Song Huan smiled, raised her hand, and waved at her.
He turned around and left.
This time, he didn't turn back.
Xiao Yunqing stood there, watching his figure grow smaller and smaller as he crossed the zebra crossing, reached the other side of the road, turned the corner, and disappeared from sight.
She was still standing.
The streetlights shone on her, casting a long shadow on the ground.
A gust of wind blew, brushing her stray hairs across her face. She reached out and gently brushed them aside.
She turned around and walked into the school gate.
He took two steps, then looked back again.
The other side of the road was empty; there was nothing there.
Song Huan is gone.
She turned back and continued walking.
Her ponytail swayed behind her as she walked slowly.
A black plastic bag dangled from her wrist.
Xiao Yunqing felt the weight was off, opened it, and was immediately stunned.
The lipstick I had just picked out was lying quietly inside.