Chapter 63 (Part 2)

Mingxi took a bath first. After Fu Yangxi entered the bathroom, out of boredom, Mingxi walked around the apartment in furry pajamas.

Falling in love was really a magical thing. In the past, apart from studying, she thought TV series were good and games were fun and beautiful. But after falling in love, even if he wasn't by her side for a while, she would find everything boring.

Nothing was as fun as Fu Yangxi.

She wanted to do everything with him, whether it was watching dramas or eating.

Looking at his eyes, she could experience the magnificent waves, drowning in the deep sea, a bite of the center of a summer watermelon and the sweetest part of the orange at any time.

The huge apartment had gradually changed since Mingxi moved in.

Mingxi was like an intruder, inserting color into the deserted and silent apartment.

She was afraid of the cold, so Fu Yangxi always kept the heater on and the bone-chilling sensation she had before disappeared.

She was afraid of the dark, so Fu Yangxi installed a few more floor lamps and the darkness disappeared.

The last time Mingxi was here, she explored Fu Yangxi's room, the audio-visual room and the workshop on the second floor. This time, however, it was a completely different experience.

Fu Yangxi had a lot of books scattered on the carpet in one room— all kinds. "Repairing Motorcycles", "Top of the Himalayas", "A Brief History of Time", including almost all the books that one could think of. They were scattered everywhere on the ground, but although there was no order, they were not messy. Vinyl and movies, they were all unpacked and they seem to have been used before. In another room, there were mechanical parts, basketballs, basketball clothes, dismantled lamps and dark green rusted screws.

Mingxi seemed to be standing in the corridor of time. In the midst of light and shadow, she saw a lonely child who didn't go home because he was hated. He lived here by himself for the past few years, doing everything he could.

He watched countless movies and books, listened to songs and dismantled countless Gundams and furniture. He was alone shooting basketballs in the nearby open space and the basketball smashed on the rainy ground, making a lonely echo.

Fu Yangxi reads so many books.

So his grades can't be bad.

At this time, the questions in Mingxi's heart were finally solved. How he could solve the problems so neatly, yet every time he took a test, he would only leave scrawls for answers.

He may not have known that he was also a victim in that incident, but he still blamed himself. Because of this, he didn't know where to go. He tossed and turned alone in the middle of the night, hesitant.

He may not be unaware of the pressure placed on him. He could have chosen not to bear it.

It's just that he chose to face it.

He will never go down the wrong path, be torn apart by the fangs of life or be dragged down by those things in the quagmire.

When Mingxi saw him, he was already shining brightly.

Mingxi suddenly understood why she was gradually attracted to him.

She was attracted to Shen Liyao because Shen Liyao had excellent grades and stood out from the crowd.

However, she fell for Fu Yangxi in the end, because Fu Yangxi was the scorching sun she saw when she looked up.

*

At night, Mingxi was lying on the bed with her eyes open. She was actually worried about whether Fu Yangxi could fall asleep in another room.

She even wanted to sleep with Fu Yangxi—

But they've just turned adults, wouldn't it be too early for them to sleep in the same bed? And what would happen when they are together in bed? After all, he was young and vigorous and his hormones were more turbulent than others... Wait, what was she thinking?

...The progress seems to be a little too fast. We should at least be a little shy about it.

The itchy feeling in Mingxi's heart was unbearable, but she didn't want to show that she was anxious.

She covered her head with a pillow and tossed around on the bed.

Three minutes later, Mingxi began to search: “Would it be bad for new lovers to sleep together?”

The answers at the bottom made Mingxi's face turn red. Most of them answered "no", saying that the vast majority of boys would definitely take advantage of the girl.

Take advantage.

Just seeing these words made Mingxi's face hot.

She tossed and turned in bed for a while.

Finally, she got up, hugged her pillow and got out of bed while trembling.

Fu Yangxi didn't sleep either. He was sitting cross-legged on the bed, hesitating whether to send a message to Mingxi. Therefore, as soon as the door on Mingxi's side opened, Fu Yangxi heard it.

He didn't want Little Mask to see that he couldn't sleep, so he quickly turned off the bedside light with a snap, lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.

Mingxi pushed open his door and stuck her head in.

"Xi ge, are you asleep?" Mingxi asked.

Fu Yangxi pretended to be sound asleep, remaining motionless in his bed.

"No way, you're already asleep?" Mingxi couldn't believe it— What about your insomnia?! Is it because you took some medicine and the effect of the medicine is taking place?

Since he fell asleep, Mingxi didn't wake him up. Of course Mingxi wanted him to get a good night's sleep.

So Mingxi planned to quietly close the door.

Fu Yangxi didn't want her to feel that he was often plagued by insomnia, but he also didn't want to see her turn around and walk away.

He was internally conflicted for a while. Suddenly, he turned over, pretending to be waking up with superb acting skills (not). As soon as he opened his eyes, with his superb acting skills (not), he pretended to be shocked by her presence.

He sat up and rubbed his forehead. “You scared me to death. You woke me up just after I fell asleep. Little Mask, what are you doing sneaking around in my room?"

“...”

Mingxi could tell at a glance that he was just pretending to be asleep.

I’m heartbroken.

How could he do this?

If he can't sleep, he can't sleep. But in order to reassure her, he pretended to sleep.

"I just came to see if you fell asleep. I planned to sleep with you if you couldn't."

Sleep together???

Can there be such a good thing???

Fu Yangxi's heart beat faster. With a head of messy black hair, he stared at Zhao Mingxi blankly.

Mingxi glanced at him and said deliberately, "But since you can fall asleep without any sign of insomnia, I'll leave then."

Mingxi said this while hugging her pillow. Then, she turned around and planned to go back to her room.

However, before she could take two steps, Fu Yangxi jumped off the bed behind her. Fu Yangxi took her into his arms from behind, wrapped his arms around her, put his head on her shoulders, buried his face in the crevice of her neck and said in an aggrieved tone, "Well, actually, I can't sleep."

“Can you—”

Fu Yangxi's ears turned red with embarrassment as he said in a low voice, "Stay."

*

After a while, the two were on the bed, lying flat on their respective sides.

The air was dead and stiff, and only the heartbeat of the two people could be heard.

Mingxi had never slept in the same bed with anyone before, and of course Fu Yangxi was no exception.

The two people who were used to sleeping alone found that once they were on the same bed, they didn't know how to lie down, where to put their hands, and what posture to put their legs in— They just felt like two little zombies. They were stiff all over, leaving only their blood flowing uncontrollably.

Moonlight filtered in through the gap in the window.

After a few minutes, Fu Yangxi carefully turned over.

Mingxi's toes were tense.

Mingxi continued to lie down while Fu Yangxi lay on his side, facing her.

The two were close together.

Fu Yangxi turned over by himself, but he felt like he was cornered, forced and defiled.

In the dark he looked at Mingxi. "C-can I hug you?"

Mingxi's heartbeat was abnormal, her mind completely empty. The scent of pine on Fu Yangxi's body filled her nostrils. Her head was in a mess, thinking about what kind of men's perfume he was using or if it was the smell of luck? What if he wanted a French kiss again later? Did she brush her teeth tonight? It seems like she did. What did he just say...

Mingxi made a noise of acknowledgment in a daze.

Fu Yangxi tried to calm himself down a bit. After a while, he reached out and took Zhao Mingxi into his arms. Mingxi also turned sideways, and the distance between the two was very close suddenly.

It wasn't that they weren't this close before— but that was when they were standing on the ground.

But now, they were in the same bed and under the same blanket. The skin outside their pajamas were in physical contact with each other and it felt dry and warm, filled with the fluffy scent of winter.

As they got closer, nose tip to nose tip, their breathing intertwined and their hearts touched.

Fu Yangxi hugged Mingxi tightly.

His mind was empty. This was the girl he liked, lying in his arms.

As if Fu Yangxi was holding something fragile and precious, he kissed the corner of Mingxi's mouth repeatedly.

Suddenly—

Fu Yangxi let go of Mingxi and moved to the side of the bed.

When Mingxi realized something, her cheeks suddenly became hot and she pulled the quilt over her head.

Fu Yangxi was ashamed and angry, He said, "I'm sorry."

He was having a reaction.

"Why do you react so easily?" Mingxi's face was too hot. She covered her face with a quilt, still teasing him. “Are you a little pervert?”

"I’m not!" Fu Yangxi said angrily. "It just happened for you. Which boy wouldn't feel it when he hugs the girl he likes? Besides, I'm not a monk."

Mingxi lifted the quilt a bit, exposing her eyes. She raised her head slightly and looked at him. “How about doing something you love—"

Mingxi felt that she was very receptive. Also, she thought of the person in front of her as the only one for her.

She felt that nothing was impossible.

"No," Fu Yangxi firmly refused. "You just became an adult, so you’re still off limits. We will talk about this when you are 20."

She never expected that Fu Yangxi's resolution would be so strong.

Mingxi lay back with a blank look. “I think you’re a monk.”

"It's okay if it’s kissing," Fu Yangxi said shyly.

He leaned over and kissed Mingxi's earlobe carefully.

"No kisses, I'm sleepy." Mingxi pushed his head away.

What's the use of kissing me gently! It’s not exciting at all.

Mingxi still felt dissatisfied after thinking about it. She turned her head to look at Fu Yangxi. “You, the guy with the surname Fu, am I not attractive to you at all?"

Fu Yangxi took her into his arms and said earnestly, “You’ve misunderstood me. This step has a different meaning. Little Mask, you mean a lot to me. I cherish you more than anyone else, so if there is even any possibility that what I’m doing may hurt you, I will not want to do it."

"I don't want to spend only one winter with you. I want to keep walking down this path with you. When the day comes, I don't want you to recall it and feel that our first day was plain and boring."

"I want you to be happy, I want everything in your life to be according to your wishes and I want you to feel fulfilled, more fulfilled than anyone else with no regrets whatsoever. When I come to you with the ring in my hand, if you say you are ready, I will run towards you without any hesitation."

Mingxi was only joking. She never thought that Fu Yangxi, who has never been serious, would actually explain so many things so seriously.

Her eyes were warm. She felt like she was about to cry.

An 18-year-old’s love came hot and turbulent.

But she was already in Fu Yangxi's future.

She sucked in a breath.

Mingxi buried her head in Fu Yangxi's chest and said, "I know, I was joking just now. Don't be nervous."

"Let's sleep, Xi ge. Hold me to sleep and see if you can fall asleep like this."

Fu Yangxi hugged Zhao Mingxi tightly in his arms. She won't be taken away by anyone anymore, she's his.

Tonight, Fu Yangxi had Zhao Mingxi in his arms. His heart was beating very fast, gushing with the love of his youth. He was now holding his most beloved girl.

Fu Yangxi thought it would be a sleepless night, but strangely, he slowly fell asleep like this.

The cracks in the dream began to slowly heal.

He seemed to be holding a piece of floating ice, but the floating ice was very warm. It smiled at him and drifted across the ocean.

In Mingxi's quiet, shallow breathing.

Fu Yangxi seemed to be pulled to the shore. On the soft sand, the waves hit and soothed his body.

He fell asleep slowly.

ray's note: deepest apologies for the late update - it's been a hectic few weeks in the firm. hope you guys enjoy the chapter!