For some reason, Qi Rui suddenly felt very ashamed and guilty. He was very tall, his face covered in charcoal dust, his eyes bright, standing there awkwardly, looking rather comical.
He still tried to explain, "I, I just wanted to try something new."
But it was clear it hadn't been successful.
The girl wore a white short-sleeved shirt made of rough fabric, the hem a bit long, revealing half of a fair wrist at the cuff, as white as fine snow.
Her soft, beautiful long hair cascaded down to her chest like silk, half-obscuring her collarbones that seemed to flutter like butterfly wings, ready to take flight.
Her dark, moist eyes were as gentle as a spring lake.
Seeing the boy in such a state, she couldn't help but smile, her dimples shallow, her eyes curved.
Qi Rui's eyes were fixed, unable to look away.
Shen Yue picked up a wet towel from the side, stood on tiptoe, and wiped the charcoal dust from the boy's face, then stuffed the wet towel into his hand after a few wipes.
"Go take a bath first, I'll make dinner later."
Qi Rui left with red ears. After Shen Yue brushed her teeth and washed her face, she went to make dinner.
---
These past few days, Qi Rui had become a bit strange, somewhat overly neurotic.
Once, Shen Yue had accidentally brushed his arm, and Qi Rui reacted as if he were about to explode, shouting and carrying on, much like a young maiden being harassed by a hooligan.
Shen Yue's expression was like this.
"???"
The peanuts were ripe enough to be pulled.
Shen Yue wore long sleeves and gloves, sweating profusely in the summer heat.
Qi Rui was pulling with all his might. Shen Yue watched as sweat trickled down the boy's sun-kissed arms, his jawline sharp and perfect, his hands large, able to grasp several peanut stalks at once. The soil on the ground was also pulled out by his brute strength, his firm muscles tensing and relaxing with his movements, looking particularly sexy in the sunlight.
Qi Rui lifted his shirt to wipe sweat, then turned to place the peanuts on the tricycle. His gaze caught sight of the girl approaching, and his movements froze.
The tricycle was borrowed. Shen Yue handed him the water she had. "Have some water."
Qi Rui's water bottle was empty. The moment he thought that Shen Yue had used this water bottle, his face flushed fiery red.
Fortunately, Qi Rui's face had darkened considerably, making it not too obvious.
Shen Yue still noticed Qi Rui's awkwardness. Coupled with Qi Rui's strange behavior these past few days, her gaze became peculiar, and she asked honestly, "You don't seem quite right."
Qi Rui reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, inexplicably flying into a rage, his neck turning red. He growled, "It's all because it's so hot today, I'm practically dying of the sun. Let's finish this work quickly and go back, stop blabbering here."
Shen Yue, who had been inexplicably yelled at, didn't react much. She obediently said "Oh," and turned to go pull peanuts to the side.
Feeling the girl's presence receding, Qi Rui's breathing smoothed out. He worked nimbly, and the tricycle was filled in no time.
Sweat dripped into his eyes. Qi Rui wiped it with his arm, glanced at the dirt on his hands, and sighed, "I'm really sick."
---
At night, the window had to be opened, otherwise, it would be unbearably hot. Qi Rui lay in bed, feeling as if the bed itself were a furnace, his fan almost shaking apart.
Worst of all, there were many mosquitoes at night, buzzing in his ears, making it impossible to sleep soundly.
There were two knocks on the door. Qi Rui startled, "Who is it?"
"It's me."
A muffled voice came from outside the door, not very clear.
Late at night, Shen Yue suddenly knocking on his door made Qi Rui unable to help but overthink. His palms were sweaty, his jawline tense. He wanted to ask her what was wrong.
But somehow, what came out was,
"Come in."
The girl pushed the door open and entered.
The candle had not yet been extinguished, illuminating this small space.
The girl walked closer slowly, her features becoming clearer. Her skin was snow-white, her long hair black, her eyelashes dark, a striking contrast. She wore a thin long-sleeved garment, making her figure appear even more delicate and slender.
In the warm light, it was hard to see clearly.
"Qi Rui."
Her voice was soft and light, like clouds floating in the sky.
Her clear eyes under dark lashes seemed to shimmer, with endless gentleness in their depths.
Like moonlight falling on the bed before sleep.
Her thin eyelids were pink, as if she had been crying.
His heart, which had been pounding, spasmed, contracting violently.
His gaze deepened, he swallowed, his voice hoarse and dry, "Why, why are you here?"
Shen Yue didn't notice the way the boy was looking at her. Her tone was gentle, "I came to get some mosquito repellent."
Qi Rui: "...You just came for mosquito repellent?"
Whether it was an illusion or not, Shen Yue seemed to hear a hint of gritted teeth in the boy's tone. She was a bit puzzled.
Qi Rui, with a dark expression, rummaged through the bedside table and found a bottle of mosquito repellent. However, he didn't hand it to Shen Yue immediately. Instead, he asked, "What do you need mosquito repellent for?"
Shen Yue paused, rolled up her long sleeves, revealing a fair, slender arm. The lines were beautiful, the bones at her wrist protruding.
But on this arm, there were several small red bumps.
The girl lowered her long, thick eyelashes, trembling slightly, as if shy, "I was bitten by mosquitoes several times when I bathed, and they're very itchy."
When it itches, you can't help but scratch. If you scratch too hard, it will bleed, and if it bleeds, it will hurt, and when it hurts, you can't help but cry. Shen Yue had already experienced this outcome just now; one of the bumps had bled from scratching. After that, Shen Yue endured and didn't scratch, walking over to get the mosquito repellent.
The system offered a solution: [You could actually apply some saliva, or lick it a couple of times, and it won't itch anymore.]
Shen Yue tried it, but it still itched.
The boy acted as if he didn't see, leaning very close, his nose almost poking her arm.
His hot breath fanned across her arm, and Shen Yue's fingers couldn't help but flinch.
She let out a low sound, "Qi Rui."
Qi Rui's heart skipped a beat. He suddenly recoiled, his breathing becoming erratic, "I, I'll help you apply it."
Shen Yue was a little surprised. After hesitating, she still refused, "No need, I can do it myself."
But the boy was not willing. He held the mosquito repellent in his hand and, without saying much, directly grabbed her wrist, pulling the girl towards him slightly.
His slightly rough, warm palm pressed against her fair, cool skin. Qi Rui's face was tense, the tips of his ears glowing red.
"When I say I'll do it, I'll do it. This mosquito repellent stings, it's not good to apply too much."
Since Qi Rui had said so, Shen Yue couldn't refuse any further.
Qi Rui poured the mosquito repellent into his palm, rubbing it onto his hand, then pressing it onto the mosquito bites and gently smearing it with his fingers.
A cool, delicate touch spread through his fingertips, a sweetness and tremor that was almost addictive.
Qi Rui smelled a faint, elusive fragrance that seemed to come from the girl. His already blank mind became even more dizzy.
Faint, indistinct, it made him restless.
Qi Rui subconsciously held his breath, his lungs gradually feeling the suffocating pain of oxygen deprivation, but his nerves were in a state of complete, opposite excitement and arousal.
He really wanted to...
He really wanted to take a bite of this fair arm; it looked so sweet and fragrant.