Chapter 626
Is this considered a kiss?
"Snowing?"
As Han Zhou dried his hair and walked out of the bathroom, Mo Yixia, dressed in pajamas, was standing by the window, her fingertips lightly touching the glass, gazing at the swirling snowflakes outside.
"Ah."
"When will the weather forecast in Lincheng ever be reliable? Didn't they say it wouldn't snow until next week...?"
Han Zhou walked towards the window while complaining, wanting to see the long-awaited snow scene, but before he could see the view outside the window clearly, Mo Yixia pulled the curtains shut.
“I’m ready,” she said.
"Prepare what?" Han Zhou was taken aback.
Mo Yixia didn't answer. She climbed onto the bed, wrapped herself in the blanket, turned her head, and looked at him expressionlessly.
Han Zhou was stunned for a moment before finally reacting, and said with a strange expression, "Isn't this too hasty?"
"Delay will only lead to unforeseen changes."
Mo Yixia didn't bring any change of clothes when she went out this time, so her pajamas were newly bought. She wasn't wearing her usual pink bunny ear pajamas, but a pure white cat ear pajamas. She had the hood up on her head, making her look exceptionally cute.
She said calmly, patting the empty seat next to her: "If we keep dragging this out, who knows what excuse you'll come up with next."
"Don't worry, I'm prepared... but I'll have to let my hair dry first, right?"
Mo Yixia remained noncommittal and curled up in bed playing on her phone.
Looking at that calm and collected face, Han Zhou became even more unsure whether this guy knew what it meant to be shy.
A short while later, he dried his hair, took a deep breath, and crawled into bed.
The next second, a wave of warm air mixed with the fresh scent of shower gel enveloped me.
The temperature inside the blankets was warmer than I had imagined, probably because Mo Yixia had been wrapped up for a long time, and the cotton quilts were filled with the warmth of her body, and even the air was filled with a sweet fragrance.
The two were so close that if they were just an inch closer, their bodies would be touching.
He subtly tilted his head in that direction.
Mo Yixia kept her head down, staring at her phone. Her profile looked particularly serene under the screen's glow, and the beauty mark at the corner of her eye was clearly visible, like a drop of light ink spreading on rice paper. Her cat-ear hood rose and fell gently with her breath.
Is this what it feels like to have a bed warmer maid...?
Just as Han Zhou had this thought in his mind, he saw the girl suddenly put down her phone and turn to look at him.
Just when everyone thought she was about to use her "mind-reading" ability again, she simply said, "Tell me about what happened between you and Wang Lengqiu."
Han Zhou was taken aback: "Wasn't it supposed to be discussed later?"
"With your meager abilities, you won't even know what time it will be afterward."
Mo Yixia glanced at him disdainfully, then pulled down her hood, rested her head on his chest with perfect ease, and pressed her ear against his heart. "Now tell me."
Han Zhou's breathing hitched slightly. He reached out and wrapped his arms around the girl's waist, saying softly, "Then you'd better be mentally prepared."
"Push harder," Mo Yixia said.
Han Zhou increased the pressure on his hands.
The girl wriggled a couple of times in his arms, adjusting herself to a comfortable position, before slowly saying, "Alright, let's begin."
Han Zhou took a deep breath and, without hiding anything, recounted everything from stepping into Wang Lengqiu's house to digging out the photos from the soil and then traveling back to the past.
He didn't hide anything, including how he risked his life to save Xiao Lengqiu from the flash flood and Zhong Yin's kiss.
Of course, he couldn't help feeling uneasy when he got to this part, because Mo Yixia had somehow grabbed one of his arms, pressed her face against it, and was even rubbing her lips against it, as if she was about to bite him at any moment.
Fortunately, she didn't actually take a bite until the whole story was finished.
This lecture lasted for nearly half an hour.
After the story was finished, only the sound of their intertwined breathing and the faint sound of snowflakes falling outside the window remained in the room.
Mo Yixia remained silent for a long time, so long that Han Zhou almost thought she had fallen asleep, or... was angry.
Just as he couldn't resist looking down to check, he heard her muffled voice from his chest:
"So...your first kiss was stolen like that?"
Han Zhou awkwardly tugged at the corners of his mouth, unsure how to respond for a moment, before finally managing to squeeze out a nasal sound.
"……Correct."
"Is it more comfortable to wear a mask or not to wear a mask?"
"In that situation, I had no mind to compare things..."
"to be honest."
"...It's not comfortable without wearing one."
After a moment of silence, Mo Yixia didn't continue the topic but instead asked, "Do you still have the hair tie that Sister Zhongyin gave you?"
"exist."
What are you planning to do?
“Apart from Senior Wang Lengqiu, everyone, including you, has forgotten what happened in the past.”
Han Zhou looked up at the ceiling. "So as long as I don't say anything, Sister Yin won't remember what happened back then."
"Should we still choose to run away?"
"This is not an escape."
Han Zhou shook his head and said seriously, "I just think that maintaining the status quo is the best option. Besides, for Sister Yin, remembering the past may not be a good thing."
"That's just your opinion."
"Because this might just be my opinion, it's best to let things take their course for now."
Han Zhou sighed inwardly. Once Zhong Yin recalled what had happened in the past, no one knew what would happen.
Mo Yixia remained noncommittal, then suddenly asked, "What if she remembers one day?"
Han Zhou was silent for a moment: "I will return the hair tie to her."
"You don't intend to take responsibility for her?"
He was taken aback, then asked, half-laughing and half-crying, "You're willing to let me take responsibility for her?"
"Of course I don't want to."
Mo Yixia propped herself up from his embrace, her hair slipping down with the movement, brushing lightly against his neck, causing a slightly cool itch.
She looked down at him, her tone still calm: "But what if... she insists on taking responsibility for you?"
Han Zhou was stunned.
After a long silence, he answered firmly, "If that day ever comes, I will reject her."
"But didn't you say yourself that you would take responsibility for the two sisters?"
Mo Yixia stared into his eyes, "Now that you're backing out, what's the difference between you and a scumbag who starts something and then abandons it?"
"I'm not talking about that kind of 'responsibility'..."
"But what they understand is that kind of 'responsibility'."
At this point, Mo Yixia sighed softly and leaned back against his chest. "I'm ready to wait for you to come and apologize to me next time."
Han Zhou was a little embarrassed: "You have so little confidence in me?"
"I have a lot of confidence in my rivals."
Mo Yixia turned over, turning her back to him, leaving him with only her fluffy cat ears and the back of her head. A rare hint of headache appeared in her voice.
"If Sister Zhong Yin really treated you coldly because she didn't see the hair tie on your hand when they first met, then it means that her obsession is no less than Wang Lengqiu's."
"Han Zhou, she will never let you off easily."
Han Zhou was somewhat aware of this as well, and upon hearing this, he gave a wry smile: "That's why we can't let her remember... By the way, I've told you about this whole past experience in detail. Do you remember anything?"
"No."
Mo Yixia's voice was calm and even, "But as long as it's not related to feelings, I'm willing to believe you. As for how you went back to the past and how you came back, you don't have to say if you don't want to."
"Yixia..."
"Hmm?" The girl turned her head and looked over. She subconsciously wanted to pull her hat brim down, but quickly remembered that she wasn't wearing a baseball cap. So she put the cat-ear hood back on and smiled.
"What, do you like me a little more now?"
"Yes."
She raised her hand to tidy her disheveled hair and softly hummed in agreement that she had heard.
“Then sing me a song, the one you sang at the concert.”
Han Zhou looked troubled: "I might not sing that well right now..."
"Happiness First" is a random state and not very useful, so he didn't keep it. Now, a week later, it has already been refreshed.
“It doesn’t have to sound good,” Mo Yixia closed her eyes, snuggled closer to him, and gently rubbed her hair against his chin. “Just sing it to me like this.”
The wind and snow outside the window grew stronger, the rustling sound becoming clearer, which only made the room seem even more tranquil. And in this silence woven from falling snow, she added softly.
"I don't like you because you sing well."
Han Zhou was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.
The heavy feeling that had nowhere to go in her heart, along with the anxiety about the future, was dispelled by her light and airy words.
"Row."
He cleared his throat, still unsure of his singing ability, but he still began to sing.
"I haven't had a chance to properly experience the weather when the snowflakes are blooming."
"If we tremble together, we will understand better what tenderness is..."
The singing wasn't exactly melodious, and was even a bit off-key, but Mo Yixia never interrupted and just listened quietly.
Only after the first chorus ended did she force a laugh and lie, saying, "Wasn't it sung pretty well?"
Hearing her obviously perfunctory praise, which was just to coax a child, Han Zhou didn't expose her. He simply tightened his arms slightly and pulled the girl's warm and gentle body closer to him.
"Yixia, why don't you sing for me?"
Do you want to hear it?
"think."
Mo Yixia did not respond.
The next second, without any prelude or build-up, the clear, cool voice flowed out.
"I haven't yet cooked red beans for you, to create a lingering, painful wound..."
After singing the first line, she paused slightly. "Is this the melody?"
“Yes.” Han Zhou smiled.
So she continued singing: "...and then sharing it together will make us understand even more the sorrow of longing..."
The wind and snow outside the window seemed to wisely restrain their force, leaving only a soft, rustling sound, which intertwined with the clear, cool singing flowing inside. Everything held its breath in this rare tranquility, afraid of disturbing this moment of gentleness.
As the song ended, Mo Yixia turned to look at the window. Even through the heavy curtains, she could almost see the snowflakes falling outside.
“This song is very fitting for the occasion,” she said.
"Yes," Han Zhou replied with a smile, snapping out of his reverie from the song.
Before she could finish speaking, Mo Yixia spoke softly again:
"Then tell me... what would happen if Sister Zhongyin thought about the past this winter?"
Han Zhou's smile froze instantly.
"I have no idea……"
Mo Yixia sighed softly and propped herself up from his embrace: "You should practice this song properly."
She paused, then continued, "I remember you just said that when I was little, I asked you a question: who was cuter, her back then or me now, right?"
"Yes, how..."
"I need you to answer again."
Mo Yixia interrupted him, "Stop using those childish tricks to fool me. You can only choose one, and you're not allowed to say 'each is cute in its own way'."
Han Zhou was stunned for a moment, then laughed and cried at the same time: "You wouldn't even be jealous of yourself, would you?"
“Can’t I?” Mo Yixia said matter-of-factly.
Han Zhou chuckled and said with certainty, "Of course you're cuter now."
"Really?"
"real."
"I never thought you would even lie to a child."
Mo Yixia clicked her tongue, but seemed fairly satisfied. After a moment of silence, she repeated her question, "Am I really cuter now?"
"of course."
"But what about someone as adorable as me..."
She leaned closer, her warm breath brushing against his cheek. "Don't you feel any urge to do something?"
After saying that, she closed her eyes without any warning.
Thick eyelashes cast soft shadows under her eyelids, and the light shone through her profile, making her glossy lips almost transparent.
Han Zhou's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.
The distance between the two of them had become very close at some point. He could smell the cool fragrance of the girl's hair, feel the warmth of her body pressed against his chest, and even hear his own heart pounding like a drum.
As his breathing became increasingly rapid, the girl in his arms suddenly opened her eyes and added with a half-smile:
"By the way, my first kiss wasn't stolen."
This sentence was like a spark thrown into a haystack, instantly igniting all the fuel called "restraint".
All the struggles and hesitations vanished in that moment. Han Zhou could no longer bear it. He cupped the girl's head in his hands and suddenly lowered his head to kiss her.
Mo Yixia's eyelashes trembled, but she did not flinch. She maintained her calm and composed demeanor, only slightly tightening her grip on the hem of her clothes.
For a long time, the lips are divided.
Han Zhou was slightly out of breath, just about to see the expression on the girl's face in his arms, but the next second, she had already turned off the lights in the room.
In the darkness, the girl's slightly panting voice rang in my ears:
"Doesn't kissing require using your tongue... um..."
Faced with such provocation, how could Han Zhou possibly let her go? Before he could finish speaking, he kissed her fiercely again, greedily savoring the sweetness between their lips and teeth.
Her lips were easily pried open, and the girl who always seemed so at ease could no longer breathe.
Oxygen was stolen from her, and her consciousness gradually faded in the wet heat of their intertwined lips and tongues. Her hand, which had been pressed against his chest, rose weakly and finally rested on his shoulder, whether she wanted to push him away or pull him closer, it was unclear.
The sound of wind and snow outside the window had faded away at some point, leaving only the rustling of fabric against fabric and the increasingly rapid breathing of the two people in the room.
Every breath they took was intertwined, and every heartbeat was deafening, like the beating of a drum.
After an unknown amount of time, the sound of wind and snow outside the window became clear again.
The moment our lips parted, it felt as if the world was slowly cooling down from a high fever.
The room remained dark, with only the snowlight outside casting a blurry, cold glow around the edge of the curtains.
Mo Yixia nestled in Han Zhou's arms, burying her face in the crook of his neck. Her breathing was still a little unsteady, but her tone was quite calm, showing no sign of anything amiss: "You should apologize to me."
Han Zhou had originally intended to sneak to the bedside to turn on the light in the dark to see the other person's current expression, but upon hearing this, he paused and said in a strange tone, "Are you sure you want me to admit my mistake? I don't mean to go back on my word, what I mean is... do you know what I did with Senior Wang Lengqiu that day?"
"do not know."
No matter how resourceful Mo Yixia was, she couldn't possibly have guessed the details of that day.
Han Zhou hesitated for a moment, then leaned close to her ear and whispered a few words.
The air grew quiet.
Just as Han Zhou was wondering if Mo Yixia had finally become shy, he heard her thoughtful voice in the darkness.
"So... does this count as a kiss?" (End of Chapter)