Chapter 74

Xu Wushuang's current residence is in a neighborhood not far from the school. She rented a one-bedroom apartment, simply furnished, with a kitchen, a bathroom, and a small dining room. Since she had only moved in a few days ago, her belongings were still in disarray, making the place seem a bit crowded.

She found this place on her own. When she was at the Kaiden Castle Hotel, Wang Bai offered to financially support her, but she refused. She said she could support herself and, if it came to it, she could ask her parents back home for help. She also said that the money spent on staying at the hotel, she would pay back when she had more funds.

She insisted on this, so Wang Bai did not force her to accept his gift.

After sending her to her residence, they naturally went upstairs together. Wang Bai toured her place, and she went to the kitchen to pour him a cup of tea.

"The place isn't big, but it's cozy. Are you getting used to it?" he asked after taking the cup.

Xu Wushuang shook her head. "There are too many cockroaches, and the bathroom light flickers."

"I'll help you fix it." Wang Bai put the teacup on the table and walked into the bathroom. He turned on the light, and sure enough, it flickered. He pressed the ends of the light tube, and the light stabilized. "The socket was loose."

He washed his hands and then saw Xu Wushuang leaning against the door, looking at him with a contented expression. Wang Bai suddenly turned around, and Xu Wushuang quickly put on a serious face and coughed. "Oh, is that it? So it's fixed?"

"It should be fine." Wang Bai noticed her trying to act serious and knew she was still upset about what happened earlier, so he decided to leave. "I'll go back then."

"Ah? You just got here, and you're leaving?" Xu Wushuang blurted out, then quickly pretended not to care. "Oh, oh... go ahead."

As he passed by her, he stopped and they stared at each other for a moment in the narrow doorway. He said, "Don't take what I said when I was drunk seriously." She felt relieved but didn't show it, just nodded slightly.

Wang Bai looked into her eyes, and she avoided his gaze, her eyelashes fluttering, making her look adorable. He leaned in, and she slightly turned her head but then slowly turned back. They finally made eye contact.

Xu Wushuang knew what he was about to do, and her heart raced. This feeling was different from what she experienced in the hotel. Just the touch of their noses made her feel a sense of unity. When their lips met, it felt like something exploded in her mind, and a wave of happiness enveloped her, making her醉在这轻轻的甜蜜的吻里。

He kissed her gently, slowly, which was completely different from the previous passionate kisses. This gentle kiss soothed Xu Wushuang's wounded heart, like a warm current healing her wounds.

When they finally parted, Wang Bai sniffed, smelling her fragrance. "I really have to go now."

"Um," she nodded shyly, "be careful on your way." At that moment, she felt as if she had returned to the feeling of her first love, wanting to be with him but also fearing that taking it further would ruin their relationship. She preferred to keep it simple, reducing the pressure and increasing the anticipation.

Wang Bai really left, and Xu Wushuang stood at the window, watching his figure until it disappeared. She suddenly felt that this boy might not be her final destination, but he would certainly become one of the most profound memories of her life.

When he got home, it was almost ten o'clock. Fortunately, he had no homework today, or he would have had to stay up late. His parents were already asleep, but Lu Lu was still reading under the lamp, waiting for him.

As soon as Wang Bai entered the room, she glanced at him, her face neutral but with a hint of brightness in her eyes. "You're back so early. I thought... it would take longer."

He smiled. "What did you think I was doing? I just sent the teacher home and helped her fix a light. Then I came back right away." He started to set up his sleeping mat. "Why aren't you asleep yet? Have you taken a shower?"

"Not yet. I wanted to wait for you to come back. I have something to say."

"What is it?" Wang Bai stopped and asked.

"Today, when I was kidnapped by those bad guys, you knew it was dangerous, but you didn't call the police and came to save me alone. I want to know why you did that." She looked at him.

His eyes flickered. "Because I'm your brother, and I have the duty to protect you. Besides, this whole thing started because of me, so I had to take responsibility for saving you."

"Is there no other reason?" Lu Lu pressed, "Is it because you like me?"

"Like...?" His face turned a bit red. "What are you talking about? We're siblings. Are you bringing up those jokes again?" Wang Bai's heart was pounding, wondering if his feelings for her were too obvious. As for her, she had always been inconsistent, and he couldn't figure out what she meant.

Lu Lu lowered her eyes, a hint of displeasure on her face. "You go take a shower. I'll read a bit more."

Wang Bai set up his sleeping mat and went to shower. When he came back, Lu Lu put down her book and went to the bathroom. After lying down, Wang Bai remembered something he needed to do. He got up, took his phone from the bedside table, and called Liu Yan.

It was already past ten, and Liu Yan was about to fall asleep. When she saw the call, she perked up. "Hello, calling so late. What's up?"

"Um, I do have something. Can you ask your dad about the school rules? There's a clause about outstanding performance. What kind of performance does it require from students?" Wang Bai explained the importance of this to Lei Hu. After Liu Yan agreed to help, he was about to hang up when she asked about the kidnapping incident.

It turned out that the news of Lu Lu's kidnapping had spread like wildfire in the class group. There were various versions of the story in other classes, some even claiming that Lu Lu had been killed, and others saying that the criminals had been executed by the police.

Some people who admired Wang Bai and saw him accompanying Lu Lu back to school had created a heroic story about him single-handedly rescuing her from a group of eighteen criminals.

Liu Yan wanted to know the truth, so Wang Bai recounted the events as he had described them to the police. Lu Lu, who had just finished her shower, heard him on the phone and assumed he was talking to Xu Wushuang, which made her a bit upset. She loudly said, "Are you going to sleep? I'm turning off the light."

Liu Yan, hearing a female voice, asked, "Who's with you?" Wang Bai frantically gestured to Lu Lu to be quiet. "Oh, it's my mom, reminding me to sleep early... Well, see you tomorrow!"

"See you tomorrow." Liu Yan hung up, feeling a bit disappointed. Wang Bai, after ending the call, was very nervous. "Why did you speak so loudly? I was on the phone with Liu Yan, and you almost gave it away."

Lu Lu realized why he was so nervous but felt annoyed that he was talking to Liu Yan so late at night, especially when she wasn't around. "How was I supposed to know it was her? You really have a lot of things going on."

How could that be considered a lot of things? Wang Bai thought. I'm not married to you. If I were married and still involved with other women, then that would be a lot of things.

"Whatever you say, I'm going to sleep." He turned over and lay down, facing away from the bed.

Lu Lu turned off the light and got into bed, snuggling under the covers. "Actually, even though I was half-conscious, I was still very scared. I was really afraid of being... taken by those bad guys."

Wang Bai's tone softened. "It's over now. Don't think about it too much. You won't encounter such things again."

She tensed up and asked, "Brother, did those people die?"

He remained silent, wanting to reassure her but also not wanting to involve her in too many secrets. After a moment, he said, "If someone asks you, just stick to what we agreed on. Whether they're dead or not, it doesn't matter to you. Some things, you just need to know in your heart. Don't ask too many questions."

Lu Lu felt a bit more at ease but was still worried about Wang Bai's involvement in the incident. From his description, it seemed that the ones who took action were his brother's old acquaintances, but since Wang Bai was there, he was definitely involved, even if he didn't take part in the action.

Thinking about the night's events, she couldn't help but feel a deep fear. The thought of losing something she had always cherished made her heart race.

Thinking about Wang Bai's actions today and her feelings for him, Lu Lu tossed and turned in bed for a while before suddenly saying, "Brother, is the floor cold?"

"..." Wang Bai didn't respond. She continued, "Do you want to lie on the bed? There's plenty of space..."

He still didn't say anything, and Lu Lu felt a bit frustrated. She wondered if she needed to be more explicit. She hesitated and then said, "I don't mind. Come up?"

Wang Bai didn't react at all, as if he were already asleep. Lu Lu found this strange and got out of bed to check. She saw his peaceful sleeping face and steady breathing, confirming that he was indeed asleep.

"Pig..." Lu Lu was annoyed that he fell asleep so quickly. She pinched his nose lightly to vent her frustration.

Wang Bai wrinkled his nose and continued sleeping. In his dream, he was running through an obstacle course and felt an itch on his nose, so he rubbed it. A little later, he felt an itch on his face and wondered if cockroaches were crawling on him while he was asleep. "Oh no! I'm sleeping on the floor, so it's possible. What bad luck!"

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