15 - The Fifteenth Flavor

Translator: tarararawr

At six o’clock, Xian Bei finally put the last book into the box.

She had been intensely signing books all day long. It caused her right arm to feel stiff as if it was in a cast.

Yuan Yuan happily packed her backpack for her and carried it outside.

Xian Bei massaged her heavy arm and followed.

Chen Zhuo walked behind the two girls. He looked at the taller one chattering on and on to the shorter one.

The taxi that Chen Zhuo booked in advance had arrived outside of the office building.

He took the initiative to take Xian Bei’s backpack and let the girl get in the car first. Then, he followed.

Xian Bei lowered the car window and waved goodbye to Yuan Yuan for a while with her small hand.

The taxi started to move.

It got darker later in the evening when it was warmer in March. The sunset on the horizon was like spilled watercolor paint that spread out and smudged into a gradient orange color.

Xian Bei leaned back in the seat and looked out of the window.

The man sitting next to her was very close and she avoided looking at him.

But, he spent the day with her, which must have wasted a lot of his time……

Didn’t he need to take care of his shop’s business…….

Xian Bei felt more ashamed when she thought about it. However, she was too embarrassed to turn back and in a soft voice she said two words.

“……Thank you……”

Chen Zhuo heard it clearly and replied back, “It’s nothing.”

Xian Bei tugged her ring finger and didn’t say another word.

Chen Zhuo glanced at his watch and asked, “Are you hungry?”

Xian Bei shook her head. She ate a lot at noon and still felt full.

Chen Zhuo said okay and crossed his arms.

It was quiet for a long time in the taxi.

Chen Zhuo looked at Xian Bei again, but the little girl’s head was swaying slightly along with the car’s movements.

Asleep?

Chen Zhuo quietly sat up to lean forward and carefully observed her.

She got up early and had a busy day, so she must be tired.

Her eyelashes were quietly fluttering. Her skin was white and translucent. He could faintly hear her steady breathing.

Chen Zhuo smiled and leaned back. From this point of view, he could see the back of Xian Bei’s head and the ear sticking out from her hair. She looked like she was painted with the same glowing orange as the sunset.

Then, his smile disappeared and he pursed his lips.

Chen Zhuo remembered what Yuan Yuan had said to him at the library.

She actually told him more things related to Xian Bei’s past.

It was about ten years ago. Xian Bei had just entered a middle school in Shen City where the main focus was high academic achievement.

Xian Bei’s parents divorced when she was three years old because the man cheated.

After the divorce, Mother Xian treated life filled with blame and imposed this state of mind on her daughter. She had an almost paranoid-like desire for her daughter to fight for herself and stand out among her peers.

Furthermore, she was the physics teacher in the same school and she was very strict.

If Xian Bei’s hobbies were not related to studying, her mother would not allow it and would constantly deny her from participating in it.

There was one time that Xian Bei brought her classmates home to have fun. When her mother came back, she was furious. She cursed at the children in front of Xian Bei.

“You are only qualified to play with my daughter when you are in the top 50 of the grade! Otherwise, don’t affect her studies!”

The aggrieved classmates went back to school and publicized the incident everywhere. They said the daughter of Teacher X 1 could not be touched.

Xian Bei had been isolated ever since, despite apologizing countless times.

There were times when she had no choice but to work up the courage to open her mouth and speak to her classmates. They would pretend to be frightened and replied, “We better not talk to you because we’re scared that your mother will scold us. After all, we’re still not in the top 50 of the grade.”

Later, Xian Bei became more afraid of speaking.

When she walked across the school grounds, she kept her head down and avoided eye contact with everyone.

No matter what she did, she was very cautious and solemn. She was afraid of people being disgusted by her.

During everyone’s time as a student, they were still young and very few had the ability to think independently. They did not have enough critical judgment to control and to restrict their own behaviors.

Therefore, they liked to gang up to ridicule and to attack others for being different.

For six years since entering middle school, no one knew about how Xian Bei was treated.

She became more withdrawn and regarded social interactions as an enemy.

During the college entrance exam, Xian Bei chose a major and university that her mother did not like and she did this behind her mother’s back.

Her mother flew into a terrible rage and harshly said that she did not have such an unfilial daughter.

This was the first time in Xian Bei’s life that she rebelled.

She fled from her hometown and went to Ning City. Since then, even after four years of university, Xian Bei had never returned home.

After hearing everything, Chen Zhuo was unusually silent.

Finally, Yuan Yuan sighed and said, “The classmate I consulted was one of them at the time. He said he regrets it now. It was Xian Bei’s mother who was wrong, not Xian Bei herself. But they made her take responsibility for everything. He asked me how Xian Bei was doing now. I said she’s fine.”

“It’s just that she can only express her heart’s true feelings on a piece of paper.”

——

The taxi slowly stopped at the entrance of [Zhong Yi].

It was twilight and the air had a sweet taste.

A faint warm light trickled through the window like gentle and soft honey gifted by nature to humans.

The driver glanced at the rearview mirror and didn’t see any movements in the back seats. Then, he turned his head around and was about to speak.

The man in the back seat made a “Shh” sound to stop the driver’s intentions of waking the girl up.

The driver no longer tried to say another word. He let the man pay him on the phone. The man quietly got out of the car and went to open the other door.

Xian Bei was sound asleep. The surrounding noise did not wake her up.

For a moment, he looked at the small, young girl quietly sleeping. Her bright skin in the darkness was like a layer of moonlight.

Chen Zhuo leaned in to directly pick her up.

It wasn’t a bridal carry, but like a hug to coax a child. He put his arms through under her armpits and lifted her up. Being asleep meant that she did not have any awareness of her body, and so her chin naturally placed itself on his shoulder.

During Xian Bei’s sleepy state of mind, she subconsciously wrapped her arms around the thing closest to her ——

The man’s neck.

There was a soft and warm breath from her little round nose that blew on his collarbone.

Her once hanging legs were also unintentionally rubbing against his waist.

Chen Zhuo stiffened. He used one hand to close the door.

The long legs stepped away and strolled towards the direction of the shop.

The bumpy feeling made Xian Bei’s sleepy bugs shake off.

Her eyelashes flickered. Xian Bei slightly murmured and frowned. Soon after, she opened her eyes.

Xian Bei pressed her toes down in her shoes like she was looking for some type of perception.

……Huh…….?

Feet……

Xian Bei woke up alarmed.

Her feet! W-why are they hanging in the air again?!

Where was she??

Xian Bei leaned back in fear and wanted to see where she was.

Is that a shoulder right now?

This discovery made Xian Bei’s heart quickly jump out of her throat. She lifted her face in surprise, but her temples rubbed against a few prickly things.

The little heart jumped again. She looked from the corners of her eyes.

St-stubbles?

Was she on Chen Zhuo????

Being held by him???????

Xian Bei’s whole body instantly froze when she realized everything in hindsight. Then, the blood gushed and the heat surged.

AAAaaahhhhhh!

She’s hugging his neck!!

Xian Bei was red all over, like a being possessed by a tomato spirit. Just as she was about to withdraw her arms, the man asked a question in her ear.

“Awake?”

Xian Bei was shocked and did not dare move again.

But……when did she have the courage to sleep like how she was sleeping just now? She was dizzy about thinking about how she was hanging onto him with no restraint.

There seemed to be a bright light approaching from behind her.

Would they be seen by other people?

Xian Bei’s heartbeat intensified. She was so nervous and shy.

She slightly kicked her calves to indicate that she’s awake. She wanted to go down and she’s begging to be let down……

>////////< 2

But unexpectedly, the strong, solid arm supporting her exerted more strength and tightened under her butt; and the back of her head was immediately pressed back to the man’s shoulder by his other hand.

The action was not repeated, and it did not allow for another word.

The little red face was buried again and avoided moving.

Meanwhile, the man spoke again. This voice was really close to her ear . It was low and gentle like it was coaxing her, but it was also reasonable.

“Pretend to be asleep for another three minutes.”

The voice finished speaking.

Boom.

"

"

Xian Bei heard it. The clear sound of a small pink flower blooming in her heart.

The author has something to say:

Two hugs in one day. Very happy.

Footnotes

X as in Xian. They redact names for gossip and privacy in Asia, but people can still tell who it is. It’s a blushing emoticon. It’s using /// as blush lines with a >< expression.