Chapter 55: Not Quite Lovers

He was speaking very close to her; as their breaths mingled, a cool, faintly bitter scent of mint lingered in the air between them. Suddenly, Lu Qingyue realized that it had been a long time since she’d smelled tobacco on him. Had he truly quit smoking simply because he said he would?

Her thoughts scattered for a moment. She stared at his sharp Adam’s apple for several seconds, then abruptly reached up to hook her arm around his neck, tilting her head to try and kiss the corner of his lips.

Cheng Xingye reacted quickly; before she could touch him, he swiftly turned his head, evading her kiss. He let out a low chuckle, bracing one hand against the back of her seat and capturing her wrist with the other. He reversed the delicate hand tangled around his neck and pinned her firmly in the passenger seat.

Seeing Lu Qingyue’s obvious look of frustration and defiance at missing her mark, Cheng Xingye’s lips curved in a faint smile. He leaned in close to her ear, his deep, husky voice carrying a hint of amusement.

"What's the rush?"

His thumb brushed lightly along the inside of her wrist—an ambiguous, slow caress, at once gentlemanly in words yet full of subtle, inexplicable intimacy, like a gentle temptation drawing her toward the edge.

It was early spring. In the fading light, the slanting rain stretched the streetlamp shadows long and thin. Amid the misty drizzle, he held her within his arms and murmured softly,

"Sooner or later, I’m yours."

...

After her failed bid for a first kiss, Lu Qingyue spent the entire ride pretending to be dead in the passenger seat. Cheng Xingye glanced at her in amusement—her eyes were squeezed tight shut, her whole bearing screaming refusal to engage. Knowing how thin-skinned she was, he didn’t tease her further.

Instead, he took off his own trench coat and draped it over her shoulders, then adjusted the car’s heater vents to keep her from catching a chill after being out in the rain.

As soon as the car pulled into her apartment complex, Lu Qingyue’s eyes flew open. Without a word, she opened the door, uttered a perfunctory thank you and goodbye, and darted inside, terrified that lingering even a second longer would force her to relive the mortifying memory of her rejected kiss.

She genuinely felt she’d embarrassed herself beyond belief!

She had been so forward, and not only didn’t he go along with it, he even turned his head to avoid her!

Was her kiss poisonous or something?!

Fuming, Lu Qingyue sprinted upstairs and dashed into her room. She pressed her face to the window, peering outside. The downpour had lessened, the steady drizzle washing against the glass, outlining the blurred shape of his car parked below.

He hadn’t left yet. Who knew what he was thinking about, sitting in the car? From her vantage point, she could only see his long, elegant arm resting nonchalantly on the steering wheel. That hand, with its defined knuckles and faint veins, was strong and unmistakably masculine.

It was that very hand that had just moments before gripped her wrist—not too tight, not too loose—his thumb brushing the soft skin on the inside.

The memory made Lu Qingyue’s heart race uncontrollably.

Whatever else had changed, their relationship was no longer the same.

More than friends, not quite lovers.

Suspended in this ambiguous space, she longed to move forward with Cheng Xingye, but he remained composed, patiently keeping her exactly where she was. Perhaps he had his reasons for not letting them take that further step.

All at once, Lu Qingyue let go of her lingering embarrassment and frustration. She had always been headstrong, following her heart without hesitation, but Cheng Xingye clearly thought things through much more carefully than she did.

The invisible barrier between them had become transparent; whether they broke through it or not no longer mattered. For them, lingering in this state of tantalizing uncertainty might even be better than rushing into something too soon.

With no idea why, she managed to convince herself, and her spirits began to bloom once again.

After all, knowing he harbored feelings for her was already a delightful surprise.

And besides, hadn’t Cheng Xingye said it? Sooner or later, he’d be hers...

...

For the next week, Lu Qingyue exercised remarkable restraint, making no attempts to provoke or pursue Cheng Xingye.

Her class was progressing swiftly; the new semester had barely begun and they were already into the first round of review. As the dark horse most likely to break into the top ten universities, the academic pressure on her was intense.

Previously, she hadn’t been fixated on which college to apply for, but after her candid talk with Cheng Xingye, she became resolute—she had to get into Jiang University.

At the very least, a long-distance relationship was out of the question.

Once Lu Qingyue set her mind to something, nothing could deter her. After a week, with the monthly exam behind her, she finally relaxed and realized it had been days since she’d spoken to Cheng Xingye.

He must have been busy too; apart from the occasional milk tea sent in by Lu Ming, he rarely messaged her.

On Friday, during the final homeroom period, the teacher handed out the monthly exam results.

Unsurprisingly, Lu Qingyue topped the class again, ranking 49th in the entire grade. Last year, that would have been enough to secure a spot at Jiang University, but to guarantee a better major, she needed to stay within the top thirty.

Feeling proud, she couldn’t wait for dismissal—she fished her phone from her desk and messaged Cheng Xingye.

[Dot-Dot]: Xingye, I sneezed eight times this afternoon. Do you think someone’s secretly thinking about me?

His reply came quickly.

In less than two minutes, a new message popped up.

[hOShinO]: Eight times? Maybe you should go to the hospital and get checked for cerebellar atrophy.

Lu Qingyue: "???"

Lu Qingyue: "......."

Was he allergic to romance?!

She felt all her flirting skills were wasted on him, and with a weary sigh, she decided not to reply.

...

The dismissal bell sounded, and Lu Qingyue slung her backpack over her shoulder and dashed out.

High schoolers these days were like this: barely able to stand during class, but after school, not even a dog could catch up with them.

She linked arms with Zhou Tingting and Hu Qiuyue as they headed downstairs. Just as they reached the landing on the second floor, she overheard voices from above whispering her name.

"...That’s Lu Qingyue up ahead. Your boyfriend used to chase after her really hard, remember? He got rejected by her in public, too."

Lu Qingyue glanced up instinctively, spotting a few girls she didn’t recognize—probably from Class 2, she vaguely recalled.

She was sure she hadn’t offended anyone recently, so she had no idea why they were talking about her. Deciding it was best to avoid trouble, she quickened her pace to steer clear of them.

As they reached the second floor, Zhou Tingting leaned in and whispered,

"Did you know Xiao Qingrong’s dating someone?"

Hearing the name, Lu Qingyue was momentarily blank. He was so irrelevant to her that she’d long since forgotten him.

She blinked, and once she finally remembered who he was, she replied, puzzled, "How would I know?"

"I thought since he chased after you, you’d pay at least a little attention," Zhou Tingting said.

Lu Qingyue frowned. "I’m busy, you know."

Lately, she’d been so focused on her studies that she barely had time for Cheng Xingye, let alone any boy utterly unrelated to her.

Hu Qiuyue gave a little snort, sidling up with a conspiratorial air.

"What are you so busy with? Getting all cozy with our drill instructor?"

Even though Lu Qingyue never mentioned Cheng Xingye to her classmates, Zhou Tingting and the others had noticed the pinned chat at the top of her messages.

Teenage girls were easily smitten with handsome upperclassmen, and Zhou Tingting’s face was full of envy and curiosity as she nudged Lu Qingyue’s shoulder and waggled her brows.

"Are you dating our drill instructor?"

Lu Qingyue hopped down the last few steps, strolling out of the building, her tone casual.

"How could that be? He told me not to rush into a relationship. Said that anyone you date now will just end up as someone else’s husband..."

Before she could finish, someone shoved her hard from behind.