Jiang Chengzhou guiltily rubbed the tip of his nose. “It’s nothing. I just need to rejoin my unit as soon as I’m healed.”
Shen Man set down the quilt in her hands. “That soon?”
Jiang Chengzhou nodded. “Yeah.”
Shen Man suddenly understood what Jiang Chengzhou had meant earlier. They weren’t even together yet, and she was already worrying about him.
But…
“Isn’t there anything else you want to tell me?”
Jiang Chengzhou raised an eyebrow. “What else is there?”
Shen Man sat on the bed while Jiang Chengzhou sat on a little stool. He was nearly half a head shorter than her, so he could only look up at her slightly.
Shen Man lowered her eyes, her gaze sliding from his thick, dark brows to his faintly pursed lips.
Seeing him from this superior vantage point stirred a subtle sense of dissatisfaction in her.
It was just like the situation between them.
On the surface, Jiang Chengzhou was the one coaxing her and looking up at her, but in reality, he had always been the one holding the kite string in their relationship.
He tightened it when he wanted to and loosened it when he pleased.
She was a little annoyed, but when she looked at him, injured arm in a sling and awkwardly folded onto the tiny stool, that spark of anger scattered.
Shen Man didn’t want their relationship to remain so vague and ambiguous. She wanted a definite answer.
Unfortunately, Jiang Chengzhou was an expert at dodging questions and pretending not to understand.
Just as she was racking her brains for a way to force his hand, the lamp on the wall suddenly flickered once or twice, then went out.
“Ah!”
Shen Man cried out and sprang up from the edge of the bed, throwing herself straight into the arms of the person opposite her.
Caught off guard, Jiang Chengzhou’s hand clamped securely around the small of her back. “It’s all right. The voltage must be unstable.”
The high-voltage main grid had not yet been extended here. The entire area relied on an independent supply from a small hydropower station and operated as an isolated grid.
The power station had to prioritize the hospital, while the nearby lines had been strung through the mountains from a small hydroelectric plant dozens of kilometers away.
The long-distance transmission resulted in heavy power loss, so whenever any high-powered equipment along the line was switched on, the power often cut out like this.
Shen Man pressed closer to him. How could the little stool possibly support two people?
The short-legged stool beneath them had already been unsteady. Before it could collapse completely, Jiang Chengzhou reacted quickly. His right arm tightened around her waist, lifting her as he used the momentum to rise from the stool.
Shen Man hung from him, her forehead pressed against his collarbone. Both hands gripped the fabric of his shirt at the front, with no intention of letting go.
She even buried her face more deeply against his chest, her breath burning through the thin fabric against his skin.
Jiang Chengzhou stood motionless. One hand still circled her waist as he lowered his head and spent a moment making out her silhouette in the darkness. There was a trace of helpless amusement in his voice. “Are you really that scared?”
“Mhm.” Shen Man’s muffled voice came from his chest. “You scared me half to death.”
They stood that way for quite some time.
At last, Shen Man’s voice sounded in the darkness. “Jiang Chengzhou, you’re holding me a little too tightly.”
“Ah—oh, right.”
Jiang Chengzhou hurriedly loosened his arm.
Shen Man caught hold of his shirt. “Don’t let go. I’m scared.”
The hand he had only half withdrawn immediately returned, wrapping around her waist again.
This time, he didn’t dare hold her as tightly. He merely rested his palm against the small of her back, fingers slightly curled.
Shen Man remained quiet in his arms for two seconds. Then she raised a hand and slowly traced upward from his chest.
Her fingers skimmed over his pectorals and continued up to his collarbone, then his Adam’s apple, finally coming to rest against his face.
Jiang Chengzhou’s breathing grew heavier. His Adam’s apple rolled beneath her palm, and his voice turned slightly hoarse. “Shen Man, stop fidgeting.”
“You’re scolding me again.”
Shen Man pressed her fingertip against his cheekbone, then brushed his earlobe.
The touch made Jiang Chengzhou burn all over. He turned his head away. “I’m not scolding you. Shen Man, you can’t bully an injured man like me.”
Shen Man didn’t answer. She cupped his face in both hands, her thumbs gently rubbing over his brow bones.
“I’m scared. Touching you makes me feel better.”
Jiang Chengzhou stopped avoiding her.
In the darkness, neither of them spoke again. Shen Man could feel the heat rising in his cheeks, and his body had gone taut.
After a long while, Shen Man withdrew her hands and wrapped them around his waist again, resting her face against his chest.
Jiang Chengzhou’s heart was pounding like a drum, the sound striking directly against her ears through his shirt.
Shen Man curved her lips into a smile. “Jiang Chengzhou, just give in to me.”
The lights came back on.
Jiang Chengzhou blinked as his eyes adjusted to the brightness. “What did you just say? I didn’t hear you.”
Shen Man looked up. “I…”
Jiang Chengzhou bent down and kissed her.
Shen Man’s eyes flew open. Up close, all she could see were his lowered eyelashes, thick and dark.
Her mind went blank for a moment. Her arms were still around his waist, and her entire body had gone rigid.
Jiang Chengzhou moved his hand from the small of her back to the back of her head, his fingers slipping gently into the short hair behind her ear.
Shen Man closed her eyes. The fingers gripping the back of his shirt slowly relaxed, and she rose onto her tiptoes.
She began to return his kiss.
It was hesitant, even a little clumsy.
But that small movement made Jiang Chengzhou’s arms tighten sharply, pulling her completely against him. The kiss, restrained at first, suddenly deepened.
Shen Man was kissed into a daze, her head tilted back as she followed his movements.
He could feel her breathing—quick and hot—as it scorched across her skin. Her ears, cheeks, and neck were all tinged with a thin layer of warmth.
Shen Man clung to his shoulders. Jiang Chengzhou’s jacket slipped to the floor, while the shirt beneath was wrinkled where she had gripped it.
The dim yellow light spread over them, their shadows merging together on the wall behind them.
Jiang Chengzhou slowly released her. His breathing had not yet settled, and his chest rose and fell in quick, uneven motions.
Shen Man opened her eyes and suddenly laughed. “Jiang Chengzhou, you’ve fallen into my hands.”
Jiang Chengzhou laughed too. “Yes. I’ve fallen into your hands.”
Shen Man took a step back and patted him on the shoulder. “Go ahead and head to the front line.”
“Hm?” Jiang Chengzhou chuckled. “You’re not worried about me?”
“Of course I am.” Shen Man’s lips were still faintly red from their kiss. “But that’s all right. So what if I worry? Do you really think I can’t handle worrying about you?”
Jiang Chengzhou laughed. “You’re right.”
Their relationship had taken a rather enormous leap forward.
It was already late, and Jiang Chengzhou had to leave. Shen Man insisted on seeing him out.
Jiang Chengzhou lowered his eyes to her. “It’s dark outside. Aren’t you afraid of the dark?”
“Isn’t that what I have you for?”
Shen Man looked up, her eyes shining.
In Jiang Chengzhou’s eyes, she was simply…adorable.
When they reached the vicinity of Jiang Chengzhou’s dormitory, they stopped.
“I’m here,” Jiang Chengzhou said softly.
“Oh.”
“Shall I walk you back now?”
Shen Man smiled and nodded. “Okay.”
Holding hands, they retraced the path they had just taken.
Neither of them was quite ready for the evening to end. But if they kept walking like this, dawn would arrive before long.
