Volume 14
Chapter 11: The Child Who Chases the Stars
How long had it been since Lu Li had calmed his mind to appreciate the night view? In the past, he had loved quiet forests, vast seas, and rolling mountains. He had loved to watch the sunrise and the setting sun. Later, as the number of girls around him grew, and the things he had to be busy with became more and more complex, he gradually forgot what kind of person he was. The ideal life of the young Lu Li was to sit in a rocking chair accompanied by the dusk, holding a cat, and just quietly wait for time to pass, no longer considering the so-called “wasting time” or “cherishing life,” no longer pursuing the so-called “self-improvement” or “achieving value,” but just simply watching the clouds rise and fall, the water rise and the river rest.
The Silly Goose snuggled beside him. “These stars all have names. That’s Tiangang, that’s Shaowei, and those are Dubhe and Merak of the Big Dipper…” She was actually seriously counting the stars. Lu Li guessed that she must have romantic fantasies about the stars. Only a simple person would have such thoughts. When he was in junior high, he had heard people say that the stars were a dead silent, harsh environment, unsuitable for any living creature to survive. There were no Chang’e or Wu Gang on the stars, no Cowherd or Weaver Girl. Looking back now, prematurely killing the romance of the world was not a good thing.
Lu Li quietly listened to the Silly Goose’s narration. The restlessness in his heart gradually subsided. He just gently held her, and in the starlight, the years were quiet and good. After Chu Jingyi had finished with the last star, she suddenly turned her head slowly, and her pair of watery eyes, reflecting the starlight, gazed at him. “There’s also a star called Lu Li.” Her eyes were really shining. Lu Li didn’t know if it was the divine light in the young girl’s eyes, or the reflection of the heavens above.
“I’m not a star.” Lu Li rubbed her with his chin. He had to start shaving again now, even though he hadn’t had to last year. Spring comes and autumn goes, and time flies like a swift horse past a crack. They would all grow up one day. To Lu Li, this wasn’t growing up, but losing.
“You are a star. In my eyes, you are a bright and big star!” the Silly Goose said stubbornly. “Did you know? Lu Li, before I liked you, I actually really admired you. I thought you were so amazing, able to get high scores without going to class, and you could even make your own games. You were clearly from a humble background, yet you could hold your head high in Chuanhai No. 1 High School. I offended you in our first year, but you didn’t hold it against me at all…”
Lu Li listened quietly.
“I also know that admiration isn’t liking, but when my relationship with you grew closer, I discovered that the stars weren’t so distant after all. At that time, I felt that being with a star was a wonderful feeling, like a fairy tale come true. I hoped that the future would always continue like this. So when I saw you with Baili at that time, I felt terrible in my heart, as if that star had suddenly flown far, far away, walking side by side with another girl, leaving me far behind.”
“I’ve always been so scared, scared that you would leave me one day. They say I could easily find someone better than you, but… there’s only one star in my heart.” The little girl’s voice was soft and tender.
Afraid the atmosphere would become more negative, Lu Li interjected with a joke. “Who wants you to find someone better? Tell me who it is, and I’ll go teach him a lesson!”
“It was the girls from our first year. They’re very gossipy. Don’t bicker with them.”
“Okay, whatever Yibao wants me to do, I’ll do.”
Hearing this, the Silly Goose broke into a smile and sweetly kissed Lu Li on the cheek. “Later, later, I was actually always afraid that what happened that time would happen again.” Lu Li knew she was talking about the first time she had caught him and An Baili. Only then did Lu Li realize that he was the one who had left the first psychological shadow in this perfect girl’s heart.
“I also felt that I was too cheap, to be cheated away by you with just a few words. So every time I saw you with other girls, I would be a little on edge. I was afraid you would become a star again, and go with them to chase the ends of the universe, forgetting that there was a worthless Chu Jingyi foolishly waiting for you.”
“But, now I’m not afraid anymore.” She lay in Lu Li’s arms with a sense of security. “I know my star would be willing to give up everything to find me. I’m not cheap in the star’s eyes, am I?”
“You are also my star,” Lu Li held her tightly. “I won’t let you run away again.”
“Okay~” she said sweetly. A moment later, she raised her head slightly. “Can you kiss me?”
A beauty’s invitation—of course, Lu Li would not refuse. He knew the Silly Goose had been waiting for this day for too long. Since he was the origin of it all, he should also be the one to smooth over the wound in this girl’s heart. Everyone says it’s better to rely on oneself than on others, to lick one’s own wounds, otherwise, how would one grow? But Lu Li wanted to heal her wounds for her. This lovely girl didn’t need to grow anymore. She could be forever simple and romantic, forever chasing the stars, without having to know that there was actually no grass on the stars. She had been perfectly protected in the first half of her life, and the second half should also be guarded by Lu Li.
The young girl inexperiencedly met Lu Li’s not-so-aggressive kiss. She let out a cute whimper, like a little beast being teased. Lu Li’s hand slipped under her loose pajamas and landed on her increasingly full chest. Only then did he realize that this girl wasn’t wearing a bra, and moreover, her development was getting better and better. Maybe one day, she could even catch up to Yameng and the Zhu sisters.
Lu Li didn’t tease her any more, because he felt that in this situation, to manipulate himself with lust would be a bit abrupt. He gave the initiative to the inexperienced Silly Goose, letting her release her own feelings.
After a long time, their lips parted. Chu Jingyi pressed Lu Li’s hand through her pajamas. “I’ll let you knead them. That time during the Winter Camp, you seemed, seemed to really like kneading them…” Lu Li was slightly embarrassed, as if even Jingyi knew his true nature. With Chu Jingyi’s permission, Lu Li’s hands began to move lightly. How skilled was Lu Li’s technique? As the saying goes, “lightly plucking, slowly stroking, and then plucking again.” It wasn’t long before the Silly Goose’s face was flushed, her legs subconsciously clamped around one of Lu Li’s, her alluring red lips parted foolishly.
Lu Li swallowed hard, reached out and pressed the switch by the bed, closing the ceiling. He would leave the starry sky for the world to admire. At this moment, he only needed to admire Yibao.
Chu Jingyi said in a small voice, “It’s, it’s okay… But, but be gentle…”
Lu Li’s mind exploded. He felt his firmly held sanity shattered by this one sentence from the little girl. He no longer cared that he was at the Chu family’s, nor did he think about whether his father-in-law would fly into a rage. He just wanted to follow this watery tenderness and slide into an endless abyss. Lu Li casually turned off his phone, one hand passing under the little girl’s armpit to hold her, the other stroking over her flat abdomen, all the way down.
“Lu Li…”
“I’m here.”
“I love you.” A breathily innocent voice laced with unconscious seduction.
“I love you too.”
Lu Li sighed slightly. Really, Lu Li, really, you’ve been ruined by women in this life.
