Chapter 49

Shadows and light danced across the room as Tang Tianman and Zheng Xiyu sat on the floor, downing cup after cup.

The wine had a complicated flavor on the first sip, but after that, it hooked you like a drug. Tang Tianman couldn’t stop.

In the movie, the male lead sat under a persimmon tree, lost in a daze. The tree stood bare in the deep autumn chill, stripped of every leaf, with only a few bright red persimmons hanging from its branches.

Tang Tianman asked Zheng Xiyu, “What’s he doing?”

Zheng Xiyu replied, “Waiting for someone, maybe?”

“Waiting for who?”

“The person on his mind.”

Tang Tianman burst out laughing and leaned against her shoulder. “Isn’t that just stating the obvious?”

Zheng Xiyu laughed too. They gazed at each other, chuckling, the more they looked, the more they wanted to laugh, and the more they laughed, the more they wanted to look.

A loud thud echoed from the speakers.

It was the biggest sound the movie had made so far.

Tang Tianman and Zheng Xiyu both froze and turned to the screen. A persimmon had fallen, smacking the male lead right on the head.

The soft, ripe fruit, softened further by the autumn frost, burst open on impact, splattering across his head and face like a mushy splat.

Tang Tianman: “…”

Zheng Xiyu: “…”

Tang Tianman: “Will he end up a physicist or strike it rich?”

Zheng Xiyu: “Doesn’t matter what happens later—his mood right now has to be ruined.”

Tang Tianman: “A second person! Finally, a second person!”

Zheng Xiyu turned her attention seriously to the screen.

A woman wearing a headscarf approached the disheveled man. “Doesn’t this fallen persimmon look just like our love?” she asked.

Tang Tianman: “…”

Zheng Xiyu: “…”

Tang Tianman: “Why are we watching this movie?”

Zheng Xiyu: “You picked it.”

Tang Tianman: “I just wanted something slow-paced, nothing too plot-heavy—perfect for sipping drinks and watching casually.”

Zheng Xiyu: “Then you nailed it.”

Tang Tianman: “Doesn’t this fallen persimmon look just like the movie we’re watching?”

Zheng Xiyu laughed so hard she could barely breathe and reached out to switch off the projector.

The room’s only light vanished, leaving just the faint glow of the sky outside.

Tang Tianman tilted her head. “Why’d you turn it off?”

Zheng Xiyu said, “It’s getting late. Time for bed.”

Tang Tianman pursed her lips. “I thought we’d party all night.”

Zheng Xiyu stood and began tidying the table, taking the wine glass from Tang Tianman’s hand. “All-nighters aren’t good for you.”

Tang Tianman reached out and hugged her leg. “I’m not drunk. Give it back—I can drink more.”

Before Zheng Xiyu could respond, she cracked up laughing. “That’s what they always say on TV when people are drunk.”

Zheng Xiyu shook the empty bottle on the table. “It’s not about whether you’re drunk. We drank it all.”

“Huh?” Tang Tianman clung to the leg even tighter—the position was surprisingly comfortable, so she made herself at home. “I didn’t drink that much. Who finished it off?”

“Me,” Zheng Xiyu said matter-of-factly.

“You owe me a drink, then.” Tang Tianman was being deliberately unreasonable.

“I’ll make it up to you later.” Zheng Xiyu tugged at her leg, trying to drag the trash bin farther away.

She couldn’t budge it. Tang Tianman was latched on like a little poodle, refusing to let go.

“I’m not going far,” Zheng Xiyu explained. “It smells. I just want to move it away.”

“Like I care if you go or not.” Tang Tianman gave her leg a playful slap. “I’m just… envious of these legs. What great legs!”

She hadn’t noticed before, but now with a slight buzz, Zheng Xiyu couldn’t hold back her words. “Craving them?”

Tang Tianman slapped her leg again, harder this time. It actually stung a little.

Zheng Xiyu bent down and grabbed Tang Tianman’s hand, inspecting it. “That hard? Does it hurt?”

Tang Tianman shoved her away. “Go throw out your trash.”

Zheng Xiyu walked off with a smile.

Tang Tianman leaned against the sofa, staring blankly for a few seconds, then bolted to the bathroom.

Zheng Xiyu straightened up the mess they’d made. When she turned around, there was Tang Tianman behind her, grinning with big white teeth.

“What?” Zheng Xiyu asked.

“Brushed my teeth!” Tang Tianman pointed at her own teeth. “Super clean, right?”

Zheng Xiyu’s mouth twitched. She turned and headed into the bathroom herself.

Finally, clean from head to toe, the two slipped into bed.

Zheng Xiyu had planned to politely offer to take the sofa, but by the time she came out, Tang Tianman was already sitting on the bed, waving her over.

She patted the spot beside her as naturally as if they were sharing a bench.

Zheng Xiyu didn’t stand on ceremony. She lifted the covers and slid in, and Tang Tianman immediately snuggled under them too.

“Time to sleep,” she said with a wink at Zheng Xiyu.

“Time to sleep,” Zheng Xiyu agreed, lying back.

“I picked this big-bed room just for you.” Tang Tianman rolled onto her side, propping her head on her hand, her eyes sparkling as she stared.

“Hm?” Zheng Xiyu didn’t dare turn her head. She lay flat on her back.

“You’re so tall. Does that dorm bed even fit you?”

“Nope.” Zheng Xiyu chuckled. “My feet stick out.”

“See? You must feel so cramped. Even the doors seem super low, right?”

“They do.”

“Does the same distance feel shorter to you?”

“That’s because I walk fast.”

“But the same height feels lower to you, doesn’t it?”

“Okay, you win.”

“Don’t you want to talk about this with me?” Tang Tianman poked her. “Do I annoy you when I go on about it?”

Zheng Xiyu turned her head and saw Tang Tianman’s lips pursed in a pout.

They were already plump and glossy, like a ripe peach begging to be kissed. Now they were downright irresistible.

Zheng Xiyu’s gaze drifted. “How could I ever be annoyed with you?”

“Then why don’t you listen to me properly?”

“I am listening.”

“You’re thinking about something else.” Tang Tianman scooted closer, locking eyes with her.

Zheng Xiyu let out a breath. “Baby, have mercy.”

It was the first time Zheng Xiyu had called her “Baby” so earnestly.

Her voice was soft and helpless, melting something inside Tang Tianman. Warmth spread from her toes to the top of her head.

She had a little alcohol buzz, sure, but she was perfectly clearheaded about what she was doing—and what she wanted to do.

She wanted to keep chatting with Zheng Xiyu, aimlessly, about nothing.

She wanted to ask all those questions she’d never had the chance or courage to voice before.

And she wanted to push Zheng Xiyu past restraint, into doing what people did on nights like this.

Tang Tianman’s heart bubbled with delight. There was truth to that old saying: alcohol emboldens the timid.

Not that she, Tang Tianman—a clever little minx—was timid to begin with.

“Aiya, what’re you thinking about~~?” Tang Tianman reached out to push Zheng Xiyu’s shoulder, her voice lilting in deliberate coquetry.

Zheng Xiyu just looked at her, silent.

Tang Tianman rolled onto her back. “I’ll go first, then it’s your turn.”

Zheng Xiyu had no idea what she was getting at.

“Hee hee hee…” Tang Tianman giggled for a bit, then stared at the ceiling, her fingers fidgeting on the bedsheet. “Right now, I’m thinking… I’ve thought about this before. I really, really want to…”

She trailed off.

Zheng Xiyu waited quietly.

Tang Tianman nudged her. “Ask me already!”

“Oh, right—what do you really want to do?”

Tang Tianman blinked. “I really want to measure you with my body, see if you’re actually that much taller than me.”

Zheng Xiyu was stunned.

On every level.

The height difference was right there in the numbers—couldn’t she accept reality?

Measure with her body? How exactly?

That couldn’t be what she meant. Zheng Xiyu’s head spun harder.

Her tolerance wasn’t this bad.

“Come on, can we?” Tang Tianman urged.

“I…” Zheng Xiyu was at a loss for words.

“Why are you like this?” Tang Tianman huffed, her temper flaring. She rolled over, determined to ignore her.

Zheng Xiyu sighed. “Fine, come on then.”

Tang Tianman flipped over and rolled right on top of her. “Don’t move, okay?”

Zheng Xiyu: “…”

Tang Tianman beamed with joy as she wriggled to align herself fully. “Let’s line up our heads first… forehead to forehead, that should be accurate. Now I’ve got to straighten out…”

Zheng Xiyu felt like she was losing her mind.

Tang Tianman’s weight, spread out like this, was nothing—but she wasn’t gym equipment. She was a living, breathing, soft young woman.

Heaven had skimped only on her height; everything else was perfection.

She was slim, but with a delicate frame—curves in all the right places, round and supple, with an almost flawless texture.

As Tang Tianman squirmed and shifted atop her, Zheng Xiyu worried her bones might poke her uncomfortably, even as the soft friction left her dazed.

“You…” Zheng Xiyu’s voice came out hoarse.

“Almost done, just bear with it.” Tang Tianman got herself positioned and placed her feet against Zheng Xiyu’s legs.

“Hands in!” she commanded herself.

Her hands flopped onto Zheng Xiyu’s arm.

“Hahaha, you’re really so big!”

Tang Tianman had flung her entire weight onto Zheng Xiyu, delighted beyond measure. “Does it feel heavy? Can you hold out a little longer?”

“Yes,” Zheng Xiyu managed, spitting out the single word. She was grateful, at least, that Tang Tianman had her head tilted to the side just then.

“Then hold on a bit more. Let me take advantage of you a little longer.” Tang Tianman chuckled to herself for a good while longer. “Do you know why I’m so happy?”

“Because…” Zheng Xiyu began.

“Because who would’ve thought I could pin a one-ninety-two giant under me? Hahahahaha!”

Zheng Xiyu couldn’t help but let out a “pfft.”

“See? Just relax.” Tang Tianman sprawled atop her for a while more before finally planting her hands on the bed to prop herself up.

She lifted her upper body, but that didn’t improve matters much. Now she was staring straight into Zheng Xiyu’s eyes, the two of them separated by a distance that could shrink to negative numbers in a heartbeat.

Even in the dim light of the room, Zheng Xiyu could make out every glint in Tang Tianman’s gaze.

Tang Tianman grew serious. She looked at Zheng Xiyu and asked, “It’s been half the day. Don’t you have anything you want to say to me?”

“Hm?” The sound rumbled from deep in Zheng Xiyu’s throat.

“Really nothing to say?” Tang Tianman pressed.

“You mean…”

Zheng Xiyu wanted to clarify what she was getting at, but the words were cut off halfway.

Just like that afternoon, Tang Tianman leaned in and pecked Zheng Xiyu on the lips. “Think about it.”

Another peck. “Think harder.”

One more. “Think real hard.”

“Think carefully.”

“Will you say it?”

“Come on, say it.”

“Say it already.”

“Still not saying?”

“If you don’t say it, I’ll…”

Finally, Zheng Xiyu moved. She cradled the back of Tang Tianman’s head and rolled them over, enveloping the girl atop her completely in her arms.

“I like you,” Zheng Xiyu said.

She captured Tang Tianman’s lips in a kiss, her tongue tip gently pressing inside.

“And… this is me returning your wine.”