The Kindhearted Girl Gets a Wife 20

Chapter 20

“Together”—these two words have two meanings. For Pei Yunle, it was a position from which she could advance or retreat. The same was true for Chen Qingtang.

From the side, she saw Chen Qingtang’s arms fall to her sides, the shoulder blades on her back tightening slightly, drawing two distinct curves.

Trembling eyelashes concealed her emotionally turbulent eyes. Chen Qingtang’s lips parted and closed. Every impulse she had to speak was brought on by Pei Yunle.

The other person’s reaction was both subtle and obvious. Pei Yunle’s mind was still sharp enough to sense that something seemed to overlap with her own thoughts. She leaned forward to see the other person’s expression, but the hair at Chen Qingtang’s temples was blown up by the wind, occasionally brushing against her nose and eyes.

Pei Yunle wiped the thin layer of sweat from her palms and fingertips with a corner of her clothes and tucked the unruly strands of hair behind Chen Qingtang’s ear.

The wind was gentle. Chen Qingtang’s whole body stiffened. The ear with the hair tucked behind it was burning slightly. At this moment, there was nothing else between them, only two pairs of clear eyes meeting in mid-air.

The corners of Pei Yunle’s eyes were slightly upturned, giving her a sharper, less gentle look. But for some reason, Chen Qingtang felt that her eyes held an indescribable tenderness.

Where had she seen this kind of gaze before? Chen Qingtang couldn’t help but hold her breath. It wasn’t in the movies. The only time it seemed to appear was in TV dramas.

But she didn’t think she was Pei Yunle’s female lead. Although there was only half a step between them, she saw the chasm that separated them. Besides, no one would like her reserved and sullen personality. No one would like a mute.

Pei Yunle knew she had to say something more. “Chen Qingtang, do you… want me to stay for you?”

Sweat began to form in her palms. She was about to lose her grip on her phone. Just as it was about to fall, as if to relieve some of her stiffness, she picked up her phone and started typing. She didn’t know what she wanted to ask, but there were so many questions popping up in her mind.

Chen Qingtang felt as if she had been thrown into the sea. The tide of her emotions rose and fell. Excitement and exhilaration threw her high, and then her underlying self-doubt pulled her back down. Over and over, she felt like she was drowning in the sea.

—Why?

It was still the same question.

—Because we’re friends?

Two consecutive questions. Pei Yunle didn’t know where to start. She suddenly felt that the usually prickly Chen Qingtang was a little cute.

“What do you think is the reason?”

Pei Yunle kicked the ball back to Chen Qingtang.

Chen Qingtang, who had received the ball, was at a loss, like an elementary school student who couldn’t solve a difficult problem. She was afraid that the answer was not what she thought it was, and also afraid that it was.

—Your staying or leaving should have nothing to do with me.

Pei Yunle was a bird soaring in the sky. Chen Qingtang was a touch of green in a barren land. She didn’t believe that this bird would be willing to rest on her branches.

Pei Yunle’s disappointment was visible to the naked eye. If she really cared, she would have said something witty, right? Did this person only have a rational side? But this made her, a sentimental person, feel very uncomfortable.

She tried to find an excuse for herself. “We just became friends. Of course I want to spend more time with my friend. After all, life is boring, right?”

The two of them walked forward, each with their own thoughts. The wind from the river blew the sweat in their palms cold. When they clenched their fists, they were filled with iciness.

Chen Qingtang suddenly stopped and handed her phone to Pei Yunle.

—Is it because you’re bored, and I just happen to be by your side, so you chose me as a friend?

Seeing this sentence, Pei Yunle almost bit her own tongue. Afraid that she wouldn’t be able to explain herself clearly and that the other person would misunderstand, since she had a mouth, she would definitely make it clear that these were not her intentions.

“No, I think you’re great, and it has nothing to do with other factors. It’s simply because of you as a person. I want to be with you, not as a boss and employee, but in a different, more intimate relationship.”

“It hurts me when you speculate about me like that. My heart is made of flesh too, you know.” Pei Yunle was really a little sad. Once a prejudice is formed, it’s like an invisible mountain.

Hearing the other person’s tone lengthen, the end of her words dropping, filled with a thick sense of grievance.

Chen Qingtang suddenly came to her senses, realizing that Pei Yunle seemed to be genuinely unhappy. The thought made her breathing a little ragged, but she couldn’t do anything. She turned her head to look at Pei Yunle.

Pei Yunle sensed something unusual. Her expression was still aggrieved. She lowered her head to look at Chen Qingtang. “Shouldn’t you say sorry to me?”

Chen Qingtang knew she could understand simple sign language. She made the sign for “sorry.”

Seeing this sign, Pei Yunle couldn’t help but think of the night she was drunk, hugging Chen Qingtang and repeatedly signing “sorry” to her. But what did she do? She closed her eyes and didn’t look at all.

Thinking of this, Pei Yunle was determined to get that one back. Her eyelids drooped, and both her eyes closed, only a red light shining through.

Chen Qingtang naturally couldn’t slap her again. She closed her eyes, which meant she wouldn’t look at the typed words on her phone either.

This person was petty and childish.

But she just happened to like this kind of person. She was stuck with her for life.

Pei Yunle crossed her arms and waited for the other person to make a move. She waited until her legs were sore and her arms were numb. Other than the gurgling of the water, there was no movement at all.

Oh no, she didn’t just leave me here, did she?

Pei Yunle frowned and was about to open her eyes when something soft and warm wrapped around her elbow.

She lifted one eyelid and peeked. Chen Qingtang was linking arms with her, her five fingers slightly together, looking very awkward.

This time, Pei Yunle lifted her other eyelid as well. “What’s the meaning of this? A touch is an apology?”

Seeing her playful smile, Chen Qingtang glared at her. When she saw friends interacting on the street, they would always link arms. So, she thought that this gesture was a sign of her weakness.

“Aiya, you’re not doing it right. Have you never linked arms with someone before? You’re not relaxed at all, and your body is so rigid. Do you know what you look like?”

Chen Qingtang stood there, stunned. This person had so many demands.

“You look like a bride linking arms with a relative to enter the wedding hall. Anyone who didn’t know would think we were getting married.”

Chen Qingtang’s breath hitched, her almond eyes widening. Her mind was blank. She just let the other person hold her fingers and adjust her posture, telling her what kind of state would look more like friends and not like they were getting married.

Pei Yunle patted the back of Chen Qingtang’s hand, her face full of pride, completely devoid of the sad and aggrieved look from before.

“Yes, with more practice, it will become natural. So when your hands are not carrying anything, remember to come and link arms with me.”

Pei Yunle had finally found an excuse to have physical contact with the other person. “Friends are very intimate, so when you’re not linking arms with me, I’ll link arms with you. This is a very common thing, so you can’t refuse me, you know?”

Meeting Chen Qingtang’s confused eyes, and afraid that the other person would come to her senses first, Pei Yunle immediately continued to PUA her, “If you refuse me, it means you don’t see me as a friend. I’ll be very angry and very sad.”

Pei Yunle’s mind started to work again. In this aspect, she could come up with many solutions. Thinking that Chen Qingtang didn’t even know how to link arms, she probably didn’t know about other gestures either.

“Friends can do many things together, like going shopping, taking a walk after dinner, chatting frequently on messaging apps, and paying attention to each other’s emotions—”

Thinking of what she was going to say next, she wanted to laugh. Pei Yunle looked around to make sure there was no one around to hear their conversation, then lowered her voice in Chen Qingtang’s ear.

“We can also sleep in the same bed.”

Pei Yunle could clearly feel the five fingers on her elbow stiffen again. She simply let go of Chen Qingtang’s hand and held her shoulder. “Friends can do these things. We can lie in the same bed and do nothing, just chat, tell stories, or just sleep.”

“But, don’t do these things with other people.” Thinking of something, her expression immediately became serious.

Chen Qingtang raised her eyebrows, her face full of confusion.

Pei Yunle pressed down on her raised eyebrow with her finger. “Because friendship also has a sense of possessiveness. If you do these things with other friends, I’ll be unhappy and become a big vinegar jar. Then your family won’t have to buy vinegar anymore, they can just come to my place and smell it.”

Hearing her list so many precautions, Chen Qingtang felt that she really hadn’t had many friends over the years. The acquaintances at school or in town were at most just acquaintances. She had never put her arm around someone’s shoulder or done any of these things.

She had thought that as long as they occasionally sat on a stool and chatted, they were friends.

It turned out that they could do so much more.

Chen Qingtang’s confusion piled up and finally turned into another question.

She couldn’t help it. She took out her phone and quickly typed a sentence on it—What’s the difference between this and a couple?

The corners of Pei Yunle’s lips couldn’t help but rise. She quickly suppressed it, pursing them into a straight line.

“Well, the difference is not big, but it’s also very big. Are you curious about this?”

Chen Qingtang nodded.

“Oh, then do you want to experience the difference between the two?”

The moment the words came out, Pei Yunle almost slapped herself twice. The meaning was too obvious. She felt like she was in some kind of pyramid scheme, or a scammer who was specifically trying to trick Chen Qingtang.

She went back to her playful smile. “No, you were the one who said you were curious. I’m just a very helpful person. If you want, you can have a free seven-day trial. I won’t charge you.”

“Do you want to try it with me?”

Pei Yunle always liked to look into Chen Qingtang’s eyes when she said these things, making it impossible for her to escape.

Meeting those shining eyes, which seemed to have fallen stardust in them, Chen Qingtang stared, unconsciously swallowing.