Chapter 31: He Let Her Go Once, Never Again

Dawn was breaking in the east, but the thick curtains blocked out the light, leaving the room dim.

The lingering scent of incense and residual warmth intertwined in an intimate haze.

Wei Qingxuan leaned half against the headboard. His broad shoulders were relaxed and open, the muscles of his chest rising and falling gently with each breath.

One arm was securely wrapped around the person in his embrace, loose enough to be comfortable but impossible to escape.

Lowering his gaze, seemingly dissatisfied with how quiet she was, he lightly traced his fingers along her side.

Wen Qi’s eyes remained closed. A few strands of hair clung to her neck, and her breathing gradually became uneven.

Seeing no reaction from the person in his arms, Wei Qingxuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. He lowered his head and kissed her hair.

“Asleep?”

His eyes never left her face as his fingers slowly tightened around her.

The eyelashes of the woman in his arms trembled, but she still refused to open her eyes.

The smile in Wei Qingxuan’s eyes deepened. Like a mischievous prank, he bent down and lightly nipped her shoulder. The bite was gentle, more ticklish than painful.

“Not going to keep talking now, hm?”

Back in the bathroom, she had been talking nonstop. Even when she was at her most dazed and overwhelmed, she hadn’t forgotten to remind him that someone else was still waiting for her company.

Now she wasn’t saying a word.

Wei Qingxuan rubbed her waist.

The girl was very thin. Ever since she was young, she had never liked eating proper meals and only loved snacks. Whenever she got hungry at school, she’d rummage through his backpack because she knew he always brought food for her.

And whenever she left home without eating properly, Li Yu would call Wei Qingxuan.

Every time he got that call, he’d frown and replace the snacks he’d prepared with healthier fruit and actual meals. Several times he’d annoyed Wen Qi so much that she’d rather stay hungry than eat.

Still, thanks to Li Yu and Wei Qingxuan working together, Wen Qi had no choice but to obediently eat her meals.

Every time she’d scrunch up her little face and sigh dramatically.

She’d been completely controlled by the “Eat Your Meals Alliance.”

She used to have a little softness on her body.

Now she was too skinny.

Wei Qingxuan rested his palm over her lower abdomen. With the slightest movement, he could easily encircle her waist.

“Have you not been eating properly again?”

Wen Qi slapped away his wandering hand.

Her attempt to pretend to sleep completely failed.

She sat up and glared at him.

“And you have the nerve to say that?”

The moment the words left her mouth, she froze.

Her voice was hoarse and soft from everything that had happened earlier.

Subconsciously, she pressed her lips together and shot him another glare.

If he hadn’t kept her trapped in the bathroom for so long, she’d have eaten hours ago.

Wei Qingxuan had already been smiling. Seeing her reaction, he finally couldn’t hold it back and laughed softly.

The triumphant amusement in his eyes was impossible to hide.

He buried his face against her chest.

“What should I do, Qiqi? I really feel bad.”

“…”

She wanted to push him away but couldn’t move.

Looking down, she realized that at some point Wei Qingxuan had already captured both of her hands.

Feeling the strength in her wrists, he curled his lips slightly.

If he hadn’t restrained her, that slap would definitely have landed on his face.

Then he wouldn’t be able to “seriously reflect on his mistakes.”

Wen Qi took a deep breath.

“Lift your head.”

“Qiqi, I’m sorry.”

Sorry she hadn’t gotten to eat.

Sorry he genuinely couldn’t bring himself to lift his head.

Qiqi smelled too good.

Sorry, he was trying very hard to reflect on his behavior.

Although he was apologizing, he didn’t move at all. The warm breath against her skin made her snap,

“You damn dog. If you lick me again, I’ll slap you.”

With his lips occupied, Wei Qingxuan replied indistinctly,

“You can slap me later.”

Wen Qi’s chest rose and fell with irritation.

There was simply no way to communicate with Wei Qingxuan using normal human logic.

Frantically recalling something she’d once read, she cleared her throat.

“Stop! No biting. Biting doesn’t earn rewards.”

Wei Qingxuan immediately paused.

His eyes lit up.

“What reward are you planning to give me?”

“…”

The corner of Wen Qi’s mouth twitched.

He actually wanted a reward.

Did he want a slap instead?

Using nearly all the gentleness she possessed, she said,

“There is one. But not now. Go make breakfast for me. After I eat, I’ll tell you.”

Wei Qingxuan narrowed his eyes. A trace of caution flashed across them before disappearing.

“After breakfast, will you praise me?”

“Yes.”

Wen Qi practically ground the word out through clenched teeth.

‘Praise him?’

‘Praise my ass.’

‘If I don’t beat him up, my name isn’t Wen Qi.’

“And after praising me, will you fall in love with me?”, he asked again.

“Yes.”

She answered without the slightest burden of guilt.

Wei Qingxuan saw through it immediately.

Wen Qi’s expressions were usually vivid and easy to read. Whether she was annoyed and frowning or smiling with curved eyes, her face was always lively.

But whenever she lied, she became expressionless.

She’d heard somewhere that avoiding eye contact was a sign of guilt, so whenever she lied, she’d deliberately stare directly at the other person.

To Wei Qingxuan, whenever Wen Qi looked at him with that serious, unwavering gaze, it was practically the same as saying,

“Wei Qingxuan, I’m about to lie to you again.”

“Qiqi is lying.”

“Uh… maybe I won’t fall in love with you?”, she said tentatively.

“But…”

Wei Qingxuan lowered his head slightly and looked at her.

There wasn’t a trace of anger on his face.

Instead, he wanted to hold her again.

This stubborn little treasure who always said the opposite of what she felt, how could anyone not adore her?

“I don’t believe you.”

He smiled.

“You will someday.”

The moment those words were spoken, all of Wen Qi’s patience vanished.

Her expression darkened.

“What exactly do you-”

Wei Qingxuan was like a maze.

No matter how hard she tried, she could never figure him out.

Even when she found what seemed to be the correct path, she’d somehow crash straight into a dead end.

The more she struggled, the harder it became to escape.

Wei Qingxuan looked at her and said softly,

“I want to hear you say that you love me.”

The room fell silent for a moment.

Wei Qingxuan stared at her lips. Moist, soft, tempting. He knew they tasted sweet whenever he kissed them.

Was this bastard doing it on purpose?

Furious, Wen Qi reached out and pinched his cheek. She’d intended to twist hard, but unexpectedly, his skin felt annoyingly good—soft and springy. Before she realized it, she had squeezed it several times.

Then she noticed his eyes were closed and that he was actually leaning closer.

Immediately snapping back to her senses, she shoved him away.

“Go make breakfast.”

“Then are you going to say it again?” Wei Qingxuan tilted his head and looked at her pitifully.

Wen Qi covered her ears and ignored him.

Some things only needed to be said once.

If he heard it, he heard it. If not, too bad.

Wei Qingxuan rubbed her head.

“Eat first. I’ll make breakfast.”

After the bedroom door opened and closed, Wen Qi curled up under the blanket.

The scent of calming incense lingered in the air, mixed with the faint fragrance unique to Wei Qingxuan.

Gradually, she drifted into sleep.

****

In her dream, she seemed to return to high school.

The difference this time was that Wei Qingxuan had never left.

They still attended the same school.

Schoolwork was heavy. Wen Qi hated carrying her backpack, so she simply tossed it to Wei Qingxuan and became a carefree freeloader.

Before they separated after class, she always reminded him to bring snacks.

Wei Qingxuan disliked junk food and hated carbonated drinks.

Wen Qi would secretly buy an extra bottle and shove it toward him whenever he started lecturing her about eating too many snacks.

“Take one sip. Then we’re accomplices.”

He never drank it.

Yet whenever she got hungry, she could always find plenty of snacks hidden inside his backpack.

He would hand them over with a frown, watch her eat with a stern face, then helplessly wipe crumbs from the corner of her mouth.

That unopened bottle of soda ended up displayed beside their photo at his house.

****

By the time Wei Qingxuan pushed open the bedroom door again, breakfast was already prepared.

His gaze settled on the sleeping girl.

She looked so obedient.

Lying quietly in the bed he had prepared, covered with the blanket he had chosen.

Then he shook his head.

‘Obedient?’

‘Not really.’

She was only behaving herself temporarily.

She loved provoking him.

And he had caught countless signs that she wanted to run away.

Why?

Wasn’t he good enough to her?

He sat beside the bed, silently studying her sleeping face.

Had he overlooked something?

****

Meanwhile, Wen Qi remained trapped inside her dream.

After school, they walked home together.

The road stretched endlessly ahead.

Wei Qingxuan followed behind her.

Whenever she looked back, he was always there.

The camphor trees rustled in the wind.

The world grew quiet.

Their breathing sounded unusually clear.

Then a familiar ringtone rang out.

It was her mother, Li Yu.

“Qiqi, why aren’t you home yet? And where’s Qingxuan? He isn’t answering his phone. Tell him to come over for dinner too. His parents aren’t home today.”

But Wei Qingxuan was right behind her.

She hadn’t heard his phone ring at all.

“Wei Qingxuan, my mom says-”

She turned around.

And he was gone.

The scenery dissolved into white.

The world spun.

Wen Qi abruptly woke up.

She stared at the pale ceiling for several seconds.

A dream.

It had all been a dream.

The phone call.

The version of Wei Qingxuan who stayed by her side throughout high school.

All of it.

Why had she dreamed that?

****

Wei Qingxuan had been watching her the entire time.

Only when he realized she had been awake for a while without moving did he speak.

“Awake?”

Wen Qi nearly jumped.

She hadn’t even noticed he was in the room.

“When did you get here?”

“I heard you calling my name.”

He smiled.

“You dreamed about me?”

“Yeah.”

She threw off the blanket and got out of bed.

“It was basically a nightmare.”

Knowing perfectly well that she rarely meant what she said, Wei Qingxuan only heard what he wanted to hear.

“People dream about what they think about during the day.”

He rested his chin in his hand.

“Qiqi, have you been thinking about me the whole time?”

Wen Qi ignored him.

She was starving.

She hadn’t eaten the previous night, and he’d kept her occupied all morning.

The breakfast on the table looked more like lunch now.

Oatmeal.

Soft-boiled eggs.

Custard buns.

Everything was neatly arranged and still warm.

Clearly, Wei Qingxuan had reheated it several times.

As she ate, her thoughts remained stuck on the dream.

Then suddenly Wei Qingxuan spoke.

“What if I don’t agree?”

“What?”

A second later she understood.

He was talking about her proposal from last night—that she’d only come here on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.

He’d spent half the night arguing about it.

The more he discussed it, the angrier he’d become.

Now he was bringing it up again.

Which probably meant trouble.

So she cautiously kept eating and said nothing.

“You’re going to live with him?”

Wei Qingxuan asked.

“I’m staying in the dormitory.”

She took another sip of porridge.

“We’re having a pure campus romance.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Pure?”

“Wouldn’t we count as a campus romance too?”

“Who’s dating you?”

Wei Qingxuan nodded thoughtfully.

“Right.”

“I’m the lover.”

“So naturally, we’re not pure at all.”

Wen Qi nearly choked.

What kind of ridiculous conclusion was that?

“I agree.”

This time she genuinely coughed.

Wei Qingxuan had actually agreed?

After how stubborn he’d been the previous night?

She couldn’t shake the feeling that he was plotting something.

Still…

She couldn’t stop the corners of her lips from rising.

“Qiqi.”

Wei Qingxuan watched her.

“You seem very happy at the thought of not seeing me.”

“I never said that.”

“You said it yourself.”

“If you get angry later, that’s your problem.”

Wen Qi couldn’t believe it.

****

“What did you just say?”

He was bluffing. He had to be bluffing.

Wei Qingxuan lounged against the sofa with one hand supporting his head, looking as calm and unhurried as ever.

“I said your boyfriend isn’t capable of helping you.”

His lips curved slightly.

“But your lover can.”

“Qiqi,” he said, patting his thigh, “come sit here first.”

“Between lovers, sometimes special methods are necessary.”

The moment the words fell, the room went silent.

The warm yellow light stretched their overlapping shadows across the opposite wall. The atmosphere should have felt cozy, but Wen Qi’s nerves tightened instead.

She clutched the stack of documents in her hands.

“What are you talking about?”

Wei Qingxuan looked at her steadily.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

His gaze drifted to the papers.

“Exchange programs. Overseas universities. Future plans. You’ve been hiding quite a lot from me lately.”

Wen Qi’s fingertips stiffened.

So he really had seen it.

“How much do you know?”

“Enough.”

Wei Qingxuan’s tone remained gentle, but it was precisely that gentleness that made him dangerous.

“You want to leave.”

Wen Qi’s heart skipped a beat.

“I haven’t decided anything.”

“You have.”

He stood up from the sofa.

The tall figure instantly shortened the distance between them.

“You’ve already chosen the country. You’ve already chosen the university. And you’ve already planned how to leave me behind.”

Every sentence landed accurately on the thoughts she had hidden deepest.

Wen Qi instinctively took a step backward.

Wei Qingxuan followed.

She retreated until her back touched the edge of the table.

There was nowhere left to go.

“Why are you so afraid?”

He lowered his eyes to look at her.

“I haven’t done anything.”

Wen Qi laughed dryly.

“That’s because you haven’t had the chance.”

“Really?”

His voice carried a trace of amusement.

“Then tell me, what do you think I’d do?”

Wen Qi immediately fell silent.

Because countless possibilities flashed through her mind.

None of them were reassuring.

Wei Qingxuan reached out and gently smoothed the wrinkled corner of the documents she was holding.

His movements were surprisingly careful.

“Qiqi.”

“You can go anywhere you want. You can study whatever you want. I’ll support you.”

Wen Qi stared at him suspiciously.

“You agree?”

“I didn’t say that.”

The smile in Wei Qingxuan’s eyes deepened.

“I said I’ll go with you.”

“…”

There it was.

She knew there had to be a catch.

“You don’t need to.”

“I do.”

Wei Qingxuan lowered his head slightly, their distance shrinking once more.

“Otherwise, what if you run away again?”

His voice was soft.

Almost affectionate.

Yet it sent a chill down Wen Qi’s spine.

“Qiqi,” he murmured, “I’ve already lost you once. This time, I won’t.”

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