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Li Xiao raised an eyebrow.
Jiang Yu paused mid-motion.
“…What else did you expect?”
Li Xiao suddenly reached out and grabbed Jiang Yu’s hand.
With his thumb, he rubbed the back of Jiang Yu’s hand.
Jiang Yu’s body instantly tensed.
“What are you doing?”
“I warmed your hands just now.”
Li Xiao looked up at him, his eyes deep and unnerving in the dim light.
“Now it’s your turn to warm mine.”
“Your hands aren’t cold.”
Jiang Yu tried to pull back, but Li Xiao held on tightly.
“My hands aren’t cold.”
Li Xiao’s fingers pressed against Jiang Yu’s wrist, where his pulse was racing.
“My heart is.”
Jiang Yu: “…”
“In the middle of the night, driving through the snow to pick you up.”
Li Xiao continued his complaint, his voice laced with grievance.
“You won’t even say something nice.”
Jiang Yu’s cheeks burned.
“Didn’t I say thank you? What nice things do you want to hear?”
Li Xiao leaned in closer, his breath almost on Jiang Yu’s face.
“You have to say, ‘Li Xiao, you’re so great,’ or ‘Thank you for coming to get me so late.'”
“…How old are you?”
“Are you saying it or not?”
Li Xiao raised an eyebrow, his finger lightly tracing the inside of Jiang Yu’s wrist.
Jiang Yu shuddered, a faint electric current shooting from his wrist up his spine.
The car was too quiet—so quiet he could hear his own heartbeat and Li Xiao’s breathing.
After a few seconds of stalemate, Jiang Yu looked away and said in a very small voice:
“…Thank you for coming to get me.”
“I didn’t hear you.”
Li Xiao pressed his advantage.
Jiang Yu took a deep breath, turned his head, and looked straight at him.
“Thank you… for coming all this way to get me so late.”
Li Xiao looked at Jiang Yu’s flushed cheeks, flickering eyes, and slightly pursed lips from nervousness. Suddenly he smiled, a gentle smile.
He lifted Jiang Yu’s hand, lowered his head, and gently pressed a kiss to the back of it.
“You’re welcome.”
His lips were warm and soft against the cool skin of Jiang Yu’s hand, the sensation as vivid as a brand.
Jiang Yu yanked his hand back, covering the spot with his other hand, eyes wide with disbelief.
Li Xiao smiled, a sly smirk of triumph.
“Go on up. Take it slow—the ground is slippery.”
Jiang Yu practically fled the car, charging into the snow without looking back, hurrying toward the apartment gate.
Li Xiao sat in the car, watching his retreating figure. Then he raised a hand and touched his own lips.
The faint coolness of Jiang Yu’s skin and a trace of his scent still lingered there.
He smiled, started the engine, and turned to drive away.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yu dashed straight into the complex, ran up the west building, and leaned against his own apartment door, gasping for breath.
The spot on the back of his hand where he’d been kissed was still burning, the sensation refusing to fade.
He lifted his hand and looked at it in the dim hallway light.
There was nothing there, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that some mark remained.
‘Crazy.’
Jiang Yu shook his head and opened the door with his key.
The apartment was dark; Jiang Qing was fast asleep.
He tiptoed, changed his shoes, and went to the bathroom, turning on the light.
The person in the mirror had a bright red face, eyes shining unsettlingly, lips slightly parted, still panting.
Jiang Yu turned on the tap and splashed cold water on his face.
The icy water helped him calm down a little.
He looked up at himself in the mirror.
Then he slowly raised the hand that had been kissed, staring at the back of it for a long time.
Finally, he sighed, turned off the light, walked into the living room, and lay down on the sofa.
His phone buzzed softly in the dark.
Jiang Yu fished it out. The screen lit up with a message from Li Xiao:
– Good night. Sweet dreams.
Attached was a photo taken from the car—a snowy street outside, empty of people.
Jiang Yu stared at the message for a long time.
Then he typed a reply:
– Drive safe.
He placed the phone on his chest and closed his eyes.
The warm sensation on the back of his hand seemed to linger.
And the corners of his mouth, uncontrollably, lifted into a faint smile.
*****
The next morning, just past seven, Jiang Yu was woken on the sofa by the deliberately muted sounds of washing and footsteps.
He opened his eyes groggily and saw Jiang Qing already fully dressed, backpack on, ready to head out for school.
“Bro.”
Jiang Qing turned back when she saw he was awake, her eyes wide, and whispered:
“Is that… new water heater in the bathroom something you bought?”
Jiang Yu’s mind was still hazy; he answered unconsciously:
“The landlord installed it.”
“The landlord?”
Jiang Qing’s voice involuntarily rose a notch, full of disbelief.
“The landlord who counts every penny of electricity? Why would he suddenly be so generous?”
The question jolted Jiang Yu fully awake. The image of Li Xiao kissing his hand in the car last night intruded uninvited into his mind, and his ears instantly grew hot.
He rolled over, burying his face in the sofa cushion, his voice muffled with sleepy irritation.
“Don’t bother me… Go to school.”
Jiang Qing blinked, looking at her brother’s reddening ears and his ostrich-like posture. She pressed her lips into a knowing, sweet smile and didn’t press further.
“I’m off then.”
The door clicked softly shut.
Jiang Yu lay on the sofa for a while longer, then slowly sat up, rubbing his burning ears with his hand.
He looked at the open bathroom door. The new water heater hung silently on the wall, like a mute witness.
*****
Wednesday afternoon, ten to two, Jiang Yu and Jiang Qing were already waiting at the apartment gate.
The winter sun offered little warmth; the wind felt dry and cold on their faces.
Jiang Qing seemed nervous, constantly adjusting her school uniform collar and cuffs.
“Don’t be nervous,” Jiang Yu said, reaching out to tuck her scarf in. “Just act normal.”
“Mm.” Jiang Qing nodded, took a deep breath, and looked toward the intersection.
Almost to the second, at exactly two o’clock, the familiar black SUV glided smoothly to a stop in front of them.
Li Xiao lowered the window. Today he wore a sharply cut black long coat with a light gray turtleneck, looking steady and handsome.
He smiled at Jiang Qing first.
“Sis, get in.”
Then he looked at Jiang Yu, his gaze lingering on his face for a moment, the corners of his mouth lifting into a faint but incredibly gentle curve.
The car was warm. Li Xiao handed them two warm paper cups.
“Have some hot chocolate first, to warm up.”
Jiang Qing took hers and thanked him softly.
Jiang Yu took his too, the tips of his fingers touching the cup—just the right temperature.
The car headed toward the direction of Jing University.
The excitement doesn't stop here! If you enjoyed this, you’ll adore Crow's Golden Fragment. Start reading now!
Read : Crow's Golden Fragment
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