Chapter 67: I Don’t Want You to Suffer Any Pain
People tend to compromise. When given the choice between being carried in his arms or on his back, Qu Danwan immediately chose the piggyback ride.
"Then... I’ll have to trouble you," Qu Danwan replied quietly, her face flushing as she looked at Zhou Hao.
It wasn’t the thought of Zhou Hao touching her that made her shy, but the thought of the two of them being seen as they left the academic building. That made her blush uncontrollably.
She was so flustered that she temporarily forgot about the pain.
Seeing Qu Danwan agree, Zhou Hao broke into a grin and squatted down in front of her again.
Qu Danwan stared at Zhou Hao’s broad back, took two deep breaths, then reached her arms over his shoulders and leaned her weight onto him.
The instant Qu Danwan’s arms circled his neck, Zhou Hao got so nervous his breathing quickened.
The faint scent of gardenia from her hair drifted into his nose. He tried to stay calm by pressing his tongue to the roof of his mouth, but the sudden, soft pressure against his back made him stumble forward.
The full-length mirror on the stairwell wall reflected the tips of his ears, which had turned beet-red. His elbows reflexively bent upward, but they froze as if shocked just before touching the backs of Qu Danwan’s knees.
An April breeze swept magnolia petals down the hall. In the silence, the sound of Zhou Hao swallowing was exceptionally clear.
Qu Danwan rested her chin lightly on Zhou Hao’s shoulder. As her gaze swept past his crimson ear, she noticed the tattoo on the nape of his neck was faintly trembling—his entire body was tensed up.
’So I’m not the only one whose fingertips are trembling from nerves.’
"A-Are you ready? I’m going to stand up," Zhou Hao stammered, so nervous he could barely speak.
Sensing the cute, shy side of this big guy, so different from his appearance, Qu Danwan couldn’t help but smile.
"I’m ready," she answered softly in his ear.
Her soft, unintentional breath against his earlobe, however, made him freeze on the spot, as if he’d been struck by lightning.
A tingling warmth spread from his ear as her breath washed over it, shooting down his spine and exploding like fireworks in his mind. His fingers, resting on the backs of her knees, curled unconsciously, the fabric of her uniform rustling softly.
He swallowed hard, forcing himself to calm down before slowly standing up with Qu Danwan on his back.
He rose very slowly, like a robot set to its lowest speed. He was clearly afraid that the slightest tremor would aggravate Qu Danwan’s injury.
He didn’t want to cause her any pain.
Once he was standing, Zhou Hao forgot how to walk. He didn’t know whether to step with his left foot or his right. His entire world narrowed to the warm, moist breath that occasionally ghosted across his ear.
"Zhou Hao?" Seeing him frozen in place like a robot that had run out of battery, Qu Danwan called out to him in confusion, pulling his soul back to his body.
The evening light flowed like honey across the tiled floor of the hallway. As Zhou Hao took his first step, he made a conscious effort to slow his pace.
The backs of Qu Danwan’s knees felt hot in his palms. The fabric of her uniform pants was a thousand times softer against his skin than he had imagined. He deliberately kept his thumbs hovering in the air, afraid the calluses on his hands might chafe her skin.
Unlike other girls, Qu Danwan didn’t like wearing skirts, so she almost always wore the school uniform pants.
’It’s a good thing she’s wearing pants,’ he thought. ’If she were in a skirt, I’d have no idea where to put my hands.’
"Hiss..." Zhou Hao accidentally took a step down the stairs a little too quickly, jarring Qu Danwan and making her suck in a sharp breath.
The moment the sound escaped her lips, she felt his shoulder blades tense up, and his movements immediately slowed.
The warm April wind, scented with magnolia, slipped into the gaps of their collars. Zhou Hao’s tattoo quivered as he swallowed, a clear sign of how carefully he was trying to move.
Seeing how careful he was being, Qu Danwan felt she should try to endure the pain better. Otherwise, she’d make things incredibly difficult for him.
A fresh bead of sweat rolled from behind his ear into his collar. By the seventh step, his grip began to slip; he was so afraid of touching her too boldly that he didn’t have a secure hold.
To get a more stable hold, he said shyly, "I’m going to... adjust my grip a little."
"Mm..."
After her nearly inaudible reply, Zhou Hao dared to tighten his grip slightly. As he did, the warmth from her legs seeped through the fabric, branding the space between his thumb and forefinger.
With each of Zhou Hao’s steps, Qu Danwan’s legs were held steady and didn’t jostle her injury. But where their upper bodies were pressed together, they swayed gently. Her chest would occasionally brush against the folds of his uniform, sending a shiver through them both from the point of contact.
Zhou Hao’s face grew redder, and a blush had long since spread across Qu Danwan’s cheeks as well.
Even through two layers of clothing, she could feel the frantic thumping of his heart against her chest, like a small, panicked animal trapped in his ribcage.
After the twenty-first gentle sway, she finally couldn’t help but say, "You can walk a little faster, you know..."
"It’ll hurt," Zhou Hao blurted out.
"It’s okay."
"No."
"Really, it’s fine."
"I don’t want you to feel any pain at all."
The boy’s simple, unconscious words made Qu Danwan’s heart skip a beat.
When the ends of her hair brushed against his earlobe, she could feel the pulse in his neck suddenly quicken. He had clearly realized how intimate his words sounded.
Those simple words were almost like a confession.
For a moment, both of them were flustered and speechless, unsure of what to do.
When "Für Elise" suddenly began to play over the school’s PA system, they both flinched.
Qu Danwan, her face hidden behind Zhou Hao’s shoulder, was burning hot enough to fry an egg. She had no idea that his own heart was hammering so hard it was making his breathing ragged.
"I... I meant... when a girl is hurt this badly... even a little pain can be excruciating. I just... didn’t want you to..." Realizing how intimate he had sounded, Zhou Hao scrambled to explain himself.
He was afraid that by being too forward with his words and feelings, he would push away the girl he’d fallen for at first sight.
But the more he tried to explain, the more jumbled his words became. Seeing him so flustered and shyly trying to backtrack, Qu Danwan couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.
The puff of air from her laugh tickled the fine hairs behind his ear, startling him so much he nearly walked into a pillar.
’She laughed! Thank God,’ thought Zhou Hao, who had just been rambling incoherently. A wave of relief washed over him.
"Are you always like this when you talk to girls?" Qu Danwan asked, taking the initiative to break the awkward silence as they walked.