Vol2 Chapter 39: Shaking hands for too long will make them sticky…
Bai Ci glanced at Lu Mingfei holding the umbrella, then quickly looked away.
She’d calmed down while dealing with those thugs. She was usually rational, but Chen Wenwen always sparked her anger for reasons she couldn’t quite grasp. She just couldn’t stand her.
Who Lu Mingfei liked didn’t matter—but it couldn’t be Chen Wenwen.
She wanted to say it again, but the words stuck in her throat.
Maybe her mindset wasn’t the same anymore?
In the end, she was just throwing a tantrum, and it felt like her fault. Honestly, it was a bit thoughtless. She bit her lip in frustration, unsure how to start, sneaking a glance at him. Their eyes met, and both quickly turned away, as if avoiding each other. Moments later, she glanced again, their gazes locked, and they turned away again.
“If you wanna look, just look. It’s not like you haven’t stared before…” Bai Ci muttered, just loud enough for him to hear. Lu Mingfei, unsure what to do, turned to her.
She’s really pretty.
The rain thinned, streetlights casting a dreamy glow on the wet pavement, like a flowing oil painting. Bai Ci felt her cheeks warm under his gaze and raised a hand to block his view. Lu Mingfei couldn’t help but smile—Bai Ci, shy? That was rare.
She bit her lip, glaring at him, while he kept grinning, saying nothing. Her annoyance flared, teeth clenched, but she didn’t know how to vent. Her hand gripped her phone in her pocket, as if trying to crush it, but nothing happened except maybe a slightly bruised phone.
They say when you’re together too long, you run out of things to talk about, repeating the same stuff until it gets stale. He and Bai Ci didn’t talk much, just hung out like loyal buddies. She wasn’t like Nono or Xia Mi, lively little witches with thrilling adventures, nor Zero, the icy queen. She’d chat about things others found trivial. Strip away her messy bloodline, and she was just an ordinary girl—one who’d stay by your side for a long, long time.
Ordinary, but she’d listen to every word you said, share her snacks, spend a day and night with you at an internet café, or fall asleep defenselessly beside you…
When you realize you have feelings for this ordinary girl, you notice you’ve already shared countless seasons together.
Ding, ding.
His phone chimed. Lu Mingfei folded the umbrella and checked it—a link from Doggo, a StarCraft buddy, about the hottest viral video.
“Guaranteed to move you!” Doggo swore. “An Italian guy proposing in the Summer Palace, soaking wet. Handsome dude, gorgeous girl, pure extravagance!”
Yeah, worth a good cry. Kunming Lake’s calm surface at midnight, the distant silhouette of the Buddhist Incense Tower, flickering lights along the Long Corridor, autumn leaves carpeting the hills, evoking the grandeur of Han and Tang dynasties. They chased and embraced in the water, parrots chattering in the trees, rose petals strewn along the corridor. The dashing guy wrapped the drenched girl in a big towel, carrying her through the petals. Caesar and Cleopatra couldn’t have topped this. An Italian, traveling thousands of miles to China, proposing not in some fancy restaurant with a diamond ring but in a royal garden.
What grand romance! What a spectacular proposal!
But Lu Mingfei didn’t feel a shred of envy. People are different. His boss had his life; he had his. This extravagant romance had nothing to do with him.
The world’s fair—it gives you good things but takes others away. Something more important waits, just kept secret for now.
Lu Mingfei patted his pocket, hoping to find something, but all he pulled out was a lollipop swiped from Xia Mi’s place.
“Want it?” He held it out to Bai Ci.
“Yeah.”
He unwrapped it, waving it in front of her. She got the hint, biting the stick and sliding the candy into her mouth with her tongue.
Lu Mingfei watched her, a slight flutter in his chest. “Um… can I hold your hand?”
Bai Ci froze, looked down, then up, and slowly extended her hand without a word.
His heart skipped. He reached out, taking it.
A jolt like electricity shot from his fingertips to his heart. Her palm was slightly sweaty, the warmth from their clasped fingers making her ears flush red. His hand, rough from years at internet cafés, wasn’t delicate, its texture like fine sandpaper grazing soft velvet.
The air after the rain was crisp, the streets nearly empty. They held hands, walking slowly along the quiet path, not speaking, just walking.
It felt strange—holding hands wasn’t exactly comfortable, growing sweaty and sticky over time, yet there was an indescribable feeling, a tickle in the heart, like a kitten gently scratching. So odd!
After a bit, Lu Mingfei suggested checking out the river. Dandelions bloomed on the grassy bank, fluffy white puffs dotting the ground, frogs and insects croaking a lively tune. He led Bai Ci to a stone slab by the shore, where they sat, took off their shoes, and dipped their feet in the clear water, gazing at the lake’s surface shimmering under the moonlight.
Bai Ci tilted her head, watching Lu Mingfei’s face. He looked happy, smiling at the view, eyes crinkling, bathed in white moonlight that made him look clean and radiant, his usual slouchy demeanor gone.
Strange—she’d never seen this in his eyes before, like the darkness in his heart had vanished.
“Bai Ci?” Lu Mingfei turned, catching her off guard. She blinked nervously, looked away, and stammered, “Y-Yeah?”
“What’re you thinking about?” he asked.
“N-Nothing.” She lowered her head, her face burning, lightly biting her left fingers, her thoughts a mess. She didn’t know how to respond, only that her cheeks felt hotter.
“Wanna wash your hands?”
She realized they’d been holding hands for a while. Letting go, a faint coolness lingered…
Sticky…
Lu Mingfei looked up at the moon—round, huge, and bright.
What a romantic scene, perfect for Natsume Soseki’s “The moonlight is beautiful,” but that line was overused, no freshness left. Besides, he didn’t want to say it.
He wanted to wait until he was better—more polished, cooler, more accomplished.
Like she said—more promising.
Bai Ci washed her hands, sneaking a glance at him.
Were there stars in his eyes? So bright, so spirited, like he’d found something amazing.