A wave of unease swept over me, and I felt a chill on my wrist as it was tightly gripped by Tunshe Nalin. He guided me upstairs.
The room was small, the bed was not big either, and because it faced the shade, it was particularly cold. But fortunately, there was a copper basin filled with firewood on the ground, and after it was lit, the room quickly warmed up.
I took off my cloak and sat at the low table drinking milk tea. I saw Tunshe Nalin sitting opposite me, but as usual he didn’t touch the bag of steamed cakes. I took a piece and put it in front of his lips: “Have some food? You sent me here last night and then went to that haunted house. You didn’t eat anything, did you?”
I expected him to refuse, but he actually lowered his head and took a bite.
“Is it delicious?”
He nodded, his adam apple rolled, and he seemed to swallow with great difficulty. I smiled, but I saw him immediately get up, go into the toilet in the room, and close the door.
It can’t be that he vomits, right? Is it unpalatable? I was a little confused and tried to take a bite.
It was fragrant, both soft and sticky, and there were nuts in it as well. Isn’t it delicious…
The door creaked open, and he stood there, his face damp and paler.
“I’ll be out for a while and back soon. Wait for me here.”
“Where are you going?” I grabbed his cloak, afraid that he would disappear again.
“I’m hungry, I’m going to find something to eat, and I also need to buy you some medicine.”
I breathed a sigh of relief, and the weird thoughts just now disappeared.
How could he not be hungry?
A faint clatter came from the door, as if someone had just turned the lock.
After breakfast, I was about to lie down for a while, but then I remembered that I rolled around on the floor of the haunted house yesterday and got dirty. I quickly took off my clothes and planned to take a shower.
But halfway through the shower, I vaguely heard a shrill dog barking from behind the house, then it whined a few times and then died down. I felt uneasy for some reason, so I hurriedly finished the shower and opened the door. Tunshe Nalin had returned, without his cloak on. I caught a whiff of something burning, and when I looked over, I saw that his cloak was in the brazier.
“Why did you burn the cloak?”
“It got stained with mud.”
“Oh…” I wiped my hair and realized that I didn’t have time to put on clothes when I came out just now. I picked up my underwear, put it on, and got into bed.
As soon as I lay down, I felt as if my whole body was falling apart. I was extremely tired, and my eyelids became heavy. “I’m so sleepy, Tunshe Nalin, do you want to lie down for a while?”
There was no response. Suddenly, my ankle felt cold, and I woke up with a startle when I felt him holding my ankle with his five cold fingers. I saw him sitting at the end of the bed, holding my ankle and applying ointment to my foot.
I looked up, and although I couldn’t see his eyes, I could still see that he looked calm and gentle. He held my feet as if they were a treasure given by God. He was very pious.
He…
After my gastritis attack, not only did he calm down, but he also realized his feelings?
I raised my eyebrows—so my hunch was right. He really did like me, and this moment finally confirmed it.
—My lofty muse has surrendered to me because of his love for me.
A sly smile crept onto my lips. I playfully curled my toes and brushed them against his palm. I could feel his fingers freeze for a split second—then tighten firmly around my ankle.
“Stop messing around.” His voice was slightly hoarse.
I was about to make trouble. I was so proud that I swung my toes and fiddled with the buttons on his chest. Seeing that he was not angry or dodging but just enduring me, I took advantage of it and raised my foot to touch his adam apple. Suddenly, my ankle was pulled hard, and I was dragged under him. Tunshe Nalin pressed his lips into a thin line, clearly irritated now. “I told you to quit messing around.”
I chuckled, “You are attracted to me, right? Tunshe Nalin, you like me—Qin Ran, right?”
After a moment of silence, he said hoarsely, “Like, Qin Ran.”
I laughed out loud and touched his lips: “I’ve expected that you would like me.”
Before he finished speaking, my eyes went dark, and I felt a cool and soft touch on my forehead. He kissed my forehead, inch by inch, slowly sliding down to the bridge of my nose and reaching my lips.
Unlike the rough and forced kiss before, this kiss was gentle and pious, just like the way he held my feet just now. His lips trembled as he held his breath, seemingly brimming with years of silent yearning and admiration. Yet he restrained himself, unwilling to let that love spill out recklessly. Instead, he brushed gently against my lips, biting them softly—not with lust, but with a deep, aching tenderness. He didn’t invade or rush, only cherished, as if loving me was enough, which was completely different from Ming Luo’s drowning kiss.
Such a chaste, shallow kiss still left me flustered, breathless. My hands clenched the sheets as his fingers interlocked tightly with mine. My legs curled up, seemingly pressed against a cold, hard gemstone on his belt. I glanced downward—only to realize that it was not a gemstone.
His face was cold and elegant, but his body was very different. I was stunned for a moment.
Who said he had no desire? Maybe he just didn’t know how to kiss with tongue?
“Tun, Tunshe Nalin…”
His face was hanging on the side of my neck. His lips did not move down further, nor did he touch me. He just held my waist tightly with his hands. “Qin Ran, do you, like me too?”
“Of course!”
I love you as I love a unique piece of work of art.
“Really?” He seemed a little bit skeptical, his voice was like melting ice, hoarse due to burning, “No matter what happens, in the future, you will always, love me?”
Such a special person, such a special muse, I will never meet another one in my life. I nodded, my fingers tracing the contours of his flawless face. Taking advantage of the moment while his heart was soft, I leaned in slightly and made my request without hesitation. “Of course. Come with me, Tunshe Nalin, come back to Jiangcheng with me, let me paint you, alright?”
“Alright.” He answered almost without hesitation.
I smiled with satisfaction. I should really thank this gastritis for giving me the most precious gift, which made the muse, who I thought was hard to conquer and capture, fall into my hands.
And he didn’t try to find out why I liked him either, which made me very glad.
If he asked, I honestly wouldn’t know how to respond. If I say that I like him because he reignited my passion for painting, I worry that it wouldn’t be the answer he’d want to hear.
“Then I’ll find a place to make a phone call and contact my agent. We’ll leave tonight.” I couldn’t wait to get up, but he pushed me back down.
“When night falls, we’ll go, together.” He seemed to be afraid that I would run away, and he held my waist tighter. But I liked him so much, how could I want to run away?
However, I really didn’t expect that he would be in this state when he was attracted to someone, just like an eagle soaring high in the sky and seeing its prey, it reveals its sharp beak and claws when hunting.
But I have enough confidence that over time, I can teach him to retract his claws and work out the most suitable way for us to get along with each other.
I raised my hand, touched his adam apple with my fingertips, glanced at his body, and smiled: “Do you want to go and solve it first? I… am not mentally prepared yet.”
—I won’t sleep with the muse I choose, but why should I tell him this now? What if we argue, and then he doesn’t want to leave with me anymore?
Tunshe Nalin didn’t say anything, but his adam apple bobbed a few times. Finally, he released his grip on my waist and got up to go to the bathroom. As I stared at the closed door, I couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction.
Learning to be patient is a great start in our relationship.
At night, Tunshe Nalin and I dressed neatly and walked down the stairs.
The first floor was dead silent, with no one there, not even the dog. The air was filled with a strong smell of incense and an indescribable fishy odor that was a bit nauseating.
“Boss?” I covered my nose and put the key on the table. “We are leaving. Let’s pay the bill.”
No one responded. Tunshe Nalin said, “I have already paid.”
He took my hand and pushed the door open. A loud “crash” echoed as something hit the ground. I looked down and saw it was a string of amulets, identical to the one Mo Wei had given me before. I picked it up, noticing the blackened peach pit with a paper roll wrapped around the red string.
“Wait.”
I broke free from Tunshe Nalin’s hand, curiously picked up the amulet, opened the paper roll, and saw a line of small words written on it.
“The clinic’s phone has been repaired, Teacher Qin Ran. I’m leaving first, see you in Jiangcheng.”
It was obviously left by Mo Wei.
“Great, we can make a call from the clinic!” I was delighted and took Tunshe Nalin’s hand. He led the horse and walked out of the narrow alley with me.
Perhaps due to a recent murder in the town, the doors and windows of every house on both sides of the street were tightly shut. Additionally, the snow was falling more heavily, and only a few streetlights were lit. The town appeared like something out of another world, resembling the ash-filled streets of Silent Hill.
But because Tunshe Nalin was by my side, I was not afraid at all. Instead, I could feel a hint of romance from the almost overlapping sounds of our footsteps walking side by side in the snow.
Yes, in this small town that seems to be lost at the end of the world, with the long streets covered with snow, he and I walked hand in hand, leaning on each other’s shadows. There is nothing more romantic than this.
“I haven’t been this happy for a long time, Tunshe Nalin.”
He clenched my hand and said in a low voice, “Me, too.”
I held up his hand, tilted my head, and kissed the back of his hand: “Thank God for letting me meet you.”
Under the light, he paused and seemed to be staring at me quietly through the blindfold. The hand that I kissed reached into my cloak, and his cold fingers held my face. His fingertips stroked the corners of my eyes and cheeks and finally fell on my lips and pressed, “Little fox…”
Little fox? Why did he give me such a nickname…
“You have walked into my trap on your own. I will never let you go, in this life. Remember this.”
My heart skipped a beat, and my hands stiffened.
In my life, I’m most afraid of such words, such as never letting go for the rest of one’s life… although he may just be flirting, to me, these words are not only not flirting but also a bit scary.
