Crossing the Clouds and Sky to Fall in Love with You - Chapter 23

“Do you think I’m disgusting?”

I immediately retorted, “No! How could you think that?”

“Even though I knew you didn’t mean anything by it, and even our sexual orientations are different, I still tried every possible means… Xiaoning?”

I grabbed her hand. She was initially startled, and in front of her, I pulled down the neckline of my shirt, revealing the amethyst necklace she had personally put on me.

“You gave this to me, you put it on me yourself, I really like it, so I haven’t taken it off… I don’t think you’re… I really don’t!” Sensing the coldness of her fingertips, I held her hand tighter. “I just feel very surprised… Why did you still choose to pursue me after knowing I like guys? You are so wonderful, you surely won’t have trouble finding a girl with a compatible orientation who is pretty and gentle, so why me?”

My heart was pounding so fast, and she stared at me in disbelief. I plucked up the courage to continue: “And, and, the reason I didn’t come over yesterday was because I was thinking too…”

“Thinking?”

“Thinking about whether I like you? And! Is it more the kind of love for a lover, or the kind of affection for a friend, a sister-like friend.” I bit my lip and shyly glanced away. “That’s why I didn’t sleep well yesterday… I should say I had insomnia. The amethyst failed!”

Her expression was no longer downcast; instead, my words seemed to restore some of her spirit. She first let out a slight chuckle, which quickly escalated into uncontrollable laughter!

“What are you laughing at! I was seriously thinking!”

She covered her mouth with one hand, looking captivating even with tears of laughter in her eyes. “Nothing… I just thought of you losing sleep over this… The am-amethyst failed… Haha! It’s just for aiding sleep, not hypnotizing. If you don’t want to sleep, hanging a thousand beads won’t help!”

I pouted and poked her hard in the ribs. With a surprised “Ah,” she jumped off the small sofa and squatted on the floor. In my frustration, I stood up, pretending to kick her, which made her beg for mercy!

“Don’t! I won’t laugh anymore, I won’t!”

“You look better when you laugh! That self-pitying look just now was so unlike the Sister Tao I know!” I put my hands on my hips and, unusually, looked down at her. After a few humphs, I sat back down to continue eating my noodles.

She returned to my side, resting her chin on her hand. A subtle, unspoken serenity enveloped us.

“So… Do you have an answer yet?”

Her light, alluring voice made my ears burn. I picked up my bowl, deliberately creating a bit of distance. “I still don’t know… Honestly, you are very good to me. Learning that you like me, besides being very surprised, I was also a little… happy, actually.”

“I didn’t quite catch those last few words?”

“I said happy!” Gosh! Can’t she tell I’m already super embarrassed? “I’ve only been confessed to by guys… I didn’t expect a girl to now… Did I give you the wrong idea?”

She pursed her lips and laughed self-deprecatingly. “Let’s just say I was attracted to you, and I wanted to try and turn you gay, no matter what!”

When she said “turn you gay,” I choked on the dried tofu cubes in my noodles! “Are you okay? Eat slowly…”

“Cough… Well, then… cough! I’m truly honored, I guess?” I forced a smile. “To have a beautiful, cool girl like you want to make a move!”

She smiled lightly, returning to her own seat. “Now that it’s out in the open… What do you plan to do?”

“What do you mean, what to do?”

“Well… Are you still willing to… live in the same room with me?”

Now that her feelings were completely laid bare before me.

Now, she was the one who was scared, afraid that my attitude towards her would completely change, afraid that I would stop seeing her altogether.

Suddenly, I felt like laughing. “Why wouldn’t I? I’m not homophobic.” I actually wanted to add “and I quite like being with you,” but I thought that might be equivalent to accepting her confession, so I held back for now!

She narrowed her eyes, seeming to be in the mood for banter. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll suddenly pounce on you and kiss you in the middle of the night?”

I froze for a moment. “You wouldn’t do something so lecherous, would you?”

“Just saying.” She shrugged. “So, do you still want to travel with me?”

“Of course! That has nothing to do with this!” I got anxious when she mentioned “traveling”! “You promised me! You can’t back out!”

“It certainly looks like you want to!” She laughed and explained, putting a finger to her lips, flashing an enchanting smile. “So, are we now roommates who are almost lovers?”

“Saying roommates sounds weird… I prefer the term confidante.”

She gave me a sideways glance. “Won’t you feel pressure having a confidante who is constantly trying to pursue you?”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it!” I looked away. “Alright, I’m full. You hurry up and get something to eat. I’m going to rest for a bit.”

“Mhm, that’s good. You get some rest. I’m going to eat and will be back soon.” As if a huge weight had been lifted from her mind, her expression became very relaxed.

I walked to the door to see her off. She affectionately ruffled my hair and said to me, “Xiaoning, you just wait.”

“Huh?” Assuming she had something specific to tell me, I innocently leaned closer.

She, however, smiled gracefully and intimately whispered in my ear— “I will definitely find a way to make you fall in love with me.”

Mmm! You… “Hurry up and eat!”

The next day, she took me back to her aunt’s place for a follow-up visit. This time, the doctor thoroughly lectured her.

“You! You’re so afraid of being caught by your family that you won’t even get a mobile phone! You’re lucky your friend is quite healthy this time and nothing serious was delayed. If someone had a weaker constitution, you really could have caused them serious trouble!”

“I’m sorry…” Sister Tao bowed her head and took the scolding like a good child. I actually wanted to say it was my fault, but she shielded me, so I could only watch her being scolded by the doctor.

“Go get a phone! Stop making it impossible for me to reach you!” Was this the final verdict?

“Okay, okay…” she replied reluctantly.

In the end, I don’t know if she actually got one. In any case, I have been completely upgraded to her VIP guest. She is truly determined to nurse me back to health, so I’ve been living like someone in postpartum confinement these past few days, eating well and sleeping well. It’s all ginseng and sesame oil chicken. It was novel for the first few meals because the food was so rich, but by the third day, I felt very tired of it and nauseous.

“You need to keep this up for at least a week… No, it’s best to wait until your next period comes!”

Oh my god! Are you serious? Do I really have to swallow supplements and eat those sesame oil, ginseng, and danggui (Chinese Angelica) tonics? I suddenly missed my period! I used to think it was such a hassle!

However, thanks to her meticulous and generous care, the physical strength I had lost has gradually been replenished, and I really feel my health has improved. “Should I pay you more for all this…” Even though I had insisted on paying for daily meals to slightly balance the expenses, I still felt like I owed her a huge amount.

“I get paid for the book, and there will be royalties later. You just hope my work becomes a bestseller!” She looked back from sorting photos, giving me a hazy, captivating smile. “Besides, the more you owe me favors, the less I’ll worry about you running away!”

Uh! Is she… asking me to promise myself to her? That’s terrifying!

“Haha! You’re funny, I was just kidding! Don’t worry about it. These expenses are nothing to me.”

We went to bed on time at eleven. I used my phone to catch up on her updates after she finished posting them. Today, she introduced the elephant dung paper she had shown me before.

She turned off the light, and the room was plunged into darkness. “By the way, tomorrow, I’m meeting a classmate at his place to work on a report.” I now make sure to report any special plans to her… Have I gradually gotten used to this?

“Oh? What kind of report?” She turned towards me. I could feel the vibration next to me and the scent of her breath—should I call it a scent? Anyway, I thought it smelled good.

“It’s about magazine layout. I need to discuss it with another classmate…” Actually, I’m going to your house! If I suddenly said that, I guarantee she’d jump up.

“Mhm, understood. I have your phone number, anyway… Don’t hang up on suspicious incoming calls this time!”

I gave a dry laugh. “Okay!”

We fell into a slight silence. Under the covers, I reached out my left hand towards her. Feeling movement on the bed, she quickly reached out and took my hand.

I was still used to holding her hand to fall asleep.

“Sister Tao, I have a question.”

“What is it?” Her tone was a bit muffled; she was already starting to get sleepy.

“Your last name is Tao, so why did you name your fan page ‘Chu’?”

The book title Little Chu’s Journey of Images had been announced, and because of this, she was considering changing ‘Chu’ back to ‘Little Chu’ yesterday. I persuaded her not to, as ‘Chu’ was what people were used to.

And more importantly— ‘Little Chu’ was too cute! It didn’t seem like the kind of name the cool and straightforward her would pick!

“To hide from my family, and don’t you think ‘Chu’ has a sense of intimacy? Pouting your lips… like kissing the person you love.”

The shape of the lips does indeed become a pout… “I always feel like that reason is a bit strange…”

“Is it because I haven’t planted the kiss on your cheek yet?”

“No way!” She’s always like this! She suddenly derails the conversation to a place I can’t control!

She continued the derailment! “If you’re looking forward to it, tell me early. I’ll put on a thick coat of lipstick and give you a perfect lip print on your face.”

“I don’t want that… You have lipstick?” It was really hard to imagine her wearing lipstick!

“I have lip gloss… Alright! Stop joking now. Does that answer your question… I’m going to buy some things tomorrow and will be back before dinner. How about you?”

“My classmate might invite me to eat dinner at his place… I don’t know yet. Anyway, you don’t have to worry about me for dinner.”

“Mhm.” She hummed softly, her right hand holding mine even tighter.

I yawned. Even though I had brushed my teeth, my throat still had that terrible sesame oil smell when I burped. Pulling up the blanket and about to turn over to sleep, I faintly heard her say in my ear— “You can actually consider my suggestion just now… A lip print on your cheek?”

I shrieked, “Tao. Si. Qi!”

This time, I wouldn’t forget her name again!

After finishing the afternoon classes, Tao Yian decided to skip the last class so as not to encroach on my evening time. We went to his house early to discuss the report.

“Speaking of which, isn’t that magazine of yours in the school library? Couldn’t we just work on it there?”

The car stopped at the main entrance. Tao Yian smoothly maneuvered his electric wheelchair down the driveway. “It should be, right? But it’s more convenient to work on reports at home. The height of the library tables isn’t suitable for me.”

That’s true.

The last time I came here for his birthday party, it was already getting dark, so I didn’t get a good look at their yard. Their yard was a standard symmetrical design, which Tao Yian explained was the so-called English style.

It was a pity it was winter now. If it were covered in green grass, it would probably be a perfect place for a picnic…

“Xiaoning, are you in a rush to go home today?”

“Oh! No rush.” I smiled as he looked back at me. “I’ve told my roommate, I told her not to wait for me.”

I had to account for Sister Tao’s existence in front of him now. After my very vague explanation, I told him that Sister Tao was just my roommate, a beautiful older graduate student who was very gentle and took good care of me—if he hadn’t accidentally overheard Yiting and me discussing Sister Tao the day after my sudden stomachache, I wouldn’t have had to weave so many lies.

No, fundamentally, it was because they were siblings. Otherwise, I could have just told the truth.

Speaking of which… “Tao Yian, your sister’s book is coming out, did you know?”

“Mhm, of course, I know.” Walking ahead of me, his tone was calm, making it impossible to guess whether he was happy, angry, or worried.

“Have you read it?”

“How could I? Didn’t she say it’s not out until the end of the month?” He glanced at me suspiciously. I guiltily covered my mouth, only because I had nothing to do at her place these past few days and was procrastinating on facing my final exams, so I quickly finished reading the sample book.

“Well… I thought she might think of you and mail a copy back or something…” I had to just make something up! Oh gosh! I talk too much when I just say whatever comes to mind!

“Oh! No, she wouldn’t. She wouldn’t know that I follow her fan page.” He smiled slightly. “When I say follow… I actually only look at the photos. I usually don’t read her articles closely.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m more interested in the scenery she photographed. The lens of the camera is enough to tell a story. Maybe a few superfluous words added would make it more vivid, though?”

I couldn’t help but defend her. “How are her words superfluous? Her writing is clearly excellent!”

“Heh! Sorry, I shouldn’t speak ill of Chu in front of her loyal fan.”

His room was on the second floor, and we stopped in front of the elevator. This elevator was new and had been specially installed for him.

“Are you upset?” I tentatively peered at his face.

He pushed up his glasses and raised his head. “No, no. It’s just… If possible, I’d like to try and avoid talking about her.”

“Because it reminds you of her irresponsible past of running away from home?”

He tilted his head, the corners of his mouth turned up like a smile, but his expression was solemn and not very cheerful. Honestly, if this image of a melancholic young man were paired with a healthy pair of legs, the line of girls applying to be his girlfriend would stretch from the department office to the school gate.

The elevator only went up one floor, so we quickly went in and came out. “Let me show you something.” He regained his smile. His wheelchair passed the living room where the birthday party was held last time and arrived at another room.

This room wasn’t as big as his, and the furnishings seemed ancient and old-fashioned. There was also a bookcase… “Huh?” I glanced at the photo frame on the chest of drawers and couldn’t help but widen my eyes.