Let Me Go, My Childhood Sweetheart [Rebirth] - Chapter 44

Jin Yi had not expected Chu Weiran’s physical stamina to be quite so resilient.

From her earliest memories, she always felt that Chu Weiran was somewhat frail, the kind of person who had to make frequent trips to the hospital. Combined with the fact that Jin Yi had been a high-energy child, her mother would often scold her for being too rowdy, especially when a five or six-year-old Jin Yi would insist on being carried by Chu Weiran.

Looking back now, Chu Weiran had been incredibly doting. Whenever Jin Yi wanted a hug or to be carried, Chu Weiran would pick her up without a second thought. The process was always happy, but the aftermath was often less so. Chu Weiran’s heart was more delicate than average; while not exactly a disease, she would certainly feel unwell after overly strenuous activity.

But perhaps it was due to growing up, because now Chu Weiran was capable of exhausting her and then demanding more.

As they lay in bed, Chu Weiran’s eyes were tinged with red and her breathing was still uneven. However, she recovered quickly, rolling over to press herself against Jin Yi.

“Xiao Yi, let’s go again.”

“Mm… what?”

Jin Yi’s body felt a tearing sort of ache. Lying there, she didn’t want to move at all. “It hurts.”

“Then don’t move.”

Chu Weiran braced herself against Jin Yi’s shoulders, pressing a light kiss to the corner of her lips, and then twisted her slender waist to straddle Jin Yi.

Jin Yi was completely bare, but Chu Weiran had somehow produced a red gossamer robe. Her silhouette was graceful and her expression was pure allure. It was nearly the death of Jin Yi.

Jin Yi gripped her tightly, whispering in her ear, “Ranran, does your mother know you’re like this?”

“Like what?” Chu Weiran licked her lips, her eyes hooded and sultry.

She knew exactly what Jin Yi meant, but she threw the question back anyway. In bed, it seemed this was Chu Weiran’s domain. Jin Yi was either passively enduring or passively being seduced.

“Knowing that you’re… whew… a captivating little demon.”

Aside from giving it her all, Jin Yi had no other choice. She tried to kiss her, but Chu Weiran dodged.

Chu Weiran lowered her gaze, reminding Jin Yi of exactly what her “duty” was.

It wasn’t until the metaphorical fireworks exploded that Chu Weiran collapsed against Jin Yi’s neck, exhausted. Her charming voice drifted into Jin Yi’s ear, making Jin Yi’s eyes redden with lingering urgency.

“I’m tired. Let’s sleep.”

Chu Weiran truly was exhausted; her eyelids were already drooping. If Jin Yi didn’t speak, she would likely be asleep within two minutes.

“Let’s talk after a shower, okay?”

“No.” Chu Weiran shifted her body and let out a dissatisfied hum. She only wanted to sleep.

Helpless, Jin Yi rested her hand on Chu Weiran’s shoulder, stroking her repeatedly to soothe her. “I’ll carry you there, alright?”

“Okay.”

After a quick wash, it was nearly one in the morning by the time they got back into bed. Chu Weiran fell asleep quickly, her body curled into Jin Yi’s arms in a highly dependent posture, her delicate feet hooked around Jin Yi’s ankles. Even in her sleep, she would occasionally rub against her.

Jin Yi found it both itchy and agonizing. She wanted to move, but Chu Weiran would immediately follow the movement. Eventually, Jin Yi found a rhythm in the friction and fell asleep to it.

Early the next morning, Jin Yi headed out in a frantic rush.

The previous night had been too intense, and with the distraction of Chu Weiran’s feet, Jin Yi had truly stayed up too late. Although Chu Weiran’s apartment wasn’t too far from school, Jin Yi still tried to leave early; these two days of the week had the most grueling classes.

She stopped at a breakfast stall for a bun and a cup of soy milk, finally catching the morning rush hour. This feeling was rare for Jin Yi. She was seldom this late and almost never missed the start of a class. Being with Chu Weiran was wonderful in every way, but this habit of being late for class was starting to give Jin Yi a headache.

However, thinking of the way Chu Weiran looked with her bedhead that morning, Jin Yi couldn’t help but laugh. Compared to seeing how cute her girlfriend was, being a little late didn’t seem so bad.

Chu Weiran was not a morning person. When she woke up and saw the time, she had been a bit dazed, and the noise she made getting out of bed was a bit much. Chu Weiran, who had been clinging to her, was woken up. She mumbled as if she were about to throw a tantrum, but Jin Yi silenced her with a kiss.

Chu Weiran quieted down, but then she tried to hold onto Jin Yi to stop her from leaving. Between the acting spoiled and the stubbornness, her eventual display of temper was so cute that it completely charmed Jin Yi. Jin Yi wouldn’t have been in such a rush if she hadn’t spent so much time coaxing her.

In the end, she was still late.

This time, she didn’t see a lethargic Qu Yin. Instead, Qu Yin looked positively energetic. The tables had turned.

“Tsk, late again. Was it ‘again’ last night?”

“Ahem.” Jin Yi coughed, her expression appearing a bit unnatural. Seeing Qu Yin’s smug face was quite annoying.

“I slept with Miao Miao yesterday,” Qu Yin boasted.

“???”

Jin Yi’s face was a mask of confusion. Seeing this, Qu Yin leaned in and whispered, “Don’t be shy. We’re all adults here.”

Shameless! Even though she knew Qu Yin had never known the meaning of the word “shame,” Jin Yi still felt embarrassed whenever she heard Qu Yin talk so openly about such things.

“Alright, class is starting. I don’t want to hear it.”

Jin Yi had worn a high-collared shirt when she left the house. She wasn’t eager to repeat the events of yesterday.

When class ended, Qu Yin asked if Jin Yi wanted to go out for lunch. Jin Yi checked her phone, but Chu Weiran hadn’t replied to her WeChat message. After thinking it over, she said, “Sure, let’s go out.”

The weather was getting colder, and the streets were thinning out. As the two reached the school gate, Qu Yin suddenly asked, “Is your birthday coming up?” She remembered Jin Yi’s birthday was in the winter.

“It’s still a month away.”

Jin Yi spoke distractedly, checking her phone every so often. Qu Yin leaned in gossipingly. “The way you’re acting right now, you look exactly like a young girl in the first throes of love.”

Jin Yi frowned and snapped, “What kind of description is that?”

Did that really suit her? Qu Yin didn’t care; she just wanted to tease her. “Seriously, your love story with Senior Chu feels a bit surreal.”

Jin Yi stopped in her tracks and asked, “How is it surreal?”

In truth, even without Qu Yin mentioning it, Jin Yi felt it was surreal herself. Sometimes she wondered if her current life was a dream, or if her previous life had been the dream. But reality kept telling her that the happiness she shared with Chu Weiran was real.

“You used to tell me exactly what kind of girlfriend you wanted, but I never saw you actually look for one. Now that you’ve fallen head over heels for Senior Chu, I feel like everything you told me before has been thrown out the window.”

“Before?”

Chu Weiran’s personality certainly didn’t match her old ideal type. Thinking of this, Jin Yi couldn’t help but ask Qu Yin, “What kind of personality do you think Chu Weiran has?”

“Hmm… very loyal, very devoted, and she treats you very well. But she’s a bit possessive.”

“Possessive?”

“You haven’t noticed?” Qu Yin curled her lip. “The two of you only have eyes for each other right now, so how would you notice? Chu Weiran actually has a pretty good personality, it’s just that sometimes I feel like she’s a little hostile toward me. Of course, I’m not saying that’s bad; it’s just a sign that she cares about her girlfriend. But… it’s a far cry from the ideal type you used to describe.”

Gentle, considerate, and understanding. Those were the standards for Jin Yi’s ideal type. In her previous life, Qin Chaomu had checked all those boxes, which was why Jin Yi chose to be with her. If she hadn’t experienced so much, Jin Yi might still be looking for that “ideal” girlfriend. But having lived through it, she understood the truth.

True gentleness and consideration come from love. Being understanding also comes from love. However, when it comes to the things one cares about, those traits can change. Just like yesterday, the moment Zhai Xiao saw Chu Weiran, Jin Yi felt a wave of bitterness. She even felt a surge of nameless anger.

“You only have those kinds of ideals when you’re young and naive. But now… I think Chu Weiran is perfect. She’s got character.”

Qu Yin hadn’t expected Jin Yi to say that. She patted Jin Yi’s shoulder and said earnestly, “Jin Xiao Yi, you’ve grown up!”

“Watch it. We both have girlfriends now.”

“Whatever.”

After a simple meal, Jin Yi dragged Qu Yin along to get her hair cut.

“Why are you cutting your hair all of a sudden?” Qu Yin looked at Jin Yi’s long, black hair and felt it was a waste.

“It’s too long, it’s a hassle.”

“It took you this many years to realize it’s a hassle?”

Jin Yi nodded, touching her hair. “Yeah, I just realized.”

Actually, Jin Yi quite liked her long hair, but in her past life, she had cut it once and never managed to grow it back out. They went to a barbershop Qu Yin frequented. The results were quite good, close to what Jin Yi had envisioned. Her hair now reached her shoulders, making it easy to tie up or leave down.

As they were about to leave after paying, they ran into someone Jin Yi really didn’t want to see.

Zhai Xiao.

“What a coincidence, running into you two here.”

Qu Yin was also surprised to see Zhai Xiao. She glanced at Jin Yi, whose expression had soured. If she didn’t say something, the situation would be incredibly awkward.

“Yeah, what a coincidence, Senior. Are you here for a haircut too?” No matter how useless the question was, Qu Yin smiled and gave Jin Yi’s arm a tug to snap her out of it.

“It is a coincidence.”

Jin Yi’s tone was neither cold nor warm; no one could find fault with it.

“Well, Senior, we’ll be going now.”

Zhai Xiao stepped aside. Just as the two were about to pass her, she remembered to call out to Jin Yi.

“Junior Jin, are you and Chu Weiran very close?”

Zhai Xiao’s looks, paired with her style, were actually quite striking. But Jin Yi still found her eyesore-inducing. She replied coldly, “We aren’t close.”

Then, she grabbed Qu Yin’s hand and walked away without looking back. After walking a few hundred meters, Jin Yi let go of Qu Yin’s hand, her tone very sharp. “What do you think she meant by that? She added me on WeChat at the start, and now she’s asking this. She’s clearly up to no good with all these moves. Don’t you think?”

Jin Yi stood with her hands on her hips, her face red with anger as she ranted on. To be honest, Qu Yin had never seen Jin Yi like this; Jin Yi was usually very calm.

“Alright, don’t be mad. Zhai Xiao is a well-known social butterfly at Ling University. Just ignore her next time.”

Jin Yi snapped at this. “Well, she can’t flutter her wings around Chu Weiran!”

“The way you look when you’re in love, it’s actually terrifying!”