Lin Mo had been waiting at the bus stop for nearly 15 minutes.
Although several buses had passed by, the one he was waiting for had yet to arrive.
The autumn wind carried a hint of chill. At this moment, Lin Mo’s mind drifted back to the Special Guidance in the Student Union Office earlier that afternoon.
It turned out Su Qing actually had a yandere disposition. And what did she mean by an even more severe punishment next time?
‘Why am I actually looking forward to it a little?’
Lin Mo shook his head, trying to toss the wild fantasies out of his mind.
Suddenly…
A sharp intake of breath came from behind him.
It was accompanied by a familiar voice.
Lin Mo turned around and froze for a moment.
Su Qing was standing a few paces behind him.
One of her hands was braced against a lamp post. She was still wearing the high heels from before, but one foot was hovering in the air, and her brow was slightly furrowed.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing.”
But immediately after Su Qing’s foot touched the ground, she let out a pained sound.
*Hiss.*
“Did you sprain your ankle?”
“Maybe… I wasn’t paying attention when I was going down the steps earlier.” Su Qing’s voice was half as soft as usual, sounding as if she were truly enduring pain.
“Can you walk?”
“I think… I can.”
*Hiss.*
Su Qing tried to take a step.
Lin Mo stepped forward and supported her arm.
“I’ll help you back.”
“I don’t need your help.”
Despite her words, Su Qing leaned her body weight toward Lin Mo.
The bus finally arrived.
The doors opened, and Lin Mo carefully guided Su Qing onto the bus.
“Here, take it slow.”
Lin Mo helped her up with gentle, cautious movements.
Su Qing used his strength to step up the stairs, her body pressing almost entirely against his. That familiar, faintly sweet fragrance instantly enveloped him.
“Stand steady,” Lin Mo whispered, his other hand hovering behind her waist to steady her.
“Mm…” Su Qing’s voice was right by his ear.
The bus was crowded. Since it was the after-school rush hour, all the seats were taken.
Lin Mo guided Su Qing toward the middle of the carriage, finding a small, relatively empty spot.
“Just stand here.” Lin Mo had Su Qing grab a nearby handrail while he stood at her side, using his body to shield her from the crowding throngs.
The bus started moving.
The inertia of the start caused the crowd in the carriage to sway.
Lin Mo instinctively reached out to protect Su Qing. His palm braced against the railing beside her, forming a semi-enclosure around her.
Because of the momentum, Su Qing’s body leaned back slightly, her back almost pressing against his chest.
“Sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
Su Qing didn’t turn her head, but her fingers gripped the handrail a bit tighter.
Over the next few stops, Lin Mo had to constantly adjust his stance to prevent bumping into Su Qing.
Once, during a sudden brake, Lin Mo leaned forward, and his chest bumped directly into Su Qing’s back.
He could clearly feel the shape of her shoulder blades and the itch of her hair brushing against his cheek.
“Sor—” Before Lin Mo could finish, he felt Su Qing’s body stiffen slightly.
“Don’t speak.”
Su Qing’s tone was a bit sharp, but her ears had turned red.
After another two stops, the bus finally thinned out. Lin Mo breathed a small sigh of relief. Just as he was about to shift his numb feet, he noticed Su Qing was adjusting her position in a very subtle way.
She had been facing the window, but now she turned sideways, half-facing Lin Mo.
At that moment, a girl wearing a uniform from the neighboring school squeezed over, looking like she wanted to stand in the empty spot next to Lin Mo.
Su Qing moved a small step, seemingly without a word.
The girl paused, trying to go around the other side.
Su Qing moved another small step, perfectly blocking that angle.
The girl glanced at Su Qing, but was deterred by the “keep away” expression on her face. She turned and went toward the back of the bus.
Lin Mo witnessed the whole thing. ‘This girl… she’s doing it on purpose, right?’
Su Qing’s expression remained calm. But her ears were still red.
“Um…” Lin Mo spoke softly.
“Yes?” Su Qing turned her head, her gaze clear.
“Nothing.” Lin Mo swallowed his words.
A few minutes later, the bus reached their stop.
Lin Mo got off first, then turned to help Su Qing. This time, when she got off, she “accidentally” wobbled, falling straight into Lin Mo’s arms.
The soft touch, the sweet scent, and the view of the crown of her head right beneath his chin…
Lin Mo froze entirely.
Su Qing quickly stood upright. Her face was a bit flushed, but her tone remained stiff. “What are you looking at? Hold me steady.”
“…Oh.”
The walk wasn’t long, but the two of them walked very slowly.
Su Qing leaned almost half her weight on Lin Mo. Her hair would occasionally brush against his neck, making it itch.
Lin Mo’s heart rate was a bit erratic.
Once they entered the neighborhood and reached the bottom of her building, Su Qing suddenly spoke. “My mom is working late tonight. She told me to eat by myself.”
Lin Mo was stunned. “Then how are you going to…”
“You come to my house and help me cook,” Su Qing said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Or do you have the heart to leave someone with a sprained ankle to cook for themselves?”
“…Fine, all right.”
Inside Su Qing’s home, she naturally changed into a pair of slippers—a pair of Pink Rabbit Slippers kept there. Then she limped toward the bedroom. A few minutes later, she emerged having changed into home clothes—a short-sleeved shirt featuring Squirtle.
She walked toward the kitchen and said to Lin Mo, “Take the dumpling wrappers and filling out of the refrigerator. I’ll wrap the dumplings, and you can be my assistant.”
“You sit down. I’ll do it.”
“You know how to cook?” Su Qing arched an eyebrow.
“Who are you looking down on?” Lin Mo turned on the faucet to wash his hands. “My mom taught me.”
Su Qing didn’t insist further. She sat on a high stool by the kitchen door and watched Lin Mo work.
The television in the living room was on, but neither of them paid any attention to what program was playing.
The kitchen wasn’t large. With one sitting and the other standing, the distance between them was very close.
Lin Mo could feel her gaze following his every move.
The late afternoon sun slanted through the kitchen window, stretching their shadows long across the tiled floor.
The air smelled of flour and greens, mixed with the faint, sweet scent on Su Qing.
The scene before him was mundane and warm.
That was until Lin Mo finished wrapping the twenty-fourth dumpling.
“Lin Mo.”
“Yeah?”
“Turn around.”
‘This familiar feeling… it couldn’t be.’
He turned around and saw Su Qing looking at him with those beautiful eyes of hers.
“Today on the bus…” Su Qing’s voice was very soft. “Why did you help me?”
Lin Mo remained silent. ‘Is this a test, or is she looking for a reason to use Hypnosis?’
Su Qing saw Lin Mo lower his head without answering.
Thus…
“Look at me.”
Su Qing spoke again, her voice carrying a certain coaxing quality. “You are very tired… You’ve been taking care of me since this afternoon… Relax… Now, look into my eyes…”
Lin Mo expertly relaxed his shoulders, letting his gaze become vacant.
Su Qing stared into his eyes for a few seconds, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly.
“Success,” she whispered.
She took a step closer. The kitchen space was small to begin with; this step made the distance between them so close they could almost hear each other’s breathing.
“On the bus, when you were supporting me, what were you thinking?” Su Qing asked, her fingers unconsciously twirling a strand of hair.
Lin Mo maintained his dazed state, but his mental CPU was racing.
‘How should I answer this?’
If he said “I wasn’t thinking anything,” would it seem too fake? If he said “I was worried about you,” would it seem like he cared too much?
In the end, Lin Mo chose a middle ground.
“I was thinking… about how serious your sprain was.”
Su Qing’s eyes lit up.
“And what else?”
“…Thinking about whether I should take you to the hospital.”
“And what else?” Su Qing moved even closer.
Lin Mo could smell the faint, youthful sweetness on her.
“…Thinking,” Lin Mo forced himself to continue making it up, “about how you would get to school tomorrow if your foot didn’t get better.”
Su Qing stared at him for a long time—so long that Lin Mo almost thought his disguise had been seen through.
She reached out, touching his cheek lightly with her fingertip.
“At least you have a bit of a conscience. Actually, I was faking the sprain. I did it specifically to give you a chance to get close to me.”
Her voice was very soft, carrying an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
During the rest of the Hypnosis time, Su Qing didn’t ask any more pointed questions.
It was all inconsequential things that somehow made one’s heart race.
During the process, her fingers would brush against Lin Mo’s hand, her hair would sweep against his shoulder, and her breath would flutter past his ear.
Lin Mo played the role of a perfect “hypnotized subject” throughout.
Finally, Su Qing had him taste a bit of the dumpling filling. She dipped a finger into it and lightly smeared it on his lips.
“What does it taste like?” she asked.
“…The taste of home,” Lin Mo said.
Even Lin Mo himself was stunned after saying it. It was too natural, a completely subconscious response.
Su Qing’s reaction was even greater. Her eyes widened, and a flush began to creep across her face again.
“You…” her voice trembled slightly, “say that again?”
“It’s like… when we were kids during New Year’s, and we wrapped dumplings together,” Lin Mo said.
Su Qing stared at him for a long time, then suddenly turned around, her back to him.
Lin Mo couldn’t see her expression; he could only see her shoulders heaving slightly.
“That’s enough…” her voice sounded a bit muffled. “That’s all for today.”
She snapped her fingers.
“Now, you will wake from the hypnotic state. You will forget everything that just happened and only remember that we were wrapping dumplings. Now… wake up.”
Lin Mo cooperated by blinking his eyes, putting on a look of just having snapped out of it.
“Huh? Why are your eyes a bit red?”
“Hey, I’m a girl. Spraining an ankle really hurts.”
The two of them continued wrapping dumplings, neither mentioning what had just happened.
But the atmosphere in the kitchen had clearly changed. Something warm and soft was flowing through the air like melting butter.
The dumplings went into the pot, and steam began to rise. Su Qing sat at the dining table, resting her chin on her hand as she watched Lin Mo boil the dumplings.
Her foot was still resting on the chair beside her, but her expression was relaxed, even carrying a faint trace of a smile.
While eating, they sat across from each other. Su Qing ate very slowly, occasionally looking up at Lin Mo before quickly lowering her head.
“Is it good?” Lin Mo asked.
“Mm.” Su Qing nodded. “A bit worse than the ones your mom makes.”
“Of course. My mom is a professional.”
‘But I like this taste more,’ Su Qing said silently in her heart.
Meanwhile…
The television happened to be playing a music program. A song began to play.
“Pushing aside the dark clouds in the sky, beautiful like blue velvet.”
“I crossed mountains and rivers for you, but had no heart to see the scenery.”
“I hope you haven’t forgotten that I will protect you forever.”
“With all my heart, regardless of the wind and rain.”
“Two people reflecting each other, shining brighter than the stars at night.”
“Love is just one word, I’ll only say it once.”
“You know I’ll only express it through my actions.”