Covering the back of her hand, Jiang Lai’s fingers trembled slightly. She felt the gentle warmth coming from Shen Ruxue’s palm, making her heartbeat suddenly quicken.
She instinctively wanted to pull her hand back, but Shen Ruxue gently held it down.
Shen Ruxue’s voice sounded in her ear, carrying a hint of a smile.
“Let me help you. You seem a bit flustered.”
Jiang Lai’s ears instantly burned. She lowered her head, not daring to look into Shen Ruxue’s eyes, and could only mumble a reply.
“Mmm… thank you.”
Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible, but her heart felt as if it had been stirred up, thrown into complete chaos.
She tried hard to focus on the clothes in her hands, but Shen Ruxue’s presence lingered faintly around her, making it impossible to concentrate.
Her daughter had gone out to fetch hot water and wouldn’t be back for a while. The other two roommates were chatting amongst themselves, leaving her alone with Shen Ruxue.
The two of them folded clothes side by side. Shen Ruxue’s movements as she helped were very gentle.
There was clearly some distance between them, but while folding, her fingers would occasionally brush against Jiang Lai’s hand.
Each touch made Jiang Lai’s heart skip a beat.
Jiang Lai’s breathing became a little rapid. She felt as if she had been pushed to the edge of a cliff, ready to fall into some unknown abyss at any moment.
She wanted to escape, but her body felt nailed to the spot, unable to move. Leaving suddenly now would be far too impolite and would also arouse suspicion from those around her.
“I feel like you’re avoiding me…”
Shen Ruxue suddenly spoke, her voice carrying a probing tone.
Ever since Jiang Lai had first entered the dormitory, she had sensed the other woman was intentionally or unintentionally keeping her distance.
Jiang Lai was stunned. She hadn’t expected her thoughts to be seen through.
She wanted to explain something, but her voice was dry, her throat felt blocked, and in the end, she could only shake her head.
Seeing this, Shen Ruxue could only let out a bitter laugh, her tone carrying a meaningful weight.
“Can you come out alone with me later?”
Alone?
Jiang Lai’s heart tightened violently, not daring to think too deeply. She didn’t know what Shen Ruxue meant by this.
If it were Xu Ruobing, or her sister-in-law, saying they wanted to go out alone, she could even guess what they wanted to do.
But this young girl in front of her also wanted to go out alone with her, and Jiang Lai couldn’t imagine it at all.
She only felt her face getting hotter and hotter, her entire body feeling as if it were on fire. She wanted to say something to ease the awkwardness, but her mind went blank, unable to produce a single word.
She had intended to ignore the question, but Shen Ruxue suddenly leaned closer.
Faced with the girl’s abrupt approach, Jiang Lai’s body trembled violently, almost jumping up.
But Shen Ruxue’s hand firmly grasped hers. Her heart raced wildly, her ears buzzed, as if the whole world had fallen silent, leaving only Shen Ruxue’s soft voice and warm touch.
What did this little girl intend by grabbing her hand? Was she trying to take advantage? Is this how young people are these days?
“Can you let go of my hand?” Jiang Lai stammered, her voice tinged with panic.
She wanted to break free, but the other party seemed to sense her intention and leaned in even closer.
“Really won’t you come out with me?”
Shen Ruxue’s voice was gentle, yet carried a hint of an unrefusable undertone.
Her breath lightly brushed against Jiang Lai’s ear, making her nerves instantly tense.
Jiang Lai’s mind was a mess. She felt trapped in an invisible cage, unable to escape.
She tightly clenched the clothes in her hand, her knuckles turning white.
Even if we were to go out, you can’t invite someone like this, can you?
This attitude is practically coercion. Was Shen Ruxue this forceful before?
She wanted to find an excuse to leave, but Shen Ruxue’s presence felt like an invisible net, firmly trapping her, and the hand holding hers never loosened.
“I… I need to go find Le Yi.”
Jiang Lai finally found an excuse.
She abruptly stood up, almost fleeing from the bedside.
Her steps were unsteady, nearly bumping into a nearby table. She didn’t dare look back, afraid Shen Ruxue would follow.
She quickly walked to the water dispenser, only to find her daughter wasn’t there.
She didn’t want to go back either, just wanting to calm down here.
Even without mentioning her real age, just from her current identity, she was six or seven years older than Shen Ruxue.
Although they say “a woman three years older is like a gold brick,” this age gap almost felt like a generation apart.
Her heart still raced wildly, her ears buzzed, as if the whole world were spinning.
She took a deep breath, trying hard to calm herself, but the scene from just moments ago kept replaying in her mind.
Shen Ruxue’s close presence, the meaningful smile she wore while tightly holding her hand… it was all a bit too much for Jiang Lai to bear.
Just as Jiang Lai stood by the hallway water dispenser, trying hard to settle her emotions, Shen Ruxue’s voice suddenly came from behind her.
Jiang Lai’s body stiffened violently, nearly slipping to the floor.
“Jiang Lai, are you okay?”
“How did you get here, I… I’m fine.”
Jiang Lai said, forcing composure, but her voice still carried a slight tremble.
She didn’t dare turn around, afraid that if she did, she would meet Shen Ruxue’s eyes that seemed capable of seeing through everything.
She always felt she had no secrets in front of the other girl.
They had only met a few times. The closest they’d ever been was experiencing a life-and-death situation together, a mere half-day of interaction.
Yet for some reason, whenever she recalled the way Shen Ruxue looked at her, she felt as if the other girl had known her for a long time, understood her inside and out.
“You don’t look well. Do you need to rest?”
Shen Ruxue’s voice carried concern, but Jiang Lai felt that behind that concern seemed to lurk something she couldn’t understand.
“No, I… I want to go for a walk.”
The words almost blurted out of Jiang Lai. She felt if she continued staying by Shen Ruxue’s side, she might suffocate.
“I’ll go with you.”
Shen Ruxue remained gentle, yet with a hint of unyielding forcefulness.
“No, I’ll go by myself.”
Jiang Lai said flusteredly, quickly walking toward the door, afraid the other would follow.
She practically fled from the dormitory building. The cold wind blowing against her face sobered her up a little, but her heart still beat alarmingly fast.
She walked aimlessly across the school campus, her mind in chaos. She didn’t know why she was so panicked, nor did she know what Shen Ruxue’s actions truly meant.
She only felt a tightness in her chest, almost unable to breathe.
Right then, she suddenly felt a gaze fixed intently on her from behind.
She turned around sharply and indeed saw Shen Ruxue.
Shen Ruxue stood not far away, a faint smile on her face, her gaze firmly locked on Jiang Lai.
Jiang Lai’s heart sank heavily. She quickened her pace, wanting to shake her off, but Shen Ruxue followed behind her like a shadow.
She finally couldn’t bear it and stopped, turning to face Shen Ruxue.
“Why are you following me?”
Shen Ruxue smiled slightly, her tone meaningful.
“I’m just worried about you, worried you might get lost on this campus. And… I want to be by your side.”
Jiang Lai’s heart tightened again. She didn’t dare think deeply about the meaning of those words, only feeling her face grow hotter and hotter.
Are children’s “confessions” always this direct?
“I… I’m fine. You don’t need to follow me.”
Jiang Lai stammered.
But Shen Ruxue acted as if she hadn’t heard, still standing there, her gaze tightly locked on Jiang Lai.
That look held an emotion Jiang Lai couldn’t decipher, as if waiting for something.
Jiang Lai took a deep breath, trying hard to calm herself.
“Ruxue, the age gap between us is too big. No matter what, it’s impossible.”