That night, Ji Siyue's leg ached terribly. She couldn't fall asleep in the middle of the night and could only pace anxiously in her room. After a while, she felt stuffy in the room, so she simply walked out to the small balcony of her room to get some fresh air.
As soon as she opened the door, she smelled a faint scent of tobacco.
She turned her head and saw that the person standing on the adjacent balcony was...
That person seemed a bit dazed when seeing Ji Siyue, but involuntarily hid the hand holding the cigarette behind his back, as if he didn't want Ji Siyue to see it.
Ji Siyue looked for a while and then shifted her gaze.
"When did you start smoking again?"
"… A long time ago, but not frequently. I only smoke one when I'm tired."
After that, there was a long silence.
That person snuffed out the cigarette and asked, "Why aren't you asleep at this late hour?"
Ji Siyue helplessly pointed at her leg. "My leg hurts a bit. I can't fall asleep."
After hearing this, that person silently turned around and went back into his room. Ji Siyue didn't ask either and just continued standing there.
This villa was a riverside villa. Standing on her balcony, she could just see the whole river. The two banks of the river were lit up with lights, but in her eyes, it all seemed extremely desolate.
When did she start to become involuntarily worried?
"Knock, knock!"
There was a very soft knock on the door behind her. Ji Siyue walked over slowly. When she opened the door, she saw that person standing outside.
He still carried that faint tobacco smell on him. Being closer, she could smell it more clearly. Ji Siyue didn't quite like it.
"Why are you here?"
Qin Chengyao didn't say a word. He bent down, picked Ji Siyue up and walked into the room. Then he kicked the door shut with one foot.
Ji Siyue didn't struggle but simply wrapped her arms around his neck.
Qin Chengyao put Ji Siyue on the sofa and then tried to lift the hem of her nightgown to check the wound on her leg.
Such an intimate action made this twenty - something "old aunt" blush involuntarily. She couldn't help but retreat a bit.
Unexpectedly, Qin Chengyao just firmly held her leg down and scolded in a low voice, "Don't move."
After this scolding, Ji Siyue finally stayed still.
Qin Chengyao stared intently at Ji Siyue's leg. Looking at the several horizontal scars on her once fair and slender leg, he felt his eyes getting slightly hot.
When had the person he once held dearest become so embarrassed? Her body was scarred, and the gentle smile on her face was gone. The current Ji Siyue was undoubtedly more mature than before, but she was getting further and further away from the person in his memory.
After looking for a while, he suddenly lowered his head, brought his face close to her thigh, and finally planted a gentle kiss on her wound.
It was just such a gentle kiss, but it made Ji Siyue's leg tremble involuntarily.
This kiss was extremely light. When it landed on her leg, there was almost no real tactile sensation, but it made her feel hot involuntarily, as if a heavy branding iron had been pressed on her leg.
"What... What are you doing?"
"I'm kissing you." Qin Chengyao looked up at Ji Siyue and said, "Looking at the scars on your leg, I even feel like a sinner."
"It wasn't you who made me get hurt. Why do you think you're guilty?"
"Maybe in your eyes, it has nothing to do with me, but in my eyes, all the harm you've suffered is my sin. I have a guilty conscience."
This time, Ji Siyue fell completely silent.
The room was very dim. It seemed that the face of the person in front of her had become extremely soft and a bit unreal, just like the face that had once appeared in her dream.
"Will you blame me for the harm I once caused you?" Ji Siyue asked.
"Yes, I will blame you."
"… What do I have to do for you to forgive me?"
"It sounds simple, but it's actually quite difficult."
Ji Siyue tilted her head, looking as if she was all ears.
"Sometimes, maybe just a smile from you will do, but sometimes, it may take more."
"Such as?"
"Such as a kiss from you."
The two stared into each other's eyes in the darkness. It seemed that a special emotion was slowly swirling and lingering in the air.
Ji Siyue looked at him for a while and then suddenly lowered her head, planting a gentle kiss on that person's lips.
It was just a light touch, but something instantly collapsed.
Ji Siyue was immediately pressed onto the sofa by Qin Chengyao and firmly controlled. Even though he had become so crazy, he still carefully protected her leg to prevent her from getting hurt.
This kiss seemed to last forever. Ji Siyue only felt that towards the end, her consciousness became a bit blurred.
In a daze, that person's eyes were always firm and gentle as he looked at her, as if giving her strength.
The faint tobacco smell on Qin Chengyao surrounded Ji Siyue. Even though she didn't smoke, she even thought this smell was a bit intoxicating.
In the end, Ji Siyue wrapped her arms around Qin Chengyao's neck and softly said in his ear, "Can you stop smoking from now on? I hate smoking."
"Do you hate people who smoke?"
"No, I just don't want you to smoke..."
The next day was a cloudy and rainy day. As soon as she got up early in the morning, she found that the whole sky outside was gloomy.
Ji Siyue groped randomly on her bed and found her phone, which she had kicked to a corner. When she turned it on, she saw that it was already 9:00.
She quickly opened WeChat and saw that a group of girls were already chattering about coming over. Since she hadn't replied, they were still discussing whether she had stood them up.
[Ji Siyue: Sorry, I just woke up.]
[Shiyue: It's okay, it's okay. As long as you show up!]
[Qingqing: Were you guys really tired yesterday?]
[Ji Siyue: It's okay. You guys first decide on a location by yourselves. I'll ask the driver of my club to pick you up. But I have to tell you in advance that once you're here, you can take group photos, but you can't take pictures privately.]
[Qingqing: I understand. Teams like yours must have their privacy. We definitely won't take pictures casually there. We just want to see what your training place looks like.]
[Ji Siyue: You guys discuss first. I'm going to wash up.]