Chapter 21: She

"Huh? What are you trying to—"

Chen Qiaoqiao whispered softly, leaning against Xu Yuexin's chest, her eyes like rippling water shyly gazing at him.

She realized Xu Yuexin was definitely about to do something very embarrassing, her long black lashes fluttered nonstop, and her smooth, tender cheeks began to heat up.

Before Chen Qiaoqiao could finish speaking, Xu Yuexin leaned in and kissed her cherry‑red lips.

"Mmm…"

Chen Qiaoqiao felt a wave of breathlessness, her breathing quickened, and her whole body felt as if its strength had been drained, soft and pliant, and she involuntarily clung to Xu Yuexin.

So soft, so fragrant, so sweet.

Xu Yuexin tasted Chen Qiaoqiao's sweetness, pulling her even tighter into his embrace, feeling the little deer thumping wildly at her chest and her ever‑more urgent breaths.

She is truly beautiful, her face gorgeous, her skin tender as if it were a freshly peeled boiled egg.

Xu Yuexin inhaled the fragrance on Chen Qiaoqiao's body, feeling that no matter how long he gazed at her beauty, it would never be enough.

…

After a long while, the two finally broke their embrace, and Chen Qiaoqiao's delicate, graceful face was flushed bright red, exuding far more charm than ever before.

Chen Qiaoqiao hadn't even realized how red her face was; she only felt a lingering heat, and recalling the feeling of the kiss made her look extremely embarrassed.

"You kissed me, so you have to take responsibility for me."

After holding it in for a long time, Chen Qiaoqiao finally managed to speak.

"Hmm, definitely."

Xu Yuexin took her hands and promised earnestly.

These days the prevailing customs are conservative, and many couples may not even be allowed to kiss before marriage. Having kissed Chen Qiaoqiao himself, it was a very significant thing for her.

Chen Qiaoqiao, having received Xu Yuexin's assurance, lowered her eyes and smiled.

The two walked toward the other end of the park, Chen Qiaoqiao holding onto Xu Yuexin's arm, her face still tinged with a red glow leaning against his shoulder.

Unwittingly, Xu Yuexin and she reached the far end of the park, where endless mountains rose ahead, and the previously artificial scenery had turned into a vast, wild primeval forest.

Chen Qiaoqiao felt a little scared looking at the pitch‑black woods, when a strange cry came from ahead, sounding like an animal, and someone was cackling "heh heh heh" in a creepy way.

"What is that?"

Chen Qiaoqiao's complexion changed; trembling with fear she asked Xu Yuexin, "It looks a bit like a monster."

"After the founding of the nation, none are allowed to become spirits."

Xu Yuexin replied calmly, shielding her behind him, "It should just be a beast calling."

When Xu Yuexin was on the Northeast Cadre, he often went up the mountain with a few male Educated Youth to collect mushrooms and hunt rabbits to improve meals; he had seen every animal except tigers.

These sights were merely a small scene to him.

Chen Qiaoqiao hid behind Xu Yuexin's tall frame, feeling his steady aura, her heart calmed considerably, and she gradually stopped overthinking.

"Let's go, let's have a meal together."

Xu Yuexin turned around, gently placing his hand on her fragrant shoulder and said soothingly.

Chen Qiaoqiao was about to agree when a rustling sound came from ahead, making her nervous again.

Both of them looked toward the source of the noise, and saw the silhouette of a dog‑shaped animal dart out of the woods, intermittently emitting the strange laugh they had heard.

"Is that a wolf?"

Chen Qiaoqiao curled up in Xu Yuexin's arms, trembling as she asked.

"It's not a wolf, it's a fox; look at its tail."

Xu Yuexin gently patted Chen Qiaoqiao's back, pointed at the animal's figure, and before he finished speaking, it had run into the light.

His judgment was spot‑on; it truly was a fox, its whole coat a vivid red, a fluffy big tail, its four legs covered in sleek, black fur like stockings, and it still held a rabbit in its mouth.

"So that's why a fox sounds like that?" Chen Qiaoqiao exhaled, feeling very curious.

The fox, hearing her voice, looked up, saw someone, and was instantly frightened; it began to retreat slowly while still holding its prey, and after pulling back a short distance it turned and fled without pausing.

"That's exactly it. The Chen Sheng and Wu Guang uprising—why did they imitate the fox's call? Because that creature's cry is demonic."

"The troops delayed their marching deadline, each night worrying they couldn't sleep. Then a fox howled twice, shouted a slogan, and people's hearts were thrown into chaos."

Xu Yuexin narrated vividly, and together with Chen Qiaoqiao turned back toward the park entrance.

Chen Qiaoqiao thought his words made a lot of sense and felt very agreeable.

At that moment, she recalled something her boyfriend had just said.

"By the way, what does that 'after the founding of the nation, none are allowed to become spirits' mean?"

Chen Qiaoqiao asked curiously, finding the sentence quite interesting.

"These spirits, you see, rely on disturbing people's minds and interfering with human will to gain power."

"After the founding of the nation everyone embraced materialism; no one buys into them anymore, so they can't become spirits."

"Take Ximen Bao governing Ye, the River God and such were said to be godlike. Ximen Bao didn't believe in the occult, threw the whole group of witches into the river, and since then no one mentioned it again."

"Some things survive solely by frightening people. As long as people aren't scared of them, they become nothing at all."

Xu Yuexin's discourse revolved around deities and ghosts, and Chen Qiaoqiao, after quieting her mind, felt that it contained deeper meaning.

"Not only spirits survive by frightening people; many people in the world also survive by scaring others."

After careful contemplation, Chen Qiaoqiao remarked with some emotion.

"That's right. In the past that group only allowed everyone to write within the rules they set, threatening that stepping outside the framework would cause the public's thoughts to degenerate."

"Now novels and songs that exceed their prescribed frameworks are everywhere, and as a result people's mental outlook hasn't degenerated; rather, it has become more uplifting."

"Facts show that those who love to frighten others are often the most unreasonable."

Xu Yuexin spoke cogently, and Chen Qiaoqiao listened, entranced.

"Listening to your words is better than ten years of study."

"Your summary is so spot‑on; it applies to every field just as you said."

Qiao Qiao felt moved to say that she thought her boyfriend was a very thoughtful person.

Xu Yuexin smiled faintly and said nothing.

Dating a girl from Yanjing University requires occasional intellectual exchange.

Soon after, the two walked to the parking shed in the park, where Xu Yuexin took out his bicycle and gave Qiao Qiao a ride to dinner.

Before setting off, they agreed to have Donglaishun's lamb scorpion for lunch.

……

After a delightful meal, with time still early, Xu Yuexin and Qiao Qiao began planning the afternoon's activities.

"The weather is great today; let's go rowing on Beihai Park."

After a brief discussion, Xu Yuexin made a decision, saying.

Let's lift our double oars and have the little boat push through the waves…

This well‑known song describes exactly the scene in Beihai Park.

And Xu Yuexin's suggestion to row on Beihai isn't just to reminisce about the classic.

Most importantly, he wants to enjoy a moment of two‑person world with Qiao Qiao on the boat.

(End of chapter)