Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Outrageous Faint light filtered through the gaps in the curtains into the dim room, and consciousness floated up one by one like overnight sparkling water. Chi Mo woke up. Her head was heavy, her temples throbbed, and her ears were buzzing. She stared blankly at the ceiling, remembering only that after leaving the art museum, she had gone to a newly opened bar. It was on sale, which seemed quite worth it. The waiter recommended several package deals, so she thought about buying a few sets to try first.... What happened next...? The fresh air system in the room was still running continuously, and the smell of alcohol in the air had already faded a lot, except... Chi Mo remembered that she seemed to have thrown up... So she instinctively reached out to touch the clothes on her body... Two seconds later, she bolted straight up from the bed! !!! Chi Mo turned her head mechanically. When she saw the figure lying next to her clearly, she was so startled that she let out a hiccup. The quilt only covered the man's waist. His bare upper body still presented a perfect outline and skeletal frame in the dim light, and the hand that had originally rested on Chi Mo's waist and abdomen slid down to her upper thigh as she sat up. The slight sense of oppression made her cover her mouth and scream silently. That wasn't the main point. Yes, it wasn't. Because even a one-night stand was no big deal for a single woman like Chi Mo. However... The main point lay in the half of the man's profile that was exposed! Covering her mouth, Chi Mo carefully leaned closer, looked over his features meticulously and in utter disbelief, and then the next moment she turned as red as a freshly boiled lobster, blushing all the way from her face down to her neck. It... it was Song Huaiyu! "Song Huaiyu!" Chi Mo finally screamed out loud, "Are you fucking out of your mind?!" Song Huaiyu was woken up, frowned, buried his head back into the crack of the pillow, and muttered with dissatisfaction: "Chi Mo, you're so noisy..." Chi Mo... you're so noisy... Chi Mo.... Did he actually know who she had slept with?!! Any lingering thoughts of "it was just a drunken mistake" in Chi Mo's mind instantly vanished into thin air. Without a second thought, she gave Song Huaiyu a shove. "Get up! Get up!" "Chi Mo, quiet down..." Quiet? Quiet?! "Song Huaiyu, you're telling me to quiet down?!" Chi Mo felt as though the remaining alcohol in her system had rushed straight to her head; her body swayed, and she could barely manage to sit straight. "We slept together, Song Huaiyu! Are you fucking a ghost?! You actually followed me to the bar?!" Unconsciously licking the corner of his mouth, Song Huaiyu turned half his face out from the crack of the pillow with a look of annoyance, then glanced at Chi Mo with half-closed eyes. She was clutching the edge of the blanket, her back still completely bare. A ray of light happened to fall across her shoulder blades, casting light and shadow over the lines of her entire back as it extended all the way downward.... Very smooth. Song Huaiyu happened to still remember that tactile sensation. So, without a second thought, he reached out and yanked her down. Chi Mo wasn't wearing any clothes, and her head was spinning. Pulled down so abruptly, spots danced before her eyes, and by the time she registered what was happening, she was already being pulled tightly into Song Huaiyu's arms. Skin pressed against skin, carrying with it a strange yet profound sense of dread. Chi Mo didn't know what she was afraid of, but her heart was beating out of her chest with panic. She even started wildly overthinking: Is this... considered betrayal? Before she could even sort out the "ethical" dilemma in her head, a warm, damp kiss had already wrapped around her earlobe. Damn you, Song Huaiyu! You bastard! Chi Mo pushed hard, but he wouldn't let go, audacity growing as his hand reached further down... "Let go, Song Huaiyu!" "Mhm..." He had already closed his eyes again. Hearing Chi Mo grind her teeth as she called his name, a subtle sense of gratification welled up inside him. "Call me that a few more times..." "Call—call your head! Let go right now! Have you lost your mind?!" Probably not. Song Huaiyu curved the corner of his lips, tightened his grip, and used his strength to roll over, pinning Chi Mo beneath him on the bed. How could he be considered crazy? After all, last night, Chi Mo had been calling out his name. "Song Huaiyu?" The girl was wearing a drab, dusty-looking school uniform. Her face was quite clean, though she didn't look very bold; her hands trembled slightly as she took the few brand-name paper bags from Song Huaiyu's hands. She nodded cautiously, "I know, I'll... I'll take them inside later to give to... to him..." Song Huaiyu was only eighteen that year. Standing at the school gates of Huaicheng No. 1 High School, his gaze instantly singled out Chi Mo, who was carrying a backpack and wearing two braided pigtails. He called out to her, looking her up and down with a mix of curiosity and a playful smile: "Classmate? Do you know the new transfer student who just came to your school?" Her face turned red instantly. Like a round little apple. Song Huaiyu shook the sneakers and video game console that Guan Yizhou had asked him to buy, raising an eyebrow at Chi Mo: "Could you please help me bring these to him?" With that, he pointed toward the guard's station at the school gate: "That old grandfather won't let me in." The sunlight that day was wonderful, yet unfortunately, Chi Mo hadn't dared to lift her head to look at him even once. Parked on the narrow road in front of Huaicheng No. 1 High School was a silver sports car with its engine still running. Its body paint gleamed brilliantly, looking glaringly out of place when compared to the chipped paint of the billboards on both sides. There were plenty of other students carrying school bags at the school gate as well. They turned their heads repeatedly, their whispers echoing clearly in Chi Mo's ears as if spanning a decade. Staring wide-eyed at the ceiling, for some reason, amidst the haze, she suddenly recalled that very first morning she had met Song Huaiyu. Slap! A single blow snapped Song Huaiyu back to reality. He halted his movements and slowly raised his head. His brow bone cast shadows across the room, and the space fell dead silent without a sound. A few seconds later, Song Huaiyu actually gave a slight, light arch of his brow. It was only after landing that slap that Chi Mo belatedly panicked. She averted her gaze, turning her head aside just like she had that morning ten years ago, not daring to look at him even once.