Quick Travel to the Clouds

Chapter 564 The Little Demon 25

"Ah..." Yun Chu gasped softly. The hand was large, with well-defined knuckles and a slightly dry palm, bearing a few thin calluses from practicing musical instruments. It held her wrist firmly and irresistibly.

Where skin touches, heat travels up the pulse like an electric current.

Yun Chu turned around in surprise.

Chi Jingchen had quietly appeared half a step behind her, his tall figure blocking her between the door and his body, casting a shadow.

The ceiling light in the entryway cast a warm glow over his head, illuminating his slightly reddened ears—a red that spread all the way up to his sharply defined jawline.

His eyes, which usually carried a sense of aloofness or stage presence, now clearly reflected her figure, like starlight falling into a deep pool, where tension and determination intertwined and burned intensely.

The last faint hum in the kitchen faded away, and the living room fell silent. Yun Chu could clearly hear her own heart pounding like a drum, and her suppressed yet heavy breathing.

Time seemed to stand still, yet it also felt like only a moment had passed.

Chi Jingchen's Adam's apple bobbed, and he finally spoke, his voice low and terribly hoarse, carrying an unmistakable seriousness:

“Yun Chu,” he called her name, each word seemingly grinding against his lips, “Tonight, when I was on stage, singing the climax of ‘Returning Home,’ all I could think about was your image. When I came back and saw you here, with the lights on and the noodles cooking… I know I can no longer lie to myself.”

He leaned forward slightly, his breath brushing against her bangs, his gaze fixed on her wide, astonished eyes, his words clear and distinct:

"I like you. I like you so much that I don't want to be just your neighbor across the door for even a second longer."

He tightened his grip on her wrist slightly, as if drawing strength from it. Her blush deepened, but her eyes remained fixed, filled with an unprecedented seriousness and undisguised desire.

"Yun Chu, will you... be my girlfriend?"

The air seemed to ignite with those words.

Yun Chu felt all the blood rush to her cheeks, making them incredibly hot.

She stared blankly at his face so close to hers—his forehead damp with sweat, the burning sincerity in his deep-set eyes, the nervousness betrayed by his tightly pursed lips, and that striking blush that softened her heart…

All the clamor of thoughts, the belated restraint, and the uncertainty about the future receded instantly, and the answers that had long been settled at the bottom of my heart surfaced clearly.

Kitchen light streamed through the porch, quietly illuminating the small corner by the door.

His clear heartbeat came through the thin fabric of her clothes, echoing her own.

The area on my wrist where he had his arm around me felt burning hot, like a mark branded deep into my soul.

As Yun Chu faced the deep pool shimmering with starlight, her eyelashes trembled slightly. Finally, a relieved yet shy and incredibly sweet smile quietly bloomed on her flushed cheeks.

She raised her head slightly, drawing closer to his anxiously waiting gaze, and clearly stated the only answer:

"it is good."

The moment Yun Chu's clear "okay" entered his ears, Chi Jingchen felt as if he had been thrown into the center of a silent, grand fireworks display.

Overwhelmed with ecstasy and unbelievable shock, he froze in place for a second—his heart, pounding like a drum, suddenly stopped, then erupted into an even stronger tremor, almost breaking free of his skeletal restraints.

The next second, a scorching torrent called "possession" swept wildly through his limbs and bones, and all the long-suppressed desires, lingering longings, and loneliness in the corners where the stage lights could not reach melted away in front of this one word.

Chi Jingchen's eyes, which were filled with starlight, suddenly lit up, as if the deep night sky had been suddenly ignited.

His tightly pursed lips couldn't help but curve upwards, forming a smile that was almost silly yet incredibly radiant. That smile dispelled all the weariness and aloofness in his eyes, leaving only pure, unreserved, childlike ecstasy.

"You...you agreed?" His voice trembled slightly, as if he had just survived a disaster, or as if he were confirming a gift from heaven. He unconsciously tightened his grip on Yun Chu's wrist, as if afraid that this was just a fragile dream.

Before Yun Chu could confirm again, or shyly lower her eyes under his overly dazzling gaze, Chi Jingchen had already followed his body's instincts.

With an almost irresistible fervor, he leaned down slightly, his fingers unconsciously tightening around her wrist, the calluses sinking into her delicate skin, causing both of them to tremble slightly.

The kitchen ceiling light casts a warm, golden angled beam into the porch, locking them in a cage of light.

Yun Chu's tilted head back resembled a lily receiving morning dew, her trembling eyelashes casting butterfly-wing-like gray shadows on her cheeks.

All of Chi Jingchen's restraint vanished at this moment, and he suddenly lowered his head to kiss that soft spot.

When he first touched her lips, Chi Jingchen's breathing became as erratic as a musical score overturned by a hurricane.

His nose bumped into her cheekbone, his lips pressed stiffly against hers, and his teeth even grazed her lower lip.

Startled, Yun Chu shrank back, her back hitting the door with a soft thud.

The muffled thud seemed to wake Chi Jingchen—he suddenly reached out and supported the back of her head, while his other hand abruptly grabbed her waist and pressed her against himself.

"Don't run away..." he gasped, pressing his forehead against hers, his hot breath reddening the corners of her eyes. "Let me learn again."

The second attempt was tinged with a desperate, all-or-nothing resolve. He tilted his head and lightly pecked her slightly swollen lower lip, as if examining the cracks in a rare piece of porcelain.

The tongue's tentative tracing of her lips was awkward and trembling, but it suddenly went out of control when it touched her loose teeth.

As if magma that had been suppressed for many years had found an outlet, Chi Jingchen let out a muffled whimper, completely intruding into her domain.

The scalding hot entanglement carries the sweetness of the seafood broth, the calloused texture of the guitar strings, and the reckless arrogance of youth.

Yun Chu melted into snow in his arms, her fingers unconsciously crumpling the back of his shirt, her passively endured sobs turning into sparks that ignited a wildfire...

When Chi Jingchen's burning lips finally and reluctantly left Yun Chu's lips, their breathing was completely disordered.

Yun Chu buried her face in Chi Jingchen's sweat-soaked shirt, the warmth of his skin penetrating through the thin fabric, and heard the rapid, pounding of his heart.

The arms encircling her waist tightened, almost kneading her into the depths of his bones, as if if he loosened even a tiny gap, the treasure in his arms would vanish.

Time stretched out endlessly amidst the intermittent gasps of breath.

Chi Jingchen rested his chin against the top of her head, letting himself be immersed in her scent—the faint aroma of kitchen fumes mixed with the warm fragrance of her hair, creating a dizzying sense of reality.

After a long while, Yun Chu stirred in his arms, a muffled voice coming from his chest: "...I should go back..." The last syllable of her voice carried the languor of a kiss and a barely perceptible tremor.

The arms that were wrapped around her tensed up instantly.

"Don't go." Chi Jingchen blurted out, his voice hoarse, filled with his still-unrecovered heavy breathing and a plea he himself didn't even realize. He loosened his distance slightly, looked down at her, his gaze burning like stars washed clean by water. "Just stay here... on the sofa... or in the guest room."

He added hastily, speaking quickly, afraid she might misunderstand: "I'm not doing anything else... I just..." He paused, his chest heaving as if organizing his thoughts, "...I just want to be able to confirm this isn't a dream as soon as I open my eyes. You are... in the light."