Running away from the Love-Brain

Strange Embrace

"Cui Muhuo?"

"...Mm."

"Are you...?" Chi Buyu's voice sounded very weak, uncertain whether it was due to swallowing too much water or hesitation.

"No," Cui Qijin quickly denied.

Chi Buyu fell silent.

Cui Qijin coughed a couple of times, her small arm still covering the upper half of her face, tightly, unwilling to let go. The water droplets from her sleeves dripped down, falling on her face, enough to hide the salty and bitter liquid that slid from the corners of her eyes.

"I'm not... cough, cough, cough..."

Cui Qijin choked on some water again, and for a moment, all that remained in her mouth and nose was a burning sensation, gradually pulling at her lungs with pain.

After coughing twice, a flurry of rustling noises came, like someone who had been lying on the grass like her, hurriedly rolling over and coming to her side, then using their damp palm to grasp her wrist, their voice anxious,

"Let me see!"

Cui Qijin refused, stuck in a stalemate. Chi Buyu didn't let go either, gripping her tightly, the water on their bodies, faces, and hands all mixed together and dripped onto the tender grass sprouts.

The scent of fresh grass became increasingly rich, and the sunlight warmed the water stains. Cui Qijin's pulse raced beneath Chi Buyu's soft palm. After a while, she heard Chi Buyu exhale in the nearly stagnant air, then start coughing again, her grip hesitatingly loosening, peeking through the gap—

Bright sunlight poured in, and through the haze, she could only see Chi Buyu's wet face.

Aside from that, nothing else was clear.

She could only see a vague silhouette. In a hoarse voice, she asked,

"Chi Buyu? Are you okay?"

While coughing, Chi Buyu looked at her, the hand gripping her wrist still not letting go, and it seemed to draw closer. Chi Buyu's eyes were red, but she still stared at her, then cautiously reached out, her fingers gently brushing the corner of her eye.

Skin touched skin, tears mixed with lake water soaked into her fingertips.

At that moment, Cui Qijin instinctively lowered her eyelashes, trying to avoid it.

Chi Buyu froze, and after a long while, she said blankly,

"You really are crying again."

In one day, she had cried twice. Since she became aware of herself, Cui Qijin had never experienced anything like this. Crying was bad, it was wrong, it would make adults angry, thinking the child didn't understand. Professor Cui and Professor Yu's child should be sensible, should not throw tantrums, and should not interrupt their teaching. She was supposed to be an example, displayed at the highest point.

"It's just physiological tears from coughing."

Cui Qijin stiffly emphasized, then wiped her wet eyelids with the back of her hand, trying to cover up, before looking at Chi Buyu's reddening eyes.

"Aren't you as well?"

She tried to change the subject.

Chi Buyu stared at her. Cui Qijin couldn't tell if it was her imagination, but she felt Chi Buyu's eyes becoming increasingly red. After a few seconds, it looked like they were about to turn into two red tomatoes under the sun.

Yet these two tomatoes remained silent, growing redder and redder.

Cui Qijin sat up on the grass, rummaging through her belongings, only to find that the tissues she had were already soaked. Even when she took one out, it tore apart into wet, sticky bits with just a gentle pull.