Chapter 13 Seal
With her helmet on, Liang Zhouyue was not afraid of getting hurt again, but what she hadn't expected was the moment the motorcycle started, her head slammed into Jiang Li's back just like last time.
Jiang Li had no choice but to stop the bike.
Twice now, it had rendered him incapable of moving forward comfortably.
With this stop, Liang Zhouyue's gaze firmly fixed on a point right in front of her: the pristine white shirt of Jiang Li, which now bore a distinct lip print on the right shoulder blade. It was tremendously eye-catching.
It must be from the time she had cut her mouth...
Should she mention it?
It was a bit embarrassing.
No, it was extremely embarrassing!
At this moment, Jiang Li, who had stopped but not gotten off the bike, removed his hands from the handlebars, turned around, and took hold of her wrists, then wound them around his trim waist, holding on tightly.
When Liang Zhouyue realized she was holding Jiang Li tightly, she instinctively went to loosen her grip but was caught by his large hand and pulled back.
"If you don't hold on tight, you're going to bash my back in."
It had really hurt just now; he just hadn't told her.
Reflecting on her head-bashing behavior, Liang Zhouyue felt a bit guilty, and a glance at the stain she had left on his white shirt made her feel even guiltier. Hesitating for a moment, she didn't move her arms wrapped around his waist and even intertwined her fingers tightly.
"Now that's better, let's go."
Indeed, not holding on tight was far too dangerous.
She didn't want any more mishaps, nor did she want to cause him injury.
After starting and stopping twice, Jiang Li's luxurious motorcycle finally had its chance to shine, smoothly exiting the racetrack and entering the spacious highway, speeding like lightning.
Her long hair outside the helmet was whipped up by the fierce wind, and Liang Zhouyue instinctively held Jiang Li tighter, terrified of being thrown off.
But aside from fear, there was also a wild thrill blooming in her heart.
Feeling the increasingly heavy strength around his waist, the skilled rider Jiang Li took a slight dip on a turn, causing the bike to lean instantaneously.
Liang Zhouyue truly thought the bike was falling, and her grip around Jiang Li tightened to the maximum, her body pressing against his unconsciously, letting out a scared whimper.
Jiang Li decided to stop while he was ahead, driving normally on the straight and open road with absolute safety.
Liang Zhouyue's tense nerves gradually eased, and the strength with which she held him lessened as well.
The heat of the day was waning, yet the longing for freedom and madness grew with the blazing sun, and one day it was bound to burst forth untamed.
...
The bike stopped at the school gates, a place Jiang Li could not and would not enter.
Liang Zhouyue took off her helmet and handed it to Jiang Li.
He took it, pushed up the visor, and whispered a word of caution, "Go to the infirmary later to buy some medicine, so it doesn't get infected and ulcerate."
Liang Zhouyue nodded and said softly, "Then you be careful riding back."
Jiang Li hummed in response, closed the visor, started the motorcycle again, and after taking an elegant turn at the school's entrance, he sped away much faster than when he had brought her.
The motorcycle quickly disappeared from view, and Liang Zhouyue slowly withdrew her gaze.
Although she had felt motion sick for a good part of the half day, and had not seen a real race, she couldn't help but sincerely exclaim to herself.
Being young is wonderful!
*
When she got back to her dormitory, it was already 12:10 pm.
No sooner had Liang Zhouyue laid down to rest than Fang Zirui pushed the door open, entering after having had lunch.
"Eh? You're back already?"
Hearing the voice, Liang Zhouyue put down her phone, flipped over on the bed to face the door, and said in a languid tone, "I was supposed to watch the race, but I got motion sick, and it was too hot at the track, so I came back early."
She had sent Fang Zirui a WeChat message when she left so as not to make her wait for lunch after class and waste her time.
Fang Zirui changed her shoes, took a sip of milk tea from the book, and remarked, "It seems I misunderstood He Jinseng before, being able to take you to watch car racing, that's not boring at all."
Liang Zhouyue's tongue flicked her teeth, her expression as awkward as it could get: "It wasn't him who took me."
"Then who was it?" Fang Zirui asked casually.
But no sooner had she spoken than she slow-wittedly realized, her eyes wide with shock, staring at Liang Zhouyue.
The latter nodded in agreement, the answer just as Fang Zirui had expected, "It was my student, Jiang Li."
"Damn! What does he mean by this, treating you to meals and taking you out for a ride?"
Is this the prelude to a student-teacher romance?
Liang Zhouyue couldn't see through Jiang Li's attitude towards her either. Recently, their encounters had become more frequent, and even her initial defenses were weakening considerably.
After thinking hard for two seconds, she still affirmed her own thoughts, "He doesn't like me, right? There are so many pretty girls in his class, why would he like me, who is so many years older?"
She didn't like younger men and naturally assumed Jiang Li wouldn't like older women either.
Fang Zirui shook her head, her eyes filled with cunning speculation, guessing, "If you think he isn't sincere, then perhaps he just wants to sleep with you, and vice versa."
Whether the other person is good or bad, what their intentions are, Liang Zhouyue must be the clearest about that.
Such talk left Liang Zhouyue's mind in a mess.
To tell the truth, she never really felt like Jiang Li liked her. But today, his friend called her "sister-in-law," and he didn't stop him, not even offering an explanation.
He was very attentive to her and extremely considerate.
Everyone said Jiang Li was a pampered young master, a favorite son of heaven, spoiled by girls. Coming from a good family, with good grades, and being handsome—why would such a top-notch man be interested in an older woman with a dull personality?
She only acknowledged having a pretty face.
Her education was high, but it didn't help much to compensate for her personality shortcomings.
Insecure and sensitive, she was overly cautious with relationships, lacked courage in her hobbies, lived a regimented life, methodically following the steps one should in life, moving forward numbly and mechanically, with little emotional fluctuation.
If she were a man, she wouldn't be attracted to such women. Therefore, when it came to choosing a partner, she never entertained the thought of social climbing. All she wanted was a man of equal standing to fulfill her life's tasks.
She didn't want it this way, but her relatives around her believed she had to be like this, otherwise it was the wrong path.
When the voices of the majority become louder, those of the minority tend to stay silent, for fear of being isolated due to their weak voices, thus being forced into silence or conformity.
After one failed rebellion, Liang Zhouyue no longer had the energy to resist.
Ding—
In silence, a WeChat notification sounded.
Snapping back to reality, Liang Zhouyue picked up her phone and accessed the detailed message.
March 21: "Sister, why did you stamp on my back?"
"..."
Liang Zhouyue's face burned as if on fire, heat billowing, forcing her to recall the awkward accident she was just agonizing over.
She had kissed Jiang Li's white shirt...
Her fingers trembling, she painstakingly typed, deleting and reducing until she finally pressed send.
Moon doesn't talk: "It was an accident... bumped into it... (awkward GIF)"
March 21: "Then why didn't you tell me? Made me get laughed at by friends, huh?"
After the fatal triple question, Liang Zhouyue curled her toes in shame, not knowing how to respond.
After a pause, she was inadvertently attracted to the new nickname he had changed to.
Moon doesn't talk: "What's March twenty-first?"
March 21: "I was afraid you didn't know my birthday."
He answered a question that hadn't been asked.
"..."
Liang Zhouyue admitted defeat!