Her lips slowly parted.
The night breeze slipped in through the opening, cool against her skin.
Qian Lele was still dazed and numb, as though her soul remained in another world. Only her racing heartbeat felt especially clear.
Tang Song looked at her flushed cheeks, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. "Come on, I'll take you back."
It took Qian Lele a beat to react before she nodded.
It was not until Tang Song took her hand that she finally came back to herself.
The two walked side by side through the quiet little grove.
After this period of careful care, the rough calluses she had developed from working part-time had faded considerably, and her fingertips had become soft and delicate again.
She no longer instinctively hid her hands as she had at first.
At some point in the darkness, her fingers slipped between his.
They followed the path they had come by, slowly heading toward the female dormitory.
It was already past ten at night.
The tree-lined road was empty. Every now and then, a few students hurrying back to the dorms passed by, quickly vanishing beyond the streetlights.
They simply held hands as they walked through the campus late at night.
Neither of them spoke again.
Their warmth slowly passed between their interlaced fingers.
Outside the female dormitory building.
There was hardly anyone left at the entrance.
The dorm supervisor sat in the duty room, looking down at her phone and occasionally glancing outside.
Tang Song stopped and released her hand. "Go back and get some rest early."
"Mm." Qian Lele obediently nodded, lowering her head and not quite daring to meet his eyes. "Then—you should head back early too. Be careful on the way. Be safe."
"Okay. Good night, Lele."
"Good night," Qian Lele