Deng Tianxin did not hesitate. He circled behind Bibi Dong, bent down, opened his arms, and gently embraced her whole body.
He did not hold her tightly, but it was enough for him to rest his chin on her shoulder. Like countless times when he had acted spoiled as a child, he rubbed his face against the side of her neck.
"Teacher is the best," Deng Tianxin said softly, planting an extremely light kiss behind her ear.
Bibi Dong's entire body stiffened, as though something had suddenly pinned her to the chair.
The tip of her brush pressed heavily into the paper, spreading a small blot of ink.
"Let go." Bibi Dong spoke, her voice as cold as ice.
"I won't." Not only did Deng Tianxin not release her, he buried his face deeper into the hollow of her shoulder, his voice muffled. "I've been gone for so long. What's wrong with a hug? Didn't Teacher used to hold me to sleep every day? Why won't you let me now that I'm grown up?"
"Say one more word, and you can go sleep in the basement tonight." Bibi Dong enunciated through clenched teeth, yet a faint flush had risen at the roots of her ears, impossible to suppress.
"I'll accept that too." Deng Tianxin chuckled softly. His warm breath brushed against her neck, making even Bibi Dong's fingertips curl.
Only then did he slowly loosen his arms, but he did not step away. He merely stood at her side, looking down at her with a gentle, earnest gaze.
Bibi Dong did not look at him. She simply lifted her brush from the paper, frowned at the ruined ink blot, and said, "You made me waste another sheet of paper."
"I'll make it up to you." Deng Tianxin took the brush