Abstinence Pei, don't be too sweet when chasing your wife

On the way back, the damp night wind brought drizzle into the car. Ling Jiuer shrank suddenly like a frightened rabbit, clutching the edge of the blanket tightly with both hands, her knuckles turning white as paper.

Du Fei caught a glimpse of her shoulders heaving violently, his Adam's apple rolling with difficulty. Even swallowing was done with careful restraint. He didn't dare touch her rashly. He simply closed the car door, turned the heater to maximum, and then spoke in a voice softer than a breath: "Don't be afraid, we're almost to the neighborhood." The last word trembled as he spoke.

These words seemed to have triggered a switch. Ling Jiuer's tense body suddenly began to tremble violently, and her tears fell uncontrollably on the blanket, leaving dark marks.

Du Fei panicked and knocked over the car aromatherapy device in a panic.

He wanted to reach out and grab a tissue to wipe it, but was afraid of being abrupt. He clenched his fingers in the air several times before he fumbled to pull out the tissue box, but found that the box was pressed deep in the gap between the seats.

The metal buckle hurt his fingers, but he didn't dare make too much noise for fear of disturbing the person curled up in the back seat.

After finally pulling out the tissue, she hit her elbow on the steering wheel when handing it over. The horn suddenly made a short sound, which startled Ling Jiuer and made her tremble all over.

"Yes, I'm sorry!" Du Fei's voice was filled with tears. He turned off the speaker in a hurry, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.

In the rearview mirror, the girl was sobbing while holding a tissue box, her hair dripping with water, whether it was rain or tears. Her thin shoulders twitched under the blanket, like a wounded chick.

Du Fei reached out his hand, hovering above her head for a full ten seconds, and finally patted the roof of the car lightly: "It's all over. Those bad guys...can't hurt you anymore."

After he finished speaking, he bit his lower lip in frustration, hating himself for not being able to utter a single word of comfort.

When the car stopped downstairs of Ling Jiuer's apartment, the rain started to fall again.

Du Fei staggered out of the car and rushed to the other side before the umbrella ribs were fully opened, but saw Ling Jiuer rushing into the unit door with a blanket on her head.

He chased after her with an umbrella, oblivious to the muddy water splashing onto his trouser legs. He finally stopped her in the elevator: "I...I'll go up and help you check the doors and windows. It's easy to get hurt during a rainstorm..."

"No need." Ling Jiuer's voice was as hoarse as sandpaper, and the sound of the elevator number jumping to the 17th floor was more pleasant than her answer.

Du Fei froze in place, watching her fingertips turning white as she clutched the blanket.

The moment the elevator door slowly closed, he reached out to block it. The dull pain of the metal door hitting his wrist only sobered him up: "I'll make you a bowl of ginger soup? To drive away the cold."

As the elevator rose, Ling Jiuer stared at the jumping floor numbers without saying a word.

Du Fei stood diagonally behind her, keeping a deliberately distant distance, and could clearly hear the rhythmic beating of his own heart.

When the number jumped to the 17th floor, he stuck his head out and looked at the corridor like a clumsy guardian.

When the sensor light in the entrance hall came on, Ling Jiuer had not yet changed into her slippers, but Du Fei had already taken off his shoes and tiptoed into the kitchen.

When he was looking for ingredients in the kitchen, if the cabinet door opened and closed loudly, he would nervously turn around to observe Ling Jiuer's reaction.

When he was slicing ginger, the crisp sound of the kitchen knife hitting the chopping board made him tense up. In the end, he simply put a rag under the chopping board to reduce the noise.

Ling Jiuer leaned against the door frame, watching him mistake the salt shaker for a sugar shaker and almost knock over the glass vase containing dried flowers. She suddenly felt that this scene was absurd and ridiculous - the young talent who was so decisive in the business world now had to knock over three or four bowls and plates even when looking for a soup spoon.

"Get out." She heard herself say, but her voice was not as cold as she expected.

Du Fei paused, his forehead stained with flour as he turned around. "It'll be ready soon. Do you want the ginger sliced or shredded?"

His eyelashes were covered with raindrops from his journey, making him look like a wet puppy.

"Be careful!" When Ling Jiuer suddenly rushed over, the oil splashed from the boiling soup pot burned Du Fei's wrist.

The distance between them suddenly shortened, and Ling Jiuer could smell the scent of gunpowder and rain on him. Unlike the suffocating smell in the ancient tomb, this smell made her feel inexplicably at ease.

When Du Fei was backing away, he knocked over the spice rack, and the peppercorns and star anise spilled all over the floor.

He squatted on the ground and carefully picked up the peppercorns one by one and put them into the bowl. He didn't even notice that his fingers were numb from the star anise.

“Let me do it.”

Ling Jiuer took the soup spoon, but found that she couldn't adjust the temperature of the gas stove.

Du Fei silently reached out from behind her, his warm breath brushing against her ears: "This old-fashioned stove needs to be..."

His fingers covered her hand holding the knob, and the warmth came through her skin, making her quickly retract her hand.

When the ginger soup was ready, the kitchen was already a mess.

When Du Fei was picking up the broken porcelain pieces, he wrapped them in three layers of newspaper before putting them into a plastic bag, for fear that the sharp edges would hurt Ling Jiuer.

Ling Jiuer held the steaming bowl in her hands and saw that he had put the Band-Aid on crookedly without noticing.

"Come here." She put down the bowl and took his hand to treat the wound again. When the alcohol cotton swab passed over the wound, Du Fei groaned in pain, but still smiled and said, "It doesn't hurt, really."

When the clock struck eleven, Du Fei wiped the kitchen countertop more gently.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ling Jiuer hugging her pillow and staring at the TV news. The scrolling subtitles flashed the news of "a gunfight in the warehouse area in the south of the city". He wanted to go up and turn off the screen to prevent her from being stimulated again, but he was afraid of being abrupt. He could only repeatedly adjust the sound of the water flow from the faucet, trying to use white noise to cover up the sound of the news broadcast.

"Actually, you don't have to do this for me?" Ling Jiuer suddenly interrupted him.

Du Fei was stunned, his movements frozen in mid-air.

"I'm sorry. I didn't dare to face my own heart before, but now..." Du Fei clenched his trouser legs, his knuckles turning white. "I want to protect you. Can you give me a chance?" His voice became smaller and smaller.

Looking at Du Fei's uneasy look, Ling Jiuer suddenly felt that the barriers were like paper softened by rain, which would break with a poke.

“The soup is cold.”

She turned her head away to hide her red eyes, but heard a slight sound coming from the kitchen counter.

Du Fei moved over cautiously, keeping half an arm's length away.

"Should I heat it up again? Or maybe make some noodles? There are eggs in the fridge, so I can fry them without burning them..."

His voice gradually faded away, and the last few words were almost inaudible.

Ling Jiuer finally couldn't help laughing out loud, but tears also fell.

Du Fei suddenly panicked and frantically pulled out the tissue, but he only managed to pull out half the roll of paper without tearing it open.

"Idiot." She took the tissue and rubbed the burn on the back of his hand with her fingertips. "Sit still."

The reheated ginger soup was steaming between the two of them.

Du Fei secretly observed Ling Jiuer's expression and suddenly mustered up the courage: "I will learn archaeology knowledge in the future? Then I can help you look at the blueprints, and also..."

He became more and more excited as he spoke, "Using nanomaterials to make lightweight protective clothing..."

He was so excited that he accidentally knocked over the water cup on the coffee table.

"Yeah, sorry!"

Du Fei hurriedly grabbed a tissue to wipe it, his ears turning red.

"I, I'm so stupid..."

His flustered look made Ling Jiuer laugh, and she took the initiative to hand over the rag. Their fingers touched inadvertently. Du Fei quickly retracted his hand as if he had been electrocuted, and the redness on the tip of his ear spread to his cheeks.

Ling Jiuer looked at his embarrassment and finally smiled sincerely.

She handed the bowl of ginger soup to him and said, "Take care of yourself first." Du Fei's face turned red instantly.

Although the ginger soup flowing down his throat made him feel a little spicy, the scent in the air was sweet and comforting.