Chapter 32: The Maiden's Kiss
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“Qing, have you ever heard a saying from physics?”
Lin Ye held Su Qing’s delicate hand, his gaze fixed on her face, unwilling to look away.
“There are so many sayings in physics. How am I supposed to know which one you mean?” Su Qing blinked playfully, her eyes brimming with laughter.
“If there were something in this world faster than light, then we could travel through space and return to the past. Do you understand what I mean?”
Lin Ye gazed into the eyes of the girl before him. His expression gradually grew distant, as though he had fallen into memory.
Su Qing found it a little strange, but she did not interrupt him. Instead, she clasped his hand in return. The corners of her eyes lifted slightly, carrying a trace of tenderness. She could clearly see the surging, fervent emotion in Lin Ye’s pupils.
“The truth is, our thoughts move faster than light. Every time we recall the past, we have already traveled through time and space and returned there.”
After a pause of several seconds, Lin Ye turned and walked over to Su Qing. Under her slightly astonished gaze, he pulled her slender figure into his arms.
Leaning close to her ear, he whispered, “In other words, every time I think of you, we meet again. Under this theory, you and I have already reunited countless times.”
Su Qing’s heart inexplicably skipped a beat. During her coma, Lin Ye’s companionship had been like an aimless little boat lost at sea suddenly catching sight of a lighthouse glowing with warm amber light, guiding her safely home.
As they held each other at point-blank range, Su Qing faintly felt the violent pounding of his heart beneath his chest. At some unknown moment, their heartbeats seemed to fall into the same rhythm.
The emotions buried deep within them arrived with such force and heat. Sunlight streamed through the glass and fell upon the tightly embracing couple, as though coating them in a layer of golden radiance.
That burning emotion seemed to take physical form, becoming a layer of golden flames that would never go out around them both.
“Have you hugged enough? The coffee I ordered is practically cold.” Su Qing’s voice was muffled as she spoke with her cheek buried against the fabric over Lin Ye’s chest.
As though abruptly awakened from a beautiful dream, Lin Ye released his arms in a fluster. He glanced around at his surroundings and even lightly bit the tip of his tongue.
The faint sting brought his dazed mind gradually back to clarity. All his worries melted into the words that quietly slipped from his lips.
“So it really isn’t a dream. That’s wonderful.”
After leaving Lin Ye’s embrace, Su Qing gradually felt a sense of loss welling up inside her. But when she heard the unconscious words he had spoken, her heart was once again filled with a strange, sweet satisfaction.
The two stood facing each other, neither saying a word. The atmosphere sank into a brief silence, until a server approached carrying a cup of fragrant, steaming coffee.
“Hello. Here is the coffee you ordered.”
The awkwardness in the air seemed to be diluted somewhat by the server’s sudden arrival.
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Lin Ye seized the chance to speak. Raising his hand, he said awkwardly, “Is there some mistake? I only just got here. I haven’t ordered any coffee.”
The server gave him a puzzled look. The coffee had already been ground and brewed, and he was still claiming he had just arrived?
“I ordered it for you. Give it a try. The coffee here is quite good. I used to come here often.”
Su Qing sat down and pushed the coffee on the table toward Lin Ye.
Without thinking, Lin Ye remembered only that Su Qing had just been discharged from the hospital and was still recovering. He pushed the cup back toward her.
“Your body has only just recovered. I’ll drink the one that’s already gone cold. You have the hot one.”
As he spoke, Lin Ye took advantage of standing beside the table and moved the cold cup in front of Su Qing to his side.
Not knowing what else to say, he sat down and immediately lifted the cup for a sip. Though the coffee had already cooled, its rich aroma still filled his mouth, carrying a faint note of fruit.
“Wait! That cup, I just—”
Perhaps the embrace had left Su Qing’s mind a little slow as well. By the time the words left her lips, they seemed to have come half a beat too late. Lin Ye had already taken a sip and set the cup down.
At the same time, he had noticed the faint red imprint of lipstick on the rim.
“This coffee really is fragrant.” Lin Ye subconsciously glanced at the girl’s lips across from him. They were full, not particularly red, but remarkably moist.
So had they just shared an indirect kiss?
The question inevitably surfaced in Lin Ye’s mind.
Such beautiful lips. If only…
Lin Ye’s mouth inexplicably felt dry. He instinctively picked up the coffee cup again, only realizing what he was doing when it reached his lips.
Should he drink from the other side? Should he simply drink from the same place? Or should he put the cup back down?
Would Su Qing think he was rejecting her if he drank from the other side?
Would drinking from the same spot make him seem like he had ulterior motives?
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Think of something, Lin Ye! Come on, Lin Ye—show the strength of a man who had been single for more than twenty years and get yourself out of this awkward situation!
When overwhelming good looks temporarily failed, it was time for overwhelming intelligence to make its entrance.
“May I kiss you?”
Brilliant! Lin Ye had opened with an exceptionally fierce direct attack!
The instant the words left his mouth, every muscle in Lin Ye’s body—even his toes—tensed and curled inward.
What on earth am I saying?
That was the last thought to cross his mind.
All sounds around them seemed to vanish. The coffee machine grinding beans, the cars passing along the road outside the café—everything seemed to disappear.
Only Lin Ye’s heartbeat remained in that small space.
“You may.”
Su Qing’s voice was very soft, so soft it was almost inaudible. But Lin Ye heard her clearly, and the world around them returned to normal.
Suddenly, Lin Ye felt as though a hand had given him a push from behind, urging him to stand and walk over to Su Qing.
But there was only a wall behind him. Where could another person have come from?
Perhaps his grandfather, who had passed away long ago, had seen his grandson suffering so pitifully and decided to lend him a hand.
Su Qing slowly closed her eyes. Her slightly trembling lashes revealed that her heart was not nearly as calm and composed as she appeared.
Lin Ye seemed to catch that familiar fragrance again—the same scent he had breathed in at the hospital when he leaned close to Su Qing’s face.
Her lips were cool, but soft. Yet they were not as full as they appeared to the eye. As Lin Ye kissed her, he could clearly feel that they were somewhat thin, carrying a faint bitterness from the coffee, mingled with its fruity aroma.
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