She sighed again. Lin Yingzhou was really blessed with such a good face. Even the mole between his brows was in the perfect spot.
Those cold eyes were paired with a mouth that just begged to be kissed.
It was a combination that could drive a person crazy.
Lin Yingzhou was deeply uncomfortable under her gaze. It felt like ants were crawling in his throat.
She liked him so much. Now that she had this chance, what would she ask for?
What if she asked for something too much?
Like forcing him to be with her.
Should he agree?
Shen Yusi quietly watched his slightly flustered expression. After a long moment, she spoke.
“Come with me to get a tattoo.”
Before Lin Yingzhou could answer, Shen Yusi grabbed his wrist and pulled him out of the cafeteria, heading straight for the school gate.
The ends of her hair tossed in the air like waves, carrying her scent into his lungs.
The roaring noise of the crowd suddenly became distant. Under the thin layer of skin where their arms touched, a pulse beat faster.
It was like a vine about to break through the soil, silently climbing up the angular wrist bone under the bright sun, leaving a trace of a throb that no one else would know.
Lin Yingzhou reached out—
And took off his glasses again.
He let the red jump on his retina, burning tiny holes into it.
Every time he looked at Shen Yusi, he was on the verge of a stress response.
Getting close to her was a form of self-destructive psychotherapy.
The driver was waiting at the school gate. Shen Yusi pulled Lin Yingzhou into the back seat.
The car started, heading towards the tattoo studio on its predetermined route.
Everything happened so fast that Lin Yingzhou began to suspect that unmasking him, then using this as leverage for compensation, and finally making him accompany her to get a tattoo—this whole sequence—had been planned by Shen Yusi a long time ago.
He was walking step by step into the trap she had set for him.
And he didn’t even feel the slightest urge to escape.
When they arrived, Shen Yusi pushed open the glass door, causing the metal hinges to jingle.
The tattoo studio was a 300-square-meter loft. The air was filled with a mix of woody base notes and the sharp scent of alcohol.
In the sterilizer, hundreds of needle tips were arranged by precision.
Walking up the stairs, they saw a full-wall holographic projection playing tattoo designs.
This shop was quite famous in Yunchang. Shen Yusi had to book it way in advance.
The tattoo artist was named Liang Xiao. He had just finished with his previous client and was eating.
The front desk led them into a workroom and served them two glasses of water.
Lin Yingzhou took a sip from the paper cup.
Shen Yusi, now sitting on the tattoo chair, suddenly asked, “Teacher Z, can I hold your hand later?”
Both the way she addressed him and the request itself caught Lin Yingzhou off guard.
The paper cup crumpled in his hand. He turned his head to look at her. Shen Yusi tilted her head, her eyes bright with expectation.
“…No.”
Shen Yusi let out a soft huff and immediately tried to guilt-trip him. “You said you wanted to make it up to me, but you can’t even agree to a simple request like this.”
Lin Yingzhou was confused. “Why do you need to hold my hand?”
Shen Yusi said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Because getting a tattoo hurts a lot. I need something to push against. And your hands look perfect for holding.”
That was the reason.
After a long pause, Lin Yingzhou finally let out a small “Mm.”
Seeing that she had achieved her goal, Shen Yusi’s joy was palpable. She reached her hand out to him.
Lin Yingzhou raised his own, but he held it in the air for a long time, as if fighting against some invisible force.
Feeling his hesitation, Shen Yusi grabbed his wrist and pulled it towards her.
The moment their palms touched, Lin Yingzhou felt a current run through his scalp.
Her thumb was slowly stroking the protruding ulna on his wrist.
Lin Yingzhou turned his face away, the tips of his ears turning red under the cold, white light.
His pinky finger twitched uncontrollably twice before it finally submitted and froze in her palm, letting Shen Yusi bend and adjust his fingers as she pleased.
Shen Yusi exclaimed in admiration. “They’re so long and beautiful.”
She had never seen a pair of hands as perfect and flawless as Lin Yingzhou’s.
Her touch traveled from his wrist, over the tendons, to the bones of his fingers and knuckles.
This whole groping session made her feel like a pervert. But if being a pervert felt this good, she would be one for the rest of her life.
Lin Yingzhou closed his eyes. This kind of caressing felt so strange, so strange that his body was reacting oddly.
He forcefully pulled his hand away. “It’s not starting yet.”
“Fine—” Shen Yusi dragged the word out, disappointed. She didn’t understand what he was so shy about.
Sooner or later, he was going to be touched by her. What difference did it make?
Break time was over. Liang Xiao lifted the curtain and sat down on the swivel chair to adjust his machine. Under his black short sleeves, half an eagle tattoo was visible.
He crushed a mint candy in his mouth. “Island?”
“Yes.”
Liang Xiao looked up. “As I told you on WeChat, the ankle is a painful spot. Bear with it.”
“Okay.”
The black rubber glove was pulled taut over his knuckles. Liang Xiao picked up a piece of disinfectant cotton, wiped the area around Shen Yusi’s ankle bone, and then applied the stencil paper over the small scar.
During the entire preparation process, Shen Yusi didn’t say a single word to Lin Yingzhou. It was as if she didn’t need his hand to grip anymore to ease the pain.
There was little flesh on the top of the foot. Her new scar was right on the thinnest part.
The moment the first needle went in, Shen Yusi’s arch suddenly tensed. The pale blue veins under her skin were clearly visible. Liang Xiao’s hand was gripping her ankle firmly. “Don’t move.”
Shen Yusi was in so much pain that her fingernails were digging into the leather seat.
God!
This Liang Xiao was the embodiment of Granny Rong from the story!
But this was just the beginning. Liang Xiao maneuvered the machine and started outlining.
The vibration of the tattoo gun shot straight to the crown of her head through her tibial nerve. A thin layer of sweat broke out on Shen Yusi’s back. She pressed her nails into her palm.
A light chuckle came from above her. “I told you it would hurt.”
Shen Yusi looked up. Liang Xiao was wearing a mask, his eyes lowered, his expression focused.
She had heard that the tattooist at this studio was handsome enough to be a celebrity. Seeing him now, she had to admit he was quite good-looking.
While she was looking, suddenly, a warm hand wrapped around hers and forcefully squeezed between her fingers.
“Don’t hurt yourself.” His voice was a breathy sigh. “Hold me.”
Shen Yusi turned her head to look. Lin Yingzhou’s face was a mask of forbearance. She suddenly burst into laughter. The corners of her eyes, moist with tears, curved into a triumphant arc.
She tightened her fingers and held his hand back, letting the pain and the thrill climb her nerve endings at the same time.
Lin Yingzhou knew she had done it deliberately. She had used this method to force him to make a move.
He knew everything, but he still followed her wishes.
The design was simple, but it still took a few hours to finish.
Lin Yingzhou felt the strength of Shen Yusi’s grip on his hand.
But his eyes were uncontrollably drawn to Liang Xiao’s hands, which were repeatedly stroking the top of her foot, and his other hand that was holding her ankle.
It was an eyesore. He was even jealous.
But he wasn’t sure what he was jealous of.
Jealous that he had the right to touch her?
Jealous that he could paint on her pale skin and leave a permanent mark?
But touching was perfectly normal and necessary during the tattooing process.
This feeling was confusing to Lin Yingzhou.
Why was he jealous?
Was it because he wanted to do the same?
When it was over, Liang Xiao applied a piece of plastic wrap to Shen Yusi’s foot and gave her some instructions.
“Take off the wrap after two hours. Don’t get body wash on it in the shower. Don’t soak it in liquid for a long time. And mind your diet.”
The two walked to the parking lot one after the other.
After they got in the car, Shen Yusi’s phone kept buzzing. She had a smile on her face as she happily replied to whoever it was.
The inside of the car was silent except for the ticking of the turn signal and the occasional notification sound.
When they reached the school, before they parted ways, Shen Yusi said, “Thank you for coming with me today. I’ll consider the matter of you hiding your identity settled.”
“…Mm.”
The key to maintaining ambiguity was the push and pull. If you were too enthusiastic on the date, you had to cool it off afterwards to keep him restless and unable to sleep.
Before going to bed, Lin Yingzhou saw Shen Yusi’s moments update.
She had posted a picture of the tattoo: [New experience. Thankfully, someone was there with me.]
In the picture, her ankle looked like a piece of cold jade. A red snake coiled around her skin, its tongue just licking the slightly raised, light blue vein.
Lin Yingzhou’s thumb hovered over the screen. The red burned from his fingertips into his chest. A faint, dense itch crawled up his throat.
In the middle of the night.
Lin Yingzhou gradually found it hard to breathe. It felt like some cold-blooded creature was coiled around his ribs. A snake-like tongue licked his Adam’s apple. Scales touched every part of his body.
This feeling was strange and unfamiliar. He struggled to break free from the haze, reaching out to shake it off—
But he caught a slightly cool ankle. The blood-red snake pattern wildly spread along the pulse on his wrist, glowing strangely between his fingers.
Lin Yingzhou looked up.
It was Shen Yusi.
She was stepping on his throbbing body with her bare feet, her eyes full of frost. Through the shadows of her red hair, her lips clearly formed the words, “How disgusting.”
His heart trembled. Did she find him disgusting? Had she stopped liking him?
Lin Yingzhou took a deep breath. The blood vessels under his skin boiled and screamed. Fragmented gasps escaped him. His whole body was so hot that he was about to faint.
Suddenly, a flash of white light.
Lin Yingzhou woke from his dream, his bed drenched with sweat.