Which way to go is the road?

Ever since Xiang Fei and Bai Xue confirmed their relationship, every time they came out of "Shuiyunjian", Xiang Fei would always take Bai Xue back to school first before walking back to his basement.

After leaving "Shuiyunjian", they walked back together as usual!

Lao You, Tian Hai, and Du Xinpeng walked ahead, playfully bickering, with Zhang Fang and Dong Lu following behind, and Xiang Fei and Bai Xue bringing up the rear.

Bai Xue, unlike her usual sweet and charming self, didn't say a word, simply mechanically holding Xiang Fei's hand. Xiang Fei felt a little awkward and racked his brains for something to say.

"Actually, you commanded exceptionally well today, displaying the spirit of the female generals of the Yang family. I'm truly impressed!"

"Yeah?"

"Of course, I reckon you're the only one among these people who could do that. It's just that our skills are too weak. How long have you been playing this game?"

"I think I've already told you about this. My brother took me to play!" Bai Xue was very impatient with Xiang Fei's attempt to make conversation, and she frowned and glanced at him!

"It seems so. I have a bad memory. Let's talk about something else! Your hometown is Inner Mongolia. What's the climate like there?..." Xiang Fei could only blame his bad memory and tried his best to maintain a harmonious relationship between the two.

"What's there to talk about? I don't want to talk!" Bai Xue pulled her hand out of her pocket and put it in her coat pocket. "Let's split up at that intersection up ahead. It's closer for you to go back to the basement, no, it's closer to where you live!"

Bai Xue paused noticeably when she said "basement," then, to avoid upsetting Xiang Fei, said "place of residence." But Bai Xue's consideration was clearly a sign of her care, and Xiang Fei's sensitive heart sensed it!

"separate?"

"What are you thinking? Don't bother seeing me off today, it's quite a distance, why drive so far? Anyway, they're all ahead, there won't be any danger!"

"You really don't want me to deliver it?"

The awkward conversation with Bai Xue just now, her unnatural expression when talking about the basement, and her refusal to walk with him on the street—everything about it made Xiang Fei sad, and he didn't know how to deal with it. But the little bit of pride in his heart kept his tears from flowing out, only making his eyes brighter and more moist.

"Don't be like this, it's okay! You don't need to see me off today!" Bai Xue realized her lapse in composure and hugged Xiang Fei apologetically.

"It's okay, I know you need some peace and quiet! Couples should respect each other's personal space. You did nothing wrong, so I'm leaving."

Xiang Fei gently pushed Bai Xue away, turned and walked towards the basement. Tears streamed down his face, but he didn't wipe them away, letting them overflow his cheeks.

Bai Xue stared at Xiang Fei's retreating figure, remaining motionless for a long time. His back was so resolute and cold, like a real breakup. Bai Xue was simply troubled; she didn't want to talk, didn't want to compromise, didn't want to be affectionate, and there were many other things she didn't want to do. At the same time, she didn't want to hurt Xiang Fei, but she had, and Bai Xue could feel it; after all, he was still her lover.

Dong Lu and Zhang Fang walked quite a distance before turning around and noticing Bai Xue standing alone at a roadside intersection in the distance. They hurriedly ran over.

"Where's Xiang Fei? What happened to you guys?"

"It's nothing, just a little awkward situation!"

"I thought something serious had happened. Xiang Fei isn't that petty. Whatever it is, we can talk it out tomorrow and it'll all be over. Okay, let's go! The dorm lights will be turned off if we get back too late!"

"I don't want to go home tonight!"

"What are you saying? Where are you going to stay if you don't go back? At Xiang Fei's? Are you crazy!"

"I'm not crazy! I'm going to stay with him tonight!"

"Little Miss, what if the student affairs office does room checks?"

Just tell them I went to my uncle's place.

"Listen to me, go back right now! Stop making a scene!"

"I'm not making a scene. I'm an adult; I know what I'm doing!"

Bai Xue tilted her head and pouted, looking stubborn. Dong Lu felt that there was no point in trying to persuade her any further, so she turned and walked towards Zhang Fang. But she turned back halfway there.

"be safe!"

Bai Xue and Dong Lu had been to this basement before when they were looking for Lao You, but they couldn't quite remember it. Relying on their memory, they arrived at the corner of the corridor, but couldn't recognize which room it was. When they saw a new door, they knew where they were, and turned around to knock on the door of the room next to it.

"Who is it?"

Only Xiang Fei and Lao You would come to this basement. When Xiang Fei heard the knocking, he was puzzled. Who would come to see him at this time? When he opened the door, his eyes almost popped out of his head!

"Why are you here?"

"Why aren't you welcoming me? Or are you hiding a mistress, afraid I'll see her?"

"What are you hiding here for?" Xiang Fei chuckled wryly, letting Bai Xue in and closing the door. "Even if you wanted to hide here, no one would want to come!"

"Didn't I already arrive?"

"You really shouldn't have come. It's so late, and the area isn't very safe. What if something happened? If you had come, you could have let me know so I could have picked you up!"

"Were you crying just now?" Bai Xue didn't respond, but felt sorry for Xiang Fei when she saw his tear-streaked face.

"No, I just got some dust in my eyes!"

Bai Xue ignored Xiang Fei's excuses, hugged him tightly, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to just now. I'm just annoyed! In our local dialect, we call it 'being irritable,' so I just wanted to be unreasonable and argumentative. Just ignore me! Tomorrow I'll be all sunshine and rainbows!"

Listening to Bai Xue's tearful account, Xiang Fei inwardly blamed himself for being so misunderstanding. He patted her back and said, "Alright, stop crying! It's just that I'm too sensitive and don't understand people! Let's not argue next time!"

"Okay, I won't be stubborn anymore! Give me a kiss!" Bai Xue broke free from his embrace and looked into Xiang Fei's eyes, pleadingly.

……

That night, Xiang Fei didn't let Bai Xue stay in the basement; instead, he took her to a business hotel. While checking in, the receptionist kept secretly staring at them, as if they had something on their faces.

After receiving their room key, they took the elevator to the sixth floor, arrived at their room, and looked around the room.

"Spending money is great, it's much better than my basement!"

"Actually, the basement wasn't bad. I suggested we just spend the night there, but you wouldn't agree! Look, we spent over a hundred yuan more! That's several game cards!"

"I'm fine with whatever I want, but I can't let my wife make do!"

"Who's your wife? Dream on!"

"Okay, okay, no, it's getting late! Go wash up and get some rest!"

After washing up, Bai Xue made a face, said nothing, put on her inner clothes, spread open the quilt, and crawled inside.

Xiang Fei tidied up his clothes, put them in the closet, washed up, turned off the light, and went to sleep on the other single bed!

The night was quiet, with only a sliver of light filtering through the slightly ajar curtains, adding an unexpected touch of ambiguity.

"Are you asleep, Xiang Fei?"

"No!"

"I can't sleep!"

"If you can't sleep, count sheep!"

"Are you even a man, Xiang Fei?"

"Hehe, let's just pretend it isn't!"

"Shouldn't couples behave like this when checking into a hotel?"

"How do you know you shouldn't have done that!"

"I found it online!"

"You girls even research these things online?"

"There are many more! Do you think girls are all stupid? We're curious too!"

"I really didn't know that before!"

"Do you want to be a saint for one night?"

"It's not impossible!"

"Fine, let's see if you can remain unmoved by her!"

After Bai Xue finished speaking, she jumped onto Xiang Fei's bed and burrowed under the covers. Xiang Fei was amused by Bai Xue's actions and hugged her, patting her gently as if to lulling a child to sleep.

"If something really happens, are you scared?"

"I'm scared! On the way to the hotel, I was thinking of coming here, but I almost didn't want to come up with you!"

"Then why did you come?"

"I love you!"

Xiang Fei hugged Bai Xue tighter, kissed her hair, and pressed their faces together.

"If you're afraid, it means you're not ready yet. I'm not in a hurry, and don't overthink it. When the time is right, just let it happen naturally!"

"Mmm, let's sleep. I feel so warm and comfortable right now!"

Bai Xue pulled Xiang Fei's arm over and covered herself with it, and soon drifted off into a sweet dream.