Afternoon.
The sun blazed outside, while the room’s air conditioner was set to 68 degrees Fahrenheit; compared to the outside, it felt like a different world, even compared to the living room.
Qin Guanglin leaned back against the headboard with a novel in hand, while He Fang lay across his legs, her phone raised, blaring the music from a game of Fight the Landlord.
He finished a Chapter, felt a bit tired, put aside the book, and gently stroked He Fang’s long hair with his hand, his eyes closed, feeling the silky smoothness, "The killer is the victim’s son, right?"
Having seen only a tenth of it, who the killer was seemed blatantly obvious, which made him feel somewhat bored.
"Mhm."
He Fang was fiercely battling with the peasants in the game and hummed casually as a response.
"Guessing it just from that, impressive, huh?" Qin Guanglin playfully flicked her lip with his finger, "Call me Holmes... you’re about to lose."
As soon as he spoke, the peasants sealed the game with a plane.
"Jinx!" He Fang bit his finger angrily, "I was so close."
Only one 2 was left—she could have easily escaped by playing a single card.
They didn’t have enough beans to start another round, she dropped her hands in disappointment and sighed, "You don’t like me anymore."
"Huh? Why would you think I don’t like you?"
"You’re not helping me win beans. I can’t play anymore."
"Why waste such a fine time on games?" Qin Guanglin set He Fang’s phone aside, grabbed her arm, and pulled her up, "Come here and give me a hug."
It was a rare weekend alone together, too good an afternoon to waste on gaming.
Why play games when you have a girlfriend?!
Reluctantly, He Fang got up and flopped down on him, "Not getting me any beans and still want a hug? I’ll squash you."
She should never have let him get so indebted; now he didn’t seem to worry about his debt at all.
"Not now, I’ll win some for you tonight."
"You promise?"
"I promise."
"I want to see those beans tomorrow morning."
"I’m not always guaranteed to win, what if I lose..."
"No way, you have to win," He Fang threatened, lowering herself down on him again.
"Okay, okay, okay."
Qin Guanglin flipped them over, now pinning her beneath him, "No more talking about the game now."
He Fang blinked up at him, "Then what should we talk about?"
"What do you think?" he asked, smiling as he leaned in closer, "Talk about what?"
"This?" He Fang teased, flicking his lips with her finger, "But I don’t want to talk."
"Then I’ll do the talking."
"Mmm..."
...
"Enough, no more talking."
After a while, He Fang gasped lightly and turned her head away from him, "Get off."
"Just a bit longer."
"No more."
"Yes more." Qin Guanglin stubbornly leaned in again, then paused, "What are you doing?"
He Fang tried to open her mouth wide and raised an eyebrow suggestively, mumbling, "No way."
"..."
There really was no solution.
Qin Guanglin fell silent for a moment, then burst into laughter at her antics, "Aren’t you tired?"
He Fang blinked, "Oh, right."
As she closed her mouth, Qin Guanglin tried to take advantage of the moment, but He Fang turned her eyes, puffed out her cheeks, and blew forcefully.
"Cough cough... what are you up to?"
"Try again?" He Fang watched him, struggling to hold back her laughter.
Hum, he needed to be taught a lesson.
Annoyed, Qin Guanglin lay down to one side, "I’m not doing it again."
"Come on."
"No."
"If you don’t behave, I’ll blow you up like a balloon until you’re a chubby round ball."
He Fang stood up, straightened her clothes, climbed out of bed, put on her slippers, and walked out, "So behave yourself."
"What are you doing?" Qin Guanglin sat up and asked.
"Going to the bathroom." She rolled her eyes, "Do you want to come too?"
"I’ll pass."
Qin Guanglin lay back down, listening to her shuffle to the bathroom, then close the door. After thinking for a moment, he sat up from the bed, went to the desk, and turned on the computer to look for a movie.
"Ta-da, mini private theater."
When He Fang returned, Qin Guanglin had already drawn the curtains and was in bed presenting his treasure.
"Watching a movie, huh? You need at least a projector to call it a theater."
"I just like calling it that." Qin Guanglin turned to look at the walls, "The walls are even wallpapered. If we got a projector, we’d have to add a projection screen too."
He Fang lay down on the bed, squeezed into his arms, and turned to face the computer, "You really thinking about buying one? Silly goose."
"It’s comfortable to watch."
"Save my money, ask me before you buy anything." She lifted her head and bumped Qin Guanglin in the chest with the back of her head twice, "Don’t you dare buy it, or else, for a month... no, half a month, ten days, ten days no kisses for you."
"Okay, okay, I won’t buy it."
Qin Guanglin had only just thought of the idea. Seeing He Fang object, he dismissed the thought and snuggled into her neck, "We could spend every weekend like this."
"Won’t you get bored?" He Fang asked.
"Never, how could I get bored?" He buried his face in her hair and took a deep breath, "It smells amazing, I wish I could do this every day."
"I just came from the bathroom." He Fang chuckled.
"That smells good too."
"Ew—you’re getting weirder." She reached out to cover Qin Guanglin’s nose, "Here, smell this to death."
"You didn’t wash your hands?!"
"It’s you who didn’t wash!" He Fang smacked him playfully, "It’s water, tap water."
"Heh, just kidding." Qin Guanglin grabbed her hand and kissed it, "Everything smells good."
"Can you not be so disgusting, no kissing me today."
"Alright, alright, let’s watch the movie."
Qin Guanglin wrapped his arms around He Fang, pulling both her hands and her whole body into his embrace, "Heard it’s really good, have you seen it?"
"What’s it called?"
"Flipped."
"Sounds like a romance."
He Fang asked teasingly, laughing lightly. How could she not have seen it? She had watched it when he dragged her to its theatrical re-release.
"Couples should watch romance movies." Qin Guanglin rubbed her hand with his thumb, "Learn how others live."
"You want to live like in the movies?" He Fang clasped his hand back, their fingers tightly interlocking, "Movies just pick the best parts to show. Daily life has much more mundane and unexpected hassles. Rice, oil, soy sauce, vinegar, tea—it’s not just about kissing and hugging."
"We’ll just have to learn from them. It’s much better than not trying at all." Qin Guanglin didn’t mind, regardless of any annoyance, as long as Teacher He gave him kisses and hugs, it could solve anything.
And if that didn’t solve it, he’d just hug twice.
He Fang didn’t say anything more and lay her head on his arm, quietly watching the movie.
"Some people are shallow, some are like gold on the outside but rotten inside. One day, you’ll meet a person as dazzling as a rainbow. Once you meet them, everyone else will seem like mere clouds."
The grandfather in the movie said to Zhu Li.
Qin Guanglin gently kissed He Fang’s cheek, "You are my rainbow."
"Brown-noser."
"Not at all. Look, this girl likes to smell the boy’s hair too. I like smelling your hair, that’s just liking."
Qin Guanglin found evidence in the movie that he wasn’t a pervert, his heart blossomed with joy.
Liking someone means liking everything about them, whether it’s hands, hair, or their scent. It’s all normal.
Not perverted at all.
He Fang grimaced, "That’s love, yours is just lust."
"Being lustful for only one person is also love." Qin Guanglin was quick-thinking this time.
"See, you admit you’re lustful, right?"
"..."