Chapter 15 (1/2)

NPT C15No Protection TonightChapter 15: No Remorse for Forcing a Kiss

Tangsao wasn't prepared for the slap at all, and it hit her fully on the face. Her refined eyebrows furrowed. ”Feng, what the h.e.l.l are you doing?!”

”Are you crazy? It's really dangerous to be with a guy like him, don't you understand that?” I flared up. This was the first time I yelled at her, yet I didn't know the reason why I was mad.

After all, this was her home, and I didn't have any right to interfere with her personal life. Tangsao paused, and she looked very angry, ”Why should you care about my decisions? Who do you think you are?!”

Her retort stunned me. I thought that I had a pretty good relations.h.i.+p with Tangsao, but her sudden coldness made me feel as if we had returned to those earlier days.

At that moment, I was speechless. ”Oh, then alright. Whatever.”

Honestly speaking, I felt a little disappointed. Though she was very good to me and didn't blink an eye at bribing me out of trouble, her common sense was just lacking. Even I, a country b.u.mpkin, could see that the gla.s.ses man was bad news.

Does she always have to regret it after it's too late? But, she had a point. If anyone had to manage her, it was Tangge—what right did I have?

I went back to my own room. Soon, I heard Tangsao throwing up in the bathroom; drinking too much alcohol wouldn't feel very good afterward. I hesitated but didn't go to her.

Tangsao tried to retain some of her dignity by keeping the noise down, but my hearing was too sharp. As time dragged on, I became more and more uncomfortable, like there were pin p.r.i.c.ks at the back of my mind. When it grew quiet, I tiptoed outside and acted as if I was going to the bathroom.

I saw Tangsao lying on the sofa, curled in a fetal position. Her small face couldn't conceal her fatigue. I wanted to carry her to her bed, but I was afraid of waking her up and getting criticized for it.

Whatever, it's the summertime, anyway, so she shouldn't get a cold that easily. So I took a light blanket and carefully covered her with it. Then, I poured a cup of hot water and set it to the side.

I just couldn't understand why Tangsao had snapped at me. I was still looking out for her, so could it be because of what I said at lunch about keeping our distance? She got mad, so she went to stay with that gla.s.ses jerk?*

*This is ZF's a.s.sumption/guess, not what actually happened.

I had never appreciated the saying ”A woman's heart is a needle at the bottom of the ocean” more than I did at that moment. I didn't get much sleep that night.

The next day, I woke up to get ready for school but found that the blanket was on the floor and the air was chilly.

I looked at the remote, and saw that it was set at a whopping sixteen degrees.* That's not right, I clearly remembered that I'd set it to twenty-seven last night. The cup was empty. I suddenly knew what happened—her body started burning up from the hangover, so the blanket and AC had made her uncomfortable.

*16°C = 60.8°F

I felt her forehead and was shocked. It was scorching hot! I lifted her up, carrying her in my arms, when Saozi suddenly woke up. She glared at me and admonished, ”What are you doing?!”

”You're burning up. I'm taking you back to your room,” I said nervously.

”You're the one who's perverted*, so put me down. Saozi doesn't want to get angry.” Because I was from the countryside, my accent made Tangsao think I was trying to d*ck her down.

*Okay, time for a little ching-chong Chinese lesson here. ”Burning up/have a fever”, which is 发烧, is p.r.o.nounced ”fa shao”. On the other hand, 发骚, which means ”doing naughty things/being a pervert”, is p.r.o.nounced ”fa sao”. See how easy it is to mix that up? ZF's countryside accent didn't make it any easier.

”No, feel your own forehead. It's really hot, you're sick!” I didn't let go of her as I carried her all the way to her room. Ever since Tangge came home, I never got the chance to come back in here. An indescribable feeling of both unfamiliarity and closeness rose in my heart.