Chapter 15: If I Go Bald, Will You Still Love Me? (15)

Vaguely, Bai Yao thought she saw a human figure inside. Startled, she took a step back and bumped into the boy behind her. Shen Ji reached out to pat her head gently. "Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, Yao Yao. I’m right here," he reassured her.

But Bai Yao frowned, casting a suspicious glance at Shen Ji. "Are you hiding a woman in there?"

Shen Ji was taken aback. "Huh?"

It was clear that Bai Yao’s thoughts often took unexpected turns; even Shen Ji, lively as he was, couldn’t always keep up.

Bai Yao pushed him aside and opened the cabinet door wide. The shadow inside was exposed.

It wasn’t a person at all. In truth, it was a skeleton.

A tall, grimy skeleton slouched in the cramped cabinet, looking almost aggrieved by its confinement. It was hard to overlook the many broken places on the bones. Amusingly, someone had simply taped the fractured parts together with adhesive tape. Bai Yao couldn’t imagine how such damage had occurred, but a chill ran down her spine.

If these were real human bones, how many injuries had this person endured in life?

Shen Ji hurriedly closed the cabinet again. He wore an apologetic smile as he gingerly hooked her fingers, speaking softly, "Yao Yao, I’m sorry. I’ll take care of it soon. Please don’t be scared."

"Who said I’m scared?" Bai Yao retorted.

Shen Ji blinked.

Bai Yao reasoned that this was the art room—it was perfectly normal for students to have a skeleton to draw. She wasn’t an art student herself, but she’d heard of such things. Even the biology lab had a skeleton, didn’t it?

Besides, it was broad daylight, and her boyfriend was with her. What was there to fear?

Curiosity getting the better of her, Bai Yao opened the cabinet again and inspected the skeleton closely. It looked old and battered, as though it had been there for years. Perhaps it had been damaged in that fire.

Her interest piqued, Bai Yao reached out and poked one of the ribs, carefully avoiding the cracked areas. "So this is what it feels like," she murmured.

Back in the biology lab, some classmates had been bold enough to touch the skeleton, but Bai Yao had never tried—until today.

"Yao... Yao Yao..." Shen Ji began.

Bai Yao looked at him.

He seemed embarrassed, the tips of his ears tinged red, unable to meet her gaze. "Don’t touch it. Your hands will get dirty."

She glanced at her fingers. Sure enough, just from that brief touch, gray dust smudged her fingertips. "Did you put this here?" she asked curiously.

Shen Ji nodded shyly.

Bai Yao remembered that Shen Ji could draw; perhaps this was something he needed. Still, the notion of him constantly handling this dusty thing made her skin crawl. She was a stickler for cleanliness, and she hoped her boyfriend would be too.

"Let’s give it a bath!" Bai Yao declared.

Shen Ji stammered, "A b-bath—?"

But Bai Yao was a woman of action. She had Shen Ji carry the skeleton to the washbasin at the far end of the fourth floor. Though the building had been abandoned for years and the electricity was cut, there was still running water.

When Shen Ji set the skeleton in the sink, he didn’t watch his strength—there was a sharp crack as a bone snapped.

"Don’t touch it anymore!" Bai Yao scolded, pushing him aside. "It’ll be a pain to put back together!"

Shen Ji stood to the side, looking at her with wounded eyes. He wanted to mention how good he was at puzzles, but Bai Yao was too busy for him now.

She first peeled off all the tape with great care, then turned on the tap and took the small brush Shen Ji had fetched from the art room. With gentle strokes, she cleaned every part of the pale bones, especially careful below the ribs.

Bending down, Bai Yao focused intently on the pelvis. Some spots were too tricky for the brush, so she put it aside and used her fingers, meticulously wiping each crevice.

Behind her, the boy’s breathing grew heavier, until it was impossible to ignore.

Bai Yao turned to him. "What’s wrong?"

A suspicious flush colored Shen Ji’s cheeks. His dark eyes gleamed with a hidden storm as he gazed at her, Adam’s apple bobbing. His voice was hoarse. "It’s too hot."

Sunlight streamed through the cobwebbed windows, bathing him in warmth. No wonder he was overheated, she thought.

Since he was of no help, Bai Yao told him, "Go find somewhere cooler to stand. I’ll call you when I’m done."

The art room was just next door.

Obediently, Shen Ji slipped inside, quietly closing the door behind him. Yet he hid just behind it, peering through the crack to watch Bai Yao’s every move. He saw her hand move from the pelvis to the thigh bone, and his body slumped against the door.

A flush of unbearable excitement reddened the corners of the boy’s eyes. He tried to keep his movements silent, but with his forehead pressed against the door and his dark eyes fixed on the girl’s profile in the sunlight, he couldn’t help but let out a low, trembling breath.

"Yao Yao... I like you so much..."

He truly, deeply liked her.

It took Bai Yao some time to finish cleaning the skeleton. Once it had been left to dry in the sun, she decided the tape was unsightly. She had Shen Ji tear strips from an old curtain in an abandoned classroom, wrapping the white cloth around the fractures like bandages healing a wound.

After she’d finished binding two spots, she was about to push him away for leaning on her in the heat, but he sidled right back moments later.

Exasperated, Bai Yao looked up at him. "Why are you so clingy today?"

From behind, Shen Ji wrapped his arms around her waist, closing his eyes contentedly, his cheek pressed lazily to hers. "Yao Yao, I like you," he whispered.

Bai Yao suspected he must have finished all the snacks she brought, judging by the satisfied look on his face and the sweet nothings he kept offering. He was definitely up to something!

Shen Ji’s eyes crinkled as he smiled, his bright gaze filled with her reflection.

Bai Yao’s resolve melted instantly. She pried his hands from her waist. "I can’t get anything done with you like this."

Shen Ji didn’t want to let go, but he didn’t want to upset her either. He’d braced himself to be pushed away, but instead, Bai Yao intertwined her fingers with his. Lowering her voice, she asked, "What’s really the matter?"

He’d been fine just moments before, but now his clinginess was unusual.

Shen Ji gently caressed her hand, looking down for a long while, lips pressed together in silence.

Seeing him fixated on their joined hands, Bai Yao simply raised his hand to her lips and kissed it, teasing, "Why are you acting like a little bride today?"

Shen Ji shivered, the sensation seeming to travel from his hand to somewhere deeper. His face flushed once again. At last, he lowered his head, burying his face in her neck to hide how shy he was.

Perhaps it was just the season for little animals to become clingy.

Bai Yao patted his back softly, comforting him.

Shen Ji opened his eyes and caught sight of the skeleton, cleaned so thoroughly and lovingly by the girl, not a single detail missed. He couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from lifting in a bashful smile, closing his eyes as he pressed his face into her shoulder.

She really, truly loves him!