那是一个初秋的清晨.清冷的空气——或许是冬天将至的预兆——带来了异常的寒意,让那些珍视温暖的人更加抗拒离开床铺的舒适.
一只纤细而白皙的手臂缓缓从被子下伸出,紧接着是一头凌乱的黑发.乐香轻声呢喃,眨了眨睡意朦胧的眼睛,目光扫向床头柜上的闹钟.然而令她惊讶的是,她的目光只对上空洞.
她停顿了一下,本能地低头搜寻地板.突然,一只有力的手臂环住了她的腰.一阵顺着脊背窜上来,让她吓了一跳.她毫不犹豫地踢了出去.
虽然乔之敏捷,但昏昏欲睡时被打了个措手不及,最终被踢下床.幸运的是,他英俊的五官让即使是最尴尬的姿态也显得迷人.尽管姿势尴尬,他依然显得很可爱.
特别是...现在.他裸露地躺着,完美的体格展现无遗——肌肉线条自然优雅,四肢强健而瘦削,皮肤异常白皙.所有这些元素融合在一起,创造出独特而迷人的魅力.他身体重重摔在地上的声音彻底惊醒了乐香,她迅速低头,无意中看到了他的猥亵.脸颊涨得通红,她匆忙转身,低声说:"抱歉."
乔之现在完全清醒了.他从地上站起,无助地叹了口气.他拿起旁边的浴袍穿上,理了理略显凌乱的头发,转向她."你想吃什么?我会为你做的."
他那低沉而迷人的声音中带着一丝温柔与疲惫.听起来像是温柔的春风,夹杂着淡淡的酒香,带来一丝醉意.
乐翔甚至没抬头,就知道他的目光里一定充满了那份温柔,几乎能滴落甜蜜.她抿了抿嘴,轻声回答:"冰箱里有些冷冻饺子.把那些给我们看."
"我怎么能让你吃那样的饭?"乔之毫不犹豫地拒绝了她的建议.他带着坚定的表情,替她做了决定."我有之前做的猪皮果冻.我会蒸饺子,煮点大麦粥,再加点酸芥菜——和粥完美搭配."
乐翔保持沉默.虽然这顿饭不复杂,但完全符合她的口味.停顿了一下,她又开口了."我记得上次买了一些腌肉.阳台上应该还有生菜."
乔之眼中闪过喜悦,笑容满溢喜悦.显然,腌肉通常不会吸引像乐香这样胃口轻薄的人.她提起这件事——甚至买下它——显然是为了他这个食肉动物.
乐香避开他的目光,迅速裹紧毯子,走向浴室.当她出来时,已经换上了一套湖蓝色的家居服.她的头发还有些凌乱,但已经稍微整理了一下.她没化妆,只做了基本护肤程序.
"你应该去刷牙,洗脸,换衣服.我会在这里观察,"她说.* [注:根据叙事流向进行了上下文修正]
听到她的话,他忍不住微笑.他转身提醒她:"再煮几分钟,然后把火调小."
Le Xiang nodded in acknowledgment. As Qiao Zhi removed his apron and walked out of the kitchen, he couldn't resist gently tapping her lips with his finger as he passed, his expression almost unbelievably tender.
Le Xiang's face flushed crimson. Just as she was about to swat his hand away, he had already withdrawn it and walked off. As the heat in her cheeks slowly subsided, she let out a deep sigh, unable to hide the complicated look on her face.
Breakfast passed in silence. Le Xiang watched wordlessly as Qiao Zhi calmly cleared the dishes. When he glanced at her, she frowned slightly, feeling a bit irritable. "You have to return to the team this afternoon. Let's go shopping."
She would rather leave the confined, awkward space of the apartment than stay stuck there in limbo.
Qiao Zhi sighed upon hearing this. He had hoped to spend more quiet time with her before he had to leave for his mission. Who knew when he would have time off again?
But he also realized that while the situation didn't bother him, Le Xiang was clearly uncomfortable. He didn't want to pressure her or make her feel uneasy. So, he nodded and said, "I'll drive today."
Le Xiang handed over the car keys without a word.
For Qiao Zhi, who stood at 1.9 meters, the cramped space of the compact car was quite a struggle. Watching him awkwardly arrange his limbs, Le Xiang couldn't help but chuckle. However, considering the current state of things between them, she quickly suppressed her smile.
Qiao Zhi, though seemingly absent-minded, couldn't help but notice her shift in mood. He wasn't upset; on the contrary, a soft smile touched his eyes.
For years, his only wish had been for her to be happy. If that happiness was derived from him, then all the better. He didn't mind looking foolish in front of her.
Following Le Xiang's directions, Qiao Zhi parked at a nearby hypermarket. They entered the largest chain store in the district.
Le Xiang had shopped for Qiao Zhi's team necessities many times before. She effortlessly filled the shopping cart with essentials—mostly food, including a large amount of high-calorie jerky and cured meats. Chocolate, effervescent tablets, and energy bars also made up a significant portion.
After a moment's thought, she headed to the household goods section and selected two storage bins for him. Turning to him, she said, "Didn't you say the storage box in your dorm was broken by your squadmates? I'll get you these Oxford cloth ones; they aren't likely to break."
Qiao Zhi nodded. Le Xiang had bought the previous storage boxes too, but truth be told, he hadn't actually used them in the dorm—they had just sat there. After returning from a mission, he discovered that his roommates had used them as trash cans—and hadn't even used trash bags!
Worse yet, his roommate Yang Liang had recently come down with a stomach bug and had vomited into those very bins. Even if he forced Yang Liang to clean them—something he couldn't bring himself to do personally—he would never want to use them again.
Now, as Le Xiang selected new ones, he didn't mention any of this. After all, he had just received his wages and wasn't short the money for two storage bins. As for whether they would be useful... if buying them made Le Xiang happy, then so be it.
Le Xiang continued, "I've been applying for a lot of storage boxes on Taobao's trial platform recently. They even had brands like Lock & Lock and Chahua, but sadly, I didn't win a single one."
Qiao Zhi couldn't help but chuckle. Le Xiang had never been particularly lucky growing up, yet whenever she saw a lottery stand, she couldn't resist buying a few tickets. It wasn't an addiction, just a habit. Recently, she seemed to have become obsessed with applying for Taobao trials—which was fine, since it didn't cost her a cent.