1RomanceEB Chapter 22 Why is this circuit breaker so faulty!
Chapter 22 Why is this circuit breaker so faulty!
Gu Zhibei pushed open the door, and the room was pitch black.
Only a sliver of light from the window illuminated a petite figure huddled in the corner.
She didn't speak, but stubbornly cast her gaze, like a cat abandoned by its owner, wanting to get closer yet afraid of repeating the same mistake.
"Jiang Youyu, have you completely fallen into vampire ways?"
As Gu Zhibei spoke, he pressed the switch in the entryway.
pat.
A crisp sound echoed in the darkness.
The light is not on.
Gu Zhibei raised an eyebrow:
"Is there a power outage?"
"It's not unusual for old houses to have aging wiring."
Jiang Youyu's tone was flat and indifferent; at least, there was nothing unusual about her voice.
"It's fine if it's a bit dark, anyway, I don't need anyone to come and keep me company on time."
"Is this because I'm late?"
Gu Zhibei accurately captured the key words in the girl's words.
He was already used to Jiang Youyu's way of speaking.
She always liked to hide her innermost emotions in a few casual words.
Like a child who loves solving riddles, if you guess the answer correctly, the girl will secretly smile; but if you don't understand the riddle, she won't reveal the answer, but will hide away awkwardly and sadly and shed tears.
"Who blamed you! I didn't!"
In the dim light, Jiang Youyu's appearance was not visible, but from her voice, which sounded like her tail had been stepped on, one could imagine the girl's instantaneous outburst.
Gu Zhibei smiled inwardly.
His tone was stiff, but he lacked any real confidence.
"Yes, yes, I was just being presumptuous."
The boy went along with her words perfunctorily and put dinner on the table.
He put his hands in his school uniform pockets:
"I'll go check the circuit breaker. It'll be back soon this time, so our stubborn Miss Fish won't have to complain secretly again."
Without waiting for her reply, Gu Zhibei walked out on his own and expertly turned on the power switch.
He returned to the house, where the warm light illuminated the girl's slightly flushed face.
She pursed her lips, looking somewhat embarrassed.
She acted like a child throwing a tantrum, but her little scheme to be cute was exposed.
Jiang Youyu forced herself to remain aloof, her cheeks slightly flushed.
"Hmph, thankfully it came in time."
"Shouldn't I get a reward?"
Gu Zhibei spoke in a casual, conversational tone.
"Ideally, it would be something that satisfies my age-appropriate needs, with a touch of excitement."
"..."
Jiang Youyu's ear tips flushed red, and a hint of anger appeared in her eyes.
But she didn't speak, only glanced at the boy indifferently.
He exuded an aura of indifference, a reluctance to argue with him, and a touch of instinctive irritability.
Gu Zhibei was struck dumb.
She seemed to have completely transformed into his shape, and no matter how hard the boy tried, there would only be some soft, yielding rebounds.
"What's with that expression?" Jiang Youyu sneered. "I'm hungry."
Gu Zhibei sighed:
"I never imagined that at such a young age I would experience the sorrow of a middle-aged man's willingness but inability to cope..."
He silently opened the lunchbox, only to suddenly notice a smug smile playing on the girl's lips.
Jiang Youyu, are you playing me?!
...
The most frustrating dinner of my life has finally come to an end.
Gu Zhibei began the obligatory leg-touching ritual among friends.
He deliberately slowed down his movements as he raised, lowered, and bent his arm.
Like a fully focused professional massage therapist.
With his index finger, he slowly drew a pattern on the delicate instep of Jiang Youyu's foot.
"What are you doing!" the girl shouted angrily.
Gu Zhibei mimicked her earlier gesture, giving her a dismissive glance:
"This is revenge, and I'm just treating myself as a perk."
Jiang Youyu's lips moved slightly; she was both ashamed and anxious, but there was nothing she could do about it.
Even though she had no feeling in her legs and couldn't feel the warmth of the boy's fingers at all, the moment her eyes fell on his hands, a warm current would suddenly surge into her heart, and her mind would almost be overwhelmed by the heat.
It's all this guy's fault for speaking so confidently and having all the arguments he had, leaving her no way to refute him. It's driving her crazy...
A hint of helpless indulgence flashed in her eyes, and she could only turn her face away, awkwardly letting him do strange things to her feet.
Satisfied.
Gu Zhibei ended the battle.
As it turned out, his swordsmanship remained impeccable.
"What, are you reluctant to let me leave?" Gu Zhibei launched a follow-up attack.
Jiang Youyu wanted to glare at him, but she was too weak to muster any strength.
She said angrily:
"Stop nagging! I'm not some kid who needs someone to keep me company!"
"I'll be going now. If there's another power outage, remember to call me."
Gu Zhibei kindly reminded him.
Jiang Youyu, however, showed no appreciation whatsoever, turning her face away and snorting.
She lived here for six months and there was only one power outage.
How could it stop a second time?
Gu Zhibei left.
But he didn't go far.
The boy waited in the hallway for more than ten minutes before walking to the familiar electrical control box.
Turn the switch off again.
Gu Zhibei took out his phone.
Shortly after, the phone rang.
He answered the phone, and a girl's voice, feigning composure, came through:
"Gu... Gu Zhibei, do you have time...?"
The boy tried hard to suppress his laughter and deliberately said:
"Is it really because I'm too lonely by myself?"
"Gu Zhibei!"
The voice on the other end of the phone instantly became furious, but then fell silent.
After a few seconds of silence, Jiang Youyu's somewhat hesitant voice rang out again:
"The power's out again..."
"I understand. I will definitely not miss this kind of pre-game storyline that unlocks a special CG once it is triggered."
Gu Zhibei spoke with righteous indignation.
There was no response from the girl on the phone for a long time.
The stubborn stone he deliberately threw did not stir up a ripple on the sea.
Only the faint sound of breathing in her hands proved her presence.
For some reason, Gu Zhibei suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.
He paced back and forth, his voice echoing along the corridor before disappearing.
The narrow corridor was shrouded in silence, and the crumbling, peeling white plaster in the corner was like a scar left by time that refused to heal.
"Gu Zhibei..." she suddenly spoke.
"Hmm, what's wrong?"
"...It's nothing."
"What are you trying to say?"
"..."
"..."
"I didn't mean to hold you back, really."
The girl's voice was slightly distorted after being converted by electricity.
But those faint sobs became clearer and sharper amidst the torrent of signals, like a crisp sound suddenly exploding in the noise.
"Bang."
Gu Zhibei wasn't paying attention and bumped into the wall.
It looks like there's a bump on my forehead.
He wiped it off casually and then turned on the power switch box.
Push the switch up.
The boy didn't stop running and kept going until he reached the familiar doorway.
He took a deep breath and opened the door.
The girl happened to be looking at him.
A sudden, unexpected joy welled up in her moist eyes.
But soon, an awkwardness, hard to define, quietly settled between the two of them.
"Jiang Youyu, aren't we friends?" Gu Zhibei broke the silence.
Jiang Youyu simply kept her face down, not daring to look at him, and gave a very soft "hmm".
Gu Zhibei continued:
"What burdens are there between friends?"
"…Um."
She picked up the water glass and sipped the water slowly.
"To prevent another power outage, as a friend, I feel obligated to stay at your house for one night."
"Um--?!"