Chapter 194 - 162: Hugging Lesson

Chapter 194: Chapter 162: Hugging Lesson

Pouting, Jiang Xueli lightly pounded on Lin Zhengran’s stomach with her little fists.

But the gesture was clearly just her being coy, not a real punch. She wouldn’t have the heart—or the strength—to actually hit him.

Seeing her honest admission, Lin Zhengran stopped teasing her as he continued to dry her hair.

The only sound in the room was the hum of the hair dryer, making the atmosphere feel even more awkward.

However, now that Lin Zhengran had stopped talking and teasing, she seemed to be the one who wasn’t happy. With her eyes fixed on his abs, the girl took the initiative. "Zhengran... why aren’t you talking?"

"Didn’t you tell me to stop teasing you? So now I’m not talking. Is that a problem, too?"

Jiang Xueli bit her lip. "I told you not to tease me, not to stop talking altogether. When you’re quiet, the atmosphere suddenly feels so awkward..."

A quick flick to her forehead would have made her quiet down, but he didn’t do it this time. His hands were busy with the hair dryer.

"Zhengran..."

"What now?"

Jiang Xueli actually wanted to ask him why he was still so quiet, but she changed the subject at the last second.

"You..." She tried her best to sound casual. "Do you work out a lot at home? How did you get in such good shape...?"

"I work out occasionally. As for the muscles, I guess I just got lucky."

"Luck?"

The more nervous Jiang Xueli got, the more likely she was to do something silly. She let out a snort of laughter. "How can that be luck?" She looked up at him. "Sometimes you’re just a blockhead. Your brain takes a day off."

’Lin Zhengran glanced at Jiang Xueli’s cute but meager figure. ’If genetics aren’t luck,’ he thought, ’then there’s no explaining Jiang Xueli’s body.’’

’So, saying it’s luck makes perfect sense.’

Noticing his somewhat lecherous gaze, she hugged herself, silently demanding to know what he was looking at.

Lin Zhengran completely ignored her.

Then Jiang Xueli saw the focused look on his face as he carefully dried her hair.

She didn’t say a word, but her heart was already fluttering.

’After all, her affection meter for him had been maxed out for years.’

Jiang Xueli tentatively reached out and ruffled Lin Zhengran’s hair. He watched, curious about what she was up to.

Jiang Xueli studied him. "You big idiot... I don’t want to compliment you, but how did you get so handsome? And your hair... even when I mess it up, it still looks so good."

She ran her hand through his hair, making it stand on end.

She giggled to herself.

Lin Zhengran warned:

"Jiang Xueli, are you looking for trouble?"

Startled, Jiang Xueli quickly smoothed his hair back down.

"Okay, okay, I’ll stop! No need to get angry."

Lin Zhengran finished drying the front of her hair. "Turn around. I’ll do the back now."

"Oh."

Jiang Xueli shifted around under the covers.

Her back was to him now. Lin Zhengran gathered Jiang Xueli’s long hair and noted that while she had a lot of it, it wasn’t as thick as Han Wenwen’s. It was, however, exceptionally smooth to the touch.

"Zhengran... how far have things gone with you and He Qing?"

"Holding hands, linking arms."

Jiang Xueli turned her head in surprise to look at him, only to be met with a warning from Lin Zhengran not to move.

She straightened up again and stared at the curtains, her large, limpid eyes blinking a few times. ’That big idiot... he can’t have really never seen *that kind of stuff*, can he?’

’He Qing is so much sweeter than I am. If I were a guy and we were dating, I definitely wouldn’t be able to resist getting handsy with her. But Zhengran hasn’t.’

’Even though it shows Zhengran cares for us, it also proves he’s really innocent...’

"So that means, you haven’t hugged her?"

"Mm, not yet." ’I’ve only hugged a certain little fox,’ he thought, ’and maybe a few too many times.’

Jiang Xueli suddenly smiled, her theory confirmed. ’A pure-hearted player, is that it?’ she thought. She puffed out her chest, suddenly filled with a strange sort of courage.

She placed a hand over her chest with pride, closed her eyes, and began to speak with great confidence:

"Let me tell you, don’t judge a book by its cover. I actually know a lot about... certain things. If you don’t know how, I can teach you how to hug a girl. Wouldn’t want a big idiot like you to mess it up and become a laughingstock later, right?"

Lin Zhengran gave her a strange look, but, his curiosity piqued, he didn’t refuse. "Alright. But why do you know so much?"

"I... I’m a girl, for one. And I’m a singer! Singers are very sensitive and in tune with their feelings, so we know a lot about things like relationships between men and women! Yes, that’s exactly it!"

"You’re amazing, then," Lin Zhengran praised.

Jiang Xueli pressed her lips together. "Then, after you finish drying my hair, I’ll teach you how to hug. There are many different ways."

"Mm."

’This silly girl,’ Lin Zhengran thought. He was actually curious to see what she had planned.

After her hair was dry, Lin Zhengran set the hair dryer aside.

"Alright, your hair’s dry. You can teach me now."

Jiang Xueli took a deep breath and turned back to look at Lin Zhengran.

The atmosphere still made her nervous. "Turn off the light first," she said.

Lin Zhengran used the remote to turn off the light, plunging the room into darkness. In the shadows, he couldn’t stop a small smile from gracing his lips, but he quickly composed himself. "And then?"

’She thought about all the things she’d seen. Even though it was all R-rated, she only watched the pure romance stuff, and in those stories, hugging was always an essential appetizer before the main course:’

"Then... we need to be closer. I’ll move myself."

She scooted over, moving closer to Lin Zhengran.

Jiang Xueli could already hear her own heart pounding.

"Open your arms."

Lin Zhengran opened his arms.

Jiang Xueli said, "First, I’ll teach you method number one: how a guy should react when a girl initiates a hug." She looked at his torso. "I’m going to hug you now. Starting now, don’t say anything, and don’t be nervous! Whatever you do, don’t be nervous!"

When he gave a slight nod, Jiang Xueli’s small hand tentatively reached out and touched his skin.

She immediately flinched back.

But perhaps her new role as "teacher" gave her courage. She gritted her teeth.

And threw herself into Lin Zhengran’s arms, hugging him tight.

Thankfully, the room was pitch-black. Otherwise, her face would have been nothing but a deep shade of crimson.

Even her earlobes were burning red.

Her forehead rested on Lin Zhengran’s chest.

She could clearly smell the unique scent that was all his.

Her nervous, trembling hands clutched his firm back.

’Lin Zhengran remained silent. He could only marvel at how rapid the girl’s breathing was. He could feel each of her sharp exhales against his chest.’

And with her hair just washed, her fragrance was potent.

Jiang Xueli’s voice became very quiet. "So, now a girl is hugging you... How does it feel? Describe your feelings."

Lin Zhengran actually gave it some serious thought.

"It feels pretty good. You smell nice. The puff of your breath against my chest is a little ticklish. Your face feels a bit hot, too—it’s warm against my skin. And my arms are getting a little sore from being held out like this."

A flustered Jiang Xueli stammered, "Y-You don’t have to be so detailed! A simple evaluation is enough."

"The simple evaluation is: not bad."

"Okay, now you have to respond. When a girl initiates a hug, a guy can’t just do nothing. You have to hug her back. See how my hands are? Do that and hug my back."

"Is that so? Well then, Professor, here I come."

Jiang Xueli gave a slight nod.

So Lin Zhengran placed his hands on Jiang Xueli’s back.

Just as Jiang Xueli felt his touch and was about to ask how it was...

...her voice caught as she felt Lin Zhengran’s hands suddenly apply more pressure.

He pulled her fully into his embrace.

"Zhen-Zhengran!" she yelped in alarm.

Lin Zhengran asked innocently, "What’s wrong? Didn’t you tell me to hug your back? I’m not doing anything else, am I? What’s the next step?"

"I... let me think." She felt how close she was to Zhengran now, and her brain short-circuited. "Let’s... let’s just hold this for a moment. I need to think if there are any other important points."

"Take your time," he said. "No rush."

Everything went quiet. Jiang Xueli savored the feeling of being held in Lin Zhengran’s arms.

It was a mix of gentle pressure and immense security, like she was needed. The feeling was indescribable.

And it was so comfortable. Zhengran’s muscles were so firm.

’So this was what it felt like to be held by him. It was so much better than she had ever imagined.’

And right now, Jiang Xueli had only one thought: she wanted time to stop right here, forever.

She closed her eyes and hugged him back tightly, memories of their time together flooding her mind.

An unknown amount of time passed.

Seeing the blissful smile on Jiang Xueli’s face and her continued silence, Lin Zhengran leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Still haven’t figured it out?"

The whisper sent a shiver through Jiang Xueli, and her eyes snapped open.

She said evasively, "Idiot! H-How could I think of it that fast? It’ll take a while longer! What’s your hurry? Don’t you think it’s comfortable hugging me? Why ruin the mood by talking?"

"It’s comfortable, sure, but don’t you think we’re in an awkward position? Our legs are straight, but our bodies are twisted. Logically speaking, a hug shouldn’t feel uncomfortable at all, right?"

"Is it?"

She hadn’t even noticed.

She glanced down, then let out a nervous laugh to ease the awkwardness. "Not bad, you big idiot. You’re slowly starting to get the hang of it. But..."

"How about we lie down and hug? Our bodies won’t be twisted then."

"Good idea... okay..."

A rustle of sheets indicated they were lying down. But hugging while lying down felt completely different from hugging while sitting up.

Jiang Xueli lay on the bed, gazing at Lin Zhengran’s face, now just inches from hers.

Sensing the strange new atmosphere, she suddenly felt shy and didn’t know what to do. She hadn’t expected a simple change in position to make such a huge difference.

"Wait, wait, Zhengran! Let’s not lie down after all. Let me go first..." Her hands loosened their grip.

Suddenly, Lin Zhengran couldn’t hold back his laughter.

The flustered Jiang Xueli’s eyes widened. She looked into Lin Zhengran’s eyes and saw no thirst for knowledge.

Only the distinct look of someone who was just messing with her.

"Zhengran... you’re messing with me..."

He once again tightened the hand he had on her back.

Jiang Xueli’s whole face was buried in Lin Zhengran’s neck.

Lin Zhengran said, "How am I messing with you? I really don’t understand. Please, continue."

"Liar... do you think I’m stupid...?" Jiang Xueli bit her lip, her voice suddenly filled with grievance. "I hate you so much. You’re the person I hate most in the entire world..."

As she spoke, her hands wrapped around Lin Zhengran’s back once more.