RBCT Chapter 63 The Fall Was So Beautiful
Chapter 63 The Fall Was So Beautiful
"What master? I don't remember signing any contract of servitude with you."
Rito smiled sideways, assuming she was just teasing him. Airi didn't explain, patted her bottom, stood up, glanced at the silent Sleepy with her arms crossed, and asked in a low voice, "Should I take her back?"
Rito also looked at her. Compared to her initial assertiveness, Shui Shui was much more obedient now. However, Rito knew her too well and knew that she would never give in so easily. This was just for show.
Even so, you still have to coax them, no wonder they never change.
He made a self-criticism and gave a wry smile. However, when he thought about how there was still a good girl named Shuishui in the operations team, and how he trusted her so much only because he had opened his eyes, while people like Lao Ze were just making unfounded expectations, he felt that he had only done something that was bound to happen. His guilt vanished instantly.
"Take Meiqing back with you, she's had a hard time too. I'll have her manager pick her up."
Rito waved to Airi and made his arrangements. Airi agreed without changing her expression, but Rito could sense her displeasure. He secretly put his hands together and made a pleading gesture to her.
"Don't play the victim. You're the club president, of course you can do whatever you want. Meiqing, let's go."
Airi chuckled at his antics, her initial temper vanishing with his coquettishness. She gave him a knowing look, waved to Meiqing, and left the ward.
Finally, only the two of them remained in the ward. The green dot on the monitor jumped quietly on the screen. Shuishui locked the door from the inside, took off her coat, patted Liren's shoulder, and gestured for him to move a little to the side.
"What? There's another bed over there. I'm a patient, are you trying to take my bed?"
Rito was amused by her, glared at her, and scolded her irritably.
Shuishui rolled her eyes at him, but her hands didn't stop moving at all. She lifted a corner of the blanket, kicked off her ankle boots, revealing a pair of feet in white socks, and slipped into the single bed prepared for the patient.
"Oh, Nagahama Naru, you really are—"
"Move over a little. I asked the doctor, and it'll be fine as long as you don't touch the wound." Shui Shui twisted her body, her long hair draped over Ri Ren's face, leaving a faint fragrance and an annoying itch. Ri Ren expressed her disgust, but her body honestly moved a little to the side to make more room for her.
"That's more like it. Stop pretending with me. Tell me, does it feel good to be held by me?"
Shuishui smiled smugly and immediately took advantage of the situation, putting one leg on his leg and holding his right hand with both hands, stuffing it into the gap in his clothes.
"That's fine then," Rito said, pursing his lips.
"Tch, you're just being stubborn." Shui Shui didn't believe he was telling the truth. She looked up at him. After such a messy night, the man's hair was a mess, sticking up on his head and looking completely unattractive. She tried to comb through the texture bit by bit, and although it didn't help much, she still enjoyed it.
Rito sighed and reached out to hold her ankle in his palm. Her ankle was very slender; he could encircle it with one hand, and it felt wonderful to the touch, like holding a tender branch of a small tree.
"What are you doing? Don't get any funny ideas, or your wound will reopen."
Sleepy nuzzled his ear and kissed the corner of his mouth.
"Am I such an unreliable person?" Rito rolled his eyes, loosened his ankle, and reached his hand inside her hoodie. The delicate silk texture made him pause slightly.
"It seems you quite like that brand. I really made the right choice in acquiring it," he suddenly said.
"Mainly because you like it too, right?"
Shuishui blinked, her eyes almost overflowing with moisture. Pink hues spread from her ears to her neck, then disappeared beneath her loose neckline. She slowly reached up and grabbed her collar, met Rito's gaze for two seconds, and then began to unbutton her clothes.
She unbuttoned the buttons one by one. First, her collarbone was revealed, then the bra strap—not the black lace one she had tried on at La Perla last time, but another one, a deep purple, a color that is a bit difficult for someone her age to pull off, but she wore it very well.
The shoulder straps were very thin, and upon closer inspection, there was a ring of extremely fine silver embroidery around the edges, shimmering faintly under the light. The edge of the bra gathered precisely at the most complete curve of her chest, and the lace pattern on it was more intricate and delicate than the previous set, as if it were naturally present on her skin.
"Does it look good?" Shui Shui stopped unbuttoning her clothes, bit her lip, and looked up to ask.
Rito didn't answer immediately. Instead, he reached out and slowly slid his fingertips down her collarbone. He could feel her heart beating through her skin, and finally stopped right in front of her heart.
"It looks good," he said, his voice a little hoarse. "My Shuishui is already like an adult."
"So, when do you plan to really turn me into an adult?"
"What's the rush? I can't run away."
Shuishui rolled her eyes at him, slapped his hand away, and buttoned her clothes back up. The beautiful scene disappeared as if she was punishing him for always keeping her hanging on. Liren wasn't in such a hurry. He smiled, put his arm around her waist, and pulled her a little closer to him.
"Go to sleep," he said. "You must be exhausted from working on the red and white party. I'm so sorry to have made you come all this way."
"Aren't you going to send me back?"
Sleepy turned around in his arms, gently touched his chin with her lips, then slid down to his throat, without using any force, just gently rubbing her lips against it.
"For tonight only."
The bedside light switch clicked softly, and the light went out, plunging the private ward on the top floor of the hospital into a deathly silence.
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The next day, thanks to Airi's efforts throughout the night, the small sparks that had just ignited online regarding the assault incident were quickly extinguished. Various media outlets, having not obtained any concrete evidence and having been instructed not to follow up, politely refrained from doing so. The only remaining hidden danger was the perpetrator from the previous night—if he wanted to say something reckless, the matter would likely face further complications.
"I understand. I'm still in my dorm. Come pick me up." After receiving Airi's call and briefly understanding the situation, Sayuri readily agreed to Airi's request to help persuade the fan.
"Do you need someone to help you figure out what to do?" Airi asked after a moment's hesitation.
"No need," Xiaobaihe declined decisively. "As long as I'm sure he really is my fan, that's enough."
Seeing her confidence, Airi didn't say much, just said she'd be right there, and hung up.
The meeting place was the police station's reception room. After committing the crime, Sayuri's fan did not try to escape and was quickly apprehended by the police present. Because Airi was worried that she would not be able to resist punching him when she saw him, she chose to wait outside. Only Sayuri, the police officer in charge of supervision, and the perpetrator were present.
Sayuri watched him walk in, his head bowed, avoiding eye contact, and her feelings were complicated. Being liked was certainly something to be proud of, but such obsession was unsettling. However, if he had attacked the company president out of love turned to hate, she wouldn't be sitting here. He didn't resent being taken from her; rather, he resented the person who took her from him for not appreciating her. The subtle nuances were something the thirty-year-old Sayuri could naturally perceive, and therefore, her gaze towards him was more one of pity than disgust.
After a long while, her fan finally mustered the courage to timidly raise her head. Her eyes held no trace of the ferocity she had displayed the previous night. Her lips trembled for a moment before she slowly uttered a sound:
"I'm sorry for causing you trouble, Sayuri. I couldn't help myself."
Xiaobaihe wasn't wearing makeup; she sat opposite him with a bare face. After a long silence, she sighed and said, "I remember you. You came to my meet-and-greet last month, right?"
Upon hearing this, his shoulders began to tremble, and the trembling quickly spread throughout his body. Tears involuntarily began to stream down his face. Perhaps after a night of reflection, he had already anticipated the terrible impact his actions would have on his idol.
Sayuri looked at him without feeling any sympathy. Regardless, the person sitting opposite her was a criminal, and the one who had hurt her was Kubo Rito, who had always taken care of her. While she appreciated his desire to make her life better, his actions were absolutely intolerable. Composing herself, she took a deep breath and calmly said:
"The relationship between me and the president is not what you think."
The fan was stunned for a moment, then instinctively asked, "Really?"
"Really." Sayuri nodded. "We've never been. It's just that we've been together for a long time, and sometimes the boundaries get blurred. We happened to be caught on camera, which caused the commotion a few days ago."
Looking up and gazing into her eyes for a long time, the fan suddenly relaxed and let out a sigh of relief. It was unclear whether it was because she knew her idol hadn't failed in her duty or because she regretted her impulsiveness. In any case, she seemed lost in thought and sank into her seat.
"So you really did something wrong. The president is truly innocent. I've already begged him not to pursue the matter too much, but please promise me one thing: if any reporters come to ask you questions, don't drag Nogizaka into it, okay?"
After waiting a short while, until his pupils refocused, Little Lily spoke again, very earnestly. He gave a bitter smile and nodded weakly:
"I understand. As long as you're okay, you can do whatever you want to me. Also, please apologize to Kubo Rihito for me."
"Okay, you won't be in there for too long. When you come out, don't forget to come to my meet-and-greet again."
It's done. Little Lily clenched her hands silently under the table, revealing her first smile since entering the room—the most quintessential Lily smile. The man opposite her was deeply moved, not expecting that she hadn't given up on him. He stood up, wanting to clench his fist and cheer, but was firmly pressed back onto the table by the police officer beside him. Even so, it couldn't hide the light in his eyes.
"Then it's settled. I'll be going now."
Sayuri approached the police officer and quietly begged him not to use so much force. The officer readily released the man, and Sayuri nodded to him before taking her leave.
As she stepped out of the reception room, Airi handed her a cup of coffee. Having witnessed the whole thing, she couldn't help but marvel and turned to ask:
Do you think he'll still be able to attend the fan meeting?
Sayuri chuckled lightly: "How could that be? I only said that because I knew he couldn't come."
"Impressive, impressive." Airi shook her head and chuckled, thinking that the idol industry was indeed too murky. Her acting skills just now almost fooled her. No wonder so many boys and girls are lured into this trap. She just didn't know if this was just a case for Sayuri or a common phenomenon in the entire industry.
Looking at the assistant's enigmatic expression, Xiaobaihe didn't bother guessing what she was thinking. She tilted her head back, drank half a cup of coffee, and suddenly sighed, saying:
"Luckily, the president and I are completely innocent, otherwise I really wouldn't be confident I could fool him. Airi, don't you think the president should be more careful? You might get away with something like this once, but you can't always get away with it."
Airi merely smiled at Sayuri's presumptuous words, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Whether Sayuri's words were a sincere reminder or a veiled attempt to win her over, Airi had already decided, from the day Rito rescued her from her hellish life, that everything would be for his benefit.
An ordinary person who only knows the other person through TV and meet-and-greets, and who has no interaction with them in real life, can go to this lengths for their idol and even say things like "as long as you're doing well, I'll do whatever you want to me." Am I, Suzuki Airi, some kind of shameless person who can't even do something as normal as repaying kindness?
Thinking this, she smiled apologetically at Sayuri: "Sayuri, I'll have the driver take you to the station. I still need to get the president's laptop, so I won't see you off. Happy New Year!"
"Hmm? Okay, then you can go ahead and get busy."
Xiaobaihe paused for a moment, then agreed. Watching her leave decisively, she smiled, shook her head, and swallowed the last sip of coffee.
"What a lucky guy, Rito Kubo."
At the same time, Rito, feeling a bit bored lying in bed, closed his eyes and entered the card-drawing system space in his mind.
The familiar pure white space was as quiet as ever, but there was one more person than last time. Nono Mio sat cross-legged next to the only remaining gashapon machine, one hand supporting her chin and the other twirling tokens, like a customer waiting in line for the person in front of her to finish.
"What brings you here?" Rito walked to her side, glanced down at the glowing patterns on the gashapon machine, and said, "Want to try your luck? You won't get Yuzu, you've studied math before."
"I don't need you to remind me of that." Mei Qing patted her knee, stood up, looked him up and down, and clicked her tongue in amazement:
"Fully recovered! That's amazing. I wish I could do that when I was injured before."
"Darling, I'm here, I won't let you get hurt." Rito shrugged, delivering his cheesy love lines in a rather monotone tone, which, of course, earned him an eye roll, and he himself was quite disgusted.
After playing around, he and Meiqing exchanged a smile, then looked at the gashapon machine: "But if you're itching to try your luck, you can always try it. After all, the result might not even be a member."
"Never mind." Meiqing looked at the tokens in her hand and remained silent for a while. "I'm unlucky, you can have it yourself."