Keep My First Kiss Safe For Me - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Cold War and Childhood Memories

The August heat in Rongcheng was unbearable. The ceiling fan creaked as it spun, merely churning the stagnant air into gusts of hot wind. In the classroom of Class 11-3, the teacher stood at the podium lecturing on dry geography problems; the monotonous drone of his voice harmonized with the fan to play a perfect lullaby.

Fan Yue’s eyelids felt as though they had been glued shut with thick white paste; no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t pry them open. When the bell finally rang, she gave up the struggle and buried her face in her desk with a dull thud.

A wave of suppressed laughter rippled through the classroom. The geography teacher—an old man with only a single tuft of hair remaining on his scalp—shook his head at the oblivious girl, tucked his lesson plans under his arm, and slowly sauntered out of the room.

Just as a trail of drool was about to slip from the corner of her slightly parted mouth, a vibration from inside her desk startled Fan Yue awake. Her hands darted into the drawer to silence her phone as she sat bolt upright, eyeing the door warily.

Her seatmate, Xiao Xi, found her paranoid look hilarious. “Old Man Li is already gone.”

Fan Yue’s rigid posture immediately collapsed. “Scared me to death!” She scanned the doorway one last time before boldly checking her phone. It was a text from her dad: Come home early after school today. At the end, he added a Must! for emphasis.

Xiao Xi also pulled out her phone to scroll through it. “Coming to my house today? Ning Yuan’s new photobook arrived.” Ning Yuan had debuted in a boy band and become a top-tier idol after starring in a hit drama; he was incredibly popular among young girls, and both of them were die-hard fans.

“You got it?” Fan Yue’s eyes lit up. She grabbed Xiao Xi’s arm and shook it. “I want to see! I have to see!”

Xiao Xi nodded. “I hid it in my bookshelf. You can only look at it in my room.”

Hearing this, Fan Yue’s face crumpled. “I can’t today. My dad just texted me to go back.” Her low mood lasted less than three seconds before she perked up again. “I’ll come over tomorrow!”

“Sure,” Xiao Xi replied casually. The two had been inseparable since middle school. Because Fan Yue hated staying at home due to “a certain someone,” she spent every holiday and break running to Xiao Xi’s house, essentially becoming an unofficial family member there.

At the thought of seeing Ning Yuan’s new photos tomorrow, Fan Yue’s sleepiness vanished. She clutched her phone and began browsing her idol’s fansites. Just as she was getting excited, someone nudged her arm. Xiao Xi tilted her chin toward the window. “Look, your sister is passing by.”

Outside the large classroom window, a tall girl with a high ponytail walked past. Even from a side profile and a retreating back, it was obvious she was a great beauty. Fan Yue slammed her phone down and emphasized every word to Xiao Xi: “I. Am. The. Older. Sister.”

“Oh,” Xiao Xi replied, unimpressed.

Fan Yue had lost count of how many times she had repeated that sentence since childhood. She had an obsession with the title “Older Sister” because people constantly mistook her for the younger one. The girl who had just passed by was Xie Yanyan—her sister by law, with no biological relation.

…

The first time they met, Fan Yue was five years old.

That day was the 60th birthday of her father’s high school mentor. Fan Yue had no school on Saturday, and her lawyer mother was too busy with a case to be home, so Fan Shicheng had no choice but to bring Fan Yue along.

The white-haired teacher had taught for over forty years and had students everywhere. Many of them were successful and had organized a grand, magnificent banquet for him. While the adults talked fervently, the children couldn’t sit still. Bored, Fan Yue looked around and spotted a child at the neighboring table. The little girl had two small braids and dark, round eyes. She was thin, pale, and very pretty!

“Daddy,” Fan Yue tugged at her father’s sleeve and pointed toward the next table. “I’m going to play with that little girl.”

Fan Shicheng, who was deep in conversation with old classmates, agreed without even turning around. “Go ahead.”

Fan Yue hopped off her stool, went to the next table, and gently pulled one of the girl’s braids. Xie Yanyan turned around to see a radiant smile. “Play with me!” Fan Yue said.

Xie Yanyan didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she turned to look at her mother. Xie Rong nodded and instructed softly, “Don’t run off, you two.”

“We won’t,” Fan Yue promised. She grabbed the girl’s hand and led her aside. Generously, she handed the doll she was carrying to Xie Yanyan. “You look just like her. You’re both so pretty.”

The doll wore a beautiful dress and also had two braids. Fan Yue had been a sweet-talker from a young age; her father raised her with constant encouragement and praise, and she had mastered the art. Compliments came naturally to her, often making adults burst into laughter.

It was the first time Xie Yanyan had heard such blunt praise. A blush crept onto her face, and the corners of her mouth curved up as she whispered, “Thank you.”

Fan Yue leaned her fair little face closer and said exaggeratedly, “You look even prettier when you smile!” She held up five tiny fingers. “I’m five. How old are you?”

Xie Yanyan replied, “Four and a half.”

Fan Yue was delighted. “Then I’m the Big Sister!” She patted her chest like an adult. “I’ll protect you.”

Because of those words, the naturally shy Xie Yanyan relaxed. The two played house with the doll, completely losing track of time until the banquet ended and the hall began to empty.

Xie Yanyan’s mother found them first. Xie Rong called her daughter’s name in a panic; upon hearing a response, she rushed over and hugged her tightly. Fan Yue was stunned by the reaction, and only then did she hear her own father calling for her.

Compared to Xie Rong’s overreaction, her father was much calmer. Fan Shicheng had drunk quite a bit. He had been walking out of the hotel with his arm around a friend’s shoulder and was about to get into a taxi when he suddenly realized something was missing. After his alcohol-addled brain thought for a moment, he remembered he had brought his daughter today! He hurriedly turned back.

Although he knew Fan Yue wouldn’t wander off alone, he worried about kidnappers. He shouted her name and only relaxed when he heard a crisp “I’m here!”

Fan Yue saw her dad and ran over happily. Fan Shicheng scooped her up and feigned a stern face. “Where did you run off to?” Though his tone carried no real reproach.

Fan Yue giggled in his arms and pointed. “I was playing with my Little Sister.”

Fan Shicheng looked in the direction she was pointing. Fan Yue felt her father’s body go momentarily rigid, but she was too young to notice. He spoke slowly, “Xiao Rong, you’re here too? Sorry, I didn’t notice you just now.”

Seeing him, Xie Rong was also stunned for a moment, but she recovered quickly. She smiled faintly. “Yes. I only managed to finish high school because Teacher Pang helped me out. I had to come to his birthday banquet.”

Fan Shicheng nodded. “As you should, as you should.” He paused. “Where are you working? Where do you live?” He felt it was a bit rude as soon as he asked.

Xie Rong clearly didn’t want to answer. She picked up Xie Yanyan and said, “I have things to do. I’ll be going now.”

“Leave a number!” Fan Shicheng called out. Seeing her hesitation, he quickly explained, “I don’t mean anything else. We’re old classmates. If you need help with anything in the future, you can find me.”

He pulled a pen and a small notebook from his pocket—a habit he kept for recording work data. He wrote his number down, tore off the page, and handed it to her. Xie Rong took it. He waited with his pen ready, and she eventually recited a string of numbers.

Fan Yue felt sad seeing the auntie leave with her sister. She waved to Xie Yanyan. “Little Sister, let’s play together again next time!”

…

The school bell rang, pulling Fan Yue back from her memories. Xiao Xi packed her bag and asked, “Leaving together? I’ll have Uncle Chen give you a lift home.”

Xiao Xi was a girl with a round face and round glasses. She spoke in a tiny, thin voice and looked like an ordinary student, but she was actually a “little princess” who lived in a villa and had a chauffeur for school.

“No thanks, you go ahead,” Fan Yue declined. She waved goodbye and dawdled while packing her bag. It was only a few books, but she took twenty minutes to finally leave the classroom.

She should be gone by now, right?

Fan Yue scanned the hallway. Seeing no sign of that tall figure, she finally felt safe enough to head out the school gates. Although she hated to admit it, Xie Yanyan was someone who could be found at a glance no matter where she was. Meanwhile, Fan Yue’s height had peaked in middle school; she had hit 160cm and stopped, though her weight seemed to have an upward trend. Fan Yue sighed and poked her soft belly.

She was still dozens of meters from the bus stop when she saw the bus about to pull away.

“Wait!”

Fan Yue shouted and sprinted, leaping onto the bus just before the doors hissed shut. It was rush hour and the cabin was crowded. Taking advantage of her petite size, she wiggled her way to the back. At the next stop, a seat opened up. Fan Yue sat down happily, looking at the familiar streets outside, and soon began to doze off again.

A rocking bus was never as stable as a classroom desk. Sensing laughter around her, Fan Yue snapped awake. She opened her eyes to see several people looking at her with inexplicable smiles. Embarrassed, she scratched her chin and noticed a stout woman standing next to her. Seeing the woman’s protruding belly, Fan Yue hurriedly stood up to offer her seat.

The woman looked at her politely. “Thank you.”

Fan Yue waved her hand. “It’s nothing, it’s only right. Since you’re pregnant…”

The woman’s face stiffened. “I’m not pregnant.”

Awkward.

Fan Yue pointed toward the front of the bus and laughed nervously. “Oh, my stop is here!” She immediately let go of the seat back and moved forward.

Right then, the driver slammed on the brakes. With nothing to hold onto, Fan Yue lost her balance. Momentum threw her forward violently. A chorus of gasps rang out in the bus. Fan Yue closed her eyes and thought: This is it. My life ends here.

But the violent impact never came. A hand firmly grabbed her arm. It was a classic “hero saves the beauty” moment from a TV drama! Fan Yue opened her eyes, wondering which handsome guy had saved her and whether she should consider marrying him in gratitude, only to turn and collide with an expressionless, icy face.

As soon as she was steady, the other person let go as if they had touched a hot potato.

It was Xie Yanyan! Why was she on this bus?! Did she see that whole embarrassing scene? Why didn’t I just pass out from the crash instead! The expressions flickering across Fan Yue’s face were quite a sight.

Before she could finish wallowing in her embarrassment, the doors opened. Fan Yue bolted off the bus like a streak of smoke. Xie Yanyan followed behind her. The two walked toward home, one in front of the other, maintaining a distinct distance…