Keep My First Kiss Safe For Me - Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The pack of punks scrambled away, and now it was time for Fan Xinghang’s lecture. Fan Yue rolled up her sleeves and raised her hand to give him a sharp flick on the forehead—how dare he run off blindly instead of waiting to be picked up after class?!

But when she saw Fan Xinghang with his shoulders slumped and a long, miserable face, the hand aimed at his head took a sharp detour and landed gently on his shoulder. She tried her best to sound pleasant: “What do you want to eat? Big sister’s treat.”

Feeling the tenderness and care of his two sisters for the first time, Fan Xinghang’s eyes welled up with moved tears. He managed to choke out: “Hotpot.”

Fan Yue gave him a playful pat. “Heh, fine.”

The three siblings headed out to eat together. The hotpot restaurant was bustling and steamy. Fan Yue took off her scarf and coat, her face flushed pink as she asked her brother, “Tell me how they bullied you. Has this happened before?”

Fan Xinghang hung his head. “They asked me for pocket money a few times. When I said I didn’t have any, they threatened to beat me up.”

No wonder the kid had looked so heavy-hearted lately. Fan Yue pressed on, “Why didn’t you tell the adults?”

Fan Xinghang shook his head. “I didn’t want to. It’s embarrassing.”

Fan Yue suddenly felt that her brother had grown up; he knew how to keep secrets and protect his pride now. She fished a slice of meat out of the mild broth and put it in his bowl, saying grandly, “If anything happens in the future, remember to tell me. I’ve got your back!”

Fan Xinghang looked at the big sister who usually chased him around to hit him and nodded. Then he looked toward his second sister, who usually ignored him. Xie Yanyan was busy sliding plates of vegetables into the split pot. She flicked her eyes up at the first-grader and said, “If you don’t want to be bullied, make yourself strong.”

“Hey, what kind of attitude is that?” Fan Yue glared at her. “Is that how a sister talks? At a time like this, you should be comforting him, encouraging him, and helping him so he feels our care and affection.”

“Can you stand up for him every single time?” Xie Yanyan raised an eyebrow.

Fan Yue was choked up, unable to find a comeback. Usually quick-witted, she always seemed to lose her spark in front of Xie Yanyan. Maliciously, she fished a piece of meat out of the spicy red-oil side of the pot and held it to Xie Yanyan’s lips. “Here, eat this. This is your sister’s ‘care’ for you.”

Xie Yanyan, who didn’t care for meat and couldn’t handle spicy food, gave her a look before opening her mouth and eating it. Instantly, her face turned bright red, and her eyes welled up from the sting.

Seeing her usually composed sister so disheveled, Fan Yue’s mood instantly soared. She quickly handed over a glass of water, feigning concern: “Can you feel your sister’s ‘burning’ love now?”

Xie Yanyan downed the water in her own glass, but her throat was still on fire. She instinctively grabbed the other glass on the table and gulped it down. Fan Yue shouted, “Hey! Hey! That’s my water!”

After draining the glass, Xie Yanyan slammed it down in front of Fan Yue and stared at her for a few seconds.

“Wha… what? I didn’t think it was that spicy,” Fan Yue turned her face away guiltily.

Suddenly, her face was wrenched back. Xie Yanyan pinched her chin. Fan Yue gasped in surprise, and in the next second, a mouthful of crown daisy (garland chrysanthemum) was stuffed into her mouth.

Crap! That was the one vegetable Fan Yue hated most. She instinctively tried to spit it out, but Xie Yanyan’s grip was strong. Holding her chin firmly, Xie Yanyan flashed a “femme fatale” smile: “You should feel my care, too. Eating more vegetables is good for your health.”

Ptu! Ptu! Ptu!

Fan Yue struggled out of her grip and spat the greens out.

Fan Xinghang watched his two childish sisters with his mouth agape. Weren’t they supposed to have a bad relationship? Why do I feel like a third wheel?

…

After a noisy hotpot meal, Fan Yue painfully settled the bill and told Fan Xinghang it was time to go, but the boy lingered, reluctant to leave.

“What else do you want?” Fan Yue realized her brother was becoming quite the schemer.

“Sis, I don’t want to go home yet. If I go back, I have to do homework,” Fan Xinghang mumbled with his head down.

“If you’re not going home, what are you doing?”

Fan Xinghang said tentatively, “I want to play video games.”

Fan Yue: “…” Give him an inch and he takes a mile.

But she was a sympathetic sister. Fan Xinghang had been under so much pressure since starting primary school; she worried it would affect his physical and mental health. After a moment’s hesitation, she agreed. “Fine. But let’s be clear: just this once.”

“Yes, yes, yes!” Fan Xinghang nodded like a chicken pecking rice, then excitedly pulled at his second sister.

Xie Yanyan stood still. “What for?”

Fan Yue dragged her along. “You’re coming too, obviously. Otherwise, what if you go back and snitch? The best way to eliminate a threat is to make her an accomplice.”

“You’re the one who actually wants to play games, aren’t you?” Xie Yanyan gave her a sidelong glance.

Fan Yue denied it three times over: “I don’t, I’m not, don’t talk nonsense.” She turned to Fan Xinghang. “Where to? You’re so little, can you even get into an arcade?”

The little chubby boy patted his chest. “I know a place. Follow me.”

It turned out the kid had been planning this for a long time.

He led them to a side alley near the First Primary School. In winter, the alley was devoid of green; it was a cold, desolate sight of mottled walls and old houses. He stopped in front of a small shop with no sign. The owner barked warily, “What are you doing here?”

Fan Xinghang quickly explained, “They’re my sisters.”

Seeing they were just two young girls, the owner’s expression relaxed. “Go on in.”

So mysterious for no reason, Fan Yue grumbled internally. She stepped forward and lifted a heavy curtain, and was immediately stunned. Talk about a “hidden paradise”—this was it!

Inside, the nondescript shop was a different world. The hall was packed with gaming equipment. Noisy sound effects and shouting flooded their ears. Looking around, it was filled with older kids and teenagers.

Fan Yue pulled Fan Xinghang aside and scolded him, “How do you know about this place? Have you snuck in here before?”

“No, absolutely not! It’s my first time!” Fan Xinghang said earnestly. “My classmates told me about it. They come all the time. It’s embarrassing if I’m the only one who hasn’t been!”

“What does ‘face’ have to do with this?” But since they were already there, Fan Yue rubbed her hands together and announced excitedly, “Let’s play!”

In truth, Fan Yue had never been to an arcade either. Despite being a bit rebellious, she was mostly a “good girl” and hadn’t touched video games much. But after today, she didn’t want a “next time.”

Because she was terrible at it.

Her hands couldn’t keep up with her brain, and her brain couldn’t keep up with her eyes. Her gameplay was a disaster. The primary schoolers watching from the side couldn’t even stand it, critiquing her: “Sister, your hands are so clumsy.”

“Quick! Quick!” “Ugh! How can you be so stupid?” “Just give me the coin, I’ll play for you. Don’t waste it.”

Fan Yue: “…”

Xie Yanyan, standing nearby, shook her head at her. Feeling humiliated, Fan Yue roared at the bossy brats, “Shut up!” She stood up and chased them away.

She plopped down next to Xie Yanyan and thought defiantly, Let’s see how well you can do.

Xie Yanyan’s eyes were glued to the screen, her hands moving with lightning speed. Fan Yue watched for a while and knit her brows in annoyance. Fine, she has good grades, but she’s good at games too? Life is so unfair!

Fed up with the games, Fan Yue stopped. Xie Yanyan finished her round and paused as well. Fan Yue leaned in and whispered, “You definitely play games in secret all the time.”

Xie Yanyan glanced at her and parted her lips: “Clumsy.”

“What did you say? I heard that…” Fan Yue was about to start an argument when Fan Xinghang ran over. “The Dance Dance Revolution machine is free! Let’s go!”

The dance machine was the arcade’s star attraction. As the previous group stepped down, Fan Xinghang pushed his two sisters onto the pads.

The rhythmic music kicked in, and the avatars on screen began to dance. Fan Yue focused intently and actually danced quite well, redeeming herself after the arcade game fiasco. The kids watching clapped and cheered: “Big sister is awesome!”

However, dancing was Xie Yanyan’s Achilles’ heel. Having never danced before, she was a mess of tangled limbs. The kids were merciless, laughing at her: “Big sister looks so silly.”

Xie Yanyan gave up with a cold face and stepped down to let Fan Xinghang take over. When Fan Yue finally had her fill, she hopped down, panting for breath. As soon as she caught her wind, she pointed at Xie Yanyan and gloated, “Haha! There is something you can’t do!” She mimicked Xie Yanyan’s stiff movements. “Total lack of coordination!”

Xie Yanyan grabbed the scarf Fan Yue had taken off and threw it over Fan Yue’s head, muffling her. With her eyes covered, Fan Yue waved her hands blindly. “Hey! You can’t even let me talk?!”

…

Despite the fun, they didn’t dare stay too long. Fan Xinghang still had to do his homework. If Xie Rong came back and saw it wasn’t finished, their arcade trip would be exposed.

On the way back, Fan Yue noticed Xie Yanyan taking a deliberate look at the arcade’s street number. She teased, “What, are you planning to come back and play in secret?”

Xie Yanyan pulled out her phone and said calmly, “I’m reporting it.”

Fan Yue: “!!”

Seeing her shock, Xie Yanyan tucked her phone back into her pocket. “Allowing a shop like this to stay open will only trap more kids.”

“You actually have a strong sense of justice.” Fan Yue nodded, then shook her head and muttered, “Scary woman. I’d better not cross you.”

Xie Yanyan heard her and raised an eyebrow. “Are you still going to mess with me in the future?”

Fan Yue waved her hands frantically. “I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare.”

But she had bullied Xie Yanyan plenty as a child. She wondered if Xie Yanyan held grudges. Fan Yue felt a chill down her spine.

That evening, when Xie Rong returned, she checked Fan Xinghang’s homework meticulously. Seeing it was finished, the three siblings successfully pulled off their ruse.

After showering, Fan Yue came out of the bathroom and tossed her clothes into the washing machine. She took a few steps away, then turned back and fished out the scarf Xie Yanyan had given her.

Can this wool go in the machine? Will it shrink? If it were her own, she wouldn’t care and would just toss it in to save trouble, but this was Xie Yanyan’s.

Sigh, so high-maintenance. Fan Yue hand-washed the scarf. While hanging it on the balcony, she ran into Xie Yanyan coming to collect her own laundry. She handed over the drying pole. “Um, the scarf smelled like hotpot, so I washed it. I’ll give it back when it’s dry.”

Xie Yanyan took the pole, removed two items of clothing, and said nonchalantly, “It’s fine. Keep it.”

“Huh?” Fan Yue stared at her.

“It’s yours now.”

Xie Yanyan took her clothes and turned to walk away.