Keep My First Kiss Safe For Me - Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The family compound had central heating. Having forgotten to leave a crack in the window for ventilation during the day, the room felt stifling after being heated for hours. Fan Yue drew back the curtains and opened the window slightly; a cold draft snaked through the gap, accompanied by the clear, chilly moonlight of winter.

A few years ago, on a night with similar moonlight, Fan Shicheng had been drinking. He knocked on Fan Yue’s bedroom door to have a solemn conversation with her. He said, “Yue’er, you’re fifteen now. You’ve grown up and are sensible. There are things I can explain to you clearly now.”

Fan Shicheng rambled on quite a bit. A drunk person’s speech is repetitive and lacks logic, but what he wanted to say was—Xie Rong was not “the other woman.” He and Xie Rong were high school classmates; he did have feelings for her in his youth, but he hadn’t dared to speak up then. Later, he went to university while Xie Rong stopped her education. They lost touch, and those budding youthful feelings faded with time.

He met Yu Ya in college, they made it official after starting work, and marriage followed naturally. After Fan Yue was born, Yu Ya began focusing heavily on her career. He felt sorry for how hard she pushed herself and often urged her to relax, but Yu Ya wouldn’t listen, finding him nagging and annoying. Their relationship grew colder and colder.

Xie Rong’s reappearance was a fuse, but regardless of her presence, Fan Shicheng and Yu Ya’s marriage was already barely hanging on; the misunderstanding regarding Xie Rong simply accelerated the process.

After the divorce, Fan Shicheng kept his distance from Xie Rong. When he initially helped her find a job and a place to live, it was truly out of pity for a mother and daughter who were helpless and struggling. But gossip is a fearsome thing; even the most normal act of concern can become fodder for others’ tongues.

Until one day, passing by the front building of the compound, he heard a commotion and the faint sound of Xie Rong’s voice. He went to investigate and discovered that someone had been constantly harassing her.

A single woman raising a child alone attracts trouble, especially one as beautiful as Xie Rong. Men were constantly pursuing her, and though she ignored them, a man in his forties persisted, even forcing his way into her home. Despite her repeated warnings, it was to no avail.

This time, he had even harassed Xie Yanyan. No mother could tolerate someone targeting her daughter. Xie Rong was determined to kick him out, but the man was a shameless regular at this and used foul language while scuffling with her.

Fan Shicheng rushed in and fought the man. The opponent was tall and sturdy, and Fan Shicheng didn’t have the upper hand, but he fought desperately and finally drove the man out.

That was why he had returned covered in bruises that night. It was also the day he decided to stop fearing gossip; he would take up the burden of protecting this pitiable mother and daughter.

Fan Shicheng said, “Yue’er, don’t hold a grudge against your Auntie Xie. She’s a good woman.”

Fan Yue listened, but her mother’s hysterical agony at the time was burned into her memory. How could she pretend nothing had happened and accept them without resentment?

She simply nodded in silence.

…

Final exams were approaching. During Monday’s flag-raising ceremony, the school leaders were giving long-winded speeches on the podium. Fan Yue hadn’t slept well and yawned occasionally. Xiao Qian, standing behind her, whispered, “Were you out being a thief last night?”

“Yeah, I went to rob the rich to help the poor,” Fan Yue replied, reaching up to rub her watery eyes.

“And what was the haul, Heroine?” Xiao Qian asked with a smile.

Fan Yue turned her head back: “Not telling you.”

When the meeting finally adjourned, the two walked toward the classroom arm-in-arm, only to encounter an “obstacle” halfway. The Dean of Students was a middle-aged man in his forties. His small eyes were hidden behind thick lenses, making it impossible to tell where he was looking. He was notoriously rigid and strict, particularly loathing students who wore eccentric clothes or makeup.

Normally, Fan Yue wouldn’t be intimidated by him, but this time she felt guilty. A few days ago, she went to get a haircut. The new stylist had praised her for being cute and having great hair, sincerely suggesting a new style. Unable to resist the flattery, Fan Yue was talked into getting a root perm. That would have been fine since it was subtle, but the stylist offered a free highlight. Fan Yue thought it sounded fun and did it. Though it was only a small streak hidden in her hair, Dean Pang was famous for his “fiery golden eyes” that saw everything.

Fan Yue’s body went stiff. Murmuring “don’t see me, don’t see me” in her head, she and Xiao Qian quickened their pace to try and slip past. As fate would have it, her fears came true.

Dean Pang barked at her, “Stop right there.”

Fan Yue closed her eyes and pretended not to hear, but Dean Pang stepped forward in a few strides and blocked their path. After staring at her for a few seconds, he reached out and grabbed that small lock of chestnut hair, asking with a dark expression, “What is this?”

“This…” Fan Yue’s mind raced as she started talking nonsense: “This is malnutrition! When your nutrition is poor, your hair turns yellow easily.”

Seeing her fair skin and rosy lips, the picture of health, Dean Pang snorted: “Your nutrition is quite ‘unbalanced’ then.” He leaned in for a closer look and lifted the hair at her crown, revealing the permed roots. “And what is this?”

Fan Yue still tried to weave a tale: “This… is static electricity!”

Passing students stifled their laughter. Fan Yue happened to spot Xie Yanyan and blurted out without thinking, “She permed her hair too!”

Dean Pang turned around and saw the ends of Xie Yanyan’s ponytail falling in loose, beautiful waves. She had permed it. Catching two at once, Dean Pang pointed to the side: “Both of you, get over here and stand right there!”

And so, both were punished by being made to stand there. They watched everyone return to class while being subjected to the schadenfreude-filled gazes of the crowd.

Fan Yue felt she had crossed a line. She lowered her voice and said to Xie Yanyan, “Hey, I didn’t mean to drag you down with me. It was just a slip of the tongue. Why didn’t you tell Dean Pang it’s a natural wave?”

Xie Yanyan stood perfectly straight. Despite being implicated, she seemed to be in a decent mood. She looked at Fan Yue and asked, “What, feeling guilty?”

Making her stand in the cold wind made Fan Yue’s conscience ache: “You go ahead. I’ll prove to him that yours is natural.”

Xie Yanyan smiled slightly: “How are you going to prove it?”

“Well…” Fan Yue was stumped. Just because her mother had natural waves didn’t necessarily mean she did—it didn’t seem like a very strong argument. She was thinking about it so seriously that her furrowed brow made her look endearingly foolish.

Before Fan Yue could figure it out, she sensed someone approaching. She looked up and her heart suddenly raced again. It was actually Duan Feiyu. He greeted Xie Yanyan and gave Fan Yue a bright smile, handing them each a bottle of warm mineral water. “It’s too cold. Use these to warm up,” he said, before running off toward the teaching building.

She thought she was over him, but her heart still beat out of control at the sight of Duan Feiyu. The aftereffects of a first crush were truly lingering. Fan Yue mumbled gloomily, “My brother-in-law is certainly attentive.” Her attitude was far from graceful.

“What? Brother-in-law?” Xie Yanyan was clearly shocked by the term. “You…”

“What are you two doing?” Dean Pang’s shout interrupted Xie Yanyan. “I told you to stand as punishment, and here you are chatting, even having someone deliver ‘tokens of affection.'”

It was so cold that he didn’t actually want the two girls to stay in the wind for long. He walked over with his hands behind his back and instructed Fan Yue, “Go back and fix your hair. This is not how a student should look. Go back to class.”

“Dean, hers is a natural wave,” Fan Yue said, then bolted.

Xie Yanyan went to chase after her but was stopped by Dean Pang. He softened his tone: “Your homeroom teacher just told me about your hair. Why didn’t you explain it yourself?”

“Nothing to explain. Thank you, Dean.” By the time Xie Yanyan ran to the teaching building, the bell had rung. The following classes were either extended or involved tests. By lunchtime, Fan Yue was nowhere to be found.

She didn’t see Fan Yue again until after evening self-study. Xie Yanyan cornered her at the dormitory entrance. Having been uneasy all day, her tone was inadvertently sharp: “Come over here!”

Fan Yue found it bizarre. Seeing the unfriendly look on her face, Xiao Qian instinctively shielded Fan Yue. “What do you want?”

“I have something to say to her.” When Xie Yanyan was expressionless, she appeared particularly cold.

Fan Yue pulled Xiao Qian back: “It’s fine, I’ll be back in a bit.”

Xiao Qian watched worriedly as she followed Xie Yanyan away.

By the time they reached the playground, Xie Yanyan’s anger had slowly dissipated. She asked Fan Yue in a low voice, “Why were you avoiding me today?”

“Huh? When did I avoid you?” This time Xie Yanyan had indeed misunderstood; Fan Yue had missed her several times, but she hadn’t done it on purpose.

Seeing her bewildered look, Xie Yanyan felt deflated. She had spent the whole day worrying for nothing. She asked again, “What did you mean this morning by ‘brother-in-law’?”

At the mention of Duan Feiyu, Fan Yue still felt a bit bothered. She said unnaturally, “Exactly what it sounds like. Aren’t you and he dating?”

“Dating?” Xie Yanyan was stunned, then quickly realized why Fan Yue had looked so off for so long after seeing her with Duan Feiyu last time. So that was it. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “Are you jealous?”

“Who’s jealous? I never get jealous!” Fan Yue retorted stubbornly. “I don’t even know what vinegar tastes like!” (Note: “Eating vinegar” is a Chinese idiom for being jealous.)

Xie Yanyan stared at her for a few seconds before suddenly asking, “Do you like Duan Feiyu?”

Fan Yue naturally wouldn’t admit it: “Who likes him? I don’t!”

“It’s better if you don’t. It wouldn’t lead anywhere.”

So they really are dating, Fan Yue thought. She lowered her head and whispered, “Then I wish you two happiness.”

What kind of logic was this? Xie Yanyan really wanted to knock some sense into her. “I am not dating Duan Feiyu. I don’t like him, and he doesn’t like me.”

Fan Yue looked up in shock: “How is that possible! You two are clearly very close.”

Seeing that she couldn’t get through to her, Xie Yanyan blurted out: “He doesn’t like girls.”

Fan Yue gasped, her eyes widening: “What? He doesn’t like girls? Then he likes…” Hearing such shocking news, Fan Yue excitedly grabbed Xie Yanyan’s hand. “He likes bo—”

Before she could finish, her mouth was covered. Xie Yanyan regretted letting it slip; Fan Yue seemed entirely unreliable. She warned, “Don’t you dare say it. Or I’ll have to silence you.”

Fan Yue nodded vigorously. It took her a long time to process it. She asked stumblingly, “How… how do you know? You’re not just teasing me, are you?”

“Believe it or not,” Xie Yanyan rolled her eyes.

“I believe you! I believe you!” Fan Yue clung to Xie Yanyan curiously, pestering her with questions. “Does he have someone he likes? Who does he like?”

This time, Xie Yanyan was absolutely not going to talk.