Keep My First Kiss Safe For Me - Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Watching a sunrise is mostly about the early start and the process of waiting; the actual event is fleeting. Once the sun breaks, the world brightens in an instant. The professional photographers began packing their gear, and after sitting for a moment, Fan Yue and Xie Yanyan rose to head back.

“Hey, girls!” someone called out.

Fan Yue turned to see a spirited old man smiling at them. Pointing to herself, she asked politely, “Hello? Are you calling us?”

The old man nodded cheerfully and beckoned them over. “Come, take a look at these photos.”

“Sure!” Fan Yue assumed he wanted to show off his shots of the sunrise. But as she drew closer, she saw that the lens had captured her and Xie Yanyan sitting side by side.

The old man flipped through several shots, seemingly more satisfied with these than his landscapes. He asked proudly, “How about it? Not a bad eye, eh?”

“They’re incredible!” Fan Yue praised sincerely, and Xie Yanyan nodded in agreement.

In the photos, they were gently enveloped by the first rays of the morning sun. Though their full faces weren’t visible, their blooming smiles were unmistakable from the side profiles.

The screen clicked to the next image. Xie Yanyan’s body was tilted slightly back, her head turned, staring intently at Fan Yue…

When did she look at me like that? I didn’t notice at all. Fan Yue looked over at Xie Yanyan, who turned to the old man and asked, “Could we have these photos?”

“Of course, no problem! Leave me an email address, and I’ll send them over once I’ve organized them,” the old man agreed readily.

“Thank you so much,” they chorused.

Fan Yue’s eyes remained fixed on that specific photo. A strange, unidentifiable emotion flickered in her heart. Xie Yanyan took her by the wrist, bid the old man goodbye, and led her back.

By the time they returned to the guesthouse, Fan Shicheng and the others were finally up. Hearing returning guests describe how breathtaking the sunrise was, Fan Shicheng was filled with regret. “If I’d known, I would’ve gotten up. What a miss!”

Xie Rong was more optimistic. She comforted him with a smile, “It’s alright, we’ll just come back next time.”

Fan Xinghang had no interest in sunrises; his only goal was to run wild. After finishing breakfast, he hollered, “Let’s go!”

The spring breeze coaxed the azaleas across the mountain into full bloom. Fan Yue and Fan Xinghang chased each other along the winding mountain paths. When the little chubby boy ran out of breath, he used Xie Yanyan as a human shield. Fan Shicheng and Xie Rong held hands, smiling as they watched the three children play…

Spring had warmed, and the flowers were in bloom.

Fan Yue’s spring had arrived, too.

Even though she no longer ran every night, Yu Mingxuan frequently found various excuses to seek her out. Everyone could see he was pursuing her, and Fan Yue was no longer oblivious to his intentions.

“Do you actually like him or not?” Xiao Qian was worried sick over the matter.

Fan Yue was conflicted. Yu Mingxuan wasn’t as handsome as Duan Feiyu, but he was decent enough and had a great personality. Most importantly, he was interesting and fun to talk to. Yet, something felt missing. And more importantly—”The guy hasn’t actually said he likes me?”

Though his intent was obvious, Yu Mingxuan had never made it official.

“Is this guy ever going to make a move?” Xiao Qian was anxious on his behalf.

During a break, Fan Yue and Xiao Qian were walking back to the teaching building eating potato chips they’d just bought. Xiao Qian suddenly nudged her arm.

“What?” Fan Yue looked at Xiao Qian, who was staring ahead with a tense expression. She turned and saw a face she hadn’t seen in a long time.

Chen Ru?

At the sight of her, Fan Yue’s expression flipped instantly. After being kicked out of the volunteer team, they hadn’t actively sought trouble with each other, but the grudge remained. Seeing Chen Ru, Fan Yue instinctively entered “battle mode.”

Noticing her stance, Chen Ru let out a cold laugh. “I’m not here to pick a fight. Since I ran into you, though, I think it’s necessary to give you a heads-up.”

What could she possibly have to say that’s good? Fan Yue didn’t want to deal with her and pulled Xiao Qian to walk away.

“Xie Yanyan and Yu Mingxuan…” Chen Ru said loudly on purpose.

Hearing those two names together, Fan Yue’s feet suddenly froze.

Satisfied with the reaction, Chen Ru tilted her chin up and continued, “I’ve seen Xie Yanyan take the initiative to find Yu Mingxuan several times. And Yu Mingxuan’s attitude toward her seems quite… special. I suggest you don’t stay in the dark. You think it’s sisterly love? You have no idea how your sister is digging at the foot of your wall behind your back.”

“Shut up!” Fan Yue snapped, her eyebrows knitting together. “Have you said enough?”

“Don’t believe me? Go see for yourself,” Chen Ru said snidely.

“Mind your own business, you busybody!” Fan Yue dropped the line and dragged Xiao Qian away, leaving a fuming Chen Ru behind. “Fine! No good deed goes unpunished!”

“She must be talking rot,” Xiao Qian tried to comfort the low-spirited Fan Yue. “Aside from being close to Duan Feiyu, I’ve never seen Xie Yanyan give any guy the time of day.”

Fan Yue remained silent, her face dark. She didn’t understand why she had such a strong reaction to hearing those two names together! But the mere thought of that possibility made her blood boil—she was beyond furious!

After her successful weight loss, Fan Yue had grown lazy, dropping from daily runs to two or three times a week, and now she hadn’t gone for days. But regardless of which day she went, Yu Mingxuan was always there, smiling as he jogged over to greet her, accompanying her, and making her laugh.

When the evening self-study bell rang, Xiao Qian looked at Fan Yue, who had been out of sorts all day. “Yue’er, let’s head back.”

Fan Yue dazed at her desk for a moment before replying, “You go ahead. I’ll head back a bit later.”

“What are you going to do?” Xiao Qian asked, worried.

Fan Yue pulled her thoughts back and forced a smile. “I’m fine. I’ve just been slacking too much lately. I want to run tonight.”

“Then I’ll go with you!”

“Whatever you want,” Fan Yue didn’t stop her.

Tonight, Fan Yue ran two laps around the track without a sign of Yu Mingxuan. Usually, he’d be there to greet her the moment she appeared.

He didn’t come? Habit is a terrifying thing; Fan Yue felt even more dejected.

“Let’s go back!” Xiao Qian noticed her eyes searching the track, her heart clearly not in the run, and tried to pull her toward the dorm.

“Yeah, let me just…” Fan Yue stopped mid-sentence. Xiao Qian followed her gaze to the small grove of trees at the edge of the track. There were two familiar figures—Yu Mingxuan and Xie Yanyan!

“It… it might just be a coincidence,” Xiao Qian said, her voice laced with unearned nervousness. They were too far to see expressions or hear words, only silhouettes.

After a brief silence, Fan Yue turned and walked toward the dorm. No matter what Xiao Qian said on the way, she didn’t seem to hear.

Returning home for the weekend, Fan Yue acted as if she’d swallowed a bomb. Her face practically screamed: DANGEROUS GOODS, FLAMMABLE AND EXPLOSIVE. Even the bratty Fan Xinghang didn’t dare act up, speaking in hushed tones for fear of crossing her.

On Saturday, Xie Rong accompanied Fan Xinghang to his tutoring, and Fan Shicheng went out to meet friends. Only Fan Yue and Xie Yanyan were left at home.

Fan Yue stayed cooped up in her room, skipping breakfast. Xie Yanyan waited until 10:30 before she couldn’t take it anymore. She knocked on the door several times but got no answer. Panicking, she scrambled to find the spare key and unlocked the door.

When the door swung open, Fan Yue looked at Xie Yanyan with a black expression and turned her head away.

“What’s wrong?” Xie Yanyan asked.

Fan Yue said nothing.

“Why didn’t you eat breakfast? What do you want for lunch? I’ll make it for you.” Still no response. Xie Yanyan continued, “The sunrise photos were sent to my email. If you want them, I can copy them for you.” She stepped closer with a USB drive in her hand.

“Get out! Who told you that you could come in!” Fan Yue’s “young miss” temper flared. She slammed a pillow onto the floor and shouted, “I don’t want to see you!”

Xie Yanyan stood frozen by the shout. Ordinarily, she would have turned and left, but she noticed Fan Yue’s eyes were swollen. She… cried?

“Why are you crying? What happened?” Xie Yanyan didn’t leave; she walked to Fan Yue’s side and looked at her.

Fan Yue wanted to throw something else at her but ultimately didn’t. She buried her head in her pulled-up knees and murmured, “Why you? Why is it always you?”

“What did I do?” Xie Yanyan sounded like a child who had made a mistake but didn’t know what it was.

“You already have enough. Stop taking things from me, okay?” Fan Yue’s voice was pleading.

Xie Yanyan frowned and tried to lift her face, but Fan Yue kept her head down, her voice trembling with tears. “You’re so beautiful, your grades are good, you can cook—you can do everything. There are more boys who like you than I can count. I’m not greedy; I just want one person who likes me and makes me happy. Don’t take him away, okay?”

Realizing something was very wrong, Xie Yanyan forcefully cupped her face. “Who is taking anything! What did I take from you?”

Tears blurred Fan Yue’s vision, making her look like a pitiful, helpless stray cat. Xie Yanyan’s heart felt as if it were being squeezed and twisted. She suddenly connected the dots, her voice rising several decibels in agitation. “Why on earth would I take him? Think clearly!”

“I saw you with him. What were you doing in the grove at the track?” Fan Yue choked out. “Chen Ru said she saw you go find him several times!”

Chen Ru! Xie Yanyan wanted to slap her. She explained frantically, “I did meet him a few times, but it’s not what you think…”

Fan Yue looked up. “Then what is it? Why are you meeting him? What could you possibly have to say? I thought he liked me; everyone thought so. If you’re meeting him, I’m just a joke.” Fan Yue was heartbroken. She reached out and tugged at Xie Yanyan’s hem. “Don’t take him away, okay?”

“I never once thought of taking anything from you!”

On the contrary, I want to give you the best of everything in this world.

That thought remained hidden in Xie Yanyan’s heart. She didn’t know how to say it to make Fan Yue believe her. She wanted to tell the truth but held it back. “There is absolutely nothing between me and him. Believe me!”

Believe her? But if there was nothing, why couldn’t she tell her what was going on? Fan Yue stared at her, silent.

“I promise I will never meet him again. We had nothing to talk about anyway. The only reason I sought him out was because of you…” Seeing Fan Yue’s confused gaze, Xie Yanyan cut herself off. She asked, “Do you like Yu Mingxuan?”

Fan Yue fell silent, neither admitting nor denying it.

Xie Yanyan sat opposite her, meeting her eyes. “Can you… not fall in love with him? Please?”

“I… I don’t know,” Fan Yue confessed.

“He might not be who you think he is.” Xie Yanyan could only say so much. “There is absolutely nothing between me and him. Can you just trust me?”

After several seconds of staring into each other’s eyes, Fan Yue finally nodded.