Keep My First Kiss Safe For Me - Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Although Xie Yanyan said she was fine, her condition remained poor over the next two days. Her normally rosy lips lost their color, and her already fair face turned a sickly pale. Seeing her like this, Fan Yue found that her meals no longer tasted good, her snacks from the canteen lost their flavor, and she felt utterly restless.

After the P.E. class was dismissed, Xiao Qian called out to her, “Yue’er, let’s go to the shop!”

Fan Yue nodded out of habit, but after a few steps, she turned back. “I’m not going. I’m going to check on Xie Yanyan.”

“Again? What exactly is wrong with her?” Xiao Qian walked with her toward the teaching building.

Fan Yue quickened her pace, replying, “I don’t know. Whenever I ask, she says it’s nothing, but she still looks wrong.”

Xiao Qian started to worry too. “Then I’ll come with you.”

Xie Yanyan’s class was in a self-study session; some students were reading while others whispered quietly. Not seeing Xie Yanyan in her seat, Fan Yue asked a girl near the door, “Hey, where’s Xie Yanyan?”

The girl glanced toward the back and shook her head. “I don’t know.” The girl sitting in front of Xie Yanyan’s seat turned around. “She went back to the dorm.”

Back to the dorm during class hours? Fan Yue said a hurried thanks and ran toward the dormitory.

Xie Yanyan’s door was shut tight. Fan Yue knocked heavily several times before she heard movement inside. “Who is it?” The voice was weak and listless.

“It’s me!” Fan Yue said, her voice tinged with urgency.

A few seconds later, the door opened. Xie Yanyan stood there wrapped in a quilt, her complexion ghastly and her bangs damp with sweat, clinging to her forehead. Fan Yue reached out to touch her brow; feeling the icy skin, her voice naturally rose in anger. “Why are you acting so tough when you’re this sick!”

Xiao Qian pulled Fan Yue back and asked Xie Yanyan, “What’s wrong with you?”

Xie Yanyan managed a weak tug at the corners of her mouth. “Nothing. I’ll be fine after a nap.”

She stepped aside to let them in, but her legs suddenly gave way. Fan Yue was quick enough to step forward and catch her.

Xie Yanyan was tall with long limbs; with this sudden weight lunging at her, Fan Yue nearly stumbled, but Xiao Qian quickly reached out to steady them both.

“To the infirmary! Now!” Fan Yue commanded.

“I’m not going… I’m fine.” Xie Yanyan tried to support her own weight, but Fan Yue didn’t give her the chance. She gave Xiao Qian a look, and together they flanked her, hoisting her up and heading straight for the infirmary.

“This is a severe chill,” the school nurse sighed as she prepped the IV drip. She couldn’t help but nag, “Don’t ignore your health just because you’re young. If you don’t keep warm, later in life you’ll…”

Someone called from next door: “Teacher!” The nurse answered and stepped out.

Class was about to start. Fan Yue told Xiao Qian to go back and ask for leave on her behalf, while she stayed behind to watch over Xie Yanyan.

Seeing Xie Yanyan’s color return slightly, Fan Yue gave her a sharp, annoyed look. “Why are you so stubborn? If you’d come earlier, it wouldn’t have gotten this bad. How many days did you suffer through this!”

This time, Xie Yanyan didn’t bicker back. She had seen Fan Yue’s genuine concern over the past few days. She offered Fan Yue a fragile smile. “Thank you.”

Fan Yue wasn’t finished being angry yet. She continued to glare. “Spill it. What have you been doing lately? How did you catch such a cold?” In this heat, you’d have to try really hard to get a chill like this.

“I took a part-time job,” Xie Yanyan confessed. “For the shoot a few days ago, my hands had to be submerged in ice water. The director was very demanding, and we did many retakes.”

This answer didn’t surprise Fan Yue, but she cared about the why: “Why do you need so much money? Are you still planning to move far away?”

Xie Yanyan lowered her head and didn’t answer. Fan Yue felt a stifling tightness in her chest at the response. Lowering her voice, she said, “I don’t care where you go in the future, but right now, the most important thing is school. No more part-time jobs until you graduate high school!”

Xie Yanyan nodded in agreement. “But I have to go one last time next weekend. I already promised.”

“No!” Fan Yue wouldn’t budge.

“This one is at my friend’s company. He’s a very good person; there won’t be any problems.” Seeing Fan Yue’s resolve, Xie Yanyan reached out and squeezed her hand. “If you’re worried, come with me.”

“Me too?” Fan Yue was surprised. She thought for a moment and then changed her mind: “If you must go, then take me with you.”

…

The weekend arrived quickly.

“How do they actually film commercials?” “What are you shooting today?”

Fan Yue asked questions the entire way. The advertising agency they arrived at was located in a prime Grade-A office building in the city center—much more professional than the place with the late payments and tacky signs they’d been to before.

“Today is simple. Just a print ad for skincare. I just need to pose with a few hand gestures.” The elevator doors opened, and Xie Yanyan led her “curious baby” sister through a large glass door.

The receptionist seemed very familiar with Xie Yanyan; they exchanged smiles as a greeting. Xie Yanyan led Fan Yue straight inside, where they were met by a tall, handsome man.

“Yanyan’s here. And you brought a little beauty with you today?” He gave Fan Yue a gentlemanly greeting. “Hello, I’m Jiang Heng.”

Fan Yue was momentarily speechless. Her contact with the opposite sex was limited to idols on TV or the green, immature boys at school. Suddenly bumping into a man this ruggedly handsome with such mature charm made her eyes go wide.

Jiang Heng was very handsome, but Fan Yue’s starstruck expression made Xie Yanyan want to hide her face. She took Fan Yue’s hand and introduced her: “This is my sister, Fan Yue.”

Hearing her name, Fan Yue snapped out of it and blurted out a fangirl sentiment: “You’re so handsome.”

Jiang Heng was amused by her blunt praise. He laughed and replied, “Thank you. You’re very cute too.”

Xie Yanyan dragged the heart-eyed Fan Yue into the inner room. Fan Yue was still dying of curiosity about Jiang Heng, firing off a string of questions: “Does he work here? What does he do? How old is he?”

“He owns this company. He’s also the photographer…” Wait! A sudden sense of crisis flared up in Xie Yanyan. She furrowed her brows and asked Fan Yue, “Are you interested in him?”

I shouldn’t have brought her here!

“What?” Fan Yue was startled and waved her hands frantically. “No! Absolutely not! I’m just being a fangirl, I don’t have any improper thoughts.”

“Really?” Xie Yanyan stared at her skeptically. Fan Yue practically swore to the heavens: “I am fully focused on my studies right now. I’m just enjoying the view and talking nonsense.”

Only then did Xie Yanyan let her off. She began her pre-shoot preparation. Fan Yue watched as she cleaned her hands, exfoliated, and then applied a thick hand mask. “Tsk, why is it so much trouble?”

“Hand.” Xie Yanyan walked over to her. Fan Yue held out her hand, confused. Xie Yanyan smeared a large dollop of cream onto her hand. Fan Yue smelled the light fragrance and asked, “What’s this for?”

“I took too much. I’ll give you a treatment too, don’t let it go to waste.” Xie Yanyan gently held both of her hands, spreading the cream little by little. Through the slippery sensation, Fan Yue felt a tingle in her palms that seemed to spread to her heart. Her face began to heat up, so she hurriedly found a topic to break the awkwardness: “Your face is so pretty on camera. Why do you only do hand modeling?”

Xie Yanyan didn’t stop her movements. “I don’t want to show my face.”

Fan Yue was puzzled. “Why?”

“I haven’t decided if I want to take this path yet.”

“Deciding whether to be a star? Of course you should! If I looked like you, I’d definitely be a star.”

Xie Yanyan gave her a smile, her grip on Fan Yue’s small hands tightening slightly. “What do I look like?”

“Just…” Who is thick-skinned enough to ask for a compliment to their face? Fan Yue deliberately said, “Just like that. There are too many beauties in the entertainment industry, and you need backing. It’s not that easy to get famous. You should stick to studying first.”

“Okay,” Xie Yanyan agreed obediently. Before letting go, she lightly scratched Fan Yue’s palm with her fingertip. Fan Yue felt her heart skip a beat.

Just then, a staff member came to announce the shoot. Fan Yue followed them into the studio. The setup was simple: a few large white cubes in the center, flanked by massive light panels. A female model wearing light clothing and minimal makeup stood in the center of the lights, surrounded by staff.

Once the model was in position, Xie Yanyan hid behind a cube and reached out her hands. Her hands were fair and slender, with long fingers and even knuckles. Fan Yue watched as those beautiful hands brushed across the model’s cheek and bare neck. For some reason, she felt incredibly uncomfortable watching it.

After the first set, the model went to the dressing room to change. Staff moved in to swap the backdrop. Jiang Heng told Xie Yanyan, “Good job,” and looked down at the detail shots on the computer.

Fan Yue was sitting on the sidelines, and Xie Yanyan came to sit next to her. Someone walked in; Fan Yue turned her head and her eyes nearly popped out when she saw Duan Feiyu.

Not noticing them, Duan Feiyu walked straight to Jiang Heng and clapped him affectionately on the shoulder. “Heng-ge.”

Jiang Heng turned and gave him a gentle smile. One was young and vibrantly handsome, the other mature, steady, and warm. Seeing the two styles of handsome men standing together was a feast for the eyes.

Fan Yue, who had been thoroughly corrupted by “those” web novels, felt her “gay-dar” ping violently. She suddenly looked at Xie Yanyan beside her, pointing at the two men, but before she could speak, her mouth was covered tightly. Xie Yanyan gave her a knowing look and warned in a whisper, “Don’t say a word.”

I’ve caught a real one! I finally know who Duan Feiyu likes! Fan Yue was in a state of total pupil-dilating shock, her blood practically boiling with excitement.

Handsome guy and handsome guy—it’s a perfect match!

The staff were efficient, quickly turning the scene into a blue-ocean vibe. The model came out in a light blue off-the-shoulder gown to take full-body shots first. Duan Feiyu stepped aside and finally noticed Xie Yanyan and Fan Yue, coming over to sit with them.

A man focused on his work is particularly charming. Jiang Heng was polite when talking to others, but very serious during the shoot. His eyes were focused, his brow slightly furrowed as he constantly changed angles to find the best position. The computer was linked to his shots; every composition was perfect, with almost no wasted frames.

Fan Yue’s peripheral vision caught something beside her. Duan Feiyu’s eyes were practically glued to Jiang Heng, watching his every move without blinking, a smile playing on his lips. Fan Yue suddenly realized—it turns out the look in your eyes when you love someone truly cannot be hidden!

She suddenly thought back to that candid photo of her and Xie Yanyan watching the sunrise.

Why did Xie Yanyan’s gaze back then look so much like Duan Feiyu’s right now?