Keep My First Kiss Safe For Me - Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Xie Yanyan’s birthday falls during the hottest time of the year.

The sun was scorching, and the surface of the mountain highway shimmered with rising heat. Fan Shicheng had been quite generous this time, driving the whole family to a resort hotel on the outskirts of the city.

This was the most high-end five-star hotel in Rongcheng, complete with a swimming pool, lawn, and gardens. Designed in a European style with a pointed circular roof, it looked like a fairy-tale castle from a distance.

Upon arrival, the family had a simple buffet lunch. As soon as they finished, Fan Xinghang started clamoring to go to the playground, but Fan Yue and Xie Yanyan were naturally unwilling. Occupying a twin room in the hotel, the two each claimed a bed and settled into a routine of scrolling through their phones and playing games, nodding off whenever they got tired.

When she woke from a nap, Fan Yue realized that this was no different from their usual holidays spent at home. Since money had been spent, it felt like a waste to just sleep the day away, so she picked up her phone and opened an app to see what fun things or good food were nearby.

The hotel occupied a large area in a remote location, surrounded by suburban farmland, with few entertainment options. As her thumb scrolled down a few pages, Fan Yue’s finger suddenly froze at a listing: U-Pick Grape Orchard.

She clicked in. The photos showed clusters of grapes—large, black, and glistening. Nothing suited the sweltering summer better than sweet grapes. Fan Yue opened the map to check the navigation; the orchard was neither too close nor too far. It was a thirty-minute walk, but only ten minutes by electric scooter.

Fan Yue lay on the bed, kicking her feet up, and turned her head to ask the person beside her: “Do you know how to ride an electric scooter?”

Unsure of what she was up to, Xie Yanyan nodded while scrolling through her phone. “Yes.”

Fan Yue bounced off the bed and swept her arm toward the door: “Go, go, go!”

“Where to?”

“Picking grapes!”

And so, Xie Yanyan was dragged out of the room. She watched as Fan Yue had a casual chat with the hotel staff, and a few minutes later, Fan Yue beamed at her, dangling a set of scooter keys.

On the summer path, the thick shade of the trees on both sides blocked out the broiling sun. On the speeding scooter, the two girls’ hair fluttered in the wind, their faces bright with smiles—a truly beautiful picture.

It would have been perfect if the person in front had tied her hair up. Fan Yue’s face was being whipped by Xie Yanyan’s long, flying tresses. The strong strands, bolstered by the wind, felt painfully sharp against her skin.

Just as Fan Yue was about to speak, a mouthful of hair flew straight into her mouth.

“Pah! Pah!” She reached out to gather Xie Yanyan’s disobedient hair in her hands.

Without warning, the scooter stopped. Having let go to deal with the hair, Fan Yue slammed face-first into the back of the person in front. Feeling the impact on her back, Xie Yanyan turned around. “What’s wrong?”

Rubbing her sore nose, Fan Yue grumbled, “Why didn’t you say something before braking?”

The brake hadn’t even been that sudden. Looking at Fan Yue’s hand holding her hair, Xie Yanyan was bewildered. “Why are you grabbing my hair?”

“Your hair tastes terrible.”

Fan Yue let go with a resentful huff.

A question mark slowly drifted over Xie Yanyan’s head.

The orchard was right by the road. A local woman, lying on a lounge chair in the shade, scrambled up to greet them. “Little sisters, come to pick grapes! They’re big and sweet.”

The two followed her into the vineyard. Rows of neat trellises hung heavy with clusters of purple-black grapes. The woman picked a bunch and handed it over, saying warmly, “Taste them, eat as many as you like.”

Fan Yue took them, rubbed one against her shirt twice, and popped it into her mouth.

Sweet. Even with the skin, it wasn’t sour at all.

She reached for a second one, but her hand was intercepted halfway by Xie Yanyan.

“They haven’t been washed. Peel them before you eat.” With that, she took a grape, expertly peeled it, and held it to Fan Yue’s lips.

This was so incredibly considerate that Fan Yue felt quite flattered as she opened her mouth. Unexpectedly, Xie Yanyan seemed to get addicted to the peeling. Fan Yue was in charge of picking, while she stood by, peeling and feeding her.

They had definitely eaten their money’s worth. Under the woman’s direct gaze, Fan Yue marveled at how Xie Yanyan could play this “feeding game” so nonchalantly. She quickly raised her hand to stop her, mumbling through a mouth stuffed with grapes, “That’s enough. If I eat any more, my blood sugar is going to spike.”

After returning, Fan Yue gave the keys back to the front desk staff and offered a large bunch of grapes—still in their paper bag—as a thank you.

The young receptionist waved her hands. “No need to be so polite.”

“They’re very sweet, try some.”

As Fan Yue pushed the grapes across the counter, she heard the melodious sound of a piano drifting from the other side of the lobby. Pointing toward it, she asked, “What’s over there?”

The receptionist took the grapes and smiled. “That’s the bar.”

Fan Yue was instantly intrigued; she had never been to such a place. “Can we go in?”

“Only if you’re adults,” the girl reminded the two youngsters.

Fan Yue nodded knowingly.

That evening, as the family walked in the hotel garden, Fan Yue was clearly distracted. Fan Xinghang, having played at the playground all afternoon, was running out of battery and started complaining that he was too tired to walk.

For the first time, Fan Yue found her “cheap” younger brother to be quite sensible and considerate. Fan Shicheng and Xie Rong, having skipped their nap to accompany the brat all afternoon, both began to yawn. “Then let’s go back and rest early.”

Back at the hallway, Fan Yue politely said goodnight to the room next door. Fan Shicheng, ever the worried father, cautioned them: “Be safe in your room. Don’t go running around. Put a glass behind the door, and absolutely do not open the door for anyone…”

“We know, we’re going to sleep right away,” Fan Yue replied perfunctorily. But the moment the door closed behind her, a sharp glint flashed in her eyes.

Seeing that look, Xie Yanyan knew exactly what she was plotting. She said slowly, “You want to go to the bar?”

Fan Yue excitedly urged her: “Let’s go together!”

Xie Yanyan neither agreed nor disagreed, simply stating, “Minors aren’t allowed.”

Fan Yue blinked. “Who says I’m a minor?” She was wearing a T-shirt and shorts, with hair that reached her jawline and big, innocent eyes. Her face practically screamed “Under 18.”

The women in bars on TV always wore exquisite makeup. Fan Yue asked Xie Yanyan: “Did you bring any makeup?”

Xie Yanyan actually had.

“Put some on me!”

Fan Yue sat upright on the edge of the bed, her weight creating a small nest in the soft quilt. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes for Xie Yanyan.

Her skin was naturally good—fair, delicate cheeks with a slight flush, and eyes that were clear and bright. Her smile had a lovely curve to it; everything was just right.

Xie Yanyan didn’t know how long it had been since she had looked at Fan Yue from this close. When they were little, they used to lie together to sleep when they were tired. She would open her eyes to look at Little Fan Yue’s rosy face and red lips, thinking she looked like an exquisite doll. That feeling of wanting to hold her in the palm of her hand remained in her heart to this day.

For a moment she was dazed, her hand motionless. Fan Yue opened her eyes and said to the staring Xie Yanyan, “What are you staring at me for? Why haven’t you started?”

Xie Yanyan quickly masked her embarrassment, spitting out a few words with a blank expression: “I can’t bring myself to do it.”

Fan Yue glared at her, snatched the lipstick from her hand, and said, “I’ll do it myself.”

She began to trace her lips very unskillfully against the mirror, her cautious manner looking exactly like a child secretly using her mother’s makeup. Xie Yanyan’s stoic expression broke, and she let out a laugh.

They had indeed done such things when they were little. One day, Fan Yue had rushed to her house, a small, exquisite box hidden in her hands. Xie Yanyan was curious: “What’s in there?”

Little Fan Yue gave her a “shhh,” pulled her into the room, and whispered mysteriously, “This is my mom’s treasure.”

With their heads together and shoulders touching, they solemnly opened the box. Instead of shining jewels or golden coins, it contained strange and unusual items.

“Every time my mom rubs these things on her face, she turns into a different person.” Fan Yue picked up an object that looked like a writing pencil. “My mom uses this to draw eyebrows.”

So, they drew on each other, working as seriously as if they were practicing calligraphy, filling in every gap in their eyebrows.

“My mom uses this for her mouth.” Fan Yue pulled out a lipstick, and they proceeded to give each other bright red mouths.

“And this one for the face—it’s just like rubbing on prickly heat powder.”

After a mess of smearing, the two looked at each other, both thoroughly satisfied with their work.

Later, when Xie Rong entered the room and saw them, she burst out laughing so hard she couldn’t stand up straight. The two little girls had thick, pitch-black eyebrows, faces smeared with white and pink patches, and lips as red as cooked sausages. They looked hilarious, yet they stood there with the proud expressions of little fairies.

Some memories seem to be shared; Fan Yue also remembered this and felt a bit embarrassed as she picked up the small mirror to make sure she hadn’t painted herself like her childhood self.

Since she lacked makeup experience, her lipstick was uneven. Xie Yanyan stepped over, cupped Fan Yue’s face, and used the pad of her finger to blend the red on her lips.

This sudden action made Fan Yue’s mouth drop open slightly in surprise. At the first touch of her lips, a soft, warm sensation traveled from Xie Yanyan’s fingertip to every cell in her body.

Fan Yue, who had been dazed, snapped back to reality the moment Xie Yanyan let go. She quickly returned to the topic at hand. “What clothes did you bring? Can I see?”

“See for yourself.”

Xie Yanyan turned to go to the bathroom to wash the lipstick from her hand. The cool water washed away the red traces on her finger, but it couldn’t cool her body temperature.

The atmosphere just now had been truly bizarre. Fan Yue’s face felt inexplicably hot. She shook her head, forcing herself to shift her focus.

In Xie Yanyan’s bag, there was a dress. It’s common for girls to wear each other’s clothes; when Fan Yue stayed at Xiao Qian’s house, she often wore hers. But she wasn’t sure if she could do that with Xie Yanyan. Fan Yue asked cautiously, “Can I try this dress on?”

Xie Yanyan’s voice drifted from the bathroom, “Go ahead.”

This was the first time Fan Yue had come across the pale yellow dress Xie Yanyan wore on her way to her part-time job. On Xie Yanyan, it looked graceful and lithe. On Fan Yue, it was a different style entirely, but it did add a touch of maturity and looked quite beautiful.

Since the only dress had been claimed, Fan Yue asked her, “Then what will you wear?”

“I don’t mind.”

Xie Yanyan’s features were naturally a bit more mature. With her long, wavy hair let down, even a simple T-shirt and jeans had a distinct charm.

Once they were all dressed up, Fan Yue couldn’t wait to push Xie Yanyan out the door.

“Let’s go.”