Keep My First Kiss Safe For Me - Chapter 28

Chapter 28

When Xie Yanyan moved with her mother to the research institute’s family quarters, she and Fan Yue had already stopped playing together. One day, the power went out. Xie Rong checked the meter and confirmed there was credit left, but even after a neighbor looked at it, no cause was found. Someone told her she could ask the institute’s electrician to help take a look.

Left with no choice, Xie Rong invited him over. The electrician was a man in his forties. He came over, repaired the circuit, and the lights soon returned. Out of gratitude and politeness, Xie Rong invited him to stay for a meal.

As it turned out, the man not only accepted but started coming over for any little reason—to check the appliances or help with heavy labor. Because he was acting out of “kindness” and was the institute’s electrician, Xie Rong hesitated to kick him out bluntly; she only gave occasional, tactful reminders that his presence was inappropriate.

However, the man grew bolder, sometimes entering the house uninvited and refusing to leave. Such attention from an older, single man toward Xie Rong naturally sparked a wave of gossip, regardless of her own attitude.

One evening, Xie Rong went out to take out the trash. Since it was close by, she only pulled the door shut without locking it. Xie Yanyan was doing her homework alone in the living room. Hearing the door open, she assumed her mother had returned and didn’t pay it much mind. But after the door clicked, there was silence—only the sudden scent of alcohol in the air and a rustling sound behind her. Then, a large hand suddenly landed on her small shoulder.

“He…” Recalling the image, Xie Yanyan’s stomach spasmed again. She covered her mouth, retching, though there was nothing left to throw up.

She was only six or seven at the time. Though young, she wasn’t entirely ignorant. The sudden sight of a dark mass and a terrifying, exposed part of him became her childhood nightmare.

Whether it was innate or a result of this psychological shadow, she gradually realized she would never be able to accept men in her life.

Fan Yue didn’t need her to continue to imagine what she had endured. No wonder Fan Shicheng said that night Xie Rong had chased that scoundrel like a madwoman. He had fought with everything he had to punish that man and vowed to protect this mother and daughter.

If I had been there, I would have protected you, too.

Fan Yue regretted her separation from Xie Yanyan as a child. She had never considered what kind of life Xie Yanyan had led during those two years. Had something bad also happened during those three years she lived away from home in middle school?

The fact that she was willing to share this tonight meant that one day, she would tell Fan Yue everything else, too.

Fan Yue looked down at Xie Yanyan’s slumped shoulders, her heart aching. She instinctively pulled Xie Yanyan’s head into her embrace, running one hand through her long hair while the other gently patted her shoulder in comfort. “It’s okay. Don’t think about it. It’s all in the past.”

Xie Yanyan’s head rested against Fan Yue’s waist. She nodded silently and then wrapped her arms around Fan Yue’s waist. The clear moonlight slipped through the uncurtained window, peeking at the two girls leaning on each other.

Growl…

The sudden sound of a stomach rumbling broke the beautiful atmosphere. Fan Yue quickly pulled away, took a step back, and asked, “Are you hungry?”

Having vomited everything up, Xie Yanyan felt a bit of resentment toward her empty stomach for ruining the moment.

“Wait here, I’ll go buy food!” Fan Yue grabbed her phone and bolted out the door.

When she returned, a plastic bag filled with snacks hung from her arm, and she carried two bowls of freshly brewed instant noodles.

“So hot! So hot!”

Fan Yue hurried inside and set the noodles on the table, then pulled out biscuits, bread, and milk from the bag.

Xie Yanyan, who had changed into pajamas, handed a cup of warm water to Fan Yue. Looking at the mountain of snacks, she said, “I can just eat a little; you didn’t need to buy so much.”

“It’s not much. You can’t sleep on an empty stomach.” Fan Yue pushed the noodles toward her. “Eat something warm; it’ll make your stomach feel better.”

The aroma of braised beef noodles filled the room. Xie Yanyan took a few bites under Fan Yue’s gaze. Seeing Fan Yue staring intently at the noodles and swallowing her saliva, she handed over the fork. “Want some?”

Fan Yue pulled back her neck and shook her head. “You eat.”

“You can’t sleep on an empty stomach,” Xie Yanyan said with a smile, bringing the fork closer.

“Just one bite then.” Fan Yue couldn’t resist. Strangely, though she usually only liked stove-cooked noodles, she found these steeped noodles incredibly delicious.

Xie Yanyan took a bite herself and then offered another forkful. Fan Yue shook her head: “You won’t have enough.”

Xie Yanyan kept smiling: “I don’t eat much at night. Go on.”

And so, the two finished the bucket of noodles bite by bite, drinking even the soup at the end.

…

Knock, knock, knock!

Fan Yue was startled awake from a deep sleep by the knocking, followed by Fan Shicheng’s voice: “Yue’er, get up! Open the door!”

Having stayed up late, Fan Yue was so tired her eyelids felt like lead. Glancing at Xie Yanyan on the opposite bed who hadn’t moved yet, she jumped up to open the door before she could wake.

Outside was a refreshed Fan Shicheng. He beamed at Fan Yue, whose hair was a tangled mess. “What a coincidence! I ran into an old classmate here. We’re meeting for tea and lunch today. Xiao Rong also has a beauty appointment. So, uh,” he shoved Fan Xinghang forward, “your brother is in your hands now!”

“Hanghang, listen to your sisters.” Fan Shicheng patted the boy’s head and slipped away as if his shoes were greased.

Fan Yue struggled to keep her eyes open as she looked at Fan Xinghang. She closed the door, collapsed back onto the bed, and muttered, “Play by yourself,” before falling back asleep.

Being tossed around like a ball, Fan Xinghang looked resentfully at his two sleeping sisters. He knew his eldest sister’s morning grumpiness was fierce; though he’d never seen the second sister’s, it was best not to provoke her.

Seeing the open biscuits, bread, and milk on the table, he quietly ate some. Then he pulled a book from his bag to read for a while, followed by studying a Go match with a portable set, trying his best to be invisible.

At ten o’clock, there was movement on Xie Yanyan’s bed. She sat up to put on her shoes and jumped when she saw Fan Xinghang sitting on the floor playing Go. “Why are you here?”

Fan Yue also woke up, rubbing her eyes and rolling over. “This child was abandoned.”

Poor Fan Xinghang pouted. Fan Yue stuck her foot out from under the quilt and nudged his shoulder. “Alright, I’m just teasing. What do you want to do today?”

Fan Xinghang: “Go to the playground.”

Are first-graders still this childish? Fan Yue reluctantly agreed. “Fine, let’s go.”

After washing up and taking him to the buffet, they headed to the hotel playground. It was lunchtime, so most of the “bear kids” had been dragged away by their parents, and it wasn’t crowded.

“Go play, don’t run off too far.”

Fan Yue gave Fan Xinghang a quick instruction, and she and Xie Yanyan found two chairs at the edge to sit and play on their phones.

Thud!

A plastic ball hit Fan Yue square in the forehead. She looked up to see Fan Xinghang standing in the ball pit. Immediately after, he accurately pegged another one at Xie Yanyan’s head. With two hits in a row, Fan Xinghang clenched his fist and cheered.

This kid is asking for it!

Fan Yue bent down to pick up the ball and threw it at him, but she missed. Fan Xinghang had already bolted, sticking his tongue out at her over his shoulder.

“Just you wait!”

Fan Yue ran to the entrance, grabbed a pair of shoe covers from the cubby, and charged into the ball pit. The floor was buried in plastic balls with nowhere to step; Fan Yue lost her footing and wobbled, but she was immediately caught. She turned to see Xie Yanyan had come in too.

Almost fell face-first in the pit. Fan Yue scooped up a pile of balls and launched a fierce counterattack. With Xie Yanyan’s help, Fan Xinghang was cornered, receiving a rain of “sisterly affection” until he begged for mercy: “I won’t do it again! I won’t!”

“Now you know—”

A ball hit the back of her head, nearly making Fan Yue bite her tongue. She spun around to see three small children launching a challenge.

The tallest boy shouted with great bravado, “Why are you bullying a little kid!” He turned to his two followers: “Get them!”

At his command, Fan Yue and Xie Yanyan became the public enemies of the “Justice League of the Playground,” sparking a chaotic battle.

“Alright, alright! We give up!”

Fan Yue surrendered, escaped the children’s pursuit, and hid in a corner of the ball pit, panting. Xie Yanyan was equally breathless beside her.

Looking up at the playground ceiling, Fan Yue said out of the blue, “When I was little, my mom took me to a roadside trampoline. She suddenly remembered a work task she had to handle at the office and told me to come with her. I was having so much fun that I refused to leave.”

“She was in a hurry, so she left me there to play and told my dad to pick me up. But when I was done, I couldn’t find him. I crouched there waiting for a long time, then eventually found a motorcycle taxi on my own to go back.”

“I told the driver to stop at a public restroom near our residential compound, saying I needed to go. I had no money and didn’t know where my dad was. I hid in the bathroom for over ten minutes until I thought the driver had left before I dared to come out.”

“I walked home by myself. When my dad saw me, his legs went weak. He thought I was lost. My mom had handled her work first before remembering to call him; by the time he went to get me, I’d already run off. They had a huge fight over that.”

“How come I never heard about this?” Xie Yanyan turned her head and asked.

Fan Yue tossed a plastic ball into the air and said, “I was only four then. I hadn’t met you yet.”

She propped herself up and smiled at Xie Yanyan. “I was so brave as a kid. Not like Fan Xinghang, who’s this big and still can’t be left alone.”

They both looked at Fan Xinghang, who was playing happily on the climbing frame. Fan Yue turned her head and asked, “Feeling better?”

Xie Yanyan tossed a small ball back at her and smiled. “I’m fine. Don’t worry, I’m not that fragile.”

“That’s good.” Fan Yue stood up and extended her hand. “Want to play something else?”

Xie Yanyan reached out and used her strength to pull herself up. “Let’s go!”

After a few more activities, Fan Xinghang was tired. The three of them went into a small room playing cartoons to rest.

“I want to watch Ultraman,” Fan Xinghang protested.

Fan Yue, holding the remote, gave him a little nudge with her foot. “Go play over there.”

Tom and Jerry began to play on the screen. They used to watch it endlessly without getting bored, but kids nowadays seemed to have no interest in it. Fan Xinghang soon slumped over and fell asleep.

Only Fan Yue and Xie Yanyan stared at the TV, as if they had returned to the days of coming home after school, sitting on small chairs and looking up at cartoons together.