Keep My First Kiss Safe For Me - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Xie Yanyan and her mother moved into the first floor of the building directly opposite. By the time Fan Yue arrived, clutching her father’s hand, Xie Rong was busy moving things. She was struggling to lift a large box from a tricycle when Fan Shicheng hurried over to take it from her. Xie Rong stood up, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and thanked him politely.

“Hello, Auntie!” Fan Yue greeted Xie Rong warmly.

Xie Rong smiled and nodded, “Hello, Yue-er.”

Fan Yue looked around and asked, “Where is the little sister?”

Xie Rong pointed toward the room: “She’s inside organizing her things. Go on in.”

“Okay!”

Fan Yue’s voice was crisp and pleasant. Inside the house, Xie Yanyan heard her and hurried out of the room, running head-on into Fan Yue just as she entered the door. Since she was taller than Fan Yue, Fan Yue’s forehead slammed right into her pointed chin. “Ouch!” Fan Yue rubbed her forehead in pain, her bright dark eyes instantly clouding over with a layer of mist.

Xie Yanyan was terrified and apologized repeatedly, asking worriedly, “Does it hurt?” She reached out to rub the reddened spot on Fan Yue’s forehead.

Seeing her so nervous, Fan Yue laughed. She pouted and replied, “If you blow on it, the pain will go away.” Ever since she was little, whenever she tripped or bumped into something, her father would comfort her by saying that blowing on it would make it stop hurting.

Xie Yanyan did as she was told, carefully exhaling onto her forehead. The tickling sensation made Fan Yue giggle. “It doesn’t hurt anymore!” she laughed. Only then did Xie Yanyan breathe a sigh of relief.

“Are you packing?” Fan Yue looked around the room curiously. The house wasn’t as big as hers and felt dark and damp, causing her to frown slightly. What she didn’t know was that this place was much better than where Xie Yanyan had lived before.

Xie Yanyan replied, “Yes, I’m organizing my toys.”

At the mention of “toys,” Fan Yue’s spirits lifted. “Can I help you organize them?” Xie Yanyan nodded, and Fan Yue took her hand, following her into the room.

Xie Yanyan’s room was very small, but it had a window that let in the sunlight, making the light and air much better. Fan Yue saw a box on the small bed containing a windmill, a whistle, some picture books, and a few dolls. However, these dolls looked old and couldn’t compare to the one she was holding. She asked, “Are these your toys?”

Xie Yanyan answered possessively, “Yes.”

Suddenly, Fan Yue’s eyes felt a bit prickly. She blinked and stuffed the exquisite rag doll into Xie Yanyan’s arms. “This is a gift from me. Now you have one more toy.”

Xie Yanyan recognized it as the one Fan Yue had been holding the last time they played together. She had envied her for having such a beautiful doll, but she knew it would put her mother in a difficult position, so she never made unreasonable demands. Her eyes shone, but she shook her head in refusal: “No, my mom doesn’t let me take other people’s toys.”

“I’m not ‘other people,’ I’m your sister! A gift from a big sister to a little sister!” Fan Yue’s tone was very serious. Seeing that Xie Yanyan still hesitated, she ran out and said to Xie Rong, “Auntie, this is a doll I’m giving to my sister. I’m not a stranger!”

Her “little adult” tone made the grown-ups laugh. Xie Rong said to the cute girl, “Thank you, Yue-er. You can just bring it over to play with Yanyan whenever you like; you don’t need to give it away.”

“Dad!” Fan Yue turned to her father for help in a coquettish tone. Fan Shicheng smiled and persuaded, “It’s just a doll. Yue-er specifically brought it to give to her sister. Don’t let our Yue-er lose face.”

Since he put it that way, Xie Rong found it hard to refuse. She nodded to Xie Yanyan: “Yanyan, say thank you to your sister.”

The girl, who had been standing in the shadows of the house, stepped into the sunlight and took the doll from Fan Yue as if she were receiving a precious treasure.

After that, the two little sisters became inseparable best friends, spending every waking moment together…

…

Fan Yue fell asleep amidst these memories. She didn’t sleep soundly that night, seemingly drifting through many dreams of her childhood, though she forgot them all the moment she woke up.

Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the empty bed opposite hers. Fan Yue sat up and rubbed her groggy head. She suddenly noticed that only her side had a window; previously, when the curtain was drawn, the sunlight to the other side had been completely blocked.

Gurgle… The protest from her stomach interrupted her thoughts. Fan Yue checked the time—it was almost ten o’clock. Surprisingly, her father hadn’t come in to flip her quilt and chase her out of bed.

Slipping into her slippers, she walked out of the room. The house was silent. As she went to the table to pour some water, she saw a note pressed under the kettle: We went to the apartment near Primary School No. 1 to tidy up. There’s food in the fridge; remember to heat it up.

Looking at Fan Shicheng’s bold and vigorous handwriting, Fan Yue curled her lip. And he said they’d be home when we came back? Didn’t he still dump me and go out with his young son? She tossed the note aside, took the food out of the freezer, and put it in the microwave to heat.

While drinking water, Fan Yue stared at the plate spinning under the warm yellow light. Finally, with a “ding,” the door to the neighboring room opened with a “click.”

The two of them locked eyes.

Fan Yue choked on her water and started coughing. The other person acted as if she were invisible and walked straight toward the bathroom.

I won’t talk to you either, Fan Yue made a face at the person’s back.

After breakfast, Fan Yue cleared the dishes and remembered that her chat with Cici the night before had ended abruptly. She lay back on the sofa to play with her phone.

Princess Cici: If anyone’s the elder sister, it’s me calling you. [Disdain]

Fan Yue picked up the conversation: Sister, what are you doing?

The other side sent a picture—a giant photobook of Ning Yuan! Fan Yue bounced off the sofa and sent a voice message: “I’m coming!”

Fan Yue washed and dressed in a flash. Hearing the living room door, she opened her door to see Xie Yanyan leaving. She instinctively glanced at the room next door and stealthily reached out to turn the doorknob. As expected, it was locked. So, what exactly is in that box? Now that she wanted to see, she couldn’t. Fan Yue pursed her lips and headed out.

The family quarters were shaded by lush trees, but as soon as she reached the open main road, the sun felt like it was making her smoke. Fan Yue bought an ice cream and enjoyed the sweet coolness bite by bite. Only after finishing it did she board the bus, looking out the window in boredom.

When the bus stopped at a station, Fan Yue suddenly spotted a familiar figure. Xie Yanyan was dressed very maturely today. Her pale yellow dress made her look tall and graceful. Her hair, usually tied in a high ponytail, was let down, and her natural curls—just like her mother’s—swayed slightly with her steps.

Why is she dressed like that? Didn’t she tell the family last night she was going to the library? Fan Yue glanced at the bus stop sign and confirmed this wasn’t the way to the library. Besides, who dresses like that to go read!

Seeing the target about to leave her line of sight and the bus doors closing, Fan Yue stood up quickly and shouted, “Wait, I want to get off!”

The driver slammed on the brakes.

Fan Yue jumped off and began tailing her. She moved silently from behind a telephone pole to a large tree stump, believing her hiding skills were flawless. She focused intently on her target, unaware that her strange behavior was causing passersby to look at her as if she were crazy.

Xie Yanyan looked straight ahead. Normally, even if a pit suddenly opened up in front of her, she would simply walk around it expressionlessly. But at this moment, she somehow noticed the hidden smiles of the people around her. With a hint of hesitation, she looked back. The moment she turned her head, a figure “whooshed” out of sight.

A hand peeked out from behind a telephone pole. On the fair, slender wrist, a red string was particularly conspicuous. Hanging from that old string was a tiny silver moon. Xie Yanyan, of course, recognized it, and a slight curve appeared at the corners of her mouth.

Silly girl.

Being a first-time stalker, Fan Yue’s nerves were clearly not up to the task. Her heart was thumping like a drum. As she hid, she began to worry: Has she spotted me? Is she gone? By the time she finally poked her head out, Xie Yanyan had long vanished.

Having lost her, Fan Yue kicked the sturdy telephone pole in frustration. “Ouch, it hurts!” she cried, clutching her foot and hopping on one leg.

Definitely a silly girl.

Hidden around the corner, the corners of Xie Yanyan’s mouth couldn’t help but turn upward.

Fan Yue limped back to the bus stop, got back on the bus, and arrived at Cici’s house. She walked through the yard and into the large villa as if she owned the place. Cici’s mother was in the magnificent living room, cracking melon seeds while watching a TV drama.

“Auntie Jun!” Fan Yue shouted.

Shen Xiaojun smiled and beckoned her over: “Yue-er is here! It’s hot outside, isn’t it? Come have some mung bean soup to cool down.”

“It’s killing me!” Fan Yue wasn’t polite at all and ran over to complain. “Auntie Jun, everything about your house is great, except it’s too far away.” Shaking on the bus all the way to the villa district made her sleepy.

Shen Xiaojun liked Fan Yue from the bottom of her heart; she was cute and knew how to act spoiled—what a perfect contrast to her own quiet daughter. She handed Fan Yue the mung bean soup the maid brought. “Then you should just live at my house and go to school with Cici every day.”

Fan Yue finished the soup in a few gulps, and the heat vanished. She said to Shen Xiaojun with a serious face, “I will seriously consider it.” The next second, she switched to a grinning face, said “I’m going to find Cici,” and ran up the spiral staircase.

The bedroom door was already open. Fan Yue rushed in: “I’m here!”

The moment she entered, Cici closed the door and gave her a “shh” sign. Fan Yue took the hint and whispered, “Where is my male god!”

Cici pretended to be angry: “Are you here to see me or the male god?”

“The male god, of course. I’m already tired of looking at you.” Fan Yue shook her head with a look of mock disgust.

Cici rolled her eyes, “Fickle! Scumbag woman!”

Her room was like a castle for a fairy-tale princess. Outside the giant floor-to-ceiling window was a lush garden. Inside, one wall was entirely covered by a bookshelf, and even the quilt had layers of lace.

Cici opened a cabinet door at the bottom of the bookshelf and pulled out a large photobook. Usually, there’s nothing wrong with young girls buying celebrity merchandise, but why was this one hidden? Because it was an overseas version featuring some bold, “large-scale” photos.

“Is it scandalous?” Fan Yue rubbed her hands in anticipation.

Cici blushed and gave a soft “Mm.”

The two girls put their heads together to admire it. “Wow! Oh my god!”

“Look at those abs!”

“I’m going to have a nosebleed!”

They flipped through the photobook for two hours before finally putting it down. Having feasted her eyes, Fan Yue remembered her actual business and said to Cici solemnly, “Finished your homework? Let me check it.”

Cici grumbled as she reached for her homework, “Just say you want to copy it.”

“It’s called ‘referencing,'” Fan Yue corrected her. After writing for a bit, she muttered, “Taking away our summer break for extra classes is one thing, but giving us homework when we only have one day off is seriously affecting my physical development.”

Suddenly, she thought of Xie Yanyan on the road. At the same age, how did she develop so well? That form-fitting dress had shown off all her curves. Fan Yue glanced at the “little mounds” on her own chest. Cici followed with a sigh; she wasn’t doing much better.

After finishing the homework, Fan Yue shook her aching wrist and whined, “School starts soon. Life is hopeless.”

Cici couldn’t agree with that. She pushed up the round glasses on the bridge of her nose, her eyes gleaming: “Starting school is great.”

“What’s so great about it?”

Cici gave a fangirl’s grin: “When school starts, we can find out if there are any handsome guys among the high school freshmen!”

“Hey, you have a point!” Fan Yue’s energy returned instantly.

While they were talking, Shen Xiaojun knocked and entered, urging, “Time to eat.” The two went downstairs for dinner, and Fan Yue stayed over at Cici’s house that night.

Before sleeping, Fan Yue couldn’t help but think about Xie Yanyan again. Where was she going dressed like that? What else was in that box? Why did she seem like a completely different person after coming back from three years of boarding school? Fan Yue nudged Cici with her elbow and asked, “Don’t you think Xie Yanyan is acting weird?”

Cici was already half-asleep and murmured, “You’re overthinking it.”