Keep My First Kiss Safe For Me - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

September arrived, and the new semester began as scheduled. While the high school freshmen started their military training, Fan Yue didn’t have the luxury of checking for handsome new faces—she was far too preoccupied with the upcoming placement exams.

As the daughter of an elite lawyer and a scientific researcher, Fan Yue’s grades had always been mediocre at best. Since Ning Yuan’s sudden rise to stardom last semester, her obsession with her idol had caused her final exam scores to plummet to the bottom of the class. This time, she was determined to score well and start the new semester on the right foot.

During a long break between classes, Fan Yue was muttering ancient poems to herself, but the more she recited, the heavier her eyelids felt. She was practically hypnotizing herself. Cici gave her a nudge and said with a grin, “I heard there’s a guy among the freshmen who is exceptionally handsome.”

Fan Yue, currently “dedicated only to the sacred texts,” pulled the Chinese textbook off her face and said with an expression of total Zen, “Honorable benefactor, I have renounced beauty and obsession. Please do not disturb my cultivation of the Path of Emotionlessness.”

Cici rolled her eyes at her. “I’m buying ice cream. You coming?”

“Yes!” Fan Yue tossed the book aside instantly.

The summer this year was stiflingly hot. Fan Yue took a large bite of a cold “Wawa-head” ice cream bar, and her brain—foggy from memorizing poems—instantly cleared up. Cici slowly peeled back her wrapper and continued the previous topic: “I saw that freshman. He really is quite handsome.”

Fan Yue didn’t trust her friend’s taste. “Has your nearsightedness gotten worse? Last year you said Zhu Chenyu from the next class was handsome.”

Cici protested, “He was handsome when school started! Who knew he’d break out in acne later? His face is all craters now.” She sighed. “What a waste.”

“See? There are no real handsome guys in reality. Only my Brother Ning Yuan is truly handsome,” Fan Yue said, her face turning into that of a lovestruck fan.

“I actually think that freshman looks a bit like Brother Ning Yuan,” Cici added.

“Really?” Fan Yue finally took the bait. She held out her pinky finger. “If he doesn’t look like him, you buy me ice cream for a month.”

Cici hooked her pinky. “If he does, you buy me ice cream for a month.”

“Deal,” Fan Yue said immediately. “When can I behold this glorious countenance?”

Cici checked the time. “The freshmen are still in military training. This elder sister will take you to see for yourself right now.”

Hand in hand, the two bypassed the main buildings and headed to the sports field. The green artificial turf was radiating waves of heat. Looking across the field, it was a sea of freshmen in baggy camouflage uniforms. It was hard to look good in such clothes, but Fan Yue scanned the crowd casually until her gaze locked onto one spot.

A clean-cut, handsome boy stood out even in a military uniform. He was tall with fair skin; a sharp nose peeked out from under his cap. He was too far away to see his eyes clearly, though.

Fan Yue forgot about the ice cream in her hand. The “Wawa-head” melted rapidly in the sun, a sticky sweet drop landing on her palm. She licked it off and said, “I’ll buy you an ice cream tomorrow.”

“He’s handsome, right?” Cici was pleased to have her taste validated, then she realized, “Wait, didn’t you say you’d buy them for a month?”

The school bell rang. Fan Yue pulled her toward the classroom. “We’re too far away to be sure if he’s a top-tier hottie or if he actually looks like Ning Yuan. Consider this a down payment.”

“Psh, stingy.”

…

Then came the placement exams. Fan Yue’s strategy was always to “hug the Buddha’s feet at the last minute”—rote memorization right before the test and a total brain dump immediately after. Her brain capacity was small; this knowledge took up too much “memory” and severely slowed down her mental processing speed.

When the final exam ended, Fan Yue looked at the sky and sighed. “It’s over. It’s over. I messed up again.”

Cici was used to this. “When have you ever not messed up?”

The dejected girl pouted, looking incredibly wronged. “This time was different! I actually memorized things seriously, but none of the stuff I memorized was on the test! Waaaaah…”

“There, there,” Cici said, patting Fan Yue’s head. Her hair was fine and soft, and it felt nice to the touch. “This elder sister will take you for dessert to comfort your wounded soul.”

“Now you’re talking.” Food was the only thing that could appease Fan Yue.

They went to the dessert shop by the school gate. Cici took a bite of a mango pancake and asked, “What are your plans for the two-day break?”

Fan Yue stuffed a whole pancake into her mouth. “Don’t know. My dad wants me back. Who knows what he wants this time?”

…

That evening, the family sat down for dinner again. Fan Shicheng looked at the two sisters and made a hopeful suggestion: “Since you both have two days off, how about the whole family goes on a trip together?”

Fan Yue was slightly tempted. “Where to?”

Fan Shicheng: “The Dinosaur Museum.”

…

A family trip? Or a trip to babysit that brat Fan Xinghang?

Fan Yue: “I’m not going. I need to study.”

Fan Shicheng looked at Xie Yanyan. She used the same excuse: “I’m going to the library this weekend.”

Fan Yue shot her a glance. Go to the library, my foot! Xie Yanyan had good grades and was self-disciplined; she never gave the adults anything to worry about. Fan Shicheng and Xie Rong trusted her implicitly and wouldn’t doubt her for a second. Fan Yue felt like she was finally about to catch her in a lie.

The next morning, Fan Yue was woken up by Fan Xinghang. The brat was so excited about the Dinosaur Museum that he had been shouting all morning: “T-Rex! Triceratops! Brachiosaurus!” Even with her blanket over her head, Fan Yue couldn’t block out the sonic attack.

Being woken up early on a rare weekend triggered her “wake-up rage.” She rolled out of bed, grabbed a dinosaur plushie, twisted the door open, and gave the unsuspecting “chubby nugget” a good thumping. “If you keep shouting, I’ll beat you until you turn into a dinosaur, believe me!”

Fan Xinghang dodged her around the house, screaming at the top of his lungs, “Dad! Mom! Yue-er is hitting me! Waaaaah!”

The siblings’ bickering was enough to give anyone a migraine. Fan Shicheng came out of the kitchen covering his ears and barked, “Both of you, BE QUIET!” He pointed his spatula at Fan Yue. “Yue-er, how old are you? Stop fighting with an elementary schooler!”

Fan Yue angrily threw the dinosaur on the floor. “Control your precious son! Can’t a person get some sleep?”

“Hanghang, stop it.” Xie Rong came out to lead the sulking boy away. Fan Shicheng softened his tone and flashed a smile at his temperamental daughter. “Yue-er, since you’re up anyway, let’s have breakfast together.”

Fan Yue snapped back, “Not eating.”

Fan Shicheng tried to coax her again. “We’ll head out right after breakfast. Why don’t you come along?”

“No.” Fan Yue slammed her bedroom door shut.

The noise outside soon faded. Not long after the three of them had left excitedly, the living room door clicked again. Xie Yanyan had headed out.

Fan Yue lay in bed, unable to fall back asleep. The empty space where the other bed and bookshelf used to be made her feel a bit unsettled.

When those things were first moved in, Fan Yue had been so angry she nearly ran away from home. She had given her father an “it’s either her or me” ultimatum. Caught between his two daughters and his young son, Fan Shicheng had been in a bind. He couldn’t say anything harsh, but he was stubborn; once he made a decision, he wouldn’t change it. Eventually, Fan Yue was the one who yielded. She realized her father wasn’t budging and felt that continuing the tantrum was pointless—plus, Xie Yanyan lived at school and rarely came home anyway.

Thinking about how Xie Yanyan had lied with a straight face about going to the library, Fan Yue immediately grabbed her phone: Calling Princess Cici.

The reply was instant: State your business.

Little Moon: Want to go to the library today?

Princess Cici: What for?

This was new. Fan Yue going to a library was a rare event.

Little Moon: To study, obviously!

Princess Cici: Alright.

Fan Yue got ready and headed out. When she got off the bus at the library stop, Cici was already waiting. She was surprised. “What’s gotten into you? Why the library all of a sudden?”

Fan Yue grabbed her arm and charged inside. “To study for the rise of the Chinese nation!” She had only been to the library a few times as a child when her father was looking up data. Later, whenever he asked her to go, she would refuse: “No, books make me dizzy.”

They went to the largest study room. Cici pulled several books from her bag. Fan Yue had grabbed a random book from her shelf before leaving just for show. Now she looked at it: The Way of the Lawyer: A Mandatory Course for New Lawyers.

Ugh. She had swiped this from her mother’s bookshelf ages ago. Cici caught a glimpse of the title and looked at her in confusion. Fan Yue acted composed. “Following in my mother’s footsteps. I want to be a lawyer too.”

Cici nodded, looking impressed.

Fan Yue opened the book and pretended to read for a few minutes before starting to look around. From the first row to the last, she didn’t see “her” anywhere.

“I’m going to go find a book,” Fan Yue whispered to Cici. She stood up and scoured every corner of the library, but there was no sign of Xie Yanyan.

So, where did she actually go? Fan Yue became even more curious.

The next day, she washed up and got ready early. She pressed her ear to her door, listening for movement. As soon as she heard the neighboring door click open, followed by the living room door closing, Fan Yue bolted out of her room.

Just as she opened the living room door, she heard Fan Shicheng’s loud, surprised voice: “Yue-er, why are you up so early? Where are you going?”

Jeez, Dad, are you practicing your vocals this early? Why so loud?

Fan Yue peered outside nervously, glared at her father to signal him to shut up, muttered “Going to Cici’s house,” and dashed out.

Looking at Fan Yue’s suspicious behavior, Fan Shicheng thought to himself that his daughter was becoming more and more mysterious.

Fan Yue sprinted out of the building. After a few fast steps, she spotted Xie Yanyan at the entrance of the family quarters. Today, she was wearing a vintage white T-shirt and a midi skirt, her wavy long hair let down. She looked like a college student.

This was her second time stalking, and Fan Yue was better prepared. She wore sunglasses and a face mask, wrapping herself up tightly. she followed at a moderate distance.

As they walked, the person in front suddenly quickened her pace. Fan Yue hurried to keep up. A moment later, Xie Yanyan slowed down, and Fan Yue patiently slowed down too.

The September weather was oppressively humid. Fan Yue was drenched in sweat. She pulled off the stifling mask to take a few deep breaths of fresh air, thinking indignantly: Is she freaking playing with me?!

When she looked up after a brief distraction, she glanced around. Xie Yanyan was gone.

Lost her again!

Fan Yue stomped her feet in rage.

Around the corner across the street, a pair of beautiful eyes appeared. There was a hint of successful mischief in her gaze. Her usually cold expression had turned bright because of the curve at the corners of her mouth.

Definitely a silly girl.