Keep My First Kiss Safe For Me - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

After the October holiday ended, the school became exceptionally lively due to the recruitment of volunteers for the Provincial Games. For Rong City, hosting the games was a major event; the organizers had opened recruitment to the public for anyone over sixteen, and many students were eager to try out.

Fan Yue, never one to miss out on the action, was naturally among them. After several rounds of screening, the day finally arrived to announce the results. A thick crowd gathered in front of the school’s bulletin board where the volunteer list was posted.

“Move, move! Am I on it? Am I on it?” Fan Yue asked as she squeezed her way to the front. While everyone was busy searching for their own names, Fan Yue scanned the list row by row. “Ah! I’m here!” she shouted excitedly upon finding her name.

“What about Cici?”

Fan Yue searched for Cici’s name but couldn’t find it after a full sweep. She did, however, see Xie Yanyan’s name. Pushing her way out of the crowd, she found Cici waiting outside.

“Did you get in?” Cici asked. She had already heard Fan Yue’s loud shout from inside.

Fan Yue was happy, but she didn’t want to show it too much. She whispered to Cici, “I didn’t see your name. Maybe we should look again when the crowd thins out.”

“It’s fine! I only signed up to keep you company. I wasn’t that interested anyway.” Noticing Fan Yue’s awkward expression, Cici nudged her with her shoulder. “Don’t hold it in if you’re happy! I’m really okay. You know I have social anxiety; being a volunteer isn’t really my thing.”

Seeing that Cici truly didn’t mind, Fan Yue grabbed her hands and jumped up. “This is great! I don’t have to go to class!”

Selected volunteers were required to attend a week of intensive training. This was what Fan Yue was looking forward to most!

…

On Sunday, Fan Yue woke up early. Her mood was so good she couldn’t help humming a song while eating breakfast. Fan Shicheng placed a fried egg in her bowl. This was the first time Fan Yue would be away from home on her own for a week, and he gave her some worried advice: “Once you’re there, follow the instructions. Don’t wander off on your own, understand?”

“I know, I know,” Fan Yue nodded dismissively.

Xie Rong reassured him, “Don’t worry, Yue-er is grown up. Besides, Yanyan is there too.” She then turned to Xie Yanyan. “Yanyan, look after your sister.”

Hearing that she was supposed to be looked after by Xie Yanyan, Fan Yue watched as the girl actually nodded seriously in response. Fan Yue puffed out her chest and promised them, “Relax, I can take care of myself.”

Seeing the relationship between his two daughters softening, Fan Shicheng felt a sense of relief—the kind a father feels when his daughters are finally growing up. Fan Xinghang asked curiously, “Will you guys be on TV? Can I see you on television?”

“Of course! Whenever I see a camera, I’ll shove my face right in front of it. You better keep your eyes peeled,” Fan Yue said smugly.

“Really? Then I can tell my classmates that both my sisters are on TV!” Fan Xinghang thought this was incredibly cool.

After breakfast, it was time to leave. Fan Shicheng insisted on carrying their luggage. As they headed downstairs with a suitcase in each hand, a neighbor saw them and asked curiously, “Engineer Fan, where are you off to?”

Fan Shicheng beamed with pride. “Our Yue-er and Yanyan are both volunteers for the Provincial Games. They’re going to training!”

The neighbor was full of envy. “Oh, Engineer Fan, you’re so lucky! These sisters aren’t just pretty, they’re really making something of themselves!”

Fan Shicheng smiled triumphantly.

Fan Yue felt embarrassed. She snatched her suitcase back in the courtyard and urged her father to go back. “It’s not like we’re going across the country! Why are you walking us so far?”

“We don’t have anything else to do. I’ll hail a cab for you.” With that, Fan Shicheng flagged down a taxi on the roadside, put their luggage in the trunk, and watched longingly until the sisters were inside and the car drove off.

Fan Yue had planned to go separately, but her father had stuffed her and Xie Yanyan into the same car. She had no choice but to stare out the window. Fortunately, the traffic was smooth, and they reached the meeting point quickly.

Without Cici by her side, Fan Yue stuck with another female friend she got along with. The volunteers were to take a bus to a hotel in the suburbs, and everyone chatted excitedly the whole way.

The first task at the hotel was room assignments. Fan Yue had already agreed to room with her friend, but to save time, the organizers had pre-arranged everything. When the leader called out names for the double rooms, Fan Yue shouted “Here!” only to hear Xie Yanyan’s name immediately following hers.

Fan Yue: ??

What does this mean? The two of us in one room?

“Come get your key card,” the leader urged. Before Fan Yue could process it, Xie Yanyan walked up and took the card.

“Alright, rooms are set. Go unpack. There’s a buffet in the lobby at noon, and class starts at 2:00 PM. Understood?”

“Understood!” everyone shouted in unison before dispersing.

Seeing Xie Yanyan move, Fan Yue followed. If the other girl wasn’t being awkward about it, she couldn’t be either. It was just one room, right? It wasn’t like they hadn’t lived together before—they’d done it for years. But back then there was a curtain… and they never really shared space. Fan Yue was lost in a spiral of conflict behind her, while in front, the corners of Xie Yanyan’s mouth twitched upward.

…

Fan Yue’s lunch was eaten with the friend living next door. Afterward, she arrived early at the large conference room for the afternoon session. Having nothing to do, she pestered Cici over text.

Little Moon: Can you guess who I’m rooming with? Shatter Emoji Shatter Emoji

Princess Cici: Who? Don’t tell me it’s your sister? Shocked Emoji

Little Moon: …

Princess Cici: Agh, it really is! Isn’t that super awkward?

While they were chatting, someone sat down next to her. Fan Yue, being naturally social, turned to greet her seatmate, only to see it was Xie Yanyan.

Talk about a coincidence.

She typed quickly: She’s my seatmate too!

Princess Cici: This damn fate. Yue-er, you can’t escape.

Since she couldn’t escape, she might as well lie down on the spot.

The afternoon consisted of city introductions, basic knowledge of the Provincial Games, and volunteer job overviews. This quickly drained most of Fan Yue’s enthusiasm. She hadn’t expected that “training” would just be more school.

In a normal classroom, you’re right under the teacher’s nose, but in this massive conference room with one or two hundred people as cover, the “sleep bugs” attacked Fan Yue’s brain. Soon, her head began to bob.

“You, that student over there.”

Xie Yanyan gave Fan Yue a sharp elbow. Fan Yue jerked her chin up and opened her eyes to see the teacher pointing a pointer at her.

Crap! Caught red-handed!

Fan Yue met the teacher’s gaze.

“Yes, you,” the strict, middle-aged female teacher nodded. “Stand up and answer this.”

Answer what? Faces, both familiar and strange, turned toward her. Fan Yue felt an instant wave of embarrassment.

“Tell us how many districts Rong City has and what the population is.” The teacher even gave her a scenario: “A representative from another city has just arrived and thinks the Games are going well. They’re interested in Rong City and want you to introduce the area. How would you do it?”

Fan Yue was a bit stunned. Suddenly, she felt a tug on her sleeve. Looking down, she saw Xie Yanyan pointing a pen at a notebook on the desk. Two sets of numbers were written there. She read them out loud.

The teacher’s expression softened. Fan Yue continued, “I would recommend Rong City’s specialty fish noodles, and tell them that in the spring, the mountains are covered in azaleas. I’d welcome them to bring their family back next spring to play.”

The stern teacher nodded for her to sit down.

Fan Yue breathed a sigh of relief. Glancing at the note, she noticed that Xie Yanyan’s handwriting didn’t match her glamorous looks at all—it was powerful and sharp.

Fan Yue reached over and wrote “Thanks” at the bottom. Her handwriting was cute and playful, just like her. Next to it, she drew a moon with a smiley face. Since she was a kid, she loved drawing moons with expressions that matched her mood.

Xie Yanyan closed the notebook.

After class, the leader came in to call Xie Yanyan and a few other tall, pretty girls out. Apparently, they were selected for the etiquette team to hold the city nameplates during the athletes’ entrance. This meant they had to work overtime for rehearsals at night.

The other volunteers didn’t have it so hard. Since it was a closed training session and they couldn’t go out, Fan Yue stayed in the dorm chatting with Cici. They talked about Xie Yanyan, then about Brother Ning Yuan, and only after they were done did she go take a shower.

Turning off the water, Fan Yue flipped through her change of clothes and realized she had only brought her pajama pants, not the top.

I know I brought it. Did I leave it outside? Fan Yue opened the bathroom door. Confirming that Xie Yanyan wasn’t back yet, she hopped out wearing only her underwear and a towel wrapped around her chest to dig through her luggage.

Just as she was rummaging, the door lock let out a beep. A second later, the door opened. Fan Yue had no time to grab clothes; she stood there half-naked, face-to-face with the newcomer.

Both of them froze.

Fan Yue was the first to react. She grabbed a random piece of clothing from her suitcase and bolted back into the bathroom, shouting, “Don’t look! Shut up! No, shut your eyes!”

They were both girls, but for some reason, Fan Yue felt a rush of shame. Her face turned as red as an apple. She waited in the bathroom for a long time until the heat in her face subsided before she came out fully dressed.

Unexpectedly, she walked right into Xie Yanyan taking off her jeans, revealing a pair of long, slender legs. Seeing those fair legs, Fan Yue didn’t know where to look. She covered her eyes. “Why are you taking your pants off right here?”

Xie Yanyan glanced at her. “You were hogging the bathroom forever. I’m covered in sweat.” With that, she took off her top as well, leaving only her underwear.

Avert your eyes! Avert your eyes!

Fan Yue chanted silently with her eyes closed, yet she couldn’t resist peeking through the gaps in her fingers. Tsk tsk tsk… Xie Yanyan really has a great figure. She’s got curves in all the right places, a tiny waist, and such pale skin…

Xie Yanyan suddenly stopped. She looked up and arched an eyebrow at her. “What are you looking at?”

Caught peeking, Fan Yue immediately snapped back, “What am I looking at? You’re the one who looked at me!”

Xie Yanyan gave Fan Yue’s chest a pointed look. “What is there to look at on you?” She picked up her clothes and headed toward the bathroom. As she passed, she dropped a single phrase: “Little bunny.”

Fan Yue froze. She instinctively looked down. Today, she happened to be wearing underwear with a bunny print.

And she said she didn’t look? She clearly did! She wanted to talk back, but the girl was already in the shower.

Fan Yue comforted herself—whatever, I didn’t lose anything. As she lay on the bed, she couldn’t help but keep thinking: How does Xie Yanyan have such a good body?!