The Premeditated Seductress Childhood Friend - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Kiss Me

Song Yixi stared blankly at her hand, which was being held, and allowed herself to be led into the elevator by Xu Qingyu without any resistance.

This feeling was so rare; Song Yixi couldn’t even remember the last time Xu Qingyu had held her hand. It was likely because Xu Qingyu had spent most of her time in a wheelchair over the past few years.

In any case, it didn’t happen often.

There was the time she was seven or eight, crying because she didn’t want to go to school, and Xu Qingyu led her inside.

There was the time she was ten, getting lost at an amusement park, and Xu Qingyu led her home.

And when she was fourteen or fifteen, she had gotten into a fight and lost. With a bruised and swollen face, she hadn’t dared to go home; Xu Qingyu had led her back to the Xu residence, let her sleep in her bed, and helped explain things to Song Yixi’s parents.

After that, Xu Qingyu didn’t seem to hold her hand anymore.

Whether standing or sitting, she didn’t touch her.

But now…

Song Yixi curled her fingers, attempting to pull back, but Xu Qingyu gripped her tightly.

In terms of raw strength, Xu Qingyu was certainly no match for her, but Song Yixi’s move was merely a test; she didn’t actually want to let go.

Her palms were sweaty and sticky—how could Xu Qingyu stand to hold them?

As Song Yixi’s thoughts wandered, the elevator doors opened. Before she could snap back to reality, she was pulled into the car. Just like when she was a little girl, she followed Xu Qingyu foolishly, possessing no defenses against her.

Even if she were being sold, she probably would have buckled her own seatbelt.

At the “click” of the buckle, Song Yixi’s eyes snapped up.

Why had she just followed Xu Qingyu like that?

Before she could react, she turned to see that Xu Qingyu had already stepped on the gas.

The car headed toward the shopping mall nearest to the school—just a few turns and less than a ten-minute drive.

There was no turning back. Song Yixi quickly checked her phone balance.

Her monthly allowance was 3,000 yuan. Her mother paid her rent separately, but since she had bought a lot of daily necessities for the start of the semester, she had less than 2,000 yuan left in her account.

She could only afford a lower-end phone, and if she bought it now, she wouldn’t have money left for food.

She had originally planned to save for a few months before upgrading.

No, she couldn’t let Xu Qingyu know she was broke. It would look pathetic, and her pride couldn’t take that.

“Ahem.”

Song Yixi tugged at her seatbelt and said unnaturally, “I have class this afternoon, I’m going to be late. Let’s just go back to school. I’ll go buy it myself when I have time.”

“You can’t even receive messages anymore; don’t stall.”

Xu Qingyu’s gaze brushed over Song Yixi’s hand gripping the seatbelt, a flicker of amusement in her eyes.

In all these years, Song Yixi hadn’t changed a bit.

Song Yixi didn’t know what she was thinking; she only knew she couldn’t bluff her way out of this. She needed help.

She leaned over and surreptitiously messaged Yu Wei: Emergency! Lend me some money.

Yu Wei replied instantly: How much?

Song Yixi counted on her fingers and typed: Lend me 3,000 first.

Yu Wei: ?

Yu Wei: My allowance is only 2,000 a month.

Yu Wei: Why don’t you just sell me instead?

Yu Wei: Wait, who do you owe money to?

Song Yixi sighed softly and replied with difficulty: I’m in deep.

It really felt like being in debt; whenever she encountered Xu Qingyu, her wallet was never safe.

Seeing Xu Qingyu park the car, Song Yixi had no choice but to put away her phone and follow her out.

Xu Qingyu led her straight into a brand-name store.

“Pick one.”

Seeing the phones in the glass cabinets starting at four thousand yuan, Song Yixi forced a smile.

She couldn’t afford any of these.

Thinking about her 4,000 yuan credit limit on Huabei, Song Yixi picked a model priced just over 3,000, planning to just scrape through the month.

Just as she was about to ask the clerk to get it, Xu Qingyu stopped her. She pointed to a different model and told them to pack it up and settle the bill.

Song Yixi saw the price: over 10,000 yuan.

“No, no, no…”

The refusal was on the tip of her tongue, but when Song Yixi looked down and saw Xu Qingyu’s expression, she forced the words back down.

She couldn’t say it.

Xu Qingyu sensed it. Not letting her stay nervous for long, she scanned her code and paid. “Your mother gave me twenty thousand to buy you a phone and a computer. Since you spent all your money on me, it’s only right that I return the favor with a phone.”

With that, the clerk handed the packaged phone to Song Yixi.

Song Yixi held it like a hot potato—unsure whether to keep it or give it back.

Xu Qingyu tilted her head. “Don’t you have class? Let’s go.”

Song Yixi gripped the shopping bag and followed.

The two got back into the car, and Xu Qingyu turned back toward the school.

Song Yixi stared at the package, making no move to open it.

She looked quite dejected.

Stopping at a red light, Xu Qingyu held the steering wheel with one hand, her fingers tapping lightly.

She asked tentatively, “You don’t like it?”

She had bought the latest model, the foldable one.

Song Yixi usually liked to show off, so Xu Qingyu assumed she would enjoy this style.

“It’s not that.”

Song Yixi bit her lip, struggling with herself for a long moment before asking, “By giving me a phone… does that mean we’re even?”

Xu Qingyu frowned slightly.

“In our relationship, is ‘even’ even a word we use?”

They had never kept a tally of who took care of whom more when they were children.

Why, now that they were grown, did things need to be “even”?

“Then why did you buy me a phone?”

Song Yixi set the phone aside and questioned her, “Weren’t you supposed to compensate me with a kiss? Why did it change to a phone?”

Xu Qingyu understood now, and her expression immediately softened.

Just then, the light turned green. Xu Qingyu pressed her lips together and slowly started the car.

“I misspoke. The phone is a gift based on our lifelong friendship. The compensation I owe will still be given. They don’t conflict, alright?”

Song Yixi thought about it and said, “I guess that’s acceptable.”

She sat up straight and stuffed the new phone into her bag, signaling her acceptance.

At the next red light, Xu Qingyu stopped the car and reached out to pat Song Yixi’s head. “Don’t always misunderstand me.”

Startled, Song Yixi instinctively dodged.

“What are you doing?”

親密 (Intimate) gestures like this had become rare between them.

Xu Qingyu’s hand hung in the air; she didn’t pull it back.

She just quietly looked at Song Yixi—not moving, not speaking.

Fearing the awkwardness, Song Yixi braced herself and sat back, letting her touch her.

Her tongue remained sharp, though. “I’m eighteen already, don’t treat me like a kid.”

Xu Qingyu withdrew her hand and turned the wheel.

“I don’t see you as a child.”

After passing the intersection, she asked, “Do you want to be an adult?”

Song Yixi said lazily, “I am an adult.”

“I mean, doing things that adults do.”

Xu Qingyu slowed the car. “Straight ahead is the school. if you want to be a good girl, I’ll take you back to class. There’s an alley to the right; if you want to be an adult, we’ll go there to kiss.”

She looked at Song Yixi and said seriously, “I don’t want to wait until tonight.”

Song Yixi gripped her seatbelt.

“I…”

Seeing the approaching turn, she said, “I don’t have class this afternoon.”

The answer was clear.

Xu Qingyu turned the steering wheel and stepped on the gas.

Song Yixi took a deep breath and unbuckled her seatbelt the moment the car turned into the alley.

She didn’t want to wait, either.

Xu Qingyu parked the car in a shaded spot.

As the engine’s vibration ceased, the cabin fell into silence.

The two sat wordlessly for a while, not even making eye contact.

Finally, Xu Qingyu turned toward Song Yixi and said in a commanding tone:

“Song Yixi, kiss me.”