"What to do When the Pretty Woman I Kissed is My Best Friend's Professor" - Chapter 6

“What in the world is that on your forehead?” Li Xiuxi was a Tianjin native, and when she was shocked, she couldn’t help but slip into the Tianjin dialect. She pointed at the bright red lipstick mark on Yan He’s forehead, her expression a mix of relief and complexity: “My big girl has grown up; she’s learned to go for the cabbage.”

Yan He raised her hand and touched it. A faint red stain came off on her fingertip, looking roughly like irritated skin. She checked her reflection in the nearby glass, then reluctantly took a wet wipe from her pocket to rub off the lipstick mark.

“Stop it! Nothing really happened between us!” Having spent a long time with Li Xiuxi, Yan He could now speak a few lines of the Tianjin dialect. She hesitated, folded the wet wipe back into its individual packet, and put it back into her pocket.

Her pocket also held her Jiejie’s room key card, which was sapphire blue. When she checked out, the young man who had given Yan He the Mojito last night smiled and told her it was a souvenir.

A souvenir?

Did everything tainted with her scent count as a souvenir?

In that case, are the wet wipe in my pocket, the bite mark on my neck, and every spot her Jiejie touched, all souvenirs?

This realization struck Yan He’s heart like a fireball—scorching, burning, with the same temperature as last night’s kiss. The long-dormant volcano in her heart finally showed its ferocious face. The scorching heat after the eruption instantly dominated her entire being.

It seemed in an instant—a blink, a breath—her long-peaceful, even lifeless Garden of Eden was tempted by the wily serpent to take the forbidden fruit, and then a sea of fire spread, scorching everything on the land, yet leaving behind a brand-new, completely different vitality.

Li Xiuxi pouted: “Okay, okay, grab your stuff. Let’s go eat?”

The two randomly found a noodle shop on Google Maps and walked over. The shop was located in a corner of the bustling city center. On the way, Yan He remembered Li Xiuxi’s mention of sending an email yesterday and asked: “Didn’t you send an email to the professor? Did she reply?”

Thinking of yesterday’s events, Yan He was reminded of her Jiejie again. Thinking of the faint preserved plum scent① on her Jiejie, she began to feel regret. She should have kissed her Jiejie more before saying goodbye this morning, or at least… she should have asked her Jiejie for her perfume brand.

When Yan He walked out of the room this morning, she had a strange feeling, as if once she closed that door, she would have no further connection with her Jiejie. She felt like she had embarked on a one-way street in life, with no possibility of turning back.

The two walked into the noodle shop and sat down. After ordering two bowls of beef noodles, they continued the conversation.

“She replied, just replied,” Li Xiuxi’s mouth drooped as she brought up the matter: “She didn’t explicitly refuse. The professor said, ‘Hello, Student Li Xiuxi! This is my first class, and I hope you can attend.’” Yan He: “…I remember you had an appointment with your academic advisor—” Li Xiuxi sighed: “Yeah, I already arranged it with Professor Zhang.”

Yan He: “…Actually, I don’t have class that day.”

Li Xiuxi’s eyes lit up: “Life-saving grace! I’ll buy you noodles! Thank you, thank you!” She quickly thanked Yan He while pulling out her phone to send Yan He the classroom number: “8:30 AM! Building 3, Classroom 203! Thank you, sister, for saving my life!”

Yan He: …

Little Yan was speechless. Little Yan turned her head to look out the window.

All kinds of people passed by outside the window. It seemed every person who walked by had some trait that was more or less similar to her Jiejie. Some looked like her Jiejie’s clothes, some like her Jiejie’s back, and some like her Jiejie’s profile. But Yan He knew her Jiejie had already left for the airport, and she couldn’t possibly see her again.

She suddenly felt a great distance between herself and the world, and this distance grew farther with every thought of her Jiejie. She was only sitting here, yet she felt confined by a transparent bubble. Her breathing, heartbeat, and the number of times she blinked were all clearly audible, yet not quite clear.

—It was as if her soul had left with her Jiejie’s departure.

Yan He’s absentmindedness continued until they boarded the plane. While lining up to board, Li Xiuxi was behind her. While the staff member was checking the documents of the person in front, Li Xiuxi poked Yan He’s shoulder: “Are you alright? I thought you seemed off during the concert.”

Yan He shook her head. During the concert, her gaze kept involuntarily drifting to her left, as if, just like yesterday, her Jiejie with the enchanting red beauty mark was still sitting there.

—Except that the seat was occupied by a sixty-something gentleman with gray hair in a black suit. Seeing Yan He frequently looking over, he gave a kind smile.

Yan He smiled apologetically back at him.

“You can still contact her later! Did you ask her for her contact information?” Li Xiuxi comforted her.

Yan He opened her mouth, but before she could speak, it was her turn to board. She handed her boarding pass to the staff member and walked forward two steps to wait for Li Xiuxi after the check was complete.

Only when Li Xiuxi walked up with her bag did Yan He slowly reply: “No.”

Li Xiuxi’s eyes widened in disbelief at the answer: “…Then do you know her Jiejie’s name? Her Instagram or something?”

Yan He pursed her lips. The warmth belonging to her Jiejie that lingered on her lips this morning had almost completely vanished. She whispered: “No.”

Li Xiuxi fell silent.

Li Xiuxi thought this was utterly ridiculous.

Walking to the cabin door, after greeting the flight attendants, the social butterfly Li Xiuxi struggled to speak: “…So, you have nothing at all?”

Yan He pouted, nodding miserably.

“Then—did this Jiejie say anything?” Li Xiuxi’s expression was complicated.

“She said that if we could meet a third time, she would tell me,” thinking of this, Yan He’s sunken heart lifted slightly—Jiejie had said it! As long as they could meet again, she would tell her her name and contact information, hee-hee!

Although she knew the chance of meeting again was slim, Yan He held a deep conviction—as if it were destined to be so, Yan He firmly believed she would definitely see her a third time. This joy was tangible and contagious, making it very easy for her to overlook the faint bitterness hidden beneath this layer of happiness.

Could they really meet again?

Yan He didn’t know, but she believed it would be so.

“Dear distinguished passenger, I am the captain of this flight. You have entered Chinese airspace, and the plane will land at Capital International Airport in twenty minutes.”

Yan He opened her eyes, her mind still hazy. She squinted for a long time before realizing the golden light in the cabin came from the sunset glow of her homeland. She pulled open the window shade, and the setting sun, hidden behind layers of clouds, greeted her through the thick glass.

Welcome back, Yan He.