Chapter 103: Teaching Her to Kiss

In the dim corridor, only the wall lamps gave off a faint glow. The turn of the stairwell cut off the bright light from the living room, drawing a hard boundary between light and shadow across the wall.

Lu Qingyue’s mind went blank, and she remained lost in those words for a long time. Yet deep down, a voice was clamoring for her to be brave and keep going.

After a few stunned seconds, she suddenly reached out and cupped his face, then rose onto her toes and lightly pressed her lips to the corner of his mouth.

The movement was shy and clumsy, carrying a hazy, indescribable suggestion of intimacy and impulse.

At the end of the corridor, moonlight lay scattered across the floor.

Through that soft, blurred radiance, Lu Qingyue saw a faint tremor in his eyes.

Her heartbeat grew faster and more erratic, yet the person before her did not move at all, allowing her inexperienced kiss to land as it pleased.

The kiss from last year, on this very day, had been too hurried to truly feel; this one today was, in every real sense, her first kiss.

Lu Qingyue had no experience at all. She merely brushed his lips once, and when she saw that he still gave no reaction, she felt dissatisfied. Unable to help herself, she raised a hand, hooked it around his neck, and pulled him down, imitating scenes she had seen on television as she awkwardly tried a few more kisses upon his lips.

The girl’s kiss was awkward and disordered, like the damp air after rain. Cool and refreshing, yet it carried into the lungs a faint, teasing itch that could stir the heart.

Cheng Xingye lowered his lashes and watched her kiss him so clumsily and without any sense of method. The large hand wrapped around her back slowly clenched, faint blue veins rising on the back of it.

He discovered that Lu Qingyue, this little troublemaker, would never play by common rules.

Even if she had still been fuming with anger one moment, the next she would not hesitate to claim whatever advantage she was due.

She was like a wild little rabbit just learning to forage, sniffing here and there, then leaving behind her own mark on him as though declaring ownership.

For some reason, Cheng Xingye found it amusing. He still did not take the initiative to respond, merely lifting a hand without a word to steady her waist and draw her a little closer.

In the dim corner, disordered heartbeats and hurried breaths mingled together, secret and fervent, rolling through the air.

Someone downstairs must have finally realized they had been gone too long, and loud voices rose, calling out to search for them.

Lu Qingyue stopped. Her breathing was slightly乱, and her small hand still clutched nervously around his neck as she perked up her ears to listen carefully to the movement below.

Cheng Xingye looked down at her. "Had enough kissing?"

In truth, she had not had enough at all.

Kissing felt secretive and thrilling. It was just that she truly lacked experience; after kissing for so long, he had remained as solid as a mountain, while she had ended up short of breath.

Lu Qingyue gave a muffled hum. She felt a little ashamed of her clumsy technique, and also a little aggrieved by his lack of reaction.

The two emotions tugged and battled inside her, leaving her face full of unwillingness.

Cheng Xingye gave a low laugh. "That’s all?"

Seeing how effortlessly composed he looked, Lu Qingyue grew even more unconvinced, and so, as if deliberately opposing him, she said, "That’s enough. I think kissing is pretty boring."

She said it with utmost seriousness. If not for the faint redness on her lips betraying her, Cheng Xingye might have believed her.

He smiled silently, looking at her little face that was clearly trying to hold back mischief, and said calmly and bluntly, "That’s because you don’t know how."

Lu Qingyue: "..."

They were both first-timers, so who was she looking down on?!

Her competitive spirit was immediately aroused. She stood on tiptoe and leaned in again, determined to use him as practice.

Cheng Xingye turned his head with a laugh. How could this little kid be so easy to provoke?

He had only just shrugged his shoulders twice when the phone in his pocket began to vibrate.

At first he did not intend to pay it any mind, but the buzzing phone was ruining the atmosphere between them, so he had no choice but to take it out.

Looking down, he saw that it was Chen Shujie calling.

He was probably searching everywhere for them and, seeing that Lu Qingyue was also gone, had immediately guessed they were together and called to question him.

Just as Cheng Xingye swiped to answer, Chen Shujie’s energetic voice boomed from the other end, full of excited accusation: "Bro Ye? Where are you?! Did you go and drag Little Dot off to do some unspeakable thing again?!"

Cheng Xingye did not bother with him. He could not even be bothered to hang up. He simply shoved the phone back into his pocket.

Below, voices surged and overlapped. In the small outdoor garden, a barbecue was underway; the smell of grilled meat drifted upward, and the clatter of plates mingled with it, full of lively, ordinary human warmth.

At the boundary between bustle and silence, two entirely different worlds were separated.

The phone still not hung up in his pocket gave a faint buzz. Chen Shujie was probably already mocking him on the other end, saying he was still up to no good and would seize any chance to tempt the young girl.

Lu Qingyue felt that slight vibration pressed against her thigh and could not resist glancing down.

Noticing her distraction, the hand at her lower back suddenly tightened, pressing her into his warm chest.

The sensation struck like an electric current. Lu Qingyue came to herself at once, and her heart gave a sharp tremor.

Outside, the moonlight had flooded the night sky, and chillness and heat interwove and rose together.

He lowered his head with restrained brows and eyes.

Amid a chorus of delighted laughter, he put all the noise behind him. Then, with patient persistence, he taught her again and again how to kiss him.

...

When Lu Qingyue came downstairs with her ears faintly red, the birthday banquet was already nearing its end.

Guests who had eaten and drunk their fill dragged chairs into the small garden and chatted idly. Bottles were scattered everywhere, and the remaining charcoal in the grill still hissed and smoked.

She raised a hand to tidy the loose strands of hair at her temple and was about to head to the restroom to check her makeup when someone suddenly hooked an arm through hers.

Zhou Tingting and Hu Qiuyue had no idea where they had appeared from. Their eyes were fixed straight on her lips, their faces full of shock and gossip.

"Come on, spill it—what were you doing just now?!"

Lu Qingyue turned her head to avoid their gazes and stammered an explanation. "Nothing... just talking to someone."

Zhou Tingting gave a sly little laugh and asked with obvious bad intentions, "Oh? Talking mouth to mouth?"

Lu Qingyue: "!!!" How did you know?!

Her expression was too shocked. Hu Qiuyue let out an exasperated sigh beside her and pointed at her lips. "You practically had the instructor’s name written all over your mouth."

Lu Qingyue: "..."

At once she felt as though her little secret had been discovered, and she hurriedly raised a hand to cover it in a vain attempt to hide it, saying in a very embarrassed whisper, "Can you save me some privacy, please?"

How could Zhou Tingting and Hu Qiuyue let her off so easily? They exchanged meaningful smiles at once, drew out an "oh" in unison, and said, "Fine, then just one last question."

"Hm?" Lu Qingyue looked up in confusion.

Then she saw her two dear best friends exchange a wordless look. One on her left and one on her right, they slipped an arm over her shoulders and leaned close to her ear, asking in a wicked, teasing voice:

"Did you stick out your tongue?"