Chapter 20: Gently Patting Lu Diandian's Curved Hips

Lu Qingyue was at an age when curiosity burned brightest. In her teenage years, physical changes and the first stirrings of emotion filled her with endless wonder about the bodies and hearts of the opposite sex, yet both school and parents forbade any sort of intimate interaction. The collision of these contradictions only made the urge to break free more intense.

Most of Lu Qingyue’s rebellion expressed itself in bickering with her elder brother, but that hardly meant she lacked interest in boys. On the contrary, not only was she intrigued, she was bold enough to explore on her own initiative.

Now, for instance, she gazed at Cheng Xingye’s handsome profile and could not help but ask, “What about you? Have you ever kissed anyone?”

In her mind, he must be quite experienced—after all, his friends called him “Heartbreaker.” He might not even be a virgin.

Before he could answer, she pressed on, “What does kissing feel like?”

Cheng Xingye was caught off guard. His gaze instinctively dropped a few inches from her eyes, lingering on her small, rose-red lips.

What did a kiss feel like?

He didn’t know either.

But he imagined it must be pretty soft.

Her lips, though petite and delicate in shape, were full and dewy—inviting to the touch.

Cheng Xingye’s Adam’s apple bobbed almost imperceptibly. He averted his eyes, his voice low and rough. “Why are you asking so many questions? You’ll know when you’re older.”

Lu Qingyue replied with a noncommittal “oh.” But then, a little crestfallen, she added, “Well, I’m not sure I’ll know even when I’m grown up. My brother always says my grades are bad and I lack ambition. He thinks I’ll never be able to find someone to marry me.”

Cheng Xingye was surprised to hear her say that. In his eyes, Lu Qingyue was one of those rare girls—adorable and unique.

He turned to study her.

She looked both dispirited and defiant.

Yet she had such a sweet, gentle face, so deceptively innocent. When she grew up, she was sure to be in high demand. How could someone like her possibly not marry?

Looking at her indignant little face, he couldn’t help but chuckle softly. “How much of what your brother says do you ever take seriously?”

He’d long since realized these two siblings were like a pair of comedic adversaries, unable to go a day without teasing or disparaging each other.

At his words, Lu Qingyue brightened. She nodded in agreement. “That’s true. Actually, a lot of people do like me. Just now, while we were hanging out next door, someone confessed to me!”

“Oh?” Cheng Xingye had been reaching for his glass, but turned his head at this.

Seeing his interest, Lu Qingyue elaborated, “He’s not from our class, I think he’s the sports rep from Class Two—tall, big, fairly good-looking.”

For reasons he couldn’t name, Cheng Xingye felt a twinge of annoyance.

“Fairly good-looking,” she said. That alone was hardly a ringing endorsement.

Athletic types were usually all brawn and little brain.

Besides, at their age, it was just curiosity—he’d probably only been drawn to her because she was pretty, just looking for a bit of fun.

Cheng Xingye’s irritation was well hidden. He asked, as if offhandedly, “So, did you say yes?”

Lu Qingyue had never given the boy a second thought and replied, utterly calm, “No, I don’t even know exactly how to write his name…”

Hearing this, Cheng Xingye inexplicably felt relieved.

He curled his lips in a faint smile and, in a tone of gentle admonition, said, “Kids shouldn’t date so early. There will be better ones in the future.”

Lu Qingyue looked at him, puzzled. “How do you know?”

He didn’t reply.

His gaze slipped away, and he thought, “Because you deserve someone better.”

…

A college party seldom ends before dawn—especially on the first night of a long holiday.

It was past ten o’clock, yet nobody seemed eager to leave. Only a couple of boys had left to be with their girlfriends, and Ye Zixuan, not in the mood to stay, departed early as well. The rest remained, some chatting, others playing games.

Lu Qingyue, sated with food and drink, began to feel sleepy.

She considered heading home with her classmates, but Lu Yi worried about her safety and insisted she wait for him.

Left idle, she scrolled through Weibo, browsed Douyin, and even took a spin through her friends’ Moments.

On the first day of the holiday, her feed was lively—some friends posted homemade desserts, others shared travel photos, still others documented afternoon tea with friends.

As she scrolled, she stumbled across a post Cheng Xingye had made that morning—a silly, adorable picture of Hoshino romping on the lawn.

Since adding him on WeChat, she’d browsed his feed before. Whether he’d restricted her or simply never posted, it was always empty; she’d never seen anything.

So, this morning’s post was a surprise.

She tapped on his profile picture, intending to see if he’d posted anything else recently, but her finger slipped and she accidentally opened his chat window.

They hadn’t spoken since adding each other—the chat history consisted only of the message: “You’ve added Hoshino. You can now start chatting.”

Lu Qingyue stared at it for a moment, thinking she and a man his age would hardly have anything to talk about. After all, she’d known Lu Yi for sixteen years, and this was the typical flavor of their conversations:

[Lu Yi: [Transfer] Please confirm receipt]
[Lu Qingyue: [Transfer] Payment received]

Nothing but cold, hard transactions, not a word more.

She glanced at her “sponsor”—Lu Yi was still chatting with friends, showing no sign of leaving.

She was too embarrassed to rush him, so she locked her phone and went to the restroom.

Her seat was between Lu Yi and Cheng Xingye; to leave, she had to pass by Cheng Xingye.

He tucked in his legs, intending to go with her, but another girl across the table was also headed out, so they went together instead.

He waited idly for her return, when suddenly he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

Taking it out, he saw Lu Qingyue had “patted” him on WeChat.

They’d never chatted before. He had no idea what she meant by this unexpected gesture.

His slender fingers toyed with the phone, the bright screen standing out in the dim private room.

He stared at the screen for a long time, still at a loss.

Finally, he hesitantly tapped her profile picture twice. Instantly, a notification popped up:

[I patted Lu Dot-Dot’s cute butt and said: Wow!]

Cheng Xingye: “???”

Cheng Xingye: “......”