Chapter 55

In the end, Qiu Li didn’t get that kiss because they were being watched.
A whole group of students had stopped nearby, pretending to take selfies, photograph the scenery, or “adjust their camera angles” but secretly snapping pictures of them.
Yan Xiao nearly died of embarrassment. She grabbed Qiu Li’s hand and bolted.
Seeing how mortified she was, Qiu Li didn’t push her. He just kept things simple, holding her hand, an arm around her waist, but nothing more intimate than that.
That balance lasted for several days.
But the longer it went on, the more uncomfortable Yan Xiao felt. And it wasn’t because of their new relationship, or because she didn’t like him. It was because,
It just didn’t feel fair!
Why could Qiu Li be so relaxed, while she was all nerves and awkwardness?
The more she thought about it, the more irritated she became, mostly at herself. This was both of their first relationships! So why was she acting like a clueless grade-schooler while he seemed like a total expert?!
007: [Honestly, even a grade-schooler handles it better than you.]
That one suicidal comment from 007 completely set her off.
All that frustration, the imbalance, the bottled-up awkwardness, it wrapped around her like a cocoon she couldn’t break out of. She was suffocating. The more she thought about it, the worse it got, until finally, she clenched her fists.
Enough.
She was going to tear that cocoon apart herself!
That night, as they walked back toward the girls’ dorm, Yan Xiao couldn’t hold it in anymore. She tugged on his hand to make him stop.
“What’s wrong?” Qiu Li turned to look at her.
She’d been psyching herself up for ages. Without hesitation, she blurted out, “How can you be so natural about everything?”
Qiu Li raised an eyebrow. “Natural about what?”
She pointed at him, then at herself. “You know, us! How can you adjust to this whole ‘relationship’ thing so fast? The new… dynamic?”
His lips curved into a slow smile, but he didn’t reply, just stared at her.
Her confidence lasted all of three seconds before she felt her face start heating up again. She yanked his hand impatiently. “Don’t just stare, answer me!”
Qiu Li tilted his head, laughing softly.
Yan Xiao snapped, “You’re not allowed to laugh!”
“Okay,” he said, forcing his grin away, but his eyes were still full of mischief. “Not laughing.”
“Then say it!” she demanded fiercely.
Qiu Li said calmly, “It wasn’t that fast.”
Yan Xiao blinked. “What?”
“I said, it wasn’t fast.”
She glared. “You liar!”
“I didn’t lie.”
“You totally did! Look at you, you’re so natural! There wasn’t even an awkward phase!”
Qiu Li smiled faintly. “That’s because I’ve been getting used to it for a long time.”
Yan Xiao froze. “…”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, thoroughly confused.
Her expression was so adorably lost that Qiu Li couldn’t resist reaching out and pinching her cheek. “It means,” he said, smiling, “I stopped thinking of you as ‘just a friend’ a long time ago.”
Yan Xiao: “…”
Dangerous thoughts, young man! Very dangerous!
Her eyes widened, and he chuckled again, pinching her cheek once more. “So tell me, what are you still so awkward about? We’ve been together four days now, and you’re still this shy?”
Four days. Wow. So long, she thought sarcastically.
But his teasing made her cheeks burn all over again. Finally, she decided she had to be honest, this couldn’t go on forever.
“I just…” She hesitated. “I’ve always treated you like a little brother, no, like an older brother. It was always a sibling thing. Then suddenly it turned into romance. Of course it feels weird.”
I used to think of you as a brother while literally trying to lower your affection score! she screamed internally. Anyone would need time to adjust after that!
Qiu Li hadn’t expected her to feel that uneasy.
“Then start now,” he said quietly. “Start thinking of me as your boyfriend.”
Yan Xiao forced a weak smile. “I’m already trying.”
He looked at her deeply. “Do you regret it?”
Yan Xiao: “…”
His eyes darkened further.
“No!” she said quickly, raising her hand like she was taking an oath. “I don’t regret it! I really like you, really!”
[Ding!]
Yan Xiao: →_→
Trying to ignore the glitchy system, she hurried to explain, “Just give me a little more time!”
Qiu Li licked his lips and said softly, “Forget it.”
Yan Xiao: “!!!”
Forget it? What does that mean?
Before she could react, an arm wrapped around her waist, tight. His shadow fell over her, and before her brain could even catch up,
He kissed her.
The soft, warm pressure on her lips made Yan Xiao freeze completely.
Something gentle brushed against her mouth, lingering there, then lightly bit her.
She frowned, about to speak, but as soon as her lips parted, something slipped inside.
It took her a few stunned seconds to realize what was happening.
Then, buzz, her mind went completely blank. Heat rushed up from somewhere deep in her chest, flooding her entire face until even her neck burned red.
That annoying ding-ding-ding from 007’s system? Forgotten. Vanished.
She didn’t know how long it lasted before instinct kicked in and she reached out, wrapping her arms around Qiu Li’s waist.
For a moment, just a heartbeat, he seemed to pause. Or maybe she imagined it. Because the instant she touched him, his kiss deepened, grew firmer, hotter…
She lost all sense of time. By the time her lips were tingling and numb, she finally came back to her senses and pushed weakly at his chest.
Qiu Li kissed her a few seconds longer before finally letting her go, though he still leaned in to steal one last peck before pulling back completely.
“Do you feel it now?” he asked, voice slightly breathless.
Yan Xiao’s knees felt a little wobbly, her brain still foggy. “Feel…what?”
“I’m your boyfriend,” Qiu Li said with a low laugh, his voice husky, sensual. “Do you feel it now?”
Yan Xiao: “…”
He couldn’t resist pressing another quick kiss to her cheek. “I was planning to give you time to adjust slowly,” he murmured, smiling, “but clearly that’s not working. So I figured, I might as well pull you straight into this new relationship myself.”
Yan Xiao: “…”
He took her hand, gently squeezing her palm. “Still uncomfortable?”
Yan Xiao: “…”
When she didn’t answer, he asked again, his voice deeper this time, a low vibration in his chest. “Hmm?”
That single sound made her heart skip, it was like being brushed by something soft and electric.
She glanced at him, met his gaze for half a second, then looked away quickly, nodding in flustered surrender.
But he caught her chin and tilted her face back toward him.
“Say it,” he told her quietly, eyes locked on hers.
Yan Xiao swallowed. “I’m fine now.”
Qiu Li smiled faintly. “Who am I?”
Yan Xiao glared at him.
He raised a brow. “If you don’t say it, I’ll kiss you again.”
Yan Xiao gritted her teeth. “You’re my boyf, mmph! Mmph!!”
By the time that shameless schemer finally let her go, her eyes were glistening and her entire face looked like a ripe cherry.
Her cheeks, her ears, her neck, everything was red.
She shot him an angry glare, but Qiu Li only laughed, looking utterly delighted, like a kid who’d just been given his favorite toy.
He reached out and brushed his thumb against the corner of her lips.
Yan Xiao blinked, dazed. “What is it?”
Was there something on her face?
She rubbed at her mouth, confused, nothing.
Qiu Li turned his head and started laughing again.
Yan Xiao frowned, flustered. “What are you laughing at now? You’re that happy? Still laughing, and”
Halfway through her sentence, her brain finally caught up with what he’d wiped off her mouth.
And then, boom. Her face went from red to scorching.
“L-let’s go already!” she sputtered, half-furious, half-giddy, her heart pounding wildly. “If we wait any longer, the dorm’s gonna lock the doors!”
Qiu Li just chuckled softly and said, “Okay.”
He didn’t bother reminding her that the university dorms didn’t actually lock at night.
When they reached the dorm building, she finally cooled down enough to think straight, and immediately felt awkward again. But then she reminded herself: He’s my boyfriend now. Nothing weird about it.
Still, there was one thing she couldn’t help being curious about.
She tugged at his hand.
Qiu Li leaned closer, smiling. “What is it, girlfriend?”
Yan Xiao: “…” When did he get so smooth with his words?!
Straightening up, she asked seriously, “Can I ask you something?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Sure.”
Her eyes flicked down to his lips, still faintly red from kissing, and then back up to his gaze. “Just now, wasn’t that your first kiss?”
Qiu Li: “Where did you get that idea?”
Yan Xiao, righteously: “You just seemed way too good at it!”
Qiu Li’s mouth curved. “Can I take that as a compliment?”
Yan Xiao flushed. “No! Just answer the question!”
He laughed for a long moment before finally saying, “Of course it was my first kiss. As for being ‘too good’…”
He coughed lightly. “I, uh, watched some tutorials online.”
Yan Xiao stared at him. “You what?”
Looking slightly embarrassed, he explained, “You were so nervous and uncomfortable, I was worried that if I messed up, you’d hate it and never let me kiss you again. So I practiced a bit ahead of time.”
Yan Xiao: “…” Isn’t that overthinking it just a little?
They stared at each other in silence.
Yan Xiao was the first to look away, scratching her head awkwardly. “Well…then maybe send me that tutorial too? I’ll, uh, study a bit myself.”
Qiu Li didn’t even hesitate. “No.”
She gaped. Just as she was about to call him stingy, he added, smiling, “If you want to learn, I can teach you.”
Yan Xiao: “…”
She was done for. She was sure now, whatever Qiu Li had watched, it definitely wasn’t a “kissing tutorial.” More like some kind of Ultimate Romance Masterclass.
She pointed at the dorm entrance, flustered. “I, I’m going upstairs.”
“Go on.” Qiu Li smiled and ruffled her hair.
Blushing hard, she nodded and turned to leave.
She’d barely taken two steps when he called out, “Xiao-xiao.”
She turned back.
Qiu Li grinned at her. “Goodnight.”
Yan Xiao: “…”
She hesitated only for a heartbeat, then dashed back to him, stood on tiptoe, looped her arms around his neck, and pressed a quick kiss to his lips.
“I don’t need you to teach me!”
“Good night!”As soon as she said it, Yan Xiao spun around and ran.
Qiu Li stood there, completely stunned, watching her disappear into the dorm building’s hallway in the blink of an eye.
A gust of autumn wind swept past. The two ginkgo trees in front of the girls’ dormitory rustled and swayed, golden leaves fluttering down like snowflakes.
Standing beneath them, Qiu Li suddenly smiled.