The BMW 520 was parked by the central square. Ren Xiang had been searching around the square for a long time, anxiously and worriedly, preparing to make a call but hesitating in case she thought he was being foolish.

He quickened his pace, frantically searching everywhere, until he finally spotted Xia Tian sitting by a rest bench in the shopping mall.

In this cold weather, he had thought she would be freezing outside.

Ren Xiang felt a sense of relief and raised an eyebrow as he looked at her.

She was wearing a Japanese-style maid dress, with her hair styled in small braids falling over her shoulders. She was staring down at her black, round-toe shoes, sitting alone by the mall’s bustling corridor.

She looked obedient and cute.

Her unusual outfit drew curious glances from passersby, but she seemed completely unfazed.

Ren Xiang walked over, wordlessly took off his coat, and draped it over her, enveloping her petite frame.

“You’re wearing so little. Aren’t you cold?”

Xia Tian looked up with a delayed reaction and softly called out, “Ren Xiang gege.”

Her voice was hoarse.

Her red, puffy eyes were heartbreaking. Ren Xiang sat beside her and asked with concern, “Aren’t you supposed to be going home?”

“After a fight with my mom, I broke up with my boyfriend,” Xia Tian said flatly. “He cheated on me.”

“Clearly not a good person,” Ren Xiang said angrily. “Anyone who hooks up without protection is scum.”

Of course, he wasn’t exactly a saint either.

Xia Tian pressed her lips together, her face flushed.

Realizing that the girl beside him was still pure and innocent, he quickly changed the subject. “I’ll take you back to the club; your roommates are there.”

“Okay.”

Xia Tian followed Ren Xiang out of the mall and into the car. He said, “Buckle up.”

Xia Tian obediently picked up the seatbelt and fastened it, turning slightly to do so. Ren Xiang, with his hand resting on the steering wheel, caught a glimpse of her chest pressed by the seatbelt. Though still undeveloped, it was delicate and, perhaps, more sensitive.

What was he thinking? How could he have such thoughts about such a young girl? Amitabha, he’s truly hopeless.

Taking a deep breath, he started the engine and slowly drove off.

“Can you stop at the intersection ahead?” Xia Tian pointed to the road.

Ren Xiang braked, and she got out with her backpack. She walked to a nearby trash bin and emptied her old vocabulary book and practice exercises into it—several colorful books were tossed away.

Oh, and she also threw away the handmade pencil case that Zhou Yan had given her.

Ren Xiang was about to get out and stop her but was too late. Her backpack was now empty.

With her black backpack reloaded and lighter without the books, she stood straighter.

Ren Xiang looked at her helplessly. “You’re just going to throw them all away like that?”

“Yeah, I threw everything away,” Xia Tian said decisively. “I don’t want to go abroad or go to Harvard.”

“Alright, if there’s anything else you want to do, Ren Xiang gege will do it with you!”

That “gege” really hit him right in the heart.

Xia Tian thought for a moment and then looked at him hesitantly.

Her gaze made him uncomfortable, so he touched his face and asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Does it hurt?”

“What?”

“The first time… does it hurt?”

Ren Xiang recoiled in shock, staggering back against the car with a look of astonishment.

What kind of joke is that!

Xia Tian pressed her lips together and said, “I want to try that.”

“Xia… Xia Tian, don’t start with such intense topics. We could do something else, like go out for drinks and karaoke, or I could take you for a drive.”

Xia Tian took a deep breath and looked at him from a distance. In the winter night, her skin looked as smooth and white as satin.

“Drink debt.”

The cold wind made her sneeze.

Ren Xiang quickly stepped forward, took her hand, and helped her into the car, fastening her seatbelt again.

Instead of immediately driving, he sat in his seat, staring at the heavy night outside, and they fell into silence.

Ren Xiang’s heart was racing well over 120 beats per minute.

She muttered softly, “Actually, I looked it up online before. It won’t hurt if you’re with a skilled guy.”

Oh God, Ren Xiang’s heart felt like it was about to explode.

“Skills, technical proficiency, but…”

But what, he didn’t know either. He wasn’t a reserved guy, these things were just about making both parties happy willingly, it wasn’t a big deal.

But he couldn’t bring himself to do it with this girl.

“I was really looking forward to it with Zhou Yan, thinking about when the time would be right, but I’m timid, afraid of Mom finding out, and afraid he might think I’m not reserved enough…”

Ren Xiang thought, “Little sister, you’re not timid at all, you’re braver than me.”

“They say the first time for a girl is important, it must be with the person she likes the most.”

Ren Xiang was about to nod in agreement, but she immediately said angrily, “But not me.”

…

Words failed him.

At the entrance of the budget hotel, Ren Xiang trembled, “Are you sure you want to…”

Xia Tian pulled him forward into the hotel, checked in, took the key card, and entered the room.

Inside the enclosed space, the lighting was a warm yellow.

A large, pristine bed dominated the room, making the situation quite awkward.

Xia Tian stood by the bed, while Ren Xiang leaned against the wall, feeling unprecedentedly nervous.

How could he be so nervous? For him, this wasn’t uncharted territory.

Yet he was truly afraid, afraid to make a move, terrified of disturbing this porcelain-like girl.

Xia Tian slowly looked up at him and asked, “Do you want to take a shower?”

Definitely need to shower! Must be thoroughly clean…

Ren Xiang scrubbed for nearly half an hour, then Xia Tian went into the bathroom.

It felt almost procedural.

The bathroom walls were glass panels, and after turning on the hot water, Xia Tian sneakily lifted a corner of the curtain to peek at Ren Xiang in the room.

He sat with his back to her, shirtless, his muscular back and arms clearly defined.

Boys who compete in real-life sports have top-notch physiques.

She saw him rummaging through his bag and then pull out a long strip of Durex condoms.

There must have been at least seven or eight.

Xia Tian stepped back in shock, a strange feeling rising in her heart.

After nearly an hour, she emerged from the shower, her face and body flushed red.

She changed into her white, fluffy bear-patterned pajamas, which she had packed in her backpack for her trip home.

Ren Xiang glanced at her and quickly hid the Durex under the pillow.

“All done?”

“Yes.”

A question he knew the answer to.

The blow dryer roared to life, and Xia Tian meticulously dried her hair, preparing for bed.

Ren Xiang took out his phone and started scrolling through Weibo, trying to ease his nervousness.

When the blow dryer’s noise stopped, his senses were on high alert, reacting to every movement from behind him.

The bed on the other side sunk as Xia Tian settled in.

The little white bear pajamas had been neatly tucked into the covers, and when Ren Xiang turned around, he caught sight of her dark, expressive eyes.

They blinked.

Ren Xiang gathered his resolve, turned off the bedside lamp, and hurried into bed.

Xia Tian reached out to embrace him, but the hug was a bit awkward. His warm body made her feel stifled, and she was stiff and unsure of what to do.

Ren Xiang, hesitant to touch her recklessly, suggested, “Let’s start with a kiss.”

“Okay,” the girl murmured softly.

They lay on their sides and began kissing in a conventional manner.

In the darkness, everything was blurred. When he touched her, she shivered slightly.

His lips were very soft, like warm, chewy candy.

Xia Tian remembered Ren Xiang’s lips as thin, but now they felt fuller as she kissed him.

She nibbled on his lower lip, awkwardly sucking.

Ren Xiang thought, “This sister of mine must be having her first kiss.”

Heavens, his mind was filled with fireworks.

Ren Xiang’s agile tongue tentatively reached out, but Xia Tian immediately moved away. The two of them, separated by the dense night, stared at each other with wide eyes.

“Be good.”

“Mmm.”

“Do you feel anything?”

…