Chapter 78: A Sudden Kiss

When their gazes met from a distance, Chi Xiao noticed the look of embarrassment on her face. Her eyes kept darting toward Sheng Nan Zhou and Guan Ling Si, and the more she glanced, the more flustered she became.

Having a rough idea of what was making her nervous, Chi Xiao leisurely walked up to her and stopped, quietly gazing at her.

He didn’t need his girlfriend to hand him water or wipe his sweat in public to show off. At this moment, all she needed to do was say something to him, anything, so he could naturally introduce her to his teammates as his girlfriend.

What he didn’t expect was for her to lean in and kiss him.

The soft touch of her lips against his cheek caused Chi Xiao’s mind to blank out for a moment. The surrounding heat and noise seemed to be blown far away by a sudden gust of wind. His eyes widened in surprise as he stared at her in the sudden stillness.

A moment later, the uproar of whistles and shouts snapped him back to reality.

“Holy—crap—!”

“What’s going on? Can someone explain what just happened?!”

“Are you blind? Can’t you tell? Brother Xiao’s off the market! You think he’d let someone just pull him in for a kiss like that if he wasn’t?”

“Never thought I’d see the day! Brother Xiao actually has a girlfriend? I can already hear the sound of hearts breaking everywhere…”

“That girl’s not from our school, is she? She’s so stunning—no way I wouldn’t have heard of her if she were.”

…

Ming Can’s heels touched the ground again, her hand still lightly clutching Chi Xiao’s jersey. When he looked down at her, her dark, clear eyes met his frankly, with a hint of nervousness and shyness in their depths. But that didn’t stop her from curling her lips into a triumphant smile, like a victorious general.

His teammates swarmed toward them, slinging their arms around Chi Xiao’s shoulders, pushing and shoving him, buzzing with curiosity and questions.

Ming Can took a step back, and Chi Xiao led the group of sweaty, rowdy guys a little farther away to avoid bumping into her.

“Yeah, she’s my girlfriend… we just started dating… she’s from B University.”

Chi Xiao was unusually talkative today. His face was still the same, mostly cool and expressionless, but his reddened ears could easily be explained as post-exercise flush. However, his teammates, who spent every day with him, could tell he was holding back a grin. If there weren’t so many people around, the corners of his mouth might have reached the sky.

Quite a few people came up to Ming Can to chat, calling her “sister-in-law” this and “sister-in-law” that. Ming Can responded politely. Though she loved teasing Chi Xiao at home, she knew how to give him face in public.

However, since this was her first time in such a situation, and given that Chi Xiao was A University’s famously unattainable “ice prince,” his sudden relationship status attracted a lot of attention. The commotion was overwhelming, and Ming Can found it hard to keep up. She shot Chi Xiao a pleading look, hoping to leave soon.

“Alright, back off,” Chi Xiao said bluntly, shooing away the people crowding around Ming Can.

Ming Can’s face was glistening with sweat from the heat. She borrowed a few tissues from Guan Ling Si, using one for herself and handing the rest to Chi Xiao.

Chi Xiao said, “I’ll just rinse off in the restroom. Wait here for me.”

Ming Can glanced around the court but didn’t see any of the logistics prepared water bottles. She turned to Chi Xiao and said, “It’s too hot here. I’ll wait for you outside.”

Chi Xiao nodded. “Alright.”

With that, they parted ways. Ming Can bid farewell to Guan Ling Si and the others, hurriedly left the basketball gym, and dashed into the small supermarket across the street. Unsure whether Chi Xiao preferred ice-cold or room-temperature water, she bought one of each.

The sun had sunk behind the western hills, and dusk was settling in. The temperature had dropped significantly compared to the afternoon. Ming Can stood at the entrance of the basketball gym, her sleeves pulled over her hands, looking up at the flocks of crows flying across the smoky purple sky.

Before long, footsteps approached from beside her.

Ming Can turned her head and met a pair of familiar amber eyes. For some reason, in this quiet place where no one was cheering or making a fuss, the memory of her bold move on the basketball court came rushing back. A wave of nervousness hit her belatedly, leaving her momentarily at a loss for words. Silently, she pulled two bottles of water from her bag and handed them to him.

Chi Xiao stared at them for a moment, then took the icy one.

Truth be told, he had brought his own water and had already drunk some on the way here.

“The car’s parked over there,” Chi Xiao said, tilting his chin toward the southeast. “Not far.”

“Oh, let’s go then.”

The sky grew darker, and the distant clouds gradually thinned. There weren’t many pedestrians on the campus path. Chi Xiao held the cold bottle of water, twisted the cap off, and took a casual sip.

Ming Can noticed he didn’t drink much, probably because the cold wind had cooled the sweat on his body, and the water was too icy.

Chi Xiao had only thrown a trench coat over his basketball jersey, leaving it open as the chilly wind billowed the hem. 

Water droplets still lingered on his face, his bangs damp and messy, half-drooping and half-sticking up, as if he had rinsed his head briefly.

Ming Can walked a little closer to him, sniffed lightly, but didn’t catch any trace of sweat.

Instead, there was a faint scent of mint, warmed by his body heat.

Chi Xiao glanced down at the crown of her head and subtly moved closer.

Even though he had rinsed his face several times with cold water, washing away all traces of sweat, the warmth on his cheek and the soft touch of her lips lingered, refusing to fade.

Being kissed in public like that—even now, it still felt incredibly surreal.

Back then, there were too many people around. Almost as soon as she kissed him, the whistles and shouts erupted, leaving him no chance to respond.

Even if he had the opportunity, he wouldn’t have known what to do. His face and hands were dirty, and he didn’t dare touch her.

As they strolled along the campus path, their arms brushed lightly, and their fingers had just intertwined when they reached the parking spot.

Chi Xiao let go of her hand and went to open the car door for Ming Can.

It was quite cold outside, and Ming Can eagerly climbed into the back seat. Just as she was about to close the door, a tall, shadowy figure squeezed in beside her, forcing her to scoot over. She glared at him. “What are you doing?”

Chi Xiao didn’t say a word. He remotely started the car and turned on the heater.

The back seat of the GLS was originally spacious and luxurious, but they had installed a child seat, making it feel cramped when two adults squeezed in.

As the warm air blew in, the temperature inside the car hadn’t yet risen. When Chi Xiao’s lips met hers, Ming Can couldn’t help but shiver twice.

She didn’t resist, but kissing here made her feel unusually flustered. Her heart seemed to pound against her eardrums, and her hearing became incredibly sharp all of a sudden. She could almost hear the footsteps of passersby outside the car door, and even the distant laughter and noise from the basketball gym seemed to echo in her ears like an auditory hallucination.

Once their lips met, the temperature inside the car skyrocketed, more effective than the most powerful heater.

Ming Can had always been sensitive to the cold, and even in early spring, she bundled up in layers. Now, her heavy clothes felt like both a shackle and fuel. She couldn’t help but push Chi Xiao away and start removing her coat. But Chi Xiao suddenly shifted her from the middle to the right side and began fiddling with the child seat.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking it down for now.”

Ming Can’s eyes widened. “You… you don’t have to remove it. We can just squeeze in.”

If they were hugging and kissing, it didn’t seem like they needed much space. And if it really came to it, she could always sit on his lap—she’d done it a few times before anyway.

“Squeezing is tiring,” Chi Xiao said nonchalantly. “I’ll put it back on later.”

He worked quickly and efficiently, removing the child seat from the left side in a few swift motions and placing it in the front row.

After that, they didn’t even need the extra space. The two of them stayed close, kissing.

Ming Can gripped Chi Xiao’s damp hair, her eyelids occasionally fluttering open as she anxiously glanced out the car window. She remembered the parking spot being quite secluded, so it shouldn’t have been a place people often passed by. But now, it felt like she kept seeing shadows flickering past. When his fingers pressed against her sweater, the outline of his knuckles became visible, and the sharp edges of his joints traced intense paths. His palm pressed firmly, as if trying to feel every inch of her.

Chi Xiao was still wearing his jacket, and beads of sweat had formed on the side of his face, rolling down his sharp jawline.

When Ming Can kissed his chin, she tasted the saltiness of his sweat. It wasn’t unpleasant, so she asked him, her voice trembling as if her heart were clenched in his grasp, “Aren’t you hot?”

Her arms were draped over his shoulders, and her movements had already loosened his trench coat. She reached behind his neck and grabbed his blue basketball jersey—the team uniform issued by the department, made of mediocre material. The heat-pressed initials of his player name felt rough under her fingertips. She traced the edges of the letters with force, following the seven letters of his name one by one.

“I haven’t showered yet,” Chi Xiao said, still preoccupied with the fact that he was dirty after the game. He had moved out of the dorm this semester and cleared out all his belongings. Otherwise, he would have loved to go back for a quick shower before meeting her.

Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, Chi Xiao’s hands gripped her with a bit too much force, pulling at her. Hearing the soft, involuntary sound that escaped her lips, she immediately widened her eyes in frustration and lunged forward as if to bite him. But he withdrew his hand and pressed her shoulder, saying, “Maybe… you shouldn’t kiss me anymore.”

Ming Can: “What do you mean?”

Chi Xiao pushed her away a little further, as if disgusted by his own dirtiness, not even wanting to kiss her anymore. He bent down, picked up the cold water bottle that had fallen by his feet, twisted it open, and took a long drink.

Ming Can leaned back against the seat, catching her breath. While he wasn’t looking, she carefully slipped her hand into the neckline of her sweater, fishing for the shoulder strap that had slipped off somewhere.

Her fingertips had just hooked onto it, but before she could pull it up, Chi Xiao set down the water bottle and turned back to seal her lips again.

His lips, chilled by the ice-cold water, felt like ice cubes rubbing against her soft, warm lips the moment they touched hers. Ming Can couldn’t help but let out a soft “hiss” against his mouth. The instant her teeth relaxed, he invaded, his tongue also icy cold, carrying a chill as it swept into her mouth, tangling with her warm tongue. The contrast of cold and heat sent shivers through Ming Can, yet it also felt incredibly refreshing.

His fingers, still cold, resumed their earlier task, gripping and releasing her with a roughness that wasn’t exactly gentle.

Before long, Chi Xiao released her. By now, Ming Can was having trouble sitting upright, leaning crookedly against the car seat. Her lips were a vivid red, and she whispered softly, “Didn’t you tell me not to kiss you?”

Chi Xiao didn’t answer. Instead, he asked her, “Did it feel good?”

His eyes, deep and dark in the shadows, seemed almost pure black. His cheeks were tinged with a faint blush, and a smile that was both thrilling and slightly mischievous played on his lips as he looked down at her.

“It was… okay,” Ming Can pursed her lips, not wanting to let him steer the conversation. “You still haven’t answered my question.”

In this context, when Ming Can said “just okay”, it likely meant she actually felt really good.

Chi Xiao stuck to his original reasoning: “I’m dirty, so you shouldn’t kiss me.”

Ming Can lifted her foot to kick him: “Then get out.”

But as soon as her toes touched him, her ankle was caught and lifted onto the seat.

Chi Xiao propped himself up on the seat with one hand and leaned in to peck her lips: “Don’t kiss me. Let me kiss you instead.”

“Let me make you feel even better.” His eyes seemed to hide a beast, and he finally took off his jacket, revealing his tall, lean figure. He then lowered himself to a position where Ming Can couldn’t reach.

Seeing him reach for the ice-cold water again, Ming Can was shocked: “What are you doing?!”

“Don’t move,” Chi Xiao gripped her slender ankle, his voice low, almost like a warning. “If the car shakes even a little, it’ll be hard to explain.”