Chapter 40 : Passionate Kiss

In the afternoon, the leaves were curled up under the sun and the incessant chatter of cicadas filled the air, with not a hint of breeze to offer relief. The heat was stifling.

Liang Qingqing turned over, unable to fall back asleep. She slowly opened her eyes and after a while, the drowsiness in her gaze gradually faded. When she saw the old newspaper pinned to the wall, she remembered that she had returned home from the hospital.

Noticing that Huang Shumin was no longer beside her and there were no other noises in the house, she realized that everyone had gone to work.

Yawning, she knew this leisure could only last for today, so she decided to get out of bed. Feeling bored and finding the room stuffy, she walked out.

As soon as she opened the door, a gentle breeze with a hint of heat came in, but it was still cooler than inside the room.

Liang Qingqing moved a chair from the living room to sit outside. As she did, her eyes wandered to the closed door nearby, and she wondered if Fan Yanxing was still asleep. This wasn’t like his usual habit.

While she was pondering this, she saw Fan Yanxing walking in from the yard. He looked at her with a moment of surprise, then his lips curved into a smile as he said, “You’re awake?”

Liang Qingqing nodded, propped her chin on one hand and with a hint of lingering drowsiness on her fair face, she asked in a slightly hoarse voice, “I’ve been awake for a while. And you? What did you go out for?”

It was midday rather than staying home before going to work, why had he been wandering outside?

Fan Yanxing with his long legs, quickly reached her side. He brought out a chair and placed it next to hers. As the tall man sat down, Liang Qingqing felt the surrounding air seem to be taken up by him, making her breath tighten slightly and her expression somewhat uneasy.

At this time of day, except for the elderly and children, everyone else was at work. The village was quiet, only occasionally disturbed by the rustling of leaves in the wind. Fan Yanxing’s calm, cool voice stood out more in the silence.

His voice had a lazy, relaxed tone when he was at ease, casually flowing from his lips. “I made a call to the supply and marketing cooperative.”

After saying this, he remembered the details of the call and turned his gaze to her face. She happened to look up at the same time, and their eyes met. His deep, gentle eyes seemed to hold a soft, delicate emotion, as if his world contained only her. The sunlight must have been just right, and as it dazzled, Liang Qingqing’s long lashes fluttered, hiding the flutter in her heart.

“Here, have some candy.”

Before she could respond, a piece of white-wrapped candy appeared in front of her. Even from a distance, she could almost smell the faint aroma of milk, lingering at the tip of her nose.

Liang Qingqing’s eyes brightened, and she looked up in surprise, asking, “For me?”

Distracted by Fan Yanxing’s gesture, Liang Qingqing forgot to question him about what he did at noon. All her attention was now focused on the candy in his hand.

“Earlier, I wanted to give this to you, but with so many people around, I kept putting it off until now.” Fan Yanxing noticed she hadn’t taken the candy yet and wasn’t in a hurry, his eyes twinkling with a smile.

He was always attentive, and he must have noticed her earlier longing for sweets.

The fluttering emotions he had suppressed were now growing stronger, as if they were breaking free and expanding. Liang Qingqing’s heart raced faster, and a flush crept up from her cheeks to her neck and ears.

Lost in thought, she didn’t realize when a piece of milk-white candy touched her lips.

She stared at Fan Yanxing in a daze, her eyes filled with confusion. Her usual composure was replaced with an adorably dazed expression, but her beautiful eyes seemed to pull him in deeper.

Fan Yanxing’s gaze darkened slightly, and with a deliberately lowered voice, he chuckled, “Didn’t you want me to feed you?”

The teasing remark jolted Liang Qingqing back to reality, her entire face flushed pink like a cooked shrimp. She opened her mouth to retort, but before she could, the candy on her lips was quickly pressed into her mouth.

Her mouth was filled with the unique sweet taste of the White Rabbit milk candy, soft and delicate. She couldn’t help but lick her lips, her breathing growing slightly heavier.

His fingers seemed to have brushed against her teeth for a moment—just a fleeting touch, but it was intensely noticeable.

“Is it sweet?”

Fan Yanxing seemed oblivious to the recent intimate contact, his eyes filled with self-satisfaction, deep and heated, as if they could melt her.

“Yes,” Liang Qingqing answered instinctively, but then she paused and added exasperatedly, “Who asked you to feed me? You’re just being sentimental!”

“Oh? Wasn’t that what you wanted? Then you can take it off yourself.” Hearing her, Fan Yanxing appeared genuinely hurt, his smile vanishing completely. His long lashes lowered, giving him a pitiful look.

Liang Qingqing had never seen him like this before and wasn’t sure if he was genuinely upset. As time passed, she began to question if she had been too harsh. He had kindly fed her candy, and she had scolded him in return.

She cleared her throat, trying to ease the atmosphere, and awkwardly said, “Why are you still fussing? It’s already in my mouth.”

She even slightly stuck out her tongue, revealing the sticky milk-white candy. The contrast of colors was striking and tempting.

Fan Yanxing’s eyes darkened, and the previously feigned emotion was nowhere to be seen.

In the silence, the candy fell to the ground, making a crisp sound. By the time Liang Qingqing realized something was off with Fan Yanxing, she found herself half-pulled, half-embraced, and pushed into her room.

The wooden door closed behind them, and the room instantly darkened.

Liang Qingqing’s heart raced. As she looked up, she felt a soft, warm touch on the side of her face. Instinctively, she turned her head to avoid his kiss. Fan Yanxing stiffened and hesitated for a moment before tentatively reaching out to grasp her fingers. When she struggled a bit, he stopped moving.

His fingertips trembled uncontrollably. He took a deep breath, his mind, once clouded by desire, finally cleared. Feelings of guilt and regret surged within him, like an invisible hand choking his throat, making even breathing difficult.

Fan Yanxing took a step back, increasing the distance between them. He opened his mouth, unsure of how to explain, and could only mutter, “I’m sorry, it’s my fault.”

It was his momentary impulsiveness that overstepped the bounds. It was disrespectful to her and a trivialization of their relationship.

There was no response.

His hands, hanging by his sides, slowly clenched into fists. His chest felt increasingly tight, until he could hardly breathe. Fan Yanxing closed his eyes, his lashes fluttering.

He had ruined what was originally a good atmosphere.

“Qingqing, I’m sorry.”

The apology was repeated. Liang Qingqing finally made a move. She stepped forward, using her index finger to hook his thumb, while the other hand lifted to brush her cheek where he had kissed her.

“Who told you to apologize?”

Her voice was gentle, lacking any trace of anger, and instead carried a hint of shyness.

Fan Yanxing looked up suddenly.

She was very close, their noses nearly touching. He could clearly see her red-tinted ears, her trembling long lashes, and the slight blush on her eyes. Her breath was somewhat uneven.

She didn’t look angry instead, she seemed… moved.

“I was just a bit scared. It was the first time a man kissed me.”

Liang Qingqing would never admit how fast her heart had raced or how much she had anticipated his next move when he kissed her. It seemed the man didn’t understand the nuances of romantic play, and his misunderstanding of her playful resistance made him overly cautious and apologetic.

What a fool!

Liang Qingqing blinked her beautiful eyes and awkwardly scratched her palm. She had forgotten whose fingers were entangled with hers, so naturally, she was scratching him.

Feeling the sensation in his palm, he said, “That time you saved me doesn’t count as a kiss.”

They both spoke at once, and the atmosphere froze for a moment. Liang Qingqing hadn’t expected Fan Yanxing to still be fixated on explaining what had just happened. It seemed her reaction had startled him. Otherwise, given his usual reckless nature, he wouldn’t have been so cautious.

In the end, he was still afraid she might be upset with him from now on.

Liang Qingqing swallowed her saliva and sighed secretly. How could she be angry with him? As long as Fan Yanxing was Fan Yanxing, she would not be angry with him.

How much of this was said because of Fan Yanxing’s family background and bright future, and how much was said because of Fan Yanxing as a person, perhaps even Liang Qingqing herself couldn’t tell.

The disjointed conversation ended with Liang Qingqing’s annoyed huff.

“Are we still kissing, or…?”

Before she could finish, Fan Yanxing leaned in and sealed her lips with his. His reddened eyes were locked on hers as their breathing grew rapid. At first, she managed to playfully tease him with her gaze, but the longer it went on, the more challenging it became. She weakly clutched at his shirt and quickly closed her eyes, her lips murmuring fragmented reproaches.

“Who kisses with their eyes open? Jerk.”

In response to Liang Qingqing’s retort, Fan Yanxing’s lips curved upward, and then he closed his eyes. Noticing her weakening, his large hand moved to support her waist, which seemed small enough to be held with just one hand. Under the thin fabric, her body temperature was rising.

She felt dizzy and her mind went blank, only aware of him in front of her. Her slender arms clung to his shoulders, and the area where their skin touched quickly became sticky. Neither of them wanted to pull away. Soon, a bit of sweat appeared on their noses, and the heat made her emit a soft moan involuntarily.

Although it was only a very faint sound, he still heard it. Liang Qingqing was so embarrassed that she wanted to run away. Fan Yanxing tightened his grip on her waist and pressed her closer to him, cutting off her possibility of escape.

Fan Yanxing slowly found the way between their lips. He pressed her against the door, protecting her back with his hands. His big tongue moved over her lips like a caress, and then he probed deeper. Perhaps she noticed it and slowly opened her teeth.

At this moment, a voice came from outside the door, “Aunt?”

The voice, with a sweet and drowsy tone, clearly belonged to someone just waking up.

Hearing Songzi calling her, Liang Qingqing shivered all over, and the arm draped around Fan Yanxing’s neck trembled. She instinctively grabbed his hair, causing him to pull away reflexively, missing out on what almost became a sweet moment.

Liang Qingqing had no time to consider him. She licked her lips and tried to push him away but in the next moment, he trapped her.