Chapter 124 - 115: That Was My First Kiss

Chapter 124: Chapter 115: That Was My First Kiss

Seeing her shy expression, Xiao Ran couldn’t help but find it amusing.

"What’s the matter? You weren’t this shy when you told others you slept with me."

At his words, the girl reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Flustered and embarrassed, she stammered, "That... that’s different."

’How could saying it and doing it be the same thing?!’

’Besides, this was my first kiss!’

’It’s only normal for me to be a little shy!’

"Oh, alright then." Xiao Ran shrugged, feigning disappointment, then turned as if to leave.

Seeing this, Yan Xici’s previous resolve inexplicably wavered. ’When I wanted to sleep, he stayed and slept with me.’

’Now, he wants a little kiss, and I won’t even give him one. Doesn’t that make me seem really petty?’

As someone with no experience in romance, a few words and a single feint were all it took to make her resolve crumble.

And the more she thought about it, the more she felt she was the one at fault.

She pursed her rosy lips, reached out, and grabbed Xiao Ran’s arm.

Then, she took a deep breath and looked at Xiao Ran seriously, her voice tinged with nervousness. "Okay, then... then you should get ready. I’m... I’m going to kiss you now."

’Every time we do something intimate, I get so nervous,’ she thought. ’Putting myself in his shoes, Brother Xiao Ran must be nervous too.’

’So, it’s probably necessary to give him a heads-up.’

Xiao Ran: "..."

’Does this girl even understand intimacy?!’

’Why does she have to negotiate something like this?!’

He subconsciously licked his lips. "Mm, I’m ready. You can start."

He regretted it a little as soon as the words left his mouth. ’Why does it feel like I’m the one getting something for free here?’ The feeling was a bit strange, but not entirely unwelcome.

And so, under his focused gaze, the girl rose onto her tiptoes. As her slender legs straightened, her whole frame lifted. Her beautiful collarbones shifted slightly, her delicate chin tilted up sharply, and she closed her eyes as the distance between them shrank, bit by bit.

In that instant, Xiao Ran’s heart involuntarily leaped into his throat.

With a tiny "SMOOCH," the girl’s lips gently landed on the corner of Xiao Ran’s mouth.

Her lips were incredibly soft, and the feeling of them against the corner of his mouth was like being touched by jelly. It was simply divine.

She had actually been aiming for his lips, but she’d truly done her best. It couldn’t be helped; after all, there was a 19-centimeter height difference between her and Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran swallowed hard.

Before he could even properly savor the moment, he saw that she was already blushing beet-red and scurrying away toward home in a series of tiny steps.

’This is killing me! That was my first kiss, you know!’

"Wait for me!" Xiao Ran called out, a gentle, brilliant smile on his face as he watched her retreating back.

"No!"

’I might have had the guts to kiss him, but that doesn’t mean I have the guts to own up to it!’

...

Back home, the two of them changed into their slippers as usual. Xiao Ran went into the kitchen, and the girl didn’t stay idle either, immediately opening her phone’s camera to start filming him secretly.

It was twelve-thirty in the afternoon, and the midday sun was at its most blinding.

Xiao Ran entered the kitchen, took the pre-cut hairtail fish from the fridge and placed it in the sink. Then, he bent down, opened a white cabinet door, and scooped a small bowl of rice from the container. He poured it into the stainless steel inner pot of the rice cooker and began to wash it.

Yan Xici didn’t go in, just stood at the doorway, her posture incredibly bashful.

’Ugh, it’s not that I *can’t* go in, I’m just a little shy.’

’But honestly, the moment I kissed him, my heart was beating so fast. It felt like it was going to pound right out of my chest!’

"Why are you just standing there? Too shy to show your face?" Xiao Ran asked her.

He was growing more and more fond of teasing her. Perhaps it was to get back at her for her previous flirting, but mostly, it was simply because he liked her.

Every time he saw her bashful expression, he felt an inexplicable sense of happiness and joy.

He couldn’t explain why, either.

This was probably the magic of love, which always makes people do certain things uncontrollably.

Yan Xici pouted, pretending not to care at all. "I’m going in, so there!"

’It’s my own kitchen. I’m not scared!’

’What’s he being so aggressive for? I should just pin him against the wall and kiss him senseless, until he begs for mercy!’

But thoughts were just thoughts, and what was going on in her head would never show on her well-behaved face.

For the sake of that kiss, Xiao Ran didn’t mind her attitude. He looked at her with a grin. "Aren’t you going to tell everyone what we’re making today?"

’She’s the one filming, after all. It’s not that I *can’t* do the introduction, but there’d have to be a reward!’

’One step at a time. That saying is useful no matter the situation.’

’Once you’ve been kissed once, of course you’ll want a second one.’

However, the innocent girl wasn’t thinking as deeply as Xiao Ran was. Since she was the one who insisted on filming, it was only natural that she should be the one to do the introduction.

Yan Xici cleared her throat and said in a sweet voice, "I don’t have much to share today, so I thought I’d show you all how we make our lunch! Braised hairtail fish! What do you think? Pretty impressive, right?"

With that, she aimed the camera at the hairtail fish in the basin. This move surprised Xiao Ran. ’Doesn’t she know how to cook this?’

’She can even explain the process?’

Feeling his little scheme had failed, Xiao Ran was inexplicably a little disappointed.

’Well, since I can’t make any demands, I guess I’ll just get back to work.’

"This is Zhoushan hairtail," Xiao Ran said. "Everyone, if you’re buying hairtail, make sure you get it from Zhoushan, because it’s really delicious!"

Xiao Ran’s voice wasn’t high or low, neither booming nor deep. In the world of online influencers, a voice like his would be considered completely unremarkable.

And yet, it was incredibly pleasant and easy on the ears.

Yan Xici moved the phone a little closer. "So, can you tell us more?"

’Truth be told, I really don’t know how to explain it in detail,’ she thought. ’After all, a dish as complicated as braised hairtail is impossible for a beginner.’

Xiao Ran sensed another opportunity. He gave Yan Xici a tempting look. "It’s not impossible... I just think you could offer another little reward."

Hearing this, the girl, who had been immersed in filming, felt her eyelid twitch. She looked at Xiao Ran nervously.

’Heavens, what is he saying?!’

’I’m filming a video right now!’

’It’s so improper for him to talk like that!’

"You..." She wanted to ask how he could be so shameless, but then she remembered the camera in her hand. She pursed her lips and held her tongue. "In that case, I’ll just explain it myself."

’I’m so frustrated! What should I do? I just want to pin him to the wall and kiss him senseless.’

What was that saying again? A giant in thought, but a dwarf in action. Yan Xici was a perfect example.

"Next, you wrap the hairtail in paper towels to absorb the moisture, and then it’s ready for the pan," Xiao Ran said as he wrapped the cut pieces of fish, gently pressing down with his hand to help soak up the water.

He had very nice hands, and Yan Xici was smart. As an amateur blogger with three years of filming experience, she was skilled at capturing shots and finding the right angles, making Xiao Ran’s already slender hands—which held a quiet strength—look even more attractive on camera.

’They might not be able to tell if the food is any good,’ she thought, ’but just with these hands alone, I bet he could gain another wave of fangirls!’

’Why am I so confident about that? Mainly because I’m a huge fan of Brother Xiao Ran’s hands myself!’

’As someone with a thing for hands, she knew exactly how passionate other hand aficionados could be!’