Chapter 84

*Campus IF Line — “Kiss”*
On the day of the date, Qin Sang got up very early. She spent a long time choosing clothes, and in the end picked a French tea dress. She also smoothed hair oil onto the ends of her hair and used a curling iron to slowly curl it into bouncy arcs.
She didn’t know how to do makeup, but Liu Chengcheng was very interested in it. Every time they had a monthly break and went out to play, Liu Chengcheng would take her to browse cosmetic counters.
In her drawer, she only had a tube of BB cream and a mirror-finish lip glaze.
Qin Sang hesitated, but still picked up the mirror-finish lip glaze. It was a light nude color—not exaggerated when applied—just making her lips look shiny. She wasn’t used to it.
“Sang-sang, your classmate is here to see you.”
Wen Shuyu knocked on the door and reminded her from the doorway.
Qin Sang panicked at once. She didn’t have time to think about anything else. In a fluster she shoved everything into the drawer, closed it, and hurried to open the door.
In the courtyard, the boy stood tall and long-limbed, wearing a white shirt—snow-white—and neat, pressed suit pants. Different from his usual casual, rebellious air, he looked uncommonly proper and serious. Qin Sang stared, stunned.
“Ahem, ahem.” Qin Dahai coughed heavily, warning in displeasure: “I’m telling you, our house has a curfew. If you don’t bring my daughter back on time, you know how serious the consequences are.”
Xie Yuncheng answered properly. “Uncle, don’t worry. Sang-sang and I are just going to town to watch a movie. I guarantee I’ll bring her back on time.”
Qin Dahai was still displeased, but his expression softened a little. “Alright. If you’re going, then hurry. Don’t you still need to buy tickets?”
Then, seeing his daughter dressed up so prettily, the bit of dissatisfaction in his heart flared again. In the end, he waved his hand, out of sight out of mind. “Go, go. Hurry up and go.”
Qin Sang walked awkwardly, following Xie Yuncheng out.
She wasn’t used to wearing dresses. Normally No. 1 High didn’t really allow them to wear their own clothes either. All year round they wore uniforms, at most changing between a couple pairs of track pants.
When Qin Sang saw the Hongqi car parked by the road, she widened her eyes in surprise and stammered, “A-are we… driving?”
“The place to eat is a bit far from the theater. Driving is more convenient.”
Qin Sang swallowed, a little hesitant. “I mean… are you driving yourself? Do you have a license?”
“Mm. I just got it a few days ago.”
He got a license that fast?
Qin Sang looked completely shocked.
Qin Dahai really wanted her to learn to drive, but she wasn’t very willing, so to this day she still hadn’t even found a driving school to enroll in.
Seeing her blank look, Xie Yuncheng laughed. “Don’t be afraid. My driving is pretty good.”
“…”
Qin Sang tugged stiffly at the corner of her lips and, with difficulty, moved her legs to get into the car.
The car didn’t look particularly special, like the same model her uncle often drove.
Qin Sang sat down nervously, hands and feet neatly together, not daring to move an inch.
But the car still didn’t start. Qin Sang asked in confusion, “Aren’t we leaving yet?”
Xie Yuncheng looked at her for a moment. Then, suddenly, he leaned in closer.
Qin Sang tensed. Even her toes curled uncontrollably. Leaning back against the seat, she stared fixedly at the figure drawing closer and closer.
So soon?
Because they had a date today, Qin Sang had asked Liu Chengcheng for tips all night. They chatted until they got carried away, and she didn’t sleep the whole night.
Right now her head was full of what Liu Chengcheng had taught her.
“There’s a trick to choosing a movie. First choice is a horror film. Isn’t there a foreign horror movie out recently? They say it’s pretty scary. Go watch that with God Xie. It’ll be pitch-black. When a really terrifying scene comes, you pretend you’re startled and dive into his arms. At worst, you can at least hold hands.”
“Maybe tomorrow you’ll even make it to first base.”
Qin Sang asked sincerely, “What’s first base?”
“Kissing.”
Liu Chengcheng was insanely excited. “I’m telling you—someone like God Xie, who looks abstinent on the surface but is secretly a quiet flirt, is the easiest to handle. Don’t forget to tell your best friend what it feels like to kiss God Xie.”
Qin Sang’s heart pounded. She stared unblinking at the man, but couldn’t calm down no matter what.
Watching that figure get closer and closer, close enough that she could feel his breath, she subconsciously closed her eyes and tilted her chin forward slightly.
Click. The sound of the seatbelt latch.
Xie Yuncheng chuckled, his voice indistinct. “Sang-sang, what are you thinking?”
Qin Sang snapped her eyes open. Meeting those eyes that hid teasing amusement, she tugged her lips awkwardly—smiling even worse than crying.
So embarrassing.
She bit her lip in silent annoyance. Next time she would absolutely not listen to Liu Chengcheng, that dog-headed “strategist.” It was all her fault for giving random advice, making Qin Sang’s mind wander. She’d misunderstood completely and made a huge fool of herself.
While driving, Xie Yuncheng didn’t miss the girl’s embarrassed expression either. Seeing her hang her head and droop her lashes in defeat, a faint smile flashed through the deep of his eyes.
Xie Yuncheng had said the place to eat was a bit far, but she hadn’t expected it to be this outrageous—driving two hours from Ningjiang to Jingcheng’s urban area just to eat a meal.
He brought her to a French restaurant she had never seen in her life—only in TV dramas.
She didn’t know if there was a dress code, but everyone inside wore fine clothes. By comparison, her dress looked a little cheap.
Uncomfortably, she tugged at the hem. In fact, this was already the nicest outfit she owned.
Although Qin Dahai could make money and never shorted her and her mother, in a family like theirs, they were at best lower-middle. They couldn’t even be called well-off. Money had to be saved for emergencies.
She didn’t have the habit of spending extravagantly. Clothes, shoes, bags—if they worked, that was enough. This dress was something Qin Dahai bought her at the department store on her eighteenth birthday. It was expensive—over 700 even after discounts.
She’d never bought something so expensive, so she always couldn’t bear to wear it.
“Hello, Mr. Xie. Your reserved table is this way.”
A server came forward to lead them, guiding them all the way to the quietest corner.
When ordering, Qin Sang was shocked into silence again. The price of almost every dish was beyond what she could bear.
She held the menu up to hide her face and asked softly, “Do we really have to eat here?”
“Hm?” Xie Yuncheng looked at her. “Does it not suit your taste?”
She struggled for a moment, then told the truth. “I think it’s a bit too expensive.”
One meal could burn through two months of their household living expenses. In her subconscious, that was wasteful. She really couldn’t get over that hurdle. She felt like she couldn’t even swallow.
“With food this expensive, I’ll probably get indigestion.”
If she really ate it, she’d feel guilty.
Xie Yuncheng curled his lips. “If that’s the case, then we won’t eat.”
Qin Sang’s eyes lit up. “Really? That’s okay?”
“Let’s go.” Xie Yuncheng stood up. “We’ll go somewhere else.”
Qin Sang hurried to follow. As they left, she even caught the server’s surprised gaze.
She quickly lowered her head, not daring to look again.
Only after stepping out that door did she feel alive again—less cramped and embarrassed, a little more at ease.
“Where are we going next?”
Qin Sang asked curiously.
Xie Yuncheng rested a hand on the steering wheel, his expression unchanged. “Somewhere you won’t feel other people’s eyes on you.”
Qin Sang was completely confused. She only glanced at him in puzzlement.
Half an hour later, Qin Sang learned that the place he meant—where no one would stare at her—was… his home.
Xie Yuncheng looked at her. “It’s fine. My parents are divorced. I live here alone.”
“D-divorced?” Qin Sang was stunned.
She’d only seen Xie Yuncheng’s parents from afar once. That was in second year, when both of his parents came to school. They argued unpleasantly in the office, and when they left, both faces looked terrible.
“Is it surprising?”
“A little.”
Xie Yuncheng tugged his lip. “They never had feelings to begin with. Their relationship fell apart two years ago and they wanted a divorce. It’s just that recently—because I made the decision first and chose aerospace—they finally tore their faces off completely. They can’t live together anymore.”
Qin Sang didn’t know how to comfort him. She wasn’t good at being a guide. After a long time of thinking, she only squeezed out one line: “It’s not your fault. It’s their problem. It doesn’t matter without them—you still have me.”
Xie Yuncheng curled his lips, his gaze fixed on her beautiful profile. “Then, Sang-sang, are you willing to come to my place and eat a meal with me now? Consider it… comfort.”
…
Qin Sang followed him into his home in a daze. She looked around curiously. Rather than a home, it felt more like a hotel for temporary stays—as if he could check in at any time.
Cold and lifeless, without warmth.
But what surprised her was that Xie Yuncheng really could cook—and his cooking was pretty good.
“How are you so good at cooking?”
His skills were comparable to her dad’s.
Xie Yuncheng said flatly, “My parents didn’t get along. They rarely had time to care about me, so I learned a bit of necessary survival skills.”
Qin Sang’s appetite instantly dulled. She felt guilty. “Sorry. I didn’t know it was because of that.”
It was like she’d been poking his wounds all day. She’d never imagined that even though Xie Yuncheng looked so “normal,” his family environment was so bad.
Qin Sang’s heart tightened with a dull ache. After the meal, she wanted to help wash dishes, but Xie Yuncheng refused. Lazily, he said, “Go pick a suitable movie. We’ll watch it together later.”
“We’re not going to the theater?” Qin Sang was confused.
To be honest, when Xie Yuncheng first visited after the gaokao, she’d been shocked.
At that time, he had proactively confessed his feelings to her parents. He also told the truth: he was pursuing her, and he hoped to obtain their permission to go out on dates alone with her.
Qin Dahai had nearly wanted to curse him out. But in the end, Qin Dahai compromised. He didn’t know what Xie Yuncheng said, but he agreed to the request.
“Mm. There are a lot of movies at home. You can screen them yourself.”
Qin Sang had to compromise. She enthusiastically went to look through the collection. When choosing a movie, Liu Chengcheng’s words naturally popped back into her head.
Horror film.
She gritted her teeth. In the end, she closed her eyes and picked a horror movie.
Horror films lived on atmosphere and soundtrack. To watch, Qin Sang sat down carefully on the sofa in his private home theater. She didn’t dare move, and didn’t dare open her eyes either.
After she chose a film, Xie Yuncheng finished up too and sat on the carpet in front of the sofa. Seeing her turn around, he patted the spot beside him. “Come sit here.”
Qin Sang cautiously shuffled over to sit. There was still a bit of distance between them.
But as the scenes grew darker and darker, the strange BGM and creepy clicking sounds made Qin Sang more and more afraid. Without realizing it, she leaned over.
She clutched Xie Yuncheng’s arm tightly, her voice trembling. “Is it over? Are there still scary shots?”
Xie Yuncheng’s gaze was on a scene where the horror had already been skipped. Without a sound, he pulled her into his arms and answered lazily, “Not yet.”
She didn’t know how much time passed. The dim room held only the voices from the film. Frightened out of her mind, she forgot her phone was still logged into QQ. It was set to the side. Suddenly, the screen lit up: Liu Chengcheng was crazily asking for updates. “How is it? How far have you gotten? Any KISS?”
Qin Sang held the phone and was about to reply. Only then did her sluggish brain belatedly realize: she was still in Xie Yuncheng’s arms, leaning against his chest in an extremely awkward posture while replying to messages.
It was already embarrassing enough, and now Liu Chengcheng’s words—Xie Yuncheng could see them clearly too.
He raised his brows. “Kiss?”
Qin Sang laughed awkwardly. “She’s talking nonsense. Don’t overthink it.”
Xie Yuncheng turned his head to look at her. The flowing light and shadow slowly swept over her gorgeous brows and eyes, the bridge of her nose, and finally landed on her soft lips. Her lips were plump and dewy, looking shiny—like a juicy cherry.
Xie Yuncheng’s eyes were deep. For no reason, his voice dropped lower. “Sang-sang… do you want to kiss?”