Xiao Qiqi looked at his deep gaze and asked, "Are you talking about people or wine?"
"Qiqi, I've been waiting for this drink for so long. It's time to taste it." He gently handed the glass to Xiao Qiqi. "Take a small sip and savor it on your tongue. That way, you'll truly understand its flavor."
Xiao Qiqi took the wine glass. The slightly dark brown red wine had an alluring hue. Xiao Qiqi took a small sip, slowly spreading it around her mouth with the tip of her tongue. The rich, mellow aroma gradually unfolded, seeping into her heart. The lingering slight astringency added to the wine's mellowness. Xiao Qiqi looked at Xia Xuan curiously, "It's definitely different."
"Settling down is the best gift." Xia Xuan continued swirling her wine glass. "Qiqi, shouldn't we raise a glass to the beauty that comes after settling down?"
Xiao Qiqi smiled and raised her glass. Their deep gazes met, revealing their heartfelt feelings. They lightly clinked glasses and toasted.
"The second cup," Xia Xuan raised her cup again, "as punishment."
"Why?" Xiao Qiqi stared wide-eyed in confusion.
"Kindness, escapism, and weakness are not virtues."
Xiao Qiqi understood and raised an eyebrow. "Likewise, it's not a punishment, but a shared drink."
"I am accumulating, settling, and waiting," Xia Xuan argued.
"It takes two to tango. Besides, with so many female confidantes, do you really need my attention?" Xiao Qiqi's smile was tinged with bitterness. She knew perfectly well, yet she still couldn't resist jumping in. As long as he beckoned, Xiao Qiqi, wouldn't you, like other women, jump into the pit with your eyes wide open, and be filled with happiness?
Can I take this as jealousy?
"No!" Xiao Qiqi said coldly, her face flushed with anger. "Did your interest arise from my indifference?"
Xia Xuan shook her head, her eyes full of doting affection. "You're such a fool, still throwing a tantrum at a time like this. Don't you really know I've been waiting for you?"
"I don't know!" Xiao Qiqi retorted stubbornly. "We're not even close!"
"Not familiar? Are you lying to yourself or me?" Xia Xuan shook her head again. "Qiqi, I've been by your side all this time. I've been everywhere for more than three years. Don't you really feel it at all?"
For more than three years, I was everywhere, yet it felt so heavy in Xiao Qiqi's mouth. Yes, he never disappeared; they simply ignored each other.
"When you're sick, I'll have Xu Chun bring you medicine; when you skip class, I'll copy your notes; whether you're online, staying up all night, playing games, chatting, swearing, writing articles, or traveling alone, I know everything about you; the people you like, the dishes you love, the things you dislike—I remember them all. Isn't that enough?"
Xiao Qiqi was speechless. "...I thought it was all for Xu Chun, and that's what they all said."
“I don’t like Xu Chun. I’ve made that clear from the beginning. It’s all because of you.”
“Then…” Xiao Qiqi’s mind flashed back to that train station early that morning, her slender neck holding the wine glass, feeling the coldness. “…I don’t know. Why me? I’m not pretty, I have a bad temper, and I have a lot of bad habits.”
Xia Xuan pondered, then pouted with a hint of grievance, "I'm actually quite curious myself. Why would I like such an awkward girl like you? Maybe it was curiosity at first. Your temperament is so similar to my mother's, and I think that's probably why I started paying attention to you. You were so young then, so stubborn and incredibly naive. It was also my first time liking a girl, and I didn't know what to do. If you avoided me, I wouldn't show up; if you told me to be nicer to Xu Chun, I would listen to you; if you ignored me, I would pretend I couldn't see you. In short, I did whatever you liked."
"No, Xia Xuan, you've been tempting me all along," Xiao Qiqi said, looking at Xia Xuan's slightly aggrieved eyes.
“I didn’t tempt you; it was your heart that tempted you.” Xia Xuan smiled faintly. “Well, thankfully, you’ve finally grown up and faced your own heart squarely, otherwise I really wouldn’t know what to do.”
"I didn't!" Xiao Qiqi blushed. "You were the one who said you'd give me roses first, and... kissed me. I didn't agree to anything."
Xia Xuan's smile spread like a gentle lake. "Alright, I'll tempt you." She raised her glass. "Cheers to temptation."
19. Sweet
"Qiqi, you live here?" Xia Xuan looked around at Ruan Mei's little apartment where Xiao Qiqi had been staying for more than a month. "My God, it's even messier than our dorm."
"Hehe, you've never stayed in a place like this before, have you?" Xiao Qiqi threw her bag onto the large mattress on the floor and looked for a vase to put roses in. "Oh dear, I forgot to buy a vase."
"When I came here, I saw a shop selling small trinkets. They should have vases for sale. I'll go buy one."
Xiao Qiqi pulled Xia Xuan, "Forget it, it'll wither in a few days anyway, let's just leave it like this."
Xia Xuan pinched Xiao Qiqi's nose. "I don't want the flowers I gave you to have that kind of fate." Xia Xuan pointed to the blue roses in the wine bottle on the windowsill.
Xiao Qiqi shrugged and smiled, "I bought that myself yesterday. I just put it in a wine bottle since I didn't have anything to put it in."
"Wait for me, I'll be right back."
Xiao Qiqi nodded. After Xia Xuan left, she started to light the stove; it had gone out long ago in her haste to leave that morning. Without coal briquettes, the house was as cold as ice. This kind of heating involved burning coal briquettes in a stove, then running pipes through the house to keep warm, with the soot escaping through the pipes. It was extremely unsafe, but there was no other way; most bungalows were like this. Xiao Qiqi lit some alcohol under the stove to light the coal briquettes, but couldn't get it right. She tried blowing on them and fanning herself, but it wasn't as "easy" as Ruan Mei had described. She couldn't help but feel discouraged.
The door opened with a bang, and Xiao Qiqi angrily opened it. Xia Xuan was holding a glass vase with a smile on her face, but she stopped abruptly and looked at Xiao Qiqi in surprise. Xiao Qiqi felt so tired that her head was burning, and she wiped her face haphazardly. "So fast? It's a very pretty vase."
Xia Xuan entered the room but kept looking at Xiao Qiqi strangely. When he saw Xiao Qiqi wipe his face again, his eyes twitched again. He bit his lip and tried to hold it in. Xiao Qiqi caught a glimpse of his strange expression and asked, puzzled, "What kind of expression is that?"
Xia Xuan couldn't hold back any longer and burst into laughter, shaking her shoulders. "Qi Qi, you won't even need makeup to sing a painted-face role!"
Xiao Qiqi looked at her hands; they weren't just covered in black ash, but streaks. Right, she seemed to have just wiped her face with her hands. Seeing Xia Xuan laughing uncontrollably, Xiao Qiqi couldn't help but scream, lunging forward and smearing black ash on Xia Xuan's face. Xia Xuan hadn't expected her mischievousness, and she easily managed to smear a streak of black ash on his left cheek. When Xiao Qiqi tried to smear his right cheek, he dodged it. Reaching out to grab Xiao Qiqi's hand, she laughed and slapped him. In the chaos, Xia Xuan felt the vase slip from his hand and fall to the concrete floor with a crash, shattering into pieces.
For a moment, Xiao Qiqi and Xia Xuan stopped. Looking at the glittering shards of glass scattered on the ground, and then at each other's smeared faces, they couldn't help but burst into laughter again.
The two went to the yard to wash their hands. Xia Xuan washed Xiao Qiqi's hands and dried her very carefully. The towel slid slowly over Xiao Qiqi's red skin. Xia Xuan couldn't help but say, "Qiqi, let me say something to you."
Xiao Qiqi looked at Xia Xuan intently, "What?"
A sly glint flashed in Xia Xuan's eyes as she leaned close to Xiao Qiqi's ear and whispered, "I want to kiss you."
"Hey!" Xiao Qiqi jumped away laughing. "Xia Xuan, when did you become so naughty?"
Xia Xuan chuckled. There was a large pomegranate tree in the yard, and Xia Xuan stood by the tree, holding a towel. Her laughter was so hearty and gentle, and her dazzling and vibrant demeanor was something that Xiao Qiqi remembered so clearly many years later.
Xiao Qiqi swept up the broken glass from the vase, and Xia Xuan placed the roses on the windowsill.
"Ugh, how annoying! How could something so nice break like this?" Xiao Qiqi looked at the pile of broken glass with annoyance, then looked at Xia Xuan. "Xia Xuan, do you think this is a bad omen? Our first day together, our first gift, and it's broken like this."
Xia Xuan walked over and took the broom from Xiao Qiqi's hand. "Nonsense, it's just a vase. What are you thinking? How could you make such a connection?" As she spoke, she used a dustpan to scoop up the crumbs and dumped them into the trash can.
As Xiao Qiqi watched him do all this, so naturally and cleanly, that warm and comforting feeling rose up again.
Xiao Qiqi went to her neighbor's house to get some coal briquettes, and the house quickly warmed up. Xiao Qiqi and Xia Xuan sat on the bed on the floor and chatted.
Xiao Qiqi nestled her hands in Xia Xuan's warm, large hands. Looking at his expression as he spoke, her lips were perfectly defined, every stroke as flawless as a painting. Xia Xuan smiled, "What are you looking at?"
"You're handsome, aren't you?" Xiao Qiqi replied with a grin. "People used to say how charming you were, and it's true. A handsome man is like a painting; he's pleasing to the eye no matter how you look at him."
"Don't say I'm pretty. Pretty is for girls," Xia Xuan said deliberately with a stern face.
Xiao Qiqi ignored him and continued to search the distinct curves on his face. "So, Xia Xuan, I'm so scared."
"What are you afraid of? From now on, with me here, you have nothing to be afraid of."
“Afraid of losing, afraid of gaining and losing. Just because I have gained.” Xiao Qiqi rested her head on Xia Xuan’s shoulder. “You are too outstanding. I feel that happiness came too easily and too suddenly. It’s like… like a pie falling from the sky.”
"Silly girl." Xia Xuan gently rested her chin on Xiao Qiqi's hair, inhaling its fragrance. "Believe me, and believe in yourself. From now on, you are the most precious treasure in my heart, and I will protect you."
"how long?"
"Yes, for a lifetime."
Sweet nothings between lovers are never-ending, and Xiao Qiqi, who finally opened her heart and came together with Xia Xuan, was no exception. Looking at the man before her—clean, perfect, gentle, and refined—even the faint melancholy between his brows was captivating. Xiao Qiqi was irresistibly infatuated. Valentine's Day roses, confessions, sweet words, kisses—enough to make any girl's heart flutter and her soul race.
"Xia Xuan, let's... let's go back to school and not let anyone know about our relationship, okay?" Xiao Qiqi nestled in Xia Xuan's warm embrace. The soft fur on the black sweater tickled her nose, and Xiao Qiqi couldn't help but sneeze and rub her nose.
Xia Xuan removed her hand, took out a tissue from the bedside table, and gently wiped her hand. "Why?"
"I..." The word "fear" finally didn't come out. "I want to give them a surprise in the future, so they all leave with regrets. Oh, Xia Xuan, that campus heartthrob was single until graduation. Ah, what? He was already dating Xiao Qiqi in school, Xiao Qiqi is amazing. Haha, of course, Xiao Qiqi is the second most beautiful girl at A University. Tch, two people, dating and keeping it a secret..." Xiao Qiqi imitated various voices, vividly describing the scene, then couldn't help but laugh and collapsed onto the bed, panting. "Xia Xuan, don't you think that's fun? Making them guess, be surprised, be angry, uh, isn't it Xia Xuan?"
"Okay, whatever you say." Xia Xuan suddenly leaned down, propped her chin on her arm, and leaned close to Xiao Qiqi's face. "Qiqi." Her voice was smooth and gentle, soft and sticky.
"What?" Xiao Qiqi glanced at him sideways.
"I want to kiss you." A bewitching flame flickered in his eyes. Before Xiao Qiqi could laugh and pull away, his long arms encircled her waist, and his fiery lips pressed against her burning cheek, a fleeting, fleeting touch. Xiao Qiqi nervously averted her eyes, only opening them slowly when he pulled away. She gazed into a boundless lake, where fish seemed to swim freely, harmoniously, and joyfully.
"Xia Xuan, aren't we moving too fast?" Xiao Qiqi and Xia Xuan lay side by side on the bed, continuing their conversation.
"It's not fast, it's too slow. I've been waiting for this day for four years."
"No way, we've only known each other for three and a half years."
"Rounding up or down," Xia Xuan argued again.
"Ouch!" Xiao Qiqi hit Xia Xuan, but Xia Xuan didn't dodge, letting her pound his chest. Looking at Xiao Qiqi's angry yet smiling face, Xia Xuan couldn't help but reach out and grab the small hand that was resting on his chest. "Qiqi, we will be happy."
"Yes, we will be happy," Xiao Qiqi repeated Xia Xuan's words. Happiness seemed so close, just a step away. "Xia Xuan, why are your hands so warm?"
"That's because my heart is warm. You're in my heart, so it's warm."
"Tch, I'm afraid of the cold in winter, does that mean my heart is as cold as iron?" Xiao Qiqi tickled Xia Xuan, who burst into laughter. Xiao Qiqi pounced on him even more aggressively, "Xia Xuan, so you're afraid of the cold, haha, I've found your weakness." Xia Xuan's laughter was completely devoid of its usual gentleness, his face scrunched up like the big, clumsy teddy bear on Xiao Qiqi's bed, looking wronged and unable to escape Xiao Qiqi's daily torment. Xia Xuan endured the discomfort, grabbed Xiao Qiqi's hands, and pushed him down onto the bed, panting heavily, but still raising an eyebrow and saying, "Xiao Qiqi, actually, you're my weakness."
Xiao Qiqi felt a jolt, like an electric current flowing through her. She pulled her hand away and touched Xia Xuan's face, which was so close to hers. "Xia Xuan, I feel so embarrassed. What should I do? You've only been here for a day, and I'm already completely infatuated." Xia Xuan wrinkled his nose in annoyance, rolled over, and lay down, his face flushed with a smug smile. "Qiqi, I like it when you talk like that." Xiao Qiqi covered her face and ignored him.
Seeing that she ignored him, Xia Xuan knew she was shy and annoyed, so he changed the subject, "How about you come to Hong Kong with me?"
"And what about work?"
"Well, you haven't graduated yet, so there's no rush."
Xiao Qiqi relaxed her expression and quickly shook her head firmly, "This is the life I found on my own, Xia Xuan."
Looking at Xiao Qiqi's determined gaze, Xia Xuan nodded, "You're just that stubborn. But if you weren't like that, you wouldn't be the Xiao Qiqi I like."
"Yes, Xia Xuan, being yourself is the happiest thing, so you're not happy. Are they forcing you to do things you don't like?" This is what Xiao Qiqi has always wanted to ask.
Looking at Xiao Qiqi's concerned expression, Xia Xuan shook her head, "They didn't force me. In the end, it was all my own doing that I was forcing myself."
"I don't understand that. All I know is that if you're not happy, don't go there. If you don't like that home, then don't go back, okay?"
Xia Xuan smiled wryly, "Fool."
Xiao Qiqi wrinkled her nose in grievance, "Ugh, I won't talk to you about that anymore, I'll just live my own life."
"Okay, for the next six months, I'll only spend time with you, only talk about romance, and not about worldly matters." Xia Xuan pinched Xiao Qiqi's nose, "If you keep wrinkling your nose, you'll look like an old woman."
"Xia Xuan, what do you do every day?" Xiao Qiqi and Xia Xuan chatted while snuggled under the covers, their breathing clearly audible in the darkness.
"Yes, I'm actually very busy." Xia Xuan carefully chose her words. "Every day I meet a lot of people, learn how to handle company affairs, and attend various banquets and parties in the evenings, smiling, exchanging pleasantries, and saying almost the same things to different people."
"That must be very tiring, right?" Xiao Qiqi imagined the so-called upper-class life of wearing expensive suits and gorgeous evening gowns, exchanging pleasantries with unchanging smiles.
"You'll get used to it." Xia Xuan's voice held a hint of indifference.
"Then... are there a lot of beautiful women?" Gossip magazines are always full of rumors about rich young men and all kinds of beautiful female stars. Although she didn't know how rich Xia Xuan's family was or what their social status was in Hong Kong.
"Hehe..." Xia Xuan chuckled softly, "What are you thinking about?"
Xiao Qiqi stuck out her tongue secretly and hummed, "Isn't that what everyone says?"
"Actually, there are plenty of beautiful women around." Aren't all those men surrounded by beautiful women? Isn't their so-called status just something they flaunt through money and women? Xia Xuan silently closed his eyes. His mother said that if he made a choice, he should stick to it; perhaps he should get used to it.
"Have you seen many celebrities? Are they all as beautiful as they are on TV?" Xiao Qiqi asked gossipingly, leaning halfway over to look at Xia Xuan.
Xia Xuan reached out and pressed her into the blankets. "Didn't you say you were cold? Don't move." Then, she asked, somewhat annoyed, "Why are you interested in this kind of gossip too?"
Xiao Qiqi sighed and said sullenly, "I'm not really interested, but, Xia Xuan, I suddenly feel like we're very far apart."
"Nonsense, we're that close."