036｜(Thirty-five) Kiss

Finally, Xie Qingyan couldn't hold back any longer and broke the silence. His gaze hovered over Su Xingmao's face, meeting his icy eyes, and his tone remained steady.

"Is there something you need?"

Her stiff and unfamiliar tone suggested she was trying her best to distance herself from him.

Their relationship... aside from physical intimacy, ten years as neighbors, and now being classmates, it seems there's nothing that could be so close that he could stand here blocking Xie Qingyan's way.

Su Xingmao's expression was complex, his eyes shifting several times, but his gaze remained fixed on the cigarette held between her fingers, and he remained silent for a moment.

He said casually, "Smoking is bad."

"It's none of your business."

If he hadn't appeared, she would have thrown the cigarette away around the corner. However, with an obstacle blocking her way, Xie Qingyan became annoyed.

She deliberately raised her hand, and as the two confronted each other, the cigarette continued to burn silently in the night, accumulating a section of burnt-out ash.

Xie Qingyan, unwilling to accept defeat, defiantly bit the cigarette butt with her lips, her eyes and brows conveying "What can you do to me?"

Her hands trembled slightly, the cigarette butt shook off wisps of ash, her abdomen contracted, and she took a deep, forceful inhalation, the thick, choking white smoke filling her nostrils, which she then coughed up violently.

A fleeting, brilliant orange-red glow appeared on her lips, wisps of mist rose, filled the air, faded, and then gathered again, in an endless cycle.

In the vast white fog, he looked at her as if he were looking at flowers through the fog.

Until the cigarette was almost burned out.

Su Xingmao raised his hand, extinguished the cigarette in her mouth, and turned to throw it into the trash can.

Smoking was unpleasant; it was spicy and pungent, and Xie Qingyan coughed incessantly, tears welling in her eyes: "Cough cough..."

Warm fingertips brushed away the teardrops, picking up the dampness, the fingers lingered on her face for a fleeting moment.

The next moment, her voice was cut off in her throat as her wrist was gripped tightly by an undeniable force.

In an instant, Xie Qingyan was pressed against the wall, the cool temperature of the tiles seeping into her skin. Someone kissed her, forcefully biting her lips where she was licking a cigarette butt, their teeth sinking in, causing a slight stinging pain.

Xie Qingyan hadn't expected him to dare kiss her at school. She stammered and tried to lean back, but Su Xingmao grabbed the back of her neck with one hand and pressed her back down fiercely.

His lips and tongue haphazardly licked her soft, wet lips, coating them with a glistening layer of saliva.

"Open your mouth." Su Xingmao had completely changed. He pressed her neck down and commanded with his lowered eyes. The extinguished sparks flew into his eyes, and the ice was burning, threatening to engulf her.

The school garden was deserted at night, with only the distant teaching building faintly lit in the distance. A dim, yellowish light from the corridor beside them enveloped the two of them.

Xie Qingyan had no idea what was wrong with him. Fearing that a teacher on duty might pass by, he slightly parted his tightly closed lips, revealing his white teeth and red tongue, which could be faintly seen through the light stolen from the corridor.

But he wasn't satisfied. He reached around her neck from behind and moved his hand to her chin.

Slowly gather.

The scorching heat washed over his face, flushing his cheeks: "Stick out your tongue."

Xie Qingyan stared intently at Su Xingmao.

A small tongue reluctantly emerged from her mouth, glistening with moisture, soft and vibrant. Just as the tip of a pink lotus was revealed, he lowered his head and took it into his mouth. Su Xingmao's tongue was like a nimble snake, extremely aggressive, hooking around her and sucking on her relentlessly.

The cool, pungent flavor of mint tobacco blends with the sweetness of strawberry candy, tantalizing the taste buds.

Compared to the previous kisses, which were somewhat less skillful and awkward, this time he was exceptionally fierce, stirring up a storm between her lips. The gale assaulted her, stealing her breath. Xie Qingyan couldn't withstand it and soon became dizzy from the kiss. Not only were her lips red and swollen, but even the root of her tongue felt numb.

She had to lean back forcefully, her tongue retreating repeatedly, trying to avoid him. A chase ensued between their lips and tongues.

In the utter silence, only the faint chirping of cicadas from the flowerbed, the mingling of breaths, and the slurping of sticky saliva gradually grew louder.

Xie Qingyan raised her hand to push him away, but her hand was instead gripped tightly and pressed against the boy's firm chest. Beneath the thin fabric and the texture of his muscles, the sound of his heartbeat, transmitted through the rising body temperature, reached her palm.

Su Xingmao's heart was pounding... so fast, each beat heavier than the last, like a drumbeat, thumping loudly, violently striking between his fingers.

He is far less composed and self-possessed than he appears.