"I want to ask you a question." Zhang Jingxu looked at her, his gaze a little unfocused from the alcohol. As if pondering a cosmic mystery, he asked slowly but seriously, "Tell me... how long do two people have to be together... before they can kiss?"
Yu Wanwan was taken aback by the question. After a moment, she lowered her eyelids slightly and said softly, "This question... it mainly depends on the timing. When the time is right, you can naturally kiss."
He asked again, "Then... do you know how to kiss?"
"Kissing..." Yu Wanwan half-closed her eyes, a hint of confusion in her expression. "Do I need to teach you that too?"
Zhang Jingxu leaned toward her. "Of course. I heard that if the first kiss gives a girl a bad experience, it's easy to get dumped."
Seeing that he didn't seem to be pretending to be clueless, and remembering that she had promised he could ask her anytime if he didn't understand something, Yu Wanwan spoke with great reluctance. "Anyway... when you kiss a girl for the first time, absolutely do not stick your tongue out, don't act like a snake flicking its tongue. It's best to have some breath-freshening candy in your pocket beforehand."
Zhang Jingxu pressed on, his voice like a hook. "Besides these, is there anything else to pay attention to?"
She looked at his unsteady figure, her heart in turmoil, and asked, "Why are you suddenly asking me this? Have you already taken a liking to some girl?"
"No," he said softly. "I just want to practice in advance."
With that, he changed the subject. His voice, due to intoxication, was even deeper than usual, like gravel gently grinding against Yu Wanwan's eardrums: "Teacher Yu, do you know what kissing feels like?"
The question came abruptly and bluntly. Yu Wanwan's heart leaped, and she glared at him.
Zhang Jingxu tilted his face up, his eyes misty like morning fog in the forest, but deep within the fog, stars seemed to twinkle, as if he was focusedly waiting for something.
As if possessed, the words "Kiss your tiger's mouth and you'll know" that were on the tip of Yu Wanwan's tongue took a detour and suddenly became a light, almost unnoticed temptation: "Do you want to know?"
"Yes." He said it quickly and softly, but his eyes were like Pandora's box, full of temptation. "Can we have a practical lesson on the subject of kissing?"
Whether it was because of that glass of red wine or some selfish desire in her heart, seeing the tipsy man in front of her, Yu Wanwan suddenly lost her usual restraint and whispered, "Then close your eyes."
The man obediently did as told.
Yu Wanwan slowly leaned closer to him, and then... without any hesitation, she kissed him.
After a few seconds, she pulled her head back, separating their lips. Frowning at his unresponsive reaction, she said, "Hey... why didn't you react at all?"
Even just a flutter of your eyelashes would have been something.
Zhang Jingxu slowly opened his eyes and asked innocently, "What reaction was I supposed to have? Didn't you say not to stick out my tongue?"
Yu Wanwan was almost speechless. "I said not to stick out your tongue, but you can't just do nothing at all."
This kiss made her think of a classic line from some movie: "Do you know I hate it when you're like a stone?"
Zhang Jingxu's performance just now was exactly like a stone—no, calling him a stone was an overstatement.
His reaction was like a freshly dead corpse that still had a soft texture; kissing him was less pleasant than kissing her own hand.
"Okay, this time I'll explain it seriously." Seeing that this guy probably really didn't know how to kiss, Yu Wanwan began to instruct him earnestly: "First, eye contact. You have to look into her eyes and give her a hint. Then slowly move your gaze from her eyes to her nose, and finally stop at her lips. Once the atmosphere is set, use one hand to support the back of her head and the other to hold her waist. Here's a key point: the hand holding her waist must not wander around like a pervert. Then, part your lips slightly and slowly lean in to her lips, kissing her like a dragonfly skimming the water. Take it step by step, from a slow kiss to a deep kiss. Don't start gnawing right away. Finally, remember to learn how to breathe and adjust your head position, otherwise your noses will bump. Got it now?"
Zhang Jingxu nodded, half-understanding. "Try again."
This time, Yu Wanwan swallowed, then slowly leaned in again, placing one hand behind his head, and kissed him.
After the lengthy teaching session, Zhang Jingxu finally responded this time. He tilted his head slightly, following Yu Wanwan's instructions, and slowly reciprocated her kiss, like a dragonfly skimming the water.
Sensing that his kiss had begun to convey emotion, Yu Wanwan couldn't help but lean a little closer to him.
They weren't like an impatient, passionate couple; instead, they resembled actors in a youthful drama trying to portray a crush and restraint. By the end, neither was out of breath.
Until their lips slowly parted, leaving a faint, elusive warmth and coolness.
Yu Wanwan lowered her lashes, not daring to look at him, her voice as light as a feather falling through the air: "Now... have you learned?"
Zhang Jingxu's Adam's apple moved. His gaze fell heavily on her moist lips, and his voice was low and hoarse: "...Mm."
Yu Wanwan scooted back on the sofa, putting some distance between them.
She suddenly wondered, was she taking advantage of him under the guise of teaching? Playing dumb while knowing full well?
But on second thought, wasn't Zhang Jingxu also pretending to be dumb under the influence of alcohol? After all, from the very beginning, he had been the one who, drunk and unable to sleep, brought up the topic of kissing.
So... what kind of relationship were they now?
It was definitely no longer a simple teacher-student relationship.
Yu Wanwan lowered her head to fiddle with her bangs, about to go back to her room to calm down, when Zhang Jingxu suddenly spoke up, his voice a few degrees louder than before: "Teacher Yu, can I practice?"
"Ah?" Yu Wanwan looked up sharply, confused. "Didn't we just practice?"
What did he mean? Hadn't he taken enough advantage?
He explained with ample reason: "The first two times were your one-sided teaching. Now, I want to practice what I've learned. Is that okay?"
Yu Wanwan: "..."
It was already like this; how much worse could it get?
After a brief moment of thought, she straightened up and generously said, "Okay."
The man's Adam's apple moved. He actively leaned closer to her and began making eye contact.
Somehow, looking at Zhang Jingxu's burning eyes and his face that was getting closer, Yu Wanwan suddenly felt nervous.
Their noses were almost touching. Yu Wanwan's eyelashes started fluttering uncontrollably.
Until their four lips gently met, Yu Wanwan's heart couldn't help but race.
She had been so calm the first two times, and his kissing technique was just so-so, but why did she feel so flustered this time...