"You."
"Me…" Xiao Yu stopped struggling, crouched back down in front of her, looked at her for a long while, and suddenly laughed. He pointed a finger at himself: "You mean me? Ye Qingli, can you not be so unfair? I just went to buy a pack of cigarettes, and when I came back, I find this huge pot dumped on my head. I'm not a trash collector."
Ye Qingli pouted: "You didn't tell me you were going to buy cigarettes."
He couldn't argue with that. "If that's the case, then it is my fault. But what are you crying about? Just because I didn't tell you I was buying cigarettes?"
"I thought you had left." Ye Qingli wanted to cry again, but remembering she still had makeup on, she held it back.
Little did Ye Qingli know, her makeup was already ruined from crying. She should be grateful the makeup artist hadn't used particularly thick mascara. Now her foundation was smudged, leaving white patches on her face, making her look like a little tabby cat.
The more Xiao Yu looked, the more he wanted to laugh: "If I left, you'd cry. Looks like I'm pretty important to you." As he spoke, he wiped her face with his hand.
Ye Qingli dodged slightly and murmured, "Won't your girlfriend be mad about this?"
Xiao Yu paused: "Girlfriend?"
"The one from the Taekwondo Gym."
Xiao Yu realized—Xu Qingsong must have told her. He teased her: "It's fine, she won't get mad over such a small thing."
"Your girlfriend is quite magnanimous." Ye Qingli started crying again.
"Why are you crying again?" Xiao Yu pinched her cheek and chuckled: "I'm just teasing you."
Of course, Ye Qingli knew he was teasing her. When Xu Yan showed her the photos, she happened to see the message from Xu Qingsong. Even though she had muted notifications, the preview said: "No, Xiao Yu really doesn't have a girlfriend."
If she hadn't seen that message, she wouldn't have asked him to come out.
But she was still aggrieved, very aggrieved, incredibly aggrieved.
Even though she knew the answer, hearing his reply still hurt.
This person was just too flippant.
Tears fell like rain. Before she could wipe this batch away, the next batch came streaming down. Xiao Yu felt utterly useless—he didn't even know how to comfort someone.
He couldn't understand it: "You cry like this, as if you have feelings for me."
"I do like you."
Xiao Yu's hand, which was wiping her tears, suddenly stopped. Ye Qingli also realized she had spoken too quickly, but since she had said it, she couldn't take it back. She decided to go all in.
"I called you out today to tell you that I like you. I want to be in a relationship with you." She said again.
Xiao Yu looked into her eyes, trying to find evidence that she was lying. But those eyes were too pure—he failed. Gradually, Xiao Yu's gaze grew darker, and he asked, "Are you serious?"
"Mm."
"Let me confirm again, are you serious?"
"Yes."
"Stand up."
Xiao Yu left that one word, then stood up first, using his elbows to push off his knees. Ye Qingli didn't understand what he meant but did as he said.
The moment she stood up, an arm reached around her neck. She reflexively lifted her head. Before she could ask what Xiao Yu was doing, her lips were sealed.
Ye Qingli's eyes widened. Xiao Yu's high nose bridge pressed against hers, and a tenderness she had never seen in the young man softened his brows and eyes. His eyelashes trembled slightly, as if afraid of scaring her. The pressure of his kiss was very light, gently sucking on her lips.
So a girl's lips were this soft.
Ye Qingli was too nervous to move. Her mind went blank, and it was a long time before she thought to push him away.
"What's wrong?" Xiao Yu momentarily pulled back, his gaze still fixed on her lips, not moving far away, leaving just enough space for her to speak.
Ye Qingli's voice trembled: "I'm wearing lipstick."
Xiao Yu raised an eyebrow: "Your makeup is already ruined. Can't I eat the lipstick?"
"… No," she thought his logic was absurdly strange, and explained, "Lipstick is dirty."
"Dirty? I don't think so."
"I'm serious."
Xiao Yu rubbed her lips with his thumb, then suddenly curled his lips. "Then open your mouth a bit."
"Huh?"
Before she could react, he kissed her again. Ye Qingli noticed he really knew how to pick his moments—he waited until she spoke to kiss her. His tongue pried open her teeth and started kissing her tongue.
This kiss was extremely aggressive.
A feeling she had never experienced before felt unfamiliar yet gave her a sense of security. Ye Qingli tightly gripped Xiao Yu's clothes. He stroked the back of her head, held the girl in his arms, and then traced the nape of her neck, his palm burning hot.
After who knows how long, Xiao Yu finally let her go. Ye Qingli's mind was empty from the kiss, and when she opened her eyes, her gaze was dazed. She instinctively licked her lips.
Xiao Yu cupped her face, watching her with interest: "Still savoring it?"
Hearing that out of nowhere, Ye Qingli's face turned bright red. She put her hand on his shoulder and pushed him away: "No, I'm not."
"Why are you pushing me? I gave you my first kiss, and you don't want to take responsibility?"
Xiao Yu grabbed her wrist. Ye Qingli looked him up and down, clearly skeptical: "This is your first kiss?"
"Uh-huh."
"Then why are you so skilled?"
"Never eaten pork, but seen a pig run?"
What a cliché metaphor. Ye Qingli let out a laugh.
Her eyes sparkled: "So are you my boyfriend now?"
Xiao Yu found that sometimes she was really dense. They had already kissed, and she still asked such a question—would people kiss without being in a relationship? But now he couldn't bring himself to say anything to upset her. He smiled, his grin utterly priceless: "Yes."
"And what about me? What's my status now?" Ye Qingli rarely grilled people like this, but now she wanted to know. She wanted him to admit it, wanted him to say those words out loud.
This was the first time Xiao Yu had tasted the feeling of being in love. So this was what it felt like to have the person you liked. He lowered his head again and kissed her lips.
Ye Qingli felt he was avoiding the question. She turned her head away, not letting him kiss her: "Say it, that three-word phrase."
Xiao Yu turned her head back: "My goddess."