For The Rest Of Our Life – Chapter 102

She’s my girlfriend, huh

When Lin Xian returned from the countryside, she had sworn to herself with great conviction that she’d got the technicalities down pat! All that stuff about licking first and then biting, or gentle sucking, she thought she knew it all!

However, when it came down to actual practice, she quickly realized that the theories on paper and reality were worlds apart. Those books never taught her how to catch her breath when a kiss leaves you gasping for air!

It was only after being kissed senseless by Xiao Wanqing, in a way that was both gentle and lingering, that Lin Xian belatedly understood just how much self-restraint Auntie Xiao had been exercising during their previous, more playful skirmishes.

After that long, intense kiss, Lin Xian, her head nestled in Xiao Wanqing’s neck, thought about the embarrassing yet somehow sweet fact that some of her drool had involuntarily made its way into Xiao Wanqing’s mouth while they kissed.

Would Auntie Xiao be disgusted by her, I wonder?

But Auntie Xiao, she’s so sweet.

And, moreover, ah! She’s so skillful, I’m covering my face…

Lin Xian blushed uncommonly.

Xiao Wanqing held the girl tight around the waist, her own heart thumping like thunder, legs feeling weak. Her eyes shimmered like pools of water, her lips even more moist, with a smile of indulgent tenderness tugging at their corners. She affectionately rubbed her cheek against the girl’s hair, silently sighing in her heart.

Even if it was a sweet marsh, she found herself, once again, willingly sinking deeper and deeper.

I really, really want to keep holding her like this.

It felt like a long time had passed, yet it might have been only a few seconds. The girl seemed to have gathered up her shy emotions and reverted to a previous grievance, murmuring in a muffled voice, “Alright, now the surprise is gone.”

Xiao Wanqing blinked, loosened her grip slightly, and tenderly called her name, “Xianxian…” signaling Lin Xian to lift her head and look at her.

Lin Xian raised her head from Xiao Wanqing’s neck, her hands encircling it, with a slight frown on her forehead. She looked at Xiao Wanqing with her eyes still carrying a bit of enticing shyness, though her expression was deliberately showing a small amount of unhappiness.

But her face was already radiant, and at this moment, tinged with an enchanting blush, like a red rose in full bloom in the early morning dew, shockingly beautiful and heart-stirring. Xiao Wanqing watched her slightly pursed lips, swollen from their kiss, glimmering with a watery shine, and couldn’t help but swallow.

She lifted her gaze to meet Lin Xian’s eyes and comforted her, “Xianxian, the key part of a surprise is the joy that comes after. Right now, I’m still very happy. In fact, I’m even happier than I would have been just receiving a surprise.”

Empathizing and introspecting, she opened her heart to Lin Xian, “Xianxian, more than surprises, I treasure your honesty. That’s the most precious gift I’ve ever received.” She paused, then admitted earnestly, “I apologize to you for the times I too have concealed the truth and hurt you.”

She couldn’t resist kissing Lin Xian’s adorable nose, telling her, “Xianxian, do you know? Trust is the most important foundation in all human relationships. Everything else must be built upon this foundation. And trust, it might take years to build, but can be destroyed in a single night. Xianxian, when I realized you could hide something from me for two months without a flaw, for a moment I felt very scared. I even worried—unnecessarily imagining—might there be other things you’re still hiding from me, things I’m completely unaware of. But I trust you. I’ve convinced myself to trust you.”

“But I must also frankly tell you, trust is like a wall. Every secret kept, every trace left in the heart is like a crack left in the wall by an earthquake. If there are too many cracks, one day the wall will collapse.”

“So, promise me, never test the limits of trust in your relationships, be it with friends, family, or love. Will you do that?”

Lin Xian stared at Xiao Wanqing without blinking, for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, her furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and a faint smile appeared on her face. She released her hand that was wrapped around Xiao Wanqing’s neck and gently wrapped it around her waist instead. Then, as Xiao Wanqing’s body trembled almost imperceptibly, Lin Xian pressed her ear against Xiao Wanqing’s chest.

With a sense of relief and openness, Lin Xian murmured softly, “Auntie Xiao, do you know? It feels like today is the first time I’ve heard your heartbeat.” She could sense that Xiao Wanqing was gradually opening her heart to her. She could feel Auntie Xiao’s heart beating passionately and genuinely for her.

Looking up at Xiao Wanqing with shimmering eyes, her eyebrows curved like a child asking a teacher for a gold star, Lin Xian asked, “I promise you, so can you reward me?”

“What?”

“In the future, let me listen to your true heart like this.” Through the fabric of their clothes, a scorching kiss landed on Xiao Wanqing’s heart. Lin Xian heard, near her ear, the sound of a heartbeat suddenly becoming rapid and intense.

Lin Xian lifted her head, unconsciously licking her lips with a trace of timidity, gazing at Xiao Wanqing with tender affection, and asked her with a low laugh, “Can I learn it one more time?” What she meant by ‘learning’ was left unsaid.

She put on a facade of utmost confidence and experience, while inside, she was nervous as could be. As soon as she finished speaking, without getting a chance to gauge Xiao Wanqing’s reaction, she was abruptly caught off guard and choked on her own saliva. Instinctively, she turned her head quickly, and then started coughing uncontrollably.

Ah, how embarrassing!

Xiao Wanqing hadn’t even had the chance to react before being startled by the girl’s vigorous coughing. She reflexively raised her hand to pat Lin Xian’s back to ease her breathing. After the initial shock, her gaze fell on the girl’s ear, now red as if dipped in blood and exposed to the air, and a smile slowly crept across her lips, finally letting out a laugh she couldn’t suppress.

How could she be so adorable? She kissed her on the little ear, her voice soft with a teasing laugh that sent tingles down Lin Xian’s spine, “It seems, dear Xianxian, you still have a lot to learn.”

After a struggle, Lin Xian finally ceased coughing and cast a wet-eyed glance at Xiao Wanqing, drowning in humiliation and anger. Yet her embarrassment had reached its peak, which instead led her to a reckless abandon, reclaiming her composure.

With a coy smile, she fixed her gaze unwaveringly on Xiao Wanqing—innocent yet enticing—and said with a voice of a young girl tinged with allure, “Then I’ll have to rely on the teacher to instruct me well…” Her voice trailed off, tantalizingly lilting upwards.

As if struck by a thought, Xiao Wanqing stiffened in place. Under Lin Xian’s intense scrutiny, her fair complexion flushed a visible bright red with bashfulness. Biting her lip, she averted her eyes, returning to the shy and adorable ‘Auntie Xiao’. Unnaturally shifting her legs that were still holding Lin Xian, she changed the subject, “Xianxian, my legs are getting numb.”

Having turned the tables, Lin Xian finally let out a satisfied smile.

She got off Xiao Wanqing’s legs and was about to sit down on the sofa next to her when suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind, prompting her to say, “Wait, Auntie Xiao, I have something to show you.” With those words, she darted back to her room.

In no time, she came out holding a square box in her hands.

She handed the box to Xiao Wanqing, her eyes shining with anticipation. “Open it and see.”

Xiao Wanqing received the box with reverence, her movements tender and cautious as she opened it to reveal a exquisitely crafted, crystal-clear crystal ball within.

Her left hand slid down, finding the button at the base. A gentle press and the melodious sound of a piano began to weave through the air, accompanying the figures of two girls locked in an embrace, dancing gracefully under a cascade of falling snow.

It was beautiful, truly unique. Xiao Wanqing’s eyes couldn’t help but light up with wonder.

Seeing Xiao Wanqing’s expression, Lin Xian guessed that she liked the gift and felt a sweetness bubble up inside, even happier than if she had received a gift herself. She sat next to Xiao Wanqing and explained, “I bought this with the money I earned from tutoring.”

Holding the crystal ball, Xiao Wanqing felt a softness in her heart.

Lin Xian was truly thoughtful and serious, taking every word she had said to heart. Xiao Wanqing had said that she would wait until she could earn her own money to buy her a gift, and Lin Xian had really followed through with action.

With a tremble in her voice, Xiao Wanqing asked with care, “Was it hard?” Lin Xian had never worked part-time before, had never really been the “second party” in any deal. She didn’t know how Lin Xian had learned to adjust her attitude by herself, how she managed the hardship of juggling studies, club activities, learning to drive, and part-time work all at once.

Leaning her head on Xiao Wanqing’s shoulder, Lin Xian sincerely replied, “It wasn’t hard. Thinking of you, not a bit of it felt hard.” She smiled and said, “Auntie Xiao, I bought this crystal ball on the day I fell from the bike. Do you know? My first reaction after falling was to check if it was alright. When I saw it was undamaged, I was so relieved.”

“After such a severe collision, the fact that it remained intact struck me. I thought to myself, this must be a sign that our relationship can endure just like that—facing twists and turns, yet remaining constant throughout.”

Xiao Wanqing found Lin Xian’s scars on her hands and feet moving yet also distressing.

With affection, she playfully teased Lin Xian’s nose, the sound of her voice carrying a restrained rasp as she chided, “Superstitious little thing.”

Lin Xian wore her superstition as a badge of honor, standing tall and proud as she declared: “I am superstitious, I believe in Xiao Wanqing, the disciple of love. Anything that can bless you, bless our love, I will believe in.”

Xiao Wanqing couldn’t help but let out a laugh, rendered speechless. Suddenly, she remembered something, stretched out her hand to grab the shoulder bag nearby, and pulled out her wallet from within.

She opened her wallet and, while taking out the safety talisman that Lin Xian had secretly slipped into her photo album to bless her, said to the girl with indulgence, “Xianxian, let’s return it to its rightful owner. You got hurt after it left you; shall we let it continue to protect you?”

No sooner had she finished speaking than Lin Xian, with sharp eyes, noticed a small photo slip out of the same compartment along with the safety talisman.

Immediately, she pressed down on Xiao Wanqing’s hand, which was on the wallet, and asked nervously, “Auntie Xiao, may I see that photo?” If it were—a family portrait of Auntie Xiao’s—she would never dare to ask so rashly.

But she saw it, a glimpse of what seemed to be a blue-background, one-inch photo.

A photo from the wallet compartment, a very sensitive item.

Curiosity killed the cat.

She knew that if she were smart enough, she should pretend not to have noticed—because perhaps the answer would not be what she wanted to know. Or maybe, she didn’t need to see the answer at all; if Xiao Wanqing showed even the slightest bit of the reaction she feared, it could pierce her heart.

Fortunately, Xiao Wanqing only gave a slight start before lowering her eyes and smiling indifferently. She then generously handed the wallet over to her, gesturing for her to take out the picture herself.

Lin Xian let out a sigh of relief internally. It seemed the picture wasn’t of Yan Jia, nor Wen Tong, and certainly not of anyone else. It must be of Auntie Xiao herself.

Without any expectations, she lightly pulled out the photo, and then, upon seeing it clearly, her face broke into a joyful smile.

Looking up in surprise at Xiao Wanqing, she saw in her bright eyes a gentleness as soothing as water, reflecting a tiny version of herself.

The tender gaze was soft, and therein, she saw a small reflection of herself within Xiao Wanqing’s eyes.

Lin Xian’s heart rippled with joy, and her smile threatened to reach the heavens. She happily clung to Xiao Wanqing’s neck again, playfully teasing her while knowing full well the answer. “Classmate Xiao Xiaowan, who is this young lady you’ve secretly kept in your wallet?”

She thought Xiao Wanqing would feel shy or embarrassed upon her secret being discovered.

But to her surprise, Xiao Wanqing raised her hand, gently brushed aside the stray hair on her forehead, and after a long moment, gazed deeply into her eyes—eyes as dark as onyx—and replied in a low and gentle voice.

Lin Xian’s eyes widened in an instant, brimming with happiness, yet in the next moment, she couldn’t help but choke up, tears trickling down.

This was the first time Xiao Wanqing had acknowledged her so openly. She pretended not to care, but deep down, she knew all along.

“She’s my girlfriend,” Xiao Wanqing replied to her, in a whisper that was like a sigh, tender and moving.