Is this an indirect kiss?
At night, in the quiet living room, Xiao Wanqing changed into her home clothes and sat upright on the sofa, with a straight posture. Her slender fingertips aimlessly pressed the buttons on the TV remote, switching channels. The TV was intentionally muted.
On the four days when Lin Xian would return late each week, when it was about time for Lin Xian to come back, Xiao Wanqing would come to the living room and wait quietly. Occasionally, when Lin Xian hadn’t returned at the usual time, Xiao Wanqing would feel anxious and restless, with each passing second feeling like an eternity. But she didn’t dare to casually call the girl to urge her, at most, after careful consideration, she would send Lin Xian a polite and caring inquiry message, and only after receiving Lin Xian’s reply could she breathe a sigh of relief.
She was actually a bit disappointed. If Lin Xian was willing to let her pick her up, she would feel more at ease. But she didn’t want to force it either. When children grow up, they may always hope to be a little further away from their elders and have a bit more personal space. She should adjust her own position and be more tactful.
Fortunately, most of the time, Lin Xian didn’t make her worry too much. Usually, she would always arrive home on time, around half-past nine.
Today was no exception.
Lin Xian pushed open the door and saw her familiar warm glow coming from the living room as soon as she entered the hallway.
Aunt Xiao must be waiting for her again.
Sure enough, when she entered the living room, she saw Xiao Wanqing turn her head slightly, revealing a relaxed expression, and greeted her with a soft smile and warm voice, “Xianxian is back.”
In a shallow, gentle laughter from the woman and a faint gaze, it seemed as if she could dispel the chill that had accompanied her in the dark night and cold wind. A smile couldn’t help but appear on Lin Xian’s lips, as she softly responded, “Yes, Aunt Xiao, I’m back.”
Xiao Wanqing didn’t show her intentions too explicitly. She had never deliberately said anything about waiting for her return. It’s just that every time, she happened to be watching TV in the living room, coincidentally waiting for her. It’s just that this “coincidence” gradually revealed its meaning to Lin Xian.
Normally, Xiao Wanqing didn’t have the habit of watching TV at this time. For two or three consecutive weeks, Lin Xian noticed that on Fridays and weekends, when she didn’t return late, Xiao Wanqing would be noticeably working and reading in the study at this time.
Lin Xian felt a bit guilty that her late returns were affecting Xiao Wanqing’s normal routine. But to come home and see the tender and caring expression on her beloved’s face, as if her soul was entwined, made her feel sweet and content deep down inside.
In fact, if Aunt Xiao’s concern could be a bit warmer, if the joy and relief at seeing her return could be more evident, Lin Xian would probably be even happier and more excited.
However, Xiao Wanqing had no idea what the girl was thinking.
She had always been careful, trying to control her excessive eagerness and attention as a secret admirer, maintaining an appropriate distance as an elder figure to a younger one. She was afraid that being too enthusiastic, too close, and too caring would make Lin Xian, who was at an age yearning for freedom, feel bound, uncomfortable, and lacking personal space.
When she saw Lin Xian return, she could only pretend to glance at her casually. As she saw the faint glistening tear tracks on Lin Xian’s fair little face under the light, her gaze shifted downward and noticed the slightly darker wet marks on the blue denim pants, causing her to subtly furrow her brows.
Was it raining heavily outside?
She averted her gaze and focused back on the TV screen, engaging in a seemingly natural conversation with Lin Xian, “Did you get caught in the rain? Go take a shower quickly, don’t catch a cold.”
Lin Xian pouted and felt a twinge of sadness.
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
Aunt Xiao was acting so nonchalant! Shouldn’t she come over at a time like this, touch her face, and help wipe off the rainwater? She had purposely braved the drizzle, tilted her head up, and let the moisture wash over her face for nothing.
She drooped her little head in frustration, feeling a bit unhappy and thinking, “During my nap at noon, Aunt Xiao secretly rubbed my head so affectionately, making me feel like there was progress between us! But now that I’m all wet, why is Aunt Xiao acting so unusually calm and indifferent?”
Lately, it seemed like the likelihood of plans not working out had increased.
In her despondency, a slender shadow, carrying a seductive fragrance, gradually approached Lin Xian, slowly covering the brightness in front of her and enveloping her in its silhouette.
Xiao Wanqing, after all, found that the icy coolness and dampness were too glaring and bothersome. She endured and endured, but her concern eventually overcame everything. She turned off the TV, grabbed a tissue from the coffee table, and stood in front of Lin Xian, gently wiping away the rainwater from her face. She softly asked her, “Next time it rains, can I come pick you up?” as if there was a hint of sincere pleading.
Lin Xian gazed at the woman in front of her, who lowered her eyes and furrowed her brows, and her heart soared. Her lips gradually curved upward, clearly showing her extreme happiness, yet she still hesitated and responded, “Aunt Xiao, would you find me too troublesome?”
Xiao Wanqing saw that the girl didn’t reject her excessive concern, and her gaze softened even more. She reached out and flicked Lin Xian’s nose, teasing her, “Why are you saying such silly things again?” She touched Lin Xian’s slightly damp black hair and urged her once again, “Go take a shower now.”
Lin Xian pursed her lips, smiling with her eyes and brows curved, feeling completely satisfied.
There seemed to be progress after all!
On Saturday night, Lin Xian eagerly asked Xiao Wanqing to fulfill the reward she promised her for their date.
The so-called date was actually quite simple—it was just the two of them going out to eat and watch a movie. Lin Xian had never had a crush on anyone before, let alone been in a relationship, but from watching too many romantic movies, she naively believed that watching a movie together, especially with the person she liked, seemed particularly sacred. The movie theater, the holy place of a date, seemed to be where countless love stories sprouted from the pitch-black enclosed space.
After finishing their meal, the two of them wandered around the mall for almost half an hour before heading up to the fourth floor cinema and picking up their movie tickets. While waiting in line at the counter to buy popcorn and milk tea, Lin Xian craftily brought up a topic to tease Xiao Wanqing. Xiao Wanqing told her that she hadn’t set foot in a movie theater for about five or six years, and she hadn’t even seen the popular 3D movies that had become popular in the past couple of years.
Lin Xian’s heart immediately filled with joy.
With a hint of mischievousness, she sought confirmation from Xiao Wanqing, “Didn’t Aunt Wen invite you to watch a movie together in her free time?”
Thinking about the painful experiences she had when she went to the cinema with Wen Tong a few times, Xiao Wanqing couldn’t help but smile and answered Lin Xian, “I went with her a few times when we were younger, but later on, I stopped trusting her.”
Not understanding, Lin Xian asked in confusion, “Really?”
Xiao Wanqing explained, “Our tastes probably don’t align. Wen Tong seemed to think that watching romantic movies in the cinema with friends was too cheesy. And despite her looking cool and composed, she has a really low threshold for getting teary-eyed during movies. So, she didn’t want to watch highly acclaimed movies that could easily resonate with her because she was afraid of embarrassing herself in front of me. As a result, every time we watched a movie together, our film choices were always strange. I ended up being tricked into watching terrifying horror movies, childish animations, and gory war films by her a few times, and I didn’t want to go to the cinema with her anymore.” She reminisced for a moment and complained with a faint smile, “Every time I got scared, she would tease me about it for a long time.”
Lin Xian couldn’t help but chuckle, as if she suddenly understood why Wen Tong had been unable to win over Xiao Wanqing for so many years.
As they were talking, the line moved forward. Lin Xian naturally reached out and hooked her fingers with Xiao Wanqing’s soft hand, their fingers intertwined, taking a big step forward together. She turned her head, her eyes clear and sparkling, and made a promise to Xiao Wanqing, “Aunt Xiao, don’t worry. Today, we’re watching a romance movie. Even if we were watching a horror movie together, I would be different from Wen Tong.”
She earnestly assured, “I will protect you and won’t let you be afraid.” It was their turn now, and Lin Xian didn’t have much time to look at Xiao Wanqing. The server urged her to turn her head and place the order. The corners of her lips still carried the clean and charming smile she had when talking to Xiao Wanqing.
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
As Xiao Wanqing listened to the girl’s naive and sincere promise, as she looked at the girl’s soft profile, and felt the warm temperature transmitted through their slightly cool fingertips, she involuntarily tightened her grip, her eyes filled with uncontainable tenderness.
Shi Man and Xia Zhijin were sitting in the waiting area of the cinema ticket counter, looking bored. Shi Man glanced up and saw Xiao Wanqing and Lin Xian standing together by the window. They seemed to be engrossed in their conversation, oblivious to their surroundings. Shi Man instinctively stopped herself from going over to greet them.
After a while, Shi Man saw Lin Xian say something, and Xiao Wanqing responded with a tender and affectionate gaze. A mischievous smile gradually appeared in Shi Man’s beautiful eyes.
Xia Zhijin finally finished replying to her students’ questions on her phone and looked up. She also noticed Xiao Wanqing and Lin Xian standing not far away. She reminded Shi Man, “Manman, I see Aunt Xiao and Lin Xian.”
Shi Man nodded, indicating that she had also noticed. Then she mischievously pulled Xia Zhijin into a hidden corner without any reason.
Xia Zhijin rubbed Shi Man’s head and indulgently asked, “What are you doing? Don’t you want to go and say hello?”
Shi Man smiled like a fox, completely unconcerned about the people around them. She leaned her chin on Xia Zhijin’s shoulder, like a delicate and boneless creature, and pouted in her lover’s embrace, playfully scolding her, “Silly, it’s rare for them to have a date. Why should we interrupt?”
“A date?” Xia Zhijin pondered the thought, finding it hard to believe. She knew that Lin Xian liked Xiao Wanqing, but she had never thought that Xiao Wanqing would have any response to Lin Xian beyond the relationship between an elder and a younger person. She couldn’t help but turn her head and look at Lin Xian and Xiao Wanqing, who were currently seated diagonally across from them.
Lin Xian was sitting with her back to her, so Xia Zhijin couldn’t see her expression clearly. But Xiao Wanqing, facing them, had an expression that revealed everything.
When Lin Xian bought the popcorn, she also bought two cups of milk tea. When she asked Xiao Wanqing what flavor she wanted, Xiao Wanqing said any flavor would do. Lin Xian had originally intended to buy two cups of the usual sago pudding flavor that she drank, but her eyes suddenly lit up, and a mischievous smile appeared on her face.
She changed her mind and ordered two different flavors.
Fifteen minutes before the movie started, the two of them found a seat in the waiting area near the ticket counter. Lin Xian casually inserted a straw into one of the cups of milk tea and lifted it up, offering it affectionately to Xiao Wanqing. With anticipation in her voice, she said, “Aunt Xiao, try this flavor of milk tea. My classmates have been raving about it.”
Xiao Wanqing looked at Lin Xian’s intimate gesture, and a hint of watery glow appeared in her eyes. In such a public place, she didn’t feel comfortable lowering her head and drinking the milk tea from Lin Xian’s hand. She reached out and took the milk tea, gently sipped a mouthful, and then placed it on the table. With a gentle smile, she replied, “It’s quite delicious, but it seems a little too sweet for me.”
Lin Xian immediately furrowed her brow and exaggeratedly exclaimed, “Eh!”
“Then you can have this cup, Aunt Xiao. It’s green tea flavor, which should suit your taste better.” Between her lips, Lin Xian swiftly pushed the other cup of milk tea from her side and took the one that Xiao Wanqing had sipped from.
Before Xiao Wanqing could react and stop Lin Xian, she watched as Lin Xian lifted her hand, lightly curved her thin lips, exposed her pearly teeth, and lowered her snowy white neck. She deeply took a mouthful of the straw that Xiao Wanqing had just used, puckering her lips and sucking up a large gulp of the milk tea.
The girl raised her brightly arched eyebrows, and the sexy movement of her throat subtly rose and fell. She innocently smiled at Xiao Wanqing and softly said, “I think the sweetness is just right.” As she spoke, almost instinctively, the girl extended her rosy little tongue, pressed it against the straw, and unconsciously bit it.
Xiao Wanqing stared blankly at the faint pink straw between Lin Xian’s lips, seeing the glistening dewy luster under the light and shadows. Then, her gaze involuntarily drifted towards the girl’s equally dewy red lips…
She couldn’t distinguish whether it was her saliva or Lin Xian’s saliva…
In an instant, it felt like something thundered in Xiao Wanqing’s mind, and her heartbeat suddenly lost its rhythm. A shimmering water glow emerged in her eyes, difficult to conceal. Her shyness and tenderness were as if water was about to drip from her eyes. One of her exposed little ears turned red like it was going to bleed in just a moment.
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
She lowered her head, unable to look directly at Lin Xian anymore. While her heart was in turmoil, she berated herself for having such impure thoughts, but at the same time, she couldn’t help but indulge in her unruly emotions.
This…is it…an indirect kiss?
Xia Zhijin witnessed the entire process of Xiao Wanqing’s changing expression, and a rare look of surprise appeared on her usually cold and indifferent face.
Even though she was somewhat slow when it came to matters of the heart, she noticed the unusual atmosphere between Xiao Wanqing and Lin Xian, as well as Xiao Wanqing’s blatantly exaggerated reaction. She asked, somewhat stunned, “Didn’t Lin Xian notice?”
Shi Man chuckled and said, “Don’t underestimate Lin Xian. Right now, she’s probably feeling shy and happy about the indirect kiss, setting off fireworks in her heart. It’s easy to see things clearly when you’re not directly involved.”
In a cheerful mood, she kissed Xia Zhijin’s cheek and smirked, saying, “Lin Xian owes me a big favor again.”
The author has something to say:
Lin Xian keeps licking her lips: Aunt Xiao is so sweet! (I feel like I’m being both perverted and clever!)
