Chapter 3: First Kiss – Do We Have to Kiss Right After Meeting?

When they first met, Ye Xi had already caught a pleasant fragrance on Shen Mingjin.

Now that they were so close, that scent was even stronger.

Ye Xi couldn’t identify exactly what the fragrance was, but she only felt that it was very sweet, easily drawing all her attention to Shen Mingjin.

It was a scent that naturally belonged on Shen Mingjin’s body.

Tempting and alluring.

It made people instinctively want to draw closer.

Suddenly, Ye Xi didn’t quite dare to look at that face, which was as temptingly sweet as the fragrance. She stiffened her back, holding Shen Mingjin’s body with both hands, not daring to move an inch, not even letting her gaze slide downward.

Her eyes fixed tightly on the elevator doors, only relaxing with a sigh when the sound of the elevator arriving finally rang out.

Ye Xi carried Shen Mingjin out of the elevator and hadn’t walked far before stopping in the hallway. She hesitated over whether to take Shen Mingjin back to her own home.

“Sister?”

Of course, Shen Mingjin didn’t respond. Ye Xi mustered her courage and lowered her head, her gaze falling on Shen Mingjin.

The hallway’s dim light came from an old bulb, the yellowish glow falling like a thin veil, gently enveloping the Shen Mingjin in her arms. It softened Shen Mingjin’s striking features, toning down some of her allure and adding a touch of warmth.

As sparks flickered from the filament, the already faint light grew even dimmer, scattering tiny specks of light.

The dim, low spots of light swayed lightly on her beautiful, slender neck, as if trying to steal away the fairness and smoothness of Shen Mingjin’s skin.

Under some inexplicable impulse, Ye Xi hugged her closer to her own door, suddenly feeling the urge to place Shen Mingjin under brighter light to chase away those murky specks.

It wasn’t until she stood in front of the code lock that Ye Xi suddenly snapped awake—they were just neighbors who had met for the first time. She lowered her gaze again and softly called out once more, “Sister.”

The person in her arms still showed no reaction, with no sign of waking.

A fine chill wafted from Shen Mingjin’s body toward her. By now, Ye Xi felt no joy from the first time she had sensed this coolness; her own scorching body could feel the chill, which showed just how cold Shen Mingjin was.

Shen Mingjin might need some warmth, or she could get sick.

Ye Xi set Shen Mingjin down, supporting her with one hand while entering the code with the other.

Once the door opened, Ye Xi picked Shen Mingjin up again and laid her flat on the sofa.

The moment she touched the sofa, the unconscious Shen Mingjin seemed to sense something. She grabbed a throw pillow at random and clutched it over her abdomen.

Ye Xi wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but before the pillow covered Shen Mingjin’s lower belly, she thought she saw a faint white glow seeping through the fabric from her abdomen.

Ye Xi looked up at the bright incandescent lamp hanging in the living room. Its intense, blazing light easily illuminated every corner, leaving no darkness anywhere to hide.

It must have been because Shen Mingjin was so pale and the living room light so bright.

Ye Xi decided she had just been seeing things. Turning back to the drenched Shen Mingjin on the sofa, she felt a bit troubled.

Should she change Shen Mingjin’s clothes for her?

Sleeping in wet clothes would lead to a cold, right?

Shen Mingjin had been caught in even more rain than her. Rainwater soaked her hair tips, with inky black strands messily clinging to her fair skin. The soft, alluring lines of her shoulders and neck were fully exposed, her striking face bearing traces of water droplets—like a freshly bloomed red rose, its petals caressed by fine rain, appearing even more ravishing.

The bright light clearly revealed Shen Mingjin’s natural advantages, and Ye Xi didn’t dare look too much, not even daring to let her gaze slide lower.

She hurriedly fetched a bath towel and wrapped Shen Mingjin in it, absorbing the water droplets from her body. Then she swaddled her in a thick blanket. In the end, Ye Xi gave up on the idea of changing her clothes. They had only met today, and even if Shen Mingjin had clothes she could use, such an action would still be too presumptuous and offensive.

Ye Xi took a deep look at Shen Mingjin bundled in the blanket and softly prayed, “I hope you don’t catch a cold.”

She glanced at Shen Mingjin’s still-damp hair and fetched a clean towel. Half-kneeling in the gap between the sofa and coffee table, Ye Xi wiped her hair, trying to remove as much water from the inky strands as possible to reduce the chance of her catching a cold.

Perhaps because the heat from Ye Xi’s palms transferred to the towel—Shen Mingjin’s body temperature was extremely low—her hair dried remarkably quickly.

It hadn’t taken long for Ye Xi to dry Shen Mingjin’s damp hair.

The strands were soft and silky, carrying a warm fragrance.

Ye Xi set the towel down but didn’t stand up right away. She remained half-kneeling, her gaze lingering on Shen Mingjin’s hand. Her slender, pale fingers had smooth, delicate skin that emitted a faint chill— just looking at them felt cooling.

The time they’d known each other could be measured in minutes, yet in that short span, Ye Xi was already developing an almost addictive dependence on Shen Mingjin’s body temperature.

Ye Xi’s throat moved slightly as her fingertip unconsciously pressed the red mole on her neck.

After hesitating for a long while, Ye Xi still reached out toward Shen Mingjin.

She grasped Shen Mingjin’s wrist and guided her hand to her own forehead. “I’ve helped you, so you help me too. That’s called returning the favor.”

The words seemed addressed to Shen Mingjin, but also like she was comforting herself.

The palm pressed to her forehead was soft and cool. Just pressing her forehead against that hand eased much of the heat raging through her body.

Ye Xi was conflicted—one moment fearing Shen Mingjin would catch a cold, the next wanting that chill to linger on her skin longer.

She stayed half-kneeling by the sofa, forehead pressed firmly against Shen Mingjin’s palm, unmoving, waiting for the coolness to envelop her more deeply and gradually dispel the scorching heat clinging to her skin.

Ye Xi was fully immersed in savoring that rare chill when a muffled thud suddenly came from the direction of her bedroom.

It sounded like something had fallen to the floor.

Ye Xi reluctantly glanced at Shen Mingjin’s hand before climbing to her feet and heading toward the room.

She had just moved in and wasn’t very familiar with the new place yet. The moment she twisted the doorknob open, she froze.

The room near her bedroom turned out to be the Doll Room.

Three black floor-to-ceiling cabinets lined the walls, divided into small cubbies filled with all sorts of animal dolls. They appeared to be ceramic, crafted with exquisite detail in various sizes—the largest a fish, the smallest a butterfly.

Ye Xi roughly counted. There were nearly a thousand unique animal dolls here.

Looking at them, an absurd thought suddenly surged in Ye Xi’s mind: her grandmother had arranged for thick shag carpets to be laid in every corner of the new home—was it for these dolls?

No way.

These dolls wouldn’t run around, and if one feared them breaking, the carpet in this room was thick enough.

Ye Xi took two steps inside. In the center of the room sat a bed with a pink fur rabbit doll the size of a person.

Seeing the Pink Fur Rabbit Doll, Ye Xi walked to the bedside in delighted surprise. “Xiao Xi?”

This rabbit doll was an old ‘acquaintance’ of Ye Xi’s. During her childhood years living in the mountains with her grandmother, her grandmother often left for work. When her grandmother was away, it was this rabbit doll that kept her company. Later, when she moved out for school, she never saw the rabbit doll again.

Her grandmother had even lied back then, saying she’d thrown it away, which made Ye Xi resent her for a long time. She never expected to reunite with her childhood ‘friend’ in her new home. Filled with shock and joy, Ye Xi subconsciously pinched the rabbit doll’s arm. “Xiao Xi, we’ve met again.”

The rabbit doll’s name came from Ye Xi.

When naming it, her grandmother had said names were tied to fate, and Xiao Xi would always follow Ye Xi.

She hadn’t expected her grandmother to hide Xiao Xi away and lie about losing it, only returning it now.

Ye Xi wanted to ask why, but thinking of her grandmother’s advanced age, she decided against it.

Excited, Ye Xi pinched the rabbit doll’s arm a bit harder. “Xiao Xi, did you miss me?”

What Ye Xi didn’t notice was that as she pinched the doll’s arm, a faint imprint appeared on her own forearm in the corresponding spot, as if an invisible hand were pinching her.

Still immersed in the joy of reuniting with her childhood ‘friend,’ Ye Xi chattered on to the pink fur rabbit. “Xiao Xi, I missed you so much.”

Of course, the pink fur rabbit didn’t respond, but Ye Xi found it amusing all the same. After all, this speechless ‘friend’ had been her only outlet for loneliness during those mountain years. She wanted to say more, but her gaze was drawn to a glowing object in the corner.

Ye Xi followed the light to the corner.

It was a snake.

A Red Snake lay on the shag carpet. Among the cabinet dolls, it was relatively large, but crafted with fine detail, looking almost lifelike, even its scales shimmering with a beautiful sheen.

Its fall must have been the source of the muffled thud Ye Xi had heard from the living room.

Perhaps because she’d grown up with the pink fur rabbit doll, Ye Xi had a natural fondness for these animal dolls. She picked up the Red Snake, brushed her fingertip over its body, and returned it to its place.

Ye Xi gently stroked the red snake’s head, a faint smile in her eyes as she looked at it. “Don’t fall down again next time.”

She didn’t notice that the porcelain where her fingertip had brushed grew a shade redder.

Having settled the red snake, Ye Xi turned to return to the bed and chat more with the pink fur rabbit when a faint sound came from the living room.

Remembering Shen Mingjin was still there, Ye Xi hurried out of the doll room.

As soon as she entered the living room, she saw Shen Mingjin sitting up. Her throat moved. “Sister, you’re awake? Are you feeling better?”

Shen Mingjin’s gaze hung low, not looking at her, not speaking.

Ye Xi stepped closer. “Sister?”

Ye Xi had settled Shen Mingjin and then knelt by the sofa for a long time, reluctant to leave her cooling touch. She hadn’t had time to tend to herself yet, but with her high body temperature, the rainwater had long evaporated, leaving only her skirt slightly damp.

Because of the heat, she wore only a suspender dress—red, and a bit longer than Shen Mingjin’s. The red made her skin look even fairer, her exposed slender shoulders and neck, deep collarbone, and the soft swell of her chest adding a touch of allure to features that had nothing to do with seduction.

Without warning, Shen Mingjin stood up and hugged Ye Xi before she could react.

Her arms slowly shifted around Ye Xi’s, turning the embrace into her climbing onto Ye Xi’s back, silently wrapping around her.

The chill hit her back, instantly invading every nerve. Her scorching back suddenly soothed by the coolness, Ye Xi felt panic mingled with surprise.

Thanks to Shen Mingjin’s initiative, the soreness in Ye Xi’s throat was completely soothed, making her more willing to speak. “Sister, what’s wrong?”

Shen Mingjin didn’t answer. Her arms suddenly tightened around Ye Xi’s waist, her legs hooking Ye Xi’s as she climbed higher, like a nimble, clinging snake.

The rich sweet fragrance filled Ye Xi’s every breath. The temperature on her back skin dropped, but her breathing grew hotter.

Ye Xi lightly bit her lip, reining in her fragile nerves, and turned her head to look at Shen Mingjin. “Sister, you…”

She wanted to ask what Shen Mingjin was doing, but her hot breath hit Shen Mingjin’s cheek. Uncontrollably, Shen Mingjin leaned forward, her soft lips covering Ye Xi’s.

Ye Xi’s eyes widened in shock.

Her first kiss!

Sweet, wet, with a strange taste.

Still dazed, Ye Xi watched as Shen Mingjin, who had just kissed her, suddenly jumped down from her back. Her body swayed, and she collapsed onto the shag carpet.

When Shen Mingjin had been carried back by Ye Xi, her face had been deathly pale with a fragile weakness from the rain’s battering. Now, an unnatural flush colored her neck and face, with a clear bite wound on her lower lip oozing blood beads, blood smeared at the corners.

The blood must have been the source of that odd taste.

The wound looked self-inflicted, as if she were suppressing some kind of thirst—the soft, fragrant touch of her lips still lingered so vividly.

Even a fool could tell something was off with Shen Mingjin, let alone Ye Xi.

She didn’t dare approach, but didn’t run far either.

Shen Mingjin sat on the shag carpet, tilting her head slightly back. Ye Xi met her eyes just then—the hazy, amorous look amplifying her already striking features, her seductive charm etching into Ye Xi’s bones. A single glance dissipated Ye Xi’s anger over the forced kiss.

Ye Xi didn’t rashly approach, staying in place as she asked Shen Mingjin, “Sister, are you okay?”

“Don’t… don’t come near me.”

Shen Mingjin forced the words out, her voice strained with restraint.

Ye Xi felt that Shen Mingjin had just lost control like she had, treating her as a lifesaving source of water.

But Shen Mingjin’s body temperature was clearly very low—low enough that the kiss could soothe all the stinging pain in her scorched throat.

Ye Xi thought for a moment, then still poured a glass of ice water and handed it over. “Sister, why don’t you drink some water?”

“Ye Xi, you could clearly get caught in the rain outside, so why did you lie to me?” Shen Mingjin’s eyelashes trembled, her crow-feather-like lashes catching the floating teardrops. Her whole demeanor carried a deep sense of resentment and grievance. “You’re not human at all.”

She was accusing Ye Xi, but Ye Xi had no idea what she’d said to deceive her. She’d never claimed she couldn’t get wet in the rain—it was Shen Mingjin who had assumed that and pushed her inside.

Even conceding that she’d lied about getting wet in the rain, was such a small thing worth Shen Mingjin cursing her like this?

Ye Xi hadn’t even considered that Shen Mingjin’s words might not be a curse, but a simple statement of fact.

The hand holding the ice water froze in midair, unsure whether to advance or retreat.

Perhaps she should retort.

But Shen Mingjin looked so pitiful.

Her red-eyed accusation didn’t even seem like scolding. Her voice was still soft and lingering, and her face showed no real anger—just the grievance of being deceived.

It wasn’t harsh or vicious.

Ye Xi didn’t even find the words harsh; she just thought Shen Mingjin’s remark had come too suddenly.

Both she and Shen Mingjin fell into a brief silence. Ye Xi still hadn’t figured out where exactly she’d deceived her when Shen Mingjin’s fingers suddenly grasped her wrist and yanked her downward with sudden force.

The ice water in her hand splashed onto Shen Mingjin’s chest, and Ye Xi tumbled into her embrace along with the water, her arm pressing tightly against a soft expanse.

Realizing where her arm had landed, Ye Xi’s face instantly flushed red, her breathing growing even hotter.

Before Ye Xi could free herself from the heat sparked by her shyness, that kiss carrying a fragrant scent covered her lips once more…