“I’m sorry, Yan’er. You’ve been wearing these earrings all this time because I gave them to you, right? I said the wrong thing.”
She paused, her voice tinged with a cautious tenderness:
“You… can you forgive me, please?”
“Huh?” The stunned Hua Yan blinked. This blockhead, how did she suddenly understand? Wasn’t she just as clueless as before?
“Hmph, even if you realize your mistake now… I already decided to ignore you.”
“Cough, cough. S-Since you know you’re wrong, I’ll graciously give you a chance to make it up!”
Hua Yan cleared her throat, her face flushed, chin raised like a proud swan:
“Go pick me another nice piece of jewelry now, and I’ll barely forgive you. Don’t miss the opportunity I’m giving you!”
“I understand.”
Yun Xuechang nodded happily and walked over to the dazzling jewelry counter, carefully selecting.
Soon, she picked out a piece she liked.
Oh? That fast?
Hua Yan watched her movements, raising an eyebrow, secretly delighted inside.
Since Xuechang picked so quickly, does it mean she’s already thought about what would suit me?
This girl, usually you can’t tell, but she’s actually pretty thoughtful.
What will she pick for me? Still pearls? Or maybe a gemstone native to the South Sea?
“Yan’er, how about this?”
Yun Xuechang held up the jewelry in her hand.
“…”
“Why did you pick that for me?!”
The moment Hua Yan saw what she was holding, her previous emotion evaporated, and she blurted out a retort.
“I once asked an old man down the mountain. He said wearing gold and silver looks festive and prosperous.”
Yun Xuechang held out the shiny, thick gold chain toward Hua Yan, speaking seriously:
“Since wearing gold is festive, I figured this necklace in the shop, with the most material, was also a good magical artifact—probably an excellent piece of jewelry.”
“…”
Hua Yan was completely speechless. She realized she should never expect anything from Yun Xuechang’s taste.
“Let me ask you, have you ever seen a woman wear something like this?”
Yun Xuechang thought for a moment and honestly shook her head.
“Exactly!”
Hua Yan pointed at herself, annoyed:
“I’m a woman! I mean—bah! I mean, I’m a woman now!”
Halfway through her sentence, realizing something was off, she quickly corrected herself.
“That’s not right either! Anyway, something this tacky, even if I were a man—no, even ten years ago, I would never wear it!”
Almost slipping up in the crowded shop, Hua Yan corrected herself again.
“Seriously, how many times have I taken you to buy clothes and jewelry? Why hasn’t any of my taste rubbed off on you?”
With that, she held the gold chain up to her slender neck, fuming:
“Look, does this thing even suit me? Do I look good?”
The red-haired girl, fair as snow, looked ridiculous with the rough gold chain hanging over her chest, inadvertently hinting at the curve beneath it, stirring unwanted thoughts.
Her beautiful pale gold almond eyes glared angrily at Yun Xuechang, her red lips pouting slightly—cute and bratty.
“Beautiful.”
Yun Xuechang answered honestly:
“I think Yan’er looks good in anything she wears.”
“You!”
Hua Yan’s face turned bright red. She stomped her foot and turned away:
“I-I really can’t talk to you, you tasteless blockhead!”
Despite her words, the care in Yun Xuechang’s words genuinely struck her heart, joy and embarrassment flooding in together.
She sneaked a glance at Yun Xuechang.
“F-Fine. Knowing I look good means you have a bit of taste after all.”
She grabbed Yun Xuechang’s hand and pulled her back to the counter:
“Come on, I’ll teach you how to pick jewelry and match it properly. Remember this time!”
“Mm.”
After carefully selecting a beautiful set of jewelry, Hua Yan compared herself in the mirror and turned to show it off to Yun Xuechang, satisfied:
“See, this is what looks good. Remember it.”
“Mm.”
Although she still thought Hua Yan looked beautiful no matter what—just differently so—Yun Xuechang obediently nodded.
After a pause, she asked hesitantly:
“Then, Yan’er, why did you still pick pearls in the end?”
Hua Yan covered the pair of plump, round pearl earrings she had chosen, her cheeks reddening, eyes darting away, tone unnatural:
“I-I… the South Sea pearls are so pretty. It’s normal for me to pick pearls, right!”
“But… you just said you don’t really like pearls that much, didn’t you?”
Yun Xuechang remained puzzled:
“I thought you’d pick gemstones.”
“…”
“T-This time is still a gift from you. I wanted it to be the same as the first time you gave me one… so I picked pearls too.”
Hua Yan covered her face with both hands, face reddening to the point of bleeding, her voice barely audible.
“Really… why do you have to ask so clearly… Hey, what are you doing?!”
Her face was suddenly gently cupped by two cool hands. Panicking, she looked up to meet a pair of calm red eyes full of love.
“Yan’er, I want to kiss you so badly. Can you prepare yourself and let me kiss you?”
Yun Xuechang, restraining the urge to kiss her directly, asked softly.
Kiss? Now? Here?
And why does this girl have to report it before kissing me?
Hua Yan’s eyes darted in panic, vaguely hearing the staff’s soft gasps. She quickly closed her eyes, trembling brows, and gave a soft “Mm.”
T-This is my first kiss…
Hua Yan’s heart pounded like a drum as she dared not look, nerves taut, anxiously waiting.
B-But Xuechang’s first kiss is definitely hers too, so I’m not losing out…
She could sense the cool, faint fragrance approaching, the girl’s slightly rapid breaths, her face gently lifted by those delicate hands.
Hua Yan nervously swallowed. Though she wore a look of “reluctance,” she voluntarily pouted her red lips slightly…
Then, she felt a light kiss land on her left cheek.
Huh?
Hua Yan opened her eyes in confusion and looked at Yun Xuechang, who had already pulled away.
“You… weren’t you going to kiss me?”
“I did kiss you.”
Yun Xuechang’s clear, cool face carried a hint of embarrassment and satisfaction:
“Yan’er, didn’t I just kiss you?”
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
Hua Yan slowly covered her face, confused:
“Why did you kiss my cheek?”
A surge of shame and anger rushed to her heart.
The atmosphere was perfect, I was all ready, and this blockhead only kissed my cheek?!
“Then… where else should I kiss?”
This time it was Yun Xuechang’s turn to be confused. She blinked, puzzled:
“Yan’er, are you saying… you want to kiss on the lips?”
Seeing Hua Yan’s red face and silence, she continued:
“But… doesn’t kissing on the lips lead to having children?”
Without noticing Hua Yan’s petrified state, she went on seriously:
“Yan’er, I’ve actually been meaning to discuss this with you. I think we need to form a contract first before considering children. And right now, Rongrong is still young, so even after the contract, I think we shouldn’t…”
“Wait, wait!”
Hua Yan covered her forehead, stopping her rambling.
“Who told you that kissing on the lips leads to having children?!”
“?”
Yun Xuechang’s confusion deepened:
“My master taught me. She said if a woman kisses a man on the lips, she’ll have children.”
“Is that… not the case?”