Little Butterfly's lips were soft and moist.
Zhuang Zi'ang's mind went blank, a buzzing filled his head, his blood surged, and his heart pounded as if trying to escape his chest.
Those brief three seconds were etched into his memory.
She snatched my first kiss!
Su Yudiel, seemingly unaware, released her arms from around Zhuang Zi'ang's neck.
Zhuang Zi'ang lifted his head, his cheeks burning hot.
Looking at the girl's delicate face, he felt like he was dreaming.
He helped Su Yudiel with the blanket and hastily fled the room.
She was the one who initiated it, yet he felt like he was the one who had done something wrong.
Lying on the sofa, Zhuang Zi'ang tossed and turned, unable to sleep for a long time.
His mind replayed those fleeting three seconds of contact.
He finally pulled out his Bluetooth earbuds and listened to music, trying to calm down.
Afraid you’ll fly away, afraid you’ll leave me.
More afraid you’ll stay here eternally.
Every teardrop flows towards you.
Flowing back to the seabed of the sky.
…
As the melancholic melody played, the alcohol's effects finally washed over him like a tide.
Zhuang Zi'ang drifted into sleep, and naturally, the heroine of his dream was Little Butterfly.
The scenes were blush-inducing and indescribable. (To elaborate would fail censorship and likely bore readers, so we'll skip the details.)
After who knows how long, Zhuang Zi'ang felt a tickle in his nose and sneezed loudly.
He opened his eyes to Su Yudiel's bright smile.
She held a feather, probably found somewhere, and giggled.
"You're teasing me again." Zhuang Zi'ang rubbed his nose.
"Lazybones! The sun’s almost down and you’re still asleep!" Su Yudiel made a face.
Suddenly, Zhuang Zi'ang felt a strange sensation and his face flushed crimson with embarrassment.
He scrambled up, dashed into the bedroom, and locked the door.
First, hide the evidence, wash it later.
Several minutes passed before Zhuang Zi'ang finally emerged.
Su Yudiel noticed he seemed to have changed his pants.
"Zhuang Zi'ang, did you take advantage of me while I was drunk?"
"Don't you remember?" Zhuang Zi'ang asked, surprised.
"Remember what? I only remember being at the BBQ place, then waking up in your bed." Su Yudiel looked as innocent as a lamb.
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Zhuang Zi'ang felt wronged. How could she be like this? Taking his first kiss under the influence and then turning the tables on him.
He had to bite the bullet and say, "You were reeking of booze, who'd want to take advantage of you?"
"But you took off my shoes."
"If I didn't take off your shoes, you'd dirty my bed, what else could I do?"
Su Yudiel thought it made sense and didn't pursue it further. But recalling Zhuang Zi'ang's gaze at her feet yesterday, she still felt a little strange.
On the table, in a round fishbowl, two red goldfish swam freely.
Su Yudiel picked up the fish food and sprinkled some in.
Resting her chin on her hand, watching the fish eat, she said enviously, "Dummy, look how happy they are, not like you at all."
"You're not a fish, how do you know they're happy?" Zhuang Zi'ang retorted.
"You're not me, how do you know I don't know fish happiness?" Su Yudiel immediately countered.
"You're not me, how do you know I don't know you don't know fish happiness?"
Zhuang Zi'ang's sentence made Su Yudiel pause, almost frying her CPU.
She reached out and pinched Zhuang Zi'ang's arm hard. Serves you right for the wordplay.
Zhuang Zi'ang yelped.
Yeah, you can't reason with girls.
"Zhuang Zi'ang, I need to go home." Su Yudiel glanced out the window, twilight was gathering.
"Do you have to leave so early? I could treat you to dinner." Zhuang Zi'ang tried to persuade her to stay.
"No, I have to catch the 6:10 bus." Reluctance flickered in Su Yudiel's eyes, but she had to get back before dark.
Helpless, Zhuang Zi'ang could only see her off.
They arrived at the bus stop and sat on a bench, eating oden (Japanese hot pot skewers) while waiting for the No. 19 bus.
Though Zhuang Zi'ang wished otherwise, the bus, indifferent to human will, rounded the corner.
"Just one more bite." Su Yudiel quickly swallowed the fish ball in her mouth and took another bite of fish tofu.
"Will you come tomorrow?" Zhuang Zi'ang quickly asked.
"What fun is there tomorrow?" Su Yudiel blinked her big, bright eyes.
"We can go to the library and read joke books."
Zhuang Zi'ang blurted it out, then immediately regretted it.
Joke books? What a lame excuse.
It was the weekend, few people waited for the bus.
As soon as the doors opened, Su Yudiel stepped on.
Watching her slender back, Zhuang Zi'ang felt a pang of loss. He should have suggested something better.
Just as the doors were closing, the girl suddenly turned back.
"Okay, see you at the library entrance tomorrow morning!"
The bus started, carrying the girl away.
Zhuang Zi'ang spun around, grinning like an idiot, eagerly anticipating tomorrow.
Even though it meant he was one step closer to death.
On the way back, Zhuang Zi'ang had a bowl of beef noodles for dinner, then randomly bought a magazine to while away the long night.
Around eight, he sent Little Butterfly a message.
"What do you want for breakfast tomorrow?"
Just like last time, no reply.
Much later, his phone suddenly rang.
He picked it up quickly, but it was a video call from Li Huangxuan.
"Dude, why are you calling?"
Li Huangxuan looked glum on screen. "Sounded like you were hoping for someone else."
Zhuang Zi'ang forced a smile. "No way, what's up? Where'd you go this weekend?"
"Nowhere fun, you know my mom signed me up for cram school." Li Huangxuan complained.
Then he launched into a tirade about how torturous cram school was. Surrounded by academic overachievers, he felt academically overwhelmed.
Zhuang Zi'ang offered comfort, and he calmed down a bit.
"I really want to be in a relationship." Li Huangxuan suddenly said, "Dude, have you ever kissed a girl?"
"What? I haven't been in a relationship either, who...who would I kiss?" Zhuang Zi'ang stammered, feeling guilty.
"What do you think a girl's lips taste like? Strawberries?" Li Huangxuan wondered aloud.
"No, I think they taste like beer." Zhuang Zi'ang blurted out.
"Have you lost your mind? Why would a girl's lips taste like beer?" Li Huangxuan gave him a look of disdain. "Forget it, pointless talking to you about this, you haven't even kissed anyone."
They chatted about random things before ending the call.
Zhuang Zi'ang recalled those unforgettable three seconds that afternoon, confirming again, a girl's lips really did taste like beer.
Suddenly, he remembered the embarrassing evidence hidden in his closet.
He hurried to the bathroom, poured in a generous amount of laundry detergent, and scrubbed vigorously.
The dream scenes still made him blush and his heart race.
Yet, he savored the memory.