Sang Wan Ci’s words settled.
Lu Zhi Wei’s eyes were filled with astonishment.
This was a question she had never imagined would come out of Sang Wan Ci’s mouth and be directed to her.
She forgot how to speak, staring blankly at the person in front of her.
Why?
Why would she ask this question?
How did things get to this stage?
Who could answer her, what exactly was going on??
She didn’t understand.
But her gaze still drifted to Sang Wan Ci’s lips.
Her lips were well-defined and beautiful.
The colour of her lips was naturally a slight pink, attractive enough even without makeup.
It looked soft, enticing.
It was like a peach hanging from a branch, exuding a seductive fragrance.
Lu Zhi Wei couldn’t help but take another look, only raising her eyes when she felt like she had stared long enough.
In her panic, she met eyes with Sang Wan Ci.
Sang Wan Ci looked at the person in front of her, not moving.
She knew what she was doing.
She wanted to kiss Lu Zhi Wei.
From the moment Lu Zhi Wei had leaned over when they were rehearsing.
When their eyes met and their breaths were intermingling.
There was a sort of recklessness that crested when Lu Zhi Wei drew near.
Looking at Lu Zhi Wei so closely, she seemed to want to kiss her more than ever.
This was a feeling she had never had before.
And she chose to embrace this feeling.
She suddenly felt curious.
Curious about what Lu Zhi Wei’s lips would taste like.
Curious about how kissing someone would feel.
She had never kissed anyone before.
They had always used the angle trick when filming, except for that time when Lu Zhi Wei had accidentally brushed her lips against the corner of Sang Wan Ci’s mouth.
Coincidentally, Lu Zhi Wei had never kissed anyone either.
There was a fleeting moment when Sang Wan Ci had suddenly thought of grabbing Lu Zhi Wei and asking her not to leave, to stay by her side forever.
It came suddenly, an odd yet subtle feeling.
But her attention was not on it at this moment.
But on whether Lu Zhi Wei would agree or not.
If she didn’t agree, Sang Wan Ci would probably never ever bring up this ridiculous request again.
Lu Zhi Wei panicked, not knowing what to do.
Should she agree?
For the mission, or for the selfish desire that suddenly appeared in her heart?
She didn’t even understand why Sang Wan Ci would suddenly ask something like this.
“Wan Ci, you……” She hesitated.
“Because I’m curious what it feels like to kiss someone.” Sang Wan Ci seemed to already have known what she was going to ask. “Are you not willing?”
This time, she didn’t call “jiejie” to make Lu Zhi Wei unable to refuse.
If they were going to kiss, she wanted it to be of Lu Zhi Wei’s own free will and desire, or it would be too forced.
“Ah, I……” Please read at jiulian lian . wordpress . com
Lu Zhi Wei’s throat was suddenly dry, as if a fire had rampaged there, heating up her heart as well.
She didn’t know why this was happening.
Sang Wan Ci was just curious, it wasn’t out of liking her, why was she so nervous?
Was it because a person who had never been in a relationship had suddenly been met with an intimate request??
At this moment, the system who had detected the atmosphere came out to play again.
【Mission issued: Agree to the female lead Sang Wan Ci, a night of spring is worth a thousand gold pieces[1].
【Time limit: The entire night.】
Lu Zhi Wei: “???”
Why was there suddenly a “a night of spring is worth a thousand gold pieces”!
A kiss can lead to “a night of spring is worth a thousand gold pieces”??
And this time limit for the entire night is too scary!
Seeing her stay silent, Sang Wan Ci had her answer.
She moved away, saying: “It’s okay if you don’t want to.”
It seemed that she was indeed making things difficult for Sang Wan Ci.
Ridiculous and absurd.
Lu Zhi Wei: “?”
She quickly grabbed Sang Wan Ci hand and said nervously: “No no, I’m not, I…… I’m willing to.”
Her voice grew smaller and smaller as her ears grew redder and redder.
She felt like her entire face was about to start erupting smoke.
Kissing Sang Wan Ci……
She hadn’t thought about it yet……
This felt like a dream.
Sang Wan Ci turned around, the light in her eyes growing brighter like a star shining in the sky.
She was very happy that Lu Zhi Wei said she was willing.
She couldn’t describe the feeling, ethereal and elusive.
Lu Zhi Wei lowered her eyes and touched her lips.
She felt like they were a bit dry.
“Should I…… put on some lip balm first?”
Sang Wan Ci was just about to say there was no need, when Lu Zhi Wei quickly stood up and rushed to apply it.
This was her first kiss, and it was her first kiss with the female lead, she had to take it seriously!
Lu Zhi Wei took out a colourless lip balm and pulled off the cap. She was about to apply it when she heard the person behind her say: “Zhi Wei, I want some too.”
Lu Zhi Wei was taking it so seriously, she couldn’t be so casual.
Hearing that, Lu Zhi Wei’s hand froze as she suddenly felt even more nervous.
She quickly applied a layer and turned around, sitting down on the sofa with the lip balm.
“I’ll help you put it on, or you’ll do it yourself?”
Sang Wan Ci looked at the lip balm, then at Lu Zhi Wei’s glistening lips, an idea forming in her heart.
“I’ll do it myself.”
Lu Zhi Wei passed the lip balm to her.
But Sang Wan Ci set it aside and leaned in, reaching out to brush her hand against Lu Zhi Wei’s cheek before kissing her gently.
Lu Zhi Wei was unprepared, frozen on the spot like a block of wood.
The moment their lips touched, she immediately felt the softness.
Sang Wan Ci’s lips were ridiculously soft, kissing her was like kissing a bouncy piece of fruit jelly, it was unforgettable.
Her kiss was careful and clean.
Their lips had just touched lightly before parting.
It was just a short touch.
Lu Zhi Wei’s heart was already racing.
“There’s lip balm here too.”
Lu Zhi Wei heard.
She looked at Sang Wan Ci’s lips. There was a bit of moisture on them, casually applied, but also suggestive.
It was a mark of their intimacy that nobody else knew about.
Her heart raced even faster.
Her ability to speak was diminishing.
Lu Zhi Wei’s face was beet red at this point.
Drawing closer, Sang Wan Ci could smell a faint, fruity fragrance.
It came from Lu Zhi Wei’s lips.
It was a little sweet, as if Lu Zhi Wei’s lips had become sweet too.
Her gaze stayed on Lu Zhi Wei’s lips, unsatisfied.
She still wanted to taste it.
So she lifted up Lu Zhi Wei’s face gently and asked in a low voice: “Can I? Jiejie.”
Thousands of unspoken words were condensed in those simple words.
Lu Zhi Wei looked into her eyes and understood.
They had formed some unspeakable secret in that light kiss.
Sang Wan Ci’s fingers gently stroked against Lu Zhi Wei’s cheek as she waited patiently for an answer.
The next second, she saw Lu Zhi Wei nod gently.
The atmosphere was ambiguous and heated.
The fruity fragrance enveloped them.
Lu Zhi Wei’s ability to think was slowing down.
She forgot how to refuse, only remembering how to agree, remembering that she wanted to satisfy the person in front of her, so she agreed.
Naturally. Please read at jiulian lian . wordpress . com
She saw Sang Wan Ci smile.
That smile was even more beautiful than tonight’s moon[2], more beautiful than the first blooming flower in spring. Astonishingly beautiful.
Another gentle kiss landed.
This time, it wasn’t just a simple brush of their lips.
It was more daring and more seductive this time.
Gentle bites and teeth scraping against their lips.
Their breaths grew more erratic amidst the fragrance.
Sang Wan Ci’s kiss had a hint of curiosity.
Testing the boundaries of the other person and herself.
How much of me can she accept.
How much of her can I accept.
Why do I always want to kiss her?
Is it really because I like her?
But at least she had confirmed one thing.
—— She liked kissing Lu Zhi Wei.
She liked that Lu Zhi Wei would react to her.
She liked the space between Lu Zhi Wei’s lips.
She liked this feeling of not being able to control her feelings.
The unpractised first kiss was made even better thanks to the fruity fragrance.
Even Lu Zhi Wei had started to give up on all her considerations, following her own inclinations.
She learnt from Sang Wan Ci, kissing her back.
Biting on her lower lip, then gently holding it between her own lips.
It was the first time she realised, it turns out kissing is such a beautiful thing.
Or rather, kissing Sang Wan Ci was such a beautiful thing.
So how would Sang Wan Ci decide tomorrow?
After experiencing what kissing was like, would she choose to actually do the kissing scene?
Thinking about it, her heart suddenly hurt a little.
…… She didn’t want to see Sang Wan Ci kiss anybody else, especially Qiu Luo.
It felt like losing to the original male lead, it made her unhappy thinking about it.
The kiss finally came to an end.
Lu Zhi Wei lowered her eyes, letting go of Sang Wan Ci reluctantly.
She suspected she had been kissed silly.
Otherwise how would she start minding Qiu Luo and Sang Wan Ci’s kissing scene?
They were the male and female leads, was it very odd to have a kissing scene?
—— Wake up, Lu Zhi Wei!
She patted her face.
With two smacks sounding out clearly in the room.
Sang Wan Ci was in a good mood.
But seeing Lu Zhi Wei patting her own face, she suddenly felt worried, asking: “What’s wrong?”
Lu Zhi Wei looked at her innocent eyes, feeling even more guilty.
Wan Ci just wanted to try how kissing felt, but here you are thinking about all this nonsense!
Are you even acting like a jiejie!
You’re terrible, Lu Zhi Wei!
She laughed awkwardly: “No, nothing……”
Then she changed the topic: “My face now must be really red……”
Sang Wan Ci stared at her.
It was very red, like the redness in the sky when the sun was setting.
But she knew Lu Zhi Wei had always been shy.
“It’s okay.” She consoled her.
Lu Zhi Wei: “……”
She admitted defeat.
Why is it that I’m here with a red face, but she can still be so calm?
Won’t she even blush and feel shy?
Is kissing me so boring?
It can’t be…… My kissing is so bad??
She snuck a glance at Sang Wan Ci, then saw her pink ears.
She suddenly felt comforted.
Mm, her kissing skills shouldn’t be so bad as to not make people feel anything at all……
“Now that you’ve tried it……”
Lu Zhi Wei shyly started, as she covered half her face.
“Then how…… do you plan to deal with that scene with Qiu Luo tomorrow?”
Sang Wan Ci answered immediately: “Using the angle trick.”
Then she got up and went to bathe.
Lu Zhi Wei suddenly felt relieved.
But thinking about it, she was a bit suspicious.
It couldn’t be because…… my kissing is so bad, so she’s turned off kissing now?
God, are my kissing skills really so bad??
The more she thought about it, the more she felt it was the truth.
After all, she really had no experience!
She thought she might be the first person in history to make the female lead give up on kissing the male lead because of her lousy kissing…… It was simply embarrassing.
But everything had to have a silver lining.
Even if it was terrible, at least Sang Wan Ci wouldn’t kiss Qiu Luo, it was a good thing!
She felt just a tiny bit comforted.
… Please read at jiulian lian . wordpress . com
Lu Zhi Wei’s hand was pretty much recovered.
At least she didn’t need Sang Wan Ci’s help to bathe anymore.
So Sang Wan Ci had been able to resume bathing by herself.
She soaked in the tub, staring at the ceiling.
Her mind continually played back her first kiss.
Her fingers traced her lips, it felt like Lu Zhi Wei’s warmth and fruity fragrance was still left on them.
There was no disgust or rejection.
Only satisfaction and happiness.
Could it be…… liking?
She didn’t understand.
But she had her phone, she could search for an answer online.
She searched “how to determine you like the same sex”.
An answer popped into her field of view.
—— You’re possessive over them, you want them to stay with you forever. You’re not happy if they have any intimate actions with other people of the same sex. When they come near you, you’ll want to kiss them.
Sang Wan Ci thought about it.
She realised that aside from the middle condition, she had fulfilled the rest.
When Lu Zhi Wei came close, she wanted to kiss her.
Not only that, she wanted to reach out and grab her, keeping her by her side forever.
So this was liking someone?
It wasn’t the atmosphere or a spur-of-the-moment thing?
She was still partially doubtful, this required more consideration and observation.
Anyway, Lu Zhi Wei would be staying with her until she finished all her scenes.
But she didn’t know if Lu Zhi Wei liked her or not.
Lu Zhi Wei always took on the “jie” role, and she did call her jiejie……
At this time, she had no way to decide if Lu Zhi Wei actually liked her or just couldn’t say no to her……
She placed a hand on her forehead and sighed.
Forget it, let’s first decide if I like her or not.
… Please read at jiulian lian . wordpress . com
Lu Zhi Wei sat outside, hugging a cushion as she thought about the kiss.
The fragrance of fruits.
The unfamiliar sounds.
This was her first time kissing someone……
How embarrassing……
She lowered her head and thought.
Thinking about it, she thought about something serious.
—— The system didn’t say anything.
Logically, as long as she finished the mission within the time limit, the system would issue the judgement and she would get the mission point.
But this time, the system hadn’t come out yet.
That could only mean she hadn’t completed the mission, that meant ——
This dog system really wanted her to have “a spring night worth a thousand gold pieces” with Sang Wan Ci!
After confirming it, she wanted to scream how outrageous it was.
Save me, Wan Ci and I don’t have that kind of relationship!
We just kissed, how are we supposed to have a “spring night”?
I can’t possibly kiss her the whole night can I?!
If so, the skin of our lips would all be broken, and she would definitely think I’m some pervert!!
Lu Zhi Wei felt like this wouldn’t do.
If this continued, she would really be killed by this electric-shock-giving system.
She frantically called out for Lao Wu.
She believed that as a high-level administrator, Lao Wu could definitely give her a reasonable solution.
Once he heard Lu Zhi Wei calling for him desperately, Lao Wu thought something had happened again, so he rushed online: “What is it, what is it?”
Did he not fix the program timely enough that Lu Zhi Wei got affected?
It shouldn’t be, he was working quite fast?
And the system hadn’t even detected any turmoil in the world.
Lu Zhi Wei complained: 【Look at your system, look what outrageous missions it’s giving me!】
Lao Wu: 【?】
Because he was focused on fixing the program, he hadn’t noticed the system had issued another mission.
Now, he opened the mission tab.
Only to see the “a spring night worth a thousand pieces of gold” mission in there.
Lao Wu: 【??
【Good fellow, what did you two do for the system to issue this kind of joke?
【Can I ask, did you two secretly get your marriage certificate while I wasn’t around?】
【……】
Lu Zhi Wei covered her face slowly: 【We didn’t do anything, there’s no change in our relationship, we’re just friends.
【It’s not the time to talk about it now, hurry up and think of a way to fix this system’s mission procedure. I don’t want to always get some outrageous and impossible missions just to get shocked!
【This child is scared of pain, very scared, thanks.】
Lao Wu fell silent looking at the mission.
Three seconds later, he pushed up his spectacles: 【You two really didn’t do anything?】
Although the system missions were very outrageous sometimes, but it was absolutely issued based on the current atmosphere and actions.
He can’t help the host against the system without knowing anything.
Not even if it’s his daughter.
He might be a mother, but he still had to have the principles of being an administrator.
Lu Zhi Wei kept quiet.
After a while, she said: 【Just…… kissed for a bit.】
Lao Wu: 【Mm —— Mm???】
You two progressed so quickly in the blink of an eye?
Good fellow, was his vacation within sight??
Lu Zhi Wei was embarrassed and didn’t want to say anymore.
【Tsk, we really just kissed for a bit. This, this system can’t randomly give me missions! Kissing is kissing, we didn’t progress, how can there be a ‘spring night’!
【Isn’t it outrageous, as a high-level administrator, you must do something!】
Lao Wu believed Lu Zhi Wei wouldn’t lie when it came to it, at most she would be too embarrassed to say it.
But as for why the system would issue a mission that progressed so quickly, he had to do some research.
【Hold on, I’ll research and see if I can adjust the system for you. There’s still one night worth of time, don’t worry.
【If you’re really scared, you can just use your immunity pass.】
【……】
The precious immunity pass seemed like it couldn’t be kept safe.
Lu Zhi Wei sighed: 【Check it first, if you can’t, then I’ll have to use it.】
【Okay.】 Please read at jiulian lian . wordpress . com
Lao Wu began to flip through the information on the past missions.
Lu Zhi Wei laid down on the sofa and waited.
On the other hand, she kept an ear out for Sang Wan Ci.
She had gone in for so long, why was there no sound?
It couldn’t be that something happened to her?
No no, she should be taking a bath, let’s just wait.
But…… could it be that she didn’t want to face Lu Zhi Wei?
Because of her lousy kissing skills.
Thinking about it, her expression fell.
Then she patted her face again and warned herself not to think too much.
She believed Sang Wan Ci was a polite, considerate kid.
She wouldn’t take the initiative to kiss her, then be disgusted that her skills were lousy.
It was everybody’s first time, there was no need to be so calculative about whether they were skilled or not!
At this moment, she heard a sound from the bathroom door.
Sang Wan Ci walked out, drying her hair with a towel. Her first reaction was to look for Lu Zhi Wei.
She looked around the room.
It was empty.
Sang Wan Ci: “?”
Where was she?
Why did she disappear while Sang Wan Ci was taking a shower?
“Zhi Wei?” She called out.
Lu Zhi Wei quickly scrambled up from the sofa: “I’m here, what’s wrong?”
Sang Wan Ci felt relieved upon seeing her: “Nothing, I thought you were missing.”
Lu Zhi Wei laughed: “I’m not a three-year-old kid who would run around, I’ll tell you before going anywhere, don’t worry.”
Sang Wan Ci nodded.
That would be best.
She didn’t want Lu Zhi Wei to suddenly disappear from her side.
The conversation suddenly ended.
Once it turned quiet, Lu Zhi Wei thought of the mission issued by the system.
Looking at the person in front of her, she couldn’t help but be embarrassed.
Kissing was already something she didn’t dare to imagine, how could they progress directly to having a “spring night”!
“I’ll go bathe.”
She tore her gaze away and escaped into the bathroom.
Sang Wan Ci looked at her rushing by like the wind: “?”
Why did she run so fast?
… Please read at jiulian lian . wordpress . com
Lu Si Jiao was in her dorm, lying in bed as she scrolled on her phone.
After studying the whole day, it was time to relax.
She habitually opened Lu Zhi Wei’s Weibo.
There weren’t any new posts.
Then she looked at the official page for 《Phoenix》.
There was no official trailer.
She felt bored and started tapping into the accounts of the show’s cast, looking at them one by one.
The female lead Sang Wan Ci’s Weibo was basically an account for her work.
She didn’t take a lot of selfies or photos of her life, she was just like an emotionless work robot.
The male lead Ying Xi Ze was different.
Although he didn’t post often, he was livelier than Sang Wan Ci and would post some photos to share his life with his fans.
Like that he ate noodles for dinner.
Like that he caught a small penguin toy with a dollar.
Or like a birthday gift.
A red, hand-knitted hat.
From Ying Xi Ze’s post, this hat was hand-knitted and given to him by a female cast member who was older when he was still filming 《Phoenix》.
He really liked the hat, even taking nine photos with it on his head to show off.
Lu Si Jiao didn’t think anything about it, on the verge of scrolling away.
Then she suddenly remembered she was looking at the male lead in a show that her sister, Lu Zhi Wei, had acted in.
The same crew, older than him, a female actress, hand-knitted……
God, wouldn’t that be her older sister who was gifted in handicrafts???
She couldn’t understand, feeling shocked.
She got up and stuck her head out, looking at the three other beds and asking for help.
“In the entertainment industry, if a female actress gives a male actor something she knitted herself…… Is there a special meaning?”
“Of course.” One of her dormmates stuck her head out too. “Doesn’t that mean that she’s interested in him?”
Lu Si Jiao: “……?”
Another dormmate pulled back her bed’s curtain[3]: “Don’t even talk about the entertainment industry, which industry isn’t like that? If you don’t like them, why would you waste your time and effort to hand-knit something?”
“I agree.”
“I agree.”
Lu Si Jiao quickly sat back and looked at that post of Ying Xi Ze’s again.
Then her eyes widened to two circles and she covered her mouth in shock.
What, my jie likes Ying Xi Ze???
[1] 春宵—刻值千金 – This is part of a line from a poem, but it essentially translates to that a beautiful spring night is very valuable. It then came to be used to mean the first night spent together after marriage is precious, because… well, sex. But then now it’s just evolved to just be a euphemism for sex, basically.
[2] This is a play on a famous saying that is said to come from Natsume Soseki, a Japanese writer. When he heard a student literally translate “I love you” into Japanese, he apparently said that Japanese people don’t say things in such a charmless manner. So he came up with the sentence, “the moon is beautiful tonight”, as a poetic way of expressing “I love you”. So now, when people say this (in China), it’s a way of expressing their feelings for someone.
[3] So in dorms in China, there are typically 4 or 6 beds to a room, usually in the form of bunk beds. For privacy, people usually have short curtains blocking their bed area off from the rest of the room, so yeah.
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