Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Almost kissed

Xie Xiao looked at his own hand, which was holding her wrist, the color difference between them was quite striking.

Xie Xiao loved sports, so his skin had a wheatish tint from being sun-kissed.

But Luo Yanran's skin was really fair, he wondered if it had anything to do with her quarter mixed heritage.

At school, Xie Xiao had never seen a girl with fairer skin than hers.

He observed the delicate blush that spread across her pale face, even her eyes seemed to shimmer with moisture.

She was truly beautiful.

"How much longer will you hold on?" the beauty before him asked gently after biting her lip.

Xie Xiao snapped back to reality, reluctantly letting go of her hand, his fingertips lightly grazing her wrist as they did.

Luo Yanran turned her head abruptly, swiped her card, and entered the station.

Once inside, she couldn't help reaching for the wrist that Xie Xiao had just held.

That spot felt as if it was on fire, her heartbeat was too fast; if she didn't walk away quickly, she was afraid Xie Xiao might hear it.

Xie Xiao looked at her retreating figure and frowned, feeling irritated. Was she angry?

Because he had held her wrist?

Following her into the station, he ran up to her and said, "Sorry, I just noticed that kid seemed like he was about to bump into you..."

"It's fine, let's go, which line?" Luo Yanran secretly released the grip on her wrist. Although Xie Xiao had only held it for a moment, why did it feel like his touch lingered? Still, she forced herself to speak calmly and changed the subject.

Xie Xiao looked at her, noticing that she wasn't looking in his direction. He felt a bit uncertain, maybe she wasn't mad?

"Line 8, six stops," Xie Xiao pointed to the left, "Down here."

Luo Yanran knew it would be crowded, but she hadn't anticipated just how much.

When she and Xie Xiao were squeezed onto the subway, she regretted it.

Fortunately, Xie Xiao grabbed her and squeezed into a corner near the junction of the carriages.

She exhaled softly; her back was against the carriage, to her left sat a child, to her right stood a woman.

In front of her... was Xie Xiao.

Very close by was Xie Xiao.

Luo Yanran just glanced up for a moment before quickly averting her gaze; he was too close.

Close enough that she could feel Xie Xiao's breath on her face.

Xie Xiao felt somewhat exhausted; the place was just too crowded. Luckily, he was quite tall and strong enough to carve out a small space for Luo Yanran.

It wasn't much, but it was enough to keep others from bumping into her.

At the same time, he somewhat regretted taking her on the subway.

He looked down at the girl in front of him; their position made it seem as though he was holding her in his embrace, even though he knew there was still a little distance between them.

Yet Xie Xiao's mood was still quite good.

He watched her like this for a couple of minutes. She kept her head down, but the skin that exposed was tinged with blush.

"Is it too hot?" Xie Xiao couldn't help but ask.

Even though the subway was air-conditioned, it couldn't withstand the sheer number of people.

The one who had been looking down lifted her head abruptly upon hearing his voice, revealing somewhat panicked eyes.

They were at the perfect height for a kiss.

That was Xie Xiao's first thought because as she lifted her head, all it took would be a slight dip of his to touch her lips.

Luo Yanran too realized, their distance was very close.

She moved her gaze away, flustered, not daring to linger on Xie Xiao's face, "It's a bit hot."

In fact, she knew her face was probably very red, but she couldn't help it.

Just like she couldn't control the rapid beating of her heart.

She could even smell a scent on Xie Xiao, perhaps from laundry detergent or something else; it was like lemon mixed with mint, quite pleasant...

Xie Xiao watched her suddenly avert her gaze and felt a stir in his heart.

Maybe it wasn't just the heat that was making her uncomfortable, maybe it was because of...

Was she nervous?

Because of the distance between them?

Xie Xiao could only guess, but he couldn't help curling his lips into a smile.

Neither of them spoke, and when it was three stops away, suddenly, a crowd surged in.

The already small space became even more cramped.

Xie Xiao was pushed a little further forward.

His body touched Luo Yanran's hand, which was originally holding her backpack in front of her.

Xie Xiao took a deep breath and looked down, "Sorry..."

Then he tried to step back a bit but was shoved forward again just as he had moved back slightly.

This time, the two of them were practically plastered against each other.

Luo Yanran's face was very red, but she still looked at him and said, "It's okay, let's just leave it, it's only two more stops."

Next time she wouldn't take the subway again!

No, it's that she wouldn't take Line 8 again.

The backpack wasn't very large, so Xie Xiao could still feel the soft curves of the girl.

His Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and he really wanted to turn around; at least it wouldn't be so awkward.

But obviously, it was impossible to turn around in this cramped space.

The noises of the carriage were loud in his ears, but the girl in front of him was now fully enclosed in his arms...

This scene unexpectedly gave Xie Xiao a sense of reassurance.

Luo Yanran looked at the chest of the boy so close to her, certain that it was the scent of his clothes, her nose tickled by his jacket as it brushed past, amplifying the scent.

She wanted to ask him what brand of laundry detergent he used; she really liked the smell.

While she was lost in thought, they arrived at another stop,

A considerable number of people alighted here because there was a large shopping mall nearby.

The space between them increased slightly.

Xie Xiao let out a small sigh of relief and took a step back.

He felt her tense shoulders seem to relax a little as well.

Only the two of them knew they each felt a bit of regret inside.

"We'll reach the next stop soon, I didn't press against you too much, did I?" Xie Xiao broke the odd and somewhat ambiguous silence.

But as soon as he finished speaking, he felt that his words seemed a bit inappropriate...

Fortunately, Luo Yanran didn't overthink it and just shook her head, "No."

Just as she looked up, wanting to say something, an auntie behind Xie Xiao, who was on her phone, backed into him, bumping her back into Xie Xiao's.

Xie Xiao, caught off-guard, was bumped by a heavy-set auntie.

His eyes widened in sudden panic, and the surprise on the girl's face in front of him was very clear. Sёarᴄh the NôᴠelFirё.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

She had just been looking up to talk to him...

Xie Xiao's hands reflexively braced against the carriage behind Luo Yanran, but their faces still quickly drew close.

Xie Xiao, looking at the lips so near to his own, regretted that his reaction had been too quick.

If he had been slower, he might have touched them.

Both their faces turned red.

Their breathing entwined, but for a moment, neither moved nor spoke.

The auntie on the phone realized that she had bumped into someone and quickly reached out to pull on Xie Xiao's hand, pulling him back, "Young man, are you alright? I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention!"

Her voice was full of concern and apology.

Xie Xiao saw how his view was being pulled away, then the auntie stepped back, taking him with her: ...Auntie, I'm fine, but maybe you should push me back there!

He exchanged a glance with Luo Yanran, who was still standing in the same spot and clearly hadn't regained her composure, and then they both averted their eyes.

Their ears and faces began to redden.