Xu Qingfan took off his down jacket for Xia Xiaoxiao to wear, turned on the phone’s flashlight, and held it up to give her makeup light.
The blush on the girl’s face had yet to fade, and against the backdrop of the light, her skin looked icy and translucent, her clothes fresh as clouds.
Xia Xiaoxiao reached into his down jacket pocket and rummaged around; tissues, lipstick, makeup mirror... he had all the accessories.
She gave Xu Qingfan a slightly strange look, looked at herself in the mirror, and said, "Why do you have a mirror in your pocket?"
Xu Qingfan shrugged and didn’t answer, he held his hand like a comb to help her tidy her bangs, "Your hair’s a bit messy."
Xia Xiaoxiao looked at her flushed face in the mirror and felt a wave of nervousness, uneasiness, and sweetness.
She was about to apply her lipstick when she took a closer look and froze instantly.
"Why is it Ruan Wen’s lipstick?" she asked suspiciously, glancing at Xu Qingfan, but she kept applying the lipstick meticulously on her lips.
Xu Qingfan thought: Of course it’s Ruan Wen’s lipstick, why else would I have it!
Tonight’s "runaway" with Xia Xiaoxiao was purely accidental; he certainly hadn’t prepared by bringing a lipstick in advance.
But why did he have it? And it’s Xiao Ruanwen’s! Of course, it was because the scoundrel man didn’t have good intentions when he pulled Xiao Ruanwen away.
Too bad he got outsmarted by the clever Ruan Wen who bombarded him to escape.
"Ruan Wen finished her makeup and just handed me the lipstick, just one of those things," Xu Qingfan said nonchalantly.
Xia Xiaoxiao thought about it. Handing over finished items to the person next to you wasn’t unusual at all when you’re busy.
She didn’t dwell on it further, carefully applying the lipstick on her lips.
The shameless guy had already cleaned off her original lipstick, saving her the hassle of cleaning up. After smacking her lips to even out the lipstick, she meticulously checked all the details on her face.
Xu Qingfan leaned in to help her check too, resisting the urge to mess it up again, and said, "Can’t tell at all. How about we say I took you to the bathroom when they ask?"
"Cough..." Xia Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes at him, not entirely because of what he just said. She pulled a tissue from her pocket, "Sneaking a snack without even wiping your mouth."
Both Xu Qingfan and Xia Xiaoxiao realized the ambiguity in her words at the same time. Before he could speak, Xia Xiaoxiao interrupted, "Shut up!"
Xu Qingfan had a stifled laugh on his face. After taking both the mirror and the tissue, he began cleaning up the "sneaking snack" marks.
Xia Xiaoxiao felt a bit embarrassed and said nothing for the moment. She glanced at him a few times, and after the shameless guy wiped his lips clean, she took the mirror and tissue back from him.
"Let’s go back and talk about it first," Xu Qingfan said without teasing her, taking her hand as they walked, "First think of how to explain to my mom and the others."
Xia Xiaoxiao wanted to say: What’s there to explain, just openly declare our relationship!
But she’s ultimately not that selfish, plus she enjoys their current cohabitation life, with her best friend, her favorite person, and her beloved cat and dog.
"Just say the excitement scared you, so you ran off with me," Xia Xiaoxiao said casually.
Xu Qingfan thought for a moment; it’s an excuse, albeit a bit flimsy since everyone knows he’s not shy at all.
"Let’s go with that then," he said, unable to think of a better excuse for now.
Xia Xiaoxiao stayed silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Did my dance look good tonight?"
Xu Qingfan’s gaze momentarily drifted, as she had asked him before too.
"More beautiful than the fairies in the sky," he turned his head, smiling sincerely.
Xia Xiaoxiao’s lips twitched harder than holding back an AK, turned her face away and said, "Disgusting."
Xu Qingfan didn’t mind her being aloof, continuing, "Next time when there’s nobody at home, perform it just for me."
"Only a dog would dance for you!" Xia Xiaoxiao half-heartedly tugged the hand he was holding, naturally not breaking free.
In truth, she already remembered it in her heart, even considering what to wear when the time comes.
"Then I’ll go home and ask Xiao Bai if he’ll do it," Xu Qingfan was serious; he often waltzed with Xiao Bai when he was bored.
"Xiao Bai will bite you to death!" Xia Xiaoxiao showed her tiger teeth.
Xu Qingfan didn’t say anything, as the host had already begun announcing the award-winning classes for the night. Xia Xiaoxiao also quieted down, listening intently.
Starting with the third prize, a total of seven classes, Xu Qingfan quickly heard about Class 1 of Grade 10. The skit planned by Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi won the third prize.
Two smiling faces appeared in his mind, and Xu Qingfan involuntarily smiled.
The second prize had two winners in total. Upon hearing about Class 2 of Grade 10, Xu Qingfan nudged Xia Xiaoxiao, "Congratulations."
Xia Xiaoxiao snorted through her nose, as if to say, what’s there to congratulate if it’s not the first prize.
"The first prize goes to the performance from Class 16 of Grade 10: ’Choose all C’! Congratulations!!" As expected, whether it was the original song or the popularity among students, "Choose all C" was everyone’s favorite.
"Congratulations," Xia Xiaoxiao also elbowed him, saying.
Xu Qingfan smiled without speaking, pressing his hand to signal her to stay calm.
"By the way," Xia Xiaoxiao said.
"Hm?" Xu Qingfan looked up.
"Why are you so skilled at kissing?" Xia Xiaoxiao asked abruptly, "Practiced with someone else!"