Lychee Sweet Kiss

A high school in California, North AmericaWhen Li Su walked out of the principal’s office, she noticed the rain had stopped at some point. The air was humid, carrying a faint, fresh scent of earth. With her heavy backpack on her shoulders, she walked to the school gate. Suddenly, her phone rang sharply from her pocket. “Su Su, I’m sorry,” her father’s voice came through. “I couldn’t keep my promise to you again. I have a last-minute meeting, so I can’t pick you up. I’ll send the driver over shortly.”When Li Su walked out of the principal’s office, she noticed the rain had stopped at some point. The air was humid, carrying a faint, fresh scent of earth. With her heavy backpack on her shoulders, she walked to the school gate. Suddenly, her phone rang sharply from her pocket. “Su Su, I’m sorry,” her father’s voice came through. “I couldn’t keep my promise to you again. I have a last-minute meeting, so I can’t pick you up. I’ll send the driver over shortly.”She raised her hand, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, lowering her gaze to hide the emotion in her eyes. With a hint of stubbornness, she declined her father’s offer. “Never mind, I’ll go home on my own.” After hanging up, she turned and began walking east down the long street. Her view was filled with rows of cars lining up at the school gate to pick up students. It wasn’t that she cared too much about not having someone to pick her up; it was just that her father had broken his promises too many times. Last time, he had finally managed to keep his word and come to pick her upHe had thought she was still in middle school and had driven straight to the middle school entrance, waiting there. He even questioned the elderly gatekeeper, asking why his daughter hadn’t come out yet. After the gatekeeper emphasized for the tenth time that school had been out for two hours, he almost called 110, convinced he was dealing with a crazy person. The more Li Su recalled, the more speechless she felt. She decided to just stop thinking about it. After passing through the bustling commercial area, just another 200 meters would bring her to the villa district. The post-rain air was a bit muggy, and her stepsShe stopped and looked back at the teaching building of Jiangcheng No. 8 High School. This was her fresh start. Before she could turn her head back around, she suddenly felt her forehead collide with something hard. “Ouch… that hurts.” Oh no, did she just walk into a lamppost? Li Su turned her head and heard a mix of teasing and low laughter around her. “Whoa, Lan-ge, there’s a pretty girl here!” “And she went right into Lan-ge’s arms!”“Whoa, exciting! I like it!” Li Su didn’t pay attention to their comments, only then realizing that her forehead was pressed against the firm chest of the boy in front of her. Even through the thin fabric of his school shirt, she could feel his warm body heat and the steady, powerful beat of his heart. Her ears reddened slightly as she quickly stepped back, standing properly. “Sorry, I didn’t see anyone in front of me.” The boy had one hand casually tucked in his pocket, with his shirt sleeves rolled up…His sleeves were rolled up, revealing the smooth, well-defined lines of his forearm. He turned his head slightly, showing off a strikingly handsome profile as the sunset cast a soft golden glow over his chiseled features. Another boy stepped forward and lit a cigarette for him. The young man’s dark eyes narrowed slightly out of habit as he held the cigarette between his lips. Li Su watched the scene in front of her with interest. Well, well. Someone even lit his cigarette for him. It was clear now—the person she had just bumped into wasIt turned out that the “lamppost” she had bumped into was actually a big shot. Not wanting to linger, she was about to continue forward when a boy who looked vaguely familiar walked toward her, beaming as he greeted her, “Li Su! We meet again! What a coincidence—we must be fated!” Li Su raised her gaze to look at him, her clear, doe-like eyes showing a hint of helplessness. “Classmate Chen, it’s not a coincidence at all.” “Li Su, my last name is Zhang…” Zhang looked a bit hurt, but his gaze kept drifting between Li Su and the boy beside her.He seemed to realize something and looked at her in disbelief. “Li Su, I like you so much, and yet you betrayed me!” A question mark slowly appeared in Li Su’s mind. Without missing a beat, she began, “Stop pestering me. If you’re sick, go get registered at the hospital before it’s too late. Otherwise, your brain might never get better.” Zhang acted as if he hadn’t heard her, his face set with determination. “No, wait… you two aren’t together yet, are you? That means I still have a chanceThe aloof, strikingly handsome boy at her side caught her eye. Suddenly, a mischievous idea came to mind—why not have him help her fend off unwanted attention? The girl blinked her alluring eyes softly, her voice sweet as honey. “…Boyfriend.” The boy’s long, dark eyes glanced at her, a hint of surprise cracking his usual indifferent expression. Then, she—this girl named Li Su—extended her smooth, delicate arms toward him, her tone teasingly sweet as she murmured, “I want a hug~” He lowered his gaze, his eyes falling on her soft, pale arms.After a few seconds of silence, he finally moved forward, stepping into her embrace. Li Su’s rosy lips curled up slightly as she lazily raised her arms, hugging the boy in front of her. Her smooth, soft skin brushed against his bare forearm, sending a gentle, tingling sensation through her, making her heart flutter a bit. Just then, a cool, pleasant voice sounded above her, the vibrations resonating from his chest against her. “Mm, a hug.”She glanced at Zhang, but his gaze turned as cold as autumn water in an instant. Zhang instinctively took a step back, clearly angered by the scene. Li Su thought to herself that he was quite perceptive. She quickly withdrew her arms, putting some distance between herself and the big shot. In her ears, she could hear his friends teasing and joking around. “Hey, Lan-ge, the pretty girl wants you—her boyfriend—to hug her!” “While others are holding beauties, our Lan-ge is in the embrace of a beauty!” A faint blush crept into Li Su’s ears.She reached into her pocket and pulled out two lemon candies, tossing them to the boy at the front. “Here’s a little thank-you for helping me out just now.” He responded with a low “mm,” his cold demeanor unchanged as he casually caught the candies and tucked them into his pocket. He didn’t seem to care much about what had just happened. However, the boy who had lit the cigarette for him pointed at something on the ground and exclaimed, “Lan-ge, your backpack charm fell on the ground!” Li Su followed his**, looking over in the direction he was pointing. A gray rabbit keychain lay on the ground, its soft fur glistening slightly in the light.The keychain lay peacefully on the ground, looking as if it had seen better days, but something about it felt familiar… That’s when she realized she had accidentally stepped on someone’s backpack charm! No wonder it had felt so soft underfoot when she had hugged him earlier. She thought it was just her nerves making her legs weak on her first hug with a guy. Li Su quickly expressed her apologies, “I’m really sorry! I didn’t mean to. I can cover the cost of cleaning it!” The boy said nothing, merely casting her a glance with his deep, night-like eyes. Not quite understanding his meaning,Li Su tentatively added, “Um, it’s just a keychain, right? I can replace it…”She asked again, “Or, should I just get you a new one?” After all, she had plenty of pocket money to spare. “No need, this is a limited edition, and you can’t buy it anymore,” he replied, his voice cool and indifferent as he looked down at her. He seemed unconcerned about the whole situation, bending down to pick up the gray rabbit and treating it like a treasure as he wiped off the dust with a wet wipe. Meanwhile, his friends continued walking ahead. Li Su noticed that the wet wipe was hardly able to clean off the dust…The gray rabbit looked clean and well-cared for. Whether it was out of guilt or simply because she had some free time today, Li Su found herself following behind the group without thinking. The boy’s friends turned back several times, laughing and teasing before they eventually disappeared from view. However, he showed no intention of looking back. With one hand casually tucked into his pocket, he walked straight for a while before taking a series of turns down a narrow path. Li Su maintained a distance that was neither too far nor too close behind him. But just before entering the dimly lit path, she…After hesitating for a few seconds, she stepped inside, but by then she had already lost sight of him. “Where did he go…?” Li Su murmured softly as she turned the corner, only to suddenly feel a sharp pain on her head and, without warning, stumbled right into a firm, warm embrace.