The younger sister mistakenly identified her brother when visiting relatives and was kissed by the c

But just as she was engrossed in watching, an accident occurred.

"Don't run! Wait for me!"

A little boy chased after his friend, running quickly. He was so focused on looking up at the kite in the sky that he wasn't paying attention to where he was going. Running too fast, he lost his footing and crashed straight into Qiao Xinxin's shoulder from behind!

"oops!"

Qiao Xinxin gasped in surprise, her whole body thrown forward by the impact. She was still clutching half a piece of steamed cake in her hand, and her center of gravity shifted instantly, causing her to fall straight towards Lu Baizhou beside her.

At that moment, Lu Baizhou was looking at the kite in the distance with his head turned to the side. By the time he heard the noise and turned around, it was too late.

Right in front of him, Qiao Xinxin's soft body fell solidly into his arms.

Lu Baizhou instinctively reached out and grabbed her slender waist, trying to use her for support. But Qiao Xinxin's lunge was too forceful, and due to the inertia, he was also pushed backward.

Their faces were instantly very close.

The next second, both Lu Baizhou and Qiao Xinxin froze.

There was no collision as expected, only warmth and softness.

Qiao Xinxin's red lips landed squarely and firmly on Lu Baizhou's thin lips.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

The breeze seemed to have stopped, and all the sounds around her vanished without a trace. Qiao Xinxin could only hear the frantic thumping of her own heart in her chest.

The sensation was so real. His lips were slightly cool, yet burning hot, and carried a faint sweet scent of brown sugar steamed cake.

Qiao Xinxin was completely stunned. It was as if countless fireworks suddenly exploded in her mind, leaving her completely blank.

When she came to her senses, her pretty face instantly turned bright red, almost dripping with moisture. She frantically braced herself against the ground, trying to back away in a flustered manner.

But Lu Baizhou's hands were still tightly gripping her waist. He was a soldier, and his grip was extremely strong. His instinctive protective reaction made him hold her tightly, and Qiao Xinxin struggled for a moment but couldn't break free.

"Relax...let go!"

Qiao Xinxin panicked, feeling both embarrassed and angry. In her desperation, she disregarded her image and directly stretched out her delicate fingers, grabbing Lu Baizhou's cheek and pinching it hard: "Let go, let go right now!"

"hiss--"

The slight stinging sensation on his cheek finally brought Lu Baizhou, whose brain had been in a daze, back to his senses.

He looked at Qiao Xinxin, who was so close to him, her face flushed and her almond-shaped eyes wide open, and only then did he realize that his hands were still tightly wrapped around her waist.

In an instant, Lu Baizhou's ears turned bright red, as if they were about to catch fire.

He hurriedly let go, stumbling more than half a foot to the side, almost losing his balance and falling down the slope.

Qiao Xinxin quickly stepped back and sat back in her seat, head down, frantically straightening the slightly wrinkled hem of her dress. She felt her face burning hot; she figured if you put an egg on it right now, it would fry up.

"Pervert! Why are you hugging me so tightly!" Qiao Xinxin bit her red lips, her voice soft and sweet, but her tone was full of embarrassment and anger.

Lu Baizhou felt a little wronged after being scolded by her, but seeing the girl's shy look that was about to cry, he felt a little sorry for her.

He touched his slightly burning ears and muttered under his breath, somewhat unconvinced, "You were the one who pounced on me... Who's the pervert here?"

Although he spoke very softly, the wilderness was so quiet that Qiao Xinxin could hear him clearly.

Her eyebrows furrowed, and she glared at him fiercely, her round, almond-shaped eyes welling up with tears: "What did you say? What were you muttering just now? Say it again if you dare!"

Lu Baizhou felt a tightness in his back when she glared at him with eyes that held both shyness and anger. His survival instinct kicked in, and he immediately shook his head vigorously like a rattle drum.

"No, I didn't say anything! I meant... I said the steamed cake was really delicious today. I admire your cooking skills; everything you make tastes good."

His blatant attempt to cover up his true intentions was so obvious that even a fool could tell he was rambling on and on.

But Qiao Xinxin's mind was already in complete turmoil, and she had no intention of arguing with him about these things.

She lowered her head and pretended to be busy tidying up the fruit and steamed cakes in the small bamboo basket to cover up her panic.

However, the sensation she felt just moments ago seemed to have taken root in her mind, and she couldn't shake it off.

Warm, slightly cool, with a strange sense of familiarity...

Qiao Xinxin frowned slightly.

Why did this feeling of lips touching feel so familiar to her?

Lu Baizhou sat next to her, his tall frame looking somewhat awkward. The blush on his ears hadn't completely faded, and he didn't dare look at Qiao Xinxin at all. He could only pretend to be focused on the remaining brown sugar cake in his hand, stuffing it into his mouth in a few bites, almost choking himself.

The two sat side by side, with about two fists' width between them.

Neither of them spoke again, but the subtle, ambiguous, and somewhat sticky atmosphere quietly permeated between them, and no matter how the spring breeze blew, it couldn't dissipate it.

Before we knew it, the sun had gradually set, and the western sky was painted with a magnificent sunset.

The wind gradually grew cooler, blowing against my face with the unique freshness and chill of the evening.

Qiao Xinxin tightened her collar and was about to put away the clean blue cloth spread on the ground when she suddenly heard a lively chatter coming from behind the earthen slope not far away.

She straightened up curiously and craned her neck to look in that direction.

Several young men in their early twenties were busily unloading things from a slightly worn, old-fashioned tricycle. There was a welded iron grill, several stacks of sharpened bamboo skewers, a few gleaming small iron plates, and a bulging snakeskin bag covered in black ash. Judging from the bag's shape, it likely contained charcoal.

Qiao Xinxin's curiosity was immediately piqued. She dusted off her hands and decided to take a few steps over.

"Hey, comrades, what are you doing?" Qiao Xinxin walked to the tricycle and asked in a soft voice.

The man carrying the things was a young man in his early twenties, wearing a faded blue work uniform, and sweating profusely. Hearing the sound, he looked up and saw a pretty girl with sweet features and two dimples when she smiled. His eyes lit up, and he quickly straightened up, grinning broadly.

"Hey girl, you wouldn't believe it, would you? We're renting out barbecue equipment! With the weather getting warmer, lots of people like to come to this field for picnics, grilling meat skewers, vegetables, and stuff—it's really fun. If you're interested, you can rent a set. Everything's here: charcoal, seasonings, bamboo skewers, and a grill. A set for an afternoon is only three yuan!"