The Price of a Kiss

For the next few hours, Xiang Qing was utterly reduced to Gu Wei’s personal human clothes hanger, her senses completely numb.

Watching Gu Wei swipe that black card without so much as a blink, and hearing the incessant ‘beep’ from the machine, Xiang Qing felt her very soul tremble.

‘The joy of the wealthy is truly this simple, unadorned, and dull.’ ‘Oh, how I long to experience such a tedious and boring life!’ It wasn’t until dusk fully settled and the neon lights outside the mall flickered to life that this frantic shopping spree finally drew to a close.

Xiang Qing’s hands were laden with shopping bags of all sizes, making her feel like a walking Christmas tree. Meanwhile, Gu Wei strolled ahead, hands completely empty, her posture effortlessly elegant. As they walked along Beicheng’s bustling commercial street, the night breeze swept through. Xiang Qing pulled her cashmere overcoat tighter, yet felt not a trace of cold in her heart.

‘Of course not! The price of this coat alone was enough to buy a luxurious bathroom back in her hometown!’

‘How could it not be warm?’

Just then, a commotion ahead drew Gu Wei’s attention. It was a roadside game stall featuring a balloon-shooting game, with an enormous plush bear hanging prominently at the booth.

A striking sign stood beside it:

[Couple’s Challenge: Hit all ten shots, and take home the gigantic plush bear for free!]

Xiang Qing glanced at it, utterly uninterested. ‘These little tricks to swindle money from young couples? Even dogs wouldn’t bother with them.’ To her surprise, Gu Wei, who was beside her, suddenly halted.

“CEO Gu, what’s so fun about this…?” Xiang Qing was so exhausted she just wanted to find somewhere to sit. Gu Wei, however, paid her no mind, walking straight over and pulling Xiang Qing along with her. “Boss, how do we play?”

The stall owner, a middle-aged man with a cigarette dangling from his lips, lazily lifted his eyelids. “Ten yuan for ten shots. Hit ten balloons, and that bear is yours. It’s written on the sign—couples get one free try.”

“Alright, we’ll play.” Gu Wei’s reply was concise. ‘It’s only ten yuan, isn’t it? CEO Gu is so generous, she’ll surely just throw a hundred at him and buy out the whole stall,’ Xiang Qing thought.

Unexpectedly, Gu Wei turned sideways, draped an arm over Xiang Qing’s shoulder with utmost naturalness, and pulled her closer into her embrace. She then raised an eyebrow at the stall owner. “We’re a couple,” she declared. “Free play.”

Xiang Qing: ??? ‘What in the world?’ ‘A couple? Who’s a couple with you?!’

The stall owner scrutinized the two women, taking them in from head to toe. One was strikingly glamorous and bold, the other pure and captivating; they were undeniably a feast for the eyes. However, having run this stall for years, he’d seen all sorts of tricks. There were countless young people trying to get freebies, and two girls pretending to be a couple wasn’t unheard of.

“Hey, I say, ladies,” he drawled, “my little business can’t afford you playing games like this. These youngsters nowadays, they’ll spin any tall tale to save ten yuan. If you two are a real couple, prove it, won’t you?”

The crowd of onlookers around them began to cheer and egg them on. “How do we prove it?” Gu Wei asked, a glint of amusement in her eyes.

The uncle grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellowed teeth, and pointed at them both. “Simple! Kiss each other, right here in front of everyone! If you kiss, not only will you get a free try, I’ll even give you ten extra shots!”

Xiang Qing’s mind exploded on the spot.

‘Holy hell!’

‘Kiss each other?!’

‘What kind of ridiculous joke is this?!’

‘My first kiss!’ ‘Last time, that woman Shen Lanzhi almost stole it, and now I have to hand it over to this lunatic, Gu Wei?!’ ‘My innocence!’ ‘My integrity!’ ‘It’s not like keeping it will let me breed, but it’s my first kiss, after all! How can I lose it so carelessly?!’

The cheers from the crowd grew louder and louder.

“Kiss! Kiss!”

“Beautiful women kissing beautiful women, what a sight for sore eyes!”

Xiang Qing’s face instantly flushed crimson; she wished she could find a crack in the ground and disappear into it. She tugged at Gu Wei’s sleeve, her voice barely a whisper, like a mosquito’s hum: “CEO Gu… how about we just pay? It’s only ten yuan…”

Gu Wei lowered her head, leaning close to Xiang Qing’s ear, her voice laced with a dangerous amusement.

“Pay?”

“In Gu Wei’s dictionary of life, the words ‘pay to play games’ do not exist.” Her hand slid from Xiang Qing’s shoulder, cupped her chin, and gently but firmly made her lift her head.

“Is a single kiss truly so difficult?”

“Or perhaps, you believe I’m not worthy of your kiss?” Her tone, her posture—it was clear that whether Xiang Qing wanted to or not, she would be kissing today.

As Xiang Qing gazed at Gu Wei’s face, now so incredibly close, alarm bells blared in her mind.

‘Given this madwoman’s temperament, if I refused again, she would absolutely pin me down and force a kiss right here!’

‘The mere thought of that scene was enough to trigger social suicide!’

‘Of two evils, choose the lesser!’ ‘It’s just a kiss, isn’t it!’ ‘It’s only acting!’

‘And I’m a professional!’ With a resolute heart and gritted teeth, Xiang Qing made up her mind.

“Who says I don’t dare?!”

She abruptly lifted her head, glaring fiercely at Gu Wei, a look of grim determination on her face. Under the astonished gazes of everyone present, Xiang Qing boldly reached out, cupped Gu Wei’s face in her hands, and forcefully pulled her head towards her own! This assertive and dominant move instantly ignited the atmosphere of the entire scene!

“Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh—!” Even Gu Wei froze for a moment, apparently not expecting such sudden enthusiasm from Xiang Qing.

Xiang Qing closed her eyes, her heart pounding like thunder, and aimed for Gu Wei’s lips, leaning in for the kiss! Just a split second before their lips could meet, Xiang Qing’s thumbs, still cupping Gu Wei’s face, moved with extreme subtlety and incredible dexterity! Her own lips landed squarely on the back of her thumb. Meanwhile, her other thumb simultaneously pressed against Gu Wei’s lips.

‘Sure, there was contact, but through a layer of skin? Could that really be called a kiss? No, that was a touch!’

The entire maneuver was executed flawlessly, so swift that no one in the crowd caught the details. From the onlookers’ perspective, it was a genuine, passionate kiss! The crowd erupted into the day’s most enthusiastic cheers and whistles.

The stall owner stared, dumbfounded, for a good while before finally snapping back to reality, slapping his thigh.

“Alright! That was wild! You two are ruthless! Go on, play! It’s free!”

Xiang Qing quickly released her hands and stepped back, her cheeks burning, her heart threatening to leap from her throat.

‘Phew…’

‘It’s safe!’

‘My first kiss is safe!’

She secretly glanced up, wanting to gauge Gu Wei’s reaction, only to meet Gu Wei’s eyes, which held a knowing, half-smile. Gu Wei extended the tip of her tongue, lightly tracing her own lips, as if savoring a taste. Then, she leaned into Xiang Qing’s ear and whispered something, her voice low enough for only the two of them to hear.

“Good technique.”

“Next time, remember to remove your hand.”

The color drained from Xiang Qing’s face instantly.

‘N-next time?!’

****

Gu Wei took the well-worn toy air gun, which looked as if it had seen many years, from the stall owner’s hand.

“Hmph.”

Gu Wei let out a cold snort, raising the gun with one hand, her posture as striking as if she were in a movie. She turned her face, giving Xiang Qing a look that clearly said, “You just wait.”

‘Xiang Qing’s heart bloomed with joy.’ ‘Go ahead and show off, keep showing off! I refuse to believe you’re some kind of sharpshooter!’

“Bang!”

The first shot missed the target completely. The balloon remained perfectly still.

“Bang!” The second shot—the bullet seemed to have flown off to some unknown dimension.

“Bang, bang, bang!”

Several shots followed in quick succession, yet the ten balloons remained as if welded to the board, refusing to budge even slightly. The onlookers erupted into laughter.

The stall owner practically had the words ‘Is that all?’ written across his face.

Xiang Qing could no longer hold it in; she burst into laughter, sounding like a squealing pig.

“Hahahahahahaha!” She clutched her stomach, laughing so hard that tears welled in her eyes.

“Oh dear, CEO Gu! Whose tutelage did you receive for this marksmanship of yours? Are you a master of human body outlining? Were you perhaps too excited from the kiss just now, causing your hands to shake? Why don’t you take a break?” Xiang Qing said, walking forward with mock seriousness and patting Gu Wei’s arm.

“Don’t force it if you can’t manage, what if you injure your wrist? Then you won’t even be able to swipe your card.” Her sarcastic tone turned Gu Wei’s face green with anger.

‘That’s what you get for scaring me just now! For flirting with me! You want a next time? In your dreams! Now look, you’ve embarrassed yourself in front of so many people. Let’s see how arrogant you can be now!’

Gu Wei spun around, her eyes fixed on Xiang Qing as if she wanted to devour her.

“Shut up.” Her voice was as cold as shards of ice. Xiang Qing immediately clamped her mouth shut, but the wild upward curve of her lips was impossible to suppress. Gu Wei took a deep breath, then turned back to the stall owner and uttered two words. “Again!”