Huayu97: Starting with Wu Song Fighting the Tiger

Her handkerchief was a little thin, and you could vaguely see the delicate contours of her eyebrows and eyes. Sunlight filtered through the handkerchief, casting dappled shadows on her face and outlining her small chin and pink lips. The scene was just like Little Dragon Girl taking a nap in the ancient tomb, so pure that one couldn't bear to disturb her.

But in Liu Xiang's mind, the scene from "The Return of the Condor Heroes" appeared uncontrollably again, in which Yin Zhiping secretly kissed Xiaolongnu while she was wearing a veil.

That scene had once made Liu Xiang so furious he wanted to punch Yin Zhiping in the screen. But now, looking at Li Ruotong before him, an equally crazy thought popped into his head. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to taste her lips, feel her warmth, and hold this beauty firmly in his own hands.

Liu Xiang's throat bobbed, his heart pounded as if it would jump out of his chest, and he inexplicably took two steps forward.

He could smell the faint scent of shampoo in her hair, feel the warmth emanating from her body, and see the fine downy hairs on her cheeks, so adorable that he wanted to touch them.

All around was quiet, save for the chirping of birds, the rustling of leaves in the wind, and his own increasingly rapid breathing. His fingers trembled slightly as he reached out, wanting to gently lift the handkerchief. But the moment his fingertips touched the edge, he pulled back. He was afraid. Afraid of frightening her, afraid of ruining this beautiful moment, afraid of losing the chance to speak to her forever.

But the impulse in his heart was like a wild horse that had broken free of its reins, impossible to control. Liu Xiang took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind. He slowly leaned down, gradually getting closer to her face, his nose almost touching her forehead.

His gaze fell on the pinkish area beneath the handkerchief, and through the thin fabric, he kissed her lips. The soft touch from the handkerchief sent a jolt through his body like an electric shock, making him tremble with a tingling sensation.

Li Ruotong didn't resist; her eyelashes trembled slightly. Liu Xiang froze, quickly taking two steps back. Her heart pounded even faster, her face burned as if on fire, and her ears turned bright red.

Had he just gone mad? How dare he kiss her? Liu Xiang gave a bitter laugh, squatting down and staring at the dappled sunlight on the ground, her mind a complete mess. The sunlight was still warm and gentle. The breeze through the woods was still soft and gentle. But Liu Xiang's heart could no longer find peace.

He knew that from this moment on, he could no longer hide his feelings for Li Ruotong.

Liu Xiang squatted on the ground, her fingers unconsciously picking at the pine needles under her feet, her mind a jumbled mess.

The touch I just felt through the white handkerchief was as soft as cotton candy, yet as hot as burning coals.

Even now, when Liu Xiang thinks about it, his lips still feel slightly numb.

What does this mean? Tacit approval? Or are they just stunned and unable to react?

Liu Xiang stole a glance at Li Ruotong, who was leaning against the tree trunk, still in the same position, with a white handkerchief covering most of her face.

At this moment, only her delicate chin and a section of her fair neck were visible, and the sunlight falling on them made them look as if they were coated with a layer of soft light.

"Um..." Liu Xiang cleared her throat, her voice terribly dry, "It's getting late, the crew should be packing up by now, shall we... head back?"

Li Ruotong didn't respond. After a few seconds, she slowly put down the handkerchief.

Her cheeks were flushed with a faint blush, like a ripe peach, and there was a hint of panic in her eyes. She didn't look at Liu Xiang, but just lowered her head and softly hummed in agreement.

The two walked back side by side, the chatter that had been going on all the way vanished without a trace, leaving only the sound of the wind in the forest and their slightly hurried footsteps.

Liu Xiang tried to break the silence with something, but when he opened his mouth, he found his tongue tied in knots, his mind replaying the sensation of the kiss from just now. He secretly glanced at Li Ruotong beside him; she was looking down, fiddling with the hem of her clothes with her fingers, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow under her eyelids. This sight made Liu Xiang's heart flutter again.

When we arrived at the picnic spot, the crew was busy packing up. The chicken soup in the iron pot was almost gone, with only a few clean chicken bones left. Several stagehands were squatting on the ground, poking at the embers of the campfire with tree branches, and others were counting the remaining mushrooms in the bamboo basket, planning to take them back to the set for an extra meal.

When Chen Haoming saw the two return, he held up a shiny, gnawed chicken foot and shouted, "Liu Xiang! Sister Ruotong! Where did you two go? We almost finished all the chicken soup! I even saved the last two bowls of matsutake mushroom stewed chicken just for you two; they're right there on that rock over there!"

Liu Xiang looked in the direction he pointed and saw two chipped, rough porcelain bowls on two flat, large rocks. There was still a little chicken soup left in the bowls, with a matsutake mushroom cap floating on top. He twitched his lips, about to respond, when he noticed Li Ruotong quickly walk to the side, pick up her backpack, and begin tidying it up. The blush on her ears hadn't faded; she clearly hadn't recovered from the excitement she'd just experienced in the forest.

Li Tiansheng, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, leaned against an old pine tree. He raised an eyebrow at the two of them, but didn't ask any further questions. In the film crew of that era, such little flirtations between young men and women were commonplace. As long as it didn't interfere with filming, no one would deliberately point it out.

He simply waved his hand and shouted, "Get ready! Don't dawdle! We have to go back to the film studio to shoot a night scene this afternoon! Hurry up!"

Everyone hurriedly loaded pots, pans, and tents onto the old Dongfeng truck, kicking up a cloud of dust as it started moving. Liu Xiang, Li Ruotong, and several other actors squeezed into the second-hand Jinbei van behind them, making their way to Dali Film and Television City.

Liu Xiang and Li Ruotong sat in the back of the same van, separated by a stagehand, like the Chu River and Han border clearly defined. Chen Haoming sat in the front, chattering about the taste of the chicken soup he had just cooked, saying that the matsutake mushrooms were so delicious he almost swallowed the bones, and complaining that he hadn't gotten a second chicken leg, completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere in the back.

Liu Xiang leaned against the car window, watching the fields and villages rushing past outside. In this era, the rural areas of western Yunnan still retained their most simple and unadorned appearance. On the ridges of the fields, old farmers wearing straw hats were planting rice seedlings, and under the big locust tree at the entrance of the village, several women in floral shirts were sewing shoe soles.

On the distant hillside, a few yellow cattle could be seen grazing leisurely, but Liu Xiang's mind was not on the scenery at all.

He glanced at Li Ruotong; she was looking out the window.

As Liu Xiang watched, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up, but when she thought of the kiss just now, she quickly lowered her head.

After an unknown amount of time, the bread truck slowly drove into the gate of Dali Film and Television City.

The crew members dispersed and busied themselves unloading the picnic supplies.

Liu Xiang turned around and saw Li Ruotong standing behind her, clutching something in her hand.

She lowered her head, her fingers slightly curled, and her voice was barely audible: "This watch, it's for you!"