It wasn’t on an auspicious day according to the traditional calendar, not under the mistletoe or in the first snowfall of the season. Shi Du didn’t hold his waist or tilt his chin like in the novels, there was no push-and-pull technique, no sliding technique, and definitely no romantic words to warm him throughout the day.

One moment they were discussing the ZC and JSE match, and the next second Shi Du was kissing him– a kiss on the lips, just a fleeting touch, like the ones on his cheeks or forehead, natural and unforced, a brief connection.

Yu Zhaohan only felt the warm touch on his lips. He didn’t even have time for his ears to redden before Shi Du straightened his body.

—Wow, that was a fast first kiss. Did that even last two seconds?

Yu Zhaohan recalled the first time Shi Du had hugged him; he had been able to keep track of how long Shi Du held him in his arms. But now, he was in an odd state that made it impossible for him to keep track of time.

Amidst the sound of his racing heart, Yu Zhaohan heard Shi Du ask him, “How do you feel?”

Shi Du’s voice was different from his usual clear and lively tone, slightly deeper and a little hoarse.

Yu Zhaohan parted his lips, he wanted to speak, but suddenly he seemed to have lost the ability to speak, utterly unable to produce a sound. He could tell Shi Du the truth as long as they were together; usually, Shi Du was left speechless by his honesty. But now, he couldn’t even manage to speak the truth.

Kissing was scary; it made people go dumb.

Since he wasn’t speaking, Shi Du didn’t ask any further questions, just gazing down at him. And then, he lowered his head again.

Yu Zhaohan’s body tensed uncontrollably, and his lips stiffened. Their lips remained pressed together motionlessly for a while, and then Shi Du said, “Is this how you kiss?”

It sounded like he was speaking to himself and yet asking him at the same time.

Yu Zhaohan: “…”

Why did Shi Du have to say that? He had already shut his mouth to not ruin the atmosphere. But Shi Du was still talking. Well then, he would talk too.

Shi Du asked again: “How is it written in your document?”

Yu Zhaohan’s thoughts were fuzzy, having already forgotten what he had written in the document. He struggled to find his voice, “I’ve seen people kiss on TV, and they usually open their mouths.”

“In that case,” Shi Du smiled, “Then let’s try it too?”

Yu Zhaohan said “Okay” bluntly, but didn’t move.

Shi Du reminded him: “Open your mouth, Yuyu.”

Feeling the current temperature of his small ears, Yu Zhaohan thought he could hold on, and obediently parted his lips, even going as far as to close his eyes.

He waited for half a minute, but Shi Du’s kiss didn’t come. He opened one eye and asked, “Shi Du?”

“You seem quite nervous,” Shi Du lightly chuckled, “I don’t know if I should continue.”

Yu Zhaohan lied badly: “I’m not nervo—”

The rest of his sentence was drowned out by Shi Du’s breath.

It wasn’t just a light brush this time. Shi Du was kissing him – gently yet nervously, innocent yet fervently.

His heartbeat grew louder, bordering on clamorous. Yu Zhaohan couldn’t catch his breath, and his breathing turned rapid. He was worried that he would suffocate from lack of oxygen and die, causing R.H to not be able to win the championship. He pressed his hands against Shi Du’s chest, intending to push him away.

Unexpectedly, Shi Du parted his lips before he could apply any force.

Shi Du asked somewhat annoyed, “How do you breathe during a kiss? Do you know?”

Apart from his red face, Yu Zhaohan finally displayed another noticeable reaction. Lowering his head, he revealed a light and radiant smile – turns out, he wasn’t the only one being clumsy about this kiss.

Yet it felt so strange. Why, when he heard Shi Du say something like that, did he not feel like the atmosphere was ruined but instead experienced a different kind of excitement? He had become too reliant on Shi Du, often forgetting that Shi Du was his younger brother by two years.

After all, he was the older brother.

Since the room hadn’t been illuminated yet, Shi Du hadn’t seen Yu Zhaohan’s smile.

This kiss wasn’t just unexpected for Yu Zhaohan; Shi Du hadn’t planned it either. Initially, he thought he should wait for the right atmosphere, to create a romantic memory for both of them. But after a series of consecutive losses, he had decided to go with the flow and be carefree.

Yu Zhaohan, who was discussing tactics with him, was not the complete Yuyu. There was still a trace of Shine’s essence in the air. Half Shine, half Yuyu, half steady, half clingy – a truly adorable combination.

He wanted to kiss, so he did. He didn’t think about it that much.

Shi Du asked Yu Zhaohan: “Don’t you want to express your thoughts?”

Yu Zhaohan: “…”

Yu Zhaohan who lost his first kiss was exceptionally quiet.

Shi Du felt like he had found a way to make Yu Zhaohan less talkative.

“Bring out that chatty vibe you had these past few days, Yuyu.” Shi Du half-jokingly said, “If you don’t say anything, I’ll start thinking my kissing skills are terrible.”

To boost his younger brother’s confidence, Yu Zhaohan slowly lifted his head and asked, “Can you check if my ears are still there?”

Shi Du touched Yu Zhaohan’s earlobe and chuckled, “They’re not there, they’ve fallen off.”

He knew it!

Yu Zhaohan’s ear twitched, “I won’t talk to you for now, I need to recover first.”

Yu Zhaohan took his clothes, towel, and a rubber duck into the bathroom, even bringing his phone along.

Sitting on the bed lost in thought, Shi Du suddenly burst into laughter.

Damn, he had been so awkward just now, as if he had been infected by Yu Zhaohan’s aura. He had asked such a dumb question. When he kissed Yu Zhaohan’s forehead and cheek, he hadn’t been this foolish. How come he couldn’t appear so cool and collected this time? He couldn’t even fake “effortless mastery.”

He even felt like the dumb Yuyu was more composed than he was.

… How the hell do you breathe during a kiss? It wasn’t in the document, so he had to look it up himself.

Shi Du took out his phone from his pocket and saw that a blogger he was particularly interested in had just posted three status updates a minute ago.

[Little fish blowing bubbles: Forget it, I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore.]

[Little fish blowing bubbles: ZC must win against JSE, wuwuwu]

[Little fish blowing bubbles: Help, I think I forgot to close my eyes just now.]

Shi Du: “…”

It seemed he should remain a bit more composed; he almost got caught off guard by Yu Zhaohan’s overwhelmed look.

Yu Zhaohan vented on Weibo using an alternate account, then looked at himself in the mirror.

His cheeks and ears were all flushed, his lips a shade redder than usual, but still very handsome.

Maintaining his looks was a good thing, but staying this red wasn’t a solution. Yu Zhaohan thought about taking a cold shower to cool down like in novels. He turned on the showerhead, but the cold water made him shiver, so he quickly switched back to hot water.

Once the bathtub was filled, Yu Zhaohan sat down with a rubber duck and started thinking about how to face Shi Du when he got out.

What would the male and female protagonists in novels say after their first kiss? It seemed like they usually didn’t say much before the scene changed in the next chapter. Without any reference, he could only do it his own way.

The little duck floated lazily on the water’s surface as Yu Zhaohan absentmindedly squeezed its beak.

He had really… kissed Shi Du. He remembered.

Yu Zhaohan walked out of the bathroom, his face less red now. Shi Du stared at his lips and asked, “Are you back to normal?”

Yu Zhaohan nodded, picked up his tablet, and sat down beside Shi Du, saying, “Let’s analyze the training match.”

Shi Du paused: “Are you serious?”

At this point, Yu Zhaohan still wanted to review the training match?

“Of course.” Yu Zhaohan said, “Start with your impressions, you go first.”

Shi Du frowned, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Why? Reviewing helps us identify and solve problems.”

Shi Du gave a perfunctory response, “I feel pretty relaxed, so there’s no problem.”

Yu Zhaohan sighed: “You’re being stubborn again, Shi Du. You’re not relaxed at all, you’re as nervous as I am.”

Shi Du sneered: “Just playing a match against ZC, and I’m as nervous as you? Did my kiss dumb you down?”

Yu Zhaohan was taken aback: “What are you talking about?”

Shi Du’s response was quick, “What are you analyzing now?”

“Analyzing our first kiss.”

Shi Du’s eyebrows relaxed. Analyzing their first kiss was pretty bizarre, but it was much better than analyzing training matches. He accepted it readily, “Sure, go ahead.”

“Didn’t you ask about my feelings earlier?” Yu Zhaohan said, “I’ve thought about it carefully, and my feelings were numb and hot.”

“Didn’t you ask about my feelings earlier?” Yu Zhaohan said, “I’ve thought about it carefully, and my feelings were numb and scalding.”

Shi Du laughed, “Numb and scalding again? Anyway, wherever I kiss you, you become numb and spicy.”

Yu Zhaohan shook his head, “No, that’s not it. When we kissed, my whole body was numb and spicy.”

“Your nose is too prominent, tilt your head a bit more, or you’ll bump into me.” Yu Zhaohan listed the issues he’d identified, “Your breathing was erratic, and you didn’t control the intensity properly. Suddenly using force hurt me.”

Shi Du: “.”

“Also, your hands were bracing against the door, you didn’t even put them around my waist.”

After being told about so many problems by Yu Zhaohan, Shi Du’s competitive nature was triggered, and he couldn’t help but retort, “Stop always pointing out my issues. Are you perfect yourself? Your eyes were wide open, and your fluttering eyelashes were tickling me.”

“Not closing my eyes was my fault, I’m sorry. I’ll close them next time, and I’ll trim my eyelashes shorter.”

Shi Du decided against pushing his luck, “…Don’t, I was just being stubborn earlier, my bad.”

Yu Zhaohan said, “In any case, our first kiss happened when two noobs were pecking at each other, there’s still a lot of room for improvement.”

Pecking like two noobs, such an elegant image.

Shi Du nodded with a smile, “I agree.”

They analyzed for a while and then turned off the lights to sleep.

Shi Du said, “Wife, good night.”

Yu Zhaohan replied, “Good night, Shi Du.”

Just when the goodnight was said, Shi Du had something else to add, “Answering so quickly, is it because you’ve kissed that you’ve truly become my wife?”

Yu Zhaohan was puzzled, “But I was already your wife before, weren’t you calling me that even before we kissed?”

“This wife of yours, is it just mine or also all the fans’?”

Yu Zhaohan replied without thinking, “Of course, it’s all the fans’.”

Shi Du’s expression disappeared in an instant, “Oh, then sleep.”

Yu Zhaohan added, “But I’m exclusively your Yuyu.”

Shi Du didn’t wait for Yu Zhaohan to continue, he preemptively countered, “You’re still your mom’s Yuyu.”

Proficient enough to make one’s heart ache.

Yu Zhaohan was taken aback, thought for a moment, then shook his head, “No, I’m just yours.”