Chasing the Wrong Signals

[Childhood Friends]

1.

Yao Qingning and the boy next door, Pei Yanbai, had been at odds since they were little.

It all started when her family first moved into the military compound. The first time the adorable little boy saw her, he pounced on her and covered her face in drool.

Yao Qingning did what she'd seen on TV and promptly slapped him back.

"..."

That was the end of any chance of them getting along.

Pei Yanbai was a petty little ringleader. From then on, he led his gang of friends in picking on her at every turn, and the two became sworn enemies.

For more than ten years, whenever they crossed paths, chaos was sure to follow.

2.

Luckily, Pei Yanbai may have finally gotten tired of it and voluntarily left the battlefield.

After the celebration banquet for their college entrance exam results, he enlisted in the army. They didn't see each other for years.

Yao Qingning was so annoyed that after getting into T University, she went through one boyfriend after another. Every time, she'd drop hints to Pei's mother, then get her to pass the news along to the troops.

But the guy didn't manage to get a single word out for years.

Heartbroken, Yao Qingning gave up for good...

3.

Almost everyone in the unit knew that their heartthrob, Pei Yanbai, had a white moonlight hidden in his heart.

But on the few occasions his white moonlight came to visit, she was proud and pretty, yet cold and aloof, never even giving him a proper look.

Someone finally plucked up the courage to ask him about it.

Pei Yanbai sat with one leg crossed, looking like a rogue, and irritably flicked ash from his cigarette.

"How the hell would I know? I couldn't help kissing her once when we were kids, and she cried like the sky was falling and the sun and moon had gone dark. Then she slapped me, and she's held a grudge ever since."

4.

Later on...

Yao Qingning joined T University's rural teaching program and went to teach in a mountainous area, where she unexpectedly ran into Pei Yanbai, who was on a mission.

None of the soldiers in the unit could have imagined that one night their commander would corner the young woman against a wall, clinging to her and hugging her, shamelessly coaxing her again and again:

"Qingqing, just one kiss. Just one. You can slap me as much as you like."

[Childhood Friends]

[Growing up together, bickering all the way ^_^]

[Let's write a "Kiss me once, slap me once" story [doge]]

P.S. Yes! It's that Pei Yanbai who made a friendly cameo at the beginning of Chapter 6.2 of the extra stories for "Wind Beneath the Eaves"!

2022.3.14

Theme: Stay positive and keep striving, greeting each day with enthusiasm!