Could You Give Me a Kiss?

[Fu's form of address has been corrected. If you spot any remaining mistakes, please point them out in the comments.] 1. Nie Wen ran an auto repair shop in a small county town. Her life revolved around fixing cars, and it was dull and uneventful. She thought this was how the rest of her life would be. Until one day, someone barged into her life- Nie Wen couldn't understand why a kid who smelled as sweet as a cream cake kept clinging to her, when she reeked of motor oil. 2. A sweltering afternoon. A room slick with sweat. Shen Ruofu stared straight at Nie Wen and asked, "Can I kiss you?" Nie Wen washed her face. "Go on, get out of here. I'll perform, but I won't sell my body." Another ambiguous night, with the stars to light the way. Shen Ruofu was on Nie Wen's back, her lips close to Nie Wen's ear as she whispered, "Can I kiss you?" Nie Wen acted as if she couldn't hear and stayed silent. Later, after Shen Ruofu got into university and left the county town, Nie Wen looked around the room, full of reminders of Shen Ruofu, took out her phone, and sent Shen Ruofu a WeChat message: [I want to kiss you] It wasn't exactly a bold confession, but it laid Nie Wen's bare heart open. Maybe her answer had been yes from the very beginning. -She said no, but pressed two fingers to Shen Ruofu's cheek like a pair of lips. -She said nothing, but turned her face toward Shen Ruofu and let her kiss her however she wanted. Her mouth was hard as stone, but her heart was soft through and through. "The clouds dyed by dusk mark the beginning of a fluttering heart at night. When I met you, I turned the color of the clouds." ^Eleven-year age gap. No romance before adulthood. ^Rough-edged top / older woman / secret crush / mutual healing / mechanic (retired race-car driver) x high school student (later studies medicine) Theme: Study hard and keep improving.