Chapter Text
Xie Lian had been looking at his reflection in the mirror for the past twenty minutes—at least—but please, don’t judge him. This time he really wanted to look pretty, and he actually put a little effort into his clothes and hairstyle! It didn’t happen every day—in Xie Lian’s case, of course—that he went on a date, right?
Ah, who was he trying to deceive? It was going to be his first date ever.
But it wasn’t the most important reason he wanted to look nice, okay?
It was a date with a very handsome cashier who worked at McDonald’s—a guy with an eyepatch who had charmed Xie Lian with his mere presence. Fortunately, this attraction wasn’t one-sided; Hua Cheng seemed equally smitten as Xie Lian.
Hua Cheng. Hua Cheng. Hua Cheng.
He must have cast some kind of spell on Xie Lian, given the latter couldn’t stop thinking about him for even a moment since their last meeting.
Their last and only meeting.
Was it even normal to think about someone who you had only seen once?
Xie Lian didn’t know. Shi Qingxuan, on the other hand, had assured him that yes, it was perfectly normal.
He had had a chance to see Hua Cheng the next day after they met, but decided against it. While the prospect of talking to Hua Cheng in person (and seeing that cute little dimple every time he smiled) was very tempting, Xie Lian didn’t want to bother his new… friend during his shift. Friend, or whoever the people were for each other before their first date. Even if Hua Cheng really, really liked the idea of seeing Xie Lian at work. Those were his words, okay? They didn’t talk in person, but they had exchanged numbers for a reason—they texted a lot ever since.
Therefore, Xie Lian hadn’t slept much the night before, but he didn’t regret it in the slightest. Hua Cheng, or San Lang, as the man had asked Xie Lian to call him, was a very good conversationalist. And a shameless flirt, Xie Lian thought, his heart swelling with affection. With every word Hua Cheng typed, with every photo he sent of himself or his cat, Xie Lian wanted to know more about him. More and more, even though it already felt like they had known each other for years.
They had met on Friday, two days ago. Yesterday, Hua Cheng had worked all day, but still found time to text with Xie Lian. And today he had the day off, which meant… their date. In the park Xie Lian had suggested.
Would Xie Lian be alright? After all, he would see Hua Cheng in person–
“Earth to Xie Lian!” Shi Qingxuan exclaimed with a giggle, snapping their fingers next to Xie Lian’s ear to bring him back to reality. At the sudden sound, Xie Lian startled, his heart beating faster than it should have—but this time, unfortunately, not because of the effect Hua Cheng seemed to have on him.
“Qingxuan…” Xie Lian let out a sigh and lightly patted his cheeks to make sure he was done spacing out. It wasn’t the right moment for that because time, as Xie Lian had previously thought, wasn’t on his side today, as he was about to meet Hua Cheng in less than an hour. An hour! And he still wasn’t sure whether he looked good or not! “Do I look… decent enough?” He asked hesitantly as his gaze fell on his reflection again, the frown on his face only growing bigger. Maybe he shouldn’t have worn that white pullover, but then again, white clothes always boosted his confidence—
“Get rid of that,” Shi Qingxuan pointed at the crease between his eyebrows, “And you will look perfect, A-Lian. Really, I never expected this day to finally come! A-Lian asking me for advice on his look! Because he’s going on a d-a-t-e!” They squealed in excitement and took one last look at Xie Lian’s clothes, smoothing out any wrinkles they found. Then they clasped their hands together and nodded, satisfied with the result before their eyes. “Perfect. He won’t be able to take his eyes off you, trust me!”
“I hope San Lang thinks so too…” Xie Lian said with a small smile, nervously playing with his fingers.
“A-Lian, what are you so nervous about? Isn’t he already head over heels for you?”
“That’s not the point,” Xie Lian groaned. He then hid his face behind his hands, so when he opened his mouth to speak a moment later, his voice came out slightly muffled. “San Lang said he wouldn’t kiss me until he knew more about me. But the thing is, we’ve exchanged so many texts that he knows quite a lot about me now? So we will kiss!”
“Um...” Shi Qingxuan tilted their head to the side, evidently confused. “Isn’t it a good thing? Your first kiss! Finally!”
“Yes, my first kiss. That’s what I’m worried about, Qinguan,” Xie Lian groaned again and withdrew his hands, looking at his friend helplessly. “I’ve never kissed anyone, so I won’t know what to do with my lips or my t–tongue... What do people do with their hands when kissing? San Lang is definitely experienced! I looked him up on social media last night, and he’s quite popular on our campus, you know? Someone as handsome and with a good personality like him must have dated someone before, right?” Xie Lian dragged on, sinking into his misery. There was nothing wrong with Hua Cheng having dated someone before, because it usually took some time to find the right person; the problem was whether Xie Lian would disappoint him with his inexperience.
“A-Lian…” Shi Qingxuan whined pitifully before tightly embracing their friend. “You’ve been staring at your reflection for so long, but I'm starting to think you did it with your eyes closed! You are pretty. And smart, and funny! Before we became friends, I thought you couldn't keep admirers away!” they admitted with a grin on their face. “Maybe Hua Cheng is the same and has never been on a date before, hmm?”
“Yeah, maybe…” Xie Lian murmured, not quite convinced.
“No more maybes!” Shi Qingxuan withdrew their hands to cup Xie Lian’s face instead, forcing him to look into their sparkling eyes. When they spoke, they sounded serious, leaving no room for doubt. “You look fantastic, and everything will be fine. But,” their gaze suddenly darkened, “if this San Lang of yours complains even a little about your kisses, let me know, okay? I will gladly kick his ass!”
This time when Xie Lian smiled, it reached his eyes. He couldn’t help but feel happy to have such a good friend like Shi Qingxuan; even if his date with Hua Cheng didn’t go well—which he highly doubted—he knew where to go to feel better.
“Okay,” Xie Lian said, ready to go and see the man who had stolen his heart.