Arriving late the night before in Wuhan, Luhan and Mei decided to sleep a little longer and spend the day relaxing without stress.

Wuhan was the capital of the Hubei province and the most populous city of Central China. It laid in the eastern Jianghan Plain at the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han river. Situated at the crossroads of central China, Wuhan was a transportation hub for air, railway as well as ferry traffic. Because of its key role in domestic transportation, the city was sometimes referred to as the "Chicago of China." With a history that dated back more than 3,500 years, it was one of the “Chinese Famous Cities of History and Culture”. There and around East Lake one could find historical sites and beautiful nature.

Luhan and Mei went to the mall in the forenoon. Strolling through the hall, they were rather occupied with talking to each other than paying attention to the shops they were passing by. The sun was burning and due to the largeness and huge population of Wuhan, it was almost unbearable to be on the streets, not to mention that Mei had the feeling that the heat had increased since they had gotten there.

She got happier when Luhan suggested to buy ice cream and rest somewhere on a bench around the huge fountain in the middle of the mall. Luckily, they could claim a bench as theirs when an elderly couple went away as they headed towards the resting area.

With a cup of ice cream in either of their hands, they sat down on the bench, glorifying the tasty and icy liquid which cooled their mouths. Mei had gotten chocolate and strawberry where Luhan had chosen chocolate and lemon (Chocolate was either of their favorites).

“Hm?” Mei widened her eyes when she saw a small plastic spoon appear in front of her eyes, a portion of lemon ice cream placed on it.

“You want a taste?” She was rather confused for a break of a second, but Luhan’s smile was so genuine and happy that without a doubt, Mei leaned in and let him lead the spoon to . It tasted sweet and not as sour as she had thought.

“It’s delicious,” she answered and she didn’t even know what made her add the following statement, but Mei just blurted, “It’s like an indirect kiss.”

In middle school till her late teen years, Mei and her friends were always too ashamed to share the same spoon with any other person, ever since one of their classmates said it was like an indirect kiss. One would touch the same spot with their lips where the other person had put his before, not to mention the little amount of saliva coming along with it. Back then, she was kind of scared away by this absurd theory and later on, she could only laugh about it. Though, one could not deny that were was a little piece in this theory which was be true.

So Mei didn’t know why it was now that she had remembered this. Probably because she hadn’t shared a spoon with someone else in a long time, not even Ren, because the soon-to-be-doctor paid a lot attention to hygiene. Probably, it was because she didn’t waste a single thought of whether it would be slightly disgusting for her or not; and probably because even if she did, she wouldn’t have mind it at all.

But before she could take this silly sentence back, shrugging it off as a childish joke to feel less embarrassed about her clumsiness, it was Luhan who answered,

“If you think that, you’ve probably never kissed right before.”

Mei’s heart felt like it was set on fire, throbbing against her chest in full speed. Partly because of embarrassment, partly because of the suddenly awakened desire.

(How could Luhan know that he was absolutely right?)

Mei had been kissed by Ren before. In the beginning more often than nowadays and at first, she was very pleased with it - until she came across some other kissing scenes in certain movies, dramas and from her own friend’s stories. And it was those scenes and stories which made her somehow envy other people’s relationships.

The kisses Mei and Ren shared were just pecks and rarely deeper ones, but not as passionate and torrid as she sometimes wished they would be. They were never that long to turn into something steamy and never that deep to make it more passionate or to lead into something further. Mainly, her relationship with Ren was a chaste and careful one – but not because their skinship was limited by Mei, but by Ren.

“I don’t think high of those things before marriage.” Ren said once.

Was Mei okay with it? She didn’t know it any other way. (She had to be). Though that surely wasn’t the reason why she wanted to accept his proposal. She wanted to marry him because she was (still) in love with him (she thought).

“Sorry I was joking, because it’s what boys are supposed to say if they get told that by girls.” Luhan laughed and shifted his attention to his own ice cream again. But when he got nothing in return from Mei, he looked aside and watched her staring in her cup.

“Did I say something wrong?” He asked, slightly terrified that he had messed up (again).

But Mei just shook her head and flashed a (rather sad) smile as a reply. Luhan wanted to question her further, because somehow, he felt he touched a topic which made her feel uncomfortable but he didn’t come far with his intention.

“I’m sorry, but can you please take care of my baby for a moment?” In front of Luhan and Mei was standing a young woman, probably just a few years older than them with a baby in her arms. She seemed slightly out of breathe and stressed, but her smile was still a happy and sincere one. That kind which could lighten up ones mood immediately.

For a moment, Luhan and Mei were dumbfounded, but the woman didn’t go away to look for other people. Instead, she explained, “I really need to search for the restrooms, so pretty, pretty please?” She bowed a little, the baby giving away some chortling noises.

“Of course we can!” Mei’s answer came faster than Luhan’s realization of the situation they had gotten themselves into.

Without hesitation, Mei took the baby in her arms and the woman placed her bag on the spot on the bench beside Luhan. She made a 90 degree bow, showing her gratitude.

“Thank you so much, I can’t be more grateful! I’m so sorry for the inconvenience. I’ll be back soon!” And with those words, she headed towards the direction of the restrooms, leaving Luhan, Mei and the baby alone.

“We don’t know his... her… name,” Luhan stated, his sight fixated on the baby. He guessed it was about 3-6 months old, but he couldn’t say exactly, because he was surely not an expert in these topics. But the baby lay in Mei’s arms like a little bundle with black, round eyes which stared at the girl curiously. It had his hands clenched to fists and the right one was in its mouth where it and nibbled on his thumb.

“It’s a girl, definitely!” Mei answered as she shifted her sitting position and turned aside to Luhan. “Look, she wears a soft pink romper suit.”

“But it gives off the vibes of a boy. It stares at you so intensely.” It was joke which made both of them chuckle slightly.

Mei was rocking the baby softly in her arms and hummed a melody which was quite familiar in Luhan’s ears. Maybe it was a song he had heard in his early childhood or maybe it was a recent one which he had already buried in the back of his head. But it was a melody which he found very beautiful. And the way Mei hummed, he could listen to it for hours without getting sick and tired of it.

The little baby enjoyed it very much as well. She couldn’t keep her eyes away from Mei. The noises coming out of got muffled in her fist and vanished fully. Her whole attention was directed towards the girl who smiled at the baby like she was the happiest and proudest mother on earth.

Yes, mother. In that moment, Luhan really saw her as one. The way she held the baby, how her rocking motions were tender and appeasing, the way she could keep the child calm and just the vibes she gave off… Mei was truly enjoying her new role and Luhan was watching her in admiration.

“You’re really good with children, Mei.” Luhan’s soft and warm voice stated a compliment she rarely had gotten in her life and she felt utterly flattered.

“I’ve taken care of my old neighbors child when I was in high school.”

“Do you want your own child? Later, I mean.”

It was a question everybody would have asked, but in this situation, it was different. And before Luhan could be reminded of this one thought, it was already too late. Shocked, he could see that a sad smile started to grow on Mei’s face. Oh no… he didn’t ask her that. It was stupid and he didn’t think about it properly befo