Rebirth: Controlled Nuclear Fusion

Part 91：Sugar Figurine

Jiang Fan could no longer contain himself. With his eyes closed, he leaned in and kissed her. The instant his lips brushed against Chu Ruoxi's, an electric current surged through his body, sending shivers down his spine. He could distinctly feel how warm and soft her lips were, and he was reluctant to pull away. This was Jiang Fan's first kiss with a girl, and his heart raced with nervous excitement, nearly leaping into his throat. Chu Ruoxi's eyelashes fluttered, betraying her own nervousness. As he kissed her, she melted into him, her entire body soft and dizzy from the intensity of the moment. It felt as if the whole world had vanished, leaving only the two of them in this intimate space. Subconsciously, she leaned into his embrace. Jiang Fan instinctively wrapped his arms around her slender waist, pulling them closer together.

A warmth spread through her abdomen, making her feel an overwhelming sense of comfort, and she instinctively held him tighter. They remained locked in that embrace, kissing for what seemed like an eternity, until the sound of applause brought them back to reality. They broke apart, startled to realize that a crowd had gathered, watching them the entire time.

Chu Ruoxi's face turned a deep shade of red, and she felt utterly embarrassed. She never imagined that her first kiss would be witnessed by so many people. Jiang Fan, however, was unfazed, confident in the knowledge that he was kissing his girlfriend. Several male onlookers gave him thumbs up, both envious and impressed.

As the crowd began to disperse, a few couples lingered, and Chu Ruoxi's blush softened. She glanced at Jiang Fan from the corner of her eye and then shyly lowered her head, smiling with contentment. Though the moment had been awkward, she found herself reluctant to let it go. In truth, even when Jiang Fan had pulled away, she had felt a sense of loss. Jiang Fan, seeing her shy smile, was even more captivated by her charm. His hand instinctively reached for hers, intertwining their fingers.

When they kissed earlier, it felt as though he had gained the whole world. But now, as they stood in the afterglow of the moment, neither knew how to begin speaking again.

Just then, the candy figurine vendor cleared his throat, drawing their attention.

Chu Ruoxi suddenly remembered that she had asked the vendor to make a figurine of Jiang Fan's likeness. She blushed again, realizing that the vendor must have witnessed their kiss in its entirety.

"I—I'm so sorry, Master Sugar Artist, I..." she stammered, her face flushed.

The vendor, with a knowing smile, waved off her apology. "Don't worry, I understand," he chuckled. "Heh heh..."

Both Jiang Fan and Chu Ruoxi felt a little embarrassed.

"I've finished it!" the vendor announced proudly.

"Huh?" Chu Ruoxi blinked in confusion.

She looked down to see a sugar figurine on the vendor's table. The faces of two small figures, side by side, could clearly be seen kissing.

"Uh..." The vendor scratched his head awkwardly. "It might not look perfect, but I've captured the essence. This one's you, and this one's your boyfriend..."

Chu Ruoxi's face lit up with joy. "Master Sugar Artist, it's so lifelike! I really love it! Hee-hee..."

The vendor, hearing her praise, beamed with pride. "Alright! I'll wrap it up for you."

As the vendor packed the figurine, another couple approached. "Master, could you make us one, too?"

The vendor paused for a moment, then laughed. "Sure! You can start now!"

Without hesitation, the couple kissed in front of the vendor, and as soon as they did, another pair of onlookers requested the same. The vendor laughed again, joking, "Don't rush, wait your turn!"

He had never expected that such a simple gesture would later become the signature of his business.

After bidding the vendor farewell, Chu Ruoxi eagerly took Jiang Fan's hand and continued their stroll through the Qingstone Alley. Their hearts felt much closer after their kiss, and Chu Ruoxi soon resumed her playful curiosity, pulling Jiang Fan along to examine this and that, flitting from one thing to the next like a butterfly. They wandered from the eastern to the western end of the alley, covering the 500-meter stretch for over two hours.

Chu Ruoxi bought a few hairpins she particularly liked—one for herself and the rest for her roommates. Reluctantly, she finally left the alley.

As they walked toward Huqing University, their conversation was filled with laughter, and before long, they reached the dormitory building. It was nearly ten o'clock.

"Jiang Fan, I'm going up now," Chu Ruoxi said, pouting as she reluctantly pulled away from him.

"Mm," Jiang Fan nodded in acknowledgment.

As she took a couple of steps toward the entrance, Jiang Fan suddenly called out.

"Uh..."

He hadn't really planned on saying anything, but simply wanted to steal one more glance at her.

Hearing his voice, Chu Ruoxi skipped back to his side, grinning. "Hee-hee... What is it, little Fan Fan?"

"I... I..." Jiang Fan stammered.

Seeing him struggle, Chu Ruoxi playfully teased, "Are you reluctant to say goodbye?"

"Mm," Jiang Fan nodded again.

Chu Ruoxi stood on tiptoe and whispered softly in his ear, "I feel the same."

...

Back at the Dragon University faculty apartment, Jiang Fan sat at his desk, still relishing the memory of their kiss, a goofy grin spreading across his face.

He had already received his reward from the system—the Blue Star Biochemical Super Theory. With this reward, his biological and chemical SCI papers would be far easier to complete.

For the next two days, Jiang Fan hardly left his room, dedicating himself to finalizing his biology and chemistry papers. After making a few minor revisions with the help of Dragon University's professors, he sent the papers off.

While he waited for the responses, a surprising visit came from Professor Wu, a mathematics professor at Dragon University. He had been invited to attend the World Mathematics Summit and was requested to present his analysis of the Riemann Hypothesis—one of the seven most difficult problems of the millennium, which Jiang Fan had solved at the Dragon University Challenge. Although Jiang Fan had no desire to participate, the significance of the analysis to Dragon Country's position in the global mathematical community made it impossible for him to refuse. Eventually, he agreed to attend.