“Why are you hiding, baby? Don’t you like it?”
“Open up a little more, hold me.”
The man’s voice was seductive. An Li unconsciously opened her arms and took the initiative to wrap them around him.
After drinking, An Li’s cheeks were flushed, her eyes misty as if veiled by a thin layer of fog—both innocent and alluring. A soft, delicate whimper slipped from her lips.
“Duan… Brother Duan…”
Hearing that form of address, the man paused slightly. He cupped her warm cheek and responded in a low voice, “You like Brother Duan?”
“Mmm…”
“Then give your brother another kiss, okay?”
“Okay…”
An Li blinked hard, using the dim moonlight to study the face in front of her. His features were striking, his contours sharp and well-defined.
As expected of the Brother Duan Xingning she had secretly admired.
Such a handsome face.
Tonight had been Duan Xingning’s birthday banquet. An Li had planned to gather her courage with alcohol, hand him a love letter, and leave. But the moment she handed it over, she had been lifted onto a shelf and kissed endlessly.
Duan Xingning was famously aloof in Jingbei—cold and restrained. Who would have thought he would be so proactive in private?
Could it be… that he liked her too?
At the thought, sweetness like honey spread through An Li’s chest. Riding on the courage from alcohol, she leaned in again.
Her kiss was clumsy, like feathers brushing lightly, pecking at his thin lips here and there.
The hesitant advance and retreat only made it more tantalizing.
The man quickly lost patience. He directly grabbed her delicate chin and lowered his head to kiss her.
There was no gentleness in it. He bit her lips hard, like a domineering invader stealing her oxygen, leaving her no room to breathe.
Before long, An Li was kissed to tears. The corners of her eyes reddened as she stammered and sobbed softly.
“Don’t…”
“Don’t what? Don’t stop?”
Knowing she stuttered, he deliberately interrupted her, twisting her meaning as he continued kissing her, even licking away the tears clinging to her long lashes.
She was both delicate and clueless—she didn’t even know how to breathe properly.
Just one kiss had her crying like this. If he kissed her somewhere else, wouldn’t she cry a whole river?
A wicked smile flashed across the man’s handsome face. His long fingers gripped her waist as he lifted her effortlessly with one hand, while the other swiftly yanked off his tie and tossed it aside.
In his haste, the buttons of his shirt were torn open, falling to the floor with crisp clinking sounds.
On the soft, oversized European-style bed, An Li looked even smaller. The hazy moonlight from outside the window cast a glow over her skin, making it appear fair with a rosy tint.
Sensing the man’s warm, looming presence approaching, she tried to retreat in fear.
But he caught her ankle.
In the dim night, even his voice seemed wrapped in a husky softness. “Didn’t you say you like me? How could just a kiss be enough?”
The mattress sank.
An Li cried again.
…
Morning.
An Li opened her eyes groggily and stared at the unfamiliar ceiling.
Where was she?
Her head hurt terribly.
Her whole body ached.
When she turned over, the pain made her gasp sharply. Before she could fully react, she was suddenly startled by the person beside her.
A man!
Where did this man come from?
Her almond-shaped eyes widened.
The man was leisurely getting dressed. Naturally well-built like a clothes hanger, he casually slipped on a white shirt, exuding a lazy yet noble air.
When An Li saw his face clearly, she froze completely.
In disbelief, she rubbed her eyes.
It was bad enough that the aftermath of drunkenness left her dizzy—why were her eyes playing tricks on her too?
She was actually seeing Duan Zhuo’s face.
How was this infamous troublemaker of Jingbei in the same room as her?
An Li abruptly sat up.
The velvet blanket slid down along her smooth skin.
A stretch of snow-white skin was fully revealed before Duan Zhuo’s eyes.
His narrow, peach-blossom eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at her with amusement, showing no surprise at all. Instead, he gave a carefree grin. “Morning, baby.”
An Li had a speech disorder since childhood. When nervous, she became even more incoherent. Staring at him wide-eyed, she stammered, “You, you… are…”
“What, your husband gets dressed and you don’t recognize him anymore?”
Duan Zhuo smirked as he fastened the last button of his shirt.
His gaze never left her.
The girl was so fair it was almost intoxicating, soft and delicate. Even the slightest touch left cherry-pink marks on her skin.
Below her collarbone, there were marks everywhere—big and small—all proof of what had happened last night.
Noticing his gaze, An Li’s face instantly flushed red. She hurriedly grabbed the blanket to cover herself, both embarrassed and annoyed. “Nonsense! You—you’re not my husband… we’re not familiar!”
“Not familiar?” Duan Zhuo let out a light scoff, wiping the blood from his lips. “Why don’t you think about what you did to me last night?”
An Li’s face turned pale, a bad premonition rising in her chest.
Looking down at the dried bloodstains on the sheets, her mind exploded into chaos.
Wait.
Last night, she couldn’t have…
With Duan Zhuo?
This was bad. How did this happen?
Memories from last night flooded back like a tide.
She had secretly loved Duan Xingning for four years but had always been a coward, never daring to confess. She could only follow him quietly from behind.
Last night, she had wanted to gather courage with alcohol and confess with a love letter—but she drank too much.
She had actually entered the wrong room and mistaken his younger brother for him.
No wonder “Duan Xingning” had felt so strange last night.
With Duan Xingning’s steady personality, whether accepting or rejecting her confession, he would have responded calmly.
But the response she got had been teasing.
“You like me? Then kiss me.”
That roguish smile was nothing like Duan Xingning.
“Do you remember what happened last night?”
Duan Zhuo’s seductive voice, the same as last night, sounded again.
An Li didn’t dare lift her head. “I’m sorry… I drank too much last night. Let’s just pretend this never happened…”
“Never happened?” Duan Zhuo drew out the last word, his tone alluring. “Didn’t you say you liked me last night?”
“N-no, that’s not it. I got the wrong person…”
“The wrong person? I heard it clearly. Last night you said, ‘Brother Duan, I like you.’”
“The Brother Duan I meant wasn’t you…” An Li explained, on the verge of tears. “It was your brother, Duan Xingning…”
“Oh.” Duan Zhuo lowered his eyelids. “So the person you like is my brother, and last night you slept with me thinking I was him.”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“What’s the use of saying sorry? I’m heartbroken now, baby. You’ll have to comfort me again.”
“!”
What was he even saying?
Terrified, An Li scrambled to leave, but her pale ankle was caught by the man’s long fingers. He pulled her—along with the blanket—back.
Like a little rabbit dragged back into a wolf’s den, she stared at him with reddened eyes, pitiful and trembling.
“No!” She kicked at him.
Her soft sole pressed against his chest.
But it couldn’t stop him from leaning closer.
As if he had long known this was all a misunderstanding, Duan Zhuo feigned sadness before curling his lips into a confident smile.
Just as he flipped over to pin her down, a knock sounded at the door.
Duan Zhuo lifted his eyelids impatiently. “Who is it?”
“It’s me.”
It was actually Duan Xingning’s voice.
An Li’s heart jumped to her throat.
He absolutely couldn’t find out about what happened between her and Duan Zhuo.
Seeing Duan Zhuo go straight to open the door, she panicked and hid under the blanket.
Duan Zhuo had always looked down on this older brother who was two years his senior. Leaning lazily against the doorframe, he asked, “What is it so early in the morning?”
Duan Xingning’s tone was calm. “An Li called me last night, then I couldn’t reach her. The servants said the last place she was seen was outside your room. Have you seen her?”
He had asked the right person.
Not only had he seen her, but…
He had also slept with her.
Duan Zhuo raised his eyelids and suddenly noticed the girl who had been on the bed earlier was gone—only the blanket remained, bunched up like a big snow mochi.
He withdrew his gaze and replied casually, “No idea. Didn’t see her.”
“Alright.” Duan Xingning hadn’t expected much and took a deep breath.
“What, are you worried about her, brother?” Duan Zhuo raised a brow.
Duan Xingning didn’t answer directly. “She said she had something to tell me last night, but then she disappeared. A girl not coming home all night… who knows what she’s doing.”
“She’s an adult. Why worry so much?” Duan Zhuo said lazily. “Maybe she’s out on a date with some handsome guy who’s well-endowed and skilled.”