An Li’s doe-like eyes widened, her dimples frozen on her pink cheeks, utterly stunned.
After a moment, she shook her head. “No.”
“Then what is it?”
An Li blinked slowly, a slight nasal tone in her voice, mumbling, “I came to say thank you.”
“Thank me?”
“Mm… for everything today, thanks to your help.” She lifted her eyes to him earnestly. “Thank you for helping with the filming, and thank you for covering for me at the hospital.”
Even though she was in a bad mood from arguing with Duan Xingning, she hadn’t forgotten Duan Zhuo, her boyfriend.
She had come to thank him.
At least she had some conscience.
Duan Zhuo asked, “Are you sincerely thanking me?”
“Yes.”
“Then saying it with words isn’t enough.”
“Then… what counts?”
“If you want to thank me, show some sincerity.”
Knowing he was pushing his luck, An Li didn’t resist, asking sincerely, “What sincerity do you want?”
Duan Zhuo touched the corner of his lips. “My mouth’s been a bit dry lately.”
“Oh… I see.”
“You see? Clever girl.”
“You want me to buy you a lip balm as a thank-you gift, right?” An Li said, already stepping back toward the door. “I’ll go buy it for you now.”
Just as she turned, he hooked her jacket and hood with his long fingers.
Then, with a spin, he turned her back toward him.
He kicked the door shut, a loud bang echoing.
The whole motion was fluid and seamless.
An Li, like a small rabbit, was lifted effortlessly in his arms, unable to move. She widened her innocent eyes at him, blinking pitifully. “W-what’s… going on?”
“Keep pretending.”
“…I’m not.”
“You know I don’t want a lip balm.” Duan Zhuo released her hood, but his hands moved to grip her slender waist, pinning her against the door. His husky voice dropped, “I want you to kiss me.”
An Li swallowed hard. “Can you… change your request? I… I don’t know how to kiss…”
“I saw you do quite well last time.” He lowered his head. “What, was I a one-time thing? Kissing done, and now you don’t want to kiss anymore?”
“…No.”
She really didn’t know how.
That night had been entirely under the influence of alcohol and his seduction, which had caused her to stumble into kissing him.
If it had been Duan Xingning, the wooden one, she would never have been tempted.
“Or… are you still thinking of my brother?” Duan Zhuo’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his eyes smoldering with restrained emotion. “You only want to continue kissing me if you see me as my brother, right?”
She shook her head.
She wasn’t thinking of him.
She hadn’t mistaken him for Duan Xingning.
That night had been driven by instinct, his own seductive allure drawing her in like a male fox.
“I-I’m not as devoted as you think. I already don’t like your brother anymore…” An Li bit her lip, speaking slowly but firmly. “He already has a fiancée.”
She couldn’t like someone who already had a fiancée.
She couldn’t like someone who had wronged her.
“Besides, I liked him before because he helped me, but now he’s disappointed me…”
So she wouldn’t like Duan Xingning again.
Duan Zhuo’s lips curved in a teasing arc. “Really?”
“Mm…”
“Come kiss me once, and I’ll believe you.”
An Li’s cheeks flushed, her eyelashes trembling, hesitant.
Just then, her phone rang.
It was Duan Xingning calling.
She didn’t know why—probably something related to today’s events.
Duan Zhuo asked lightly, “Who’s calling? My brother?”
“It’s him…” An Li didn’t deny it.
“Do you want to answer?”
She wasn’t sure.
Hesitating over whether to pick up,
Duan Zhuo suddenly stepped closer, one hand lifting her wrist, the other caressing her soft, pointed chin. His voice was seductive. “Do you want to answer his call… or kiss me?”
It seemed like a question, but the decision lay with him.
Though it seemed he held the power, the true control was in An Li’s hands.
The phone continued to ring.
An Li didn’t answer immediately. Her fingertips tightened, clutching her clothes, her breath unsteady.
She didn’t really want to kiss Duan Zhuo.
She should answer the call, find out why Duan Xingning was calling, and see if he realized his misunderstanding.
But An Li did nothing.
Her cheeks flushed, standing dazed in place.
Like a frightened little rabbit.
Completely stunned after being cornered.
Duan Zhuo knew he had pressured her too much, and that the choice should have been easy for her. The indecision was purely due to her caution.
Seeing the ringing nearing its end,
The connection from Duan Xingning was about to be interrupted.
An Li suddenly lifted her hand, carefully tiptoed, and pressed her soft lips against Duan Zhuo’s chin, leaving a wet kiss.
She was much shorter than him. Even on tiptoe, she only reached his chin.
Seeing that Duan Zhuo didn’t react, she whispered in explanation, “I can’t reach… can you lower your head?”
Her voice was soft, like cotton candy melting into the heart.
Delicate.
So delicate it made one ache.
The phone rang again.
Still Duan Xingning.
Duan Zhuo grabbed her phone, seemingly to cut the call, but with a swipe of his finger, he answered it.
Soon, Duan Xingning’s voice came through. “An Li?”
Before she could respond, Duan Zhuo gripped the back of her neck with one hand, his fingers threading through her soft hair, and unexpectedly lowered his head to kiss her.
The kiss carried undeniable force, his tongue prying open her lips, consuming every trace of sweetness and air.
The fierce possessiveness in his eyes was unmistakable. An Li stammered, her tiny whimpers swallowed completely by him.
He gave her no chance to breathe.
Her eyes reddened, her breath chaotic.
After a long silence, Duan Xingning asked again, “Why aren’t you speaking?”
Why didn’t she speak?
Because she was kissing your brother.
Duan Zhuo’s eyes sparkled with a mischievous triumph, as if daring Duan Xingning at any moment.
An Li quickly ended the call, her voice trembling. “Why… did you answer? What if your brother finds out about us…”
“Let him find out. Can he hit me? Not worth it,” Duan Zhuo drawled lazily. “Kissing you feels this good, even if he kills me, it’s worth it.”
Her cheeks reddened further. She punched him lightly.
Her soft punches were like cotton, but he caught her in his arms with one hand.
Duan Zhuo’s palm gently patted her back, seemingly soothing, but truly teasing. “Our Baby’s stamina is so poor. Just a kiss and you’re out of breath. How will we do anything else later?”
An Li gaped, trying to free herself, but her waist was trapped.
His long fingers brushed her rosy lips. “Your mouth is so small. Seems like kissing’s all you can do.”
“I’m not kissing you next time,” An Li said, slightly annoyed.
It had been too long.
She was nearly suffocating from the kiss.
She couldn’t imagine how his ex-girlfriends managed.
Duan Zhuo pulled her closer. “If not me, who else would you kiss?”
“Then go find someone else.”
“There’s no one else. My first time is all yours.”
He wasn’t an expert kisser; otherwise, she wouldn’t resist so much. He simply liked the physical closeness, wanting to be with her, lingering as long as possible.
An Li didn’t believe his nonsense. “Enough. I kissed you, that counts as your thank-you gift.”
“Just a thank-you gift? I thought you kissed me because you liked me.”
“…Weren’t you the one who said that was the way to thank me?”
“But you only kissed once.”
The rest was all his initiative.
An Li had no solution. “Then what do you want… no too outrageous requests.”
“Spend my birthday with me. That’s not too much, right?”
She hesitated. “When’s your birthday?”
“The day after tomorrow.”
That was soon.
His birthday was very close to Duan Xingning’s.