The words that came from that gentle, smiling mouth were practically vulgar and indecent.
Xiao Yao’s eyes widened instantly.
Smack!
Ming Jing’s head turned to the side from the blow. A vivid red mark appeared on his fair cheek. After a moment, he lifted a finger and lightly touched it before turning back to look at Xiao Yao with his dark eyes.
Under that gaze, Xiao Yao unconsciously took a step backward.
She regretted it almost immediately after striking him.
A slap carried a strong sense of humiliation. No one liked being slapped, especially someone as perfect and privileged as Ming Jing.
But…
He had been the one to say those things to humiliate her first.
Besides, every action had an equal reaction. She had slapped him, but her own hand hurt too.
In a small voice, Xiao Yao said, “You were the one who insulted me first…”
Ming Jing curled his lips slightly, though there was little amusement in his eyes.
“Can’t the truth be spoken?”
Xiao Yao cautiously observed his expression.
The young man was staring at her coldly, his handsome and gentle face completely devoid of emotion.
She bit her lower lip unconsciously.
It seemed as though she went through an intense internal struggle before finally making up her mind. Extending her face toward him, she squeezed her eyes shut.
“Then… then hit me back!”
In Ming Jing’s eyes, her eyelashes trembled wildly.
She was obviously terrified.
Watching her like this, some of the anger swirling inside him dissipated.
When Xiao Yao had slapped him, he had indeed felt it was absurd and humiliating.
He had considered turning around and leaving.
He had also considered saying a few harsh words before leaving.
But never once had he thought about hitting her back.
Now, seeing her tilt her head up obediently, clearly frightened yet forcing herself to stay calm and let him retaliate, he suddenly found it difficult to remain angry.
Once the anger faded, what remained was the memory of the slap itself.
Her palm had been soft and delicate.
She had not used much strength.
The humiliation had far outweighed the pain.
There had even been a faint fragrance lingering on her hand.
Xiao Yao kept waiting with her face extended forward, but the expected pain never came.
For her, every extra second felt like another layer of torture.
Finally, she cautiously opened one eye.
Only to meet the Male Lead’s gaze directly.
She immediately squeezed her eyes shut again and did not dare peek anymore.
“Heh.”
A short laugh sounded.
The other person seemed to raise a hand, and his presence gradually drew closer.
She wanted to open her eyes but resisted the urge.
Her trembling eyelashes only fluttered faster.
Then her lips suddenly hurt.
Xiao Yao’s eyes flew open.
Startled, she raised her hands to push him away, only to find herself pulled closer instead.
The corner of the stairwell was outside the range of the security cameras.
Classes had ended quite some time ago, and the building was nearly empty.
No one noticed what was happening in the hidden corner.
By the time they separated, Xiao Yao’s legs had gone weak.
She could only lean against the Male Lead for support, breathing softly.
The corners of her eyes were red.
When she finally spoke, her voice sounded aggrieved.
“…Jerk.”
The accusation sounded more like a complaint than an insult.
Ming Jing tightened his hold on her unconsciously.
Hearing her soft voice so close to him made his heart soften.
“I’m sorry. I went too far.”
After speaking, he could not help lowering his head and pressing a light kiss to her cheek.
Xiao Yao immediately turned her face away.
“Don’t kiss me.”
Ming Jing paused.
“Alright.”
Xiao Yao still felt weak and dizzy.
Unable to stand properly, she remained leaning against him while recovering her strength.
Her fingers clutched tightly at his clothes.
She felt frustrated, disgusted, and angry.
Her knuckles turned white from the force of her grip.
However, Ming Jing seemed to misunderstand.
His gaze remained gentle as he looked at the girl in his arms as though she were something precious.
About ten minutes later, Xiao Yao finally recovered enough to stand.
The moment she stepped away, intending to leave, Ming Jing instinctively reached out and caught her wrist.
“Where are you going?”
“What does it have to do with you?”
Xiao Yao turned around and looked at him coldly.
She had completely dropped her timid act.
The moment she remembered how vulnerable she had looked in his arms, a wave of revulsion rose inside her.
She felt utterly humiliated.
Annoyed and angry.
Although she had been wrong to slap him first, she had also offered him the chance to hit her back.
Instead of doing that, he had kissed her.
And not only that—
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
The Male Lead really wasn’t a good person at all.
He went around kissing people whenever he pleased.
He had absolutely no sense of propriety.
Raising a hand, Xiao Yao vigorously wiped her lips.
The disgust in her eyes was impossible to hide.
Ming Jing stopped smiling.
He stared at her for a long moment.
“Do I disgust you that much?”
“Yes.”
Xiao Yao answered without hesitation.
“Why did you kiss me? You knew I have a boyfriend. What, are you trying to be the other man?”
As someone raised under an elite education and groomed from childhood as the heir to the Ming Family, Ming Jing could never openly admit to such a thing.
He lowered his eyes.
Silence fell.
Inside her mind, the system, which had been enjoying the drama, suddenly became energetic again.
“Just wait! The Male Lead is finally going to see through your stupid and evil cannon-fodder nature! Then he’ll dump you and go find our true, kind, beautiful Female Lead! Hahaha! The Male Lead is finally waking up! You evil woman, retreat! Retreat! Retreat!”
The next moment, Ming Jing looked up.
“What would it take for you two to break up?”
Xiao Yao immediately burst into laughter.
“Hahahahahahahaha!”
The system cut the connection on the spot and retreated into self-imposed isolation once more.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yao looked at the Male Lead.
Without even a second of hesitation, she answered seriously,
“There are no conditions.”
“We won’t break up.”
After all, the so-called boyfriend did not even exist.
Naturally, there would never be a breakup.
But Ming Jing did not know that.
From his perspective, Xiao Yao genuinely seemed to love her boyfriend.
Even the look in her eyes whenever she thought of him appeared focused and gentle.
It made him wonder what kind of person the man actually was.
He pressed his lips together.
A trace of bitterness rose in his chest.
Ming Jing’s life had always gone smoothly.
The countless people who sought his attention either valued his family background or coveted his appearance.
He was used to rejecting others.
This was the first time he had experienced being rejected himself.
And such a merciless rejection at that.
It was as though he was not even qualified to be compared with the person she loved.
Not only her supposed boyfriend.
There was also the boy she had stared at throughout class.
Closing his eyes briefly, Ming Jing curled the fingers hanging at his side.
He did not even qualify to be cheated on.
Soon, however, he reorganized his emotions.
The familiar gentle and refined expression returned to his face.
So what if he had been rejected?
He told himself to maintain his dignity.
It was only his first time liking someone.
It was only his first rejection.
It was only that she seemed to dislike him very much.
She had a boyfriend.
Rejecting him was perfectly normal.
He had lost control and kissed her without permission.
Being disliked was also perfectly normal.
He was the heir to the Ming Family.
Even if she had accepted him, he would never have become someone’s affair partner.
After convincing himself, he remembered the boy she had been staring at in class and recalled that boy’s strange reaction earlier.
After a moment of thought, he prepared to warn her.
Before he could speak, Xiao Yao suddenly interrupted.
“Can I leave now?”
As though she did not want to spend even one more second with him.
Ming Jing paused.
Then he smiled lightly.
“Of course.”
It was none of his business.
Whether she was deceived.
Whether she was used.
None of it had anything to do with him.