“Don’t move.”
The night breeze on the rooftop blew warm and gentle as Xia Qiaoxi heard an unfamiliar voice and heavy breathing near her ear.
Held tightly in his scorching embrace, her feet slowly touched the ground while her heart pounded like a drum.
She timidly raised her eyes to gaze at the man before her.
Under the crescent moon, he lowered his head, a strand of dark hair falling over his handsome brows. The ends of his phoenix eyes, which should have been tilted upward, now drooped downward. His eyes were rimmed with red, and the pure white sclera was streaked with chaotic red veins, creating a heart-wrenching sight.
A deep brown beauty mark adorned the reddened corner of his right eye, adding an air of mystery and tenderness to his exquisite, cold features, along with a hint of roguish charm.
Beneath his straight, prominent nose, his thin lips were pressed tightly together. The burning breath from his chest felt heavy, as if about to overflow.
Only one thought occupied Xia Qiaoxi’s mind at that moment: He’s really handsome.
In her daze, this stunningly cold face grew blurry and drew closer.
An intense aroma of alcohol mixed with the faint scent of tobacco washed over her.
The hand around her waist pressed firmly through the thin fabric of her dress, his palm so hot it felt like it might melt her skin.
“Mister…” Xia Qiaoxi pressed against his broad shoulders, “Could you let go now?”
“If I let go, will you keep trying to jump?” Tang Yushen gazed at her with deep affection, “What happened that brought you to the point of suicide?”
This face…
It looked so much like his Xier.
Tang Yushen’s Adam’s apple moved as he maintained his tight grip, not daring to relax for even a moment.
Afraid that if he loosened his hold, she would vanish again into those endless, illusory dreams—a mere illusion.
Waking up to find no one by his side.
Leaving him alone with memories of their past life, missing the time they spent together over and over again.
“I…” Xia Qiaoxi parted her lips, but thinking of her situation, her eyes darkened, “It’s none of your business.”
“What if I insist on making it my business?” Tang Yushen lifted her chin with his fingers, his thumb gently caressing her skin.
Not only did her face resemble Xier’s, but even the texture under his fingertips felt just as soft and delicate as before.
In the bright moonlight, Xia Qiaoxi’s beautiful amber eyes glistened with moisture. The tip of her nose and the corners of her eyes were tinged with red, and her smooth dark hair was tousled by the evening breeze, a few strands drifting against his wrist, bringing a faint tickling sensation.
How he loved it when Xier touched him.
Tang Yushen pressed his fingers against her luscious red lips, restraining the impulse to crush her into his very bones as he breathed heavily, “Who bullied you?”
Xia Qiaoxi forced a smile, “Everyone bullies me…”
“Including you!” She frowned, pulling her head back, “Don’t touch me…”
Though this man was handsome, he turned out to be a pervert!
“You don’t know me?”
“Are you some big celebrity?” Though Xia Qiaoxi didn’t follow celebrities, their advertisements were everywhere these days.
If someone with his looks had debuted as a star, she definitely wouldn’t have forgotten him.
“My name is Tang Yushen. Tang as in Tang Dynasty, Yu as in melancholy, Shen as in depth.” Tang Yushen’s grip didn’t loosen in the slightest, “What’s your name?”
“Xia Qiaoxi. Xia as in summer, Qiao as in quiet, Xi as in cherish.”
The moment Xia Qiaoxi finished speaking, Tang Yushen cupped the back of her head and lowered his lips to hers.
Xia Qiaoxi froze completely.
Mmph!
It hurt.
Her lips really hurt.
Hiss…
“Ah!”
The faint taste of blood spread in Tang Yushen’s mouth. His dark, profound eyes seemed stained with thick ink, gazing at her with intense, burning depth.
He tilted his head and touched his bitten lip. “Miss Xia, you bit me. What’s your name?”
Xia Qiaoxi pressed her lips together, the lingering taste of tobacco and alcohol that wasn’t hers still in her mouth.
Her eyes reddened. “That was my first kiss…”
“You were about to jump off a building. Is your first kiss really that important?” Tang Yushen laughed. “That was my first kiss too.”
Perfect.
Even the name was the same.
After a hundred years, he had finally found his Xier – the one who had taken a bullet for him and died in his arms!
Unfortunately, his Xier didn’t remember him.
Instead, she saw him as a pervert, a scoundrel.
But…
Forcing a kiss during their first meeting was indeed quite scoundrel-like.
He loved the feeling of kissing Xier.
A single kiss wasn’t enough to ease his century of longing!
He wanted more!
Xia Qiaoxi struggled to push him away. “Mr. Tang, I wasn’t jumping. I was just enjoying the evening breeze and the view.”
“Enjoying the view while standing on the railing of a 20th-floor hotel rooftop.” Tang Yushen tightened his grip around her slender waist. “Miss Xia, do you really think I’d believe that?”
Did it matter whether he believed her or not?
They had just met tonight and weren’t familiar with each other at all.
“You’re hurting me…” Xia Qiaoxi winced from the pain in her waist. “I should go. They’ll come looking for me.”
“Who?”
Xia Qiaoxi didn’t want to say too much. Her intuition told her the man before her seemed even more dangerous.
She was already caught in a whirlpool of darkness, ready to sink at any moment.
The more Xia Qiaoxi struggled, the tighter Tang Yushen held her.
“Tell me.” Raging anger surged in Tang Yushen’s reddened eyes. “Xia Qiaoxi!”
“Why are you being so fierce…” Xia Qiaoxi looked bewildered.
Since childhood, she had never known true freedom, never received genuine care. No one cherished her, no one loved her.
Even her own mother hadn’t wanted her during the divorce.
Her soft voice carried a hint of self-mockery, her delicate features blending purity with a fragile charm. “Even if you save me now, can you save me for a lifetime?”
The corner of Tang Yushen’s mouth lifted. “Yes, we’ll get married tomorrow! Then you’ll come with me.”
“Sorry, tomorrow is my wedding day, but you’re not the groom.” Xia Qiaoxi smiled.
Her smile was cold and sorrowful, like a resilient flower blooming from a crack in the stone, swaying gracefully.
He was now even more certain – the Xia Qiaoxi before him must be the reincarnation of his Xier.
This expression and demeanor were just as pitiable as Xier’s in her previous life.
“As long as you agree to marry me, I’ll naturally help you deal with tomorrow’s wedding.” Tang Yushen lowered his head, leaning close to her ear, speaking in a deep, slow voice. “After all, I’ve already kissed you. I should take responsibility.”
“If I marry you, how is it any different from marrying someone else tomorrow? It would just be exchanging one wolf’s den for another tiger’s lair.” Xia Qiaoxi had always been at the mercy of others.
Marriage wasn’t her decision to make.
If she had a choice, she wouldn’t marry at all. She only wanted to leave Beijing forever.
To find her mother and ask why she hadn’t taken her three-year-old daughter when she left.
Was she not well-behaved enough?
Or did her mother have difficulties?
Eighteen years had passed without any news.
Did her mother hate her now?
As Xia Qiaoxi thought about this, her eyes grew redder, crystal tears sliding from the corners of her eyes.
In their previous life, Tang Yushen had loved seeing her cry, loved teasing her until she wept.
His darling looked especially beautiful when she cried—her tear-glazed eyes gazing at him tenderly, her soft voice murmuring: “Husband is bullying me, I won’t sleep with husband tonight.”
She was so docile, her threats completely lacking any force.
In her past life, her heart had been unbearably soft toward him.
But the current Xia Qiaoxi had shed the haughty pride of her previous life’s young mistress demeanor, becoming soft and pliant.
“I’m sorry, I was too hasty.” Tang Yushen apologized sincerely. “You can take your time to consider, and give me a chance for us to try being together.”
“Huh?” Xia Qiaoxi stared at him in confusion.
She couldn’t figure out what this man was thinking.
One moment he was forcing kisses, the next demanding marriage, then bowing his head to apologize.
With her sharp hearing, Xia Qiaoxi caught the chaotic footsteps approaching from the rooftop entrance. Panicked, she hugged him tightly, trembling as she said, “They’re coming to get me…”