When Qi Chenyan leaned in to kiss her, Shi Xing wrapped her arms around his waist, her fingertips instinctively clutching his suit jacket.
Her eyelashes fluttered lightly, her breath held slightly as she allowed him to toy with her lips for a while before hearing his voice.
His low, husky tone made her ears burn, and Shi Xing felt dizzy from the heat, unable to think clearly. She obediently extended the tip of her tongue.
She heard the man’s breathing grow even deeper, and the next second, he sucked on it forcefully.
Shi Xing let out a soft whimper, which was then swallowed entirely by him.
It was an exceptionally deep kiss, their tongues entwined, breaths mingling.
The sound of their breathing grew increasingly heavy and suppressed, while their heartbeats grew more frantic and chaotic.
Shi Xing tilted her head back, her lips and tongue under his control. Even when they grew numb and sore, he refused to let go.
It was as if she were something to be savored, and he was relishing every moment, with none of the reluctance he had mentioned earlier.
Shi Xing’s hand, which had been clutching the suit at his waist, instinctively moved upward. She reached his chest, intending to push him away, but instead, she felt his heartbeat pounding beneath her fingertips, intense and powerful.
Her fingers curled slightly, and suddenly, she lost the strength to push him away. She simply endured his kiss while her fingers unconsciously scratched at his chest.
Until, at one point, her palm brushed against something uneven, like a scar.
As if suddenly sobering up, she pushed against him again with a bit more force.
Qi Chenyan reluctantly withdrew from her mouth but refused to pull away completely. He gently pecked at her moistened lips, trying to calm his restless breathing.
He had somewhat overestimated himself.
He truly hadn’t expected that even kissing her like this would be so hard to restrain.
“What’s wrong?”
He licked away the moisture from her lips, kissing the corner of her mouth as he asked in a low, careful voice, “Did I make you uncomfortable?”
He had no experience, relying entirely on instinct. Now that she had pushed him to stop, he felt a bit nervous, afraid she might find it unpleasant.
What if she unconsciously compared him to He Sheng? Would she think He Sheng was better at this?
Qi Chenyan’s gaze darkened, troubled.
Meanwhile, Shi Xing had lowered her eyes to look at the spot she had just touched, her voice hoarse. “No, I wanted to ask, what happened with this scar?”
Through his clothes, she couldn’t see the scar’s appearance.
But even through his shirt, her slender fingertips could feel how jagged and severe it was.
And Shi Xing had seen this scar before her rebirth. It looked as if it had been left by something sharp piercing deeply, and judging by its condition, it was many years old.
It was near his heart, a dangerous place.
Back then, Shi Xing hadn’t asked him why, because at the time, she hadn’t had the energy to care about an old scar of his, and he naturally hadn’t volunteered to tell her.
Only now, as she touched it again, did she vaguely sense something was off.
Given Qi Chenyan’s status, he should have been well-protected since childhood. How could he have been injured so severely?
And for some reason, vague images seemed to flash in her mind, making her instinctively feel that this scar was related to her.
She couldn’t help but want to ask for clarity.
Qi Chenyan hadn’t expected her to discover the scar. Following her gaze, even through his clothes, the gentle touch of her fingertips felt like an electric current, sending shivers through him.He pressed his lips together, took her hand that was wandering over his chest, and brought it to his lips, kissing her slightly cool fingertips. He answered lightly, “Just a small accident.”
“Really?”
Shi Xing looked up into his deep eyes and bluntly exposed his lie, “Would a small accident injure you here?”
Qi Chenyan met her gaze for a few seconds. Her eyes were direct, with an expression that seemed to say she would get angry if he didn’t come clean.
He unconsciously curved his lips slightly, hesitated for a moment, then sighed softly, “Alright, it was stabbed with a fruit knife.”
Shi Xing’s eyes widened slightly, surprise flashing in them. “Who would be so ruthless?”
Even though it was just a fruit knife, that stab was clearly aimed at the heart—it was meant to kill him!
Qi Chenyan hugged her, lowering his head to rest his chin on her shoulder, avoiding her eyes and not letting her see his. He whispered, “She didn’t mean to.”
“Didn’t mean to?”
Shi Xing frowned. “Then what happened?”
Qi Chenyan closed his eyes and slowly explained, “At the time, she got lost, fell into a mountain hollow, and sprained her ankle. When she encountered a snake, she panicked. She had a fruit knife in her bag and started swinging it wildly. I happened to find her just then. She didn’t notice me, and I didn’t notice her in time, so I got stabbed.”
Coincidentally, it struck slightly off-center from his heart.
And she was genuinely terrified at the time, so her strength was considerable, leaving a deep wound.
He didn’t mention a name, only referring to her as “she.”
As Shi Xing listened, her expression gradually changed.
Lost, fell into a mountain hollow, encountered a snake, fruit knife…
She suddenly felt a wave of confusion. “Are you talking about me?”
Back in middle school, their group had gone camping. She had gotten separated from the others, lost her way in the mountains, and eventually fell into a hollow.
With a sprained ankle, she couldn’t get up, and her phone had no signal.
Just as she was terrified, a snake slithered toward her.
Panicking, she fumbled for the fruit knife in her bag, closed her eyes, and started screaming and stabbing wildly. Suddenly, she felt the knife sink into something with a soft thud. When she opened her eyes, she saw a person wearing a mask and a hat crouching in front of her, holding her wrist.
The fruit knife in her hand was embedded in that person’s chest, blood spurting out instantly.
Shi Xing’s mind went blank with shock, and she fainted.
When she woke up, she was already lying in a tent, with He Sheng by her side.
She asked He Sheng how she had gotten back, and he said he had carried her back from the mountain hollow.
She asked if he had seen anyone else—someone wearing a mask and a hat. He said no, that she had been alone at the time.
Shi Xing was confused then, wondering if her fear had caused her to hallucinate.
Afterward, she lived in fear for a long time, worried that the police would show up accusing her of murder. But nothing happened, and everything remained calm.
Gradually, she forgot about that day’s events.
Until now.
Shi Xing suddenly pushed Qi Chenyan, making him look up. She stared intently into his eyes. “That person wearing a mask and a hat back then—it was you!”
That scar really was caused by her.
Qi Chenyan pressed his lips together and didn’t answer.
Shi Xing bit her lip lightly. “Why did you cover your face back then? Why did you save me and then run away without admitting it? You let me believe all along that it was really He Sheng who carried me back.”
It was also because of this incident that her fondness for He Sheng grew significantly.
After all, at a time when everyone else had forgotten about her, He Sheng had remembered to look for her and carry her back. That alone was enough to move her deeply.Qi Chenyan scratched his cheek somewhat uncomfortably and sighed softly, “At the time, I thought you really disliked me. I was afraid you’d tell me to get lost if you saw me, so I figured wearing a mask would help hide my face.”
Shi Xing’s eyes suddenly stung fiercely, her voice growing thick with emotion, “Why are you so foolish…”
Back then, she hadn’t truly disliked him.
She was just, just…
Shi Xing bit her lip tightly, her eyes instantly welling up with tears.
The affection of youth was always something one dared not voice aloud.
The more she liked him, the more inferior she felt; the more afraid she became, the more she tried to mask it with dislike.
Over time, they drifted further and further apart.
Even she herself came to believe that she truly disliked him.
She disliked how he always seemed so aloof, how he never smiled at her, how he was so outstanding and had so many admirers. She also disliked how much she liked him, knowing she would never have him.
Shi Xing suddenly lowered her head, burying her face in the crook of his neck. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, her voice trembling with tears as she repeated that helpless phrase, “Qi Chenyan, why are you so foolish…”
If only they could start over, if only she could be reborn to a time much earlier.
Perhaps they wouldn’t have wasted so many years.
Hearing the girl’s sobs, Qi Chenyan stiffened slightly, pausing for a moment before gently stroking her hair with his long fingers, slowly combing through her soft strands. His voice was hoarse, “Yes, I was too foolish.”
But back then, he had been too deeply hurt. After sending her back, he was taken to the hospital.
He spent over a month recovering from his injuries, afraid that she would feel guilty or scared, so he didn’t dare tell her or contact her.
When he returned to school and went to find her, he saw her laughing and chatting with He Sheng. He Sheng sat casually on her desk, casually picking up her cup to drink from it without a second thought.
She didn’t stop him either, still smiling brightly at He Sheng.
Their classmates around them were teasing them, making them seem like a perfect pair.
He paused outside her classroom for a moment before turning and leaving.
Later, he had wondered countless times: if he had been more selfish and told her how deeply she had hurt him, would she have felt a little more for him and stopped disliking him?
Instead, he had handed her over to He Sheng himself, giving him the opportunity to hurt and mistreat her.
He closed his eyes briefly, hearing her crying grow more intense, and couldn’t help but cup her face, lifting it from his shoulder.
The girl’s eyes were wet, and as her lashes trembled, tears fell like broken strings of pearls, one after another.
Qi Chenyan’s heart ached unbearably. He sighed helplessly, “Darling, today is our first day of marriage. Don’t cry—it’s bad luck.”
Shi Xing sniffled, “Oh, I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it.”
Qi Chenyan didn’t blame her. After a moment’s thought, he gently wiped away her tears with his thumb and said, “You asked me a question. Can I ask you one in return?”
He was trying to change the subject.
Shi Xing sniffled again, her voice still muffled, “What is it?”
Qi Chenyan’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he leaned closer to her, his warm breath brushing against her tear-stained cheek. His voice was soft and deliberate, “Did you enjoy my kiss just now?”
Shi Xing’s lashes fluttered. Her tears hadn’t yet dried, but her cheeks flushed slightly again.
She mumbled, “It was alright.”
After all, he wasn’t particularly skilled—just sucking, licking, and biting—but because it was him, she found it incredibly pleasant.
Qi Chenyan’s gaze deepened.
Just “alright”?
He frowned, unable to hold back a tinge of bitterness as he asked, “So, between me and He Sheng, who made you feel better?”
Shi Xing: “?”She lifted her gaze, her eyes glistening with tears, still choked up as she asked him, “You said my crying is unlucky, but will you getting beaten today be any luckier?”
Qi Chenyan: “?”
Shi Xing lowered her eyes, suddenly pinched his chin to make him look up, leaned close to his neck, and bit his Adam’s apple fiercely, saying angrily, “Qi Chenyan, you really are so stupid!”