Huai Yin blinked blankly. Having just kissed Xu Shiyan, her mind was still feeling dizzy and foggy. Her reaction time was terribly slow, and she couldn’t process his words right away.
Ah, his first kiss? Really? Meaning he had never kissed anyone else before—how could that even be possible?
As a wealthy, strikingly handsome young master, he certainly didn’t lack pursuers. On top of that, he had even dated Su Yi for a period of time.
Noticing the faint flickers of doubt passing through the girl’s bright, clear eyes, Xu Shiyan froze for a second. Was Huai Yin actually doubting him?
“I’m not lying!” Xu Shiyan panicked slightly, raising his voice a notch. “This really is my first kiss!”
Huai Yin tilted her head like a confused little cat, asking with complete seriousness, “You never kissed Su Yi?”
“Of course not!” Xu Shiyan denied it outright without a second thought. “I told you, this is my first time.”
The youth’s voice carried a hint of urgency. Keeping his sharp, handsome face taut, he felt thoroughly aggrieved by her lack of trust.
Did he really look like someone with a lot of experience? Although he hated admitting his innocence and lack of expertise in such matters, Xu Shiyan would rather be teased or looked down upon by Huai Yin than let her misunderstand him.
“I didn’t! The most we ever did before was hold hands, that’s it.”
While the young master exerted every effort to prove his innocence, Huai Yin didn’t particularly care. What did any of this have to do with her anyway? Still, she was somewhat surprised by Xu Shiyan’s pureness.
After all, he was usually so arrogant and domineering—one truly couldn’t tell at all.
Perhaps this is just the nature of a campus romance novel, Huai Yin thought thoughtfully. The system had previously explained to her that during their school days, the main leads tended to be more innocent and pure.
So that was it. Huai Yin nodded mentally. Then hadn’t she just stolen the male lead’s first kiss?
System: Yes. Though it fits the persona of a villainess quite well.
But she only kissed the corner of his mouth—that shouldn’t really count, right? Huai Yin felt a small pang of guilt.
The system replied coldly: It seems the male lead doesn’t share your perspective.
Xu Shiyan gripped Huai Yin’s shoulders tightly, his bright red tongue licking his lips as if savoring the moment.
“Can we do it again?” Xu Shiyan stared intently at her lips, as if her mouth were some priceless treasure.
Naturally, Huai Yin refused. She widened her eyes and immediately shook her head.
Xu Shiyan looked deeply disappointed, the light in his eyes dimming instantly. Lowering his voice, his tone took on a subtle, persuasive edge: “I want to kiss you again.”
Not just her mouth—he wanted to kiss other places, too. Like her neck, her collarbone, and—
At that thought, his heart thumped heavily against his ribs, his breathing growing dense and heavy.
“Why won’t you let me kiss you?”
Xu Shiyan looked every bit like a resentful husband cruelly abandoned by his wife.
“I’ll make you feel really good,” Xu Shiyan promised her with absolute confidence.
No matter what he said, Huai Yin remained steadfastly unwilling.
“You promised only once!” Huai Yin clutched the hem of her clothes, her almond eyes wide and round as she looked at him with wary vigilance. “If you go back on your word, no one will like you!”
The girl looked up at him with a soft, obedient expression—like a pitiful, aggrieved little cat. Xu Shiyan simply couldn’t bring himself to push further. He didn’t want Huai Yin to dislike him.
Fine, take it slow, otherwise I’ll end up scaring my fiancée.
“Then let me hold you for a bit.”
Before Huai Yin could say anything, Xu Shiyan pulled her tightly into his arms with absolute dominance. Adopting a deeply dependent posture, he buried his face in the crook of her neck, gently inhaling the scent clinging to her body. It was warm, laced with a faint trace of sweetness.
Like a large hound, Xu Shiyan rubbed the tip of his wet nose against her neck. Huai Yin narrowed her eyes and reached up to push his head away. “It tickles.”
“You’ll get used to it,” Xu Shiyan muttered, his voice muffled. “Fiancée, since you kissed me, you have to take responsibility for me.”
Huai Yin froze in place.
What responsibility did she need to take? Was she really being pinned down and burdened by Xu Shiyan like this?
Before the class bell rang, a student happened to walk out of a classroom early. Catching sight of the two embracing at the hallway corner, he let out an involuntary gasp of shock.
Having their moment interrupted, Xu Shiyan felt instantly foul-tempered. He raised his eyes, casting an icy glare at the student. “What are you yelling for?”
Xu Shiyan shifted his body, completely shielding Huai Yin behind his back.
He had finally managed to enjoy a quiet moment with his fiancée, only for some blind idiot to ruin it.
His handsome face was laced with dark rage, looking thoroughly intimidating. The student stammered out frantically, “I-I won’t tell anyone!”
Xu Shiyan’s demeanor remained cold and aloof. Hearing those words, he raised an eyebrow as a sudden thought struck him.
“It’s fine, I don’t mind,” Xu Shiyan said with a half-smile. “Even if you spread the word, I won’t blame you.”
It sounded generous enough, but who would ever dare to do such a thing unless they had a death wish?
In truth, Xu Shiyan wished he could announce it to the whole world—ideally letting it reach Shen Xiaozhou’s ears. He was dying to see the look on the guy’s face once he found out; it would certainly be a sight to behold.
Having been outmaneuvered by Shen Xiaozhou last time had left a sour taste in his mouth ever since.
Knowing full well that the student lacked the courage to stir up trouble, Xu Shiyan went straight to pull up the surveillance footage from that moment, snapped a photo, and uploaded it directly to the school forum.
Xu Shiyan stared at the photo, savoring every detail. Unfortunately, the camera angle only captured his tall back and a few loose strands of Huai Yin’s hair.
He was far too tall, shielding Huai Yin completely from view. Only one shot captured a bit of his profile, barely enough to identify him as the main subject.
The moment the post went live, the comment section exploded. In less than an hour, the topic spread like wildfire across the entire school.
【Is this Huai Yin and Xu Shiyan? Help, how is this even possible?】
【You can’t even tell! If you said it was someone else, I’d believe it too.】
【Wow, as expected of the young master, kissing right in the middle of the hallway. How domineering~ (rolls eyes)】
【Pretty sure class was still in session then? That’s seriously bold. They aren’t acting in an idol drama, could they really not hold it in? I’m dizzy.】
【How did this photo leak? Aren’t they afraid of offending Xu Shiyan? OP, you’re dead. Sitting back to watch the show.】
【Honestly, the atmosphere is pretty great. I love this size difference! Passing by to ship them.】
【Wait, isn’t he dating Su Yi?】
【They literally just broke up, moving on with zero gap, kinda iffy.】
【Scumbag get lost.】
【Huai Yin was originally Xu Shiyan’s fiancée anyway, right?】
【LOL, someone directed and acted this out themselves! It was definitely posted by Huai Yin just to gross out Su Yi.】
The second Huai Yin stepped into the classroom, the noisy chatter instantly died down. Sitting in her seat, she felt an unsettling sensation—as if someone were staring at her from behind.
Turning her head around, however, she didn’t catch anyone looking at her. Strange, was it just her imagination?
Li Qing and Xu Zhouzhou rushed over to her with urgent expressions.
“Huai Yin, what’s going on? The forum has completely exploded! And here I wondered why you missed last class,” Li Qing clicked her tongue twice. “So telling me you lost something was just a cover-up to fool me!”
“You were actually on a date with Xu Shiyan!” Li Qing added sourly.
Huai Yin finally caught the strange undertone. “How do you guys know?”
“Haven’t you checked the forum post?” Xu Zhouzhou handed her phone over.
Huai Yin’s eyes swept across the headline and photo, leaving her stunned on the spot. “Who did this?”
Li Qing felt Huai Yin was truly dense. She shook her head helplessly. “Who else could it be? It was definitely Xu Shiyan himself.”
Huai Yin grew even more bewildered. Why on earth would Xu Shiyan do something like that?
“To declare his ownership, of course! What else?” Xu Zhouzhou said with an expression of sheer disdain. “So childish.”
Everything finally clicked for Huai Yin, leaving her with a pounding headache.
With Xu Shiyan courting death like this now, who knew how much effort it would take for him to win Su Yi back later? Perhaps this was just an inevitable path every novel male lead had to walk.
With a few minutes remaining before class started, students filed into the room one after another. Huai Yin caught sight of Shen Xiaozhou—for reasons unknown, his expression was exceptionally dark and gloomy.
His pale skin looked even more eerie beneath the lights.
The moment Shen Xiaozhou walked into the classroom, Huai Yin felt the surrounding temperature plunge toward freezing point.
The youth’s gaze swept over gently—cold, distant, and aloof. Yet the instant his eyes landed on Huai Yin, a subtle storm of rage and jealousy seemed to brew within their depths.
Keeping a dark, silent expression, Shen Xiaozhou took his seat right beside Huai Yin’s right side.
Li Qing clicked her tongue, pouting her lips impatiently. “Who pissed off that scholarship student again? Who is he pulling that sour face for?”
Shen Xiaozhou didn’t utter a single word, yet Huai Yin felt an unsettling chill run through her, as if something terrible were about to happen.
When Huai Yin returned home after school, that lingering sense of dread still hadn’t faded—it was the instinctual unease of a small animal sensing a natural predator lurking nearby, yet unable to catch sight of it.
Her heart remained lodged in her throat, beating in chaotic thumps.
Huai Yin scooped up a handful of cold water and splashed her face, trying to calm her nerves.
What was going on? Huai Yin stared at her reflection, reaching up to push aside her damp bangs.
She patted her cheeks, took a deep breath, and turned around—only to jump in fright. Unnoticed, Shen Xiaozhou was standing right at the bathroom doorway.
Shen Xiaozhou leaned casually against the doorframe with his arms crossed. His dark hair veiled his cold, distant eyes, his lips pressed into a tight, flat line, completely devoid of expression.
Huai Yin’s heart skipped a heavy beat. She parted her lips, but not a single word escaped.
A long, suffocating silence stretched between them. Shen Xiaozhou made no effort to speak, examining her with an aloof, unreadable gaze, leaving no clue as to what was passing through his mind.
Bracing herself, Huai Yin stepped forward, keeping her head low and not daring to meet his eyes. “Do you need to use the bathroom?”
Still, he offered no response.
Plucking up her courage, Huai Yin raised her head, unexpectedly locking eyes with Shen Xiaozhou. Now she could clearly read the emotions etched across his face—it was a tempest of hurt and agony, tangled with raw anger and bitter resentment.
“You kissed Xu Shiyan,” he said. It wasn’t a question, but a flat, undeniable statement.
Huai Yin had no idea how to answer. Deciding to play dumb, she tried to dodge the subject altogether. “Move aside, I’m going out.”
Shen Xiaozhou didn’t budge.
Fine.
Huai Yin pouted slightly and turned sideways, attempting to squeeze past him. Just as she did, he abruptly grabbed her arm.
“Hss.”
She gasped sharply from the pain, her brows knitting together tightly.
Shen Xiaozhou leaned down, closing the distance between them, his cold, crisp breath fluttering against her face.
His long, slender fingers pinched her lips, trapping them before his thumb began to rub forcefully across her mouth.
A wave of wild madness swirled deep within Shen Xiaozhou’s light brown eyes. “Where else did he kiss you?”