Chenchen had never been touched by any lips but his. Her past with Xu Yan had been innocent—mere handholding could ignite her cheeks.
And now...
Her last kiss belonged to a distant past, half a decade etched into memory.
So...
Kissing felt like navigating uncharted waters.
Her eyes squeezed shut. Breath vanished. A fine sheen of sweat pearled along the delicate slope of her nose.
He deepened the kiss abruptly.
The sudden, searing intensity ripped Chenchen back to reality. She jerked, eyes snapping open. He pulled back a fraction, gaze hooded and dangerous. "Care to try another reckless stunt?"
...
Long after Bai Yeqing rose and left the room, Chenchen floated, dizzy as if starved of air. The phantom burn of his closeness lingered, scorching her skin.
Crazy. Utterly insane!
How could she have mistaken him for Dabai? Twice? He undoubtedly thought it deliberate—calculated!
Mortification surged. She buried her flaming face in the pillow, muffling a groan against the fabric.
His scent—clean linen and cedar—still haunted the sheets. Her hand flew to her chest, pressing against the frantic drumming beneath her ribs. Hopeless. This feeling is wretched!
...
The next morning, Chenchen dressed Dabai in his room. The boy yawned hugely. "Where's Dad? Gone?"
"Hours ago. Not everyone hibernates like a bear."
Mentioning Bai Yeqing reignited the embers of last night's humiliation, still painfully raw. I need to explain. Clear the air.
"So?" Dabai blinked, suddenly alert. "Baby mission successful last night?"
"You!" She swatted his bottom lightly. "If not for your harebrained scheme, we wouldn't have—" Her words choked off abruptly.
Dabai tilted his head, big eyes wide with sudden intrigue. "Wouldn't have... what?"
"Nothing!" Chenchen fumbled with his buttons. "Move it, sleepyhead. Breakfast."
After sending Dabai down, Chenchen lingered in her room. He lives here. We'll cross paths constantly. This awkwardness is unsustainable.
She found Bai Yeqing stepping into the dawn light outside. "Sir!"
He paused mid-stride, turning with glacial composure.
Damn. His aides, Leng Fei included, stood in attentive formation behind him.
Flushing, Chenchen approached, voice dropping to a strained whisper. "Last night... Please don't misunderstand."
"Misunderstand?" His voice sliced the morning air.
"I thought you were Dabai. Truly. It was... entirely accidental." The words tumbled out. "Could we... just forget it? Avoid... awkwardness?"
Perfect. Pleading with Bai Yeqing to forget a kiss? Women schemed lifetimes for the privilege.
A frost settled in his eyes. "Such trivialities," he stated, his tone flat as stone, "rarely occupy my attention."
Without another glance, he strode toward his armored car.
Chenchen stood rooted, watching the motorcade dissolve into the city haze. Triviality...
Of course. Governing a nation eclipsed drunken midnight kisses.
Why explain? I sound utterly pathetic.
Self-reproach coiled in her stomach. Yet, as she turned away, his dismissive words echoed—rarely occupy my attention—and an inexplicable, hollow ache bloomed beneath her ribs.
Isn't this exactly what I wanted?
...
Post-breakfast, Chenchen buried herself in exam prep. Dabai sprawled nearby, utterly engrossed in dismantling a replica pistol Leng Fei had procured—a fascination seemingly hardwired into males of all ages. She'd long surrendered the battle over 'unsuitable' toys.
Her phone shattered the quiet. Grandmother's number flashed.
"Xingchen," came the brisk voice. "I've arranged your meeting."
"Meeting?"
"The matchmaking! Did you forget entirely?"
Chenchen had indeed banished it from her mind. "Grandma, I'm not—"
"Address sent. Eleven sharp. Don't keep the gentleman waiting." The line clicked dead. Seconds later, an address pulsed on her screen.
She frowned at the glowing rectangle. Dabai clambered onto her lap. "Trouble?"
"Great-Grandma wants... a meeting."
"A date?"
"If you'd rather I stayed—"
"Go!" Dabai snatched the phone, tiny hands framing her face, his expression startlingly solemn. "Aunt's marrying Uncle Li... Dad might marry someone else... so you find someone too." He sighed dramatically. "I'd marry you, Mom, but Teacher says kids can't."
Chenchen's throat constricted. Bai Yeqing marrying Song Weiyi... leaving this house... leaving Dabai...
She forced a smile, pinching his plump cheek. "Alright. Deal. But if I marry, you carry the rings."
"Deal!" He beamed, then added thoughtfully, "But he must be handsomer than Dad! And richer! And nicer to you!"
Chenchen rolled her eyes. "Keep dreaming, kiddo."
...
The café was hushed when Chenchen arrived. Choosing a window seat, she distractedly opened her book, the pages blurring.
Outside, a sleek motorcade slid to the curb. In the central vehicle, a tinted window lowered fractionally. A young man's strikingly handsome profile emerged, his sharp gaze locking onto the woman reading by the window.
"That's Xia Xingchen?"