The man's breath drew near.
It felt as though it would drown Ming Zheng.
Ming Zheng turned her face away, unwilling to look at him. "After all, this news is a bit too shocking, and I need time to process it."
More importantly, to process the phrase "handsome big brother."
Indeed, since childhood, she had been defenseless against Chi Xian's breathtaking beauty.
No wonder, when she saw Chi Xian again, she was still captivated by his appearance.
There were so many handsome people.
Yet, only Chi Xian's face hit every single one of her aesthetic points.
This was the influence from her childhood!
If Chi Xian brought up that "handsome big brother" again, or asked her to call him that one more time.
She felt like she would die of embarrassment!
No!
She absolutely had to process this!
"But, I can't wait any longer."
Chi Xian had already drawn close to her.
The man stood tall and graceful, yet he leaned down, bending his body, closing in on her.
His brows, dark like pine smoke, held an unshakeable, tender affection.
The wall sconce illuminated his profound face.
Without any warning, it plunged into her eyes.
Ming Zheng's little heart seemed to be stirred by something.
"Zheng Bao, I've waited for you for ten years."
A warm kiss landed on her lips.
Ming Zheng's pupils widened bit by bit.
Her eyes were filled with the man's face, seen from the perspective of a kiss.
Perhaps sensing her direct stare was making him a little embarrassed.
Chi Xian let go of her lips, pulling back slightly.
His hands rested on her shoulders.
Their eyes met.
"If you look at me like that, how can I continue kissing?"
His ink-black eyes shimmered with a lingering smile.
It was as if she was his everything.
"Then don't kiss anymore."
Ming Zheng raised her hand, intending to push Chi Xian's face away.
The next second.
The man, who was usually docile and like a puppy, seemed to evolve instantly.
He grabbed her wrist.
And again...
Domineeringly and passionately, he continued...
"Not kissing is impossible. I want to kiss you for the rest of my life."
Ming Zheng didn't know when this kiss ended.
In the end, Ming Zheng was swept into the arms of Chi Xian, who had transformed into a playful wolf.
They sank deep into the soft sofa.
Ming Zheng felt a moment of daze.
Her gaze was fixed on Chi Xian's face, which perfectly matched her aesthetic.
"What are you looking at?"
His voice was low and husky, carrying a certain emotion.
Ming Zheng blinked. "Ten years ago, I was nine years old. I was thinking... you're not just a bit perverted, you're very perverted."
Chi Xian: "..."
The emotion in his eyes suddenly faded.
He chuckled. "In this kind of atmosphere, can't you say something fitting for the mood?"
"What I'm saying is quite fitting for the mood," Ming Zheng reached out and pinched Chi Xian's face. "Three years to life, Mr. Chi."
Chi Xian: "..."
He flipped over and sat up.
"I'm not that perverted."
Chi Xian's clear, refined eyes held an endless helplessness. "Ten years ago, you saved me. At that time... I was merely grateful for your life-saving grace, and I've always remembered what you told me when we parted."
Ming Zheng was confused.
What had she said?
— "Handsome big brother, you have to come find me to play in the future, this is our keepsake!"
Oh, she had told him to come find her to play in the future.
But, the world was so vast.
How could it be so simple to meet again?
Especially since Ming Zheng didn't visit the Summer Country very often.
So, it was because of that one sentence.
That Chi Xian remembered for ten years?
"Before, it was gratitude. When I met you at the hospital... that gratitude turned sour."
Towards the little girl who gave him the black cat hairpin ten years ago, his feelings were, from beginning to end, only gratitude.
But for someone who had remained in his heart for a full decade.
Sometimes he would even dream of what happened in the misty forest ten years ago.
Eventually, that person would become a special, unique existence to him.
However, this had nothing to do with love.
After all, ten years had passed.
No one knew about the other person's life.
How could love possibly blossom?
Then, at that time, he was calculated against by his second uncle and the great elder of the Chi family, using his mother's situation.
He was injured and hiding in the hospital restroom.
Waiting for Si Qi and Si Lin to arrive.
But he hadn't expected to meet Ming Zheng.
When he met Ming Zheng's eyes.
The girl before him instantly overlapped with the little girl from ten years ago.
He felt a flutter of the heart.
But he couldn't be sure.
After further interaction.
He had confirmed it completely.
She, was the one he was looking for, the one who saved him ten years ago.
Moreover, her image had completely overshadowed the shadow of the little girl from ten years ago.
She had moved into his heart.
Perhaps, the reason his feelings for Ming Zheng were so rapid was due to her being in his heart for ten years.
But more so... the subsequent interactions allowed the special feeling he had for the little girl from ten years ago to gradually transform into intense love.
Chi Xian's fingers moved slowly, hooking onto Ming Zheng's fingers.
"I like you simply because it's you."
"And coincidentally, you're the one who saved me ten years ago, that's our destiny."
"Even after being separated for ten years, we could still reunite and fall in love."
"It was also destined that you... belong to me."
He hooked Ming Zheng's fingers and kissed them with utmost reverence.
The brilliant, flowing light in his eyes also illuminated Ming Zheng's gaze.
Yes.
This was destiny.
Her destiny with Chi Xian.
Ten years ago was the cause.
It led to the story ten years later.
As Ming Zheng's eyes softened.
Chi Xian lifted his head.
His hand moved to Ming Zheng's face.
His long, jade-like fingers pinched the girl's face.
His voice carried a seductive smile, and his eyes curved invitingly.
"Jealous Zheng Bao is so cute."
Ming Zheng: "..."
Cute, my foot!
Ming Zheng immediately withdrew the smile from her face and slapped his hand away. "I'm not jealous."
"Yes, yes, Zheng Bao isn't jealous. Zheng Bao just wants to know who my 'white moonlight' from ten years ago was," Chi Xian said with a doting smile, agreeing.
Ming Zheng: "..."
She took a deep breath.
Not jealous is not jealous!
How could she possibly be jealous?
What a joke!
-
When Ming Zheng opened her eyes.
She was lying in bed.
She blinked, her mind feeling a little numb.
After staring blankly for a minute.
She slowly turned her head to look at the clock on the wall.
Half past two in the afternoon.
She had slept through the entire day again.
No.
When did she fall asleep?
And when did she end up in her own bed?
Where was Chi Xian?
Ming Zheng tried hard to recall the memories before falling asleep.
But all her memories were frozen at the scene of them nestled on the sofa.
She vaguely remembered...
Chi Xian seemed to have gone to take a shower.
A shower?
Why would Chi Xian shower at her place?
Ming Zheng sat up with a jolt.
Her movements were a bit too sudden.
The bedroom door was immediately knocked upon.
It was as if someone had been waiting by her door, anticipating her waking up.
"Jealous Zheng Bao, are you awake?"
Ming Zheng: "..."
Jealous, my foot!
Is this joke ever going to end?
Damn it!
∝╬▅▆▅▆▅▆▅▆▅▆◤
Just you wait, I'll get up and start a 'mourning marriage' now!