In a flash, even Ning Yuxuan herself wasn't clear about what she was thinking.
Before she could react, her slap had already landed on the man's face.
Ning Yuxuan hadn't aimed, and in her panic, she couldn't muster her full strength; half the force had dissipated before even touching Xie Zhiyan's cheek.
But the sharp, crisp sound still made both of them freeze simultaneously.
Ning Yuxuan panicked.
Slapping him wasn't her intention. It was just that, in the heat of the moment, her body reacted before her mind could.
Her mind in chaos, Ning Yuxuan thought of fleeing, but before she could take a step, her wrist was seized by the man again.
This time his grip was heavier, squeezing her to the point of pain.
Ning Yuxuan tried to move her wrist, finding there was absolutely no room to break free this time.
Given the absolute difference in strength, once the man was on guard, she stood no chance.
Xie Zhiyan used his other hand to cup her chin, forcing her to look up and meet his gaze.
Ning Yuxuan's heart raced, and only now did the reality truly sink in—she had actually slapped Xie Zhiyan.
This wasn't what she wanted at all.
Yet, at this moment, being forced to look at him like this, she couldn't possibly utter an apology.
No, she shouldn't apologize in the first place. It was Xie Zhiyan who had suddenly made that strange and abrupt move, causing her to overreact.
Thinking this, Ning Yuxuan felt somewhat more justified in meeting Xie Zhiyan's eyes.
But only for a moment.
The moment she collided with the man's deep, inscrutable gaze, her heart once again pounded wildly, as if about to leap from her chest.
Xie Zhiyan's expression was dark, yet it lacked the extreme fury she had imagined someone would have after being struck.
He simply watched her heavily, his expression almost calm, with only turbulent undercurrents swirling in his eyes.
Unsettled by his stare, Ning Yuxuan turned her head away, avoiding his eyes.
Her lips trembled slightly, wanting to tell him to let her go.
But if she said it, would he really release her?
Finally, Xie Zhiyan spoke in a low voice, "Ning Yuxuan, the person you should have hit isn't me."
Ning Yuxuan: "..."
The confrontation with the man had made her briefly forget the phone call from earlier.
Now, reminded of it again, waves of physiological pain and nausea assaulted her, followed closely by shame.
After knowing each other for ten years, this was the first time Xie Zhiyan had seen her in such a wretched state.
Ning Yuxuan masked her emotions with anger, her voice sharp and severe, "That has nothing to do with you! I don't need you to tell me what to do!"
A slight twitch crossed Xie Zhiyan's brow. He released her chin and touched the side of his own face, where she had struck him.
"So..." Xie Zhiyan said slowly, "this is why you couldn't bring yourself to hit him, so you hit me instead?"
Ning Yuxuan was momentarily speechless.
That slap was her fault, but he shouldn't have suddenly moved close and touched her face either.
They weren't nearly familiar enough for that, having not even seen each other in the past two years.
Putting on a brave front, Ning Yuxuan glared at Xie Zhiyan. "Yes, Gu Yunhao is a scumbag, but that doesn't change the fact that you're a bastard who takes advantage of someone in distress! No, you're even worse than Gu Yunhao. At least he—"
Halfway through her sentence, Xie Zhiyan's expression darkened abruptly.
"Is that so?" he interrupted. "I'm worse than him?"
Somewhat frightened by the look on the man's face, Ning Yuxuan forced herself to stay defiant. "Yes! At least he wouldn't force me— Mph!"
The hand encircling her wrist suddenly tightened, yanking her closer.
Ning Yuxuan crashed into his solid chest, her nose stinging from the impact.
"Xie Zhiyan, you—"
The rest of her words were swallowed as the man's lips sealed hers.
Ning Yuxuan's body trembled, her eyes flying wide open as she stared at Xie Zhiyan in disbelief.
So shocked was she that, for a moment, she even forgot to struggle.
The man's one hand still controlled her wrist, while the other pressed firmly against the back of her head.
Stunned by his sudden action, Ning Yuxuan's entire body went rigid.
Xie Zhiyan's breath was scorching, his lips searing hot, his whole being radiating a fiery heat that seemed intent on melting her.
After nibbling at her lips for a moment, his tongue pried her teeth apart.
Finally, Ning Yuxuan's brain began to function again.
She struggled fiercely, pushing against him even though she knew her strength was no match for his.
But Xie Zhiyan's core strength was overwhelming; no matter how she pushed, he remained immovable.
She couldn't even break free from his kiss, only occasionally snatching a gasp of air. A few fragmented words escaped between their lips, only to be swallowed again almost instantly.
After struggling for half a minute, Ning Yuxuan's limbs gradually lost strength, her body going soft.
As if sensing her resistance weakening, Xie Zhiyan's movements became less forceful than at the start.
The hand at the back of her head slid down to support her back.
The fingers that had been squeezing her wrist painfully also loosened their grip.
If Ning Yuxuan had mustered a sudden burst of strength now, she might have truly broken free from the man's embrace.
But she was already kissed to the point of her legs turning to jelly, her feet feeling as if they were treading on cotton. Breaking free was out of the question; even standing steadily had become a problem.
Xie Zhiyan's burning breath plundered her mouth.
Ning Yuxuan heard the deafening beat of her own heart, mingled with the soft, wet sounds of the kiss, the faint sucking noises, and their ragged breaths.
Dazed, she allowed the man to sweep over every corner of her mouth, the tingling sensation shooting like an electric current straight to the crown of her head.
Even after Xie Zhiyan released her, her gaze remained somewhat unfocused.
Xie Zhiyan's eyes lingered on Ning Yuxuan's face.
From lack of oxygen, two flushes of crimson bloomed on her cheeks.
Her lips were also red, glistening with moisture—kissed into that state by him.
This thought stirred a restless heat in Xie Zhiyan's abdomen.
He took a deep breath.
Countless days and nights had passed since the first time the thought of kissing her had crossed his mind.
Now that he had finally gotten his wish, he felt it was far from enough; he wanted more.
Ning Yuxuan's senses hadn't fully returned yet; she simply stared at him blankly.
Her eyes were red, like a rabbit's.
Xie Zhiyan thought, if he had known kissing her would make her this docile, he should have done it sooner.
Ning Yuxuan finally emerged from her daze.
The man had, at some point, released his hold on her.
Ning Yuxuan glanced at her hand, then in the next second, raised her arm—
This time, her slap was easily caught by Xie Zhiyan, her wrist once again firmly grasped.
Having learned from last time, he wouldn't let her succeed so easily again.
Ning Yuxuan: "..."
After being forcibly kissed, she should have been filled with rage. Raising her hand to strike him was meant to prove that.
Yet now, the predominant emotions were panic and unease.
She should have completely rejected that kiss, yet her body's reaction hadn't been entirely so. In the latter half, she hadn't been able to suppress a soft moan.
Ning Yuxuan pressed her lips tightly together, telling herself it was merely a physical, instinctive reaction that meant nothing.
However, the thought that Xie Zhiyan had witnessed her—kissed until she could barely stand, unable to hold back her sounds—made her whole body tense.
She needed to make Xie Zhiyan understand that it didn't mean she accepted him.
Thinking of the words that had angered him earlier, Ning Yuxuan spoke resentfully: "Xie Zhiyan, your actions just now only prove further that I was right. You are inferior to Gu Yunhao; he would never force me like you do!"
She didn't care if saying this would provoke him again, or rather, she fully intended to deliberately anger him to vent the hatred in her heart.
Xie Zhiyan, however, did not react as strongly as before, only giving a slight tug at the corner of his mouth.
That kiss, though not enough to fully satisfy him, and her reaction, were sufficient to quell the initial fury he felt upon hearing her compare him to Gu Yunhao.
Her body did not resist during the kiss; in the end, there was even a subtle yielding.
Xie Zhiyan looked at the woman before him: "Always comparing me to him... is it because you're already prepared to be with me?"
Ning Yuxuan hadn't expected the man's logic to be so peculiar. Stunned for a moment, she glared at him: "Of course not!"
Xie Zhiyan: "Then are you still planning to get back together with him?"
Ning Yuxuan: "I..."
The moment she hung up the phone, she had already resolved not to seek out Gu Yunhao again.
Even though the dull ache in her body and the discomfort in her heart reminded her how painful it would be to extract herself from that relationship, that distinct feeling of nausea was also undeniably real.
Ning Yuxuan understood the principle that a short, sharp pain is better than a prolonged one.
But thinking of the previous bet with Xie Zhiyan, admitting she wouldn't go looking for Gu Yunhao again felt like surrendering to him.
So the answer was on the tip of her tongue, yet she refused to say it.
Xie Zhiyan watched her quietly, patiently waiting for her reply.
Ning Yuxuan let out a breath and dodged the question: "Xie Zhiyan, with your current status and position, what kind of woman couldn't you find if you wanted to get married? Why specifically set your sights on me?"
Xie Zhiyan answered quickly: "Because I only want you."
Ning Yuxuan's heart trembled at his words.
What did that mean?
Ning Yuxuan had always known she was good-looking, clearly aware since receiving her first love letter in elementary school.
But she also understood that someone like Xie Zhiyan, with his status, was never short of beautiful women around him.
She couldn't be so narcissistic as to think that just because of her looks, Xie Zhiyan would remain infatuated with her for so many years.
Besides, if Xie Zhiyan truly liked her, why had he never shown it before, and why had he never taken the initiative to contact her all these years?
Thinking this, Ning Yuxuan said stiffly: "But I don't like you."
"Is that so?" Xie Zhiyan took a step closer, their breaths almost mingling.
He stared at her lips, speaking unhurriedly: "But when you kissed me just now, what you showed was very different from what your mouth is saying."
The tips of Ning Yuxuan's ears instantly burned: "You—"
"That's because..." She took a step back to create distance, finding an excuse for herself, "That's because I've never experienced that before..."
Never been kissed until her mind went blank and her legs went weak.
Xie Zhiyan pressed on step by step: "Never experienced what? Has Gu Yunhao never kissed you?"
Ning Yuxuan hadn't expected him to ask so bluntly. Furious, she cursed him: "Xie Zhiyan, are you sick!"
Xie Zhiyan persisted relentlessly: "Or do I kiss you better?"
Ning Yuxuan thought Xie Zhiyan was truly insane.
Having known him for so long, she had never realized this man's nature was so wicked.
Even if she was the one who first compared Xie Zhiyan to Gu Yunhao, he shouldn't keep hanging that name on his lips with every word and asking her such questions.
Her head hot with anger, Ning Yuxuan retaliated: "Even though Gu Yunhao and I have broken up, at least I genuinely liked him and gave my all! Unlike with you!"
By now, the name "Gu Yunhao" seemed to have become a tool for them to provoke each other.
She knew this name displeased Xie Zhiyan, so she deliberately mentioned it repeatedly.
The next moment, Ning Yuxuan regretted it.
The man closed in and kissed her again.
This time, he was even more skilled, with no tentative exploration on her lips, driving straight in.
And what left Ning Yuxuan at a loss was that, merely their second kiss, her body seemed to have already adapted to him.
Her tightly closed lips parted automatically without much effort from him, and her body, stiff with anger, soon softened in the man's unique scent.
Ning Yuxuan hated her own spinelessness, but she had never known that kissing someone could bring such intense sensations.
Her whole body went limp, even her scalp tingling.
Her mind resisted, but her body unconsciously surrendered.
He no longer needed to restrain her constantly; she tilted her head back, willingly accepting the man's passion.
When his hand gripped her waist and pulled her into his embrace, she did not refuse.
When his hand slipped under the hem of her top, his scorching palm caressing her back, she did not refuse.
When they parted again, both were breathless.
Xie Zhiyan's eyes were dark, stained with obvious desire.
Ning Yuxuan lowered her gaze, inwardly despising herself.
She was so greedy for physical pleasure that she couldn't even refuse his kisses and caresses.
The man's husky voice sounded by her ear: "Ning Yuxuan, like this now, can you still say you hate me?"
Ning Yuxuan bit her lip.
That must be the effect of hormones; it absolutely couldn't be because she was developing feelings for him.
She had liked Gu Yunhao for nearly six years, all her time from eighteen until now. How could her heart change so quickly?
Ning Yuxuan's nails dug into her palms as she raised her head to look at Xie Zhiyan.
"This doesn't mean anything at all," she said. "It only shows I'm a normal woman, and your appearance happens to be not bad. What's between us is that kind of attraction based on animal instinct."
Xie Zhiyan let out a laugh, angered by her words.
"Animal instinct?" He slowly repeated the phrase, his voice low and hoarse. "Then you should know this instinct isn't something that can be satisfied simply by kissing, right?"
