In a moment of impulse, I forcibly kissed my brother's best friend.

The night was so deep it was almost unbearable.

She was forced to the edge of the bathtub, her back pressed against the cold tub wall, with nowhere to retreat.

The water rippled across her chest, each wave crashing against his firm chest, making her tremble slightly from the heat.

Cui Yutang did not suppress it.

He simply looked down at her, his eyes filled with an unyielding darkness, while a beautiful smile slowly curved his lips.

Xie Yige's heart pounded like a drum. She quickly closed her eyes, her long, curled eyelashes trembling violently.

Then she felt a coolness on her skin that was exposed above the water.

The soaking wet nightgown, which offered almost no coverage, was easily peeled off by his long, slender fingers and casually hung on the edge of the tub.

"It's all soaked, you must be uncomfortable wearing it." His voice deepened.

Xie Yige opened her eyes in surprise, only to be met with a storm brewing in his eyes.

"Why is there a picture of me on your bed?" His voice was deep and hoarse, his warm breath brushing against her cheek.

Xie Yige panicked and instantly covered his mouth—her palm pressed against his lips, the burning heat spreading through her.

"You, you're not allowed to ask."

His lips lightly touched her palm.

Xie Yige felt as if she had been electrocuted, and she abruptly pulled her hand back. Her heart pounded violently in front of her.

Cui Yutang glanced down at the undulating water, his eyes darkening further.

"Why are the petals floating?"

Xie Yige paused for a moment, then looked down at the water's surface: "Where is it?"

"It's here."

Two flowers.

Before he finished speaking, the water droplets suddenly gathered together in the ripples.

He controlled the water with ease, and the mist in the water immediately became hazy.

Xie Yige's head instantly slammed against the bathtub wall, her neck forming a fragile arc.

Dark clouds loomed overhead, and a fierce wind swept across the land.

Xie Yige's eyelashes trembled violently, and her hands clung weakly to the side of the tub; she had no strength left.

"Cui Yutang." Her voice trembled with sobs, "Cui Yutang..."

She kept calling his name, seemingly unaware of what she wanted.

He finally managed to lift his head, his lips still glistening with tears, and the storm in his eyes seemed to want to engulf her.

He held her slender waist underwater, pulling her into his arms.

"Then tell me," he leaned close to her, his voice hoarse and utterly seductive.

"Why is there a portrait of me on the bed?"

Xie Yige ignored him, turning her head away, her ear tips so red they looked like they were about to bleed.

He persisted, rubbing his nose against her earlobe.

"Sweetie, open your eyes and look at me. I said I wouldn't bully you anymore."

She turned her gaze back tremblingly, and her peach blossom eyes, glistening with moisture, were drawn into the stormy depths of his eyes.

She held her breath instantly.

Their gazes locked in mid-air, neither moving, only the steam rising between them.

She involuntarily parted her lips slightly.

"Cui Yutang," she said softly, "I just miss you... so much..."

Cui Yutang's pupils shrank sharply, and something inside him shattered with a "crack".

Her eyes were instantly filled with heat, and a tear rolled down her cheek before she could stop it, sliding down her chin and into the water.

Then he pressed down on the ground.

He kissed her passionately, as if he wanted to crush her and swallow her whole, and the air around them seemed to thin.

She could only cling to his shoulders, as if she might be crushed by a storm at any moment.

He lifted her completely out of the water.

Water splashed out, and lightning flashed and thunder roared outside.

The blue brick floor dried and then got wet again.

The roof beams, running through the ridge, swayed in the thunder.

The candle wick accidentally burst while flickering.

Layer upon layer, startling everyone into silence.

Something was in my mind, then it suddenly stopped.

Neither of them dared to move an inch.

But his breathing became even more erratic than before, both panicked and rapid, like wind scorched by fire.

A frenzy, ready to erupt at any moment, was being desperately pulled apart in the silence.

Cui Yutang's eyes turned red from holding back his anger, his temples throbbed, and his Adam's apple bobbed violently.

Xie Yige's eyes were flushed as if she were drunk, and tears kept overflowing, sliding down her cheeks and into his shoulder.

They tonight—

They crossed the line.

They were in extreme distress and caught in a dilemma.

A thin, natural barrier stretched out there, seemingly separated by thousands of mountains and rivers yet so close at hand.

But they all knew perfectly well that from tonight onwards, something had completely changed.

He lowered his head to kiss away the tears at the corners of her eyes, his lips gently brushing against the tear stains, then sliding down her nose to cover her lips again.

But the fire in my heart could not be extinguished no matter what I did.

When they parted, both of their eyes were filled with tears, their lingering gazes intertwined in a small space, shattering into pieces.

It all started with a single, heart-fluttering glance; my love for you has only grown stronger with each passing year, and there is no one else for me.

I long to journey together to Wushan, yet our hair is entangled without a red veil.

A soft sound in the air was a heartbreaking peeling away, a pain so intense it felt like it was about to burst forth.

He was trembling all over from holding it in.

Gently lift her out of the water, grab a clean, dry towel from the side, and carefully wrap it around her body, layer by layer, to dry every drop of water.

Then I picked him up and put him on the bed, covering him completely with a brocade quilt.

He turned around and quickly dried himself off, then crawled into the same bed with her.

The moment their skin touched, they both let out a long sigh, tears streaming down their faces uncontrollably, their long eyelashes covered in glistening beads.

He pulled her into his arms, her face buried in his chest, his chin resting on the top of her head.

They are intimately close, without any barriers, as if they want to melt the other into their very bones.

The cold wind outside the window, carrying a drizzle, tapped against the windowpane, like someone weeping softly.

After a long while, her extremely soft voice came from under the covers, like the buzzing of a mosquito.

"Cui Yutang, are you feeling very upset?"

"Hmm." He hummed softly, a low vibration rumbling through his chest.

"...What should I do?" Tears welled up in her eyes again.

He sighed softly, a sigh tinged with helplessness, indulgence, and a hint of resentment.

"I've kept track of everything. After we get married, you'll have to pay me back double."

"You bastard..." Her body went limp, "But I feel terrible too, how are you going to make it up to me?"

"Okay, I'll compensate you thirty times."

He lowered his head and took a breath of her neck; it was soft and fragrant, leaving a lingering aftertaste.

"That's good," he sighed softly, his fingers darting restlessly elsewhere, "we're in the same boat."

Then came a long and agonizing night. On the semi-transparent curtains, the painting hanging at the foot of the bed swayed gently in the candlelight, watching a couple in love, experiencing both pain and sweetness, helplessness and contentment.

Some people in this world like to be unrestrained, to enjoy a moment of pleasure, and not to think about the future.

Some people love with restraint and suffer heartbreak, just to ensure her safety. Pain is like a drop of bloody sand; once it sinks to the bottom of the sea, no one will ever see it again.