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

The sounds from outside the rocks grew increasingly unbearable, a mixture of the woman's intermittent pleas for mercy and the man's crude taunts.

Xie Yige closed her eyes tightly in embarrassment, her long eyelashes trembling uncontrollably.

Cui Yutang tightened his arms around her, quietly releasing his hand from her mouth and pressing her closer to him, as if this would shut out the foul sounds. His breath grew hotter and heavier, landing on the skin of her neck and raising tiny goosebumps.

Time stretched on endlessly amidst extreme shame and unbearable sensory stimulation. After an unknown amount of time, the blush-inducing noises finally subsided, leaving only heavy breathing, the rustling of clothes being put on, interspersed with a few lewd jokes and coded promises of a next time.

The footsteps, accompanied by whispers, gradually faded into the distance, eventually disappearing at the other end of the garden.

Silence returned behind the artificial hill, broken only by the rustling of the wind through the vines and the still-unsettled heavy breathing and heartbeats of the two people intertwined.

But the arms wrapped around her waist remained firmly in place.

Xie Yige's legs were weak, and she could barely stand up, almost entirely relying on the support of the person behind her. Her back was pressed tightly against the warm chest behind her, and she could feel his equally pounding heartbeat.

"It's alright now." Cui Yutang's deep, slightly hoarse voice rang in my ears again, even closer than before, his breath scorching.

Xie Yige was still in shock, and after experiencing that secret and thrilling "listening" session, her thoughts were in complete disarray. She subconsciously tried to turn around, but because her body was weak, her movements were somewhat unsteady.

Cui Yutang took the opportunity to support her shoulder and turn her around so that the two were facing each other, still very close.

In the dim light, his brows were furrowed, his skin was as white as porcelain, and his usually calm and deep eyes were now as dark as a pool, churning with complex emotions she couldn't understand. His beautiful lips were pressed into a stiff line.

He looked down at her, his lips moving as if to say something like, "Don't come to such a secluded place alone in the future."

But Xie Yige wouldn't listen to anything. In the dim light, his face was breathtakingly handsome.

She looked up at him, stunned. More than a month of intense longing, the unspeakable intimacy and physical reactions during their eavesdropping, and now, so close to him, was the face that haunted her dreams... all the emotions intertwined and surged, overwhelming her last shred of reason.

As if drawn by some invisible force, she tiptoed, tilted her head back, and gently kissed his cool lips.

Cui Yutang stiffened abruptly, his arm around her tightening instantly. His usually calm eyes widened suddenly, as if a turbulent storm was brewing deep within them.

But the next second, the turbulent waves transformed into an even more raging fire. He seemed unable to suppress it any longer, tightening his arms around her and pulling her deeper into his embrace, then lowering his head to kiss her back fiercely.

It was no longer the plundering she had taken while drunk in the carriage, nor the tentative, impulsive touch in Donglin Alley. This was a sober, burning kiss, carrying the torment of more than a month of separation, the pain and secret joy of regaining what was lost, almost a frenzied kiss.

He pried open her lips and teeth, his grip on her tightness causing her pain, yet also carrying a desperate tenderness. Between their intertwined lips and tongues, a passion more intense and fiery than she had imagined burned her very soul.

Xie Yige was initially stunned, but then she was swept away by the overwhelming kiss and could only passively endure it. Her hands unconsciously climbed up his shoulders and back, clutching his sky-blue clothes tightly. His cool yet hot breath filled her nostrils, her lips and tongue were completely invaded, and her body softened into a pool of spring water in his arms.

Only when the air in his lungs was almost completely squeezed out did Cui Yutang gasp and step back a little, his forehead touching hers, their noses meeting, their breaths mingling in a chaotic tangle.

"Xie Yige..." His voice was hoarse beyond recognition, filled with lingering lust and deeper pain, his body trembling slightly. "What do you mean by this?"

He looked down at her lips, swollen and moist from his kisses, her eyes glazed and tearful. His heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, the pain almost suffocating him. Each word was uttered with difficulty: "What... what do you take me for? Hmm?"

He felt a thrill and excitement at her initiative, but this was quickly followed by a deeper, more hopeless pain and self-loathing. He was unworthy. This was against propriety. This was harming her.

Xie Yige breathed heavily, her chest heaving. She looked up and gazed into his eyes, which were churning with pain and struggle, where her own reflection was clearly seen. A sharp, persistent pain shot through her heart, as if pricked by a needle.

She raised her hand, her fingertips gently touching the corner of his reddened eyes, feeling a cool dampness.

"Cui Yutang," she looked at him, her voice soft yet unusually clear and firm, tinged with a barely perceptible sob, "I miss you."

Yes, she missed him. Day and night. She missed his cool, aloof eyes, the occasional glimpses of tenderness he revealed, his passionate kisses, his restrained, stoic gaze. The thought broke her heart; the thought of seeing him was as impossible as climbing to heaven.

Cui Yutang trembled violently, his eyes suddenly turning red. The tears he had been holding back suddenly rolled down in large drops without warning, landing on the back of her hand that was stroking his eye, burning hot.

He seemed to have completely collapsed, and all his defenses crumbled.

He suddenly lowered his head and kissed her fiercely again, even more fiercely and ruthlessly than before, as if he wanted to tear her apart and devour her, to make her a part of his very bones. As he kissed her, tears silently streamed down his face, the salty tears mingling with their passionately intertwined lips and tongues, making it impossible to tell whose tears were more bitter.

He felt as if his heart was being slowly and cruelly tortured with a dull knife, slice by slice. The pain was so intense that he could hardly breathe, so intense that he wished he could just die, yet he clung to the pitiful sweetness between his lips and teeth, unwilling to let go even in death.

The two embraced tightly in a dimly lit corner behind the artificial hill, locked in a passionate embrace, exchanging tears and longing.

They parted for a moment, breathing heavily, and exchanged a glance. Seeing the tears and the same longing in each other's eyes, they couldn't help but kiss again. Like two travelers who had trekked for too long in an endless desert and finally found each other and the only source of water, they were insatiable and restless, wishing they could meld each other into their own bodies.

As dusk completely swallowed the sky and lights began to illuminate the garden, faint calls of someone searching for someone drifted from afar, and the two barely managed to break free from their out-of-control entanglement.

Xie Yige was completely exhausted and could barely stand, relying entirely on Cui Yutang's arm tightly wrapped around her waist for support. She leaned against him, her cheek pressed against his slightly sweaty clothes, listening to his equally rapid heartbeat. Her lips were swollen, numb, and slightly stinging, a reminder of the madness she had just experienced.