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

"I'm so sorry, Cui Yutang, did it hurt?" She tried to get up in a panic, but her lower body seemed to have pressed against something very hard. She couldn't help but shift her hips, and tried to use his chest for leverage to get up.

"Yige, don't move." Cui Yutang's voice was extremely hoarse. He grabbed her hand that was pressed against his chest, his ears turned bright red, and his body became hot.

"Don't move, let me catch my breath," he added, his voice carrying an undercurrent of barely suppressed emotion.

Xie Yige suddenly realized something, and her heart began to pound uncontrollably.

The next second, with a flip, she was pinned down by Cui Yutang. He used his large hand to support the back of her head, his eyes bloodshot, his lips locked tightly around hers, his throat constricted as if he wanted to devour her. He was desperately controlling himself, every muscle in his body tense, like a fully drawn bow.

Xie Yige felt her breathing becoming somewhat labored. Her lips parted slightly, trembling gently.

In that instant, the taut string in his mind snapped completely.

He kissed her deeply.

This kiss was unlike any before. It carried an almost frenzied passion, as if it wanted to devour her whole. Their lips entwined, sucking, and the wet, watery sounds between them made her blush.

He pulled away for a fleeting moment, and glistening water droplets, trailing threads, shimmered with an ambiguous sheen in the sunlight. Then they immediately covered him again, penetrating deeper and more intensely.

And so they continued kissing, back and forth, for an unknown amount of time, until the fallen pear blossoms covered them both.

But the heat there showed no sign of abating; on the contrary, it intensified. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead, landing on her cheeks, burning hot. A secret pleasure mingled with the pain, like a sweet torment.

Xie Yige was in no better shape; she felt as if she had been soaked in spring water, and had become as soft as a puddle of mud.

"Yige," Cui Yutang's voice was terribly hoarse, "we probably won't be able to enjoy the flowers like this. How about we go to the hot springs to wash up?"

Xie Yige didn't dare look him in the eye and could only nod haphazardly.

She clung tightly to his neck, and Cui Yutang used his light-footed skill to carry her to the hot spring. It was a secluded hot spring pool, with steam rising and spreading in the twilight, like a veil draped over the entire valley.

"You can wash and soak here first, I'll have someone bring you your clothes." After saying that, he turned around and left quickly, almost fleeing in panic.

He hurriedly wrote a note, released a pigeon that flew down the mountain, and then stepped directly into the cold spring next door.

The icy spring water submerged his body, but it did nothing to extinguish the raging fire burning within him.

He didn't know why, but he always lost control whenever he saw her. He always told himself before seeing her—to restrain himself, to stay calm, not to scare her. But every time he saw her, all his rationality crumbled.

He was completely unable to think of anything else. His mind was filled with her image from just moments ago—her wet body, her face, her voice, her scent, the way she trembled beneath him, her eyes brimming with tears…

He was somewhat desperate.

"Xie Yige..."

His long, slender fingers gleamed white beneath the cold spring. A suppressed murmur, mingled with his heavy breathing, was broken yet filled with longing. A very long time passed before he emerged from the cold spring.

Water droplets slid down his well-defined chest and abdominal muscles and V-line, shimmering faintly in the twilight. His long, powerful legs, almost completely exhausted, carried him to a nearby wooden chair, where he lay down.

His long eyelashes drooped, glistening with tears, conveying a sense of repression and pain.

His belief—that he could silently watch over her for the rest of his life—was shattered at this moment. From body to soul, his desire to possess her grew wildly like weeds.

At that moment, her jealousy of her friend and her twisted love reached their peak.

When Xie Yige came out of the hot spring, she had changed into a white strapless ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) with an outer shawl. Her skin, moistened by the hot spring steam, had a faint pinkish hue, and her damp hair clung to her neck, making her figure appear even more voluptuous and curvaceous.

Cui Yutang's thoughts and body, which had finally calmed down, started acting strangely again the moment he saw her again.

Damn!

He quickly grabbed the black cloak beside him, strode forward, and wrapped it completely around her delicate body, covering even her neck. Then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I'm afraid you won't make it back in time today." He looked at her with some trepidation.

"It's alright, I've already informed them." Xie Yige pulled her cloak tighter around herself. "I sometimes stay overnight at my close friends' places in the Eastern Temporary, and my mother allows it."

Did she used to spend the night at her best friend's house?

Cui Yutang's lips tightened, a vague displeasure rising within him. But he dared not show it, and only said in a low voice, "Then I'll take you to your room."

He walked through a connecting corridor and pushed open a door.

Xie Yige stepped into the room and was immediately stunned.

This is a woman's boudoir. The entire arrangement reveals the utmost care – a woman's cloak and nightgown hang on the shelf, rouge and powder are laid out on the dressing table, and hairpins and ornaments are placed in the jewelry box, with everything one could need.

The bedding on the bed was soft brocade, embroidered with subtle pear blossom patterns. A small table stood by the window, on which sat a vase of fresh pear blossoms, emitting a delicate fragrance. Even the carpet on the floor was soft white velvet, making no sound when stepped on.

Every detail is just right, as if the owner of this room has lived here for a long time.

Xie Yige frowned.

"Whose room is this?" She turned her head and looked at Cui Yutang.

"Nobody lives here." Cui Yutang's eyes darted around, looking somewhat lost and helpless, afraid that she would discover his long-planned scheme, afraid that she would see his dirty thoughts. He quickly lowered his head. "Nobody has ever lived here."

Xie Yige's heart sank instantly. How could no one have lived there?

Xie Yige stood in the center of the room, her gaze slowly sweeping over every detail.

She went to the dressing table and picked up the rouge and face powder to examine them closely—they were the brands she usually used, and even the colors were the same ones she was accustomed to. Was this a coincidence?

Her heart was pounding faster and faster, like a little deer was running wildly in her chest.

Her gaze fell on the wardrobe. After hesitating for a moment, she reached out and pushed open the wardrobe door.

Inside, a row of women's clothes hung neatly.