I'm sorry, but your fiancé loves me.

He often wondered if anyone else in the world, besides Yun Muqian, would be so tolerant of him.

The warm light overhead fell into his eyes, illuminating the complex emotions within them—regret, self-mockery, and a clumsy, bewildered feeling of not knowing how to mend things.

"But what I did to you later wasn't a joke," he said. "I know whether you believe me or not, but I can prove to you that I can give you anything you want, and if we get married, all my assets are entitled to you according to the agreement."

She knew Qin Qihan had a lot of money, but Yun Muqian had many ways to get money.

There's no need to jeopardize your entire life.

He's only hindering her from finding someone better.

He suddenly reached out and placed his palm up on the armrest between them. "You hate what I said back then, I admit that. You don't want to believe me because of that, I admit that too."

He looked at her, his voice softening, "But you're retaliating against me this way, don't you think you're losing out?"

deficit?

He probably overestimated his importance in her heart.

Once her goal was achieved, he became a stranger to her.

His voice softened slightly: "Even if you want revenge, you should stay by my side, so I can see you every day but never reach you. That's what punishment is. How can you stay far away?"

He stretched out his open palm towards her and carefully took her hand in his.

He was lying to her.

As expected of a man who has been in the world of fame and fortune, he speaks with great confidence and eloquence.

Yun Muqian didn't reply. Her gaze fell on the small table next to the chair, where a cup of coffee was placed. Qin Qihan had just put it down. She had been sleeping and didn't have any coffee with her, so she assumed this cup was hers.

She reached out to pick it up, and Qin Qihan's lips moved slightly as he watched her take the cup, bring it to her lips, and sip it.

Her lips touched the spot where he had just drunk from.

The slightly warm liquid slid across her tongue, carrying just the right amount of bitterness and a hint of sweetness. She didn't even blink, completely unaware that anything was amiss. Or rather, she simply couldn't care less whose coffee it was; she just happened to want something to drink, and there happened to be a cup readily available.

Qin Qihan watched her put down the cup, lowered his eyes, and his Adam's apple bobbed imperceptibly.

A secret sense of satisfaction exploded in my chest, accompanied by a slightly numb, indescribable pleasure.

He slowly withdrew his hand, his fingertips rubbing against his palm, where the warmth of her hand from just moments before still lingered, though it had only touched for a few seconds.

He was pleased with such a trivial detail. The dignified Qin Qihan was now secretly pleased just because a woman took a sip of the coffee he had drunk.

But he couldn't control it.

His large hand reached across the gap between them and gently grasped her hand that was resting on her knee. Yun Muqian turned her head, her brows furrowing, and before she could say anything, he had already pulled her hand down and towards himself.

She touched a place she shouldn't have touched.

At first, she didn't react, and her fingertips even pressed the button in a daze. Then she suddenly came to her senses and tried to pull her hand back, but Qin Qihan held it tightly and wouldn't let her pull it away. He just held her hand even more firmly in his palm, not letting her break free.

"Qin Qihan, what are you doing—" Her voice rose half an octave, then, afraid of being overheard, she lowered her voice and cursed him, "You...you're horny everywhere!"

Qin Qihan didn't let go of her hand. Instead, he moved closer to her, the armrest between the seats becoming the only barrier.

"Just once," he whispered, "let me kiss you."

Yun Muqian shrank back, her back pressed against the seat back, with nowhere to retreat. She turned her head to avoid his close-up face, her voice filled with angry resentment and clenched teeth: "Are you crazy? This is an airplane."

"What happened on the plane?" He leaned forward an inch more, his nose almost touching her earlobe, without changing his expression. "This is my private jet. The door is closed; no one can see you."

His breath brushed against her ear, warm and moist. Yun Muqian turned her head away from him, her voice sounding weak for some reason, unlike its previous strong tone.

"Mmm," he responded, his nose gently brushing against her earlobe, his lips pressed against her earlobe, his voice muffled and tender.

"I am here."

His lips didn't actually kiss her; they hovered less than half an inch from her ear, lightly touching her skin. That ambiguous, almost-touching feeling was more unsettling than a real kiss.

Yun Muqian's breathing quickened uncontrollably for a beat, and the fingertips of the hand gripping his palm curled up slightly, her nails digging into his tiger's mouth.

"You've been avoiding me." His breath almost entirely landed on her lips. "It's not too much to ask that I kiss you, is it?"

Yun Muqian would certainly not agree, so Qin Qihan did not ask a second time.

He turned his head slightly, his lips brushing against hers, but pulled away after a brief touch, as if testing the waters. Then he leaned back, this time lingering for a second longer, his lips gently pursing her lower lip with a cautious, almost ingratiating tenderness.

She wished he could be as straightforward and simple as before, and disliked his current slow and ingratiating manner, which felt too drawn out and too torturous.

Qin Qihan's lips finally parted from hers, but didn't recede far; their noses brushed against each other, their breaths mingling.

Do you hate me?

She remained silent for a long time, so long that Qin Qihan almost thought she wouldn't speak again, then she softly said:

"...Release your hand."

He didn't let go; he didn't want to let go again.

She didn't want to talk to him anymore. Let him shake her hand if he wants. She closed her eyes and continued to sleep, ignoring the man sitting next to her who was eyeing her so intently.

After an unknown amount of time, the aircraft tilted slightly and began to descend.

Qin Qihan finally let go of her hand. The plane bumped twice as it passed through the clouds, and the outlines below gradually emerged: large clusters of buildings, densely packed houses and streets, and a winding body of water shimmering in the morning light in the distance.

Yun Muqian turned her head to look out the window. At first, it was just a casual glance, but then her gaze stopped, and she felt more and more strange as she looked.

Once the plane came to a stop, she turned to look at Qin Qihan, her expression shifting from confusion to alertness.

"Where is this?"

Qin Qihan was unbuckling his seatbelt when he heard this. He looked up, his expression calm as if it were all perfectly natural: "Japan."

Yun Muqian's expression froze for a moment: "...What did you say?"

"Tokyo." He stood up and took her small suitcase from the luggage rack. "Didn't you always say you wanted to come to Tokyo?"

Qin Qihan!

"Um."

"What are you talking about, dinner party, capitalists—"

"Yes, you will." He calmly pulled the handle of his suitcase. "Whoever you want to see, I can arrange it for you when you get back to China."

The assistant said "departing on Friday," but she didn't even look at the airport carefully. She boarded his private jet and fell asleep. When she woke up, they had already flown more than halfway through the journey. She thought she was going to stop in a city in China, but when she opened her eyes, she was abroad.

It turns out he was trying to please her in various ways.