Chapter 8

Finally touching the place he had been yearning for, it was even sweeter and more delicious than he imagined—like a piece of candy that wouldn’t melt. Once it was in his mouth, he didn’t want to let go.

The kiss wasn’t deep, but when Bai Jiaojiao came to her senses, she hurriedly pushed him away, her eyes wide with panic. “What are you doing?! Who said you could kiss me?!”

Xiao Zhou looked puzzled. “You like me, I like you, and we’re married. Why can’t I kiss you?”

That actually made a lot of sense. Bai Jiaojiao almost got talked into it. But she shook her head hard. “No! You don’t like me, and I don’t like you either!”

“I’m very sure I like you,” Xiao Zhou looked straight at her. “And you like me too. Otherwise, why were you secretly watching me sleep?”

Bai Jiaojiao was stunned. “When did I watch you sleep?!”

“If you weren’t watching me sleep, then why were you by the sofa in the middle of the night? And even tried to touch me,” Xiao Zhou said matter-of-factly.

Bai Jiaojiao was exasperated. “I woke up and came to tell you to sleep in the bed, that’s all! How was I supposed to know you’d react so strongly?”

Xiao Zhou’s gaze deepened, more convinced than ever. “You were worried about whether I was sleeping well—that’s because you like me.”

Bai Jiaojiao: “…I told you, I just woke up! Stop overthinking it.”

Xiao Zhou’s voice grew hoarse. “You didn’t let me hurt myself, you immediately bandaged me, and when my head was injured, you took me to see a doctor. All of that is because you like me. So why can’t I kiss you?”

He stared at her soft red lips. He’d just tasted them and already wanted more.

He leaned in closer, inch by inch.

Bai Jiaojiao felt like her brain cells were about to burn out. How had things spiraled like this?

Was it just because the villain lost his memory? So now he was falling for her for no reason? Was he just like any other man—attracted to this body?

Bai Jiaojiao absolutely couldn’t accept that kind of affection. He was a major villain, after all. Once he got his memory back, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill—he wiped out both the male and female leads in the original story.

She was just a pitiful side character who got tortured the worst by the villain. What choice did she have but to run?

If she could do it over, she would never have dropped that vase.

No, she had to set things straight now.

Just as she came back to herself, she saw his stunning face just inches away. The man’s sharp, handsome features—usually so intimidating—looked almost soft as his long lashes dipped low, and his lips were just about to touch hers.

Bai Jiaojiao immediately slapped a hand over his mouth.

There was no sweet taste like before, which disappointed Xiao Zhou slightly. But her hand was soft and fragrant, completely different from his own rough, calloused ones. He couldn’t help but rub his lips against her palm.

Terrified, Bai Jiaojiao yanked her hand back. Her face flushed bright red as she tried to keep her cool. “Xiao Zhou, we need to have a serious talk.”

She stood up, intending to sit on the sofa as far from him as possible.

But Xiao Zhou wasn’t having it. He grabbed her hand and pulled her back to his side, wrapping an arm around her slender shoulders. Their bodies were pressed together.

“If there’s something to say, say it here.”

“You’re too close. Let go,” Bai Jiaojiao said quietly.

Xiao Zhou pursed his lips. If he wasn’t afraid of making her truly angry, he would’ve already pulled her right into his lap. He thought this was already giving her space.

“This is fine.”

Bai Jiaojiao gave up struggling and rubbed her temples. “The relationship between us isn’t what you think. We were at the point of being disgusted by each other. You even filed for divorce yourself—even if it would’ve affected your career. Don’t you understand?”

Xiao Zhou lowered his eyes. “That’s impossible.”

Bai Jiaojiao said, “When you came back, you told me yourself that you’d already submitted a divorce request. If you don’t believe me, you can check when you return to the unit. You wrote it yourself. Think about it—if you truly didn’t want to divorce me, would you have written that request and personally turned it in?”

Xiao Zhou’s face paled. He couldn’t remember that part of his life, but he still couldn’t believe it.

“Did you force me to write it?”

Bai Jiaojiao stared at him in disbelief. “You think I could force you, with these skinny arms and legs? Believe it or not, it’s the truth.”

Xiao Zhou said firmly, “No matter the reason, I’ll withdraw the divorce request. We’re already husband and wife, so I should take responsibility.”

Bai Jiaojiao was speechless. Seriously?

In the original novel, even after the female supporting character slept with him, Xiao Zhou still wanted a divorce. That version of him and this version were completely different.

Bai Jiaojiao tried to stay calm. “You lost your memory, so nothing you say right now counts. If you’re serious, then work on getting your memory back. If, after that, you still don’t want a divorce, then I’ll consider agreeing.”

Xiao Zhou’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Mhm.”

Seeing him lean in for another kiss, Bai Jiaojiao quickly pulled away. “But until then, there can’t be any physical intimacy. Not even a little. Once your memory comes back, we can talk.”

Xiao Zhou’s gaze dropped to her lips. “I just remembered something.”

Bai Jiaojiao froze, fear flashing through her eyes. He wouldn’t suddenly recover all his memories and remember kissing her, and then feel so disgusted he decided to kill her to shut her up—right?

“What did you remember?” she asked cautiously.

“I remembered that we used to be deeply in love, but misunderstandings tore us apart. That’s why I filed for divorce. But now I know for sure—I like you.”

Bai Jiaojiao immediately pushed him aside. “…Liar. You didn’t remember anything.”

Xiao Zhou frowned. Wasn’t that right? He’d think about it more later.

Bai Jiaojiao saw he was about to start making things up again and quickly said, “Alright, go sleep in the bed. It’s almost morning.”

Xiao Zhou tugged her hand and pulled her toward the bed. Bai Jiaojiao was so tired she reflexively followed and collapsed onto it. When she realized she was being hugged, she tried to wriggle away—but he only tightened his grip.

“Jiaojiao, go to sleep. It’ll be morning soon.”

Ugh. He’s using my own words against me now.

“I’m already awake. Let go. And don’t forget what I just said—hey, where are you touching?! Let go!”

Xiao Zhou’s voice was low and husky, dripping with sensuality. “Stop moving. Just sleep.”

Realizing what was happening, Bai Jiaojiao froze completely, too scared to move another inch.