Chapter 25

They kissed for a long time. Xie Xunzhi didn’t know how many times Yi Siling had kissed before, but it didn’t matter. He was the first.

The first time, no matter what, is worth commemorating, so the kiss should be a bit longer.
Kissing was smoother than he had imagined. He thought that after kissing, he would make Yi Siling laugh because he didn’t know what to do. But the truth was that men were naturally skilled in this aspect.

She held onto his shirt collar tightly, her waist and back stiff, he could feel her soft lips were moist and responsive. When his tongue ventured in, she initially dodged, then quickly stopped dodging.

There was a sound of water when they kissed, like a cat flicking its tail in a pond, creating ripples that spread out in circles on the tip of his heart.

Xie Xunzhi never thought that Yi Siling would be so obedient when kissing. He thought she would get angry, push him away, and then slap him.
But she obediently opened her mouth, closed her eyes, and clung to him like a comfortable little kitten being petted.

In the dim private room, the woman sat on the man’s lap, her smooth legs inadvertently rubbing against the man’s crisp suit pants.

Occasionally, there would be some noise in the corridor. When someone passed by, Yi Siling would get nervous and grip him tighter. The man comfortingly patted her waist, signaling her not to be nervous, and then continued kissing.

The entire bar was booked, and the VIP rooms on the second floor were kept ready for use.
There was always the risk of someone barging in.
It felt like they were having a secret rendezvous, and Yi Siling was being suffocated by a mix of ambiguity, tension, and comfort.

Xie Xunzhi gently held her lip with his, opened his eyes to look at her, and suddenly let out a muffled laugh.

Yi Siling was startled by this soft laughter, opened her eyes abruptly, and blinked in confusion. The intense kiss made her voice hoarse, sticking to something.
“What are you laughing at…”

“Nothing.”

He chuckled at her nervousness.
Xie Xunzhi finally kissed her lip gently once more, then withdrew like a gentleman.
For the first kiss, he had no regrets from any perspective.

Yi Siling was a bit dazed, followed by deep embarrassment, she lowered her eyes, “Xie Xunzhi, what do you mean.”

Xie Xunzhi gently hugged her, ultimately not saying much, as words would be futile. He teased her; that was an undeniable fact.

“Tomorrow afternoon, I’ll come to visit you at your house. Make sure you have time, don’t go out to play.”

Yi Siling: “…”

This is a big deal; how could she possibly go out to play? Yi Kunshan had the chefs start preparing a week in advance for tomorrow’s dinner.
She glared at him, her red lips slightly swollen from his bites.

Xie Xunzhi’s eyes darkened a bit, then he said, “The day after tomorrow, my family and I are coming to formally propose to you. Keep that day free too.”

Yi Siling couldn’t take it anymore; she pushed him away and quickly stood up from where he was sitting. “Xie Xunzhi, don’t go too far.”

Xie Xunzhi smiled, stood up. His handsome face looked refined and aloof as he said, “It’s late. I’ll take you home.”

Yi Siling marveled at Xie Xunzhi’s nonchalant attitude. Just two minutes ago, he had kissed her so passionately, but now he seemed like a hypocritical gentleman. Looking at herself, blushing, heart racing, trying to act tough, she felt embarrassed.
She had kissed before.

But, she had never experienced such a deep kiss…

Yi Siling raised her chin, glanced at him, “I want to play a bit more. You go ahead.”

Xie Xunzhi: “I’ll accompany you. But it’s not good to go home too late.” He looked at his watch, suggesting she go home early, “It’s already 10:30; if you keep playing, it will be past midnight.”

“Liar,” she blurted out suddenly.

Xie Xunzhi furrowed his brow, gently asking, “What do you mean?”

“You clearly promised not to come, yet you secretly showed up, taking advantage of me, and now you still want to control me. Do you think I’ll listen to you?” She was visibly upset.
A kiss had made her very angry. Xie Xunzhi was clearly in the wrong, sighed helplessly, walked up to her, and gently took her hand. His big, dry palm gave her a sense of comfort, but Yi Siling refused to admit it, just like she refused to admit that kissing him was comfortable and stirred her emotions.

She didn’t mind kissing Xie Xunzhi at all, but she did mind when Xie Xunzhi kissed her and then acted all serious and restrained afterward.

He should have been completely smitten with her, obedient, following her every word, kneeling fervently beneath her expensive designer dress, instead of just kissing her whenever he felt like it, then going back to being all proper and controlling.

Xie Xunzhi’s eyes darkened as he looked at her, speaking with a serious tone, “Kissing you just now was impulsive of me. Calling you my wife abruptly was frivolous of me. Promising not to come but showing up was me breaking my word. You can hold me accountable for these actions, and I won’t deny them.”

He paused, his gaze sharp, “But Miss Yi Siling, you only mentioned there were handsome guys at the party, but conveniently left out the part where a group of naked men surrounded you for an adult exotic dance. Isn’t that a bit of a diversion, trying to shift the focus?”

“………..”

An adult exotic dance…
Yi Siling’s mind was buzzing, her lips still swollen, filled with thoughts of how Xie Xunzhi dared to confront her like this.

Xie Xunzhi’s tall and sturdy frame enveloped her like a lion reprimanding a mischievous kitten, a mix of authority and a hint of affection, but not enough to make him compromise his principles.

“Go home.”

This time, there was no room for argument.

Yi Siling was sent back to the Yi mansion, feeling utterly embarrassed.
As she got out of the Maybach, she slammed the car door hard, almost as a display of protest, then without looking back, she walked away swiftly.

Xie Xunzhi sat quietly in the back seat, watching her golden figure disappear into the dark night, his lips curled in a mix of helplessness and indulgence.

“Let’s go.” He shifted his gaze back, returning to his composed self, instructing the driver to start the car.

Yi Siling was seething with anger. When she reached her bedroom, she realized her phone and bag were still with Yi Leling. This fueled her frustration even more. She used her tablet to inform Yi Leling that she had arrived home and asked him to come back quickly. When Yi Leling returned, she bombarded her with questions, asking where she had been and causing her to search the whole place for her.

Yi Siling lethargically avoided talking, trying to handle her sister and then deal with Chen Weiqi.
Chen Weiqi had called her numerous times, berating her for leaving early without even blowing out the cake. She felt like she had wasted her time and vowed never to organize a party with her again.

“Yi Siling, you are so unreliable!” Chen Weiqi couldn’t believe Yi Siling had left without a word.
With guests left waiting, Yi Siling and Yi Leling had to step in to save the situation by blowing out the cake together, creating a more presentable scene.

In reality, Xie Xunzhi had advised her to inform her friends before leaving, but she refused, wanting to save face and not let anyone know that she had been brought back home by Xie Xunzhi, feeling humiliated. So she chose to sneak away.

—–==-

“I’m unreliable? Chen Weiqi, why didn’t you dare to tell me that you also invited Zheng Qijun? And you arranged that scandalous exotic dance! Are you the reliable one here?”

She felt guilty and insecure towards Xie Xunzhi.
If it weren’t for Zheng Qijun provoking Xie Xunzhi in front of her, she wouldn’t have felt sorry for him, let Xie Xunzhi bring her back home. Oh, watching the adult dance made her feel quite guilty and uneasy.

“…. You seemed to enjoy watching that exotic dance.”
But as the phone went silent for a few seconds, Chen Weiqi said, “… Zheng Qijun really came? Did you see him?”

The more Yi Siling thought about it, the angrier she became, and she sneered, “You’re pretending. Didn’t you invite him? Chen Weiqi, just wait. I’ll definitely send an invitation to  for my wedding. If you have the guts, don’t come to my wedding! If you don’t come, we’re done!”

Zhou Jichi was Chen Weiqi’s ex-boyfriend before she got married, and their passionate love story between a rising male star and a wealthy heiress had once caused a stir on the island. However, even the most intense love stories eventually came to an end, with one marrying into a wealthy family and the other continuing to rise in the entertainment industry, leading to them becoming strangers.

“Hey! Yi Siling! You’re not allowed to invite him!”
“I’ll invite him anyway, and I’ll seat you both at the same table.”
“…You little brat, inviting him will lead to a fight between us!”
“Sure, you can fight with my sister, and see if she doesn’t beat you up.”
Yi Siling hung up the phone, threw her phone aside, turned off the main light, and the lively room suddenly fell into silence. After venting out her frustrations, she felt somewhat exhausted.

The night at Repulse Bay was devoid of neon lights, only the bustling city center had them. The nights here were very pure. A pure night was best spent frivolously, and before you knew it, it was already 2 a.m. Everyone was asleep, even the cats, and the surroundings were so quiet that you could hear the distant sound of the waves crashing against the rocks.

Yi Siling couldn’t sleep. She bit her lip, lying awake in the pitch-black bedroom, uncontrollably reminiscing about the kiss with Xie Xunzhi. The bulging veins on his neck, the moving Adam’s apple, the arm tightly gripping her waist. Those young men dancing, while looking muscular, didn’t have arms as aesthetically pleasing as Xie Xunzhi’s. He was a man who concealed his strength, rarely showing it off or boasting. But once he became dominant, it caught her off guard. He wasn’t a man with no boundaries like Zheng Qijun, nor was he easy to understand. Regardless of what kind of man he was, they had already kissed, and the die for this marriage had been cast without regrets.

Yi Siling’s ears burned with embarrassment. She turned over, burying herself under the covers. She had to face him again tomorrow. How annoying.

The next day, at five in the morning, the Yi mansion was already bustling with activity. Including chefs, servants, gardeners, drivers, housekeepers, and security personnel, there were about fifty people who served the Yi mansion. Despite the large number of staff, they were still extremely busy.

A young servant whispered, “Today’s family feast is so meticulous, I can’t imagine how busy it will be next Tuesday when the groom’s family comes for the betrothal gifts. I heard there will be many media outlets coming that day!”

Mrs. Li, holding a bouquet of narcissus, overheard the gossip and sternly rebuked, “When it comes to the young lady’s affairs, being meticulous is never excessive. Focus on your work and refrain from idle chatter. Let’s not give the Xie family a reason to mock the Yi mansion for lacking decorum.”

were divided into two groups: one was tasked with cleaning the floor-to-ceiling windows, tables, chairs, table lamps, staircase handrails, and the already pristine and shiny turquoise marble floors. In the garden, the sprinklers were in operation, with the sparkling sunlight casting a rainbow on the water jets.

The head chef and the housekeeper checked tonight’s menu, which consisted of two appetizers, four main courses, a soup, and two desserts, each paired with a specific wine for the meal. The table flowers on the long dining table were changed from champagne hues to shades of pink and purple. Liang Yongwen mentioned that the sweet colors symbolized happiness. Therefore, with the pink and purple theme, they selected a set of Italian handcrafted bone china with a grapevine pattern for the tableware and Japanese Edo Kiriko crystal wine glasses with a dazzling bamboo octagonal cage pattern in a subtle shade of purple, complementing the tableware and flowers perfectly.

Liang Yongwen was among the most refined and meticulous of the elite wives. Among her daughters, Yi Siling had wholly inherited her mother’s exquisite taste and taken it to extraordinary heights, to the point where even Liang Yongwen found it somewhat overwhelming.

Everything was in perfect order, and Liang Yongwen was in a good mood. The nail artist she had scheduled arrived promptly at 10 o’clock and was waiting in the flower hall on the second floor. After blow-drying her hair, she ascended the stairs, passing by Yi Siling’s bedroom. The door was tightly shut, not a crack in sight. She paused and glared at the door.

“This lazy little pig, on such an important day, does she really want to sleep until eleven or twelve?”

Liang Yongwen had someone open Yi Siling’s bedroom door, and upon entering, she found Yi Siling curled up like a ball, fast asleep. Her serene face had a subtle blush, sweat glistening on her neck, and her smooth legs peeking out from the covers were warm to the touch.

“Why is it so hot? The air conditioning is on, and the temperature is comfortable.”

“Sweetie, are you feeling hot?” Liang Yongwen sat on the edge of the bed, gently patting Yi Siling’s cheek and instructing a servant to bring a dry towel.

“Get up quickly, it’s past ten. You still need to have breakfast, do your makeup, and choose your outfit. If you keep sleeping, you’ll run out of time.”

Xie Xunzhi was due to arrive around two in the afternoon.

Yi Siling felt hot, drowsy, and still half-asleep, dreaming hazily of kissing Xie Xunzhi and irritably swatting the air.

She had only fallen asleep after two in the morning and was now deeply asleep.

“…Don’t disturb me,” she mumbled.

Liang Yongwen was taken aback by her daughter’s hand hitting hers, a mix of annoyance and amusement. “Fine, fine, you can sleep. I give up. If you have the guts, sleep until Xie Xunzhi and the others arrive. Let’s see if you feel embarrassed being messy and bare-faced.”

Liang Yongwen wiped the sweat off Yi Siling’s neck, handed the towel to a servant, and instructed everyone not to disturb the young lady. She tightly closed the curtains, turned off the alarm clock, and then picked up the lazy cat, who was sleeping soundly alongside its owner, without looking back.

She was determined to break Yi Siling’s habit of sleeping in.

The manicure took two hours, and by the time it was finished, it was already one o’clock in the afternoon. Liang Yongwen asked four times if Yi Siling had woken up, and each time the servants reported no movement.

Liang Yongwen was at her wits’ end, the last hint of hesitation in her heart dissipated. Today, she was going to teach this girl a lesson.

She resisted the urge to wake Yi Siling up, determined to let her sleep through it. Even with a wake-up service, Yi Siling remained asleep, completely oblivious to the passage of time.

She had spent the previous night restless and feverish.

In her dreams, she found herself kissing passionately in a dimly lit private room. Perhaps it was her first deep kiss or the allure of Xie Xunzhi that led her to dream all night long.

In her dream, he was different – more intense, more powerful, more wild. He bit her lip and lightly traced her most sensitive thigh with his fingertips.

Yi Siling couldn’t wake up.

At two o’clock, the doorbell rang at the Yi mansion. The security guard informed them that Mr. Xie’s car had arrived earlier than the agreed time of two o’clock. Yi Kunshan was exasperated, “Don’t tell me that lazy pig is still sleeping!”

Liang Yongwen remained silent.

Suddenly, the chat was cut off.