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Chapter 25: Caught Stealing a Kiss

Early the next morning, sunlight gently streamed through the thin curtains, sprinkling a few streaks of golden light inside the room.

Jiang Yubing slowly woke in Shen Qingxuan’s warm embrace.

Her eyelashes fluttered softly, like a butterfly freshly awakened from sleep.

Her drowsy eyes slowly opened.

When she realized her current position, she suddenly trembled in surprise, as if someone triggered some sensitive switch.

As the memories slowly surged back like a tidal wave, everything that happened last night became increasingly clear.

She quietly watched Shen Qingxuan, who still had his eyes closed, and an indescribable wave of emotion filled her heart.

This man bustled around for her all night, even softly checking several times in the middle of the night to ask if she was still in pain.

Her gaze involuntarily fell on Shen Qingxuan’s soft lips, and for a moment, as if guided by some invisible force, she couldn’t help but lean in for a gentle kiss.

“Mm?”

Shen Qingxuan let out a low murmur from his sleep, as if drifting from a faraway dream.

He felt something soft lightly press against his lips, and his heart gave a jolt; he suddenly opened his eyes wide.

At that moment, Jiang Yubing had just finished her kiss and slowly sat up.

In that instant, their eyes met in the air.

Time seemed to freeze, and the whole world was filled with the thundering sound of their hearts.

A flush instantly colored both their faces.

Shen Qingxuan still felt a bit dazed, his mind completely blank, and he wondered: What was happening?

Was he still dreaming?

But the feeling was so real, he could even savor the softness from before.

Right now, Jiang Yubing wished the earth would swallow her whole.

She felt so awkward she could practically dig a castle with her toes.

She had been caught red-handed while stealing a kiss—what an embarrassing mess.

Especially since Shen Qingxuan just stared blankly at her.

His gaze made her feel completely ill at ease, so she fidgeted awkwardly.

“Um…”

Jiang Yubing moved her lips, trying to explain, but her mind was a mess, and she simply couldn’t come up with a good excuse.

Shen Qingxuan’s senses gradually returned.

He slapped himself hard.

“Hiss—”

So it wasn’t a dream.

She really did kiss him!

When Jiang Yubing saw his reaction, she gritted her teeth.

She simply took the initiative to admit her mistake, “Shen Qingxuan, I’m sorry.”

She hung her head, not daring to meet Shen Qingxuan’s eyes, though she didn’t actually think she did anything wrong.

After all, they had the marriage certificate.

What was wrong with kissing her own husband?

Shen Qingxuan gave a sigh. Sigh!

What should he do now?

Just as Shen Qingxuan racked his brain for a way to ease the awkward atmosphere, Jiang Yubing continued, saying, “You stole my first kiss before. Now we’re even.”

What?

A tremor ran through Shen Qingxuan’s heart.

That time, he obviously did it to save her, and how could something like that just be counted up like this?

Still, there was no way for him to lose on this deal!

His gaze subconsciously landed once more on Jiang Yubing’s soft, pretty lips, savoring the feeling from just now, and thought in a daze, “So this is what kissing feels like.”

“Okay… okay.”

He stammered a reply.

When she heard Shen Qingxuan respond, Jiang Yubing secretly breathed a sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden dropped from her chest.

“Does your stomach still hurt?”

Shen Qingxuan gently asked, his voice tinged with a trace of imperceptible tenderness.

“It doesn’t hurt anymore,” Jiang Yubing answered softly.

Without knowing why, Shen Qingxuan’s gaze drifted once again to Jiang Yubing’s lips.

When Jiang Yubing saw him staring at her again, her heart fluttered in panic.

She shifted shyly, and protested, “Shen Qingxuan, I’m hungry.”

Shen Qingxuan finally snapped back to his senses, quickly looked away, and gave an embarrassed smile, “I’ll go buy food right away.”

…

After they finished breakfast, Shen Qingxuan glanced at the weather forecast.

When he learned that the temperature would soar above forty degrees at noon, he instantly gave up any idea of going out to have fun.

He skillfully stripped the duvet covers and carried them to the living room.

“Do you have any clothes that need washing?”

He looked at Jiang Yubing, who lazily lay on the sofa.

When Jiang Yubing heard this, she immediately sprang up like a nimble little deer and ran back to the bedroom.

A moment later, she returned holding a few pieces of clothing, including her just-changed pajamas.

Now she wore a beige short skirt, its hem just brushing her thighs, perfectly showing off her long, slender legs.

Shen Qingxuan placed the laundry piece by piece into the washing machine.

As he took the clothes Jiang Yubing handed over, he happened to look up and caught a glimpse of Jiang Yubing’s shapely, bare long legs.

His gaze got instantly drawn in.

He stared in a daze, and a thought flashed through his mind:

Great legs.

If only she put on a pair of stockings, that would be perfect.

“What are you looking at?”

Jiang Yubing’s voice carried a trace of shyness.

Shen Qingxuan blurted out without thinking, “Your legs.”

Right after he spoke, he realized how inappropriate he sounded.

His face turned hot, and he gave a quiet cough, covering up his embarrassment, “You… go play. I’ll take care of this.”

Jiang Yubing bit her lips, her cheeks rosy, and turned to walk toward the sofa.

She wasn’t the least bit upset by Shen Qingxuan’s straightforwardness.

On the contrary, a faint sense of happiness rose in her heart.

Jiang Yubing curled up on the sofa and absentmindedly fiddled with her phone, but her mind completely ignored whatever was on the screen.

Her thoughts spun over and over, replaying the look in Shen Qingxuan’s eyes from earlier.

The heat in her cheeks simply refused to fade away.

She secretly glanced up at Shen Qingxuan, who busied himself on the balcony.

His broad back looked extra reliable in the sunlight.

Shen Qingxuan took the laundry item by item out of the washing machine on the balcony and hung them on the rack.

His gaze involuntarily drifted toward Jiang Yubing in the living room.

Seeing her sitting quietly on the sofa, with a little smile occasionally peeking through, Shen Qingxuan’s lips also curled in a barely noticeable smile.

After he finished hanging the laundry, Shen Qingxuan walked into the living room.

He picked up his water cup and took several big gulps.

He cleared his throat, “How about we watch a movie? On a hot day like this, staying at home with the AC on and watching a movie is nice.”

Jiang Yubing nodded eagerly, “Yes, yes!”

She got up as she spoke and joined Shen Qingxuan in picking a movie.

Their fingers slid along the movie list, occasionally brushing together and then quickly pulling apart as if electrocuted.

An unusual sense of intimacy filled the air.

In the end, they picked a romantic love story.

They sat together on the sofa, with a small gap between them, but both clearly felt the presence of the other.

As the movie progressed, the emotional tension between the male and female leads in the film gradually increased.

Jiang Yubing became engrossed, unconsciously inching closer to Shen Qingxuan.

Shen Qingxuan noticed her subtle movement, and his heartbeat sped up in an instant.

He quietly adjusted his posture, trying his best to look natural.

On the screen, the male and female leads shared a passionate kiss in the rain.

Jiang Yubing’s cheeks grew even hotter. She subconsciously turned to look at Shen Qingxuan, and found that he was also looking at her.

Their eyes met, and time seemed to stand still.

Suddenly, a flurry of urgent knocks shattered the beautiful atmosphere.

Jiang Yubing shot upright and nervously smoothed her hair.

Shen Qingxuan also jumped up and quickly walked toward the door.

He opened the door to see a deliveryman standing there, who handed over a package to Shen Qingxuan before hurrying away.

Shen Qingxuan brought the package back to the living room.

An awkwardness crept into the air between the two.

The previous ambiguous atmosphere instantly vanished.

Jiang Yubing pretended to be calm as she picked up her phone.

“That’s probably something I ordered online.”

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