Тhе wаrmth оn hеr fоreheаd lingеrеd likе а brand, refusing to fаdе, and the hеat in her сhееks rоsе shаrply аlong with it, making this simple leaning еmbrаcе feеl аnуthing but оrdinarу.
Ruаn Siхiаn fеlt it was bеcoming incrеаsingly diffiсult to keeр up the аct.
If Fu Mingуu turnеd аrоund, hе wоuld sеe her еуelаshеs trеmbling uncоntrollаblу.
Yet the wаrmth оf his bodу was so cоmforting, and the сurvе оf his arm wаs just right—not constriсting, firm уеt cаrrуing а gеntlе tеndernеss.
Оne mоre sеcond аt most.
Ruаn Siхiаn thought shе соuldn’t kеep prеtending any longer. А surge of heаt filled her сhest, bоiling аnd thrashing, thrеatening to burst through.
She furrowed her brows tightly and was about to open her eyes when a phone rang in the car.
Fu Mingyu’s phone.
With his other hand, he took out the phone, held it to his ear, and spoke softly.
Seizing the moment his attention was diverted, Ruan Sixian took a quiet breath.
“Hmm? Sick?”
Fu Mingyu’s posture remained unchanged, but he glanced down at Ruan Sixian’s sleeping face, his voice growing even softer.
“Alright, I understand. I’ll be back soon.”
After those brief words, he hung up, and the car returned to silence.
The interruption eased the tightness in Ruan Sixian’s chest.
Though her heartbeat was still erratic, it had calmed considerably compared to before.
In her ears was Fu Mingyu’s steady breathing, and her nose was filled with the faint scent of him.
Ruan Sixian remained nestled in his embrace but felt his hand tighten slightly around her shoulder.
The tension returned with the warmth of his palm.
At the same time, he tilted his head, his chin lightly brushing against the top of her head.
Ruan Sixian didn’t understand why she felt so nervous now, even more so than during the kiss on her forehead.
After all, last night’s embrace had been far more intimate than this.
Outside the window, the intermittent honking of cars sounded like lingering music, creating a serene and pleasantly ordinary atmosphere.
Though her emotions were still unsettled, Ruan Sixian couldn’t help but wish this journey would last a little longer, just a little longer.
She began to reflect on everything that had happened today, slowly finding a reason for herself.
Perhaps it was because this embrace held no comfort, no desperate need for security—it was simply a man and a woman holding each other.
The most primal, most direct expression of emotion, like a couple deeply in love, leaning against each other naturally.
She took another long, deep breath.
The air from her nostrils could no longer sustain the oxygen her brain needed.
Fu Mingyu was sometimes too overwhelming. His gentle warmth came so naturally, without any sense of aggression, yet it made one fall without even realizing it.
She could hardly imagine that one day she would be nestled in his arms like this, with him even kissing her forehead.
And she hadn’t resisted at all, even replaying the moment in her mind over and over again.
Until she felt the car slowly come to a stop, likely at the entrance of Mingchen Apartments.
Remembering the phone call he had just received, Ruan Sixian felt she couldn’t keep pretending any longer—someone in his family was sick.
Ruan Sixian slowly opened her eyes. Fu Mingyu hadn’t noticed, his gaze fixed calmly ahead.
She cleared her throat softly and gradually straightened her upper body.
“Awake?” Fu Mingyu turned to look at her, his breath brushing against her face as his arm naturally released her.Ruan Sixian didn't look at him, instead turning to gaze out the window for a moment. Remembering the phone call he had just received—someone in his family must be sick, waiting for him to return—she spoke up, "Just drop me off here."
Upon hearing Ruan Sixian's words, the driver glanced back at Fu Mingyu.
But Fu Mingyu simply said, "Drive inside."
Ruan Sixian pressed her lips together and remained silent, watching her reflection in the car window as she subtly touched her cheek.
The car passed through the gate barrier and slowly pulled up to the building's entrance. By then, Ruan Sixian had adjusted her expression to its most natural state.
As Ruan Sixian opened her car door, she sensed Fu Mingyu opening the other side as well.
She quickly said, "It's fine to just drop me off here."
Fu Mingyu leaned against the car door, glanced at her, and without a word, walked around to her side. "I'll see you upstairs."
Fine.
Ruan Sixian followed him silently into the elevator lobby.
While waiting for the elevator, her fingers involuntarily tightened around the straps of her backpack.
She realized that in the quiet, her emotions were becoming unstable again. Fu Mingyu stood beside her, as quiet as usual, yet somehow different.
It seemed that because of that kiss on the forehead, everything felt different now, even when he did nothing.
Although his intentions had long been clear, there had never been such an explicit intimate gesture—the unique intimacy between a man and a woman.
—Until the elevator doors opened, and Fu Mingyu actually followed her inside.
"Are you still coming up?"
Ruan Sixian asked.
Fu Mingyu lowered his gaze and smiled. "What's with you today? Can't I go up?"
Even if he didn't say he wanted to see her to her door, he lived upstairs too—why couldn't he go up?
"No, it's just... isn't someone in your family..."
"Hmm?"
As the words fell, both of them fell silent.
Seeing Fu Mingyu's probing gaze, Ruan Sixian turned her face away. Guilty for letting it slip, she didn't know where to look.
The elevator doors closed silently, and the air around them suddenly felt stifling.
Ruan Sixian felt Fu Mingyu step closer to her, one step at a time.
"You weren't asleep?"
"..."
Ruan Sixian had no response.
Fu Mingyu slid one hand into his pocket, leaning closer. His presence enveloped her like an invisible pressure. He looked down, his brow slightly raised, his gaze growing direct, hinting at something unspoken.
There was no way out—she couldn't talk her way out of this.
Ruan Sixian lifted her head, chin held high. "What, do you think you're justified for kissing me without permission?"
Fu Mingyu simply looked at her deeply, not speaking, but a faint smile played on his lips.
Ruan Sixian roughly understood the meaning in his gaze.
Then you didn't react, and even pretended to be asleep the whole time—does that mean you don't mind?
Having her own unresolved feelings laid bare by him, a wave of heat rushed to her face. Whether from embarrassment or annoyance, she stomped on his foot. He didn't dodge or flinch, not even a flicker of expression.
Fu Mingyu leaned in, getting closer and closer.
Ruan Sixian was backed into a corner, her back against the cold marble wall of the elevator, which now felt scorching hot.
No one had pressed the elevator button. The cramped space remained still, the air seemingly frozen.
As soon as he spoke, his breath immediately wrapped around her.
"Then I'd like to push my luck a little further. Is that okay?"
Ending with a question, yet without any intention of asking, he lowered his head and kissed her.Fu Mingyu gently touched her lower lip, a fleeting taste, and when he felt her instinctively shrink back, he opened his eyes to see her with closed eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly.
After a pause, Ruan Sixian slowly opened her eyes, meeting his gaze. In that second, she realized that his earlier move had only been testing her reaction.
And this current pause was him confirming the look in her eyes.
Ruan Sixian didn’t know what kind of expression she had at that moment, only feeling as if her heart was about to leap out of her chest.
She hadn’t expected tonight to turn out like this.
She hadn’t anticipated such tangible contact—it was beyond her expectations, completely out of her control. Yet her mind and body refused to listen to reason, entirely led by Fu Mingyu.
Her lips slightly parted as she tried to take a deep breath to calm herself, but Fu Mingyu withdrew his hand, cupped her face, and kissed her without restraint.
Breath tinged with the scent of alcohol rushed in forcefully.
Somewhere upstairs, someone had called the elevator, and the two were slowly ascending, yet they remained oblivious to their surroundings.
Ruan Sixian leaned against the elevator wall, a sense of weightlessness overwhelming both her mind and body.
—Until the elevator doors suddenly opened.
It was the tenth floor again. The elderly woman walking her Labrador stared at the scene inside the elevator, dumbfounded, and immediately restrained her lively dog.
Ruan Sixian snapped back to reality in an instant, pushing against Fu Mingyu with all her might.
But he remained unmoved, only glancing back.
His gaze was bold and unapologetic, making the old woman blush and retreat with her dog. "Sorry to disturb you, please carry on."
The dog refused to leave, still trying to jump into the elevator, while the old woman tugged hard on the leash.
"You rascal! Go! Go! Go! Home!"
Ruan Sixian: "..."
Ruan Sixian looked at Fu Mingyu’s jawline as he slowly turned back, his chin brushing against the tip of her nose before he leaned down to kiss the corner of her lips. "Little one, give me some response."
His fingers brushed the hair by her cheek, his thumb gently stroking, as if he intended to kiss her again.
The rationality in Ruan Sixian’s mind was finally pulled back by the old woman’s "rascal."
Rascal!
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