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I looked at Luo Qing, who was crouched on the ground grinning from ear to ear, both exasperated and amused.

“No playing dirty!” I said, my own childish spirit stirred by her antics.

“I’m going to play dirty!” she shot back.

“I’m not an animal shelter worker—I don’t take in little creatures who play dirty tricks!” I replied, my face serious as I looked at Luo Qing.

“Yang Chen, you bastard!” Luo Qing struggled to stand, as if she was contemplating violence again.

She had just managed to get to her feet, but the alcohol had clearly taken its toll. Her legs buckled, and she lost her balance, falling backward.

I had been about to dart away and tease her some more, but as I saw she was genuinely about to fall, I leaned forward without thinking and caught her in my arms.

But I wasn’t prepared at all, so as I caught Luo Qing, she dragged me down with her!

I instinctively tightened both arms around her and twisted my waist, flipping us so that I took her place.

Thud!

The dull thump and pain hit my brain at the same instant. With both our weights, I slammed flat against the pavement, my blood surging, head spinning.

“Yang... Yang Chen, are you okay?” Luo Qing, sprawled atop me, stared at me with wide eyes.

“Damn, you really should lose some weight!” In truth, Luo Qing wasn’t heavy at all—I only said it to lighten the mood and stop her from worrying.

“How do you feel? Did you hit your head?” She ignored my joke completely, as if she’d switched to filtering out my nonsense.

“Why is it that every time I’m around you, I get hurt? I must owe you from a previous life!”

“Great, you’ve hit your head and turned stupid!” Luo Qing dismissed my words entirely, “Are you expecting me to take care of an idiot like you for the rest of my life?”

Only then did I realize her original intent was just to mock me—I’d actually believed she was worried about me.

“If I die from a fall, it’s none of your business. I’m just asking for it,” I muttered, pushing at Luo Qing to get her off, though for some reason, a faint sadness swept through me.

No matter how I tried to push her, Luo Qing wouldn’t get up. She just lay on top of me, silent, gazing down.

Suddenly, she shifted, crawling up until her beautiful face was directly above mine, her alluring eyes locked on me.

“You… what are you doing… you…” My words were abruptly cut off as Luo Qing seized my face and kissed me hard, her sweet scent flooding my mouth in an instant.

Shit! My first reaction was actually to struggle and try to push her away!

Luo Qing straddled me, making it hard to move, continuing her assault on my lips—half kiss, half bite.

I couldn’t describe how I felt. It was both enjoyable and humiliating, being forced into my first kiss by her, in this manner, in this position.

But I’m a man—if you dare to come at me, why should I hold back? So I pulled her close by the waist and kissed her back fiercely.

Just as I was losing myself in the moment, Luo Qing abruptly pushed me away, rolled off, and sat to the side, panting and laughing, “Still mad? Now we’re even, I don’t owe you anything anymore.”

Though I’d been through a lot and was no longer the naive boy I’d been, her laughter still left me blushing to the roots. Out of the corner of my eye I saw that, though she was putting on a show of teasing me, her cheeks were flushed red, betraying her true feelings.

I lay on the concrete by the roadside, replaying the fiery scene just now, her lingering sweetness still on my lips…

“Shit! You just threw up!” The thought suddenly struck me. Damn, wasn’t this just asking for trouble?

“What, you think it’s dirty?” The smile vanished from Luo Qing’s face.

“No…” I quickly denied it, having noticed her reaction.

“Listen up, I kissed you because I thought you were worth it. Don’t get cocky. You should take a good look at yourself in the mirror!” Luo Qing suddenly burst out in anger, for no reason at all.

Her words stabbed straight into my heart. Suddenly, I felt both wretched and powerless… She wasn’t wrong, after all. Who was I, Yang Chen? No car, no house, no money—not handsome like those movie stars. All I had was a guitar and a bit of faith. That was it.

“I’m sorry…” If it had been years ago, I would’ve punched anyone who dared talk to me like that—man or woman. But I’d lost that temper long ago, learned to stay calm, to take things as they came. That’s what life had taught me.

Luo Qing kept her head down, not looking at me. I knew her drunkenness had mostly worn off.

“Here’s your bag. I was afraid you’d lose it, so I kept it for you.” I took out her small purse and handed it to her.

Luo Qing looked at me silently, not reaching out.

I had no choice but to set the bag on the ground in front of her, then turned to leave. She had only been messing with me under the influence, after all. Like she said, I should go home and look in the mirror.

“Try not to drink so much next time. And… thank you for the memory.” I strode quickly toward the darkness at the end of the road, each step weighing down on my exhausted heart.

But when I’d gone some distance, I couldn’t help worrying about her, still sitting alone on the roadside in the middle of the night.

“Idiot!” I cursed myself fiercely, then turned and headed back.

From afar, I finally saw that red silhouette—she was still sitting there, unmoving.

“Yezi, do me a favor,” I called An Ye.

“Take a cab to West Avenue and pick someone up.”

Not long after, I saw An Ye get out of a taxi.

“See that girl by the roadside? Take her home. If she won’t go, take her somewhere clean and safe, like a decent hotel,” I instructed him over the phone. “Don’t mention my name—just tell her Sister Shi Yu sent you. She’s met you and Shi Yu before, she’ll trust you.”

After hanging up, I watched quietly as An Ye approached Luo Qing and spoke to her. Soon, she got into the car and left.

I headed back toward my rented room. The walk wasn’t short, but twenty minutes would get me there.

By the time I arrived home, it was already midnight. Zhao Ke Wen’s door was tightly shut—either she wasn’t back, or she was already asleep. I washed my face, brushed my teeth, stripped to my underwear, and lay down on the bed.

With my eyes closed, Luo Qing’s fiery image still played in my mind… I lit a cigarette, inhaled deeply, trying to numb myself, to forget those moments that stirred or wounded my heart.

My phone chimed—a message.

It was from Luo Qing. My heart skipped a beat, and I hesitated, unsure whether to open it.

After thinking it over, I decided against it. We were never meant to walk the same path; there was no need for further entanglement.

I deleted the message and blocked “Heroine Luo” in my contacts.

Lying in bed, restless and irritable, I didn’t know how long it took before I finally drifted off to sleep.