A kiss for a send-off.

Ye Mian sullenly popped a piece of food into her mouth, swallowed it, and then said with a touch of melancholy, "Do you think I don't want to?"

Because they spent so little time together, their relationship had become overly measured, bordering on painfully polite. She wouldn't say she was tired of this respectful, distant dynamic, but she did yearn to be closer to Jiang Chen. Even if it made her nervous and shy, she still wanted to play—to engage in the tug-of-war of adult romance.

—

In the evening, Ye Mian went to her studio for a team dinner. It was nearly seven o'clock when she left early to hail a taxi home. The weather was abysmal; visibility was poor, and the roads were slick with slush. The driver didn't dare to drive fast.

While waiting at a red light, a car accident occurred in front of them. A black car had collided with a red one; the hood of the red car was completely flipped over, and debris was scattered everywhere. The severity of the crash drew a large crowd of onlookers. The road became chaotic and congested, and amidst the rising cries of panic, Ye Mian had no choice but to witness the aftermath of the accident. Through the fragmented, incessant arguments, she gathered that the driver of the black car had been driving drunk and against the flow of traffic, causing the crash.

One woman, her face covered in blood, looked the most distraught. She sat on the ground, wailing and pointing at the drunken man in the black car, shouting, "You're a murderer! You deserve to die! Don't let him leave! My husband and child are still in that car! Someone, help me call the police!"

Eventually, traffic police and ambulances arrived. The driver of the black car was handcuffed and taken away. The woman’s voice was ragged and hoarse: "Murderer! Murderer! All murderers deserve to die!"

The evening wind seemed to stall. Ye Mian’s heart hammered against her ribs; she involuntarily clenched her palms, her fingernails digging into her flesh. She felt the sharp pain in her palms, lost in a daze.

...

It took nearly an hour for the scene to be cleared. Upon arriving at her apartment complex, Ye Mian paid the fare and stepped out, her mind still wandering. It wasn't until she entered the elevator that her spirits slowly began to thaw.

When she opened the door, the house was brightly lit, a stark contrast to the usual darkness she returned to. Seeing her walk in, Jiang Chen set down his laptop. "You're back?"

Ye Mian didn't answer. She dropped her bag and changed into her cotton slippers, then took a few quick steps to sit beside Jiang Chen, staring at him intently with her expressive almond-shaped eyes. Feeling the warmth radiating from him, along with his signature faint scent of sandalwood, she lowered her gaze.

Jiang Chen sat upright, the red light from his laptop screen reflecting in his lenses, casting a cool shimmer along the frames that made him appear particularly aloof, yet his voice remained gentle. "What's wrong?"

Ye Mian sniffled. Looking at him, she tilted her head back and said in a muffled voice, "Jiang Chen, as my boyfriend, when I'm feeling down, could you give me a hug?"

The night was quiet; the lights were dazzling, the sofa soft. Jiang Chen looked down at her eyes, his fingers curling slightly. The girl looked at him with such pathetic vulnerability. Her eyes held a plea that no one could bear to refuse.

He gently took the girl’s hand, his long, narrow eyes curving slightly as he looked at her for two seconds with an unreadable expression, before reaching out to pull her into his arms. His long fingers rhythmically toyed with her hair, as if comforting her, or perhaps caressing her.

The distance vanished in an instant. Ye Mian’s scarf covered half her face, hiding the crimson flush that had instantly spread across her skin. The warmth of their embrace exploded around her like fireworks, leaving her dizzy and speechless. She raised her eyes slightly to steal a glance at Jiang Chen, noticing the lingering tenderness at the corners of his eyes and the faint smile playing on his lips.

Her heart... began to beat faster, inexplicably.

After a brief silence, a warm breeze from above drifted down, gently dispelling the chill around her. A moment later, Jiang Chen leaned in close to her ear. His low voice rode the warm air, brushing against her senses.

"Even when you're upset, you still know how to peek."

"..."

Ye Mian quickly withdrew her gaze and buried her face in his shoulder. Her heart felt as though it were trying to break out of her chest. *Thump... thump.* It was almost as if she were telling him of her nervousness. In the twenty-degree warmth of the room, Ye Mian’s palms were beginning to sweat.

Feeling the heat from the girl’s face, Jiang Chen’s eyes darkened, and his Adam's apple moved slowly. He moved his hand from the ends of her hair upward, his fingertips tracing her head with the lightest pressure.

Ye Mian’s back went rigid. In that fleeting moment, Jiang Chen’s chin brushed against the tip of her ear, pressing lightly against her cheek as a low chuckle rumbled in his throat. "So nervous, yet you still want a hug?"

The pale winter could not contain the spring of romance. Ye Mian’s mind went blank. Fearful of his injuries, she didn't dare move her arms, letting him hold her as she feigned composure. "I want a hug. It took so much effort to trick you into coming home with me; it would be a waste not to."

Her voice was filled with irrepressible joy.

He drawled with a soft laugh, "We’re already hugging, so why are you still giggling?"

"..."

Ye Mian felt that this man was teasing her. She pursed her lips, struggling internally for a long while before suddenly pulling back from his shoulder, looking up at him, and speaking boldly: "It’s not just giggling."

The man raised his eyebrows with interest.

"I can also sneak a kiss."

As soon as she finished speaking, Ye Mian looked at his perfectly shaped lips and, caught off guard, planted a kiss on them, warm and soft. Before he could react, she stuck to her "hit and run" style, breaking free from his embrace and turning to leave.

But the very next second, Jiang Chen grabbed her wrist and pulled her back onto the sofa. He then pinned her hands, looking at her with a smile in his eyes, as if to say: *Keep running then.*

"..."

Ye Mian knew very well that she couldn't run now. She stopped struggling and sat there, feeling rather guilty as she stared at their position.

*Hmm.* She felt like a criminal, while Jiang Chen was the upright, righteous police officer. The air was filled with a subtle, woody fragrance.

"How many times has this been?"

Jiang Chen leaned down slightly, lifting an eyebrow, and said unhurriedly, "Again and again, running away every time you kiss me. Ye Mian, can you be a bit more responsible for your actions?"

The reflection of the snow outside the window cast shifting shadows across his face, his gaze filled with scrutiny and helplessness. He looked as though he had truly been taken advantage of.

Ye Mian’s breath hitched. She looked up, her hands still held by his, and said firmly, "Don't worry, I'll take responsibility. If nothing else, you can kiss me back."

Anyway, she felt she wasn't losing out; she had been coveting this "big boss" for a long time. One kiss for one kiss—it was the good fortune of her virtuous life.

He chuckled softly. "You think quite highly of yourself, don't you?"

"..."

Ye Mian: ? What is that supposed to mean??

She looked up, annoyed. "Big Boss Jiang, you shouldn't be so reserved. In this society, a kiss is a very normal thing."

Jiang Chen held her, his fingers lightly stroking her wrist bone. "Is that so?"