Kiss

"I am looking at you," Jiang Chen said, his cool fingertips brushing against Ye Mian’s cheek, "seeing if you love me."

His voice was very soft, yet it made Ye Mian’s heart race. She assumed he was feeling insecure.

Ye Mian blinked, her eyes smiling as if they held the moon. "Jiang Chen, I don't think I've said it in a while: I love you. I only love you."

Jiang Chen’s fingers moved to the back of her head, winding through her hair and stroking it gently, over and over.

Ye Mian’s gentle almond-shaped eyes shimmered with light. She asked again, "What about you? Do you love me?"

The girl’s eyes sparkled with a faint, playful joy.

He leaned in, cupping her face. As he drew closer, Ye Mian could hear his breathing. This kiss was softer than the last; Jiang Chen lingered on her lips, his fingertips tracing her skin with tenderness before weaving through her hair once more.

The wind seemed to seep through the gaps in the floor-to-ceiling window, brushing against Ye Mian’s face. It was cold, but his kiss was warm, flowing through her like an electric current, leaving her tingling. He carried a faint, unique scent that belonged only to him.

Only when she had completely closed her eyes did the man release her. He rested his chin on her shoulder.

"I... love you very much," he whispered into her ear.

The "very" was so faint that Ye Mian thought she might have misheard.

She turned to look at the snow outside the window. The snowflakes, both near and far, turned white under the weak sunlight, blending into the city with a sense of unity that stirred a thousand emotions in her heart. The anxious, bittersweet, and contradictory secret crush she had nurtured in her youth seemed to have finally found its resolution.

Suddenly, Ye Mian realized that when Jiang Chen said those words, he, too, had been a little nervous.

Remembering the dream where he was in prison—where he said he had loved her for a long time, even before she knew him—Ye Mian’s eyes suddenly reddened. She took Jiang Chen’s hand, feeling even more unwilling to accept the fate he had met in that vision.

A sudden, impatient urgency took hold of her. She looked up into Jiang Chen’s eyes and asked, "Jiang Chen, if I become very, very rich, would you be willing to stay home and be a kept man?"

Jiang Chen was stunned, looking at her with amusement. "That’s sudden."

Ye Mian paused, realizing how absurd her thoughtless remark was, and laughed softly. "Oh, it is a bit sudden."

Jiang Chen tilted his head, looking down with a gentle smile. "When will you stop treating me like a male model? While I don't consider it an insult, it’s hard to take as a compliment, either."

Ye Mian couldn't help but laugh along. As she laughed, she felt a pang of grievance—when would she finally become a rich woman? She lacked the confidence to even make such a claim.

"Why do you look so wronged?"

Jiang Chen took out his phone and handed it to her, his gaze soft as he whispered, "Transfer my money to your phone. My cards are all abroad, but I’ll give them to you once I have them reissued."

Ye Mian: "???"

How did they suddenly reach the point of him handing over his entire livelihood? They hadn't even reached that stage yet, had they?

Seeing her dazed expression, Jiang Chen felt his heart soften even more. He leaned in closer, a low chuckle escaping him. The fragmented snowy light caught in his eyes, deeper than the sea, hazy and intense, as he stared straight at her.

"If you take all my money and support me, that will be enough."

Ye Mian sat still, her hands resting at her sides, letting Jiang Chen watch her, allowing his presence to wash over her. At that moment, she felt as if she might be lightheaded; otherwise, why would she be sitting there like a wooden statue?

After a long while, Ye Mian’s heart hammered against her ribs, and in her confusion, she handed the phone back to him. She did not doubt the sincerity of his words. This man always meant what he said. That was why she panicked—she had already been shocked by a grocery budget of fifty-two thousand; she dared not imagine what his total wealth amounted to.

She whispered, "I don't want it. I won't keep a man."

Jiang Chen’s smiling eyes slowly closed and opened again.

"The money is yours. It’s enough that I’m the one being kept."

Ye Mian: "..."

Why did she feel like Jiang Chen was becoming increasingly flirtatious? It was going to be the death of her!

Afraid she wouldn't be able to resist the temptation of his immense wealth and that face of his, Ye Mian stood up, wanting to run away. "Let’s talk about it later. I’m going to get some water."

Jiang Chen didn't stop her. He closed his eyes, feeling that he truly needed to calm down.

The winter in Wencheng was just like the past few years: a silver haze, filled with strong winds and falling snow.

His phone rang. Jiang Chen answered; it was Tong Guan.

The man on the other end said anxiously, "Boss, there is still someone protecting the land behind the scenes, and our leads have been cut off. It will take some time to dismantle those people from Huaqing. I have already mailed your identification documents back to you."

Jiang Chen rubbed his temples. "Understood. Keep an eye on them. Use your own methods to resolve such matters."

After hanging up, Jiang Chen felt as though a basin of cold water had been poured over him, dousing his turbulent heart. He looked at his hands, feeling as if they were stained with dust. It stood in stark contrast to the girl's bright and radiant demeanor. His world was, after all, a gray and wretched place.

The man’s expression grew cold and detached once more, his eyes dark and heavy with deep self-loathing. He didn't know why he had let himself get this far despite his restraint. He remembered that, in the beginning, he had only wanted an identity so he could stay by her side and be someone she could contact if she were in danger. He had never dared, nor wished, to hope for any substantive relationship.

And yet, here he was...

He feared that if the girl saw the side of him hidden in the shadows, it would shatter her image of him—that she would be terrified, afraid, and disgusted by him. For the first time, he felt he was too much of a hypocrite. He wasn't good enough for her before, and he still wasn't now.

...

In the bathroom, Ye Mian used a wet wipe to remove her smeared makeup. Looking at her still-flushed lips, she found her mind wandering. She wondered how she could possibly look so lovestruck.

The familiar ringtone echoed in the guest room. Ye Mian took a deep breath and, despite her appearance, had to return to the room. She glanced at the man, who was now exuding a gentle aura, and picked up her phone to check the caller ID.

It was a WeChat voice call from Jiang Yuan.

She tapped to answer and, to put Jiang Chen at ease, put it on speaker.

Jiang Yuan’s voice erupted from the phone, loud and clear.

"Little Ye Mian!! Merry Christmas Eve!! The Christmas gift I sent you is arriving soon, don't forget to pick it up tomorrow!"

Ye Mian glanced at Jiang Chen and quickly stepped out of the guest room, smiling. "Okay, I bought you a gift too, don't forget to pick yours up."

She had bought Christmas trees online for all her friends—Jiang Yuan, Qin Feifei, Wang Xiang, and others. They were quite sturdy, and they should be arriving one after another tomorrow.

Jiang Yuan didn't care about that; instead, she asked sneakily, "How are you and Big Boss Jiang doing? Have you made up? Did my 'disabled young master' forced-love plot come in handy?"