Under the moonlight

Xu Ao kissed the corner of her eye, where traces of her tears, still wet from her earlier crying, remained.

A soft blanket gently covered the corner of my eye, as if a gust of wind had suddenly blown away all the fragmented images in my mind, and the net that had been tightly binding me had suddenly disappeared, relieving all my tension and discomfort in that moment.

Huang Meng dared not blink, afraid that her movements would startle this softness away. However, her hands unconsciously gripped Xu Ao's clothes tightly, and the neatly ironed shirt was wrinkled by her gripping. Just like his usual calm and collected demeanor, he crumbled in front of her.

Xu Ao gently kissed away the tear stains at the corners of her eyes, as if extremely reluctant to let go. Only when Xu Ao was a little further away from her did she return to reality from the tenderness, her eyes hazy as if she had just woken up.

Xu Ao looked down at her small hands tightly gripping his shirt, then at her misty, watery eyes.

"Huang Meng"

Xu Ao gently called her name, but she took a while to react before slowly raising her head to look up at him. Her eyes were dark and unfathomable, as if she was still savoring the tenderness of the moment. The question in her eyes moved Xu Ao. Did she still want it?

Before she could speak, Xu Ao reached out and cupped the back of her neck, then lowered his head and kissed her lips.

Huang Meng's heart pounded wildly as if it were engorged with blood. At first, she was panicked and at a loss. Gradually, she felt her body become light, her mind went blank and she was powerless to resist, completely at the mercy of others.

This fantastical feeling of resisting yet wanting to keep taking was very enjoyable to her, and she let him ravage her soft lips.

He lingered on her, sometimes gentle, sometimes violent, as if trying to draw her into his body. Huang Meng felt like a fish struggling to breathe; she would open her mouth to breathe only to have it immediately shut by his kiss. Her mouth was filled with his breath, and it continued several times before he finally released her.

Xu Ao couldn't help but chuckle at her slightly out of breath. He reached out and gently pinched her cheek, teasingly saying, "Looks like you'll have to practice more in the future~."

Huang Meng didn't react for a moment, but when she saw him staring at her mouth with a dazed look, she realized what he meant by "practice," and her face flushed red. She glared at him and said defiantly, "Looks like you're quite skilled, a pro."

Huang Meng had no experience in dating, but she was quite good at roasting people. Her comment amused Xu Ao, who laughed even harder: "Yeah, definitely, I'm a bit better than you. At least I don't feel breathless." Huang Meng got annoyed by his beaming smile and stood up to leave, but Xu Ao grabbed her hand from behind.

"What are you doing? Can't I leave?" Huang Meng said irritably.

"Haha, of course you can leave, but I need to make things clear before you go." Huang Meng was startled, but quickly calmed down, inwardly mocking herself. It was just one person, one kiss, one romantic encounter—how could she have been so moved? Ha~

"Speak, what do you want to say?" Huang Meng shook off his hand, turned around, crossed her arms, and looked at him coldly.

Seeing Huang Meng's expression as if she wanted to confront him, he could roughly guess what she was thinking. It seemed he really needed to make things clear.

He looked at Huang Meng with amusement and said, "I like you. I probably had feelings for you from the first time I saw you, and I've observed you a lot since then. My kiss just now wasn't a spur-of-the-moment thing or just hormones. I just saw you crying, looking so pitiful and easy to bully, so I wanted to kiss you. I didn't intend to back out. I've had two relationships when I was studying in China, but they were both very short, only a little over three months in total. I was the one who broke up with you. So, is there anything you want to say to me?"

After Xu Ao finished speaking, he stared intently at the girl in front of him, his gaze passionate and sincere.

Huang Meng was stunned after hearing his words. What was this? Was it a confession? But it didn't feel like a confession asking if she was willing to be with him. It felt more like he was informing her.

Huang Meng looked at him with a smile on his lips and gentle eyes. His once neat shirt was now crumpled from his grip, and the buttons on his collar were undone at some point, revealing his slightly reddened collarbone. Huang Meng suddenly remembered the scene from earlier and her face turned red again.

Xu Ao saw her staring blankly at her clothes, which were in disarray when she looked down. His smile deepened, tinged with desire.

Huang Meng kept her head down and didn't say anything. Xu Ao reached out and patted her head, saying softly, "It's okay, I'll give you time to think it over. I'm not in a hurry. Also, we'll leave early tomorrow morning and I'll come find you then. I asked them to find you some clothes, I'll bring them to you in a bit, remember to change into them tomorrow."

After listening to him finish speaking, Huang Meng didn't know what to say, so she just nodded obediently. The two of them walked out one after the other. When they reached the door of the room, Huang Meng didn't say the words she had been preparing all the way.

Seeing her hesitant look behind the door, Xu Ao knew that the girl was startled by his sudden confession and didn't know how to react for a moment. He spoke first, saying, "Go in. Remember to open the door when I knock. I'll give you the things."

Huang Meng smiled and nodded, then opened the door and went inside. Standing behind the door for a long time, her mind kept asking and answering itself: Did he confess to me? He did confess to me, right? Then came that brief, breathtaking kiss. Having lived so long and read countless books, this was the first time Huang Meng had experienced something real! She dared not think any further, throwing herself onto the bed. Hugging the blanket, she curled up on the bed, recalling his lips—soft, thick, yet powerful. Huang Meng unconsciously touched her own lips; the slight swelling there spoke of his madness.

The knocking interrupted Huang Meng's thoughts. She remembered that Xu Ao had said he would come to see her. She quickly stood up, tidied her hair, and opened the door. Xu Ao smiled slightly at her, handed her the bag in his hand, told her to get some rest, and then said goodnight. Huang Meng closed the door and a smile unconsciously appeared on her face.