Gently bite the jasmine

After taking a shower, Lin Xi squatted by the bedside and plucked the strings of the music box, playing the tender and soothing melody of "Romance de Amor".

There was a photo pressed inside the box. It was taken by Duan Yiheng with a vintage camera he found at a flea market, and the subject was her.

The viewfinder framed the night as a pure black ribbon, within which she stood, her gaze turning back filled with unsuspecting surprise.

In the hazy night, he photographed her as if she were a beam of warm light pouring down.

Especially the eyes in the center of vision, as if trying to capture every single star in the city that night.

"You mean..." Lin Xi murmured, looking at her reflection in the photo, "Is he with Miss Tan?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she gave a self-deprecating laugh.

A handsome man and a beautiful woman, standing side by side, receive abundant blessings from the outside world, rather than malicious speculation.

With a "click," Lin Xi pressed the photo into the music box.

The lingering melody abruptly ended, just like her feelings for Duan Yiheng.

"Tuk-tuk."

Suddenly, a knock came at the door.

Lin Xi turned her head suspiciously. Who could it be so late?

She said she didn't want late-night snacks, so it probably wasn't Sister Mei.

There was no answer at the door. Lin Xi suspected the other person hadn't heard her, so she put on her slippers and went to the door: "Who is it?"

Two more "thump-thump" sounds.

She wasn't worried about safety at the heavily guarded villa, but what did it mean to just knock on the door without saying anything?

Lin Xi couldn't help but suspect it was Duan Mingxuan.

She didn't want to see anyone right now, so she kept quiet, hoping that Duan Mingxuan would leave on his own.

As the commotion outside the door subsided, just as Lin Xi breathed a sigh of relief, a deep voice responded from outside: "It's me."

Lin Xi raised a surprised smile, her hands trembling as she instinctively opened the door.

Her pupils trembled slightly, her mouth opened and closed repeatedly, but she couldn't find her voice for a long time.

Her coat exuded a chilling aura, her brows were frosty, and standing outside the door was none other than the person she most wanted to see.

"You..." Lin Xi's lips trembled, and she realized how hoarse her voice was when she spoke, "Didn't you say you weren't coming back?"

Duan Yiheng's gaze shifted downwards, looking at her rosy face after her shower, her slightly open mouth in surprise like a jasmine flower opening and closing in the night.

He wanted to go up and kiss her, but he was afraid of being seen as a pervert.

"Sister Mei called me..." Duan Yiheng only said half of his sentence.

Lin Xi's heart skipped a beat: "What did she say to you?"

“She said…” Duan Yiheng stared intently at her face, “You cried.”

"I didn't," Lin Xi denied instinctively.

Duan Yiheng took a step forward, squeezing Lin Xi into the bedroom.

Lin Xi turned her head away and remained silent, facing him.

Duan Yiheng raised his hand and pressed it to the corner of her lips, saying softly, "No? Then why do you look like you're about to cry?"

Lin Xi clenched her fingers nervously: "I didn't?"

Duan Yiheng closed the bedroom door, lowered his gaze, and chuckled, "Is that so? Then I'll call Sister Mei over for a confrontation."

"No." Lin Xi hurriedly stopped him. "I just... I just had a dry eye and rubbed it until it was red. Sister Mei misunderstood."

They're still so stubborn even now.

"Sister Mei said you asked about my situation with Tan Qi. What do you want to know?" Duan Yiheng said, "I'll tell you myself."

Lin Xi shook her head: "I was just asking casually."

"Just a casual question?" Duan Yiheng smiled faintly. "Are you worried that I might spend the night with Tan Qi? Or that I might kiss her like I kissed you when I'm drunk? Or perhaps you were so angry after being rejected that you impulsively announced this marriage?"

With each word he spoke, Lin Xi's face grew paler.

She could reject Duan Yiheng for the sake of their future, but she couldn't imagine that Duan Yiheng would do the same thing to someone else as he had done to her.

Just thinking about it made her feel suffocated.

But she was the one who refused so decisively and without mercy, so what right did she have to question her?

She was never qualified.

Tears rolled down her cheeks, and Lin Xi raised her hand to wipe them away.

Duan Yiheng froze, reaching out to wipe away her tears.

With a "slap," Lin Xi slapped his hand away.

That amount of force is neither painful nor itchy.

"I haven't even cried yet, but you're already crying?" Duan Yiheng's voice carried a helpless smile. "You're going to cry after just a few words? Weren't you pretty heartless when you rejected me?"

Lin Xi simply resorted to pleading: "I don't understand what you're saying."

"Okay, then I'll ask you a question and you answer it," Duan Yiheng said. "Do you have any feelings for Zhou Zheng?"

"This is our first meeting, what thoughts could I possibly have?" Lin Xi replied instinctively, going along with his words.

She choked again after speaking. Why did she have to answer?

"Judging from his appearance alone, he is indeed quite good-looking." Duan Yiheng seemed to be analyzing for her. "Even when Duan Mingxuan made things difficult for him, he seemed to have a good temper. His first impression is probably not bad, right?"

"You and Miss Tan seem to be having a good chat," Lin Xi said. "One drink after another, you're having a good time, aren't you?"

Duan Yiheng smiled enigmatically: "Jealous?"

"Who's jealous?" Lin Xi retorted stubbornly, "I don't even like to dip my dumplings in vinegar."

Duan Yiheng said, "That's really strange, there's a sour smell in the air."

Lin Xi was not at a disadvantage: "I'm afraid some people have a problem with their noses."

Duan Yiheng curled his lips into a smile, then suddenly pinned her against the wall, leaned down, and gently sniffed behind her ear: "Sandalwood and jasmine, the scent of your shower gel."

Lin Xi's face suddenly turned bright red.

"you--"

Lin Xi glared at him. How could someone prove that there was nothing wrong with their nose like that?

"Let's get back to the main topic." Duan Yiheng put away his teasing intentions. "The second question is, do you still have feelings for Duan Mingxuan?"

“Of course there are,” Lin Xi said deliberately.

"Oh? Is it familial love or romantic love?" Duan Yiheng wasn't fooled. "Or let me put it another way: if Duan Mingxuan were standing in front of you right now, could you accept him kissing you?"

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Lin Xi glared at him. "He already has a girlfriend, can't you have some morals?"

Duan Yiheng, who had been a morally upright man for thirty years: "..."

What if he doesn't have a girlfriend?

Lin Xi downplayed the issue, saying, "It's impossible for us to be together."

"Lin Xi, answer my question directly. Putting aside all external factors, if it's just you and him, could you accept him kissing you?"

Lin Xi fell silent.

"Answer me," Duan Yiheng pressed, taking one step at a time.

Lin Xi couldn't accept it. She sadly discovered that in just three months, she had easily given up on Duan Mingxuan, whom she had secretly loved for many years.

“Answer me,” Duan Yiheng said. “You know, this is very important to me.”

Lin Xi closed her eyes, then opened them again after a couple of seconds and looked at him: "I can't accept this. Are you satisfied now?"

Her tone carried a sense of resignation, as if she had given up entirely, and also an accusation against him for forcing her.

"The third question," Duan Yiheng's voice turned completely somber, "Do you know how I feel about you?"