He stole his best friend's photos and fell for a tycoon's heir through online dating.

He gave her time, gave her opportunities, and gave her a way out.

But what about her? She turned around and went on a date with another man, smiling at him by candlelight, saying she was going to quit her job and that she had no plans to find a boyfriend—no plans to find a boyfriend, yet she's sitting here having dinner with her blind date?

Okay. Very good.

Zhou Siyan's eyes were dark and unfathomable.

Xia Ruo got up and went to the restroom.

She kept her head down, still thinking about what Song Yu had just said, trying to figure out how to steer the conversation back to "we're not a good match".

The moment she turned the corner, she froze.

Zhou Siyan stood in the middle of the corridor.

He was wearing a thin black sweater with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing a section of his lean and strong wrist.

The shirt collar was slightly open, and the line of his Adam's apple was faintly visible in the light and shadow.

The light shone from behind him, shrouding half of his face in shadow, obscuring his expression, but the cold light in his eyes sent chills down her spine.

"Secretary Xia."

"Mr. Huo, you're eating here too..." Xia Ruo's voice trembled, and she could even hear the faint sound of her teeth chattering.

"Secretary Xia," Zhou Siyan approached step by step, "this is the... friend you were talking about?"

Before she finished speaking, he had already walked up to her, grabbed her arm, and strode towards the corner at the end of the corridor.

Xia Ruo stumbled a couple of steps as he pulled her along, almost being half-dragged and half-pulled forward.

At the corner, he suddenly stopped and turned around.

She couldn't stop herself and bumped into his arms.

The moment her chest pressed against his, she smelled that familiar cedar scent. Before she could pull away, he had already turned her around and pinned her against the wall, holding both her wrists above her head and fixing them to the cold wall.

He placed his other hand on her ear and pressed his body against hers.

Xia Ruo could feel the warmth of his breath brushing against her forehead, and if she slightly raised her chin, her lips would brush against his Adam's apple.

"Xia Ruo." He lowered his head, his lips almost touching her earlobe, his voice deep and resonant, as if squeezed from his chest, carrying a burning heat.

"I gave you many chances to be honest."

His thumb gently slid across the inside of her wrist, the calluses on his fingertips brushing against the thin skin, touching her wildly beating pulse, each beat striking his knuckles, shattering his remaining sanity bit by bit.

Why don't you cherish it? Why won't you admit it's you?

His voice lowered even further, carrying a sense of suppressed urges, a dangerous urge to collapse.

"You call me 'brother' and dare to date other men? Xia Ruo, what do you take me for?"

Xia Ruo's eyelashes trembled violently, and she turned her head away, not daring to look at him.

I'm doomed, I'm doomed, I'm absolutely doomed.

He knew all along, as expected.

Zhou Siyan's fingers slipped between hers, pinning her hands to the wall, their fingers intertwined.

"Look at me."

She didn't move.

He used his other hand to pinch her chin, gently turning it so that she would look into his eyes.

There was fire in those unfathomable eyes. A fire that made you feel like you would be swallowed up at first glance.

"Look at me," he said again, his voice hoarse.

Xia Ruo's eyes reddened.

"Yes, yes, I'm sorry..."

"I lied to you. I shouldn't have used Wanwan's photo to deceive you..."

I didn't touch a single penny of those transfers. I transferred it all to Wanwan. Please don't throw me into the Huangpu River. I don't want to die yet...

Don't worry, Wanwan doesn't know anything, it definitely won't affect you and Wanwan—"

"It's so noisy."

Zhou Siyan interrupted her.

His brows were furrowed, and he kept talking about Lin Wanzhi.

Who cares about what Lin Wanzhi has to do with him? Who cares about those money transfers? Who cares about those photos?

When did Zhou Siyan become such a shallow person?

After talking to her for so long, she thought he only liked her face?

"Xia Ruo," his voice was extremely low and hoarse, his fingertips gently tracing her lips.

"You still say things like that now? You really have no conscience."

"I didn't—"

The next moment, all the words were swallowed up.

Zhou Siyan could no longer control the restlessness surging in his heart, and lowered his head to kiss her lips precisely.

Xia Ruo's mind went blank with a "buzz".

She didn't even have time to close her eyes; all she could see in her pupils was his face approaching, his unique scent surging in from between his lips and teeth, engulfing her entirely.

His fingers tightened around her clasped hands, pinning her against the wall and pressing her down even deeper.

With his other hand, he released her chin and instead gripped her waist, his palm pressed against the fabric of her lower back. The scalding heat seeped in through the thin dress, pulling her closer to him.

"...Ugh," Xia Ruo came to her senses but was already firmly restrained. She tried to push him away, but her hands were held down tightly.

The man's cool lips, with an irresistible force, lingered on her lips, licking and nibbling them little by little, as if savoring a long-awaited delicacy.

"No..."

Xia Ruo had barely uttered a single word when the man's tongue slid in, forcibly prying open her teeth and stealing the air from her mouth.

No, no, I can't take it anymore. Xia Ruo's tears welled up from the kiss.

She felt the air being sucked out of her lungs bit by bit, her chest heaving violently, and she felt like a fish thrown ashore, struggling futilely in his arms.

Just when she felt like she was about to suffocate, Zhou Siyan finally released her lips.

"Baby," his voice was incredibly low and hoarse, his lips still pressed against hers.

Their breaths mingled hotly, tinged with a faint smile. "You'll need to catch your breath halfway through."

Xia Ruo was panting heavily, her eyes reddened from being bullied.

Zhou Siyan lowered his head and kissed her eyes again.

His lips touched her damp eyelashes. The gloom that had been building up in his heart for who knows how long dissipated in that moment.

When those peach blossom eyes looked at him with moist eyes, they were truly endearing. The slight upturn at the corners of her eyes was like a small hook, stirring up his desire from the depths of his heart.

"Do you know you were wrong?"

Xia Ruo was stunned by the kiss and stared blankly at him.

Can anyone tell her what's going on? Why did the male lead kiss her?

This scene isn't in the original story.

What about the female lead? What if the male lead is no longer pure? What about Wanwan?

"Why that expression?" Zhou Siyan looked at her dazed and confused expression, a very slight smile curving his lips. "Haven't you kissed enough?"