6. Anti-addiction mechanism

As if possessed by a ghost, Fang Kaixuan asked, "Do you want to kiss me?" He suddenly snapped out of his daze and covered his face with his hands in embarrassment.

Having had several relationships and even been married, she couldn't recall ever asking anyone this question before. All the intimate contact she had experienced with men had always been initiated by men.

“Of course,” he said, seemingly a little embarrassed, scratching his head, “but do I need your consent first?”

"There are few gentlemen like you on Earth." Fang Kaixuan was even more embarrassed, so he unconsciously added a sarcastic tone, which somewhat alleviated his awkwardness. How could this person have such low emotional intelligence? Even in this situation, how could she possibly express her consent? Did she expect her to sign a document or put her fingerprint on it?

Fang Kaixuan secretly almost diagnosed him with Asperger's syndrome. In that case, all his rigid or strange behaviors would have an explanation.

"Thank you for the compliment." He seemed genuinely oblivious to the sarcasm in her words.

Seeing that he was still being polite, Fang Kaixuan had no choice but to take two steps forward, gently wrap her arms around his neck, and place her hands behind his head. He reached out and gently stroked her cheek. His hands were large and warm, as if they had a magnetic force, causing her skin and nerve endings to be instantly electrified. Heat suddenly ignited under her skin, like a wildfire, reaching the sky and the earth. For a moment, she didn't know where she was or what day it was.

Fang Kaixuan couldn't help but tilt her head slightly, placing his hand between her cheek and shoulder, and like a cat, gently rubbing her chin against his fingers.

He cupped her face in his hands. She instinctively closed her eyes, but only felt a gentle kiss on her forehead before being pulled into his embrace. Her face was pressed against his chest, oblivious to the fact that her makeup was probably smudged. The two stood there by the window for a long time, neither making a further move.

But this subtle contact made her heart pound, and she even suspected that he could hear it, which made her feel even more embarrassed.

She noticed that his heart was beating unusually fast.

She gently closed her eyes, inwardly mocking herself, realizing she hadn't been this innocent since she was eighteen.

The phrase "lingering and tender" is often used to describe more intimate things, but he only lightly pecked her forehead and then hugged her in his arms, which was enough to make both of them feel restless and their hearts flutter.

Fang Kaixuan suddenly realized he had lost his composure, and sprang away like a cat. He straightened his hair, returned to the table, and acted as if nothing was wrong: "Let's start eating."

It is an action used to cover up embarrassment.

It's said that when cats are being petted and feeling extremely comfortable, they might suddenly open their mouths and gently bite without warning. This is a mechanism to prevent addiction.

A solitary building stood alone in the snowy wilderness, utterly silent, with no one else around, not a third party to observe. The two, their faces flushed, pretended nothing was amiss and sat down properly to eat.

The dumplings were actually Fang Kaixuan's favorite shrimp and three-delicacy filling.

She glanced at him: "How did you know this is what I like?"

He looked up blankly, and it didn't seem like he was faking it.

It was just a coincidence.

Indeed, the concept of telepathy no longer exists. In this increasingly crumbling world, young men and women no longer even bother to talk about love, and pure love has become a joke. Where can you find the kind of perfect lovers depicted in Haruki Murakami's books?

The tender atmosphere made Fang Kaixuan reluctant to leave. Unfortunately, no matter how idyllic one is, work tasks still relentlessly pursue them. She had only been away from her phone for a short while, but when she turned the screen, several emails were already displayed, each one like a death knell.

ASAP = as soon as possible; it's the most feared dark spell for office workers.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of *The Black Swan*, says that there are three most harmful addictive substances in the world:

Heroin, carbohydrates, and a monthly salary.

In martial arts novels, villains often force their subordinates to take poison in order to control them, and they must receive the antidote regularly each year, or they will succumb to the poison. This method ensures that their subordinates obey their orders.

Modern society doesn't need to go through all that trouble. Just pay a monthly salary, and you can have a modern slave who works 24/7 and has a high degree of initiative.

He noticed Fang Kaixuan staring at his phone, his brow furrowed involuntarily. He guessed what had happened and stood up, saying, "Shall we go back?"

Fang Kaixuan really didn't want to leave. She would rather be trapped in this small corner with this person.

She sighed and turned to look out the window. The mountains were blanketed in snow, the moon thin and bright, as if transported back to that snowy night in December of the sixth year of the Tianqi reign, as described by Zhang Dai. If only she could go back; the heavy snow meant a wonderful evening of drinking and enjoying the snow with friends. Even if the heavens and earth were to collapse now, this place would be the perfect haven, a Noah's Ark in the apocalypse.

But as soon as DingTalk on my phone rings, I have to return to the real world.

"Would you like to go for a walk together tomorrow? The surrounding snow-capped mountains are so close, but I haven't had time to climb them yet." Fang Kaixuan was reluctant to end the trip and took the initiative to invite him.

She rarely takes the initiative to make invitations, because she has always been terrified of rejection. By not making demands, she avoids the chance of being rejected. This is also true in her relationships; she rarely makes requests. Fang Kaixuan isn't proud of this; she knows it's a bad habit, a feigned indifference born of weakness and timidity.

But with this stranger, she could briefly abandon her principles. The reason was easy to find. They were only staying in this snowy mountain town for a few days, and would never see each other again for the rest of their lives. It was enough to treat it as a dream, and then go their separate ways.

He replied, "I would. Because my favorite thing to do on Earth is to take a walk."

"That's a lie."

Why do you say that?

"It's so hard to find someone who shares all your interests, especially since we're just strangers. But even if it's just because you like what I do, I'm very grateful."

"No, not at all. I think our interests match 99%."

It sounded more like nonsense. If he weren't good-looking and didn't speak so sincerely, Fang Kaixuan would have thought his words were too vulgar, too much like the low-level pickup lines used in mass-produced scams to seduce women.

The journey back was uneventful, and the road seemed unusually short. Before long, we were back at the hotel entrance. A luxurious hotel nestled deep in the mountains looked utterly out of place, as if it shouldn't exist there. Like a mirage, the shimmering lights resembled an icebreaker, bathing everyone entering and exiting in a glow that felt artificial, as if a camera were pointed at them.

If only this were in a movie. The male and female leads should be gazing into each other's eyes, reluctant to part, hesitating whether to kiss goodbye.

Or perhaps it will be that classic scene: the two wave goodbye, walking back to back. She takes a few steps, glancing back reluctantly, while he strides on with ease. And when he stops and looks back, she has already gracefully disappeared into the wind.

It's the most classic scene from "Ghost." That movie captured Brad Pitt's most beautiful face.

In the movie, when the old father encourages his daughter to bravely seek love, he says: "Love is passion, love is infatuation, love is indispensable. Love someone who is infatuated with you madly, and search with your heart, not your reason. If you have never loved deeply in this life, you have lived in vain."

Fang Kaixuan shook her head self-deprecatingly. These words were touching, and she had once thought she had found that person. When Chen Zhilun confessed his feelings to her, she was absolutely certain of it.

Unfortunately, perfect love can crumble faster than an avalanche, burying people deep within, making it impossible to breathe.

"To live a life without having loved deeply" may be true. But one such deep love is enough; too much is simply too much to handle, and one can only politely decline.

He parked the car in front of the hotel, and the waiter respectfully opened the car door. The moment she stepped out, they both said in unison, "See you at six o'clock tomorrow evening."

Six o'clock, the blue hour in the snow-capped mountains this season.

It was also their last date.

///

So innocent, so innocent

Hahaha

Seeing the last date already made me sad...

It's okay, it's okay, there are still dozens of chapters to go, haha.