Chapter 12

Her lips were so soft, fragrant, and sweet...like the candied fruit gummies I ate as a child.

The soft touch repeatedly brushed against Shi Mingyue's lips, and her heart pounded wildly at that moment. Shi Mingyue was flustered and at a loss. This was her first kiss... She had never touched lips with a stranger before.

Her heart pounded with panic, and she almost fainted again...

Yun Zhan felt the dosage wasn't enough, so he did it again.

She felt her lips being gently held again. Shi Mingyue stiffened at first, then softened, trembling slightly with embarrassment.

A thin layer of blush appeared on her snowy cheeks, like newly blooming peach blossoms tinged with morning dew; the blush spread all the way, even staining her neck, making Shi Mingyue even breathe cautiously.

That's about enough... Yun Zhan thought.

There shouldn't be any problems now, Yun Zhan put his tools away.

"Miss? Are you alright..." Yun Zhan gently placed her beside the rock, half-squatting in front of Shi Mingyue, carefully gazing at her unconscious face.

Even after fainting, Shi Mingyue was still stunningly beautiful. The girl's eyebrows were as soft as the most gentle line of distant mountains, and her eyelashes hung down quietly, like two black feathers overlapping each other, rising and falling gently with her breath.

Her lips had lost the cherry-red hue of the daytime, leaving only a touch of warm, pale pink. They were slightly parted, revealing her pearly teeth; occasionally, a breath escaped, so light it was almost inaudible, like the first warm breeze of a spring night brushing past the crabapple blossoms.

Yun Zhan looked at her for a while, and then she suddenly regretted it. Shi Mingyue was really too beautiful... Looking at her for too long would make her feel ashamed of herself.

After coughing a few times, Shi Mingyue slowly opened her misty eyes, and the faint light from the lamp gradually cleared her vision.

The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was Yun Zhan.

"Does your body hurt? Is there anything that's uncomfortable?" Yun Zhan's gentle gaze fell on her, and he carefully slid a few strands of her hair behind her ear and placed them on the side of her neck.

Yun Zhan knelt down in front of her.

A sharp gaze lingered on her inch by inch, like a fine net enveloping her. A strange feeling made Shi Mingyue almost tremble; she felt she had nowhere to escape—

"I'm fine, thank you for saving my life... May I ask your name?" Shi Mingyue's eyes darted around as she struggled to get up, wanting to thank Yun Zhan.

"My name is Yun Zhan." Yun Zhan helped her up.

"Yun Zhan? What a nice name... I am Shi Mingyue, and I live in Mingyue Villa in the center of Yuedu."

Shi Mingyue tilted her head slightly, her gaze suddenly falling on Yun Zhan's lips. Those full, red lips were glistening with moisture, looking incredibly alluring... Shi Mingyue's heart tightened, and she quickly looked away, her heart pounding even harder: "If my benefactor has time, could you come back with me? I will repay you properly..."

"It's just saving someone, there's no need for this."

Yun Zhan carefully helped Shi Mingyue up, holding her delicate hands in her palms...

So soft... Yun Zhan couldn't help but think that when he held Shi Mingyue in the water just now, her body was just as soft.

"Excuse me..."

Shi Mingyue recalled her experience of being kissed just now. Her eyelashes fluttered twice in a panic, then drooped tightly. She dared not look up at Yun Zhan again. She wanted to ask... but she didn't dare to ask.

The real sensation didn't lie; she had indeed kissed the pretty girl in front of her...

"What's wrong?" Yun Zhan asked.

"I...it hurts so much...I think I twisted my ankle." Shi Mingyue suddenly stopped and showed a slightly painful expression.

"Let me carry you back." Yun Zhan didn't want to look at her ankles, so he leaned against Shi Mingyue.

Judging from Shi Mingyue's reaction, she didn't seem to dislike him, and Yun Zhan felt that there was nothing wrong with his behavior.

Before Shi Mingyue could speak, Yun Zhan's hand was already on her waist, and after a dizzying moment, she fell into Yun Zhan's arms.

Shi Mingyue nestled quietly in her arms, her soaked black hair cascading down, winding a dark waterfall along Yun Zhan's chest. Water still dripped from the ends, each drop landing on Yun Zhan's neck. Her blue robes, half-lit and half-shadowed by the alternating light of the river and fire, clung to her slender spine. Yun Zhan dared not lower her head, afraid she would witness something she shouldn't.

Yun Zhan thought she was really well-behaved, almost unbelievably so. The beauty's slender hand rested softly on her chest, her fingertips still curled, like two closed water lilies, occasionally trembling in the night breeze, brushing against Yun Zhan's collarbone, bringing a very slight tickle.

After returning to the bridge, Yun Zhan handed Shi Mingyue over to Wen Yuan.

Wen Yuan had just woken up and, after seeing that Shi Mingyue was safe, she couldn't help but cry for a long time. After calming down for a while, she apologized to Yun Zhan.

The Shi family arrived quickly. Shi Mingyue lowered her eyes; she was about to leave.

“Shi Mingyue.” Yun Zhan stood on the stone arch bridge, the thin mist and lamplight intertwined. She stood tall in the cool night breeze, holding a small brocade box in one hand, the box covered with dark red cloud patterned satin.

Upon hearing Yun Zhan call her name, she first stood frozen in the middle of the bridge, then the light in her eyes, like a lamp that had been extinguished by the wind and then reignited, made her eyes suddenly bright.

Yun Zhan's fingertips were slightly white from nervousness, but her knuckles shone with a warm glow under the lamplight. Seeing Shi Mingyue approach, she raised her hand and extended the brocade box an inch forward.

"I am skilled in some medical techniques. When I took your pulse just now, I found that you are very weak and may have difficulty falling asleep at night. I'm giving you this; it will help you sleep better."

Yun Zhan was a little nervous because she didn't know any medical skills at all; it was the system that told her that Shi Mingyue was physically weak.

"I have already received your life-saving grace, how can I accept your things again?" The brocade box was only an inch long, but it was so heavy that Shi Mingyue's fingertips trembled.

"It's perfect for you, and it might even be better for you."

...

After bidding farewell to Yun Zhan, Shi Mingyue was surrounded by people and got into the Shi family's luxury car.

As the firelight by the river gradually faded, Shi Mingyue finally couldn't resist opening a corner of the box. The contents of the box were wrapped in a piece of brocade.

The girl lowered her eyelashes and carefully lifted a corner of the box lid... revealing a warm orange jade stone. She held her breath and gently touched it with her fingertips—the jade was warm and smooth, like the temperature of Yun Zhan holding her palm.

When Shi Mingyue opened the brocade cloth, she saw the poem written on it.

"Last year on this day, in this very doorway, faces and peach blossoms reflected each other's redness..." As Shi Mingyue finished reciting the last line of the poem, she felt a warmth on her heart, as if it had been scalded by the jade.

"So it was you who wrote it..."

Only you could write such a poem.

"Achoo!" Yun Zhan sneezed on his way back to school. Could he have caught a cold when he saved Shi Mingyue?

"Host, someone might be thinking about you." 21 Science Popularization: "It's a common saying that if you sneeze for no reason, it means someone is thinking about you."

Yun Zhan ignored 21. After returning to school, he found that Pei Yanxi's office window was still lit. Her office had never been occupied by anyone else.

"Aren't you asleep yet, it's so late?" Yun Zhan prepared to go check on them.

In the office

The cold white light, like a layer of frozen frost, fell on Pei Yanxi's straight back.

She remained seated in front of the screen, but her expression was not as composed as usual. The screen reflected her furrowed brows and drooping eyelashes, casting two gently swaying shadows under her eyes. Each tremor caused the cursor to pause.

Yun Zhan knocked on the office door: "Senior, may I come in?"

“Yun Zhan…?” Pei Yanxi suddenly woke up, hiding her sleepy expression before Yun Zhan opened the door.

She released her hand from the mouse, her eyes fixed on the doorway. The moment she saw Yun Zhan's face, Pei Yanxi's heart skipped a beat.

Under the incandescent light, Yun Zhan's face was excessively soft and handsome. His eyes sparkled, and he looked at her with a warm smile.

Pei Yanxi's heart suddenly tightened; she had never seen Yun Zhan here before.

"Why haven't you gone back yet, senior?" Yun Zhan asked without ceremony, sitting down opposite Pei Yanxi.

Yun Zhan touched the coffee on the corner of the table. Hmm... it's already cold.

"I'm dealing with work-related matters." Pei Yanxi pinched the bridge of her nose. Her father had given her a lot of work to manage the branch company, but she was young and inexperienced in many things.

"Can I take a look? Perhaps I can help you analyze it."

"Okay, then take a look for me."

Pei Yanxi didn't shy away from Yun Zhan and handed him the documents in her hand.

Yun Zhan unfolded the document and analyzed it line by line. Her brows and eyes, sometimes relaxed and sometimes furrowed, caught Pei Yanxi's eye. She was looking at the document, but Pei Yanxi couldn't help but look at her.

"Senior? Why are you staring at me like that?"

Yun Zhan noticed that Pei Yanxi seemed a little distracted.

“I’m here… Yun Zhan…” Pei Yanxi came to her senses and looked away from Yun Zhan, which was out of place.

Yun Zhan stood up, took the documents, and walked to Pei Yanxi's side. She leaned closer, her voice as low as a wisp of warm mist, brushing against Pei Yanxi's ear.

Pei Yanxi felt as if a pause button had been pressed very gently – her fingertips were still hovering above the keyboard, but her knuckles curled slightly due to the sudden warmth.

The tips of her ears turned red first, like a speck of vermilion suddenly dotted in the snow, the color spreading down her neck, even the collarbone hidden beneath her collarbone seemed to be quietly burning...

"Yun Zhan?" Pei Yanxi's voice trembled slightly, and her eyes involuntarily began to show panic.

"Senior, what are you afraid of if you own 51% of the shares? You are a joint-stock limited company. If the investors use capital to force you to give up your shares, you can simply increase your voting share at the shareholders' meeting by adding a clause to the company's articles of association."

Yun Zhan placed the document in front of Pei Yanxi, his slender fingers holding the pen, pointing inch by inch to the parts she had highlighted: "For example, here, you can write in the company's articles of association: During the shareholders' meeting voting process, the ratio of your share to the shares of the others is 10:1. The company's articles of association are legally binding and must be followed. If they are not followed, you can file a lawsuit to invalidate the shareholders' meeting."

"Besides, you're a major shareholder, so you can be a little tougher sometimes and don't have to worry too much about the investors. After all, your family's capital should be enough."

Yun Zhan was analyzing things very seriously for Pei Yanxi.

The sound continued to enter Pei Yanxi's ears: rational, resolute, with a rhythm she knew best and found most irresistible.

These opinions shattered her previous impression of Yun Zhan.

She finally looked up, her gaze sweeping from bottom to top over Yun Zhan's neck and the corners of her mouth, finally meeting her eyes—where there was a restrained smile, and a small, almost overflowing appreciation.