Dawn and Dusk
Time seemed to freeze.
Only the light from the chandelier flickered before her eyes, and Rong Ci never heard Xie Xunzhao answer.
They remained in that position, for who knew how long.
Perhaps only a few seconds, yet to Rong Ci, each one felt like an eternity, until her awareness gradually returned and she regained the ability to think.
First, shouldn’t Brother’s cupid’s bow be more prominent?
Secondly, the texture wasn’t right either.
Tsk!
She’d kissed the wrong place!
Rong Ci’s brain went buzz.
But since Xie Xunzhao wasn’t moving, she didn’t dare move either.
If she hadn’t kissed his lips, then where had she kissed him?
As Rong Ci’s mind raced, she unconsciously pressed her lips together.
Suddenly, she registered the spot she’d kissed by mistake.
“Because you didn’t kiss my mouth.” Xie Xunzhao finally spoke. His words came slowly, and with each syllable, his Adam’s apple rolled gently.
Rong Ci could clearly feel the subtle vibrations where her lips touched — even fainter than a butterfly’s wingbeat — yet it sent a tsunami crashing through her heart.
So, what she’d kissed was… his ADAM’S APPLE!!!!
Rong Ci’s pupils dilated. She abruptly stumbled backward several steps, her peach-blossom eyes widening until they were almost like a cat’s.
“B-Brother…”
“I-I-I…”
At some point, Uncle Ye and the servants had all disappeared from the main residence. The enormous living room was now occupied by just the two of them.
Quiet.
Rong Ci could practically hear her own heartbeat, like a sudden storm breaking without warning.
She couldn’t get the words out, wanted to cover her lips, but that would only be self-deception.
She’d already kissed him. The point was, she’d kissed the wrong spot.
That made her forced kiss seem so unprofessional, so unsophisticated, so immature!
Xie Xunzhao seemed not to notice Rong Ci’s mortification. Right in front of her, he leisurely extended a finger and touched the mark on his Adam’s apple.
His thin lips parted slightly. “It’s wet.”
AAAAAAAAAAH!
Rong Ci’s gaze fell on the spot. She deeply regretted how bright that imported chandelier was. That glistening trace was even clearer than the photograph of her biting the jade pendant that she’d examined with a magnifying glass that morning.
“Stop talking! I’ll wipe it off for you!”
Rong Ci bent down and pulled out a tissue. She used so much force that it looked as though she were trying to scrub an entire layer of skin off him.
A few seconds later…
She looked at the man’s long, pale neck. The area around his Adam’s apple was like a red plum blossom falling onto snow, exuding an intensely seductive, almost decadent beauty.
She should’ve left it alone!
Now it was even more suggestive.
Xie Xunzhao lowered his eyes, staring at her flustered little face. “Want to kiss?”
“I don’t anymore!”
Rong Ci was like a startled deer, retreating abruptly as though she were about to leap away.
Xie Xunzhao leaned forward slightly. “You do.”
Great dark clouds slowly drifted in from the horizon. A few drops of rain splashed against the windows, then the rain grew increasingly dense. The blurred glass became like a rain curtain painted with a raised, textured finish.
The temperature outside dropped.
The lotus-shaped birthmark behind Rong Ci’s ear was as red as if on fire. She thought her ears must currently be even redder than Xie Xunzhao’s Adam’s apple.
Danger! Danger!
Relying on instinct, she shook her head. “I don’t want to anymore. Not now.”
The man’s usually piercing, deep eyes seemed to have acquired a curved hook, yet his voice remained unhurried, almost harmless.
“You can want to.”
“You can kiss me however you like.”
“Brother won’t move this time.”
“Mumu, really don’t want to anymore?”
As Xie Xunzhao pressed her step by step, his cool, understated fragrance seemed to permeate every breath she took.
Her gaze was fixed on his lips, opening and closing as he spoke.
They were so close.
All she had to do was rise slightly onto her toes, and she could touch them with ease. And Xie Xunzhao had said he wouldn’t move this time.
She wouldn’t kiss the wrong place again.
As though under a spell, Rong Ci slowly rose onto her tiptoes…
But in the very next second, just before their lips could touch, she suddenly remembered something extremely important.
Her brother’s nose was so high and prominent. Wouldn’t their noses bump into each other?
What angle should she start from?
Where should she put her hands? Should she cup his face?
Or wrap them around his neck?
Most importantly, what came after they kissed?
She couldn’t just stand there like a wooden doll.
Something had to move, right? But what should move first?
Lips?
Tongue?
No good.
Having suffered from being too impulsive once, she needed to think things through before attempting it a second time. She wanted to leave Brother with an unforgettable first kiss.
“Let’s put it off for now.”
Rong Ci touched her earlobe and retreated, pretending to be calm. “I suddenly remembered that Zeus seems to be about to have kittens. I’ll go help with the delivery.”
With that, she didn’t even wait to see Xie Xunzhao’s reaction; she scampered upstairs.
“Meow.”
Zeus, who had been secretly pawing at the antique celestial globe nearby, heard his name and exchanged an awkward glance with Xie Xunzhao, and then licked his paw sheepishly.
Xie Xunzhao watched Rong Ci’s fleeing figure, the blazing light reflected in his pupils, like a lake illuminated by moonlight in an endless night with an unfathomable expression.
Although he didn’t know why she’d suddenly gotten the urge to kiss him today, Xie Xunzhao had a vague guess.
He was in no hurry to go upstairs. Instead, he went to another room and took a shower before making a video call to Rong Qingtiao.
The moment he received the call, Rong Qingtiao guessed that Rong Ci must have carried out her plan.
He spoke leisurely. “Young Master Xie is regretting it now, is he?”
“Give your brother-in-law a respectful apology, and I might just be willing to let slip a thing or two.”
This matter could be traced back to —
Time: Yesterday.
Location: The study at Mirror Lake Manor.
Originally, Rong Qingtiao had intended to tell Xie Xunzhao the results of the deductions he and the two elders had made.
Who would’ve thought that this man would be so rude as to insinuate that his brain was broken?
Well, this was the price.
Xie Xunzhao couldn’t care less about what Rong Qingtiao had to say. “This is the first time she kissed me. She’s so cute.”
“When she kissed, she was so nervous her lashes fluttered like butterflies.”
“And she even kissed the wrong place.”
“Look.”
He leisurely pointed at his Adam’s apple. After being steamed by the hot water, the red mark had become even more distinct.
Only then did Rong Qingtiao notice it. “?”
“You called me on video just to show me that?”
Xie Xunzhao ignored him. “I bet she’s studying kissing techniques right now to redeem herself.”
“Is your first kiss still intact?”
“It probably is. You’re not that much of a beast.”
“By the next time we meet, my first kiss will be gone.”
“Do you have any blessings to offer us, brother-in-law?”
“Get lost, you lovesick idiot!” Rong Qingtiao promptly hung up the video call.
If it weren’t for Rong Mumu’s life being at stake, he really couldn’t be bothered with these two.
The master bedroom door was locked tight.
Rong Ci hid under the covers, searching on her phone: things to know about your first kiss and a detailed tutorial.
Tip 1: Don’t bite your own tongue.
Tip 2: Don’t bite your partner’s tongue.
Phew.
Good thing the kiss didn’t land.
So, kissing could even carry the risk of bleeding.
She had to learn.
She absolutely had to.
Tip 3: Don’t start kissing abruptly. There should be preparation beforehand. You can hold your partner in your arms and, if necessary, gently massage the back of their neck. This is a relaxation point for most people.
……
Wow!
So many techniques.
Rong Ci was becoming increasingly eager to learn – so much so that she didn’t even notice the bedroom door opening until the dim space beneath the covers suddenly lit up.
Xie Xunzhao’s casual voice followed. “You’re not allowed to play with your phone under the covers.”
She looked up in shock and confusion. “Brother?”
How did he get in?!
Wasn’t the door locked?
Did she have absolutely no privacy in this house?!
“Have you learned?” Xie Xunzhao looked down at her from above.
He’d showered, but he hadn’t changed into pajamas. Instead, he’d changed into a formal suit, only without a tie; three buttons on his shirt were undone from the collar downward, giving off the air of a beast in gentleman’s clothing.
And that face of his was ascetic and cold. That contrast only made him more sensual.
From Rong Ci’s angle, she could clearly see the powerful, solid contours of his muscles beneath the loosely worn shirt. His tall, broad figure was almost twice her size.
Rong Ci swallowed. She probably wouldn’t be able to hold her brother in her arms and soothe him, would she?
Their body sizes weren’t exactly compatible.
Rong Ci chose her words cautiously. “I’ve learned a little.”
For example, if she tilted her head slightly when kissing, their noses wouldn’t bump.
For example, if the other person was nervous or unwilling, with their lips pressed too tightly together, she could first tentatively lick along the seam of their lips a few times.
For example…
Rong Ci lay on her pillow, momentarily lost in thought.
“Then let’s put it into practice.”
Xie Xunzhao suddenly bent his knees and climbed onto the bed. His looming figure carried an overwhelming presence. Rong Ci immediately snapped back to reality, placing both hands against his chest.
“Brother, wait a moment…”
“Isn’t this an awfully stimulating place for a first kiss?”
Xie Xunzhao leisurely brushed aside the disheveled strands of hair by her lips. “Stimulating?”
“More stimulating than kissing a man’s Adam’s apple when you haven’t even had your first kiss?”
Rong Ci’s pupils trembled. “At a time like this… can we please not bring up my embarrassing past?”
“All right. I won’t.”
“Then, Miss Rong, may I have the honor of exchanging our first kiss with you now?” Xie Xunzhao acted like a gentleman.
Why has it suddenly gotten so formal!?
Rong Ci felt her fingers trembling. He was being far too formal. What if she didn’t kiss him well, where would she put her face?
Why did she have to endure this level of nervousness twice in a single evening?
Like a little white rabbit frightened by a big bad wolf and retreating into its burrow, Rong Ci said, “Brother, I think my lips are a little dry. I’d like to apply some lip balm first.”
Xie “Big Bad Wolf” Xunzhao replied, “I can be your lip balm.”
How, exactly?
Rong Ci’s gaze wandered uncertainly, eventually settling on his moist lips.
When the moment actually arrived, she said again, “Still, no. This position is too difficult. I’m afraid I’ll choke on my saliva.”
The good news was that the kiss she’d imagined wasn’t some childish, fleeting peck.
Xie Xunzhao decided to give her one last chance. “…Fine.”
He scooped her up from the bed and sat down on the single sofa beside the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Rong Ci sat sideways on his lap. Her red silk dress spread like a lotus blossom over his long legs, clad in black trousers, falling in a shimmering curve.
She found this position a little awkward too. “Brother…”
Xie Xunzhao’s fingers closed around the bend of her knee. “Don’t move around.”
Rong Ci met his gaze.
The next second…
Before she could say anything else, Xie Xunzhao had already leaned in, following the line of her lips.
Rong Ci: “!”
So sudden?!
Yet when the distance between them was less than a centimeter, Xie Xunzhao suddenly stopped. “You kiss me.”
They were so close that, as he spoke, Rong Ci could even feel his lips faintly teasing hers.
Xie Xunzhao continued, “At this distance, if you still manage to kiss the wrong place…”
“Impossible!” Rong Ci abruptly leaned forward and touched her lips to his.
Still so impulsive.
As though he’d anticipated it, Xie Xunzhao took advantage of the moment to grip the back of her neck and draw her closer, meeting her kiss.
So, who exactly was forcing a kiss on whom?
……
So, this was what a real first kiss was like – roses bloomed in great swathes across her heart.
Rong Ci felt that every technique she’d learned from the video tutorial was utterly hollow and mechanical compared with the real experience of lips and teeth entwined.
Rong Mumu, now possessed of first-kiss experience, had only six words to say about the instructional course: full of that technological-product feeling.
But…
Is a first kiss supposed to last this long?
The rain outside grew heavier, even threatening to become a storm.
Separated by nothing more than a pane of glass, rain fell outside while they kissed inside.
Rong Ci, as if unable to bear it, kept leaning further and further back, only for Xie Xunzhao to hold the back of her head in place. Her fingertips fumbled wildly before finally clutching the buttons on his chest.
She even pulled off several buttons without noticing.
The silvery-white mother-of-pearl buttons rolled onto the carpet, where Zeus, who had come over to watch the spectacle, treated them as toys, batting them around with his fluffy paws until one eventually rolled behind the curtains.
And disappeared.
Zeus quickly grew bored and raised his head to look at the two humans kissing.
Rong Ci’s lower legs moved restlessly, kicking over the black aromatherapy bottle on the small side table.
The diffuser reeds toppled over.
The entire room transformed into a vast ocean of gardenia fragrance, enough to make one’s head swim.
Rong Ci thought she was getting dizzy from the scent.
When she woke up again, the first thing she saw upon opening her eyes was Meng Lingzhou standing beside the bed in a white coat.
His clothes underneath were slightly damp; obviously he’d come through the rain.
Fortunately, he’d been staying next door recently.
“Why are you here?” Rong Ci asked instinctively, her brain still reacting sluggishly.
This time, Rong Ci hadn’t been unconscious for very long. Only about an hour.
So, Meng Lingzhou was quite relaxed and even chuckled. “To treat you, of course. You fainted.”
He wanted to hold it in but really couldn’t.
“Fainted?”
Rong Ci remembered – wasn’t she kissing Xie Xunzhao?
Could it have been a dream? Had she somehow managed to study the tutorial so hard under the covers until she fainted???
It wasn’t as though this sort of thing had never happened before.
What was with this doctor, laughing so gleefully at his unconscious patient?
Meng Lingzhou nodded. “Yes. You fainted from being kissed.”
Rong Ci remained calm. “Oh.”
So she’d really studied herself unconscious…
Wait?!
“F-F-Fainted from kissing?!”
The expression on Rong Ci’s beautiful face changed through a dazzling array of colors.
Hahahahahaha.
Thinking about the eighty million he earned every year, Meng Lingzhou held himself back. “In all my years of practice, this is the first time I’ve treated a patient who fainted from being kissed.”
“Thank you, Little Ancestress Rong. You’ve given me an entirely new experience.”
When Xie Xunzhao entered carrying the medicine he’d brewed, he heard Meng Lingzhou’s words. Rong Mumu, who never let herself be bullied, had this time buried herself under the covers, apparently unable to face anyone.
His voice turned cold as he dismissed the doctor. “There’s nothing for you to do here. You can leave.”
Rong Ci, hidden beneath the covers, nodded vigorously.
Go, go, go!
Talk about killing the messenger once the job is done.
Meng Lingzhou was used to it.
Just overtime.
Meng Lingzhou was used to it.
Heh heh heh.
Today was the most enjoyable overtime he’d ever worked.
The moment Meng Lingzhou stepped out of the main residence, he posted on his social media feed.
[First time treating a patient who fainted from being kissed. Commemorating the occasion.]
[Oh, I heard the patient was experiencing her first kiss.]
Announcing it to the world on their behalf.
Deeds done, name concealed.
Mirror Lake Manor’s internet shut off at nine.
Rong Ci leaned against Xie Xunzhao’s arms as he fed her medicine. Her cheeks still carried a lingering flush.
So, after every sip, she scrolled through her social media feed to distract herself.
On the very first refresh, she nearly spat the medicine out. Someone had exposed her and Xie Xunzhao’s first kiss!!!
She turned to look at Xie Xunzhao. “How can there be such a doctor in this world who’s so eager to stir up trouble and has absolutely no medical ethics?!”
“I’m going to file a complaint against him!”
“Finally willing to talk to me?” Xie Xunzhao fed her another spoonful of medicine. “I thought I’d become invisible to you.”
Rong Ci wilted again – looking at the ceiling, the floor, the medicine, and the cat — anything but Xie Xunzhao.
Too humiliating.
Fainting from her first kiss.
Xie Xunzhao tested the temperature of the medicine bowl. “Drink your medicine first.”
Rong Ci said softly, “Today’s medicine is really bitter.”
So bitter she could barely swallow it.
Xie Xunzhao held the spoon against her lips. “It’s the same medicine. Open your mouth.”
Hearing those two words, Rong Ci uncontrollably remembered how he’d used the exact same tone of voice to tell her to open her mouth just over an hour ago.
Only back then, he hadn’t been feeding her medicine. It had been something sweet.
Is that why the medicine tasted so bitter now?
Stop thinking about it. Stop thinking about it. Don’t blush. Don’t blush. Be reserved.
Stay calm.
It was only one kiss. Mm… well, several kisses!
Look at Xie Xunzhao. See how calm he was.
As expected of someone who’d eaten four more years’ worth of rice than she had. His mental fortitude was simply superior. He could carry on a conversation with perfect composure with a bite mark on his lip.
Rong Ci closed her eyes. She took the bowl and gulped down the remaining half in one go.
Ugh!
So bitter!!!
Xie Xunzhao stuffed a piece of amber candy into her mouth. Then, completely out of the blue, he asked, “Tomorrow, would you like to go on a date?”
A date?
Hearing that word so suddenly, Rong Ci almost found it unfamiliar.
She and Xie Xunzhao — going on a date?
Rong Ci pressed the amber candy against her tongue, letting its sweetness spread. She secretly lifted her eyelashes and glanced at Xie Xunzhao. “That’s so sudden…”
Xie Xunzhao replied, “Didn’t you want to develop a romantic relationship with me?”
Rong Ci: “H-How did you know?!”
Her brother had told her that Xie Xunzhao didn’t know about this.
Xie Xunzhao’s eyes were filled with amusement. “So, may I ask whether the most beautiful princess in the entire world would like to go on a date with her knight?”
“As lovers, sweethearts, and partners.”
Author’s Note:
Spread the word: Zhao and Mu have kissed!
Announce it to the world!