Su Nian gave him a quick peck before she even dared to look at Chu Tian’s reaction.
Her body’s instincts were faster than her thoughts.
She reached out and almost roughly pushed the man, who was still in a state of shock, out the door.
“Bang!”
She slammed the heavy oak door shut.
the sound of it locking was crisp and decisive.
“Click.”
Her body went weak, and she slid down against the cold door until she was sitting on the floor.
She buried her burning, flushed face deep between her knees.
Only after doing all this did Su Nian feel as though all her strength had been drained.
‘I actually took the initiative to kiss a man!’
That soft sensation and that warm temperature seemed branded onto her lips, refusing to fade no matter what.
Shame rose like a surging tide, wave after wave, threatening to submerge her completely.
***
Outside the door.
Chu Tian remained frozen in the position he had been in when he was pushed out.
He subconsciously raised his hand, his fingertips lightly touching his right cheek.
It was burning.
That scorching heat was spreading along his skin, reaching the depths of his heart.
A small flame seemed to be flickering on the spot where she had kissed him.
It was soft.
It was fragrant and there was even a hint of… sweetness.
He slowly turned his head, looking at the closed door in disbelief.
A few seconds later, his shock and bewilderment melted away like ice and snow.
An irrepressible, ecstatic smile blossomed at the corners of his mouth.
He couldn’t help it and let out a low laugh.
“Ha…”
The laughter echoed in the quiet hallway, carrying a sense of pure joy, as if a long-held wish had finally been granted.
Su Nian had kissed him.
Even if it was just on the cheek, and even if she had immediately locked him out afterward.
It was just the shyness of a girl after taking the initiative.
Regardless, she had initiated a kiss!
This little wildcat, covered in thorns and as stubborn as she was cute, was finally… willing to accept him!
The smile on Chu Tian’s face grew even brighter.
He raised his hand and touched his cheek again, as if savoring that fleeting, beautiful moment.
‘The moonlight tonight was indeed beautiful.’
But no matter how beautiful the moon was, it couldn’t compare to the scorching temperature she had left on his cheek.
***
Inside the room.
Su Nian sat on the cold floor for a long time before she finally calmed the wild thumping in her chest.
She covered her hot face, her mind a complete mess.
‘Was I too impulsive to kiss Chu Tian?’
The movement of Su Nian’s face buried in her knees paused slightly.
She slowly raised her head, a trace of confusion flashing in her sky-blue eyes, which were somewhat misty with moisture.
Then, that confusion was replaced by a fast-moving, almost calculating clarity.
‘But… yes, I did kiss him.’ She began to force herself to calm down.
It was embarrassing, but as she regained her composure, she suddenly felt that her impulsive act was actually a brilliant move.
She couldn’t always show resistance and distance in front of Chu Tian.
Otherwise, when her memory returned three months later and she “fell in love” with him again, wouldn’t her previous “love” seem fake?
It would probably make Chu Tian sad.
And that kiss just now was a perfect signal.
It could both make up for her overreaction on the terrace and indicate to Chu Tian — ‘I don’t hate you; I just found the sudden changes a bit abrupt.’
‘Yes! That’s it!’
That way, once she recovered her memories, there would be no cracks left in this “romance.”
She could say with a clear conscience…
‘Look, even after losing my memory, my heart still raced for you, and I even took the initiative!’
At this thought, Su Nian’s mood calmed down significantly for some reason.
She stood up, threw herself onto the bed, and took her Magic Phone out of her Storage Space.
She tapped on her troupe’s group chat name.
[Su Nian: @Amy, @Lise, are you asleep?]
Almost instantly, there was a response.
[Amy: Wow! Nian! You actually contacted us first! I thought you were in your own little world with Mr. Mo Yuan and forgot all about us!]
[Lise: Agreed.]
Because they chatted with Su Nian frequently, Amy and Lise had started to adopt her “modern” style of speaking.
Looking at Amy’s message, which was packed with implications, Su Nian’s cheeks started to burn again.
[Su Nian: I want to ask, what is your impression of… Mr. Mo Yuan?]
[Amy: Nian, are you okay? You’re asking us what your man is like?]
[Lise: Did you have a fight?]
Su Nian’s heart tightened, and she quickly explained.
[Su Nian: No! Just… just asking.]
[Su Nian: I want to hear what he’s like in your eyes.]
[Amy: Let me think… Mr. Mo Yuan is super handsome! Super rich! Super strong! And he’s incredibly good to you!]
[Lise: The way he looks at you is very focused. No one else can catch his eye except you.]
[Amy: He’s the textbook example of a perfect boyfriend!]
The Chu Tian in her friends’ eyes was almost exactly the same as the one she had experienced today.
This was yet another piece of solid “evidence.”
He was gentle, considerate, powerful, and… deeply in love with her.
As Su Nian looked at the messages from her friends, the last trace of doubt in her heart completely vanished.
That night, she lay on the soft, large bed, tossing and turning.
One moment, she thought of Chu Tian’s lonely back on the terrace; the next, it was his stunned expression after she kissed him; and then, it was the “perfect boyfriend” who spent money lavishly for her, as her friends had described.
All kinds of images intertwined, leaving her mind in a mess, yet a tiny spark of anticipation that she hadn’t even noticed herself began to grow.
***
On the other side, Chu Tian returned to the master bedroom and didn’t fall asleep for a long while.
He lay in bed, the soft sensation of Su Nian’s cheek still lingering on his fingertips, and the smile on his face simply wouldn’t fade.
This little wildcat was even more interesting than he had imagined.
***
The next day.
The morning sunlight poured into the dining room through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, casting dappled shadows on the floor.
Su Nian sat on one side of the long dining table, somewhat absentmindedly stirring the bowl of oatmeal porridge in front of her with a silver spoon.
She hadn’t slept well last night, and there were faint dark circles under her eyes.
She stole a glance, quickly peeking at the man sitting in the head seat.
Chu Tian was wearing a well-fitted white shirt today, with the sleeves casually rolled up to his forearms, revealing firm and smooth lines.
He was elegantly cutting the fried egg on his plate.
The sunlight outlined his handsome profile, his high nose bridge, and his clear jawline; he looked clean and refreshed.
As if sensing her gaze, he looked up and caught her eyes.
He smiled at her, a smile that was as warm and dazzling as the sunlight outside.
“Morning.”
Su Nian was caught red-handed.
Her cheeks turned red with a whoosh, and she quickly lowered her head, pretending to focus intently on the oatmeal in her bowl.
The aftermath of that light kiss last night was much stronger than she had imagined.
Now, as soon as she saw him, that scene would replay uncontrollably in her mind, making her heart race and leaving her unsure of what to do with her hands and feet.
The dining room was quiet, save for the crisp sound of cutlery clinking against porcelain.
The air was filled with the malty scent of toasted bread and the rich aroma of coffee.
This atmosphere gave her an unprecedented sense of… home.
Just as Su Nian was lost in her thoughts, Chu Tian’s voice rang out casually from across the table.
“About last night… thank you for the goodnight kiss.”
“Pffft—cough, cough, cough!”
The mouthful of milk Su Nian had just sipped sprayed out without warning.
She choked violently, her small face instantly turning a deep shade of red.
‘This jerk! Why did he have to bring up the one thing I didn’t want to talk about!’
Chu Tian stood up immediately and walked quickly to her side.
He handed her a tissue while naturally reaching out to pat her back to help her catch her breath.
His voice carried a trace of helpless indulgence and obvious amusement.
“Eat slower. No one is going to take it from you.”
The warmth from his palm was clearly transmitted through the thin fabric of her clothes, causing Su Nian’s body to stiffen suddenly.
That heat seemed to carry an electric charge, causing the temperature of her already burning cheeks to rise even further.
After finally stopping her coughing, she snatched the tissue and messily wiped her mouth, glaring at him in embarrassment and anger.
“Don’t mention it again!”
Her sky-blue eyes were shimmering with moisture due to her embarrassment.
Combined with her pouting look, she didn’t seem intimidating at all.
Instead, she looked like a kitten with its fur standing on end, so cute it made one’s heart itch.
“Alright, I won’t mention it.”
Chu Tian nodded agreeably, though the smile at the corners of his mouth only deepened.
He sat back in his seat and slowly took a sip of his coffee, but his eyes never left her.
His gaze was focused and gentle, as if she were some rare and precious treasure.
Being stared at so openly by him made Su Nian feel completely uneasy.
It was as if she were being roasted over a fire, and even the tips of her ears felt like they were burning.
She kept her head down and finished her breakfast as quickly as possible, preparing to stand up and flee from this “crime scene” that was making her feel suffocated.
However, Chu Tian put down his coffee cup with a soft “clack”.
He looked at her, his expression suddenly becoming much more serious.
“Su Nian.” He called her name, his voice deep and solemn.
His gaze locked onto her, his profound eyes clearly reflecting her currently startled face.
“Even though we’ve both forgotten the past, I’ve realized that I seem to have… fallen for you all over again.”
—Boom!
Su Nian’s brain completely stalled amid a loud roar.
Her heart skipped a beat without warning, and then it began to thrum wildly against her ribs with the force of thunder.
‘What… What was he saying? A confession?’
Was he confessing to her?
Looking at the young girl’s adorable, stunned expression, the curve of Chu Tian’s lips grew even softer.
He knew the timing was right.
“So, should we… try again?”
His voice carried a hint of cautious testing and an undetectable trace of nervousness.
“Forget about the past and treat it like we’re meeting for the first time. Let’s start from now and… date officially?”