Chapter 14: We Kissed

Tan Qingya froze.

Had she misheard?

After pondering for a few seconds, and thinking of those overbearing CEO romance novels, she smiled teasingly. “Marry you? You’d be pinned down and kissed by me every day. Aren’t you afraid?”

In the next moment, a soft body slowly pressed closer. In the darkness, she couldn’t make out Zhou Jianghao’s expression, but she could feel the other’s rapid breathing, along with their postures that had already crossed the line.

“Zhou…”

In the next instant, her words came to an abrupt halt.

The other’s lips pressed over. She instinctively held her breath and, as if possessed, didn’t dodge. Zhou Jianghao hovered without fully landing the kiss.

Their eyes met, breaths intertwining.

A few seconds later, she came back to her senses and pulled back a little. But the other’s lips suddenly moved again, brushing lightly against the corner of her mouth. Unlike the cool palm, those lips were soft and scorching hot.

Tan Qingya froze again.

In her over twenty years of life, she wasn’t unaccustomed to women throwing themselves at her, but this was the first time anyone had actually taken advantage of her.

Suppressing a certain impulse, she tilted her head back a bit.

That soft, burning heat finally pulled away. Her chaotic breathing slowly steadied as she sat up, her face turning slightly cold. “You’re drunk.”

Zhou Jianghao’s voice trembled. “I’m not afraid.”

It was an answer to her earlier teasing words. A few seconds later, she threw the question back at her. “Do you… do you hate it?”

Tan Qingya fell silent. Saying she didn’t hate it would seem like an ambiguous hint, but claiming she did would go against her conscience. After a long pause, she countered instead of answering. “Do you have a bad habit of kissing people randomly when you’ve been drinking?”

There was another layer of meaning hidden in those words.

That bold move could be downplayed or blown up—severely, it could even land Zhou Jianghao in jail. But by attributing it to a mere bad habit, she was already showing some indulgence, even offering a way out.

But she hadn’t expected Zhou Jianghao’s courage to surge so suddenly. Instead of taking the out she’d given, the girl climbed even higher. She stood up after her, gripping her arm again with the determination of someone burning her bridges.

Those lips pressed down fiercely once more.

The force was greater this time. Sharp teeth grazed Tan Qingya’s soft lips, and soon the metallic taste of blood spread between their tightly pressed mouths.

Tan Qingya’s eyes darkened slightly as she felt the other bite and hold her lip, sucking lightly in an awkward, clumsy manner.

A strange tingling sensation spread from their joined lips, coursing through her body. Tan Qingya’s eyelashes trembled faintly, her fingers at her side curling unconsciously. As if possessed, she didn’t push her away again, letting the other fumble clumsily.

In the darkness, the grinding and pressing of lip against lip produced ambiguous sounds.

Tan Qingya struggled to stay clear-headed, but the other’s scorching breaths kept mingling with hers, stirring up heat that made her restless all over. Zhou Jianghao was probably very nervous; they were so close that she could feel the uncontrollable trembling.

Yet her actions were both domineering and awkward, gripping her tightly without letting go. When her tongue tip accidentally brushed over Tan Qingya’s already moistened lips, she trembled so much that even her lips shook.

It was contradictory, yet irresistibly alluring.

But there was a generational gap between them.

As reason crept back in, she raised a hand and pulled Zhou Jianghao away. “Have you gone mad?”

Only after speaking did she realize how hoarse her voice was. Her body carried a scent that wasn’t hers—foreign, yet inexplicably captivating.

The mad one was probably herself.

Not only had she not refused the kiss, she’d even felt an urge to take control.

“I’m not mad,” Zhou Jianghao said, her tone surprisingly calm now. “You kissed me. You have to take responsibility for me.”

Tan Qingya was stunned speechless by those words.

The room was too dark, and with this girl dropping such a bombshell, she even wondered if the person standing before her was really Zhou Jianghao.

A twisted version of a forced sale?

She suddenly let out a huff of incredulous laughter. “You force a kiss on me, and now I have to take responsibility?”

Her eyes had gradually adjusted to the darkness, making Zhou Jianghao’s expression somewhat discernible, but her eyes were exceptionally clear—unlike the nervousness and inexperience during the kiss. Her tone was firm. “President Tan told me before that I’m excellent, and my partner should be excellent too. I shouldn’t settle for just anyone out of haste to get married.”

At those words, Tan Qingya’s gaze flickered.

“After considering everyone these past few days, I think the most excellent one is still President Tan. And you’re part of the Tan Family too. You said before that I could pick anyone from the Tan Family, didn’t you?”

Tan Qingya fell silent.

Those were her own words from back then. She’d never imagined they’d come back to bite her. For a moment, she couldn’t think of a response to Zhou Jianghao’s declaration.

The odd sensation on her lips was impossible to ignore. Tan Qingya’s eyes flashed with curiosity—how bold would Zhou Jianghao get in her desire to marry her?

So she turned her head away, avoiding Zhou Jianghao’s gaze, and said coolly on purpose, “I have no plans to get married right now.”

She was glad for the power outage; she couldn’t see the other’s pitiful expression, so she spoke without any burden.

“You’ve got the wrong person.”

She had never considered marrying her.

Or rather, she had never considered marrying anyone.

She was a woman with deep-seated flaws.

Admittedly, she did have some interest in Zhou Jianghao. But compared to marrying her right away, she was more curious to see just how bold the girl would become in pursuit of marriage.

In the darkness, Tan Qingya’s lips curved slightly.

So, come at her.

Let her see the true extent of her determination to marry her.

Her first kiss, preserved for twenty-seven years, had been taken by a girl five years her junior. In front of Zhou Jianghao, Tan Qingya had remained poised and calm from start to finish. But once back at her apartment, she couldn’t stop herself from losing sleep.

She tossed and turned for a while, but sleep still wouldn’t come.

Her mind had turned into a projector, endlessly replaying the scene of their lips and teeth intertwined.

It was maddeningly itchy, and it left her inexplicably annoyed—Zhou Jianghao’s kissing skills were indeed inexperienced, but she herself had been like a wooden log, passively accepting it, which made her seem even more clumsy.

The more she dwelled on it, the more awake she became.

She ended up barely sleeping through most of the night, leaving her face ghastly pale the next day. Fortunately, the burn on her leg had faded to almost nothing.

There was an important meeting that morning. When Tan Qingya arrived at the company, it predictably caused a stir.

“Hiss—President Tan’s mouth!”

“No way, no way? Has the flower on the high mountain peak been plucked?”

“When did President Tan start dating?”

“President Tan’s complexion looks off…”

The elevator doors slowly closed, muffling the discussions outside. Tan Qingya turned her head to glance at the wall.

The elevator wall reflected her appearance.

Her makeup was still impeccable, but the obviously bitten corner of her mouth was impossible to miss.

Tan Qingya clicked her tongue and touched the spot lightly, a hint of amusement creeping into her eyes. It was the second time she’d been bitten.

She looked so soft and fragile, but her teeth were sharp.

And she always loved to bite.

“President Tan.” Her secretary hesitated.

Tan Qingya suppressed her smile, her face returning to its usual composure. She swept a noble gaze over her and said curtly, “Speak.”

Chen Chen, who had been her secretary for three years, stared at her boss’s mouth before steeling herself. “The documents you submitted to the Civil Affairs Bureau last time have been approved. You just need to go in person within twenty-four hours to sign, and you’ll officially become a member of the Non-Marriage Clan.”

Her smile faded completely. Tan Qingya pinched the bridge of her nose.

This should have been good news, but after last night’s events, it only gave her a headache.

The Non-Marriage Clan’s approval process was strict. Everyone could apply only once, and once joined, leaving wasn’t easy.

Tan Qingya was silent for a few seconds before responding flatly, “Got it.”

The reaction was too calm. Chen Chen subtly glanced at her boss’s lips again before continuing. “President Tan, should we keep arranging blind dates for Miss Zhou today?”

At that, the previously impassive Tan Qingya’s eyes narrowed instantly. “Of course we should arrange them for her.”

The girl had left her so restless; she certainly couldn’t let her off easy.

But shortly after issuing the arrangements for the blind dates, her phone began vibrating wildly.

It was Zhou Jianghao.

Her courage had indeed grown; she even dared to call now.

Tan Qingya refused to show any weakness. She answered leisurely, her tone deliberately cool. “What is it?”

Zhou Jianghao spoke quickly. “I’m not going on the blind dates.”

“Fine,” Tan Qingya said with a nod. “If you don’t want to get married, I won’t force you.”

Zhou Jianghao fell silent for a long time before speaking again. “President Tan said before that partners with temperaments similar to family pets are much easier to get along with.”

Those were Tan Qingya’s own words from earlier.

Just as Tan Qingya was about to respond, the other suddenly added, “And it’s not that I don’t want to get married. I just… I just want to marry you.”

Tan Qingya instinctively raised an eyebrow.

Was this her flirting?

Her foul mood from lack of sleep instantly brightened. But she still wanted to tease the girl, so she replied smoothly, “Too bad. I still don’t want to get married.”

She’d thought Zhou Jianghao would back down at her words, but instead, the girl changed tack. “But I heard that the head of the Tan Family has one basic requirement: loyalty to one’s partner. Yesterday, we kissed.”

“Are you threatening me?” Tan Qingya asked, surprised.