“Mm—!”
Chi Zhan’s eyelashes trembled. He hadn’t expected Zhou Yanxing to actually kiss him. The shock crashed over him like a tidal wave, as if every volcano in the world had erupted at once. And Zhou Yanxing’s movements—forceful as ever—left no room to breathe.
His only prior experience with kissing had been that night at home, when Chu Xingxiao had pecked him while drunk—a simple, fleeting brush of lips. But Zhou Yanxing was nothing like Chu Xingxiao. He was far more direct. He didn’t just kiss Chi Zhan—he pried his lips apart, and though his technique wasn’t exactly polished, it was still leagues beyond anything Chi Zhan could handle. He was completely overwhelmed.
Zhou Yanxing practically had him pinned, Chi Zhan’s back pressed against the cold tiled wall, while on the other side was Zhou Yanxing’s burning-hot body. His mind fractured, sinking into disarray. That kiss could have lasted one second, two, three… or one minute, two, three—it was impossible to tell. By the time Chi Zhan regained enough awareness to try and push him away, Zhou Yanxing finally pulled back and took a step away.
“Breathe.”
Chi Zhan gasped for air, chest heaving. His heart was racing uncontrollably, and he couldn’t get a single word out.
Zhou Yanxing waited for him to settle, then even handed him a glass of orange juice.
“Drink some? Your lips are dry.”
“……”
Zhou Yanxing, you unbelievable bastard!
They had both been drinking orange juice earlier, which meant that kiss was citrus-flavored. Now, Chi Zhan never wanted to see orange juice again.
“How could you…” He couldn’t even bring himself to say kiss me, so he snapped, “How could you do that?!”
Secretary Chi rarely raised his voice, so the outburst sounded less threatening and more… petulant.
At least, that’s how Zhou Yanxing interpreted it.
“What did I do?” Zhou Yanxing shot back.
Usually it was Chi Zhan playing dumb. This time, the tables had turned—and Chi Zhan was completely out of his depth.
“I have a boyfriend, Zhou. Yan. Xing!” he fumed, enunciating each syllable like a scolding parent calling a child’s full name.
That he’d dropped the honorific altogether and used his full name showed just how furious he was.
“Do you? You gave me a gift with his name engraved on it. I figured you didn’t care that much.”
Chi Zhan’s lashes fluttered. He pressed his lips together, still feeling the lingering heat from the kiss. Zhou Yanxing’s lips had been soft, sweet with citrus, and the style of the kiss—aggressive, assured—had fit him perfectly.
Almost dangerously addictive.
No. This was wrong.
He turned his head, trying to erase the memory.
“When did you find out…”
“You mean the engraving?” Zhou Yanxing said casually. “CXX, right? You thought I wouldn’t notice? Or wouldn’t care?”
“……”
And just like that, the one in the wrong had suddenly become him.
“You’re right,” he admitted. “I messed up. But I didn’t do it on purp—”
Zhou Yanxing cut him off.
“I’m not interested in your excuses. I just want to know one thing.”
His voice turned cold, enough to quiet the storm of emotions in Chi Zhan’s chest.
“…What is it?”
“When I kissed you just now, how did it feel? Better than your boyfriend?”
“…………”
The moment he caught the faintest glimmer of amusement in Zhou Yanxing’s eyes, Chi Zhan realized two things.
First, Zhou Yanxing wasn’t actually angry. That whole performance? Just an act.
And second…
“Yesterday, I told you that I loved you. Today, you gave the wrong man a gift,” Zhou Yanxing said with maddening calm. “What’s this—trying to piss me off so I give up on you? Sorry, Secretary Chi. It’s not going to be that easy.”
A slap followed by a sweet date—classic bait-and-switch.
Poor Secretary Chi had gone from furious, to nervous, to desperately wracking his brain for an apology. Zhou Yanxing had completely thrown him off balance. Something about this felt off, but Chi Zhan couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
“And really,” Zhou Yanxing said, twisting the knife, “do you honestly think I believe a word you’ve said?”
“What?”
“Chu Xingxiao only got close to you for one reason. Even the ‘pretending to be your boyfriend’ bit—it was all calculated.”
He knew. Zhou Yanxing had figured it out.
When? How?
What now?
In the space of a few seconds, Chi Zhan saw only one way forward:
Deny everything to the grave.
His thoughts were in chaos, and at this point nothing he said would sound credible. But for the sake of world peace, he still had to try.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. President Zhou, I really don’t like you.”
“Say that again?”
“I don’t—”
Just as he was about to finish, Zhou Yanxing’s expression shifted. Dangerously.
Chi Zhan’s instincts told him not to continue.
This was definitely the wrong time and place. In fact, he was starting to suspect that everything Zhou Yanxing had said up until now had been carefully orchestrated—for this exact moment.
There was no way out. He couldn’t exactly turn and walk away—not with no clothes on.
Zhou Yanxing had him cornered. Completely.
Chi Zhan had no way to deal with this man.
Zhou Yanxing didn’t play by the rules. Upon hearing Chi Zhan had a boyfriend, he hadn’t backed off. No—he’d pulled out the nuclear option.
“You know, Secretary Chi,” Zhou Yanxing said suddenly, “the way you look at me isn’t the same as the way you look at Chu Xingxiao. In your heart, I matter more than he does. Don’t I?”
Chi Zhan was left speechless.
“I’ll wait for you to ‘break up’ with him. But don’t keep me waiting too long. Otherwise… I really can’t say what I might do.”
Too sharp. Too observant.
Only now did Chi Zhan finally realize—Zhou Yanxing wasn’t lacking in emotional intelligence. On the contrary, all those little things Chi Zhan thought had gone unnoticed… Zhou had seen them all.
He simply chose not to say anything. Until now.
