The Price of a Kiss

The very next day, she pulled Shen Lanzhi out the door.

“Sister Lanzhi, let’s go shopping!”

The two of them arrived at the most exclusive shopping mall in the city center.

Shen Lanzhi, noticing the price tags that easily soared into five or six digits, tugged at Xiang Qing’s sleeve.

“Xiao Qing, everything here is far too expensive.

Perhaps we should look elsewhere.

I know how much you value money, so you should be more frugal.”

Xiang Qing scoffed inwardly.

‘Frugal?

I’ll be frugal with a ghost!

If I don’t max out Gu Wei’s card today until sparks fly, then I lose!’

She led Shen Lanzhi into a high-end women’s boutique, where a sales associate, decked out in flashy attire, gave them a disdainful once-over.

“Feel free to browse,” the associate said with a dismissive tone.

Xiang Qing, unperturbed, pointed directly at Shen Lanzhi and instructed the associate, “Bring out every dress in your store that suits her temperament and let her try them on.”

The associate paused, then forced a professional smile.

“Miss, the dresses here might be a bit… pricey.”

Xiang Qing simply pulled the pure black card from her pocket and waved it before the associate.

“Is there a problem with swiping this card?”

The associate’s eyes instantly widened.

Her demeanor immediately shifted by a hundred and eighty degrees, her smile so fervent it could melt an iceberg.

What followed was utter chaos.

“Sister Lanzhi, this one looks lovely!

It makes your skin look so fair!

Buy it!”

“Wow, this one is absolutely stunning too!

Wearing it makes you look like a fairy descended to the mortal world!

Wrap it up!”

“And this bag, these shoes, this jewelry!

They all suit you perfectly!

Swipe the card!”

Xiang Qing, like an extravagant CEO, spent money as if it were water, and wherever her finger pointed, the associate scurried to package the items.

She didn’t even glance at the prices, prioritizing emotional spending above all else.

Shen Lanzhi was utterly bewildered.

Standing before the mirror, she gazed at the six-figure silk gown draped over her, feeling as though she were dreaming.

“Xiao Qing… this… this is too expensive… you shouldn’t spend money like this…” Her face flushed with urgency.

Xiang Qing threw an arm around her shoulders and declared grandly, “Sister Lanzhi!

What is money?

Money is a scoundrel!

You have to spend it to earn more!

Today, I’m going to make you the most beautiful woman in the world!”

‘Inside, she was wildly hamming it up: Spend!

Give me more to spend!

Infuriate that pervert Gu Wei!

Let her know what it feels like to lose both love and money!’

As Shen Lanzhi beheld Xiang Qing’s seemingly love-struck fervor, her eyes welled up, blurring her vision instantly.

‘Oh my goodness!

Xiao Qing… for me, she’s even forsaking the money she values most!

It’s not that she doesn’t love me; she’s simply not good at expressing it!

She’s declaring her love to me in the most direct, most clumsy way!’

In that moment, all of Shen Lanzhi’s inner defenses completely crumbled.

She felt that Xiang Qing was an angel sent by heaven to save her.

By the time the two returned to Gu Wei’s luxurious mansion, laden with shopping bags, they were almost euphoric.

They savored a candlelight dinner prepared by Xiang Qing using the finest ingredients, sipped Gu Wei’s prized expensive red wine, and, clad in their newly purchased silk pajamas, admired the entire cityscape from before the panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows.

“Xiao Qing, thank you,” Shen Lanzhi murmured, leaning against Xiang Qing’s shoulder, her voice brimming with happiness and contentment.

Xiang Qing took a sip of red wine, feeling utterly exhilarated.

‘Spending someone else’s money to achieve my own goals—this feeling is simply divine!’

Just then, her phone vibrated softly.

It was a text message.

Sender: Gu Wei.

Xiang Qing tapped it open, her pupils contracting abruptly.

The message contained a screenshot of the black card’s spending record, a long string of numbers that was enough to make one’s heart pound.

Below the screenshot, there was another line of text.

[Continue, don’t stop.

Make her love you even more.]

Xiang Qing clutched her phone, her fingertips turning icy.

‘Continue?

How could I possibly continue?

Today’s spending spree, with all those zeros after the limit, has already maxed out Shen Lanzhi’s emotional appreciation.

What else could possibly top that?’

Two words involuntarily popped into Xiang Qing’s mind.

‘Kissing.’

‘Holy hell!’

She jolted, nearly dropping the wine glass she held.

‘Kissing?

Although Shen Lanzhi is beautiful, smells fragrant, and her lips look as soft as jelly, a kiss would probably… no, definitely be amazing.

But this is my first kiss!

Me, Xiang Qing, a pure man in soul, having guarded my first kiss for over twenty years, am I truly going to surrender it to a woman’s lips?

And for another woman’s scheme?

What kind of situation is this?

Work-related injury?’

“Xiao Qing, what’s wrong?

Why is your face so red?” Shen Lanzhi leaned closer, her warm breath, infused with the rich aroma of red wine, gently brushing Xiang Qing’s earlobe.

Xiang Qing’s entire body stiffened, half of her feeling utterly numb.

“N-nothing!

The alcohol’s just getting to me!” she stammered with a dry laugh, abruptly standing up.

“Um, Sister Lanzhi, I… I need to go to the washroom!”

With that, she fled into the bathroom as if escaping, locking the door behind her.

The cold marble vanity offered a slight reprieve to her burning cheeks.

Xiang Qing braced herself against the countertop, gazing at her reflection—cheeks flushed, eyes shimmering—and was engulfed by an overwhelming sense of absurdity.

‘This face, it’s impeccably beautiful.

But the soul within is still that of a man!

Let her act, let her make empty promises, let her be a simp—all of that is fine.

But a real, honest-to-goodness kiss?

That’s far beyond my job description!

But Gu Wei’s orders…’

Xiang Qing ran a frustrated hand through her hair.

‘Someone like Gu Wei, her words are nothing short of an imperial decree.

If I don’t complete this today, tomorrow Gu Wei will make me experience what true dao heart shattering feels like.

What should I do?’

Xiang Qing stared at her reflection, and a wild idea surfaced.

‘It’s just a kiss, right?

Who hasn’t seen it in movies!

She took a deep breath, as if steeling herself, then slowly closed her eyes and, with deliberate slowness, leaned towards the red lips in the mirror.

‘Let’s just consider it… a rehearsal.

Yes, a rehearsal!

And, incidentally, giving my first kiss to myself?

Keep the good things in the family, right?’

Her lips, gently and tentatively, pressed against the cold mirror surface.

‘Mmm…’

The sensation was cold and hard.

Xiang Qing abruptly opened her eyes, looking at the image of herself kissing herself in the mirror, and an indescribable wave of shame and bizarre feelings instantly surged through her.

The person in the mirror had hazy, ‘peach blossom’ eyes, their eyelashes trembling slightly.

From an oblique angle, it looked as though someone was utterly infatuated with and kissing themselves.

‘Pervert!

Utterly perverse!’

Xiang Qing recoiled instantly, covering her face, feeling as if she were about to crack apart.

While inwardly cursing herself for being insane, she couldn’t help but savor the feeling from moments ago.

She discovered that when she closed her eyes and imagined the person in the mirror was Shen Lanzhi, her heart actually began to race.

‘What kind of cursed immersion is this?!

Is this an actor’s self-cultivation?!’

After a ten-minute internal battle in the washroom, Xiang Qing finally emerged, her face utterly devoid of hope.

‘Fine, if I’m going to die, then I’ll die.

It’s just a kiss, isn’t it?

I’ll just pretend I’m gnawing on a premium pig trotter!

And one that Gu Wei paid for!’

In the living room, Shen Lanzhi had already cleared the dinnerware.

Dressed in her newly bought nightgown, she stood quietly before the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, observing the bustling traffic outside.

The city’s neon lights outlined her graceful figure, making her appear as beautiful as an ethereal dream.

Hearing footsteps, Shen Lanzhi turned, offering her a gentle smile.

“You’re back?

I thought you’d fallen in,” she said, her voice carrying a hint of tipsy playfulness.

Xiang Qing’s heart hammered in her chest.

‘The final boss battle has arrived.’

She walked towards her, step by step.

“Sister Lanzhi…”

“Hmm?” Shen Lanzhi’s eyes sparkled in the night, as if filled with starlight.

Xiang Qing braced herself.

Mustering her courage, she was about to act out the domineering CEO scenario she’d rehearsed eight hundred times in her head—reaching out to lift Shen Lanzhi’s chin, then flashing a wicked smile…

However, Shen Lanzhi anticipated her move, gently taking her hand first.

“Xiao Qing,” Shen Lanzhi’s voice was soft, laced with a tremble and a desperate vulnerability, “you know, today… has been the happiest day I’ve had in years.”

Xiang Qing froze.

The anticipated push-and-pull and flirtation never materialized; instead, she was met with a sudden, heartfelt confession.