A Kiss to Seal the Act

Before walking over, Wen Xi had imagined something far more intimate.

Yet when she reached Jiang Jibai’s side, he merely took her left hand.

His palm was large.

In comparison, her hand looked especially small.

Her entire hand was enveloped in his.

Palm against palm, she felt a man’s warm body heat for the first time.

She stood there obediently.

Jiang Jibai lifted his eyes slightly, his tone calm.

“From the moment we get out of the car tomorrow until we enter the private room, we’ll be holding hands. Don’t look uncomfortable. My mother is difficult.”

“Got it.”

Wen Xi nodded seriously.

“I’ll remember.”

He released her hand, looked at her evenly, and asked, “Ticklish?”

“Not unless you deliberately tickle me.”

“Sorry.”

After saying that, Jiang Jibai raised his right arm and wrapped it around her waist.

His palm settled against her lower back.

He looked at her.

“Tomorrow there may also be this level of contact. If you’re uncomfortable, we can remove it.”

Wen Xi blinked.

She was wearing a thin dress.

The moment his large hand rested against her lower back, a faint tingling spread outward through her limbs.

But more than that, it was heat.

The warmth of his palm seeped through the fabric and into her skin.

She bit her lip lightly, then quickly composed herself.

Lowering her gaze to meet his cool black eyes, she said, “It’s fine. Don’t remove it. The more realistic we act, the more our parents will believe it. Then we won’t have to worry.”

“Mm.”

He let go of her waist.

Wen Xi didn’t move.

She didn’t step away either.

She looked down at him.

After a while, when he made no further move, he said, “You can go back to your seat.”

“?”

A string of question marks exploded in her mind.

She leaned down slightly, frowning.

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“…”

In his eyes, that counted as intimacy during a passionate relationship?

He really did keep his distance from women.

After hesitating, she said, “Jiang Jibai, this doesn’t feel like a couple in love. Aren’t we rehearsing kissing too?”

He was drinking tea.

At her words, his gaze shifted from the cup to her face, now level with his.

Her palm-sized face was filled with seriousness and confusion.

There was no teasing in it.

His eyes brushed over her soft, rosy lips.

“No need.”

She wanted to argue.

He lowered his gaze again and took another sip.

“Kissing in public isn’t something I would do. Overacting might make my mother suspicious. Holding hands and a waist embrace is enough.”

“Oh.”

After eight that evening, Jiang Jibai drove her back to school.

He intended to drive her to the dorm building.

Wen Xi refused.

A figure like him likely had his license plate memorized by half the girls on campus.

Even if they couldn’t see him through the window, a two-million-yuan luxury car paired with that plate would give him away.

She absolutely could not let admiring girls see her step out of his car.

She insisted he stop somewhere secluded outside the gate and got out herself.

Under the dim streetlights, Wen Xi bent slightly toward the half-lowered passenger window.

“If you arrive tomorrow, just text me.”

Jiang Jibai glanced at the bustling crowd near campus.

“Mm.”

“Drive safe.”

During dinner she’d learned he no longer lived on campus but in an apartment nearby.

“Mm.”

Back at the dorm, Cheng Cheng was scrolling online and Lin Shu was reading.

After greeting them, Wen Xi washed up.

Then she climbed into bed with a stack of papers and her laptop.

The documents were Jiang Jibai’s basic information and personal history.

She needed to memorize them in case his family asked.

She skimmed them briefly and set them aside.

Instead, she opened her laptop and began drafting her own profile.

While editing, she emphasized that she was a fangirl.

She specifically highlighted that her idol was Qiao Zhinian.

She even bolded and blackened his name.

The purpose was obvious.

Jiang Jibai was smart.

If he saw the bolded name, he should message her idol immediately and arrange for him to visit the company tomorrow.

That way she could “accidentally” run into him.

After reviewing it once, she sent it over.

Then she closed her laptop and lay on her bed, memorizing his profile.

When Jiang Jibai received the document, he had just finished showering.

The apartment was empty.

A white towel hung low around his waist.

His upper body was bare.

Defined abs still misted faintly with water.

After toweling his hair twice, he tossed the towel onto a leather sofa.

Unabsorbed droplets slid down his neck, over his chest and abdomen, disappearing beneath the towel.

Outside, streetlights flickered on in orderly rows.

He grabbed a can of soda from the bar fridge and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking Ning City’s glittering nightscape.

Only a floor lamp illuminated the room faintly.

He didn’t care for brightness.

He opened the can with one hand and took a sip.

His laptop chimed on the dining table.

He returned and sat down.

Opening the document, he scanned quickly through her details and interests.

His gaze paused briefly on one bolded line.

Qiao Zhinian.

That day at the hotel, he had only caught fragments of her words.

He knew her idol was someone in his company.

He hadn’t thought it was Qiao Zhinian.

The next morning, Wen Xi received a message.

Jiang Jibai: [11:30. Yesterday’s parking lot.]

After replying, she went to class.

Her second period was free.

Originally, she planned to attend French class.

But thinking about telling Wen Junru about her marriage, she skipped it and went to a quiet grove on campus.

Before calling, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Then she dialed like someone marching to execution.

At 11:30, she found Jiang Jibai at the parking lot.

Not the AMG this time.

He had switched to a Bentley Flying Spur.

More stable.

More appropriate for meeting parents.

When she got in, she realized he’d changed more than the car.

He wore a tailored suit.

The cut enhanced his already noble bearing.

His hair was styled, gelled back.

His face, perfect as sculpture, fully revealed.

Sharp lines.

High-bridged nose.

Thin lips.

Every detail captivating.

Wen Xi stared.

A suit really was the ultimate cosmetic enhancement for a man.

Especially for someone like Jiang Jibai.

But moments later, her energy deflated again.

She fastened her seatbelt.

“Let’s go.”

He glanced at her.

“Did your father scold you?”

She nodded, face scrunched.

Her father hadn’t said anything harsh.

He admired Jiang Jibai.

In his eyes, marrying into the Jiang family was an excellent path.

But her stepmother had been present.

Her father mentioned that her stepmother had intended to introduce her cousin to Jiang Jibai.

Why hadn’t Wen Xi spoken up earlier?

Was she deliberately opposing her stepmother?

Wen Xi had repeated their agreed story.

She’d been secretly dating Jiang Jibai for a month.

But her father scolded her anyway for not confessing sooner instead of rushing to register marriage as if afraid the cousin would become a mistress.

In short, he wasn’t angry about the marriage.

He was upset over appearances.

Wen Xi sulked the entire ride.

Near the hotel, Jiang Jibai pulled over.

“Are we there?”

“Still a few hundred meters.”

“Why stop?”

“You need to adjust your state.”

She blinked.

“You look like I forced you into marriage. Not like we eloped in passion.”

“…”

“Want me to drive around for fresh air?”

“No.”

She covered her face, inhaled deeply, then turned to him with bright curved eyes.

“How about now? Do I look happy?”

He looked down at her.

“Mm.”

“Then let’s go!”

He didn’t start the car immediately.

“See that white BMW ahead?”

She squinted.

“Yeah?”

“My mother’s car.”

As he spoke, a tall, elegant woman stepped out.

Dior sunglasses.

Hermès Birkin.

Five-centimeter heels.

Graceful.

“Your mom is tall.”

“She was a model.”

“No wonder your posture’s so good.”

He didn’t respond.

“Give me your hand.”

She handed over her left hand obediently.

A cool ring slipped onto her ring finger.

She looked down in surprise.

A Harry Winston diamond ring.

“For now. If you prefer another brand later, tell me.”

His tone remained detached.

As if discussing business.

“Okay.”

She touched the ring, fascinated.

Her first wedding band.

She noticed him putting on his matching ring.

His fingers were long and defined.

The ring made him look even more restrained and refined.

She couldn’t stop staring.

He restarted the car.

At the entrance, he handed the keys to the valet.

Then he opened her door and firmly took her left hand.

As soon as she stepped out, his hand enveloped hers.

She noticed his ring again.

It suited him too well.

Walking beside him, she realized how tall he truly was.

Even in shoes at 165 cm, she barely reached his shoulder.

“Is your father here?”

He led her into the elevator.

She checked her phone.

He had arrived ten minutes ago.

“He’s here…”

Her nerves returned instantly.

She scratched his palm anxiously.

“Jiang Jibai, act well. Don’t let my dad see we’ve known each other less than three days.”

“As long as you don’t slip up, we’ll be fine.”

She silently reassured herself.

She had memorized everything.

He was a genius.

They’d be convincing.

The elevator dinged.

The doors opened.

She froze.

Near the private room stood several figures.

His mother.

Her father.

Her stepmother.

All impeccably dressed.

Powerful presence.

The courage she’d built deflated like a punctured balloon.

She stopped abruptly.

He halted too.

Before he could ask, she tugged him hard.

His shoes scraped against the floor.

He braced a hand against the wall to steady himself, avoiding crashing into her.

She was trapped between his arm, his body, and the wall.

“I’m nervous, Jiang Jibai. What do I do?”

Her palm-sized face was filled with tension.

He began calmly, “It’s fine. You don’t have to talk—”

But she released his hand and wrapped both arms around his shoulders.

He looked down at her steadily.

“I thought of a foolproof method so my dad won’t doubt we’re in love.”

He said nothing.

“Sorry, Jiang Jibai.”

She rose onto her toes.

Her hands moved to his neck.

Eyes shut tight.

Like someone facing death, she kissed him.

He didn’t dodge.

Her soft lips landed on his.

Because from the corner of his eye, he had already seen the elders watching.