Chapter 18: A Gentle Kiss

The waist under Li Yan's palm was soft and slender.

The skin of her waist, which he could occasionally touch, was warm, smooth, and tender.

Li Yan fell into a moment of contemplation.

For the sake of the college entrance exam, had he been living like a monk for half a year already?

Thinking back to the life he used to lead: the cute and dainty freshman girl from his first year, the gentle and beautiful class monitor from his third year.

Then thinking about the last half-year for the sake of the exam—no bars, no games, and he'd even cut off contact with his younger sister.

Li Yan was filled with emotion.

Looking at the wine on the table, listening to the deafening music, and feeling the warm, fragrant, soft body in his arms.

This was the life that he, Li Yan, should be living!

Inside the S-booth at Shangmei, the atmosphere was gradually heating up due to the lights, music, alcohol, and the people.

The constantly changing lights from the dance floor projected onto the edge of the booth, the flickering light seemingly casting a hazy atmosphere over this small world.

Li Yan and Shen Qingyue sat very close, so close that the elegant perfume scent on her body, mixed with the faint aroma of alcohol, kept drilling into Li Yan's nostrils.

Shen Qingyue leaned slightly to the side, whispering something into Li Yan's ear.

Because the music was too loud, her voice, even when close, carried a hint of blurred softness.

Her bright eyes were within reach, reflecting the slight ripples of the lights, and even the light trembling of her eyelashes could be seen clearly.

Shen Qingyue at this moment had a faint blush on her face due to the alcohol, but the waves in her heart were far less calm than the surface.

She had never felt such an indescribable attraction as she did tonight.

Li Yan was so close, his gaze indifferent, yet it seemed as if it could penetrate everything.

That mature, composed temperament made her want to get even closer.

"Are you doing this on purpose?" Shen Qingyue said in a low voice, a faint smile on her lips, but her eyes hid more emotions.

She herself couldn't explain the meaning of this sentence—was she blaming Li Yan for controlling the rhythm from start to finish, or was she testing his attitude toward her?

Li Yan smiled slightly, his voice low: "Doing what on purpose? Why don't you tell me."

His voice was unhurried, carrying a hint of teasing, yet revealing an unfathomable ambiguity.

He looked into her eyes, his gaze clear, yet it seemed to hide endless deep meaning.

Hearing this, Shen Qingyue suddenly felt a bit stunned.

She stared at Li Yan's face, her heart rate accelerating uncontrollably; the slight intoxication of alcohol and the restlessness of hormones made her reason gradually blur.

At this very moment, countless thoughts flashed through her mind: Was it a test? Was it an impulse? Or was it an irresistible attraction?

With almost no extra thought, Shen Qingyue lifted her head slightly, her gaze carrying a hint of confusion, and slowly moved toward Li Yan's face.

The lights happened to soften at this moment, and the clamor in the background seemed to drift away a bit.

Then, she closed her eyes and took the initiative to kiss him.

A flash of confident control crossed Li Yan's eyes.

He didn't refuse; instead, he gently raised his hand to hold her waist, pulling the distance between them even closer, his movements natural and skillful, as if he were already well-versed in this.

His kiss wasn't eager, but carried a hint of controlling gentleness and restraint, neither making the other party feel rushed nor failing to let them feel his response.

Wang Zhen didn't notice this scene.

He was chatting enthusiastically with Liu Yuting, the topics ranging from bars to movies, and then to interesting things in their respective lives.

He was much more relaxed than before, occasionally even cracking small jokes, and Liu Yuting laughed very cooperatively.

She didn't have a clear liking for Wang Zhen in her heart, but she didn't resist getting to know him either, especially after knowing his family ran a medium-sized supermarket, she felt that perhaps Wang Zhen could be considered a decent choice.

Liu Yuting had her own calculations in mind.

Although she wanted to get closer to Li Yan, it was obvious that Li Yan had no special interest in her, and she also knew that standing next to Shen Qingyue, it was hard to win over Shen Qingyue's advantages.

Rather than wasting time, it was better to see the possibilities of the Wang Zhen in front of her.

Xiaomei and Yueyue sat on the side, tacitly not disturbing Li Yan and Shen Qingyue.

The two had long seen who Li Yan's target was tonight and knew their place.

One was responsible for tidying up the wine on the table, the other occasionally interjected with a few harmless jokes, minimizing their presence while enlivening the atmosphere.

"Looks like Brother Yan is making good progress tonight." Yueyue whispered, her tone carrying a hint of teasing and envy.

Xiaomei nodded and responded with a smile: "We just need to do our own thing. When has Brother Yan ever failed?"

Well, the tip is in the bag again~

Li Yan's lips pressed lightly against Shen Qingyue's, his movements unhurried, carrying a sense of control unique to a mature man.

He didn't appear excited or uneasy because of Shen Qingyue's initiative; instead, he was composed, as if everything were under control.

Feeling his response, Shen Qingyue's heart rate accelerated even more.

She wasn't an impulsive person, but under these dim lights, the hazy music, and the catalysis of alcohol, she couldn't care about that much anymore.

She felt Li Yan's gentleness and delicacy, and the naturally revealed skillful technique made her immerse herself even more.

Li Yan's hand had originally been resting on Shen Qingyue's waist; as the two leaned closer, his hand moved slowly downward, his fingertips touching the edge of Shen Qingyue's skirt intentionally or otherwise.

He didn't act rashly, but gently slid across the outer side of her thigh, feeling her smooth skin.

Shen Qingyue trembled slightly and subconsciously grabbed Li Yan's arm, but didn't push him away.

Her eyes were slightly closed, her cheeks flushed with a faint red, and she appeared exceptionally fragile in Li Yan's arms.

Li Yan noticed her reaction, his movements remaining gentle; his fingers slowly slid across her snow-white, slender thigh, the temperature of his palm coming into contact with her skin, bringing a subtle sensation.

Shen Qingyue opened her eyes slightly and glanced at Li Yan; that gaze was mixed with a hint of shyness, but more of an irresistible emotion.

She didn't refuse; instead, because of this touch, her heart rate became even more intense.

The bar lights flickered, and the music drowned out all the clamor around them, as if isolating the two in this small space.

Li Yan looked down at Shen Qingyue in his arms, his eyes still carrying a faint smile.

He leaned in slightly, close to her ear, his voice low and carrying a hint of hoarseness: "Relax, no one will notice."

Shen Qingyue bit her lower lip lightly, her body leaning back slightly, relying on Li Yan's embrace with a hint of dependence.

Her hand subconsciously rested on Li Yan's shoulder, trying to find a bit of balance, but only making the distance between the two even more ambiguous.

Li Yan's hand remained on her thigh, without too much action, just sliding gently, as if soothing her nervous emotions.

His breath was extremely close, his warm respiration brushing lightly against her ear, making her heart rate even more flustered.

At this moment, Shen Qingyue forgot everything around her, only feeling the attraction brought by this man in front of her.

Li Yan's maturity and calmness, mixed with his gentleness and thoughtfulness at this moment, made her completely immersed. ===== CHAPTER 19 =====