Her hair was like an obsidian waterfall that tumbled behind her in thick locks when it was kept loose. Her hands were strong yet at the same time gentle. And her lips… oh, how he wanted to kiss those lips.

And so he did, even though it wasn't part of her plan, he still kissed her. It wasn't like one of those close-mouthed kisses like one did when they were younger and had never held hands before with a girl. 

Unable to contain himself anymore, Shen Zichen held her head in his hands and pulled her into a fiery and pa.s.sionate kiss. His hands worked their way around her body, feeling each creva.s.se, each line along with her perfect physique.

It was a full-on, open-mouthed, almost s.e.xual kiss that shocked Li Chuntao. She stood still with eyes wide in disbelief. Her mind almost short-circuited, trying to figure out what was happening as she felt his warm lips against hers in a maddening kiss. 

Li Chuntao knew he didn't love her… that he was probably thinking of Ying when he kissed her, but she couldn't resist. She shut her eyes close, letting a single tear roll down her cheek and leaned in a little closer, their foreheads touching. 

Dear G.o.d, she couldn't fight against the thoughts that were going through her. His scent was flooding her senses now but his kiss alone was enough to make a crack on her strong resolve. The shackles on her heart squeezing it painfully. 

He kissed her and the world faded away. It was slow and soft, comforting in ways that words would never be. His hand rested below her ear, his thumb caressing her cheek as their breaths mingled. She ran her fingers down his spine, pulling him closer until there was no s.p.a.ce left between them and she could feel the beating of his heart against her chest.

Shen Zichen loved the way her small body melted into his. The way their lips fit like two puzzle pieces. The way she relented as he played with the loose hair framing her face and held her tighter and tighter. 

Unexpectedly, his hand drifted to her hip. It settled there and pulled her closer. 

Li Chuntao inhaled sharply. She was against his warm chest, chiseled to perfection. Must he be so perfect? She splayed her hand against it, intending to push him away, but instead, she left it there. 

His breathing quickened, so did hers. She urged herself to push away, but couldn't. Her limp body began to tremble uncontrollably. She was surprised to find her own lips parted. Their breaths mingled. Her heart fluttered inside her chest.

When they broke apart after what seemed like ages she looked at him, perplexed on what to do next. She'd asked him to tell her the words she would never hear from him but what she hadn't expected was the kiss that followed. 

"Brother Zichen, you…" 

What should she say? That this was the first time he'd kissed her willingly and not under the influence of the alcohol, unlike the last time? Not that he knew. Not that he was aware of what transpired between them years ago. 

His kiss reminded her of the memories she had kept locked away deep in her heart, one that she wasn't ready to face yet. In the moment of silence between them, she felt weak and vulnerable, she decided to run away from him. 

Shen Zichen's eyes clouded in confusion. Had he overstepped the line by kissing her? Thinking about it, he had never been intimate or kissed another person except for Li Chuntao. He covered his mouth with one hand and rested the other on his hip as he watched her disappear at the other end of the hallway away from him and Mu Jianyu. 

'What have I done?' he chastised himself and ran both of his hands on his face in frustration. 

The kiss was never meant to happen. He wasn't sure what pushed him to kiss her like that.

'Yeah, Dumba.s.ss. What a good way to mess up your relations.h.i.+p with her.' 

---

After summoning enough strength to leave Shen Zichen, Li Chuntao wandered aimlessly through several corridors of the rented mansion. To be honest, she was even having a hard time remembering which turn she took. It might have to do with the alcohol, she reasoned with herself. 

'Okay, definitely have to do with the alcohol.' She continued to convince herself, but it didn't seem to work. 

She reached the main hallway and found a washroom where she could hide for a moment to clear her mind. It was her who asked him to lie to her but why did his kiss shake her self-control? 

d.a.m.n, that kiss almost ruined her resolve, almost letting her defenses down in front of Shen Zichen, which was something that shouldn't happen. She'd only asked him to lie to her and the kiss came out from nowhere. 

Why did he have to kiss her? Was he caught up with the moment and just wanted to create a rift between her and Mu Jianyu? Knowing that her brother-in-law had seen it, Li Chuntao was sure that Mu Jianyu would confront Shen Zichen by now. 

His beloved Ying had been kissed by his sworn enemy right under his nose. Mu Jianyu wouldn't be able to keep his composure upon witnessing the scene between them. 

Just a single kiss and Shen Zichen had managed to challenge her to keep the resolve she'd long kept over herself. For the past seven years, she was able to contain her secrets deep down where no one would be able to break her walls. 

So why was it so easy for him to challenge her? To shake her? Was it because he was the main reason why she ended like this in the first place or she'd long fooled herself that he had no more influence over her? 

"Such foolishness," Li Chuntao muttered to herself as she touched her parted lips that were kissed by Shen Zichen a few minutes ago. She'd tried to feel his lingering warmth on her lips but there was none. 

That wasn't supposed to happen and her reaction… she shouldn't have kissed him back. How was she able to face him now? Should she pretend that the kiss never happened and never mention anything about it? 

Initially, she wanted to wash her face but the moment she saw her reflection on the ma.s.sive mirror at the counter, Li Chuntao frowned. She couldn't help but wonder who was in Shen Zichen's mind when he kissed her. 

Was it her, Li Chuntao? Or was it Li Xiuying, her sister who was identical to her? If she had a different face and didn't resemble Ying, would he even accidentally kiss her? 

Too bad, she wouldn't be able to know the answer as she was afraid to hear it from Shen Zichen's lips. It was better to keep this question unanswered or else it would crush her. She wasn't ready to hear it or better yet, admit that she would never be as good as her twin sister in his eyes.