I like you

Xavier reacted swiftly, cupping her cheeks in both hands again to hold her still. "Oh, so this is what you wanted to do to me. But when I took the initiative before, you wouldn't let me. What's changed now?"

"Oh, just let me kiss you!" Xiao Yan bounced on her toes in her impatience.

Her whole body kept bobbing up and down.

Xavier's hands followed her up and down a few times.

"You're acting so out of character, trying to do something you were too shy to do before. That means you're feeling very guilty right now, doesn't it?" He huffed again. "Don't think you can get away with this. I'm not that easy to appease."

His reputation for being hard to appease really was well deserved.

Xiao Yan stopped bouncing and stood still, giving Xavier a pitiful look.

"I'm not bullying you." Xavier let go of her again.

He turned, walked over to the sofa, and sat down, turning his head away so he wasn't looking at Xiao Yan.

Did that mean he wasn't leaving?

He wanted some back-and-forth?

Put simply, he wanted Xiao Yan to coax him properly. She understood.

But instead of simply coaxing him, Xiao Yan thought of something more fun.

She cleared her throat. "You've attended quite a few husband-selection banquets before, haven't you?"

Xavier froze, his stubborn air of waiting to be coaxed instantly weakening. "You... I already apologized."

Of course Xiao Yan remembered his apology, but what she wanted to say came next. "And you were chosen by a certain wealthy young lady."

Uh, that...

Xavier blinked twice, his gaze turning clear. "Well, that wasn't voluntary."

"You even almost registered your marriage to her right there." Xiao Yan approached him one deliberate step at a time, stopped in front of Xavier, and lifted his chin, forcing him to look up at her.

Sure enough, Xavier didn't dare move carelessly. "I really didn't agree, nor did I give my tacit consent."

Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips. "You're so nervous. That means you're feeling guilty too, doesn't it~?"

Why was she turning his own tactics against him?

Xavier deeply regretted questioning Xiao Yan like that earlier.

He pressed his lips together, his manner turning serious. "If you want to know the full story, you can sit down, and I'll tell you everything in detail."

In fact, Xiao Yan didn't care at all about how it had happened.

She knew Xavier too well.

At most, he would have shown a little consideration for the other person's dignity and refrained from saying anything too harsh.

But he must have firmly stated that he would use his medal of merit to offset the punishment for refusing to accept being chosen as a husband.

Oh, right! Lightseeker's medal of merit!

That was what Xiao Yan was curious about!

She took the opportunity to sit beside Xavier. "That medal of yours-wouldn't someone recognize it as Lightseeker's?"

She even knew about that already? Xavier thought that she must actually know the course of events and the outcome quite well.

Yet she had still brought it up to scare him.

What a cunning partner.

But right now, there was no point in comparing who felt guiltier or more wronged.

Since his partner cared about this, he had both a responsibility and an obligation to explain it clearly and thoroughly.

He turned and sat up properly, looking openly into Xiao Yan's eyes.

"The medal of merit I used was indeed Lightseeker's, but there really was no risk of exposing my identity as Lightseeker. The higher-ups in the special police department would personally coordinate with the marriage registry. They were responsible for clearing my violation record concerning the husband selection and clearing the corresponding merit record. The marriage registry would never have access to that medal, so my identity remains the special police department's highest-level secret."

Xiao Yan nodded. "I was genuinely worried that incident might leave some trace behind. That's good, then. I can stop worrying."

"Stop worrying?" Xavier sounded surprised. "But you haven't heard the whole story yet."

"Oh, you don't have to tell me. I trust you." Xiao Yan waved a hand.

Xavier fell silent for a moment, his brows drawing together slightly. "Do you really not care at all?"

"I don't..." Xiao Yan had only just begun.

Alarm bells suddenly blared in her head!

She hurriedly changed her tune. "There's no way I wouldn't care! I was only pretending to be generous just now, to see whether you were sincere about explaining."

Xavier's brow slowly relaxed, and he smiled.

Whew, that was close...

Xiao Yan secretly let out a breath. She had almost given Xavier another chance to sulk.

Right now, he was intent on explaining everything thoroughly.

If Xiao Yan refused to listen, wouldn't that mean she had no curiosity about his past at all?

That was a major taboo!

Xavier took Xiao Yan's hand in his. "Mm... actually, that happened during your summer vacation, in late July. At the time, I..."

Xiao Yan watched Xavier, listening attentively to every word as he spoke for nearly ten minutes.

He conveyed the entire sequence of events, his resistance, his difficulty, and his helplessness at having no choice but to produce his medal of merit, all very thoroughly.

When he finally reached the end of the story.

Xavier lowered his eyes with a smile. "Come to think of it, I'm surprised too. At all those previous husband-selection events, I always just went through the motions. Why did I agree so easily when it came to you?"

Because you're my Star, of course!

Even if you don't remember anything, no matter how many times and spaces our souls cross, we can still recognize each other!

His gentle recounting had already moved Xiao Yan so much that her heart tingled. She really wanted to reward him with something.

"I'm telling you all this because I hope misunderstandings like 'Truman' won't happen again." His ear tips reddened bashfully. "At the very least, that means I need to be honest with you first, right?"

It seemed that the earlier incident really had left Xavier with a serious psychological scar.

Xiao Yan touched Xavier's cheek, her heart aching a little for him. "What's past is past. I'm not someone who likes bringing up old grievances."

She didn't like bringing up old grievances, yet she had brought up his past husband-selection events?

Xavier didn't call her out. He closed his eyes and nuzzled her palm. "You don't hold it against me because you're generous and kind. I can't take advantage of that, or I really would be bullying you. Besides, I need to keep reminding myself. That's also the attitude I ought to have toward marriage and love as a husband."

What should I do? Xiao Yan really wanted to reward him, really wanted to kiss him.

While his eyes were still closed and he was obediently nuzzling her hand.

She suddenly leaned in and planted a little kiss on his lips.

"..." Xavier slowly opened his eyes. "This might be another misunderstanding. I did intend to save a proper kiss until we were more... mm..."

Xiao Yan kissed him again.

This time, she didn't hold back, pressing firmly against his lips and even trying to pry his teeth apart.

Xavier's pupils quaked. Though his eyes couldn't focus at such close range, he still lowered his gaze and stared coldly at Xiao Yan's incessantly trembling lashes.

Why was he clenching his teeth so tightly?!

In her impatience, Xiao Yan mumbled her true feelings in a muddle. "Xavier, I like you."

!!!

Xavier's heart pounded heavily several times in shock!

In his daze, Xiao Yan succeeded in deepening the kiss...

At first, Xavier was still clearheaded.

Though his heart was racing, his mind was perfectly calm.

It was only that Xiao Yan was being so forward that, no matter how he ended this kiss, he would surely spoil her mood.

That was why he parted his lips and teeth to cooperate.

But that state lasted only three or four short seconds.

Kissing Xiao Yan was a very strange feeling.

It was different from the hurried brushing of their lips when he had tried to soothe her anger before, and from the deliberately light lick that had made him deserve a beating.

Once Xiao Yan was fully prepared and kissed him with such feeling.

In the very instant their breaths mingled, Xavier actually felt her...

Her indescribable anticipation, her overflowing flutter of emotion, and her almost worshipful devotion.

How could this be?

Xavier was surprised. He tilted his head slightly, responding to her more fully.

Xiao Yan burrowed into his arms, her soft, warm little hands gently stroking his face.

The pad of her thumb repeatedly lingered at the corner of his eye, rubbing gently, as though she wanted to wipe away tears that weren't there.

Only then did Xavier realize with a start that a few glistening tears had actually seeped from the corners of Xiao Yan's closed, gently trembling eyes!

"Partner..." He panicked at once, shifting from passive to active.

After wrapping Xiao Yan tightly in his arms, he took her chin in his right hand, kissed her hard, and then pulled back a little.