Chapter 75

Chapter 75

This was not the first time An Ye had such close contact with a man. Although she had never filmed a romance scene, as an actress—especially a female one—physical contact was inevitable in any genre of drama.

She really disliked such contact. The first time she had such close contact with the opposite sex was during the filming of The Girl Behind the Wall, a film where she played Yang Zhengyi's character. In it, her father was in debt from high-interest loans, and in order to pay them off, he stole things from the local underworld boss. In the end, he fled, leaving behind his daughter, who was still in college. An Ye went through all sorts of hardships in the film, including being cornered by a drunken, disgusting man in a dark alley who threatened to make her pay back the money.

Early in Yang Zhengyi’s career, his films lacked sunshine.

Therefore, she always remembered that scene—the man’s rough, alcohol-laden breath as he got closer. The scene was shot over a dozen times, with various lighting and camera angles adjusted. To get into character, the acting teacher she was working with poured several bottles of Erguotou (a type of liquor) on himself and even threw a bowl of sauerkraut fish soup at himself. The smell when he approached her was something An Ye would never forget.

So, when she pressed her lips to Chi Tuo’s, she instinctively held her breath.

She kissed him because Chi Tuo, at that moment, was very tempting. After the kiss, her body stiffened, reminding her of some unpleasant memories—those smells of alcohol, verbal abuse, and the damp, rancid stench that rose from the sewers on summer nights.

Chi Tuo also clearly stiffened. There was no warning before she kissed him, and when their lips met, it was a very light touch before she pulled back.

She didn’t pull back too far, keeping a distance where Chi Tuo could easily lean down and kiss her again.

Chi Tuo reached out and pulled her waist, stopping her from retreating further. An Ye glared at him, both hands pushing against his chest, using some force to maintain a delicate distance that almost touched but didn’t.

Her eyes showed a slight resistance, but there was also a lingering sense of unfinished desire.

A contradictory, tormenting fellow.

Before entering the room, he had been in a low mood, unwilling to push her further, but now that he wasn’t pushing her, she ended up coming at him.

Chi Tuo didn’t want to refuse this time.

After confirming that her feelings for him were unrelated to her friends, he no longer wished to leave her a way out.

In less than a day, he had discovered the key to An Ye’s romantic tendencies—she would take the initiative, but once she did, she would quickly pull back.

Such testing behavior, where one is clearly scarred yet still unable to resist trying, made Chi Tuo's heart soften.

She had always been someone who made others’ hearts soften easily.

"Close your eyes," Chi Tuo's voice wasn’t particularly gentle, with a hint of helpless indulgence toward her teasing then pulling away.

After An Ye pulled back, she resumed breathing normally.

Chi Tuo, who probably had bought a hundred all-black suits, had a comfortable touch. His shirt wasn’t thick, and you could feel the muscle definition on his chest, which proved his usual high-protein, low-carb diet wasn’t just talk. His touch felt great.

When he leaned in, there was a nice orange scent from his laundry pods. He had always liked fruity scents, which didn’t quite match his elite, "don’t approach" persona in public.

An Ye’s thoughts wandered.

When she was in character as An Ye, she would get distracted or zone out when nervous.

She had no thoughts about love.

Nor any thoughts about a love interest.

She had thought about sex, but only in terms of sleep.

This kind of intimate contact without any camera or movement direction was too overwhelming. It was the first time she truly felt the height difference between her and Chi Tuo—almost a twenty-centimeter difference.

Although the unpleasant memories of her past work were somewhat alleviated by the orange scent on Chi Tuo, it was only a little.

She started to feel nervous.But Chi Tuo told her to close her eyes.

She didn’t dare, so she insisted on keeping her eyes open.

Chi Tuo seemed to sigh, or maybe not, but he first freed one of his hands and placed the hand that An Ye had on his chest onto his waist. Then, with the hand that was holding her waist, he applied some force, bringing them even closer together.

An Ye didn’t feel uncomfortable.

She just still didn’t want to close her eyes.

“If we get too close, we’ll end up staring at each other’s eyes,” Chi Tuo said with a smile.

His large hand grasped the back of her head, and he lowered his head to kiss her.

An Ye’s hand moved slightly, slowly clenching into a fist.

Chi Tuo was kissing her, and his body language showed his care. An Ye, who had studied acting, could clearly tell from Chi Tuo’s breathing rhythm, the heat of his hand on the back of her head, the pressure of his fingertips, and the expression on his face that he was very nervous, holding her like she was a treasure.

Throughout the kiss, she didn’t fully immerse herself in the moment. It felt like watching a playback after filming a scene. She thought to herself that this angle wasn’t great for lighting, and there weren’t two full profiles. The position where he held the back of her head would actually block half of her face—if this were a real shoot, she’d probably think he was trying to steal the scene.

But Chi Tuo kissed her very patiently. Even though she kept her eyes open and was thinking about random things, she could clearly feel the brief touches and separations of their lips.

It really did make them look like they were staring into each other’s eyes.

So, she closed her eyes.

Unconsciously, her hands pressed against the space between them, her clenched fist gripping the fabric of Chi Tuo’s shirt.

Chi Tuo gave a light laugh.

It was unconscious, probably because she was pulling on his clothes so tightly, or maybe because she had finally closed her eyes.

But in such close proximity, the sudden soft laugh gave An Ye an unexpected sensory jolt.

She smelled Chi Tuo’s scent.

She had always known that everyone carried a scent, and most of the time, people’s scents were hard to bear. The scent that tangled with their breath, the heat it carried, was rarely pleasant.

Especially when it came to men.

In her memory, An Huai Min always carried a foul smell, that kind of lingering, unclean, cigarette and alcohol-infused odor. The actors who stayed up all night filming often had a mix of perfume and smoke on them. And the bodyguards who kept close to protect her in crowded places always smelled of sweat mixed with various body washes, laundry detergents, or perfumes.

Most scents were invasive, crashing into the nose and making one feel invaded and uncomfortable.

But Chi Tuo—she had never smelled his scent. It was always hidden behind the sweet, fruity scent of orange laundry pods, like a hidden, non-aggressive, genderless softness.

This seemed to be the first time she smelled Chi Tuo’s scent.

That kind of heat from his breath, that human scent.

An Ye felt a moment of dizziness. She couldn’t even accurately describe Chi Tuo’s scent. She only felt... a little dizzy.

He was so invasive. In that moment, An Ye’s legs felt weak.

An Ye opened her eyes again and pressed against Chi Tuo’s approaching body with force, looking at him.

Chi Tuo also opened his eyes, giving a hum with a nasal tone. His intonation rose, indicating a questioning posture.

This was Chi Tuo.It was the sense of aggression he had hidden away.

An Ye once again stood on tiptoe, reaching up to wrap her arms around Chi Tuo’s neck, taking the initiative to meet him.

This kiss was completely different from the brief, barely-there touch of the previous one. When An Ye pressed against him, she slightly parted her lips, and Chi Tuo’s body trembled ever so slightly before quickly diving in.

She liked Chi Tuo’s scent.

It was dizzying, stimulating, warm, with a hint of coldness.

It felt like she had peeled away the outer layer of Chi Tuo’s "don’t approach" persona and touched his true inner self. It was somewhat predatory, not gentle, even a little passionate and sickly possessive.

No one expected that this kiss, which began with An Ye’s inexplicable tentative touch, would spread like wildfire.

Their mouths both tasted of sweet and sour apples, but Chi Tuo’s was more sour than hers. When their tongues met, An Ye couldn’t help but suck in a breath.

Chi Tuo reacted strongly to this motion, almost instantly tensing up, pulling her to the edge of the kitchen counter.

The faucet over the kitchen sink was accidentally nudged by someone, splashing water onto the counter. By the time An Ye regained her senses, Chi Tuo had already lifted her up and placed her on another dry countertop. They were completely inseparable.

Chi Tuo’s breath was hurried as his hand, uncontrolled, reached into An Ye’s shirt, but he quickly stopped himself, pressing his forehead against hers to catch his breath.

An Ye’s breathing wasn’t any steadier. She didn’t have Chi Tuo’s self-control. Both her hands were already inside his shirt, and she wasn’t quite used to his sudden withdrawal. She let out a small sound and opened her eyes to look at him.

"Close your eyes!" Chi Tuo’s tone was very harsh, almost frightening, but it was muffled and lacked any real intimidation.

An Ye obediently closed her eyes this time.

She felt Chi Tuo let go of her and take a step back.

Her breathing was still rapid.

He leaned in again to kiss her forehead.

An Ye smiled slightly. He paused for a moment, then leaned in again to kiss the corner of her mouth.

This time, he didn’t pull away immediately. His hands moved aimlessly in the air, and with a sigh, he kissed her again.

His body drew closer.

This time, the feeling of aggression was stronger.

An Ye felt a wave of goosebumps when Chi Tuo’s palm covered the back of her neck.

This was the first kiss that had nothing to do with cameras and everything to do with An Ye as a person. She had never understood the physical entanglements between people, but in this moment, she found the answer.

She liked it.

She liked it a lot.

She wasn’t repelled at all by what might happen next.

In fact, she was almost looking forward to it.

In the end, it was Chi Tuo who stopped first.

The veins on his neck were standing out, yet he still let go of An Ye."I have to cook," he said, very seriously.

An Ye pretended not to notice his bloodshot eyes and his hoarse voice that sounded like it was about to give out, and she also pretended to ignore the reaction she couldn't overlook when he was so close to her.

"...I’m going to the bathroom." He clearly still wanted to come closer but, after taking a step forward, he retreated half a step.

An Ye's shoulder was already half exposed, her hair a mess, and her lipstick was almost gone, leaving just a faint pink stain at the corner of her mouth.

Before Chi Tuo opened the kitchen door, he quickly came over, pulled her in, and kissed her again.

This time, it seemed like it was just for the kiss.

"Is it because you didn’t prepare any protection?" An Ye couldn’t help but laugh; he had been standing still for quite a while.

"Shut up," Chi Tuo was already walking out but couldn’t help but turn back and point at her.

An Ye finally laughed. She picked up the half-eaten apple that she had left on the counter for the kiss and started nibbling on it again. It was really sour—he must have gone to some trouble to find such a sour apple.

Strangely enough, kissing Chi Tuo made her feel happy.

Every movement he made made An Ye feel at ease, that irresistible feeling, that care, and that longing that, even though he was trying very hard to restrain himself, still leaked through.

Old Bai was peeking around the corner. An Ye wrapped the silver cod and cowboy ribs that Chi Tuo had left on the prep table in plastic wrap and temporarily put them back in the fridge.

She had already forgotten how bad her mood was when she first walked in, only remembering how Chi Tuo looked when he was awkwardly covering up and panting.

"Chi Tuo, can you steam the silver cod instead of using sweet and sour sauce? I’m still cutting out sugar for a while," An Ye said while chewing the apple and walking out of the kitchen.

Chi Tuo: "…"

"It’s been fifteen minutes," An Ye’s voice was still loud. "Is it ready yet?"

Chi Tuo growled, "An Ye, shut up!"

His voice was also loud.

An Ye squinted her eyes with a smile, and when she saw Qi Wei’s call, she didn’t hesitate to answer.

"...You’re not online, are you?" Qi Wei paused for a moment after hearing An Ye’s laughing "hello."

An Ye paused, swallowed the apple, and asked, "What’s wrong?"

Qi Wei chose her words carefully and said cautiously, "Well, the matter of you and Chi Tuo announcing your relationship might need to be discussed again."