Substitute Bride's Runaway Bride 18

Then he leaned in, giving her no time to react, pressing his lips firmly against her luscious red mouth.

Chen Yao was stunned. "...?!"

The sudden wet, warm sensation on her lips and the man's handsome face filling her vision made her eyes fly wide open.

Xie Qingyan had clearly never kissed anyone before. His whole body was stiff, and he merely pressed his lips tightly against hers, with no further movement.

No, this was already way too much!

Snapping back to her senses, Chen Yao felt a surge of fury. She raised her small hand to slap him.

But Xie Qingyan caught her wrist in his grip, then even pinned both of her hands behind her back, forcing her to lean even closer into his chest.

Hateful! Bastard! Lecher!

Even if she didn't particularly care about her first kiss—not counting that time she fell into the water from the pleasure boat, that was mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, it didn't count.

None of it justified him forcing a kiss on her!

Chen Yao's thoughts were a jumbled mess. Her amber almond-shaped eyes were glistening, as if touched with moisture.

The sweet, fragrant scent of the girl's red lips made Xie Qingyan sink into it involuntarily, his usual noble and reserved demeanor evaporating.

His breath grew gradually ragged, and then, as if guided by instinct, he began to gently rub his lips against hers.

He lowered his eyelids, yet still felt unsatisfied, so he softly nibbled and sucked at her full lips.

Chen Yao gradually felt herself running out of breath. All she could inhale was his crisp, pine-like scent. She couldn't help but let out a muffled "mmph."

That was exactly the opening Xie Qingyan needed.

The man, who had only known how to clumsily rub against her lips with no idea what he was doing, seemed suddenly struck by inspiration. He slipped through the slight parting of her lips.

His arm around her waist tightened, and his tongue carefully explored every corner of her mouth, licking every inch without missing a spot.

In time, his initial fumbling and hesitation faded, leaving only raw instinct.

Xie Qingyan's tongue curled around hers with an unstoppable force, teasing and sucking at it relentlessly, leaving her not a single moment to catch her breath.

In the end, Chen Yao was only released after he had kissed her until she was completely limp, pressed against his chest, and she began to struggle frantically because she could no longer bear it.

The corners of her eyes were tinged with a flush of red, and her almond eyes were wet and glistening. She looked like a perfectly ripe peach, beautiful beyond measure.

"Smack."

Even though her hand was weak, Chen Yao still raised her palm and slapped him hard across the face.

The girl's strength wasn't much, to be fair, but Xie Qingyan still turned his head to the side to accommodate the blow.

After all, he had just... truly offended her.

"I will take responsibility for you," Xie Qingyan said. His normally gentle voice was now slightly hoarse.

"Lecher! Who wants you to take responsibility?" Chen Yao was absolutely furious.

She felt that her whole body was now like a wad of cotton, only able to lean weakly against his chest.

Especially with the faint tingling sensation on her lips, Chen Yao instinctively pursed them. But then she immediately remembered that Xie Qingyan had just kissed her, and she nearly spat out a few "pff, pff" sounds.

So angry that she wanted to slap him again.

"Be good, don't get yourself worked up," Xie Qingyan said, stroking her hair.

His gaze fell on a few loose strands of hair by her temple, and he even reached out to tuck them behind her ear—only to have Chen Yao slap his hand away.

Her brows furrowed, and she stared at him with a puffing, angry expression. "Don't touch me!"

Xie Qingyan wore a deliberately helpless look on his face, but as he watched the little kitten in his arms flail and claw, he could barely contain the faint smile in his eyes.

Judging from her reaction, although she was still upset, she wasn't entirely repulsed by his touch.

But it was indeed very late now, and tomorrow was still their wedding day.

Xie Qingyan softened his tone and coaxed her gently, "It's getting late, Yao... Yao Yao, let me take you back first."

"Who said you could call me Yao Yao?" Chen Yao said with a stony face, her focus drifting slightly. "We're not even close. You're not allowed to call me that."

But even as she shot off her sharp retorts, she didn't outright refuse his offer to take her back.

Xie Qingyan curved his lips in a quiet, subtle smile.

Chen Yao, meanwhile, was still thinking: her flawless escape plan had gone up in smoke because she'd been caught red-handed by the very person involved. It stood to reason that Xie Qingyan wouldn't let her run off now.

She'd just have to go back and think of another way.

She gritted her teeth. If the vicious supporting female character in the plot could successfully escape the wedding, there was no reason she couldn't.

Xie Qingyan simply assumed she was still sulking, and continued in a gentle voice, "Then shall I take you back from here?"

Chen Yao didn't answer, which he took as tacit agreement.

The next second, she heard Xie Qingyan say softly, "I'll hold you up. Don't be afraid."

Before she could react, she felt his hands grip her waist, and with a slight flex of his arms, he lifted her straight up.

Seeing her view suddenly elevated, Chen Yao's eyes widened in surprise, but the arms gripping her waist remained steady, and the flicker of fear that had risen in her heart quickly subsided.

Using her new height, she quickly reached out and grabbed the top of the wall.

Finally, she unceremoniously planted her feet on the man's shoulder beneath her, gave a light push, and landed back on the wall.

Chen Yao peered down into the courtyard. At any rate, there was a catalpa tree inside to land on, which was much better than the bare emptiness outside the wall.

So she turned her attention back to the crisscrossing branches, trying to figure out how to climb down.

"System, it's time for you to put that brilliant mind of yours to use," Chen Yao said with a smile.

System 04, which had just been let out of the timeout corner, replied, "...Fine."

It carefully scanned the area, then spoke up, "Pay attention to that thick branch growing diagonally to your right front—"

But before the mechanical voice could finish, Chen Yao suddenly felt a gust of wind brush past her ear for no discernible reason.

She turned her head and saw that Xie Qingyan, who had been standing below the wall, had also climbed up onto it with a few agile moves.

Chen Yao was speechless.

Was there any security worth mentioning at the Pingyuan Hou mansion? This wall was way too easy to climb!

But she quickly reasoned it out: perhaps this outer wall was specially left as a back door in the plot. Otherwise, given her character—a delicate young miss of a marquis's household—how could she have easily escaped the wedding?