Chapter 1604

Ye Heng'an's kiss was domineering, like a conqueror storming a fortress, as if determined to steal every last breath from her lips. Mu Nuan had only ever experienced a handful of kisses in her life, and all of them had come from Ye Heng'an. She was utterly defenseless against such an assault. Her legs turned to jelly, and she staggered backward—only for his arm to snap around her waist, pulling her tight against him. As the heat of the kiss threatened to cloud her mind completely, Mu Nuan knew she had to stop this. *This is wrong.* Summoning all her strength, she wrenched her hand free and slapped him—hard. In her panic, she hadn’t held back. The sharp crack of her palm against his cheek echoed in the air, and her fingers trembled in the aftermath. Desperate to hide her flustered state, she shoved against his shoulder, breaking free from his embrace. Finally, he let her go. She stumbled back a few steps, pressing a hand to her forehead as she sucked in a shaky breath. When she finally lifted her gaze to meet his, her voice wavered with barely contained fury. "You—you brought this on yourself! How dare you touch someone else when you already have a girlfriend? Anyone in my place would’ve done the same!" Ye Heng'an took a step forward, but she retreated twice as fast, cutting him off before he could speak. "From now on, stay away from me," she snapped. "Not one step closer." Without waiting for a response, she spun on her heel and broke into a run. He caught up in an instant, gripping her wrist, his expression grave. "Nuan Nuan—" She yanked her arm free, her voice icy. "Since you already called me 'sister' in front of your girlfriend, you might as well stick with it." "But I was just—" "Hannah," she interrupted sharply, her tone brittle. "Right now, I'm furious. I can't listen to a word you say. So don’t stop me. If you dare follow me again, I’ll drop out of school—and you’ll never see me for the rest of your life." With that, she shook off his grip and sprinted away. Ye Heng'an knew Nuan Nuan's temperament all too well—once she set her mind to something, she would follow through. He couldn't let her walk away like this. He raised his hand and lightly tapped his forehead, standing rooted to the spot in frustration. He had no idea how much time had passed when footsteps approached from behind, followed by Kang Yao's voice. "Brother Heng'an, why are you alone?" Before he could respond, she had already looped her arm through his. Ye Heng'an immediately pulled away, his gaze dark and stern as he fixed her with a glare. "Have I not told you before? Don’t touch me without permission. I *hate* being touched—even grabbing my clothes is off-limits. And who gave you permission to come to my school today? I already arranged for someone to accompany you while you’re traveling here. What exactly were you trying to achieve by showing up unannounced? Get out of my sight. *Now.*" Kang Yao frowned. That was… *harsh.* "Did Nuan Nuan dump you *again*?" "Don’t mention her," he snapped. "And don’t you *dare* pretend to be my girlfriend in front of her ever again. I don’t need that." With that, he shot her one last icy look before turning on his heel and striding away. Kang Yao pouted. *Some thanks I get for trying to help.* As she walked out of the school, she pulled out her phone and dialed a number. "Hey, Third Uncle, it’s me. Just wanted to let you know—your precious Ye Heng'an got dumped by Nuan Nuan *again*. He’s in a *terrible* mood, even yelled at *me* for no reason. Maybe you should step in and do something?" The voice on the other end remained calm. "Hannah has his pride. He wouldn’t want anyone meddling in his affairs. Don’t worry about it—just enjoy your trip." Kang Yao hung up. *Well, I tried.* Whatever happened next wasn’t her problem. Meanwhile, Mu Nuan had left the school and checked into a hotel suite alone, needing space to clear her head. No sooner had she entered the room than Xiao Qingqing called. Mu Nuan answered the call, and Xiao Qingqing's worried voice came through the phone, "Nuan Nuan, why haven't you come back to the dorm?" "I just needed some fresh air. Could you ask the counselor for leave this afternoon for me?" Xiao Qingqing nodded, then suddenly remembered the truth she had just heard from Kang Yao. She quickly added, "Nuan Nuan, there's something else I have to tell you. We might have misunderstood Ye Heng'an. That Kang Yao said she and Ye Heng'an—" The moment Ye Heng'an's name was mentioned, Mu Nuan cut her off sharply, "Qingqing, don't bring up that jerk right now. I have a headache. I need to sleep. I'm hanging up." Without waiting for a response, she ended the call. Xiao Qingqing's lips parted slightly as she listened to the dial tone, sighing in frustration. "Ugh, so close! Well, I guess it can wait until tomorrow." Mu Nuan took a long shower, washing away the exhaustion of the day before collapsing onto her bed, pulling the covers over her head. Life had always been smooth sailing for her—rarely had she encountered anything truly upsetting. Whenever she felt even slightly troubled, she would simply sleep it off. But tonight… sleep eluded her. She pressed her fingertips lightly against her lips, recalling the way Ye Heng'an had looked at her with such intensity earlier. Flustered, she smacked her forehead with her palm. That scoundrel had no moral compass—playing with one girl while eyeing another. She couldn’t let herself be dragged into his mess. She was determined to be a decent person, to never interfere in someone else’s relationship. Rolling onto her side, she began counting sheep. --- That evening, in a private room at the Ancheng Club, Nian Nian popped open a beer and handed it to Ye Heng'an. Ye Heng'an took it but didn’t drink, instead frowning at her. "Shouldn’t you be focusing on your studies? What are you doing here?" Nian Nian scoffed. "Like I *wanted* to come all the way here? Uncle called me and said you were having some romantic crisis. He asked me to come and cheer you up." "Advice?" Ye Heng'an took a swig from the bottle and let out a bitter chuckle. "Are you trying to talk me into giving up on your sister?" "Hey, I never said that. Who you chase is your business. I’m not just here as Mu Nuan’s little brother today—I’m here as your bro." Hearing this, Ye Heng'an sighed and mocked himself, "Tell me… am I just… annoying? Nuan doesn’t like me, and yet I still—ha, even I find myself irritating." "You wanna quit?" "If I could quit, would I have dragged it out this long?" Ye Heng'an shot him a glare. "There’s no way I’ll ever love anyone else in this lifetime." At that, Niannian clinked his bottle against Heng’an’s and took two hearty gulps before declaring, "I’m on your side. My sister might seem sharp about everything else, but she’s never been in love. She doesn’t even know what liking someone *means*, let alone love. She’s frustratingly dense. If you keep dragging this out, you’ll be waiting half your life just to get a taste. So… want me to give you a little push?" Ye Heng'an turned to him, intrigued. Niannian smirked mischievously. "How about this—just slip her something and take her to bed." "Are you—*insane*? She’s your own sister! I’d *never* hurt her." "See? Scared but still desperate. The world doesn’t hand out free passes, man." Niannian genuinely believed An’an was the right guy for his sister, which was why he was trying to nudge things along. But this guy treated Nuan like some priceless treasure—too afraid to push, too hesitant to act. Was he just supposed to figure it out on his own? Just then, another idea flashed in Niannian’s mind. "Hey, An’an… I’ve got another plan…"