She froze, not even realizing when his tongue pried open her clenched teeth. She simply stared with wide eyes at the magnified face in front of her.His kiss was uncontrolled, more like an instinct, a release, a demand. He devoured her lips as if wanting to consume them entirely, causing her pain. She thought of biting down hard like they do in TV dramas, biting his tongue until it bled, or slapping him hard.But in the end, she remained still, just watching his lips leave hers, watching him hold her and rub his face against her cheek, listening to him say, "Vivi, don't fall in love with anyone else."From that day on, she entered a cold war with him.No more talking to him, no more going to school together, and definitely no visits to his house. In short, she treated him as if he were invisible.Asher's temper became volatile, easily provoked by the slightest things. After a few days, even her mother tried to persuade her daughter to reconcile with Asher.But it was Asher's mother wh
The campus recruitment event drew special attention this time due to the participation of Four Seas Corporation. However, they were only recruiting for positions in interior design, which led many students from other majors to complain. Many students in Vivienne's class were eager and meticulously preparing various application materials. On the day of the recruitment event, undergraduate and graduate students, and even some doctoral students, flocked to the campus. It was quite crowded, and Julian pulled Vivienne towards the Four Seas Corporation's booth. "Julian, I'll wait for you here," Vivienne said. "Well, even though the competition is fierce at Four Seas, it's better to give it a shot than not try at all," Julian mistakenly thought that his friend was worried about this and comforted her, "In anything you do, it's better to have tried and failed than to regret not having the courage to try. At least you won't regret it in the future." In an instant, Vivienne felt a moment of
"Okay, sure!" Julian glanced at Vivienne's pale face and decided not to press further. He simply said, "I'll grab lunch from the school cafeteria and bring it to our dorm later.""Thank you," Vivienne replied.Turning around, Vivienne headed towards the dormitory building. She hadn't expected to see Declan today. Seeing someone she was once familiar with, someone she had buried deep in her memories, resurfaced felt like slowly unraveling that forgotten chapter of her life.Due to the job fair, the area near the dormitory building was unusually quiet. Suddenly, Vivienne halted her steps. On the open space in front of the dormitory stood a tall figure, standing with elegance, right hand in the pocket, and left hand hanging by his side. Even his posture exuded grace.Unconsciously, Vivienne's gaze drifted towards his left hand. Long, slender fingers adorned with a silver ring on the middle finger.As if he noticed her gaze, those narrow, profound black eyes turned towards her direction,
Vivienne couldn't believe that Asher would appear at the school, let alone throw a punch at Ezra in the next moment. Boom! The sound of bones colliding echoed abruptly in Vivienne's ears. Ezra staggered back two steps before regaining his balance. A trickle of crimson blood escaped from the corner of his lips, snaking down his jawline and dripping onto the back of his hand. Slowly lifting his head, Ezra stared at Asher. It had been years since anyone dared to strike him like this. Those who had once laid hands on him did not end well. Vivienne was filled with shock, her gaze fixated on the blood staining Ezra's lips. The female students who were passing by the dormitory building had also halted their steps, astonished by the scene unfolding before them. "She's not someone you can touch," Asher said to Ezra expressionlessly. "Is that so?" Ezra squinted slightly, then suddenly smiled. Wiping the blood off his lips with his fingertip, he looked at Vivienne. "Vivienne, the one who fi
Vivienne pulled Asher all the way to a secluded spot near the school gate before coming to a stop. She turned around and looked at him. His hair was slightly disheveled, and his face and knuckles were slightly swollen. His fair skin made the swelling even more noticeable. There were stains of blood on his pristine white shirt, and she couldn't tell if it was his or Ezra's."Don't get into fights like earlier ever again," she said. She had never expected him and Ezra to meet under such circumstances, let alone start fighting.He remained silent, just staring at her with red, watery eyes, as if tears were about to fall at any moment. Images of him shedding tears in front of her flashed through her mind. When they were young, he would cry frequently because he couldn't find her, despite his hollow and cold demeanor towards others. During her childhood, she spent more time at his house than her own.As they grew older, he cried less and less, except for that one time during their cold war
Asher suddenly embraced Vivienne tightly. "Okay, I'll wait, but Vivienne, don't test my patience. My patience only lasts for 62 days," he said in a cold yet clear voice, as if issuing a final ultimatum.Vivienne's body stiffened, feeling cold sweat on her palms and soles of her feet. "You're trembling," he remarked.Only then did she realize that her body was trembling."Is it because of the cold or fear?" he asked.She was startled and looked up at him. His eyes were still red, but the anger and resentment that were once there had now transformed into a probing gaze."Why are you asking like this?" she felt her throat starting to feel dry."If it's fear, then it's not allowed. Many people are afraid of me, but you, you can't be afraid of me." He didn't care about others' fear, avoidance, or resentment, but the thought of her being afraid of him was unbearable.With that thought in mind, his arms gradually tightened.Her spine faintly ached, and her chest was forced to press tightly a
"Is this where you usually stay?" Vivienne asked, realizing that this place was probably just his solitary dwelling. "Yeah," Asher replied, "but I also go back to the ancestral home once a week." "Don't you watch TV normally?" she curiously asked. He nodded. "So, what do you do when you're free?" "Zone out," he said. Vivienne paused for a moment, "Just zone out?" Asher nodded again, seemingly considering this answer to be perfectly normal for him. Despite being the CEO of a corporation, he lacked any interest in anything. Earning money, to him, was merely a mechanical motion, a way to pass the time until he could be with her. If he had free time, he preferred to stay still, reminiscing about the moments he spent with her. Vivienne's heart suddenly felt a tinge of bitterness. Even though Asher had been diagnosed as essentially cured when he was thirteen, able to live, work, and study like a normal person, he was still somewhat different compared to ordinary individuals. And th
The cashier dared not speak again and quickly found change for Vivienne.Asher pulled Vivienne out of the pharmacy. He was tall with long legs, walking briskly, and she almost stumbled as she hurriedly jogged to keep up with his pace."Don't walk so fast, slow down!" she couldn't help but shout.But he didn't stop, he kept walking.It wasn't until her foot tripped on a stone on the ground that he finally stopped, catching her body and preventing her from falling.She regained her balance and looked up at him. His expression still seemed cold and icy, and even though she was slow to catch on, she could tell he was angry."Who is your boyfriend?" he abruptly asked."What?" she was taken aback, but she saw him take another step forward, getting closer to her, bending down to stare at her. "Who is your boyfriend?" he repeated, his voice icy cold.His eyes, deep and beautiful, with pitch-black pupils, were like ancient wells with no bottom, easy to get lost in once you stared into them."I