Chapter 157: The Opposite of Hate is Like

Qin Mengxue was intoxicated, utterly mesmerized...

Beneath Xue Tian'ai's burning, passionate kiss, Qin Mengxue felt as though her soul had detached from her body, drifting upward toward the clouds...

She had never imagined that one day she would be locked in such a tight embrace, sharing a deep, passionate kiss with a man, nor had she ever dreamed that her very first kiss would be given away in this manner.

Huh?

What kind of feeling was this, exactly?

As her tongue was continually teased and invaded by Xue Tian'ai, Qin Mengxue's initially tense heart gradually relaxed, surrendering to that utterly irresistible domineering warmth...

Qin Mengxue's delicate body now felt weak and tingling all over, and she sensed a fierce, blazing fire suddenly igniting within her chest, heating her entire body.

This was a realm she had never touched in her twenty-three years of life, even though she had countless times witnessed men and women kissing in television dramas, movies, and on the bustling streets...

Yet when it came to experiencing it herself, the feeling was entirely different.

Qin Mengxue's soft lips and sweet tongue moved instinctively, her breathing grew somewhat rapid, and her mind slowly lost itself, wandering adrift in this sensation...

Suddenly, Qin Mengxue felt a sudden emptiness upon her lips, and the warm, masculine aura that had enveloped her receded away... This abrupt disappearance instantly stirred a profound sense of loneliness deep within her heart, making her feel utterly unaccustomed to the void.

Almost instinctively once again, Qin Mengxue's pretty little face leaned forward once more, desperately seeking to find and recapture the harbor that had just brought her warmth, happiness, and intoxication...

"Wife, do you want another kiss?"

Looking at Qin Mengxue, who was leaning forward again with her eyes closed, Xue Tian'ai wore a slightly triumphant smile at the corner of his mouth.

Qin Mengxue was unquestionably enticing right now; her flushed, lovely face bloomed like a radiant flower, radiating an extraordinary charm and allure throughout her entire being.

"Mwah? Huh?" Hearing Xue Tian'ai's question, Qin Mengxue hazily opened her eyes, staring in a daze at the familiar face right before her.

Looking somewhat silly and absent-minded, just like a little baby, she still lightly pouted her lips...

Xue Tian'ai fully appreciated this rare, rarely seen side of Qin Mengxue's beauty. A faint smile played at the corner of his lips as he asked again, "Wife, do you still want a kiss?"

This time, Qin Mengxue finally snapped back to reality. Her soul, which had soared to the heavens, seemed to return to her body as she shuddered violently. She hurriedly raised her delicate hands to cover her cherry lips, her face turning crimson as she retreated backward.

"You... you... you... I... I..." Qin Mengxue stammered, staring wide-eyed at Xue Tian'ai.

"That's right, Wife, we just kissed, you know..." Recognizing what Qin Mengxue wanted to say, Xue Tian'ai boldly and shamelessly voiced it for her with a wicked grin.

"Ah... ah..." Qin Mengxue's face grew even hotter, a sudden and intensely unprecedented wave of shyness exploding within her heart like a depth charge.

Even though Qin Mengxue's inner mind was already well aware of this established fact, hearing it spoken aloud by Xue Tian'ai was still super embarrassing...

Besides, that was clearly her first kiss—the first kiss she had guarded for twenty-three years—and now it had been stolen away while she was in a daze...

It shouldn't have been like this. It really shouldn't have been like this.

"You, why did you kiss me? You jerk, pervert, scumbag..." The bashful and indignant Qin Mengxue reprimanded him with a blushing face.

"Hey, Wife, are you being reasonable at all? You were the one hugging my neck and leaning in yourself. How on earth is that me kissing you?" Xue Tian'ai argued eloquently with an air of righteous confidence.

And indeed, that was pretty much how it had started. Qin Mengxue originally just wanted to bite Xue Tian'ai, and Xue Tian'ai merely wanted to dodge, who could have foreseen such an unexpected turn of events?

However, since the accident had already happened, if he didn't make the most of it, wouldn't that be a betrayal of his identity as a man? Letting a bargain slip by makes one a bastard—let alone the fact that!

If one doesn't take advantage of one's own wife, one is practically worse than a bastard!

"Then... then... but you still shouldn't have just kissed me directly... This was clearly, m... my first kiss... It was my first kiss, and just like that, just like that, you..." Qin Mengxue lowered her blushed face, which now resembled a ripe, honey-peach, and muttered softly.

Her strict upbringing from childhood had made Qin Mengxue an utterly conservative woman at heart. Although she usually dressed fashionably and looked glamorous, she remained deeply traditional.

A first kiss, while perhaps not of paramount importance in the eyes of some, was undeniably a major milestone for Qin Mengxue.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you took it so seriously." At this moment, the expression on Xue Tian'ai's face dimmed slightly, his tone filled with genuine remorse.

Lifting her head, Qin Mengxue caught sight of Xue Tian'ai's somewhat lusterless expression, and panic instantly flared in her heart...

Had she gone too far just now? Would Xue Tian'ai think she didn't want to kiss him? No, that wasn't it, that wasn't it at all...

Qin Mengxue merely wished her first kiss could have been a bit more romantic, a bit more memorable...

Furthermore, Xue Tian'ai hadn't even confessed his feelings to her yet, and yet he had foolishly snatched away her first kiss. She was only bothered by that aspect... She didn't hate it at all...

Huh?

Realizing this, Qin Mengxue experienced a sudden jolt of shock. She didn't hate it?

She didn't hate it?

Qin Mengxue's eyes widened slightly in astonishment as she stared at the despondent-looking Xue Tian'ai before her... She didn't loathe Xue Tian'ai at all...

Recalling the sensation of sharing that embrace and kiss with Xue Tian'ai moments ago, remembering how Xue Tian'ai had shielded her behind him multiple times in moments of danger, and thinking back to the intoxicating warmth of his embrace...

Ah...

The antonym of hate is like...

"Sigh, Wife, I'll go sleep on the living room couch tonight. I'll make sure to wake up tomorrow before Dad gets up, so I promise he won't suspect a thing." Watching the stunned Qin Mengxue, Xue Tian'ai let out a gentle sigh, then stood up from the bed and walked toward the door with somewhat heavy steps.

Seeing Xue Tian'ai's somewhat desolate retreating figure, Qin Mengxue felt her heart suddenly contract violently. She had a sudden, overwhelming intuition: if Xue Tian'ai walked out of her bedroom like this today, she would forever lose something she had grown to cherish...

It seemed her words just now had genuinely hurt Xue Tian'ai. It was all her fault. If she hadn't blurted out such thoughtless words, if she had only been honest enough to face her own heart, would Xue Tian'ai have been spared this pain...

In that case,

She just needed to be a little more honest, right...

Without hesitation, Qin Mengxue bounded straight off the bed, dashed directly toward Xue Tian'ai, and wrapped her arms tightly around him from behind. "Don't go to the living room! Just stay here in the room..."

The moment Qin Mengxue embraced him from behind, the corner of Xue Tian'ai's mouth ticked upward in secret, forming a triumphant smile of a successful plot.

Would Xue Tian'ai's feelings be hurt by Qin Mengxue's shy, faux-resentful reproaches?

How could that possibly happen?

He was the world's number one assassin, the Phantom Butterfly, the mythical Sky Wolf of the Huaxian Special Forces. There was no way he could be broken down so easily... Besides, judging by Qin Mengxue's responsive engagement during the kiss,

Xue Tian'ai could find absolutely no indication that Qin Mengxue harbored any dislike toward him.

As for why Xue Tian'ai had acted that way—playing hard to get, naturally. He was simply employing a strategy. Whether it was his earlier words or his facial expression, he had merely played a little trick.

After all, this wife of his could be rather tsundere at times, and being tsundere could easily ruin a lot of things...

Therefore, hehehe, for the sake of his future blissful married life, Xue Tian'ai decided to deploy some tactics. And this tactic seemed to be working remarkably well, with Qin Mengxue falling for it hook, line, and sinker.

"But, Wife, you must hate my guts right now, so I really should go stay outside for a bit," Xue Tian'ai said, turning around to look at Qin Mengxue with a melancholic expression.

Watching the expression on Xue Tian'ai's face, Qin Mengxue felt a sudden sense of heartbreak, and her complexion turned slightly pale. "No, I don't hate you. I definitely don't hate you."

"But didn't I just take advantage of the moment to steal your precious first kiss... I'm so sorry that your first kiss was given to someone like me."

Truth be told, if Xue Tian'ai were filming a movie right now, he would undoubtedly sweep every major acting award. His portrayal of vulnerability, distress, and low self-worth was executed to absolute perfection.

"No, absolutely not, I... I really don't, I don't hate you." Hearing those words, Qin Mengxue was so anxious she looked on the verge of tears.

"But..."

This time, Qin Mengxue didn't give Xue Tian'ai another chance to speak. She immediately stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against Xue Tian'ai's.

If the first kiss had been an accident, then this current kiss was entirely of Qin Mengxue's own free will. It was only the second kiss of her life, but it marked the very first time she had ever actively and voluntarily initiated a kiss with anyone—let alone a man.

The two lips, which had just separated moments ago, met once again...

As the soft, slightly cool sensation washed over his lips anew, a wave of subtle triumph naturally welled up inside Xue Tian'ai. Even so, he willingly matched Qin Mengxue's movements.

Unlike her earlier passive compliance, Qin Mengxue displayed a certain degree of assertiveness this time, as if she wanted to use this action to prove to Xue Tian'ai that she did not despise him, nor was she angry about him taking her first kiss.

Another prolonged kiss.

Finally, reaching the absolute limit of her lung capacity, Qin Mengxue reluctantly parted from Xue Tian'ai's lips. She lowered her tiptoes, her flushed face gently pressing against Xue Tian'ai's chest like a kitten.

"I... I don't hate you at all, Tian'ai..."

Gazing down at Qin Mengxue's tender, pitiful face, Xue Tian'ai decided it was time to put an end to the playful deception. He instantly dropped the act and switched back to a victorious grin. "Geez, Wife, you should've just said that sooner, hahahaha."

"You aren't mad at m—" Qin Mengxue raised her face to look up at him, seeking confirmation.

Only to find Xue Tian'ai smiling down at her, his face brimming with triumph. The sudden, dramatic shift in expression—rivaling a face-changing performance in traditional opera—left Qin Mengxue momentarily dazed...

"You scared me to death! I was actually thinking of comforting you by saying that human lip cells regenerate every day, so every kiss is technically a first kiss. But it turns out you don't hate me at all, hahahaha..." Xue Tian'ai chattered excitedly, showing not a single trace of the melancholy he had feigned moments before.

At long last, Qin Mengxue pieced everything together. Yes, indeed—she had completely overlooked Xue Tian'ai's acting prowess...

This jerk!!

He had played tricks on her again! And here she was, foolishly worrying that she might have hurt his feelings... Only to find out this jerk was just acting the whole time... Unbelievable!

Though, come to think of it, it made complete sense. Given Xue Tian'ai's usual carefree and brazen attitude, how could he possibly be hurt by something like that?!

Qin Mengxue's expression grew increasingly vivid, her once-flushed cheeks slowly darkening with fury...

"Xue... Tian... 'ai!!"

"Hmm? What is it, Wife? Do you want another kiss? I wouldn't mind going for a third round..."

This time, Qin Mengxue didn't waste any more breath. She lunged straight at Xue Tian'ai and bit down hard on his neck!!

"Aargh!!" Xue Tian'ai never could have guessed that he still wouldn't escape the fate of being bitten in the end... Dammit, he had let his guard down; if he had known, he should have kept acting a little longer...