That day, when Wei Ziqi came back, he was in a very bad mood. His face looked terrifying, and just like tonight, he was drinking, though much more than this.
He had a bullet graze on his arm, and by the time she came over, he was already so drunk he couldn't think straight. He pulled her over and held her through the night.
Wei Ran furrowed her brow slightly, not wanting tonight to end up like two years ago.
Two years ago, she didn't understand anything about the opposite s*x. Though she wasn't entirely clear now, she could at least recognize the attraction of the opposite gender.
Back then, she was naive, unaware of the differences between men and women, and didn't understand what it felt like to have her heart race for a man.
Now that she was older, she knew better than to get too close to men.
But when she saw Wei Ziqi's frustrated expression, something compelled her to reach out and touch his cheek.
She had never touched a man's face before, and the sensation startled her, causing her fingertips to tremble slightly.
His skin was incredibly smooth, almost unbelievable, but the area around his lips and chin was a bit rough, due to the stubble.
The stubble made it impossible for her to touch the skin underneath, and all she felt was the prickling sensation of his facial hair.
Strangely enough, after living in the Wei family for eight years, she had never officially addressed Wei Ziqi by name.
She didn't know what to call him. At one point, she tried calling him "Young Master Qi," like He Yuanfang did, but he didn't like it.
"Don't call me that anymore!" he had said, with a hint of anger.
After that, she didn't know what else to call him, so she simply stopped calling him anything.
When she wanted to get his attention, she would silently tug at his clothes.
What she didn't know was whether he ever noticed that she had never addressed him properly.
Wei Ziqi raised his left eyebrow slightly, as though surprised by her boldness.
Wei Ran, startled by her own action, immediately tried to pull her hand back.
Before she could withdraw her hand, Wei Ziqi, who was close to her trembling shoulder, understood her intention.
"Don't move, just leave your hand there," he commanded.
Wei Ran bit her lip, struggling to suppress the strong, uncontrollable heartbeat that was hammering against her chest, wanting to burst out.
Her face turned red, but her hand obediently stayed on his cheek.
She just didn't realize that a hint of rebellion she didn't want to show had slipped into her eyes.
That little rebellion amused Wei Ziqi. The frustration in his eyes faded, replaced by a touch of interest.
He looked up, and with his right hand—no longer holding the glass—he reached out and pinched her chin.
"You're sixteen this year," he said in a certain tone.
"Mm," Wei Ran responded briefly.
"Sixteen—" Wei Ziqi narrowed his eyes slightly, "Exactly the age when one begins to understand and realize they're attracted to men."
Wei Ran opened her mouth but said nothing.
"Do you have a boy you like at school?" Wei Ziqi asked casually.
Without realizing it, Wei Ran furrowed her brows. For some reason, a youthful but clean and handsome face flashed through her mind.
And for some unknown reason, she shook her head and said, "No."
Wei Ziqi's gaze suddenly became sharp, like a knife stabbing into her face.
Wei Ran held herself back from frowning, but her cheek still ached under his intense gaze.
Wei Ziqi squeezed her chin, forcing her lips apart.
Her heartbeat became erratic, and facing his displeased look, it felt as if he could see right through her thoughts, as if he knew what she was hiding.
Wei Ziqi's anger was barely contained, and it even showed on his face.
His thumb, which had been pressing on her chin, moved upwards along the subtle line in her chin, which was hardly noticeable. It finally settled on her bottom lip.
His thumb pressed into her lip, making it sink down, and the surrounding area of her lip turned pale.
Then, he pressed on her bottom lip, pulling it outward. Wei Ran furrowed her brows in discomfort and lowered her hand from his cheek, shaking her head in protest, trying to pull away from his playful touch.
But Wei Ziqi's index finger suddenly hooked her chin, pulling it downward, causing her to bend closer to him.
He pressed down on her bottom lip and said, "So, no one has touched you here, right?"
Wei Ran's eyes widened slightly, shaking her head in anger.
Of course, no one had!
"Your first kiss..." Wei Ziqi murmured, laughing lightly, "It's so precious."
Before Wei Ran could even wonder why Wei Ziqi suddenly said such a thing, her lips were suddenly covered.
His hand that had been holding her chin moved to the back of her head.
The kiss came so suddenly, so shockingly, like a thunderclap hitting her brain, leaving Wei Ran frozen, forgetting how to react.
Even her lips were stiff, not responding to his kiss at all, only feeling the weight of his lips pressing against hers—firm yet soft.
By the time she snapped back to her senses, the world had already turned upside down.
Her body was pinned to the bed by Wei Ziqi, his heavy form pressing down on her, making her sink deep into the mattress.
Wei Ran froze completely, completely unprepared for this. She had never expected that this man, whom she both revered and feared, would suddenly pin her down and steal her first kiss.
She had been in his arms many times, so she wasn't unfamiliar with his embrace.
But now, with her whole body trapped in his arms, his solid chest made her feel a completely unfamiliar sensation.