Chapter 193: Chapter 84: Prima Donna of the 1960s Song and Dance Troupe (23)

"I may not have planned on getting married before, but that doesn’t mean I’m not a man. I can’t just be a perfect gentleman and remain completely unfazed while holding you!"

Xia Zhaoyun’s face was beet red. She didn’t dare move, but her eyes blazed with fury. Gritting her teeth, she hissed, "Huo Tianhao, you—you’re being a hooligan!"

Huo Tianhao glanced at her and continued treating her other hand. Seeing her palm, which was practically a bloody mess, he got so angry he flicked her on the forehead. "What did you do to yourself? Acting like you’re not the one who’s in pain."

"That’s right. I am being a hooligan. What about it?"

"You’re allowed to tease me relentlessly, but the moment I do something about it, it’s suddenly too much?"

He didn’t bother hiding the thoughts that had been plaguing him for days and admitted it outright. "Comrade Xia Zhaoyun, do you have any idea what a devastating effect your looks, your voice, and even your little schemes have on a man?"

"The first time we met, I couldn’t get you out of my head. The second time, I didn’t want to leave you. By the third, I already wanted to make you mine. Hmm, if we were following the typical script for a blind date, we’d be at the point of discussing marriage by now."

"Oh, right," he said, pinching her chin. His calloused fingers gently stroked her smooth, fair skin. He let out a soft chuckle and casually dropped a bombshell. "You also stole my first kiss. Kun was there; he witnessed you taking liberties with me. So, are you going to keep denying your drunken assault and refuse to take responsibility for me?"

Huo Tianhao was a man of action. He had scented a prize, coveted it from afar, and then discovered it was right on his own doorstep. After going through a whole series of emotions typically reserved for a hot-blooded youth, he made his decision: he was going to take a bite. The only prize that was truly yours was the one you’d already snatched up.

Now that he had a target, he had a clear goal to work toward. He would use any means necessary, be it coaxing or trickery, to make his prize willingly leap into his grasp.

Xia Zhaoyun was dumbfounded.

She had no experience with being drunk, and her memory of that day was fragmented. She never thought that instead of being the one taken advantage of, the alcohol had given her the courage to take advantage of someone else!

Seeing his dead-certain expression—he had a witness, a time, and a place—Xia Zhaoyun felt a pang of guilt. She glanced from side to side, her expression twisting as she sucked in a sharp breath from the pain.

Huo Tianhao shot her an exasperated glare. "So you feel the pain now. Why didn’t you think to go a little easier on yourself earlier?"

"You’re only tough on yourself, aren’t you? Going at it so ruthlessly... who’s the one suffering in the end?"

"From now on, you need to be tougher. If someone wrongs you or bullies you, you give it right back to them on the spot. You’ve got me to back you up, so what is there to be afraid of?"

A tremor went through Xia Zhaoyun’s heart.

Everyone always said she’d been a strong-willed girl since she was young. But what woman doesn’t want to be cherished, to have someone who has her back, someone who tells her not to be afraid of anything and to just let loose and do as she pleases?

She’d never had that. She had always lived cautiously, because the moment she dared to stick her neck out even a little, what awaited her was a "mixed doubles" beating from the Song Family couple.

Because she had never experienced such treatment, it struck her all the more deeply, and she found herself craving it.

Her eyes continued to dart about. "Brother Hao, in what capacity would you be backing me up?"

Huo Tianhao finished cleaning her wound. ’I’ll have to go to the infirmary later for a bottle of antiseptic,’ he thought. ’It’s too hot; wrapping it in gauze will just make it get infected.’

He pulled a key ring from his pocket, took hold of her "paw," and began to clip her nails.

"Don’t," Xia Zhaoyun said quietly. "I worked so hard to grow out my nails..."

"Be good. You can grow them out again later. With the way things are now, anything can be used as leverage against you and blown out of proportion." Huo Tianhao glanced at her, and seeing her yield with the pitiful air of a small animal, he couldn’t help but chuckle. "You look beautiful with or without long nails."

As far as Xia Zhaoyun could remember, this was the first time anyone had ever clipped her nails for her. The feeling was both thrilling and tender.

This time, she hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol, yet she felt completely intoxicated.

Huo Tianhao kept his head down, carefully clipping her nails. "A man like me has never waited on someone like this before," he said softly. "So you tell me, who am I to you?"

"You’ve made your intentions for me so obvious. If I didn’t make a move in return, wouldn’t I seem completely clueless?"

"I’ll be honest with you, I’m a fan of making pretenses a reality. You’re the one who forced your way onto this ship, and there’s no getting off now. The only difference is whether you agree to it happily or reluctantly."

Xia Zhaoyun’s eyes went wide. She poked his smooth forehead with her free hand. "You are such a scoundrel!"

"I—That was just a temporary solution!"

Huo Tianhao chuckled. "And what about my first kiss? How are you going to answer for that? Or, I could just kiss you back, and we’ll call it even. You can’t just take advantage of me and expect me to act like I was the one who benefited, just because I’m the man, can you?"

The heat on Xia Zhaoyun’s face refused to subside as she struggled to evade the topic, unwilling to concede:

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