127: Start - 3

"Snap."

The main light went out instantly, leaving only the neon lights of the city outside the window and the cold moonlight to shroud the room in a hazy and ambiguous semi-darkness.

After his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Jiang Ye saw that "little mound" begin to wiggle restlessly.

The quilt was slowly, bit by bit, pulled back.

By the dim light, he saw clearly what was under the quilt, and his breath suddenly hitched.

Ye Cheng had already taken off the hotel bathrobe and changed into an outfit he had never imagined would appear on her body.

It was an extremely thin, almost transparent black lace bodysuit; the delicate hollowed-out patterns barely covered the vital parts, but only added to the temptation.

The silky material clung tightly to her fair skin, outlining the young girl's raw and moving curves.

Her long legs were slightly pressed together due to nervousness as she knelt on the soft mattress.

Her half-dry hair was draped over her shoulders, her face was flushed with red, and her eyes dodged his, completely not daring to look directly into his gaze that was so hot it seemed like it was about to ignite.

Jiang Ye felt his blood rush to his head in an instant, and he could no longer look away.

"W-what are you looking at!"

Ye Cheng felt uncomfortable under his gaze, her hands instinctively wrapping around her chest. "Isn't this the... Tribute you wanted?"

"..."

Jiang Ye didn't speak, he just stepped forward and stopped a step away from her.

The air was filled with the fresh scent of the two having just bathed, mixed with an indescribable, alluring hormonal scent.

No matter how stupid or inexperienced he was, at this moment he realized with absolute clarity that the preparations the girl before him had made were far more than just a simple "display."

Even the boldest "Fan Service" could never reach this level.

The only possibility was... "Ye Cheng?"

"Hmm?" Ye Cheng lifted her eyelids and shot him a quick glance.

"That 1 million..."

Jiang Ye hesitated for a moment before finally asking, "I... you... why?"

Ye Cheng was stunned for a moment, as if she hadn't expected him to ask such a "mood-killing" question at this juncture.

She bit her lower lip and gave a light huff, trying to hide her inner turmoil with a typical "Ye Cheng-style" answer:

"Right! So don't overthink it! I'm just... showing you to encourage you... to... make money! So you can... sooner..."

"..."

Jiang Ye looked at her quietly without speaking, his gaze deep, as if he could see through all her disguises.

Under his gaze, Ye Cheng's forced composure quickly dissipated.

She turned to look at the hazy night scene outside the window, and the hands that had been protecting her chest earlier slowly dropped as she sighed softly:

"Jiang Ye... I feel like our first time..."

She seemed to find it difficult to speak, pausing for a moment before continuing:

"I don't want it to become a... transaction. Maybe you think I'm ridiculous and naive, since it clearly is a transaction... but, at least tonight, let it just be... Ye Cheng and Jiang Ye, okay?"

After saying these words that were almost a confession, Ye Cheng seemed to have exhausted all her courage. She reached out and gently, tentatively, took hold of Jiang Ye's hand hanging by his side.

Jiang Ye looked at her, and his heart felt as if it had been struck by something, sour and soft, with an indescribable palpitation.

He thought that between him and Ye Cheng, things always revolved around that "Cashback System" and the "Support Agreement," a naked monetary relationship.

He had even grown accustomed to their mode of interaction where they calculated against each other and undermined each other, yet were strangely harmonious.

But he never expected that in the heart of this seemingly casual, sharp-tongued, and money-loving girl, there was such a pure, even somewhat idealistic persistence regarding feelings and their "first time."

She trusted him.

Not trusting how much money he could give her in the future, but trusting him as a person.

She was willing to hand over her most precious thing before the "transaction" was fully completed.

Simply because she hoped their beginning would be pure, untainted by any other factors.

Jiang Ye gripped her hand back and gently stroked her burning cheek with his other hand.

Ye Cheng's body trembled slightly, and she instinctively nuzzled into his palm.

"Ye Cheng..."

Jiang Ye gave a light chuckle, lowered his head, and slowly leaned in. "Thank you."

This time, there was no Trash Talk, no hesitation, and no comparison of "Original vs Peach"; there was only heartfelt cherishing and desire.

Ye Cheng watched his face enlarge before her eyes, saw her own reflection in his eyes, and saw his unprecedentedly serious expression. The last trace of tension and unease in her heart quietly dissipated, and she slowly closed her eyes.

When his lips finally fell, gently covering hers, a strange and intense palpitation instantly swept through her entire body.

Soft, warm, and carrying his unique scent.

The kissing technique was unrefined, even a bit clumsy, but every touch was incredibly real and scorching hot.

This kiss was very light at first, very soft, carrying trial and tenderness, like a butterfly skimming over a petal.

But soon, like a single spark starting a prairie fire, the passion suppressed for over twenty years was completely ignited, and at this moment, it surged out like a flood breaking through a dam.

Jiang Ye's arms wrapped around her slender and soft waist, pulling her tightly into his embrace.

Ye Cheng responded unrefinedly; her initial stiffness gradually melted into his passion, and her arms unknowingly climbed up his neck, her fingertips sinking into his half-dry hair.

Her response was like a silent encouragement, making Jiang Ye's kiss deeper, hotter, and more... lingering... (Omitted)... The snow-white sheets sank slightly, and the moonlight outside the window moved quietly, casting a silhouette of a couple embracing tightly onto the wall.

In the silent room, only the most primitive rhythm and the truest emotions remained, surging and colliding.

On this Christmas Eve night, certain important moments finally arrived.