Chapter 35: Chapter 35 I want to kiss you

    “Can we skip this pose?” Huo Xingzhou really couldn’t stand to see her so troubled, so he asked.

    The photographer’s face was resolute as he shook his head, “That would undermine the integrity of my work, the wedding photos are a series after all! Plus, your parents have already signed the shooting agreement in advance. I have the final say on anything during the shoot!”

    How could he let go of such excellent shooting material so easily!

    Du Juan nodded, “Xingzhou, this photographer was specially booked by me, very professional! His photos have won many international awards.”

    It’s just that he’s a bit of a diva!

    Other places treat their customers like gods, but he just throws his weight around. The customers all have to listen to him.

    ...

    That’s the confidence of a top-tier photographer.

    Qiao Xi tugged at his suit sleeve, “Mr. Huo...”

    She was so embarrassed.

    If she had to kiss him passionately in front of the elders, she truly wished she could find a hole to crawl into.

    “It wouldn’t be too much to ask for a clear set, would it?”

    The man’s voice was like spring frost falling on snow, the chill of ice over a lake.

    “Big brother! Don’t do this!” Huo Sijiao wailed; she had been ready to record a short video as a keepsake.

    With lips pursed in amusement, Du Juan said, “Sijiao, let’s go outside.”

    “Mom!”

    “Let’s go.”

    With one hand, Du Juan pulled her daughter, and with the other, her husband, as they left. The photographer also had everyone else leave, leaving behind only the assistant who was helping out.

    The inside of the studio suddenly became much quieter.

    “Qiao Xi, look up at me.”

    With a low voice, Huo Xingzhou said, “They’ve all left.”

    Qiao Xi looked up at him, her spine straight, her limbs tense.

    “I can’t,” she said, filled with grievance.

    “You can.”

    Huo Xingzhou’s eyes were dark; that night she had been full of passion.

    “It’s a temporary solution,” he added. “After the shoot, grandma would probably want to see our wedding photos too. Later, I’ll have the photographer send the originals to your phone.”

    Qiao Xi bit her lip and nodded.

    Her eyes were clear, looking trustingly at Huo Xingzhou. Only he knew he had a guilty conscience.

    Who could force him to do something he didn’t want to?

    “No more whispering. Groom, I’ve cleared the room for you!” The photographer clapped his hands, “Ready, you kiss your kisses, and I’ll capture them. I’ll say stop, and then you stop.”

    He adjusted his camera, focusing on them.

    Huo Xingzhou’s fingers touched her cheek, and he gazed at her delicately featured face, like shimmering autumn water reflecting the sunset glow, her lips full and radiant.

    Du Juan gave them a few words of caution.

    Huo Xingzhou nodded in response and left the photo studio with Qiao Xi. The other three trailed behind, and suddenly Huo Sijiao spoke up, “Actually, my sister-in-law doesn’t look like herself with makeup on, she’s much prettier.”

    Du Juan frowned and warned, “Jiaojiao!”

    Huo Sijiao quickly stuck out her tongue apologetically and hid behind Huo Jiancheng with a flattering smile.

    ...

    Inside the speeding car.

    The dim space.

    Ambiguity grew rampant, wild.

    Once it was quiet, the image of that intense kiss easily surfaced in her mind. Qiao Xi unconsciously licked her lips, recalling the kiss was numbingly sweet, delicious.

    Huo Xingzhou rested his hands casually on either side, his peripheral vision occasionally falling on her.

    Suddenly, he lowered the divider between the front and back seats, turning off the lights in the car and plunging it into total darkness.

    “Mr. Huo?” Qiao Xi voiced her confusion.

    “Little Divine Doctor, the medicine you prescribed works too well,” the man’s voice was low and husky.

    Qiao Xi was clueless.

    The man leaned towards her, lowering his voice, “I want to kiss you.”

    “Mr. Huo...”

    “Little Divine Doctor, help me out here,” he said, the words held between his lips as he pressed down, embracing her soft body.

    The side effects of the tonic.

    The after-effects of the wedding photo shoot.

    Between a man and a woman, the atmosphere said it all. Willing or not, one glance revealed the truth.

    He knew she too was affected by hormones, so he seized the opportunity.

    Men are creatures of cunning and overreaching.

    The two kissed passionately in the pitch-black space, loath to part. The flash of streetlights passing by the car windows momentarily illuminated their enraptured faces, deepening their descent.

    The sound of car horns, the noise of passersby, the loud hawking of advertisements in the square, and the subtle smacking sounds inside the car.

    Nine at night.

    The car stopped in front of a small villa.

    Qiao Xi pressed her swollen lips together, straightened her clothes, and said with feigned calm, “Mr. Huo, I... you don’t have to add the herbs next time.”

    “I feel I haven’t fully recovered yet.”

    Qiao Xi, overwhelmed with embarrassment, replied, “Too much is as bad as too little. Your legs are healed, everything else will follow,” and besides, he wasn’t lacking.

    After the impulse subsided, tranquility returned.

    Huo Xingzhou said, “Okay, I’ll listen to you.”

    He knew exactly how to measure and balance, giving and taking in turns.

    He would give her a break this time.