The Truth About Kissing: Young People, Play It Smart with Science Crazy Hamster

Inside the Xia family villa.

Inside the server room was an eerie silence. Setting aside the constantly roaring graphics cards and CPUs, the room was terrifyingly quiet. Xia Tongxin stared at the surveillance footage, completely dumbfounded.

"Miss? Miss, are you alright, Miss?" the head maid asked uncertainly.

The surveillance footage was currently frozen on the scene of Dongfang Zhixia tightly hugging the little secretary, who had just woken up from a coma, and crying softly. Everything seemed to be heading in a good direction.

A grand, happy ending?

Uh, at least not for Ye Cheng and Xia Tongxin. Ye Cheng was currently being held tightly by the newly awakened little secretary's two little paws, with no intention of letting go.

Ye Cheng was already wearing a mask of pain on his face, trying his hardest to defuse the bomb and successfully slip away without disturbing the two of them as much as possible.

But this was simply impossible.

His previous bomb defusal had already failed once. He had just managed to pry the little secretary's paws off, but the next second, the little secretary started screaming at the top of her lungs, sounding the air raid siren and activating the automatic function to summon the President.

Ye Cheng was stuck here now, not daring to make any big movements. He could only constantly give the little secretary hints with his eyes. Unfortunately... the little secretary wasn't very smart and didn't understand what he meant.

The Hamster remained silent, blindly clutching her superior tightly.

Ye Cheng: "..."

As he silently put on the mask of pain once again, over by the surveillance monitor, the head maid also wore a mask of pain, along with Xia Tongxin...

Exactly what Ye Cheng did before the little secretary woke up remained a question mark. Even from the god's-eye view of the surveillance camera, it couldn't be seen clearly.

They could only make a rough guess and fill in the blanks with their imagination.

For example, Xia Tongxin was currently imagining Ye Cheng hugging and kissing the little secretary non-stop, and then successfully waking her up using the classic plot from Sleeping Beauty in a standard fairy-tale ending!

Why? Grandpa Cow was hers, why!!!

At a visible speed, Xia Tongxin's eyes quickly became bloodshot... she wouldn't rest in peace!

Staring blankly at the scene before her, feeling like she couldn't catch her breath, the head maid sweated. After snapping back to reality, she hurriedly blocked the view, preventing her young miss from watching any further.

This kind of cruel scene was still a bit too early for their young miss; she wouldn't be able to handle it.

"But wuwuwuwu..."

With the video feed cut off, Xia Tongxin finally came to her senses. Her tears flowed disappointingly. She memorized the current appearance of the little secretary, this Evil Dairy Cow Demon, and resolved to take fierce revenge!

"Miss, it's hot in here, let's go out first." As the head maid hugged Xia Tongxin, she realized that the girl's back was already soaked with sweat.

Her own situation wasn't much better; she was also dripping with fragrant sweat. The temperature in the server room was simply too high.

The head maid's decision-making authority and veto power came into play at this moment. Regardless of whether Xia Tongxin was willing or not, she was forcibly carried out of the server room by the head maid. This place had already become a land of heartbreak.

They couldn't stay here any longer, or there would be problems.

Moreover, for the head maid, leaving now didn't mean missing out on this exciting part; it just meant waiting a while. Once she settled her young miss, she could still come back and watch the replay.

The only thing certain was that Ye Cheng was out of luck today, and she, as his teammate, had also failed in her duty...

"Sigh." The head maid sighed softly, feeling that she had betrayed Ye Cheng's trust. She felt inexplicably uncomfortable in her heart and was already thinking of ways to compensate him.

But... the premise was that Ye Cheng had to survive tonight first.

Head maid: Promise me, survive, okay!

Ye Cheng remained silent, merely wearing his mask of pain...

...

Midnight.

Without any warning, Shen Qinghan, who had fallen asleep lying on the bed in the hospital room, woke up. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, and her vision was still a bit blurry. She propped herself up and looked around.

The window was open, and gusts of cool wind blew in from outside. It was precisely these gusts of cool wind that had woken Shen Qinghan up.

Before, when Ye Cheng hadn't left, lying on the bed could help Shen Qinghan block the cool wind coming in from the window. Now that he had run off, the cold wind mercilessly blew against the eldest miss.

Tick, tock, tick...

The only sound that could be heard in the room was the faint ticking of the clock hanging on the wall. Shen Qinghan's calm gaze was firmly locked onto the clock.

It had been almost half an hour since Ye Cheng left. The hospital bed was still empty; he hadn't returned yet.

Very decisively, Shen Qinghan got up, preparing to go out and look for Ye Cheng. Suddenly, another gust of cool wind blew over. She subconsciously shivered, sneezed, turned back, grabbed a blanket from the bed, draped it over herself, and walked outside.

Heading towards... the direction of the men's restroom.

Tap, tap, tap. The sound of footsteps stopped. Shen Qinghan looked at the sign indicating the men's restroom at the door, took out her phone, turned on the flashlight, shined it inside, and decisively walked in.

Half a minute later, Shen Qinghan came out of the men's restroom and went to the women's restroom.

As for why she went to the women's restroom...

Because the opponent was Ye Cheng, so even the women's restroom couldn't be spared. Ye Cheng would randomly spawn anywhere. If there was a dry toilet or some open-air toilet, the eldest miss, who had gotten up in the middle of the night to find someone, would probably go in and see what was going on...

A person without fear!

Coming out of the restroom, Shen Qinghan held her phone and called Ye Cheng.

A few dozen meters away, in the little secretary's room, the heavily modified premium phone stuffed in Ye Cheng's pants pocket vibrated without warning and started ringing, accompanied by a very imposing notification sound.

"The eldest miss is calling!!!"

"Beep beep beep..."

"The eldest miss is calling!!!"

Ye Cheng: "..."

This inexplicably imposing ringtone shattered the beautiful and peaceful atmosphere in the hospital room. In front of him, Dongfang Zhixia, who had been softly sobbing while hugging the little secretary, stopped and let go of her.

She turned her head, looked at Ye Cheng, and the scene froze, a glance that spanned ten thousand years.

Ye Cheng: "..."

This delicate appearance of Dongfang Zhixia was a rare sight in the mortal world. Although it was a bit inappropriate, she was indeed excessively beautiful. Her eyes were red, and tiny teardrops hung from her long eyelashes, teetering on the verge of falling...

"Ahem... well, President, can I take a call?" Ye Cheng braced himself and spoke.

He was already prepared to be scolded.

"Answer it. Come back after you're done; I have some things to say to you," Dongfang Zhixia said softly. Her voice carried a unique hoarseness from having just cried, giving off a very special feeling.

An inexplicable gentleness subconsciously gave Ye Cheng an illusion that the person standing in front of him wasn't the President, who was fiercer than a dog, but rather a fully realized married woman of many years.

Su Su.

Comparing the mother and daughter, there had always been a slight difference in vibe, but now this feeling matched perfectly.

What had been missing was that kind of tolerance and sentimentality that could only be honed through the passage of time...

Dongfang Zhixia was too young. Usually, she was more arrogant and domineering, or to put it harshly, even aggressive. Not denying the past, but at this moment, Dongfang Zhixia was gentle, restraining all her aggressiveness and arrogance.

The sharp, edgy blade had turned into a soft handkerchief, gently brushing across the heart.

She had yielded. At least for this moment, Dongfang Zhixia didn't want to compete with Shen Qinghan for superiority; she didn't want to put Ye Cheng in a difficult position.

At this moment, Ye Cheng felt as if he had seen an angel. To think that the President actually had such a gentle side!!!

Impossible, absolutely impossible!

Impossible as it may be, right now he had to answer his phone, otherwise the Eldest Miss would beat him into the shape of a little bear biscuit later. He didn't even need to think to know that the Eldest Miss was calling to interrogate him.

The agreed-upon time had already passed, and yet he still hadn't returned.

Ye Cheng took out his phone and was just about to walk outside when he suddenly felt a strong pulling force. The little secretary was holding onto Ye Cheng for dear life, using all her strength with both hands.

Ye Cheng: "..."

Hamster, what are you doing?

Dongfang Zhixia was taken aback. Only now did she notice that the little secretary's hands had been tugging at Ye Cheng all along. No wonder she felt as if something had just brushed right past her chest...

"Mengmeng, be a good girl and let go first," Dongfang Zhixia spoke softly, persuading the little secretary to release her grip.

The little secretary nodded.

Ye Cheng felt a burst of joy in his heart. Great job, Hamster, at least you have some conscience!

And then... things remained exactly the same, without the slightest intention of letting go.

Ye Cheng: "???"

Dongfang Zhixia: "..."

"The Eldest Miss's anger is stacking up, you are so dead!"

At the one-minute mark, the personalized ringtone on Ye Cheng's phone automatically upgraded, turning into a danger warning.

Ye Cheng: "..."

Damn it, Hamster!

Dongfang Zhixia seemed to notice some clues. Her expression changed for a moment as if she wanted to verify something. She gently grabbed the little secretary's hands that were tightly holding onto Ye Cheng, applying a little force to separate the two.

They didn't budge an inch.

Dongfang Zhixia: "???"

Since when did their little idiot have so much strength?

Dongfang Zhixia's eyes carried a hint of surprise and shock. Having raised her for so many years, this was the first time she realized her little idiot was hiding such a trick up her sleeve?

Finally, under Dongfang Zhixia's efforts, she successfully pried off one of the little secretary's hands. She breathed a sigh of relief, but before she could even celebrate, the other hand that had been pried off immediately grabbed back on.

Ye Cheng: "???"

Dongfang Zhixia: "???"

"Bro, commendable courage. The Eldest Miss's anger is fully stacked, get ready to become a little bear biscuit!" The phone's prompt voice upgraded once again, becoming even more dramatic!

Ye Cheng: "..."

Ye Cheng didn't dare to delay any longer. Biting the bullet, he answered the phone right there in the hospital room: "Um, Eldest Miss, if I said I was a little constipated, would you believe me?"

"..."

Shen Qinghan on the other end of the phone fell silent for a moment before finally speaking: "Where are you right now?"

"The restroom." Ye Cheng lied without blushing or skipping a beat.

"You are not there," Shen Qinghan said.

"I meant the men's restroom," Ye Cheng went all out.

"I know," Shen Qinghan replied in a flat tone.

Ye Cheng: "???"

"Actually, I meant the women's restroom," Ye Cheng braced himself and changed his story again.

Shen Qinghan: "I checked there too."

Ye Cheng: "???"

Eldest Miss, you...

Tap, tap, tap. Footsteps approached as Dongfang Zhixia walked over and took Ye Cheng's phone: "He is with me, stop asking."

One sentence directly ended the slightly anxious conversation. Ye Cheng's hanging heart finally died. Great, he didn't have to become a little bear biscuit anymore; he was going to be turned directly into dumpling filling!

Woohoo!!!

Ye Cheng silently put on a mask of pain. Since things had come to this... he would attack the Hamster first!

Damn it, Hamster, don't think you can hide just by keeping quiet, you ungrateful little wretch!

Ye Cheng's fine virtue of bullying the weak and fearing the strong was displayed once again. He aggressively walked toward the little secretary, who was still tugging at him and refusing to let go, looking as if he was ready to settle the score.

Hamster, let me tell you, I am very furious right now, very angry, very... huh?

As Ye Cheng walked over, the little secretary hugged him, all soft and squishy...

Ye Cheng: "???"

Not good!

Striking preemptively, huh? I didn't see that coming, Hamster. Scamming me once wasn't enough, you actually want my life, damn it!

Ye Cheng, whose rage meter had been fully stacked and was ready to unleash a flurry of punches, suddenly deflated. His face turned several shades paler, instantly shifting from a state of great fury to sage mode, becoming incredibly calm.

Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and his heart pounded wildly. He glanced toward the President not far away, who was still on the phone confronting the Eldest Miss... Thank goodness, she wasn't looking this way.

"Let go, Hamster, I order you to let go!" Ye Cheng lowered his voice.

"No," the little secretary finally spoke.

Ye Cheng: "???"

You mother...

Provoking me, are you?

Ye Cheng's strength was far from ordinary; standing at the peak of human limits, it was simply not something a tiny Hamster could contend with. He easily pried off the little secretary's hugging hands and pinned them against the bedboard!

"Hamster, you're fired!" Ye Cheng said viciously.

The little secretary blinked her eyes, looking up and down at something. First, she looked at Ye Cheng, then at herself, and finally at their current actions and posture...

Her baby-fat cheeks turned flush red, and a hint of shyness entered her clear, foolish eyes. She puckered her lips...

Mwah mwah~~~

Ye Cheng: "???"

Ye Cheng's heart skipped a beat. He abruptly looked behind him, and upon seeing that Dongfang Zhixia was still on the phone, he breathed a sigh of relief. He hurriedly pinched the little secretary's puckered lips, turning them into a little duck beak.

The clear foolishness in the little secretary's eyes turned into confusion. Her small face was still flushed red, looking incredibly cute.

"Hamster, I freaking beg you!" Ye Cheng was about to cry. He knew the little secretary was dumb, but he didn't expect her to be this dumb. What was she doing?

The little secretary muttered something as if trying to speak. Ye Cheng frowned and released his pinch on the little secretary's duck beak.

"Just now... wasn't it just like this..." The little secretary's tone was full of shyness, her voice so small that one almost had to lean against her ear to hear it. However, Ye Cheng's ears were quite good, allowing him to skip that step.

He heard it loud and clear.

Just now?

Oh... so that's how it is.

Ye Cheng looked speechless, pinching the little secretary's face as if kneading dough: "You little kid, watching all sorts of messy things all day long. Is this what you're talking about?"

Ye Cheng released one of the little secretary's pinned hands. Then, using the little secretary's slightly chubby paw, he squeezed out a crease, confirmed it was fine, and then pressed it against the little secretary's mouth.

A kiss appeared just like that.

"Hamster, this is what you meant, right?" Ye Cheng said.

The little secretary looked dazed, as if her worldview had collapsed. It was indeed this, but... why was it different from what she had imagined?

That's not how it happens on TV... It's really not...

The little secretary felt incredibly wronged. The gap between fantasy and reality was just too wide, and she couldn't quite take it for a moment. She now harbored an indescribable feeling toward Ye Cheng. She wanted to get close to him, just like her young miss who hugged him every day, but... it also felt somewhat different?

Ye Cheng's train of thought and angles of approach were always incredibly novel. Otherwise, he wouldn't have thought of using the little secretary's favorite TV drama tropes combined with the sound effects of pocket money rewards as a double-pronged method to stimulate her brain.

Jokes aside, he was a staunch materialist. The trope where someone could "come back to life" just from a kiss was way too absurd and not scientific in the slightest.

Young people navigating society need to rely on science and logic. When a brain enters a dormant, deep sleep state, what it needs is sufficient stimulation directed at the right targets, not some bullshit kiss...

Please, let's stick to science, okay? (He tapped his temple with a finger.)

Ye Cheng threw his hands up, looking at the dazed little secretary as if she were an idiot. "Hamster, you're still too... Mmph???"

The little secretary's eyes filled with "ferocity" as she pounced, pinned Ye Cheng to the floor, and kissed him with all her might!!!