Chapter 5 I'm Innocent

Why can't I get close to him?

She wasn't lacking in endurance; she just blushed easily.

Coming back to her senses, Mist grabbed Charles's sleeve, steadying his body as he tried to retreat. "I care about fairness."

"Hm?"

"I didn't kiss you as long as you kissed me this morning, so now you have to return the favor."

Charles had intended to dodge her approaching face, but seeing the little tomato getting closer and closer, he didn't struggle and simply closed his eyes.

Who could resist a cute, beautiful little tomato with watery eyes, especially one that had been kissed by him?

Clearly, Charles couldn't.

The touch of their lips made Mist feel both numb and soft. Although she was the one who initiated it, the moment their lips touched, she became weak and couldn't control the rhythm. Instead, she kept licking Charles's lips with the tip of her tongue.

It was like a little snake poking its head out of the red tomato, constantly flicking its tongue.

Charles's mind went blank as she teased him, thinking that this wasn't her being unsatisfied, but rather him being tortured.

He pressed her head back, and they kissed firmly.

Her tongue was sucked by his heated lips, and the touch of their noses made their first kiss awkward. But neither of them seemed to care. Instead, they focused on absorbing each other's warmth.

With Mist, Charles had a direct understanding of the term "greedy cat."

Noticing that she forgot to breathe due to excitement, he stopped, pulling away. But instead of calming her breath, she only looked at him.

She clung to his sleeve tightly, chasing his lips for more kisses.

It was sticky and overwhelming.

Charles lazily leaned against the backrest of the sofa, smirking as Mist practiced kissing on his lips. When he felt their kiss was beginning to change, he pressed her lips down.

Mist, who had been thoroughly enjoying the kiss, was suddenly stopped and gave Charles a look of frustration as if she wanted to hit him.

The more she acted this way, the more Charles thought stopping her was the right choice.

"My body can't accept a woman I don't love."

Mist, "..."

It was like a line from a movie, and Mist's muddled brain cleared up a lot.

She thought it might be one of Charles's mental quotes, but when her gaze fell on the movie playing, she saw it was "The Lover" with Tony Leung, and she realized it was a line from the male lead in that movie.

Whether it was a classic movie quote or not, using it at this moment felt confusing.

"Charles, is something wrong with your body?"

Mist glanced at his legs hidden behind a cushion. She really couldn't understand-was she such an unappealing girl? Any straight guy with normal taste should not reject her at this moment.

She could feel he had feelings for her.

With feelings for her, and yet still acting like this-it was really off-putting.

"Did you not feel anything when you touched me here just now?"

Charles raised an eyebrow, completely unshaken by Mist's attempt to provoke him.

"Who knows if it's just for show and can't be used..."

Before Mist could finish her words, Charles pinched her cheeks, stopping her from saying anything impure. He felt it was necessary to explain his philosophy on love to her.

"If you're only after my body, those actions earlier are the result of your efforts these past few days. Don't come around me again if that's all you want."

Charles paused. The kiss earlier wasn't part of his plan.

He didn't mind that Mist was his friend's sister, but because of Mist's age, he believed they should have more of an ambiguous period.

He had imagined a pure love scenario, where holding hands happened when they accidentally brushed arms during a movie, defining the relationship after a month under fireworks, and the first kiss being a shy peck at the top of a Ferris wheel.

He planned a love story that fit her age, but he couldn't resist how forward and eager Mist was.

Accelerating their relationship with a kiss didn't mean other things should follow suit.

"I know I'm charming, but you have to control yourself. You can stare at me and drool, but your hands and feet need to stay where they should, until I think we're ready for the next step."

When Mist heard Charles tell her to control herself, she briefly felt guilty.

She never expected Charles, with his appearance and personality, to be so pure.

As an adult man with limited mobility, he shouldn't be like a teddy bear, according to what people say on the internet.

She had originally thought about skipping a long-term friends-with-benefits relationship and instead suggesting something casual and shallow, but she never expected Charles to state his thoughts so clearly.

Looking into his squinted eyes, she suddenly felt cold.

"You probably don't follow the entertainment industry, but I'm an actor."

Mist should have given up by now, but recalling all the effort she had put in, she couldn't help but make one last attempt. "Although I'm not very famous now, I'm going to focus on my career in the film industry. I'm only 18, and I can't have a public relationship. Work comes first, and I won't spend too much time on romance."

Charles looked at Mist with a strange expression.

He had never expected Mist to say such a thing.

After the tour ended and his contract was over, he didn't have the pressure of having a public relationship, but Mist's words seemed to suggest... Charles narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out if he had missed something from Mist's expression.

After a long pause, combined with his memories of their time together, he finally realized something. It wasn't that he didn't care about the entertainment industry, but she didn't either. Her behavior didn't suggest she knew who he was at all.

It wasn't some fan falling in love with their idol, nor was it a scenario of a girl secretly crushing on her handsome older friend.

Charles glanced down at his legs. She might actually think he was someone who could never stand up.

So, she was interested in his face?

Was she in love with him at first sight?

She hadn't mentioned her brother before, so he thought she was pretending not to know, trying to keep things natural between them. But now he realized she wasn't pretending; she truly didn't know who he was.

"So?"

Swallowing the complex emotions, Charles started to analyze what Mist's words meant, "So you want me to be your secret lover? A pet that you keep at home, and only play with when you're free?"

Seeing the way Charles curved his lips didn't suggest he was in a good mood, Mist dared not confirm that he had already figured her out.

She wasn't planning on playing with him; she just wanted to touch him, not pamper him.

"I didn't mean that."

An excellent male actor usually had eyes full of affection, while a female actress had that innocent, clear look. Mist pursed her lips and used her acting skills to the fullest, "I'm just afraid you might not feel enough love from me. I have no experience. You're the first man I've noticed, and I don't know if I can give you what you want."

Seeing that Charles's expression seemed less frightening because of her words, Mist sighed in relief. "And besides, you're older than me. Why should I comfort you? Shouldn't it be you comforting me?"

"Age doesn't give you an advantage here."

She was the one who wanted a secret relationship, not him. So, of course, he wasn't going to pamper her.

Charles glanced at Mist, who had curled up on the sofa with a pitiful expression. He felt torn-he wanted to tease her but was afraid of pushing her too far.

"Go home. Let's both think about this."

He didn't dislike Mist's pure, no-strings-attached feelings, but it left him with a complicated mood.

He wondered how unnoticeable he must be to make her so oblivious to him.

After speaking, seeing that Mist was still reluctant to leave, Charles flicked her forehead to snap her out of it.

"Mist," he paused, staring into her hazy eyes, "I'm very pure."



Go to hell!

After getting home and calming down, Mist thought about Charles's self-assessment and couldn't help but curse in her heart.

What kind of narcissistic peacock would say they're pure?

Crazy.

The wheelchair not only confined his body but also made his mind go crazy.

After cursing for a while, Mist realized she was angry because she had been rejected. She had to accept that not everyone would want her, even though she was a beauty.

She scratched out Charles's name in her mind, not feeling in the mood to find another man.

Failure made her shy.

She had once thought all men would take a pretty girl, but Charles was so cautious and serious that it made her wonder if she was too morally corrupt, too driven by animal instincts, letting herself indulge too much.

The most important thing was that after kissing Charles, she felt physically normal again. Right now, lying in bed, thinking of Charles, she felt like gritting her teeth, not dry-mouthed and lustful.

The next day, at the audition, she encountered several decent-looking actors, and Mist realized her body being normal after the kiss wasn't a coincidence.

Had it been before, she would have been weak in the knees and blushing, staring at them intently.

But now, her heart was calm, and her body was not stirred.

Could Charles's saliva have some kind of magical effect?

"Mist, are you auditioning for this role too?"

The audition was in groups of five, and when Shirley saw Mist in the waiting room, her smile immediately dropped. "Why didn't you say you were here? If you're here, what's the point of auditioning?"

Because of Shirley's words, the waiting room fell silent for a moment, and all eyes were on Mist.

Mist raised her head. She and Shirley worked at the same company but weren't close. Seeing the outfits, they were auditioning for the same role.

"Why can't I audition just because I'm here?"

"Who has better resources than you?"

Shirley said angrily.

She had joined the company before Mist. When Mist played the role in that campus movie, Shirley had also wanted the role, but after the audition, the unknown Mist got the part.

If that movie had bombed, it would have been fine, but it became a huge success, with a box office of billions.

She had long heard that some high-level people in the company were supporting Mist, otherwise, how could a newcomer get such a good role?

"Then should I leave?"

Mist didn't care about the whispers around them, not planning to explain anything. She simply stepped aside to let Shirley pass.

"Why should I leave?"

"Don't you know you have no hope? Then what are you still doing here?"

Mist tilted her head innocently. "Are you staying here to be my backdrop? So I can witness your failure?"

Seeing Shirley speechless with anger, Mist dropped her pretentious expression. Was she really such an easy target to bully? She had already taken a hit from Charles, but she wasn't going to let some random person push her around.

Fuck everyone!