Chapter 20.1: Qian Heng and I? ? Kissed? ?

The moment she plunged into the water, Cheng Yao finally got her wish—she saw Qian Heng’s normally composed expression shatter. He frowned, seemingly unprepared for the sudden turn of events. His eyes widened in disbelief, and then, together with Cheng Yao, he fell into the lake.

Cheng Yao knew how to swim, so as soon as she hit the water, she let go of Qian Heng, intending to climb back onto the boat first and then pull him up afterward.

Unfortunately, she hadn’t accounted for how freezing the lake water would be in November. She had barely paddled a few times before a sharp cramp seized her leg.

That’s it. This is it. The heavens truly envy the talented…

That was Cheng Yao’s last thought as she sank.

The water was too cold. With her leg cramping, she couldn’t move, couldn’t swim back up. She could only watch helplessly as the light above the water grew more and more distant. She had managed to hold her breath, but as she sank deeper, pressure built in her chest. The last bit of air she had left was about to run out. If this continued—

If this continued, she would drown.

No matter how optimistic Cheng Yao usually was, fear gripped her. The icy water wrapped around her like a pair of cold hands, suffocating her, crushing her. The lack of oxygen, the pressure, and the terror of drowning overwhelmed her, making her struggle instinctively.

She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t cry for help. She couldn’t escape.

It was as if she was walking the edge of death itself. True, visceral fear seeped into her very core.

She screamed in her mind— Someone, save me!

Save me…

Just as Cheng Yao’s consciousness was about to slip away, just as she was on the verge of suffocating, a pair of hands, moving through the water in gentle ripples, lifted her up.

And then, a pair of cool lips pressed against hers.

As she hovered on the brink of drowning, someone breathed life back into her.

The water was dark, and the sting of the lake made it impossible for Cheng Yao to open her eyes. She couldn’t see who had come to her rescue—she only instinctively clung to them.

Their arms were strong and firm. Even though the surrounding water was icy cold, Cheng Yao inexplicably felt safe and secure. They carried her upward, breaking through the surface at last.

As fresh air filled her lungs and warm sunlight hit her face again, Cheng Yao nearly burst into tears of relief. But when she turned to thank her rescuer, she found herself staring at Qian Heng’s face—his strikingly handsome profile mere inches away.

His expression was as grim as ever. Droplets of water dripped from his still-wet hair. His sharp nose bridge remained as perfectly sculpted as when she first met him, so flawless that it made people wonder if it had been enhanced. Droplets clung to his long eyelashes, and his thin, sensual lips were lightly pursed…

Wait. Lips…

So just now, underwater…???

Sure, it was just to transfer air…

But… my boss and I… mouth to mouth…

I… kissed Qian Heng???

It was like being hit over the head with a hammer. The sheer horror of this realization completely short-circuited Cheng Yao’s brain. A moment ago, she had been freezing cold from falling into the water, but now, she felt like she was on fire. Her entire face burned.

How was she supposed to face Qian Heng after this?!

Cheng Yao had no idea how to deal with this toxic boss of hers anymore.

What to do?

Forget it! Play dead!

Even though she had already regained consciousness, she chose to keep her eyes shut. The scene was just too much—she simply didn’t dare look.

Luckily, it seemed Qian Heng wasn’t looking at her either. He wrapped an arm around her with one hand while gripping the boat with the other. Their commotion had drawn the attention of the park’s safety staff, as well as the other lawyer teams. Before long, Cheng Yao and Qian Heng were pulled back onto the boat.

The surroundings were noisy, filled with people chattering away.

A male lawyer asked urgently, “Is Lawyer Cheng okay? Should we call an ambulance?”

“Is she still breathing? Maybe I should try CPR—I’ve been trained in first aid.”

Amid the chaos, Qian Heng was the only one who remained completely calm.

“Do you have dry towels?” he asked.

“Yes, yes! Here!”

Taking two towels from the park staff, Qian Heng began drying his hair with one. With the other, he simply tossed it toward Cheng Yao.

Unfortunately, it landed directly on her face.

“Lawyer Qian, how can you just throw it at her face like that?! She’s still unconscious…”

Faced with a chorus of complaints, Qian Heng remained as composed as ever.

“Drop the act. Get up.”

With the towel covering her face, Cheng Yao couldn’t see him, but she could hear his footsteps approaching. And then, right above her head, came his cold, matter-of-fact voice.

“…”

Cheng Yao continued playing dead.

“Cheng Yao, if you keep lying there, are you hoping to take it a step further and have me give you CPR again?”

The moment Qian Heng finished speaking, an astonishing scene unfolded before everyone’s eyes. The lawyer who had seemed barely alive just moments ago suddenly threw off the towel covering her face and sprang up with remarkable agility.

…

“Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?” Cheng Yao blinked in feigned confusion before quickly adding, “Oh, right! I just fell into the water! I only just woke up—I was unconscious before.”

After a moment’s thought, she clumsily tried to reinforce her lie. “Yeah, I blacked out the moment I fell in.”

Qian Heng crouched down and stared directly into Cheng Yao’s eyes.

She instinctively avoided his gaze, only for him to reach out, lift her chin with a single finger, and turn her face back toward him, forcing her to meet his eyes.

From the very first time she met Qian Heng, Cheng Yao had known that he had an incredibly captivating gaze.

She just hadn’t expected that even after falling into the water, dripping wet as he was, there wouldn’t be a trace of dishevelment on his face. He still exuded the imposing presence of someone in a position of power—handsome, sharp, and impossibly refined.

Cheng Yao felt her face heat up uncontrollably. Her eyes flitted around nervously, her heartbeat quickened, and even her fingertips trembled slightly.

Qian Heng let out a cold chuckle. “Blacked out?”

“Don’t remember?”

Maintaining his grip on her chin, he leaned in closer, his voice laced with mockery. “Do you need me to remind you what happened?”

With his movement, the collar of his bathrobe, already slightly open, loosened further, revealing a glimpse of his defined chest muscles from Cheng Yao’s angle.

She didn’t want to admit it, but she had to concede—Qian Heng had an insanely good physique. So good that she suddenly felt Qin Qin wasn’t wrong when she joked that he was worth a million…

Even when she was drowning, Cheng Yao hadn’t felt as suffocated as she did now. As Qian Heng drew closer, she instinctively shut her eyes.

Nothing happened.

Opening her eyes again, she found that Qian Heng had already straightened up and was looking down at her with an amused smirk.

“Cheng Yao, just what were you thinking?”

“…”

“Are you awake now?”

Cheng Yao’s face instantly turned red. She lowered her head, flustered, and gave a hasty nod. She must have hit her head when she fell into the water—there was no other explanation for her brain short-circuiting like that!

Since they were both drenched, they were sent to a hotel room within the scenic area to dry off.

It was a family suite with two separate bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, and a shared living room.

After taking showers and changing out of their wet clothes, they both put on the bathrobes provided by the hotel.

When Cheng Yao finished drying her hair and stepped into the living room, she found Qian Heng already sitting on the sofa, his usual cold and aloof demeanor intact.

He glanced at her briefly and said, “Your year-end bonus will be reduced by 20%.”

Cheng Yao was stunned. “Why?!”

“For insubordination.”

Cheng Yao: ???

“You fell into the water and dragged your boss down with you—10% deduction.” Qian Heng pressed his lips together. “Then, you took the opportunity to sexually harass your superior—another 10% deduction.”

“Me??? Sexual harassment???”

“Oh?” Qian Heng raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you just remember everything that happened in the water?”

Cheng Yao completely abandoned any pretense of composure. “But in the water, you were the one who kissed me first!”

“If you hadn’t fallen in, would I have needed to do that to save you?”

“But we’re neither married nor blood-related! There’s no legal obligation between us! Even if you let me drown, it wouldn’t be against the law! You could’ve just let me die instead of giving me mouth-to-mouth!” Cheng Yao was exasperated. “No matter how you spin it, you were the one who acted first! I didn’t force you! How is it fair to deduct my bonus?!”

Qian Heng let out a cold chuckle. “Legally speaking, I had no obligation to save you. However, since you were attending this matchmaking event as part of work, this counts as overtime. If you had drowned, it would have been classified as a workplace injury. I would’ve had to compensate you for it. Could I really afford not to save you?” He narrowed his eyes. “In the end, this means you indirectly took advantage of me and engaged in sexual harassment.”

“I—”

“One more word, and it’ll be a 30% deduction.”

Cheng Yao glared at this capitalist exploiter but wisely chose to shut her mouth.