Chapter Four: The Kiss Experiment

Meanwhile, Chenxing's wound on Zhiwei's palm had healed, and sixty thousand yuan had vanished from Jiming's account. Each missing ten thousand made the six glow. “The shop is settling accounts,” she said. “Rejecting Jiming's manufactured desire heals Chenxing. Jiming's financial loss slows Zhou Lin's death. These aren't three lines. They're a circuit.” She asked Jiming to imagine a sports car, a wedding, and a kiss. The first two did nothing. At the third, the room heated. Chenxing's glass cracked, Zhou Lin's six bled, and Zhiwei tasted dark chocolate. “Stop.” The heat vanished. “That wasn't your kiss. You imagined me kissing Chenxing.” “Sharing desires doesn't mean I enjoy publishing them.” “Jealousy is a desire,” Chenxing observed.