Don‘t Run！You Kissed Me First！

"After marrying me, quit your job, bear me a plump son. Daughters are merely a loss,"

Brandon pronounced with overweening pride.

Elle eyed her matchmaking partner. A balding, corpulent man nearing forty.

Her stepmother, Emma, must be desperate to marry her off.

Brandon had initially disapproved of Elle’s dark, smoky makeup, yet couldn’t deny her slender figure. Stripped bare, he presumed, she would be quite delightful.

He queried, "Elle, how tall are you?"

Elle stirred her coffee and replied nonchalantly, "5'6"."

"That suits my 5'11". Though you’ll have to tiptoe to kiss me, I will stoop."

However, he looks like a 5'8".

Elle, with a flick of her heavy-lidded, remarked, "You seem to have a bit of a misconception about your height, Brandon."

Brandon’s eyebrows creased in displeasure, "What do you mean by that?"

At that moment, a tall and imposing man entered the cafe.

Elle caught sight of him and approached with an impish glint in her eye.

"Handsome, would you assist me in demonstrating?"

Curtis’s face darkened.

Before he could refuse, Elle seized his tie and planted a swift kiss on his lips…

"Now you see? You must reach his height to warrant a tiptoe kiss!"

-

Enraged and embarrassed, Brandon said,

"Shameless! How can you just kiss a stranger like that? You shall find no suitors!"

That would be ideal!

If Emma knew how she pissed him off today, she might stop finding her any bizarre men.

Elle scoffed and watched Brandon go. She then waved in gratitude to the man who came to her aid.

"Sir, thanks for your help. "

Yet as she turned to leave, her wrist was seized.

A deep voice reached her ears.

"You think you can kiss me and just walk away?"

An imposing face struck her gaze with a charismatic intensity.

He exuded a dangerous aura with his hair neatly groomed.

She haphazardly chose the tallest man within her field of vision, not even noticing his features.

Now, upon closer inspection, this gentleman is strikingly handsome, with an air about him that is unmistakably extraordinary.

Elle’s brow furrowed slightly.

"What do you want?"

Curtis’s gaze upon her was intensely grim as he poised to speak.

His assistant Charles interrupted, "Sofia’s flight was forced to return due to severe weather. She won't be able to make it to the engagement party."

The situation was grave to Curtis.

If the engagement party doesn't go smoothly, his grandfather may...

Curtis, still being single around 30, provoked Carl's heart condition. Carl needed to undergo a transplant surgery immediately to save his own life.

If Curtis is not engaged today, Carl will refuse to undergo the surgery.

Sofia, merely a pretense to appease his grandfather, was now unavailable…

Elle, still held firmly by Curtis, spoke impatiently, "Excuse me, sir? May I be released?"

Curtis eyed her with a trace of amusement.

"Since you have presented yourself, you can replace Sofia."

Charles regarded Elle with disdain.

With her smoky makeup and unkempt appearance, how could she possibly match Curtis?

"But Curtis,"

"The choice is made," Curtis declared.

With no room for protest, Charles went silent.

Elle inquired cautiously, "What do you mean? Sir, what do you intend to do with me?"

Curtis delivered a chilling pronouncement.

"You will take responsibility for your actions."

Take responsibility?

Elle’s expression bordered on incredulous.

"A kiss and you want to punish me? I gave my first kiss away, without expecting you to account for it!"

Raising an eyebrow with intrigue, Curtis asked, "Your first kiss?"

Elle let out a regretful sigh. "Indeed, I kept it nearly twenty years. "

This young lady surely possessed an undeniable spirit.

Curtis’s demeanor returned to calm, "Take her."

Immediately, Elle found herself bundled into a luxury car…

Qaaki.

Full Moon Manor.

A grand engagement party was underway for Curtis.

"Who will be the lucky girl to stand by Curtis’s side?"

"Surely she must be a lady of impeccable lineage and beauty. "

"Look, it’s Curtis! Such dashing looks…"

"But who is that girl beside him? Curtis's fiancee? No way..."

Against the expectation of the crowd, Curtis, arrived with an avant-garde girl.

The ceremony host began to spoke,

"Good evening everyone, welcome to Curtis’s engagement party."

Elle stood reluctantly in the spotlight, with a tumult of emotions thundering through her mind.

Yes, she harassed him. He could sue her, and she would accept the judgment.

But now, why would he choose to get engaged to her?

The expressions of the guests varied below the stage.

"Is that Curtis’s fiancee? She looks like a gangsta!"

"She should be an elegant and beautiful lady, not a monster."

"Curtis’s taste is indeed unique…"

Elle had deliberately dressed like this to scare off Brandon.

Yet Curtis seemed utterly indifferent to her image being ridiculed.

To be precise, he was also unconcerned about his tastes being questioned, appearing detached like an outsider.

Under the discerning gaze of the guests, Elle brazenly exchanged engagement rings with Curtis.

The host then announced they were engaged now.

Although the audience found it difficult to appreciate Elle, out of respect for Curtis, they applauded.

-

Descending from the stage, Elle just wanted to flee.

But she was surrounded by three lavishly dressed women blocking her path.

"Which family do you come from?"

"How did you dare show up like this?"

"You are not worthy of standing by Curtis."

Elle nonchalantly circled past, intent on ignoring them.

But they obstinately obstructed her way.

Out of patience, Elle glanced disdainfully at their opulent dresses. "You’re all dressed appropriately, but none of you had won his heart."

"…"

The three were daughters of powerful families and had never faced such sarcasm.

They demanded an apology and obstinately refused to let her pass.

Not far away, Ryan, the second young master of the Reynolds family, clinked glasses with Curtis.

"Where did you pick that street girl? If you take her back for Carl to see, won’t he be fuming?"

Curtis replied coolly, "Carl wants a granddaughter-in-law only and any woman will do."

Ryan asked, "There are so many women in the world, why her?"

Curtis took a sip of red wine,

"She has sweet lips."

Ryan was taken aback,"I never realized your taste was so… remarkable!"

Splash.

Wine doused Elle.

Hearing the commotion, Ryan looked over, "Your little fiancee seems to be in trouble. Aren’t you going to intervene?"

"No need."

As Ryan puzzled over Curtis’s intentions, he saw Elle fiercely knock two ladies’ heads together. Stars erupted in their vision as they crumpled to the floor.

The left one stunned into silence.

Elle’s expression was blank.

With a casual flick of her hand, the left one quickly scurried away.

Ryan’s mouth twitched.

"…Now I see why you’ve picked this girl."

Curtis’s gaze was profound as he savored his wine in silence.

She had the strength to pull him into an embrace and plant a forceful kiss with one hand.

Her audacious nature was also remarkable.

"Charles, take her to change her clothes."

"OK."

Elle, rather than changing, came over.

"A kiss and you demand an engagement in return? Isn’t the price a bit steep? Can I compensate with money?"

Curtis’s eyes glinted enigmatically, a slight, unfathomable smile playing at his lips, "How much do you think you can buy a kiss from me?"

Elle assessed his face as though genuinely appraising his value.

"I’m not sure. Considering you are no longer young, it shouldn’t be your first kiss. Let's say two hundred since I’m unable to afford more."

"How dare you!" Charles exclaimed.

Two hundred?

Charles thought her impertinence was suicidal.

Being engaged to Curtis was so lucky, and yet she dared to disdain him?

Curtis raised his hand, signaling for Charles to step back.

His fingers pinched Elle’s chin.

"Since you’ve had the audacity to harass me, you must face the consequences. "

Elle frowned. Is he crazy?

She wasn’t even dressed attractively today, what on earth made him so persistent?

Elle tugged at the corner of her mouth, her tone rogish: "Alright then! May I now visit the restroom?"

Curtis gave Charles a nonchalant glance, signaling he accompany her.

Moments later, Charles returned.

"Elle has escaped through the window. We will get her."

Curtis, immaculate in his tailored suit, lounged casually on the sofa. Swirling his glass, he had anticipated such an outcome.

"Let her go. Find out where she live and send over the betrothal gifts."

"Yes."

Ryan asked, "Curtis, do you really intend to marry such an unsuitable girl? "

Curtis’s eyes deepened with intent as he intoned, "Such an unsuitable girl suits me perfectly."

…

By the time Elle arrived home, it was deep into the night.

Her father Max attacked her with a slap.

"Shameless!"

Elle dodged effortlessly.

Max, his slap missing its mark, became even more livid with rage.

"With all the outstanding men Emma lined up for you, you dressed like this? Then you recklessly kiss a man in public and shame our family? You should apologize to Emma!"

Hands tucked into her pockets, Elle retorted, "Really?"

Emma was only scheming to marry her off so she would lose her right to inherit the family's property.

Emma feigned kindness, "Max, don’t be angry with Elle. She’s young and naive, and it’s my failing as a stepmother…"

Watching Emma defend Elle, Max scolded,

"Emma is always nice to you, yet you are so ungrateful!"

A tear streaked Emma’s cheek, "Max, stop!"

Elle wasn’t surprised at her act.

The seasoned performer excelled in manipulative games.

Only Max was too blind by her beauty to see through her act!

Elle set a stack of documents before Max, "Here are the profiles of the suitors. Take a look. If there’s anyone you approve of, I’ll marry him!"

Max scanned the documents, his expression turning grim…