Chapter 110: "If You Dare Talk Nonsense Again, I... I’ll Strangle You!
Chapter 110: Chapter 110: "If You Dare Talk Nonsense Again, I... I’ll Strangle You!
Their eyes met.
Her wet lashes blinked, and another tear slid from the corner of her eye. Though her vision was blurred with tears, she stared at him stubbornly. "Seeing me so pathetic, crying after just a few words from you, you must be pretty pleased with yourself, right?"
Xie Jinbai’s heart was about to break.
He took a sharp breath, cupped her face, and brought his lips down to hers.
"I’m not pleased. I can’t bear to see you cry, really..."
’He had once thought he was probably a killing general reincarnated, fated to reap lives in this world. And she... she was the bane of his existence, sent by the heavens to subdue him.’
The moment she cried, he lost all his defenses.
He was utterly defenseless.
A dense flurry of kisses trailed down from her eyelashes as the faint scent of cedar filled her senses.
Cui Lingyao sniffled, but just as she was about to speak, her lips were sealed by his.
It was a deep, invasive kiss.
Given without reservation.
Very direct.
Her gasp of surprise was completely swallowed by his.
Cui Lingyao could even hear the sound of his Adam’s apple bobbing.
His breathing grew heavy.
An indescribable air of desire filled the tent.
Cui Lingyao’s cheeks burned. Her body went limp, and the hand clutching his neck slowly slid away.
She had only removed her outer robe before sleeping tonight. Now, in the midst of their struggle, the sash of her inner tunic had unknowingly come undone, and her collar had fallen wide open.
Beneath was a moon-white chemise.
The thin straps were faintly visible on her shoulders, accentuating her delicate, fair collarbones.
’So tender...’
Xie Jinbai glanced down, then reached out and pulled her collar wider, pressing his lips to her skin without hesitation.
A slight, nibbling sensation sent a tingle through her.
It was a fatally familiar feeling. Cui Lingyao snapped out of her daze, cupped his face, and pushed him away from her neck. "What do you think you’re doing!"
Xie Jinbai’s body stiffened, and he retreated slightly under her push.
He was in agony, his mind consumed with the thought of devouring the woman beneath him. But what little reason he had left was desperately holding him back.
His dark eyes were still clouded with unquenched desire, the corners faintly upturned and tinged with red.
Cui Lingyao grew even angrier. She shoved him again and repeated, "What were you just trying to do!"
The tent was silent for several breaths.
Xie Jinbai didn’t speak. His crimson-tinged eyes were fixed on her, as if he were trying to decide where to start his meal.
Cui Lingyao felt her skin crawl under his gaze, and her anger instantly vanished.
She flinched, and realizing she had nowhere to run, she quickly said, "Calm down. We’re in the middle of nowhere, but there are people outside. They could barge in at any moment... and we’re not married yet."
’So, he absolutely cannot do anything to me!’
"..."
’Xie Jinbai wanted to say that being outdoors didn’t matter. With the wind and rain raging outside, and considering her quiet whimpers in bed from before, no one would hear a thing. Besides, no one would have the audacity to burst in.’
’As for marriage...’
’As long as she agreed, they could get married anytime.’
’None of that was an issue.’
’Not an issue at all...’
After a brief internal war, Xie Jinbai roughly wiped his face, rolled off her, and lay down on the cot, his eyes staring at the dark roof of the tent.
The weight on her was gone.
Cui Lingyao let out a long sigh of relief. She grabbed the bedding and was about to retreat to the foot of the cot when her arm was seized, and the man beside her pulled her into his embrace.
His arm went under her neck to circle her shoulder while his other hand clasped her waist, holding her securely in his arms. "I won’t do anything. Don’t hide from me. Just let me hold you for a while."
Cui Lingyao truly didn’t dare to move.
Their bodies were pressed together, fitting like two pieces of a puzzle.
How could she possibly move?
But she was still furious. While her body didn’t dare struggle, that didn’t stop her from running her mouth. She snorted coldly, "Your Highness’s methods are truly impressive."
Xie Jinbai: "..."
"First, you use a few sweet words to trick me into crying. Then, when I see through your scheme and you have nothing left to say, you pull this move. It’s..." Cui Lingyao mulled over her choice of words for a moment before declaring decisively, "Despicable!"
"..."
"Shameless!"
"..."
"Perverted!"
"..."
"You bastard!"
"..."
A vein throbbed in Xie Jinbai’s temple. The hand on the small of her back moved up to grasp the nape of her neck, lifting her slightly. "Quite the potty mouth, aren’t you?"
Cui Lingyao glared at him. "Was I wrong?"
"You were," Xie Jinbai said, the desire in his eyes fading away, replaced by pure sincerity. "I may be cunning and scheming in my dealings, but with you, I have always been completely genuine. My apology came from the heart, as did my show of weakness."
"You feel like I’m manipulating your emotions and you’re displeased, but you refuse to consider that I’ve long since laid my own heart bare. If you were willing, you could have complete control over my every joy and sorrow."
From a long, long time ago, she had been able to toy with his emotions at will.
She didn’t even need to speak.
A single glance from her could bring him elation or agony.
Cui Lingyao: "..."
She couldn’t win an argument against him, but her expression remained defiant.
’This man might hold military power, but he’s no brute who only knows how to fight.’
’He was taught the arts of an Emperor since childhood. He could twist her in circles with just a few sentences.’
’In any case, she didn’t believe a word of it.’
Xie Jinbai pinched her cheek and clicked his tongue. "Why are you so guarded? I’ve all but torn my heart out for you. Can’t you feel it?"
This young lady, raised in the lap of luxury, was more of a headache than the old ministers who had weathered the tides of the imperial court for decades.
It was true.
He had indeed thought that, given her soft-hearted nature, if he played the victim a little more, he might make her pity him and stop tormenting him with her coldness.
But how had that become, in her words, a series of calculated moves—every word and action a ploy to win her back, with no sincerity at all?
Cui Lingyao ignored him, not wanting to continue the conversation.
Seeing that he seemed to have returned to normal, she placed her hands on his shoulders and gave him a light push. "Let me go."
"Just a little longer," Xie Jinbai said, hugging her and sighing softly. "This has been killing me."
Cui Lingyao’s mind went blank with anger, and she blurted out again, "Pervert!"
Xie Jinbai: "..."
He let out a laugh of pure exasperation. "If I were really a pervert, right now you’d be..."
"Shut up!" Cui Lingyao clamped a hand over his mouth and glared up at him. "If you dare say another word, I’ll... I’ll strangle you!"
The girl in his arms was blushing furiously, and her glare was filled with an undeniable shyness.
A sudden, searing heat spread through Xie Jinbai’s chest.
He felt that no matter how tightly he held her, it wasn’t enough.
’He ought to just crush her into his body until they became one, and take her with him wherever he went.’
’No one could ever separate them. Not even she herself could leave his side.’
He held her wrist and began to kiss her palm with deliberate slowness.
Cui Lingyao tried to pull her hand back but couldn’t. She kicked him. "Control yourself! If you keep this up, I’m going outside."
’She’d rather be drenched by the rain than be held and nibbled on by him in here.’
Just then, Shen Tingyu’s voice drifted faintly from outside the tent. It seemed he was speaking with Liu Yue.
Even through the raging storm, his voice was clear and gentle.
It was very pleasant to the ear.
Xie Jinbai’s kisses paused. He slowly lifted his head from her palm.
He stared at her for a long moment, then suddenly asked, "Objectively speaking, Shen Tingyu is handsome, reasonably talented, and has that gentle disposition that young women adore. You’ve been with him day and night for so many days... have you developed any feelings for him?"