Chapter 128: "I’ll Be Sure to Let You Have a Good Look Next Time.
Chapter 128: Chapter 128: "I’ll Be Sure to Let You Have a Good Look Next Time.
’This man is too smart, too perceptive, too hard to fool.’
’I can’t tell a single lie until I’m absolutely sure I can deceive him.’
’Otherwise, if he followed the clues all the way back to the source, I’d truly be doomed.’
She pondered for a long time, so long that the look in Xie Jinbai’s eyes grew darker and darker.
He was now completely certain that she was harboring no small secret.
He couldn’t imagine who in the entire world could make her so wary.
Unless... the one pulling the strings was no longer of this world.
He feared no opponent he could see and touch.
But...
Thinking of her miraculous revival from the dead, Xie Jinbai’s heart began to pound. As if terrified the woman in his arms would run away, he subconsciously tightened his grip.
As her waist was suddenly squeezed tight, Cui Lingyao let out a muffled grunt. "A little gentler."
"Alright," Xie Jinbai eased his grip and whispered, "Yaoyao, no matter what happens, no matter what it is you’re after, just don’t leave me again."
’A child.’
’If I have to have a child with another woman for her to live...’
He...
Xie Jinbai buried his face in the crook of her neck and remained silent for a long time.
Cui Lingyao didn’t know what kind of internal struggle he was going through or how torn up he was, but seeing him in such a vulnerable state again made her heart soften.
She reached out to pat his head, soothing him. "Alright, I won’t leave you."
’Even after I complete my mission, I won’t leave so abruptly like last time.’
’Not after it turned him into a hollow shell of a man.’
She was truly good at placating him.
A single sentence was enough to make him ecstatic.
Xie Jinbai even felt that if she wanted to, she could wrap him around her little finger.
He tilted his head and nuzzled her delicate neck, his voice muffled. "I love you so much."
Cui Lingyao remained silent.
’She really couldn’t bring herself to say such cheesy words of love.’
Not that Xie Jinbai had expected her to.
His lips pressed against her neck, moving with a slow friction as his breathing gradually grew heavier.
Cui Lingyao had always known he was a completely different person in bed.
His usual lofty indifference would vanish completely. He would lower himself again and again, willing to do anything.
Truly, anything at all.
Even the way he panted was pleasant to the ear.
Very seductive.
It was a seductiveness that even she, a woman from a modern, technological society who had seen all sorts of "internet succubi," had to acknowledge.
And now, that seductive breath was ghosting across her ear.
A flicker of alarm belatedly sparked in Cui Lingyao. Just as she was about to say something, a large hand captured her wrist and began to guide it downwards, inch by inch.
He placed a light kiss on the tip of her ear.
Xie Jinbai’s voice was hoarse as he coaxed her, "I’m aching a little. Yaoyao, help me, won’t you?"
Cui Lingyao: "..."
Her fingertips brushed against his firm, muscular abdomen, but her hand was still being guided lower.
Both of them knew perfectly well where this was going.
Cui Lingyao’s cheeks grew hot, and her mouth went dry.
Her hand made a last, feeble struggle, a silent attempt to refuse.
"Hm?" Xie Jinbai took her earlobe between his lips and kissed it firmly, coaxing, "Why don’t you check? See if anyone has touched me."
Cui Lingyao: "..."
The corner of her mouth twitched.
She wanted to ask how she was supposed to check something like that.
She also wanted to say that she didn’t particularly care.
But in the end, she just swallowed, closed her eyes, and said no more.
She let him have his way.
’My hand isn’t even that tired,’ she thought. ’After all, I’m not the one doing the work.’
As he moved, Xie Jinbai chuckled into her neck, his voice muffled. "So obedient. You should take pity on your husband like this more often."
Cui Lingyao pretended she hadn’t heard.
After some time, the heavy quilt was thrown back.
Xie Jinbai sat up to clean himself.
Seeing the cloth tossed carelessly under the bed, Cui Lingyao finally spoke. "Put that away. Don’t let anyone see it."
"Alright. I’ll take it with me in the morning."
Xie Jinbai agreed, then reached for her wrist again. Seeing her knuckles trembling, he couldn’t help but chuckle. "How can you be so delicate?"
’I didn’t even make her do any of the work.’
Cui Lingyao pressed her lips together. "Can we sleep now?"
"We can," Xie Jinbai said as he lay back down, scooping her into his arms. His entire expression radiated a pleased satisfaction, and he didn’t forget to ask, "So, did your inspection turn anything up?"
He just had to tease her.
Cui Lingyao’s temper flared. With a stern face, she said, "No. How could anyone possibly check for something like that? And with desires as strong as yours, how could you have possibly stayed celibate for three years?"
"Oh, it can be checked. My mistake, I should have let you have a better look. I..."
Xie Jinbai wasn’t annoyed in the slightest. He just smiled and leaned closer, preparing to give her a practical demonstration. But before he could make a move, a hand, driven by furious embarrassment, pinched his waist hard.
His muscles were so firm that Cui Lingyao had to use all her strength just to make it hurt.
She gritted her teeth. "If you don’t go to sleep right now, you can get out."
’So fierce.’
’Better not tease her anymore.’
Xie Jinbai withdrew the hand that was untying his clothes and said with no small amount of regret, "Next time, I’ll be sure to let you have a proper look."
Cui Lingyao: "..."
’Heavens be my witness, he was never this shameless before.’
’In just three years, how could such a lofty, untouchable flower have become like this?’
That night, they slept in each other’s arms.
Early the next morning, as the sky was just beginning to lighten, the first thing Xie Jinbai did upon opening his eyes was to tighten his hold on the woman in his arms.
After holding her tenderly for a long while, he silently released her, got up, dressed himself, and bent down to pick up the cloth from the foot of the bed.
Finally, he bent down, intending to kiss the girl on the bed, only to be met by a pair of clear, almond-shaped eyes.
She had woken up at some point and was watching him without blinking.
Xie Jinbai’s brow arched slightly. His lips brushed against her eyelashes as he asked in a soft voice, "Did I wake you?"
Cui Lingyao shook her head and asked in return, "Those other times, did you always wake up this early?"
"Mhm," Xie Jinbai smiled at her and sighed. "If I don’t get up early to avoid everyone, and one of your servants were to see me, I’m afraid you’d think I was a scoundrel with no regard for your reputation."
Cui Lingyao pressed her lips together, ignoring his words. Instead, she reached out, grabbed his collar, and gave it a little tug.
Xie Jinbai followed the direction of her pull, bending even lower.
The next moment, he watched as the girl beneath him lifted her head and pressed a soft, sweet kiss to his jaw.
’So sweet.’
A tingling sensation shot from his jaw straight to his core, and his entire spine went rigid in an instant.
Xie Jinbai’s jaw tightened, and a dark look filled his eyes. "Asking me to stay?"
Not expecting a spontaneous kiss to be interpreted in such a way, Cui Lingyao paused for a moment before quickly letting go of his collar. "That’s not what I meant," she explained hurriedly.
Her reaction instantly extinguished the desire that had been welling up inside him.
He pinched her cheek in exasperation. "Were you trying to lead me on?"
"No," Cui Lingyao said honestly, blinking. "I just... didn’t want you to leave."
It was so rare to hear this stubborn girl admit her feelings. The corners of Xie Jinbai’s lips curved upward as he leaned down to kiss her. "I’ll come find you tonight. Leave the door unlocked for me."
He didn’t want to have to pick the lock again.
It was too damaging to his dignity as a Prince.
When she nodded in agreement, Xie Jinbai’s heart grew impossibly soft. He wished he could just tuck her away in his robes and carry her with him wherever he went.
He took a deep breath and ruffled her hair. "It’s still early. Go back to sleep for a bit."
Cui Lingyao hummed in agreement. "Okay."