Chapter 224

His movements stopped, and the scorching air instantly froze into ice.

Tao Tao's heart skipped a beat. She pulled her hand away from his fingers and stared at his face, which was turned to the side, revealing the handprint. An uneasy look appeared on her face.

His long, black hair was slightly disheveled and draped over his shoulders, falling down to brush against her smooth neck, cool and slightly ticklish.

Looking at his quiet demeanor, something seemed off. She wondered if she hadn't used that much force, or if he felt ashamed of being hit by a woman.

It's not the first time, why get angry with her?

She reached out and gently tugged at his long, drooping hair, frowned, and awkwardly uttered, "Si Lang? Are you angry? Say something."

The man remained silent, slowly straightening up, slightly raising his chin, his eyes slightly reddening, glancing down at her with a calm and inscrutable expression.

But she felt he was angry, so she propped herself up on the bed, then reached out and hugged his waist, pressing her soft face against his bare chest.

She said in a coquettish tone, "Don't be angry, does it hurt a lot?" She looked up at him, tugged at his long hair with her right hand, and pulled it down.

She thought he would resist, but to her surprise, he obediently lowered his head and leaned closer to her, his face still full of gloom.

"Let me blow on it for you, okay?" She looked up, hooked her left arm around the back of his neck, puckered her full lips, and blew on his flushed cheeks.

"It doesn't hurt anymore, it doesn't hurt anymore. Who told you to torture me like this? I was already sick and feeling terribly uncomfortable, and you didn't care about me at all." As she spoke, she suddenly became aggrieved and started to sob.

Tears streamed down her face, landing on his collarbone. Her body trembled, and she cried with overwhelming sorrow.

"How could I not care about you? If I didn't care about you, why would I rush back in the middle of the night?"

Duan Gan was still enjoying her gentle coaxing, and the warm, sweet scent blowing on his slightly sore cheeks made him squint his eyes slightly.

Before long, the little girl was crying so sadly. She was always the one who scolded and beat him; she never had the upper hand.

Helplessly, he pulled her into his arms with one hand and gently wiped away the tears rolling down her face with the other, his eyes full of heartache and love. He whispered, "Don't cry. It's my fault. I shouldn't have bothered you."

"Is Tao'er feeling unwell? I'll send someone to fetch the imperial physician to examine you."

After he finished speaking, he let go of her hand and was about to get out of bed when she hugged him tightly around the waist, refusing to let him leave.

Duan Gan looked down at her and said gently, "What's wrong? You don't want me to go? Are you feeling better or do you want some water?"

After all that commotion, crying so many times, and losing so many gold beads, it's no wonder I'm thirsty.

Tao Tao swallowed, her sweet voice tinged with a heavy nasal tone, and whispered, "I want some water."

"What?"

Hearing this question, she snapped at him again, yelling in a hoarse voice, "Aren't you annoying! I said I wanted water, didn't you hear me!"

She looked up at him angrily, her nose red and tears still clinging to her eyelashes, when she suddenly met his smiling black eyes.

She immediately realized he was playing a trick on her, and her cheeks puffed up with anger. She felt wronged, and her eyes instantly filled with tears, blurring her vision.

Seeing that she was about to cry again, he realized that he had gone too far.

Duan Gan cupped her face in his hands and kissed her lips, immediately silencing her sobs.

Tao Tao froze, feeling her lips being held and gently rubbed, and she even forgot to cry.

After a long while, she fell silent. Only then did he release her, nose to nose, his hot breath spraying onto her engorged lips.

“Come with me to Suizhou, hmm?” A low, magnetic voice reached her ears.

Her thick eyelashes trembled slightly as she casually avoided his gaze, saying in a coquettish tone, "I feel unwell, I need some water."

Hearing this, he didn't hesitate any longer. He got up and poured her a cup of tea. Feeling the cool porcelain on his fingertips, he took a sip, frowned slightly, and turned back.

He sat on the edge of the bed, reached out and pulled her into his arms. She looked at the water in his hand and was about to reach out to take it when he raised his hand, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp.

Tao Tao's pupils dilated instantly, and she stared at him in astonishment, looking completely bewildered.

Before long, he grabbed her chin, lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers, using his lips to transfer the water. The tea, which was originally cold, became warm in his mouth, and he sent it all into her oral cavity.

Her eyes widened in shock; she never expected him to do such a thing.

However, given what happened before, passing water through the lips is barely acceptable, as long as it's not like before.

She really couldn't accept it; even if it was her own stuff, she felt extremely disgusted.

The devil is always one step ahead of the saint; he's just as twisted as the saint.

Would you like some more?

He gently wiped the water from her lips with his fingertips and spoke softly.

She glanced at him, nodded slightly, and as he got up to leave, she quickly grabbed his wrist and said, "Bring the teacup with you, I'll drink it myself."

She didn't want to drink from his mouth like she had just done; it felt strange.

Duan Gan frowned slightly and said in a low voice, "That water is cold. You can't drink cold water when you're sick."

What difference does it make if he warms it up first before giving it to her?

Tao Tao closed her eyes speechlessly and slapped her forehead. "I don't care, I just want something cold. If you won't give it to me, I'll go get it myself."

As soon as she finished speaking, she got out of bed, slipping on her embroidered shoes. As soon as she stood up, she felt dizzy and unsteady. She swayed slightly and was quickly pulled into someone's arms.

"How are you going to get there? I didn't say I wouldn't give you water. Just wait here for a bit."

A hint of helplessness appeared between his brows, but his eyes were full of doting affection. After settling her down properly, he poured her a cup of tea, but instead of indulging her whims, he kept the water in his mouth.

She sat on the edge of the bed waiting for him to get her water. When she heard him coming over and didn't see a teacup in his hand, she knew what was going on and sighed silently.

He half-squatted by the bed, pinched her chin with two fingers, and leaned over to kiss her lips.

During their tender kiss, they transferred the warm water from their mouths to each other.

The kiss lasted a little longer, and she didn't have time to swallow all the water. Instead, she choked and quickly turned her head away to cough.

Duan Gan quickly sat down by the bed, reached out and pulled her onto his lap, patted her back to help her catch her breath, and asked softly, "Are you feeling better?"

She didn't speak, only coughed repeatedly, her cheeks turning red. She grabbed his disheveled clothes with both hands and leaned her head against his chest, panting.

After she calmed down, she advised, "I'm fine, you should go quickly. We don't even know if you can catch up with the group now."

He didn't care at all, saying indifferently, "If we can't catch up, we can't catch up. What's wrong with letting them wait?"