Chapter 123 Her life was like a sunflower…

Her sunflower-like vitality, in turn, reflected the desolation and paleness he felt under the deep constraints of morality.

Now, this deviation from reason has occurred, and the torrent of emotion has breached the dam.

“At this moment…” he repeated, his voice changing again, becoming somewhat dry and hot, containing an extreme longing.

He gave her no more chance to think or catch her breath; the tremor that had just been suppressed by reason was transmitted to her at an even faster frequency.

He lowered his head and kissed her again, without hesitation or weighing the provocation, only succumbing to temptation. The kiss was burning, punishing, his tongue carrying a probing intent, plundering all the sweetness from her mouth.

The fire of Dionysus eventually burned him, bringing with it the ecstasy and dizziness characteristic of the god of wine, softening the rigid shell of reason that surrounded him.

Ye Yuying felt his other hand rise as well, his fingers weaving through her soft hair with an irresistible, devouring force. But she was not frightened; instead, she responded with a touch of nervousness, deepening the kiss.

His breath became hot and rapid, and the hesitation vanished completely, replaced by a long-suppressed instinct that was out of control. She unconsciously tightened her legs around his waist.

His large hand didn't push her away in the end. Instead, it tightened around her waist, lifting her up and holding her even tighter with his arms, as if he wanted to crush her and etch her into his bones.

Despite the sudden rise in temperature inside the blankets, she thirstily absorbed the warmth with mixed feelings. She wondered where to begin enjoying what she had longed for for so many years, and how much force to use to devour it if it were finally placed before her.

She closed her eyes, indulging in the transformative kiss he had initiated.

When he finally ended his unrestrained and punitive kiss, and pulled his lips away, his forehead pressed against hers, his breathing heavy, as he caressed her glistening lips, he also wondered if this happiness was fleeting.

What he fell in love with was her chaos, frankness, and untamed wildness that refused to relinquish her form—qualities rejected by his upbringing. But once this love took hold, it utterly dragged him down from his Platonic tower of reason and plunged him into a fire that was enough to destroy him.

Cheng Mingdu closed his eyes, his brows furrowed, a fierce internal struggle raging within him.

Now, he can no longer deny that he has completely lost control.

Just when she thought he would completely lose control and push this sense of taboo into the abyss, Cheng Mingdu suddenly stopped.

He felt her soft body against his, felt his own instinctive reaction that he could not hide, and finally used his last bit of strength to pick her up and gently place her on the bedside.

"No, it's not the right time yet." He uttered these two words with almost all his strength, then got up to close the door, shutting down the precarious barrier between desire and reason.

Ye Yuying stopped teasing him. She saw the struggle in his eyes, so she obediently lay down, pulled up the blanket, and revealed a radiant smile of victory and satisfaction.

Goodnight, brother.

Under the covers, she felt his familiar and alluring scent, felt her heart still pounding wildly, and rubbed against him wantonly, tormenting him without a care in the world.

Even though nothing happened, she still felt happy inside.

She knew that she had perhaps already, with her straightforward and passionate courage, recklessly and completely invaded the lonely city in his heart.

*

Morning light streamed through the loosened gaps in the curtains.

When Ye Yuying woke up, she found herself still in his arms. It was a very light embrace, as if he was afraid of disturbing her, yet unwilling to let go.

She shifted slightly, feeling the steady heartbeat against his chest where her back rested. The rhythm made her feel momentarily disoriented, like an unusually gentle predicament, a fear from which she couldn't escape.

"Awake?" he asked softly, his voice still sleepy, like amber soaked in sunlight.

She gave a soft "hmm," her breath hitting his neck, causing his breathing to falter.

After a moment of silence, he moved silently from under the covers. She turned over and met his still weary gaze.

Neither of them spoke; they were so close that they could see the curve of each other's eyelashes.

Ye Yuying stretched out her finger and gently traced his eyebrows, then placed it on the corner of his lips.

He didn't pull away, but chuckled softly and took her hand in his. There was a hint of indulgence and helplessness in that smile.

"Next, please don't resist, okay?"

He certainly wouldn't agree directly, but Ye Yuying boldly reached out and traced the outline of his muscles with her fingers. His well-defined abdominal muscles tensed up with her touch, making the lines even clearer.

Her fingers curled up, as if sliding down a slide, and then gently grasped him.

She could feel Cheng Mingdu's tension, and she felt that this moment and this size didn't seem real.

Instead, she became helpless, only able to rely on her shallow understanding to gradually transform him from a gentleman into a irrational beast.

But Cheng Mingdu is indeed Cheng Mingdu; even in this situation, he can still endure it.

She felt him like a statue being awakened, the sudden burst of stiffness more intense than at any moment last night. His breathing became heavy and hot, a rare sight of a thin layer of sweat appearing on his forehead; he was like a volcano about to erupt.

"Aying!"

His voice was low and tinged with suppressed warning, but the intensity of the warning was strangely softened, replaced by a captured pain and longing. He instinctively raised his other hand, wanting to grab her mischievous hand, but the movement was hesitant and powerless, as if nailed to mid-air by some invisible force.

Ye Yuying could feel his complete tension, and that his aloof, refined, and cool demeanor was being completely replaced by a burning desire.

The scalding heat and throbbing veins where her fingers touched made it clear to her that he was not as calm and composed as he appeared on the surface.

She looked up, her gaze meeting his pained and repressed eyes.

"Brother, don't resist." She repeated her words, her voice soft but her tone leaving no room for doubt.

She pressed her body closer and gently kissed his taut, almost bluish jawline with lips that held the breath of dreams and whispers.

This single action completely shattered Cheng Mingdu's last line of defense.

His gaze shifted from painful struggle to open acceptance, culminating in a very low growl from his throat, like that of a wild beast before being tamed.

He gave up resisting.

The hand that had been used to stop her now gripped the back of her head with a terrifying, long-suppressed force, roughly pulling her towards itself.

His kiss was unrestrained and utterly depraved, without the slightest hesitation or weighing of his words. He pressed her down onto the soft bed, his broad body looming over her with overwhelming, undeniable power, completely obscuring the morning light.

They directly turned the tables and took control.

“How about I treat you the same way?” he whispered hoarsely in her ear.

This time, it was her turn to gasp. And he seemed to have mastered some kind of technique, because within seconds she gave up teasing him and started panting in a daze.

She had never reached the final step in her previous DIY sessions because her fantasy object was Cheng Mingdu, and she always felt that complete release would increase her guilt. But now, she was sinking and suffocating in the warm deep sea because of shame, gasping for breath.

She had only intended to tease him, but now, nestled in the warm blankets, her vision went blank, as if her soul had collapsed with him.

He was no longer the refined and restrained Cheng Mingdu, but a trapped beast who took whatever he wanted from her.

In this forbidden flame, they walked together into an abyss of no return.

But the air that day was actually wonderful; she became a piece of candy melting in the sun, warm and sticky, with all her emotions hidden in her breath.

...

He finally raised his hand, his fingertips touching her hair, gently brushing away the stray hairs from her forehead; she was already drenched in sweat.

"Will you dare to tease me again next time?"

It took her a long time to regain her composure, and she shook her head weakly.

"Aying, we will be very happy from now on."

He said, "You've come several times already, to this extent..."

She blushed so much she was speechless, but his smile spread and he pulled her back into his arms.

The light outside the window gradually brightened, falling on their overlapping shadows, like a dream, one that fills one with longing when reminiscing in the future.

*

The day to go to school finally arrived. Before dawn, a thin mist shrouded the streets.

Cheng Mingdu helped her bring her suitcase downstairs, weighed it in his hand, and said, "You can buy a lot of things locally. Will you be able to carry all this?"

Auntie had prepared a simple breakfast, but Ye Yuying didn't have much of an appetite and only drank a little milk.

After the meal, the driver took them to the airport.

On the way, Ye Yuying held his hand tightly, feeling the dryness and reliability of his palm.

She knew that although Cheng Mingdu was sending her there, the moment she headed to Beicheng meant that she would have to face the rest of her life alone.

Upon landing in Beicheng, they didn't rush to report for duty. Instead, Cheng Mingdu drove her around the school. That night, the two stayed at Cheng Mingdu's house in Beicheng. It couldn't compare to the size of his property in Rongcheng, but it was perfect as a temporary place to stay.

On the day of the report, Ye Yuying specifically asked him to park the car two blocks away from the school gate. The two walked to the school. At the school gate, he turned to the side, took out a silver-gray metal card holder from his coat pocket, and handed it to her.

"What is this?" Ye Yuying asked curiously as she took it.

“I bought an apartment nearby. If you don’t like living in the dorms at school, you can move in there anytime,” Cheng Mingdu said calmly, his tone devoid of any emotion, yet revealing a hint of concern for her campus life.

"Don't worry, I'm really looking forward to university dormitory life. It'll be convenient for attending classes too," she said with anticipation and optimism.

Cheng Mingdu instructed, "I will handle things in Rongcheng as soon as possible, and then come to the North City branch to work. I'm sorry to trouble you for a while."

“How… could it be a grievance? You’ve taken care of me for so many years. This is something every college student has to go through…” Ye Yuying responded softly, her voice slightly choked up. She didn’t know where this clear sense of separation came from, and she felt a little sad.