Chapter 75

Yun Zhan's breath caught in his chest, as if gripped by an invisible hand.

Shi Mingyue... really has a good temper.

He was so gentle with her.

Putting aside the fact that he used those impolite and foul words on her, just the fact that he tied her to a chair is something that most girls would not accept.

Yun Zhan had expected to be met with anger or questioning, but Shi Mingyue simply tilted her head slightly, her eyes as soft as water on a spring night, and even the knot in the rope was only symbolically placed on her wrist, without the slightest struggle.

Yun Zhan stood there for a long time, not knowing what to do. At this moment, Shi Mingyue suddenly spoke up.

"Come closer."

Shi Mingyue said softly, her voice so low it was almost touching her heartbeat: "I want to say a few words to you."

Yun Zhan paused, his body leaning forward before his consciousness could register.

Just as she lowered her head, Shi Mingyue suddenly raised her chin and placed a gentle yet unexpected kiss on Yun Zhan's lips.

That wasn't a superficial touch.

Shi Mingyue's tongue gently swept across Yun Zhan's lips, like a feather skimming the surface of a lake, carrying a slightly moist warmth, before quietly probing inside.

Yun Zhan's breath was instantly taken away, and she froze on the spot, only able to feel that soft and damp touch, carrying the faint jasmine fragrance of Shi Mingyue, surrounding her layer by layer.

The moment their tongues touched, it felt like a tiny electric current shot from their lips and teeth up their spines. Yun Zhan's fingertips unconsciously tightened, gripping the edge of the chair back until his knuckles turned white.

Shi Mingyue moved even closer, her lips lingering, deepening the kiss with tenderness and determination.

"Having the desire but not the courage? Yun Zhan, you're not a coward..."

Shi Mingyue chuckled softly, her voice gentle and melodious, like a clear spring in the forest.

Shi Mingyue's kiss to Yun Zhan was a comforting and indulgent one, like warm water enveloping sharp ice, slowly melting the high wall built in Yun Zhan's heart.

"I...I just lack experience, don't laugh at me!"

"Okay, okay, I won't laugh at you."

Shi Mingyue stopped laughing, her toes darting out to gently hook Yun Zhan's ankle...

Her toes first lightly touched Yun Zhan's ankle, then traced the line between his trousers and skin upwards.

The instep is thin and soft, like a feather that has fallen unintentionally, yet it carries a scorching heat, brushing along the ankle bone, along the inside of the calf, and finally stopping at the Achilles tendon, applying pressure and caressing it lightly.

Her toes twitched open and closed like a cat begging for attention, reminding Yun Zhan: I'm still waiting for your response...

Shi Mingyue raised her eyes, her gaze filled with a pool of spring water, the moonlight reflecting in and creating shimmering ripples.

She didn't speak, but rubbed her feet together again with her toes, the implied meaning amplified by her silence.

Such a blatant action is more alluring than any simple "come here."

Yun Zhan's breathing became erratic, his palms still clutching the knot, and the veins on the backs of his fingers bulged from that soft touch.

She tried to move away, but her toes gently hooked her, as if an invisible thread had wrapped around her ankle. If she took another step forward, she would fall into the pool of spring water.

The air suddenly became very hot and very still.

Behind the chair, Shi Mingyue tilted her head slightly, a triumphant smile playing on her lips. Her voice was so low that only the air could brush against Yun Zhan's ear: "Now... can you untie my ropes?"

The toes remained there, suggestively and ambiguously, lightly rubbing against each other.

"Don't move! If you move again, I'm really going to... I'm going to kiss you!" Yun Zhan blushed, pretending to be angry and humming a few times.

"Okay, reward me."

The moment the rope was untied, Shi Mingyue quickly stood up, tilted her head back, stood on tiptoe, and kissed Yun Zhan again.

As their breaths mingled, even the air became thick and scalding, and time seemed to stretch out infinitely, leaving only the soft touch of their lips and tongues and their disordered heartbeats.

After a long while, Shi Mingyue pulled away slightly, her lips still pressed against Yun Zhan's, her voice low and husky yet tinged with laughter: "Are you still nervous now?"

Yun Zhan's ear tips were so red they were almost bleeding, and even his breathing became erratic.

She lowered her eyes, her forehead pressed against Shi Mingyue's, her voice so low it was almost inaudible: "...a little."

"Is that so...then come with me."

Shi Mingyue led Yun Zhan to the bedside: "Sit here, don't be nervous."

Immediately afterwards, Shi Mingyue slowly lowered her knees to the ground and half-squatted in front of the bed.

"Shi Mingyue! You...you get up quickly." Yun Zhan was startled and was about to help Shi Mingyue up when he was stopped.

"It's okay, I like you, it's nothing."

Shi Mingyue had Yun Zhan sit on the soft mattress, while she leaned forward, creating a staggered effect with one side higher than the other.

Her long hair was gathered behind her ears. From Yun Zhan's perspective, that face, which had been honed by etiquette since childhood, had shed all its arrogance at this moment. Only a soft mist shimmered in her eyes, like the reflection of lamplight on a lake at night, as if it would shatter with the slightest movement.

"Psychologically speaking, people feel more secure when they are in a position of power. If I do this... will you feel better?"

Shi Mingyue asked very slowly, the last syllable of her voice like a feather brushing against Yun Zhan's heart.

After saying that, she took Yun Zhan's hand, her fingertips first landing on her own wrist, then moving upwards inch by inch. Between their skin, separated only by the thin fabric of her shirt, their temperatures mingled without any obstruction.

Shi Mingyue gently guided her, leading that hand to cause trouble in many places...

She gently pressed that hand against the softest part of the inside of her leg, then released it, leading her to other places.

"Take your time learning, I'll teach you..." Shi Mingyue added softly, a satisfied yet shy smile curving her lips.

"Yun Zhan, you don't need to do anything else, just feel me."

Yun Zhan's breathing finally eased, disordered yet warm.

She lowered her eyes and saw the light and shadow of Shi Mingyue kneeling. In that instant, the young lady's pride turned into indulgence and comfort, like the moonlight falling into the lake, just to reflect her image.

The moment Shi Mingyue paused, she suddenly spoke: "If you're still nervous, how about next time?"

Yun Zhan's eyes lit up, and he nodded, saying, "Okay, let's come again next time. I don't have much experience yet."

As soon as Yun Zhan uttered those words, Shi Mingyue regretted them.

Shi Mingyue lowered her eyes, a tremor hidden in her heart that only she could hear.

She said this not to back down, but to test Yun Zhan...

Testing whether Yun Zhan was willing to touch her...

If Yun Zhan was willing, then their future together would be secure; she believed he would take responsibility for her and wouldn't abandon her. But if Yun Zhan wasn't willing, then… she wouldn't be able to help but doubt him, wondering if he was planning to leave himself an escape route.

She still remembered what Bai Jichen had said today.

Yun Zhan seemed not to understand the mist in her eyes, only catching the words "next time." His shoulders suddenly relaxed, and he nodded rapidly, a look of relief even appearing in his eyes.

21 couldn't help but say, "Are you stupid? She's testing you. Can't you see how obvious it is?"

"Forget it, I'm turning it off. Good luck, host."

Yun Zhan: Huh? ? ?

Yun Zhan froze on the bed.

In that instant, Shi Mingyue heard a "crack" in her heart; her enthusiasm was shattered by Yun Zhan's rejection.

She stared blankly at Yun Zhan.

So... she really didn't want to touch me.

The moment this thought surfaced, it was like ink dripping into clear water, quickly staining all reason black. A fine, sharp pain rose in Shi Mingyue's chest, followed by a burning sensation—a mixture of shame and resentment.

Is Yun Zhan still thinking about the "mission"?

Is she ready to walk away at any moment, which is why she doesn't want to leave any evidence?

Did she... never even think about having a future with me?

Obsession sprouts in the veins, inch by inch wrapping around the heart.

The mist in Shi Mingyue's eyes receded, replaced by a stubbornness so thick it seemed impossible to dispel.

She suddenly chuckled, her voice low and crisp: "Don't do it again."

"Just this once."

"*I!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she raised her hand and snapped the light off.

Darkness surged in like a tide, engulfing the two of them.

Yun Zhan subconsciously held his breath, only to hear Shi Mingyue's heartbeat so close to his, as fast as a war drum, filled with a resolute determination that disregarded everything.

"Shi Mingyue..." Yun Zhan had just opened his mouth when a finger pressed against his lips.

In the darkness, Shi Mingyue's voice was as soft as a whisper, yet it carried an unprecedented force.

“Yun Zhan, you can be afraid, you can hesitate... but you cannot back down.”

"Because I won't give you a way out."

Shi Mingyue was close, forehead to forehead, their breaths mingling, their voices low and trembling, yet every word was clear.

"I want you to stay, to stay by my side, to stay until tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and for a lifetime."

So... stop thinking about 'next time'.

The darkness concealed her reddened eyes, but it couldn't hide the sob and stubbornness in her voice.

Yun Zhan couldn't see her expression, but he could feel that her usually gentle hands were now tightly gripping the hem of her clothes, as if grasping at the last straw.

"Just this once."

Shi Mingyue repeated it again, her voice so low it was almost inaudible, yet carrying an undeniable firmness.

"I need you to prove... that you love me."

Darkness, like a thick curtain, completely stripped away sight, leaving only the sense of touch to roar in one's ears.

Yun Zhan hadn't recovered from the phrase "prove you love me" when his wrist suddenly felt heavy.

Her hand was pressed into the sheet, and she felt a tight, painful pressure on her middle finger joint.

It felt like when I was a kid and I was secretly playing with a water pipe, and then my knuckle got caught in it.

"hiss--"

A sharp pain shot up his finger bones to the back of his arm, and Yun Zhan gasped, "It hurts so much..."

From above came Shi Mingyue's trembling breath, like a taut string being plucked, her voice trembling with embarrassment and anger: "What are you in pain for? You're still in pain... Yun Zhan! I'm really going to bite you!"

The voice was so low it almost blended into the darkness, but the last syllable trembled.

Shi Mingyue panicked, grabbed Yun Zhan's other hand, and bit it.

The force was considerable, and Yun Zhan hissed in pain several more times.

"Okay, now both of your hands have been bitten. If you say it hurts again, I'll keep biting you."