Gan Qiongying felt a gentle touch on her forehead. The magnified face and warm breath made her breath catch in her throat for a moment. She stared at Li Hua with her eyes open, her body stiffening involuntarily, and her throat tightening.

Li Hua's gaze continued downwards, to his brow bone, bridge of his nose, and even his lips. His breath was hot as he slowly leaned closer. But just as he was so captivated that his heart was pounding, and he was about to kiss the lips he had been longing for, he instinctively looked at Gan Qiongying before closing his eyes. When he met Gan Qiongying's gaze, his heart sank heavily.

Gan Qiongying's gaze was too clear, without a trace of confusion or infatuation, like a mirror or an icy lake, freezing Li Hua, who had fallen in, completely.

But this "coldness" quickly turned into scorching heat, burning throughout his body and making him so ashamed that he could no longer continue.

The carriage curtain was lifted slightly, letting in a gust of wind. Li Hua lowered his eyes, no longer daring to look Gan Qiongying in the eye. He placed his hands on Gan Qiongying's shoulders, pressing hard and then relaxing several times. The courage he had finally mustered was swept away by the wind and vanished completely.

The atmosphere started to become strange from here.

The two of them had never been this reserved when they first traveled together, but now they sat side by side like two lifeless stone statues, each with a stiff face.

The carriage swayed and rocked, and the two women's arms would occasionally touch. Gan Qiongying looked calm, but in reality, she would unconsciously curl her fingers or pretend to fix her hair when they touched, trying to distract herself.

Every time Li Hua was touched, it felt like being pricked by a needle. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists so tightly that the wounds on his fingers were about to bleed.

Gan Qiongying glanced at Li Hua out of the corner of her eye, silently thinking about that... kiss just now.

It should be considered a kiss.

Gan Qiongying couldn't quite figure out Li Hua's thoughts. Although she didn't really treat Li Hua as a human being and always regarded him as a god, she wasn't stupid. She had just sensed Li Hua's interest... So why was he sitting there so serious and unsmiling?

Gan Qiongying was troubled and started to have wild thoughts again, just like at the birthday banquet of the Grand Princess of Hui'an. She wondered what would happen between the two of them if Li Hua really had feelings for her.

The atmosphere inside the carriage grew increasingly strange.

Li Hua could naturally sense Gan Qiongying's gaze, but he dared not respond, let alone meet her eyes. If it weren't for the human skin mask on his face that could cover some of it, he would definitely be red-faced and extremely embarrassed right now.

Li Hua didn't know whether Gan Qiongying's reaction was acceptance or rejection. His mind was in a mess, and he couldn't make any other judgment.

He was also savoring that kiss, savoring the warmth and delicacy of her forehead, and the tingling sensation that his lips had when they touched hers—a sensation that no one else could know, a sensation that spread from his very bones to his limbs.

Every time he recalls it, that tingling, itchy feeling spreads in circles across his body, which is covered by his clothes, and lingers for a long time.

Li Hua felt like a pervert.

His condition seemed to have worsened.

He couldn't control his thoughts, which kept wandering through a kiss, which Li Hua found utterly despicable.

"Don't think about anything else!" Li Hua kept telling herself, gripping her fingers tighter and tighter, trying to use the pain to wake herself up.

The two had different thoughts and remained silent the whole way.

When getting off the carriage, Li Hua was already used to getting off first and waiting for Gan Qiongying. He turned around first and wiped the sweat off his neck without making a sound, and then immediately turned back and naturally reached out to help Gan Qiongying.

Their palms touched, and they both felt a dampness, but they tacitly made excuses for each other, saying that it must have been too stuffy in the carriage that caused them to sweat. However, the glistening sweat on their faces betrayed them.

It was just a kiss, but they were sweating profusely as if they had really done it.

Li Hua lowered his head and reached out his hand. Sure enough, he had squeezed his injured finger until it bled. But Gan Qiongying, whose mind seemed to have been emptied by that kiss, did not notice Li Hua's injury for the first time.

The two men's palms were clasped together. To onlookers, it appeared that Li Hua was looking at Gan Qiongying the whole time, but in fact, he was staring at the top of Gan Qiongying's head.

Gan Qiongying also felt awkward; the strange atmosphere and their damp hands made her feel stiff.

She walked slowly, not understanding what the problem was. It was as if the two of them had suddenly become strangers, awkward and distant.

Although they didn't talk much normally, they could always chat for a while whenever they talked about something. Li Hua would also explain some things he knew. But from the time they got off the carriage until they walked back into the courtyard, there was no other noise except for the sound of their footsteps and the rustling of their clothes.

Neither of them spoke, and the maids sensed the change in atmosphere, even slowing their footsteps.

Li Hua did not walk alongside Gan Qiongying, but lagged slightly behind her by half a step. Gan Qiongying could feel his gaze fixed on her, which made her feel like she was being pricked by thorns.

The full moon today is unusual; why isn't anyone helping me up?

In fact, Man Yue, being an observer, saw the two of them getting out of the car with flushed faces and knew that something must have happened between them. She deliberately circled Tian Jiao and walked to the back, following them from a distance, so as not to disturb their sweet moment.

The two stood outside the hall, their hands damp and sticky, but they held each other tightly, neither of them letting go.

Gan Qiongying wanted to find a topic to break the awkward atmosphere, but Li Hua always killed the conversation after just a few words. He was usually very good at reading people's expressions, and as long as he wanted to talk, there were countless topics that could arouse Gan Qiongying's interest. However, his mouth seemed to be kidnapped, and he couldn't say a word that suited his wishes.

This eerie atmosphere persisted until the two finished their dinner without any relief.

While washing up in the evening, Gan Qiongying was lost in thought the whole time, and Manyue, who was serving her, was also completely confused.

After thinking it over, Gan Qiongying realized that things couldn't stay in this stalemate forever, so she came up with a solution.

However, the atmosphere was still strange after I lay down.

Before, the two slept face to face without feeling awkward, and they would even talk about what happened that day.

Gan Qiongying was lying flat on her back and dared not turn over, while Li Hua was lying on his side as if nothing had happened. However, if you looked closely, you would find that his movements were very stiff. He hadn't moved since he lay down, and even his breathing rate was about the same. He was obviously pretending to relax.

Although Gan Qiongying had already made up her mind, her limbs felt as if they were bound by something, and she dared not make any big movements, not even blinking.

Their eyes would occasionally meet, creating a burst of excitement in each other's hearts, before quickly looking away.

Gan Qiongying simply turned her back to Li Hua, looked at the gauze curtain in front of her, traced the embroidery on it with her eyes, and pondered the strategy she had in mind, but dared not put it into practice.

She was a little embarrassed.

My gaze wandered along the embroidery lines, circling left and right, trying to achieve a sleep-inducing effect like counting sheep; perhaps this feeling would pass once I fell asleep.

Li Hua kept staring at the back of Gan Qiongying's head, not understanding what was going on between the two of them. Gan Qiongying had her back to him... was she angry at his recklessness during the day?

Because Li Hua had some things on his mind that he couldn't tell anyone, he truly felt that he was incredibly reckless and utterly lewd.

He even felt a sense of guilt towards Gan Qiongying.

Like Gan Qiongying, he wanted to break the atmosphere, but he had no experience in this area and was afraid of making things worse.

The gauze curtains were exquisite and luxurious, shimmering with light from the flickering candlelight. Gan Qiongying was dazzled by the sight, but thankfully, drowsiness gradually crept in.

As her gaze lingered on the gauze curtain for what seemed like the hundredth time, Gan Qiongying suddenly felt a gust of wind brush against her neck, followed by a warm, large hand grasping her shoulder.

Her sleepiness vanished instantly, and she opened her eyes wide, her breathing briefly halting for the second time that day.