Chapter 41 Inch by inch, her territory is being eroded...

Shanhe tensed, the suffocating feeling of her neck being gripped made her tremble. Liang Ye hadn't actually used much force, but his long fingers and large hands, with a slight squeeze, tightly encircled her snow-white neck. Shanhe turned her face, glaring at him hatefully. She suddenly raised her hand to push his arm away, her voice trembling, "Don't touch me!"

Liang Ye easily restrained her outstretched wrist and pinned it to his side.

His gaze was deep, fixed on Shanhe's flushed cheeks, flushed with shame and anger, and the stray hairs clinging to her skin, damp with a thin layer of sweat. The restlessness he had been deliberately suppressing surged up again in his heart.

He suddenly noticed that, due to her sweat, Shanhe was emanating a faint, exotic fragrance, which became more pronounced as her resistance grew. It was a scent he had never smelled before, subtle and alluring, yet captivating, drawing him in and making him want to lean closer and inhale deeply.

He was too lazy to engage in any witty banter with Shanhe, his mind now solely focused on finding the source of this strange fragrance. He released his grip on her, braced her under her armpits, lifted her up, and placed her on his lap, holding her tightly in his embrace. She couldn't escape, and could only resignedly close her eyes, murmuring, "You promised to wait until I was willing..."

"Yes, I did say that." He had to remind her again, his voice already hoarse. "But I also said that this doesn't count as 'that.' A hug, a touch, it's nothing."

Liang Ye's gaze fell on her slightly open neckline. Her fair skin, exhaling warm breath, and her body, emanating a faint fragrance, stirred his heart, and he couldn't help but lower his head and kiss her.

The birthmark on my shoulder hadn't completely faded by yesterday, and now two more vermilion marks have appeared, faintly visible on my collar.

Shanhe held back her tears in humiliation, her chest heaving violently.

Liang Ye didn't slow his movements because of her furrowed brow. He was a shrewd strategist, and he didn't hesitate to use his cunning on Shan He. Yesterday was just a brief encounter, but today he had to take it a step further; otherwise, the progress would be too slow, and he wouldn't be able to bear it. He felt he had already shown her extra respect; her life was in his hands. She couldn't escape, she couldn't even die, yet he was still willing to patiently coax her, treating her like a pampered young lady. Apart from A Shao, she was probably the first person in the world to do so.

So he whispered, "Open your mouth."

Shanhe opened her eyes, frowned at him, and slowly shook her head.

Still not obedient.

The hand that had been stroking her back moved upwards, finally stopping at the back of Shanhe's neck. His fingers suddenly tightened, gripping the thin skin of her neck. Shanhe winced in pain and couldn't help but hiss, "What are you doing—" Liang Ye seized the opportunity to silence her with a kiss.

Her pink lips, filled with warm fragrance, concealed two rows of pearly white teeth, making them appear even whiter and redder, so tempting to be picked.

He was more domineering than yesterday, this time refusing to linger on superficial caresses. He launched a relentless assault, his kisses lasting only a few moments before Shanhe was breathless. She pounded on his firm chest, managing to utter a broken sentence under his onslaught: "I...I can't breathe..."

Liang Ye curved his lips into a smile, then loosened his grip slightly, his eyes brimming with laughter as he hooked a strand of her hair that had fallen down, twirling it around his fingertips: "Hmm, take a few more breaths, rest a bit."

Shanhe half-turned away, clutching her chest and panting heavily, ignoring him.

"Rest well and let's continue." He looked at her with a smile, gentle and mild, as if he were talking about something extremely ordinary.

Shanhe kept her eyes closed, breathing heavily, refusing to spare a glance for him. In that instant of lowering her gaze, she suddenly realized that her collar had been pulled open even wider.

Beneath his slender shoulder bones, soft jade was partially revealed, and above that lay the glaring red mark he had just left.

She hurriedly clutched her clothes to cover her exposed skin, her almond-shaped eyes glaring at his face like knives: "I'm not a prostitute!"

He chuckled, "Of course not." Seeing her arms tightly wrapped around her chest, Liang Ye didn't mind. His hand, resting beside Shan He, grasped her slender waist, his fingertips beginning to knead it. "I've never considered you a prostitute." Otherwise, wouldn't he be a client?

A tingling, itchy sensation spread through her waist, making Shanhe squirm and try to escape. But he held her tightly, and no matter how she tried to move away, she remained in his arms.

"Hey, Shanhe." He suddenly groaned and pursed his lips. "Don't move."

Shanhe was startled, and her face turned red with embarrassment after she realized what was happening.

His voice was hoarse: "If you insist on this, I'm afraid I won't be able to wait until you're willing..."

"What if I'm unwilling my whole life?" she asked sadly.

He brought his face close to her cheek, showering her with countless kisses. He said firmly, "It won't last a lifetime."

"I mean, if." She had no choice but to close her eyes again and continue to bear it.

“Shanhe…” The tip of his teeth bit her earlobe, “Don’t always do things that make things difficult for yourself and others.”

She gasped for breath and couldn't help but let out a soft moan.

This was her fatal weakness. Liang Shao had always been well aware of this, and whenever they made love, he would serve her wholeheartedly and indulge in all kinds of pleasure before he would stop.

Now, it's Liang Ye who's in charge!

A sense of desolation settled over me.

Liang Ye sensed her momentary loss of composure and the tension in her body, and his heart stirred. Shan He's increasingly disordered breath brushed against his cheek, and his mind tightened, then that tremor transformed into a deeper desire for control.

He nibbled at her gradually swollen earlobe, his voice muffled yet clear: "I'll make you a pair of earrings... What kind do you like? Gold? Silver? Or agate, jade?"

"Hmm, you didn't seem to like wearing earrings before..."

"You'll have to get used to it eventually..."

Shanhe remained stubborn, panting, "What if I really have a miserable life forever?"

The man in front of her paused, looked up from her, his gaze lingering on her face, his expression grim. He said, "Then, Qingyue will also suffer, and those who helped you will also suffer."

“Back when I was looking for you, when I investigated the Mi family, their shady dealings were easily exposed. Especially that Mrs. Wu, I admire her for being a woman who doesn't yield to men, but…” He suddenly smiled, “As a woman, being too forceful is never a good thing. Shanhe, you don't want innocent people to be implicated by you, do you?” The last sentence was resounding. He patted her cheek.

Shanhe swayed a few times, then lowered her eyelids and pursed her lips without saying a word.

Liang Ye smiled with satisfaction. He had said before that Shanhe was too conscientious, both towards her grandfather and A Shao, and towards the people around her. Therefore, she was gentle to the point of being weak. She would never harm others because of herself, and even if it meant sacrificing herself, she would always be worthy of others.

He continued kissing her earlobe, reflecting on the changes in her over the past few days. From her initial fierce resistance when he first brought her here, to her gradual acceptance of his touch, and now to her being able to kiss her lips, touch her body, and even leave his marks on her without her resisting as before. Although she was still resisting, she had unknowingly compromised a great deal.

He suddenly realized that if he possessed martial arts skills as superb as Ah Shao, perhaps he would have joined the army. Generals who conquer cities and seize territories may appear rough and careless, but in reality, the key lies in persistent and meticulous work.

He gradually eroded the enemy's territory, and by the time the enemy realized what was happening, the outcome was already decided, and victory was assured.

Thinking of this, he became even more excited. Taming a woman with a heart of stone was somewhat like the saying, "If you can't even manage a house, how can you manage the world?"

Of course, she also needs some benefits. The simplest thing is to teach her something she enjoys. Allowing her to be safe and for those she cares about to be safe goes without saying, but that's not enough. She still needs absolute, overwhelming pleasure.

The key to Shanhe's body that he happened to discover today will slowly erode her steadfast rationality.

Right now, he is patiently tending to that small, round earlobe.

Her frozen expression finally softened, like ice melting. A few broken words escaped her lips, drifting into his ears. This was an absolute, uncontrollable, and inexplicable reaction; even with Shanhe's iron will, she couldn't bear it.

Then, her stiff back began to soften, and she involuntarily leaned into his arms.

He chuckled inwardly, his hands becoming restless, moving upwards from her waist, gently teasing her to make her feel better. Then, he quietly pulled her collar, which had been left unprotected.

The two snow rabbits hopped around, half of their bodies dazzlingly white, and snuggled against him.

Unaware of her surroundings, Shanhe was completely captivated by the unsettling, tingling sensation in her ear. A strange, tingling sensation coursed through her entire body. Consciousness was fading, everything was shrinking. Shanhe felt her earlobe swell, while her body rapidly shrank, coalescing into a single point.

At first, she tried to push him away, pressing her ten slender fingers against his shoulder, subtly forcing him to back away; slowly, her strength softened, no longer like a push, but more like a drowning person clinging to a piece of driftwood, her ten fingers curling tightly around his clothes, as if unwilling to let him leave; now, past events and social norms have become blurred, and she has become an object manipulated by him, rising and falling in the waves.

Shanhe was completely unaware...

A cool sensation slips from my fingertips and into my clothes.

The heat around my ears overwhelmed the coolness beneath my clothes, like a raging torrent drowning out the undercurrents. The turbulent waves were so loud that the underlying ripples seemed insignificant; one could only glimpse a tiny white dot on the crest of a wave.

Shanhe's thoughts drifted away at the sight of the white figure; her slender waist arched backward, and her body involuntarily pressed against his chest.

At that moment, she completely forgot that the person in front of her was her ex-husband's brother!

Liang Ye was also somewhat moved, and he abandoned his original intention to quit while he was ahead.

“Shanshan…” he couldn’t help but whisper.

This seemed to be the first time he had called her by her nickname.

Shanhe frowned slightly upon hearing the hoarse "Shanshan." When people are falling into depravity, they don't notice these things. She only felt as if she were walking on clouds, her feet floating. The steady and powerful "Shanshan" echoed, like ripples spreading across the surface of water. In the reflection of those ripples, she saw a person.

The man was tall and handsome, with striking features. He squinted and grinned at her unabashedly, saying, "Shanshan! Pay attention to me too!"

Shanhe couldn't help but call his name, a very soft and indistinct sound—

“Ah Shao”.

It was too light and too vague, and besides, Liang Ye was also in a state of decline, so he didn't pay attention to this sentence and thought it was Shan He breathing.

He was grinding with his lips and teeth on one side and kneading with his fingertips on the other.

In a short while, the three round beads quickly became stained with a thick rouge color, radiating heat that scalded his hand.

Liang Ye couldn't help but softly call out, "Shanshan." Then, he took her hand and pressed it against his body. A sigh escaped his throat: "Shanshan..."

The instant she touched him, her hazy eyes widened abruptly, humiliation and horror returning in an instant. Shanhe felt as if she'd been branded with a hot iron; she jerked her hand away, but his large palm held it firmly, rendering her immobile.

The scalding, throbbing thing beneath her palm lifted slightly in her suddenly icy hand, its ferocious force sending shivers down her spine.

"Liang Ye!" She bit her lip in humiliation, her hand clenching into a fist, desperately trying to pull it back. "You...you are shameless and despicable!"

With a sudden movement, she realized she was already in a sorry state. Needless to say, her ears were damp and red, her collar was wide open, her shoulders were covered in mud, and her thin silk robe hung loosely on her body.

My vision was instantly blurred by the moisture, and a wave of shame washed over me. But my hand was trapped, and I could only futilely and repeatedly try to shrink back.

She choked back tears, "Grandpa, please...don't..."

Liang Ye pressed down on her hand, his breathing heavy: "Why are you dodging?" He suddenly pulled her back, causing Shanhe to fall onto his shoulder. He lowered his head and sucked on her earlobe, his voice muffled: "Shanshan, touch it. It's only like this for you..."

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Author's Note: Okay, okay, time to speed up the plot! [doge emoji with rose in hand]

Kissing and ear kisses, all above the neck, please stop! [Chin resting on hand][Chin resting on hand]