Chapter 46
The lights were dimmed to their lowest setting, leaving only a small nightlight by the bedside, bathing the room in a warm orange glow.
"Yun Zhan, can I kiss you? If not, just a kiss..." Pei Yanxi's bathrobe was already half-undone. She knelt on the bed, her red lips slightly parted, her eyes gazing at Yun Zhan's lips with a dreamy look.
The bathrobe hung loosely on her shoulders, the neckline slipping below her collarbone, revealing a stretch of pale, delicate shoulder line.
As she leaned forward, the fabric quietly slipped down, as if afraid of startling someone, teetering on the edge of danger.
Pei Yanxi slowly knelt down in front of Yun Zhan. She placed her hands on the edge of the bed, her body bent into a soft arc, her long hair hanging down, the ends of which were still damp from being blown dry.
He tilted his head back, his eyelashes casting a small shadow under the light, but unable to conceal the hint of trepidation in his eyes.
“Yun Zhan…”
Pei Yanxi's voice was so low it was almost a whisper: "Give me a kiss."
The sentence was short, but the last syllable trembled slightly, as if it were the first time someone had confided their feelings to another.
Yun Zhan paused for half a second. Is it okay to kiss?
They haven't officially started dating yet, have they?
Kissing is something you can only do with your lover, right?
Yun Zhan swallowed hard, as if swallowing all his panic, then carefully turned his face to the side and gently brought his cheek to Pei Yanxi's lips, like offering a piece of fragile porcelain.
"Then let's kiss on the cheek..."
Yun Zhan quietly told himself: Hmm... just pretend it was a lick from a kitten.
Pei Yanxi held her breath, her lips landing on that slightly warm skin.
It's soft, with a lingering scent of rose and cedar.
They separate instantly upon contact, yet it feels as if a tiny electric current is shooting out from the point of contact.
Yun Zhan's eyelashes trembled violently, his fingertips unconsciously gripped the sheets, and he froze, forgetting how to continue breathing.
"But I still want... can't I kiss your little mouth?" Pei Yanxi's red lips were still glistening with tears. She blinked and looked at Yun Zhanshi, her eyes filled with affection.
It's so hot...
Yun Zhan reached out and covered her eyes, then turned his head away: "Senior, don't look at me like that."
"But I like you, Yun Zhan, you are the one I like."
Pei Yanxi took Yun Zhan's hand and gently kissed the back of her hand.
The moment Pei Yanxi lowered her head to kiss the back of Yun Zhan's hand, it was with unprecedented devotion. Yun Zhan was about to pull her hand away, but Pei Yanxi held it even tighter.
The lighting was too dim.
Yun Zhan's movement of pulling his hand back was too abrupt, and his fingertips unexpectedly bumped into something warm and soft.
She did it entirely unintentionally, but unexpectedly bumped into Pei Yanxi. Pei Yanxi had just come out of the bath; her skin was delicate and carried the cool temperature of freshly bathed skin.
Yun Zhan flinched, as if he had touched a scorching hot coal, his heart pounding wildly.
"Senior, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
Before the words of apology could even reach her throat, Pei Yanxi gently grasped that flustered hand.
In the darkness, Pei Yanxi's lips curled up slightly as she took Yun Zhan's hand and clasped it in her own.
No need to apologize.
Pei Yanxi's voice was low and soft, with a hint of a smile.
"Don't panic. I'm not your senior from school. We'll get married in the future, so you don't need to apologize to your future wife."
Their fingers were intertwined.
As Pei Yanxi spoke, her fingertips slowly tightened between Yun Zhan's fingers, as if afraid he would pull them away at any moment.
Yun Zhan's warm palm gently soothed her under his fingertips. It was just a simple hand-holding, but it rose and fell gently with each breath, like the tide softly lapping against the shore.
Through his palm, Yun Zhan could feel the sense of security that Pei Yanxi brought him.
Senior, you really are a great lover. Yun Zhan lowered his head. He really felt bad for what he did to you.
Yun Zhan stood there, frozen, not daring to move or stop. He could only hear his own frantic heartbeat mingling with Pei Yanxi's steady breathing.
Pei Yanxi turned slightly to the side, her long hair falling onto Yun Zhan's wrist, carrying a faint rose scent.
She added softly, as if to reassure or to confirm, "It's okay if you bumped into it by accident. I won't be angry with you. Don't be afraid, it's just you and me here."
"Want to see my legs? I'm in good shape; I've taken good care of them." Pei Yanxi said, then tried to turn on the light.
"Ah, no need, no need..." Yun Zhan hurriedly withdrew his hand, the blush on his cheeks rising again before it had subsided.
"I'm a little sleepy, can we rest first?" Yun Zhan pretended to be sleepy, yawned and buried his head in the pillow.
Pei Yanxi understood perfectly well, but at this moment her mind was completely focused on Yun Zhan, and she couldn't bring herself to say anything that went against Yun Zhan's wishes.
So, Pei Yanxi took off her bathrobe, wearing only a little bit of underwear, and gently lay down beside Yun Zhan.
.
At six o'clock in the morning, the sky was still shrouded in a hazy blue mist.
Pei Yanxi personally drove the black sedan to the dormitory building, rolled the window halfway down, and let the morning breeze rustle through her hair.
As the car glided out of the school gate, Pei Yanxi steered with one hand while using the other to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, her fingertips brushing against her earlobe with a hint of possessiveness.
After arriving at the garage, Pei Yanxi turned off the car but didn't get out immediately. Instead, she turned to the side and straightened Yun Zhan's scarf.
"Go to class. I have some work to take care of during the day, but I'll pick you up in the evening if I have time."
Pei Yanxi's fingertips lingered on the edge of the cashmere, finally gently tracing the skin of Yun Zhan's neck, leaving a small mark there.
A hint of smugness shone in her eyes, her lips curved into a smile, and her voice was low and soft: "If you encounter anything difficult to handle at school, come to me. I've given you a special reminder."
Yun Zhan gave a vague reply, pushed open the door and went to the classroom, but his heart was pounding so hard that it didn't settle down all night.
The bell rang for the first class, but a familiar desk remained empty in the classroom.
Shi Mingyue's spot was unusually clean; even her water glass was missing.
Yun Zhan's heart skipped a beat. He took out his phone and dialed the number he knew by heart, but a cold, mechanical female voice indicated that no one was answering.
After waiting a while, Shi Mingyue still hadn't replied. Yun Zhan could only put away his phone and focus on his class.
By the afternoon, Yun Zhan still hadn't received a reply from Shi Mingyue.
"Something's not right. Even if she went out on business, she shouldn't be unable to reply to messages." Yun Zhan frowned. She checked her phone several times, worried that she hadn't seen Shi Mingyue's message.
Yun Zhan suddenly remembered that Wen Yuan's attitude wasn't very good when she came to see her that day, and before leaving, she was muttering, "I don't know what's so good about her..."
A sense of unease rose from the bottom of Yun Zhan's heart. He felt that Shi Mingyue's journey was not a long one, but rather some kind of confinement.
During the ten-minute break between classes, Yun Zhan stood at the end of the corridor, a cold wind blowing into his collar.
She dialed again, but still no one answered.
"21, I'm going to Mingyue Manor tonight to see what's going on." The screen went dark, revealing Yun Zhan's tightly furrowed brows.
...
Mingyue Villa
As dusk filtered through the gaps in the curtains, it cast a faint, cold light on Shi Mingyue's pale profile.
The doctor unwrapped the bandages, and as the newly grown flesh touched the air, a sharp, piercing pain immediately shot through his spine.
Shi Mingyue's knuckles turned white, her lips trembled uncontrollably, and cold sweat slid down her temples and into her collar.
Layers of gauze were applied, like the back of a knife repeatedly grinding against the wound. She almost gritted her teeth to keep from crying out in pain.
The door closed gently, and the bedroom returned to silence.
With red eyes, Wen Yuan squatted down on the edge of the bed and said in a very low voice, "When I went to school that day, Yun Zhan didn't even ask where you went... Now you haven't shown up for several days, and she hasn't come to see you at all."
Shi Mingyue slightly turned her head to avoid the light and the accusations.
Shi Mingyue's voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible: "I'm grounded by my father, so even if she came, she couldn't get in... Besides, she has to go to class."
Wen Yuan pursed her lips, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke: "Miss, I heard students at Mington talking about her and Pei Yanxi. They said that Chairman Pei was infatuated with her, and on his first day back, he bought roses at the school gate... and even put on makeup to see Yun Zhan."
"Miss, what will you do if she really likes Pei Yanxi?"
"You're in this state, what if she doesn't want you..."
Wen Yuan's heart was breaking. Could this be the end of her young lady's first attempt at pursuing love?
As soon as the words were spoken, the bedroom felt as if the oxygen had been sucked out.
Shi Mingyue's knuckles tightened silently, her nails digging into her palm.
She lowered her eyelashes, concealing the momentary darkness in her eyes, as if someone had thrown a cold stone into her heart, the ripples spreading outwards, a bitter taste with nowhere to be released.
After a long pause, Shi Mingyue exhaled softly, her voice so faint it was almost weightless: "Don't listen to these things, Yun Zhan has his own life."
"She told me last time that she wouldn't agree to date Pei Yanxi..."
But the slight tremor in her voice at the end of her sentence betrayed her.
Shi Mingyue knew that she was not relieved, but rather she was suppressing her possessiveness and jealousy, like a flame being pushed into deep water, calm on the surface but burning painfully inside.
She looked up at the ceiling, the light shattering into cold dots in her pupils.
The wound on his back still throbbed faintly, but what was clearer than the wound was the image that flashed through his mind—Pei Yanxi holding roses standing in front of Yun Zhan, the two smiling at each other before walking side by side.
The image lasted only a second, but it was enough to make her knuckles tighten again, and even her breathing became slightly labored.
"I'm fine."
Shi Mingyue added softly, as if speaking to Wen Yuan, but even more so to herself.
But the darkness in his eyes lingered for a long time.
After Wen Yuan said those words, Shi Mingyue lost all interest in anything else. With nowhere to vent her sorrow, she could only keep it bottled up inside.
late at night.
Shi Mingyue was still unable to fall asleep.
She lay face down on the pillow, her back burning with pain, but her heart felt like it was being flooded with seawater, filled with scenes she had never witnessed but couldn't stop.
Every time the image of Pei Yanxi and Yun Zhan together flashed through her mind, her fingertips unconsciously tightened their grip on the bedsheets.
His knuckles were white, layers of gloom were piled up in his eyes, and even his breath tasted bitter.
Just as the sourness reached its peak, there was a very faint "click" outside the window.
Like a small pebble falling into a lake in the dark.
She instinctively looked up—moonlight was streaming in through the gap in the curtains, falling on the figure that had suddenly climbed in through the window.
The silvery moonlight made Yun Zhan's features shine, his hair was disheveled from climbing over the wall, but his eyes were clear and bright.
In an instant, the gloom in Shi Mingyue's eyes was suddenly cleaved apart by this beam of light, her pupils involuntarily dilated, and a tiny, yet scorching, flame lit up in her eyes.
She almost forgot the pain in her back, her fingertips slightly loosening the sheets.
A very soft sound rolled out from his throat: "...Yun Zhan?"
The tone of his voice carried surprise, grievance, and a hint of hope that he himself was unaware of.
Yun Zhan sneaked in by stepping on the eaves. With a soft "click" from the window frame, she landed in Shi Mingyue's bedroom.
Moonlight shone through the gaps in the curtain, falling precisely on the back of Shi Mingyue.
Her once porcelain-white skin was now crisscrossed with whip marks, the newly grown tender flesh had an unnatural pink hue, and dried scabs still clung to the edges.
Yun Zhan's pupils suddenly contracted, and his heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by a hand, his knuckles instantly turning icy cold.
Suddenly, some thoughts popped into Yun Zhan's mind:
Some time ago, when she and Pei Yanxi were trapped on the ship, the first to arrive was not the headquarters' rescue ship, but the Shi family's private boat.
It was during the most chaotic time, and as the only daughter of the Shi family, Shi Mingyue would never have been allowed to go to sea alone, so... that time, it must have been for her own sake.
At this moment, all the scattered clues suddenly strung together into a cold chain in Yun Zhan's mind:
She had over a dozen unread messages to Shi Mingyue on her phone...
When Wen Yuan handed her the jade pendant, her tone held a sigh that seemed to hold back her words.
"Is it because of me that I used a private boat, broke the family rules, and was punished by the family?" Yun Zhan's voice was hoarse, and he even breathed cautiously.
Shi Mingyue didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly.
With that nod, guilt surged like a tide, and a layer of tears welled up in Yun Zhan's eyes.
The wounds were so shocking that Yun Zhan couldn't even look at them directly...
"21, can I still transform into a fox and engage in dual cultivation with a human?"
"This is a modern script. Aren't you really afraid of exposing yourself and being taken out for experiments?" 21 hesitated for a moment.
Then it continued, "And after you turned into a little fox, you didn't wear clothes, which is equivalent to being naked. Even after you practiced dual cultivation with her, you still didn't wear clothes. I remember you cared a lot about this before."
Yun Zhan replied without hesitation, "She's done all this for me, why would I care whether I'm wearing clothes or not?"
Yun Zhan gritted his teeth, his knuckles drawing a very light arc in the air.
She hasn't transformed into a little fox in a long time; I wonder if she can still...
The next instant, the moonlight poured down like mercury, and her figure rapidly shrank and contracted in the light, transforming into a small, snow-white fox.
Yun Zhan's fur was fluffy, and the tip of its tail shone with silver light, like the last unmelted star in the falling snow.
The little fox leaped into Shi Mingyue's arms, its front paws hooking around her clothes, its fluffy head gently rubbing against her neck.
"...Yun Zhan?"
Shi Mingyue's voice was low and hoarse, trembling with disbelief.
The little fox tilted its head, its tail brushing against her palm as a silent response.
Yun Zhan used his spiritual power to communicate with Shi Mingyue's consciousness.
"I can practice dual cultivation with you to restore my body. Hold me tight later."
A wisp of warm spiritual energy seeped into Shi Mingyue's skin along her fur, like the first melting of spring snow, gradually soothing the burning pain wherever it passed.
Shi Mingyue instinctively hugged it, her palm touching its rapid heartbeat.
The moonlight, thin as a cicada's wing, fell on Shi Mingyue's bare shoulders, instantly giving her snow-white skin a faint pearly sheen.
"Yun Zhan, I...I'm not wearing any clothes." She only had time to pull the thin blanket over her chest, but her knuckles turned white with nervousness.
“It’s alright, I wasn’t wearing any either,” Yun Zhan replied.
The little fox leaped lightly, its fluffy body brushing against her collarbone, its tail sweeping across her neck like a soft wisp of snow.
Shi Mingyue's ear tips instantly turned bright red, and even her breathing became erratic.
She subconsciously pulled the thin blanket tighter, but her fingertips carefully encircled the little fox, her palms touching its warm fur as if holding a melting cloud.
Her eyelashes trembled, and she softly called out "Yun Zhan," her voice so soft it was almost inaudible, yet in the quiet night, a blush that could not be concealed quietly spread across her face.
Gradually, Shi Mingyue felt a warm current spreading from her collarbone, along her spine, like winter sunlight piercing through thick clouds and shining into every inch of her flesh.
The wound, which had been tearing and painful, gradually developed a fine, dense itching sensation, and the new flesh and blood quietly healed under the spiritual light.
She couldn't help but take a low breath, so soft it was almost inaudible, yet it carried an uncontrollable tremor.
Yun Zhan snuggled the little fox into her arms, its fur brushing against her bare skin like a breathing cloud.
Before the silvery light had faded, the tip of her ear gently brushed against Shi Mingyue's neck. The instant the downy hair touched her skin, a tingling, electric-like sensation shot up her spine.
"How are you feeling?" Yun Zhan asked her tentatively.
"It feels so good..." Shi Mingyue tightened her grip on that soft mound, her body trembling involuntarily.
Yun Zhan's touch did not cause her pain, but rather an unprecedented sensitivity and excitement, like the first flower of spring night blooming on her fingertips, carrying a secret and burning tremor.
She lowered her head, her chin brushing lightly against the little fox's forehead, their breaths mingling and their heartbeats in sync.
Silver light continued to flow between the two, like a silent river, gently enveloping the pain, shyness, and quietly growing feelings.
"Oh no, I don't think I have enough spiritual power..." Yun Zhan exclaimed in a panic.
Yun Zhan's little fox suddenly trembled, and silvery-white light scattered. Without warning, she fell back into human form.
With skin as white as snow and long hair flowing freely, Yun Zhan's slender arms shimmered softly in the moonlight.
Before Yun Zhan could recover, she found herself back in human form. She collapsed beside Shi Mingyue and sighed, "Luckily, the healing is over."
In that instant, Shi Mingyue felt her arms go empty, and the next second she bumped into a warm embrace.
The two exchanged a glance, a jolt of electricity running through their skin. Yun Zhan blinked nervously, and through his gaze, Shi Mingyue could feel his heartbeat.
The rhythms of their breathing gradually overlapped, like two originally scattered drumsticks suddenly finding the same beat.
Shi Mingyue subconsciously looked up and saw Yun Zhan's collarbone, shoulders, neck, and jet-black hair shimmering in the moonlight, so beautiful that she was mesmerized.
Yun Zhan stared at Shi Mingyue, becoming even more nervous. Blood rushed to her ears, and she froze, forgetting even to breathe.
"Shi Mingyue, I'm sorry, I don't have enough spiritual power."
Yun Zhan snapped back to reality, his voice hoarse. He frantically pulled at the thin blanket at the foot of the bed, but the more he pulled, the more tangled it became, almost tripping over himself.
Shi Mingyue hurriedly looked away, but still caught a glimpse of the lingering silver light on Yun Zhan's back, like shattered stars falling on the snow, a beauty that was breathtaking.
Shi Mingyue pulled up the thin blanket, wrapping herself in it as well, leaving only her reddened ear tips exposed. Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible: "I... I'm fine. I owe you a lot this time. Don't be too nervous."
The two of them each grabbed a corner of the blanket, sitting back to back, yet their heartbeats were in sync.
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