Chapter 25 Stars and Frost, How Many Times Have Old Friends Returned (Part 1) His deepening kiss carried...
Like a dragonfly skimming the water, it touched the surface, yet it carried the force of a wildfire, instantly igniting some hidden spark.
She then buried her burning cheeks in his broad shoulder, her soft body nestled against him, her warm breath lightly brushing against the skin of his neck.
Chu Huaili lowered his eyes and gazed at the warm and soft body in his arms.
Her submissive and dependent demeanor at this moment was completely different from her usual aloof and arrogant self.
The tear-stained face left faint damp marks on his crimson robe, and his long eyelashes drooped, casting a small, fragile shadow beneath his eyes.
Her nose was slightly red, and her lips, which had just offered a kiss, were even more luscious and tempting, like a rose trembling in the morning dew, silently exuding an alluring fragrance. This beauty, a blend of fragility, stubbornness, and sudden bursts of seductive charm, was enough to make any normal man's heart flutter and lose all self-control.
"Could you... give me a little time?" The long, butterfly-like eyelashes of the person in his arms trembled slightly, her voice soft and weak, carrying a suppressed sob, as if she was trying her best to endure great grievances and struggles.
“Okay.” He agreed almost immediately, his voice calm, even with a hint of indulgence. However, his next words shattered the fragile defenses that Ye Yixiang had just built up. “Let’s see if Lu Lingchuan, and your younger brother who’s hiding somewhere… can hold on.”
These words, like a poisoned ice pick, pierced Ye Yixiang's heart! She jerked her head back, all her hesitation, shame, and calculations seeming insignificant in the face of the threat to her loved ones' lives. Without further thought, driven by a desperate impulse, she once again leaned forward and pressed her cool, trembling red lips against his warm, thin lips.
The moment their lips touched, she could clearly feel Chu Huaili's imposing figure stiffen almost imperceptibly.
This brief pause brought Ye Yixiang, driven by fear and urgency, to her senses. Realizing what she had done, she instinctively wanted to retreat and escape.
However, the large hand on the back of her head tightened its grip, cutting off all her escape routes. His kiss, no longer content with a fleeting touch, deepened abruptly with an undeniable force. At the same time, his other hand, which had been around her waist, began to wander restlessly, his long, slender fingers, burning with heat, tracing the soft curves of her back. Slowly, with an exploratory intent, he caressed and lingered on her back.
This overly intimate and possessive touch caused Ye Yixiang to tremble slightly, goosebumps rising all over her body. The unfamiliar yet familiar softness on her lips was magnified infinitely as she tightly closed her eyes…
This kiss was different from the previous rough and plundering; it carried a strange, almost tender tenderness. The lingering, sucking pressure, the probing rhythm of the tongue, even the breath emanating from him, a mixture of coldness and heat…
Feel……
It's all too familiar.
It was so familiar that it made her heart race, as if she had traveled through a long torrent of time and returned to a deliberately forgotten, distant past.
An absurd and startling thought cleaved through her chaotic thoughts like lightning!
She suddenly opened her eyes, her watery pupils filled with disbelief and horror as she re-examined the handsome face so close to her.
Chu Huaili...
Is it because he is Lu Qingyuan's cousin that they have similar habits?
Or...or...
Or perhaps from the very beginning, in that chaotic, hazy memory, she... mistook someone else for someone else?!
The man in front of her seemed to misinterpret her momentary stiffness and scrutiny as resistance and escape. He let out a low groan of dissatisfaction, tightened his arms around the back of her head, and deepened the kiss even more domineeringly, not allowing her the slightest chance to dodge, as if he wanted to devour all her doubts and feelings.
His deepening kiss carried an undeniable force, yet when it touched her trembling lips, it strangely blended in a touch of tender affection.
The force was domineering, yet the rhythm carried a familiarity as if it had been practiced a thousand times. Each gentle suck precisely touched a long-forgotten string deep within her memory.
Ye Yixiang's mind went blank, only the all-too-familiar touch surged like a tidal wave, assaulting her crumbling reason. Was it him? Yan Qing, the one who clumsily fed her the bitter medicine?
Yan Qing, the one who would gently soothe her nightmares with a tender, almost reverent embrace in the small village?
No…it’s impossible…Yan Qing is so gentle. She could never be the Chu Huaili before me, with her deep eyes and ruthless methods!
However, the force of the kiss, the occasional slowing and tentative pecks, even the faint herbal scent mixed with the crispness of his breath... all overlapped perfectly with a blurry figure in his memory!
She began to struggle, not out of disgust, but out of a confirmation bordering on fear. She pressed her hands against his firm, iron-like chest, pushing against him with all her might, her fingertips able to feel the taut muscles beneath his clothes and his powerful heartbeat.
If he is Yan Qing, then who is Lu Qingyuan?
Her resistance seemed to infuriate him, or perhaps it ignited a desire he himself was unaware of.
Chu Huaili's Adam's apple bobbed, and he let out a low, hoarse breath. The arms around her waist tightened suddenly, almost breaking her slender waist, forcing her body to press tightly against his, completely sealed without leaving a gap.
The other hand, which had been behind her head, slid down to the back of her neck, its burning heat holding her head firmly in place as she tried to turn it away.
The kiss grew deeper and more predatory.
No longer content with the entanglement of lips and tongues, he began to gently nibble at her soft lower lip, with a punishing force, yet leaving a slight stinging sensation before stroking it lightly with his warm tongue, bringing waves of tingling numbness.
His scent completely enveloped her, a unique, cool fragrance mixed with the aroma of herbs, domineeringly invading every inch of her senses.
She sobbed, her resistance gradually weakening, her body going limp uncontrollably, and she could only cling to his strong body.
Just as she was about to completely succumb to the suffocating yet strangely familiar heat, Chu Huaili unexpectedly stepped back slightly.
His forehead pressed against hers, his breath heavy and hot, spraying onto her swollen, moist lips, bringing a ticklish sensation. His deep eyes were inches from hers, churning with lingering passion and a more complex, dark light, locking tightly into her hazy, watery eyes.
Their noses touched, their breaths mingled, and they stood silently facing each other at extremely close range.
He gazed at her flushed cheeks, her misty eyes, and her lips, which he had ravaged until they were even more luscious and alluring. His Adam's apple bobbed violently once more. His gaze was filled with scrutiny, inquiry, and an almost greedy possessiveness.
"Why didn't you wait for me..." His voice was terribly hoarse, magnetic with the passion that had taken hold. His fingertips gently caressed her slightly swollen lips, the gesture carrying a heart-wrenching tenderness that seemed completely out of character for him. "Why him, hmm?"
The last syllable rose slightly, carrying an undeniable strength, yet seemingly concealing a subtle tension, as if awaiting a verdict.
The carriage had come to a steady stop sometime earlier, and the guards outside had already tactfully retreated to a distance, their backs to the carriage, like silent stone sculptures.
Ye Yixiang was thrown into turmoil by his pointed question and the all-too-familiar gentle touch, and a thought that she had been deliberately suppressing began to grow wildly.
Suddenly, she thought of something and, disregarding all etiquette and rules, reached out to lift the collar of his shirt, her fingertips trembling with urgency, trying to find some evidence that might confirm her crazy guess—the old wound from when she fell off the cliff while gathering herbs!
Unexpectedly, Chu Huaili grabbed her outstretched wrist with considerable force, stopping her movement.
A wicked and provocative smile curved his lips, his eyes darkening: "Didn't you just say righteously that we were in a carriage? How come you're more anxious than I am now?"
"I need to see your injuries!" she said, her voice trembling, her watery eyes fixed on him, filled with urgency.
His eyes suddenly darkened, revealing a complex and unreadable mix of emotions. He didn't answer immediately, but instead pulled her hands down from his collar and wrapped them around his strong waist. Then, he bent down and swept her up in his arms!
The sudden feeling of weightlessness made Ye Yixiang gasp softly, and she instinctively hugged his neck tightly.
He carried her and steadily stepped down from the carriage. The night breeze blew, dispelling some of the heat inside the carriage.
He strode forward, carrying her in his arms, and walked briskly toward the inner courtyard of the Nie residence. His steps were steady, as if the person in his arms was so light that she was weightless.
Walk through the moonlit garden.
Just then, Nie Zhaoxue, carrying a rabbit lantern, was playing in the corridor.
The little girl saw them from afar and was about to greet them with a smile, but when she saw clearly the person Huai Li was holding and the unusual intimacy between the two, she playfully stuck out her tongue, immediately lifted her skirt, turned around and ran away quickly, leaving only a series of light footsteps fading into the distance.
Chu Huaili seemed oblivious to this, carrying Ye Yixiang straight back to the courtyard where she was temporarily staying. He kicked open the door, stepped into the inner room, and his movements carried an undeniable air of dominance.
As he gently placed her on the soft bed, Ye Yixiang's heart continued to pound wildly, her thoughts a jumbled mess. Those memories, deliberately sealed away, surged through her mind like shackles broken.
She remembered that when her eyes could finally barely make out the blurry outlines of people, Yan Qing had to go to town to buy more medicine because she had run out. Feeling restless and bored being alone in the house, she tried to find her way to the stream by the village, following the route her grandmother had taken her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com