Take another cold shower
"Here..." Her fingertips slid along her collarbone to the side of her neck, deliberately circling the artery. Feeling the pulse suddenly accelerate beneath her fingertips, she smiled triumphantly, "That throbbing feeling is so sexy."
Gu Tinglan suddenly let go of her hand, turned around, and pulled a dark blue towel from the back of the chair, wrapping it around his waist. This action was done quickly and urgently, and the edge of the towel brushed against Xixi's calf, bringing with it a gust of cool air.
"You..." Xixi was about to speak when the world suddenly spun around.
Gu Tinglan bent down and lifted her up horizontally, his arm muscles tensed, the veins on the back of his hand clearly visible. Xixi instinctively grasped his shoulders, her fingertips digging into the thin fabric. Only then did she realize that Gu Tinglan's body temperature was alarmingly high; she could feel the heat surging beneath her skin even through her T-shirt.
"Wait, wait a minute." Xixi's tail curled up nervously. As Gu Tinglan carried her to the bedroom, she finally realized that she was panicking. When her back sank into the soft mattress, she reflexively shrank towards the head of the bed, and then patted the empty space beside her with forced composure.
"Come up." She tried to make her voice sound relaxed, and her tail obediently wrapped around Gu Tinglan's hand.
Gu Tinglan twisted his wrist gently, not using much force, and stood still beside the bed. The moonlight filtering in from the window outlined his figure, casting a shadow under his eyelashes. Xixi noticed that his breathing was heavier than usual, and the amplitude of his chest had increased significantly.
"Sissy." His voice was hoarse. "I'm not yet 18."
Xixi tilted her head to look at him, clearly not understanding the weight of his words. She bent her knees, letting her nightgown slide down to her thighs, revealing more of her fair skin.
"So," she reached out to hook Gu Tinglan's fingers, "I don't mind."
Gu Tinglan suddenly knelt on one knee on the mattress, startling Xixi so much that she leaned back. He supported himself on top of her, and the sweat dripping from the ends of his hair fell on her collarbone, burning her and making her shiver slightly.
"Human law has regulations." He lowered his head and rubbed her earlobe with the tip of his nose, his breath hot, "Minors cannot do what you want."
Xixi grabbed his collar unconvincedly: "But you just clearly -"
The words stopped abruptly. Gu Tinglan's lips landed on the side of her neck, not kissing, but rubbing the delicate skin with his teeth. Xixi gasped, her fingers tangled in his hair, unsure whether to push away or press closer.
"It can't be until the end." Gu Tinglan's lips moved along the line of her neck, and each word was accompanied by a hot breath, "But it can be... like this."
Xixi's vision suddenly blurred for a moment. Gu Tinglan's lips and tongue ignited clusters of flames on her body, from her collarbone to her chest, finally stopping at a sensitive spot below her ribs, sucking and biting repeatedly. She arched her back in impatience, her tail uncontrollably wrapped around Gu Tinglan's wrist, and her fur exploded.
"Ting, Ting Lan..." Her voice was filled with tears, and her fingers dug deep into the bed sheets.
Gu Tinglan propped himself up and, in the moonlight, surveyed his masterpiece—the pale pink blossoms that covered Xixi's fair skin, spreading from her neck to her waist. He reached out and gently stroked the marks, his Adam's apple moving.
"A mark." His voice was hoarse. "A mark of humanity."
Xixi looked at him dazedly, with red at the corners of her eyes. Gu Tinglan leaned over and kissed her forehead, then pulled the thin blanket over her naked body.
"Go to sleep." He brushed away the hair stuck to her cheeks, "I'm going to take a shower."
The moment the bathroom door closed, Xixi heard the roar of running water. She buried her face in the pillow, which carried Gu Tinglan's scent, and slapped the mattress with the tip of her tail. She didn't know how long it had been, half asleep and half awake, when she felt the mattress sink slightly beside her, and a cool body carefully embraced her from behind.
Her skin was still damp from the cold shower. Gu Tinglan buried his face in the back of her neck and took a deep breath, his arms wrapped around her waist. Xixi turned in her sleep and burrowed into his arms, hearing a very soft sigh from above her head.
"When I come of age," he murmured vaguely, his fingers gently combing through her loose hair, "I won't let you go."
*
The morning light filtered through the gaps in the curtains, casting tiny spots of light on the floor.
When Gu Tinglan opened his eyes, Xixi was still curled up in his arms, sound asleep. Her eyelashes cast tiny shadows in the morning light, her breathing was even and slow, and one hand unconsciously grasped the corner of his clothes, as if afraid he would run away.
He couldn't help but lower his head and kissed her lightly on the forehead.
"Hmm..." Xixi made a soft nasal sound in her sleep, and unconsciously rubbed against his arms, her warm breath brushing against his collarbone.
Gu Tinglan's body stiffened.
The next second, he almost got up from the bed in a panic, rushed into the bathroom, and turned on the cold water tap.
The cold water washed over his body, but it couldn't quench the heat. He leaned against the tile wall, closed his eyes, and his mind was filled with Xixi's unconscious hum.
“…It’s fatal.”
…
When Xixi woke up, the seat beside her was empty, but still warm. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, and heard the sizzling sound of frying eggs coming from the kitchen.
"Gu Tinglan?" She walked over barefoot and saw Gu Tinglan standing in front of the stove with his back to her. He was only wearing a loose T-shirt, with water dripping from the ends of his hair. It was obvious that he had just taken a shower.
He looked back at her, his ears slightly red. "Are you awake? Why are you so early today? Go wash up, breakfast will be ready soon."
Xixi tilted her head and looked at him: "Did you take a cold shower again?"
Gu Tinglan almost dropped the spatula in his hand: "...Yeah."
Xixi blinked, and suddenly understood something, and her face suddenly burned. She quickly slipped into the bathroom, closed the door, and covered her burning face in front of the mirror.
The girl in the mirror had bright eyes, and there were still faint marks on her neck from last night.
She didn't know why she got up so early today. She woke up inexplicably not long after Gu Tinglan left. Then she was curious about what he was doing, so she got up immediately.
But I'm still very sleepy.
Sissy yawned and walked out and sat at the dining table.
"You don't look like you got enough sleep." Gu Tinglan teased her as he looked at her dazed look.
"Ahhh..." Xixi ate the steamed meat bun made by Gu Tinglan in one bite. After swallowing it completely, she spoke, "This is the first time I've eaten breakfast made by you."
"Whose fault is this?" Gu Tinglan raised an eyebrow. "It's just some lazy bum who keeps lying in bed."
Xixi didn't refute it. After all, it was the truth. She just said vaguely, "After eating, I still need to take a nap."
She was so active that she climbed back onto Gu Tinglan's bed right after she finished eating and fell asleep in a second.
Gu Tinglan shook his head, walked to the balcony and closed the floor-to-ceiling window.
The morning sun hadn't yet completely dispelled the night's chill. Gu Tinglan stood on the balcony, looking up at the sky, his eyes full of thoughts. His phone screen lit up, displaying the name "Pei Song."
He pressed the answer button, and immediately heard his friend's exaggerated wailing on the other end of the line: "Gu Tinglan! I'm dying without you in school! Senior year of high school is simply a miserable life!"
Gu Tinglan chuckled: "Didn't you always say that studying is easy?"
"That's easy for a pervert like you!" Pei Song's voice was filled with obvious grievance. "When you're not here, there's no one to copy my homework..."
"Don't give me that," Gu Tinglan interrupted him, "You ranked second in the grade in the last monthly exam."
There was silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds, and Pei Song's voice suddenly became serious: "Tinglan, are you... okay?"
Gu Tinglan's eyes unconsciously turned towards the bedroom. Xixi was still sleeping soundly. He whispered, "Hmm."
Pei Song seemed to want to say something, but in the end he just sighed: "Okay, remember to come for the college entrance examination."
After hanging up the phone, Gu Tinglan stared at the phone screen for a long time and finally dialed another number.
The phone rang for a long time before it was picked up. Father Gu Chen's voice was tired: "Tinglan?"
"Dad," Gu Tinglan said directly, "I need an explanation."
Gu Tinglan was originally very understanding, thinking that since they had not mentioned it to him, it might be that the time was not right. But now after experiencing all these things, he had some guesses in his mind and could not wait any longer.
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment, and Gu Chen sighed: "I know what you want to ask."
"Then tell me," Gu Tinglan's voice turned cold, "Why did Xixi become like this? Is the curse on her related to the Gu family?"
"Because of the Demon-Suppressing Bell." Gu Chen suddenly interrupted him.
Gu Tinglan was stunned: "What?"
"The Demon-Suppressing Bell, passed down from our ancestors," Gu Chen said in a low voice, "is the core of everything. Our Gu family is able to create magical instruments precisely because of the Demon-Suppressing Bell. Every magical instrument recognizes its master, and the Gu family's magical instruments are stronger than any other, also because of the Demon-Suppressing Bell."
All exorcist families are able to make magical instruments, and they also have magical treasures and ancient books that have been passed down from generation to generation. In the era when demons were rampant, the Gu family was full of geniuses, and the Demon-Suppressing Bell was also passed down by that genius ancestor. For thousands of years, no descendant has been able to make a magical instrument of the same strength.
Although there is also a reason why the exorcist family gradually declined after the demons were eliminated.
"This is from the same era as Sissy."
Gu Tinglan held the phone tightly: "What do you mean?"
"The curse on Xixi comes from the Demon-Suppressing Bell." Gu Chen's voice trembled imperceptibly. "And she is the core of the Succubus clan. If she dies, the Succubus clan will perish."
The morning breeze blew, and Gu Tinglan felt a chill. He remembered Xixi once saying that the succubus clan was cursed, but Xixi was different from them. She was cursed herself, while the succubus clan was cursed because of the Tree of Life.
In other words, his guess was correct. The succubi all subconsciously loathed Sisi that day. Perhaps they didn't remember anything, but it was a physiological aversion. Because the Tree of Life's existence was for Sisi, and the curse on it was also brought by Sisi.
"So she was originally human?"
"Yes." Gu Chen whispered, "The Gu family was once the master of the exorcism war a thousand years ago. The Demon-Suppressing Bell has absolute suppression on the demons and can also regenerate them."
"It's a double-edged sword, capable of both destruction and creation."
"There was no such race as succubus before. It was because during the exorcism war, the Gu family was ambushed and the demon-suppressing bell was taken away."
"We spent a lot of energy to take it back, but it's too late. Sissi has already been 'created'. Now we can only rely on you."
"Then why can't you come and solve this matter yourself?" Gu Tinglan frowned, unable to understand many things. "Besides, Xixi has existed for a thousand years. Why didn't you find her sooner?"
"I'm... trapped and can't get out." Gu Chen continued, "After retrieving the Demon-Suppressing Bell, we also tried to remove the curse from Xixi, but she was missing something, so we couldn't remove it directly from the source."
"What's missing?" Gu Tinglan swallowed nervously, his heart beating faster and faster. He was afraid of hearing a bad answer from him, but he had to hope that he would say it quickly so that he could prescribe the right medicine.
"I think... you've guessed it."
"Is it the heart?" Gu Tinglan asked in a trembling voice. He hoped that his father would reject his guess, but there was silence on the other side for a while.
"Yeah." He gave an affirmative answer.
"How is this possible?!" Gu Tinglan could no longer suppress his anger, but because Xixi was still sleeping in the room, he had to lower his voice, "Isn't it said that succubi are born without hearts?"
Gu Chen didn't answer.
There was a noise on the other end of the phone, as if someone was calling Gu Chen. He hurriedly said, "Be careful of the person behind you. I will lend you a hand. Be sure to protect Xixi." Then he hung up.
Gu Tinglan stood there, countless fragments flashing through his mind.
So, was Sissi created out of thin air, or...
Gu Tinglan didn't dare to think any further.
"Gu Tinglan?"
Xixi rubbed her eyes and stood at the balcony door, her pajamas hanging loosely on her shoulders, revealing a large kiss mark on her collarbone.
Gu Tinglan put away his phone, walked over and hugged her in his arms. He bent down and kissed the top of her head, his voice unbelievably gentle: "Why are you awake?"
Xixi nuzzled into his arms and said, "I had a nightmare... I dreamed that you disappeared."
Gu Tinglan tightened his arms a little.
No wonder she likes to eat human snacks, enjoys watching human melodramas, and says that the human world has a sense of fireworks.
This is because she was originally human, but because thousands of years have passed, she has long forgotten it and gradually regarded herself as a succubus, completing the assimilation.
He had no doubt that the few times Xixi successfully reincarnated was not because she was unwilling to come to the human world to find food, but because she had no way to step out of the demon world. Her kind wished she would disappear as soon as possible so that they could be free.
And this time, being able to come to the human world and meet him was definitely due to Xi Yin's help.
Perhaps they discovered that Sissi was immortal, so they sought other methods.
Undoubtedly, Xixi and the succubus clan are both victims, but they can seek revenge on Xixi and vent their hatred on her. What about Xixi?
Who should she vent to?
Or, does she still remember the hatred in her heart?
It seems like I've forgotten it long ago.
Gu Tinglan looked towards the sun hanging high in the distance, his eyes gradually becoming firm.
No matter what secrets the Demon-Suppressing Bell hides, no matter what conspiracy the person behind it has, he will never let anyone hurt the person in his arms.
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