Chapter 98
Su Zhelan sipped the soup slowly, the warm broth sliding down her throat, bringing a touch of warmth and a slight sense of comfort.
But he couldn't ignore the other two gazes in the room; his fingers, gripping the spoon, curled slightly as he lowered his head.
The only sounds in the room were the occasional soft clinking of a porcelain spoon against the bowl and Su Zhelan's faint swallowing.
“Su Zhelan…” Sheng Xuan’s muffled voice came from beside him, “Tomorrow… I probably won’t be able to come.” He slightly raised his head, his chin almost touching Su Zhelan’s shoulder, his lips pursed, his tone a mixture of undisguised complaint and coquetry:
"My brother found out I haven't been to the training ground for two days, and he's furious!" He imitated Sheng Chi's manner, exaggerated and childish. "He's going to punish me by making me train all day tomorrow! My bones will be broken... How am I supposed to sneak out to see you?"
As he spoke, he couldn't help but nuzzle Su Zhelan's shoulder and neck, his hair brushing against her sensitive skin, sending a shiver down her spine.
Seeing that Su Zhelan did not respond immediately, Sheng Xuan seemed somewhat dissatisfied. He snorted again, with a hint of sulking, and gently nudged Su Zhelan's shoulder with his chin: "Hey, I'm already in such a miserable state... You'll miss me if you don't see me tomorrow."
His tone was three parts domineering and seven parts clingy, making it impossible to tell if he was being genuine or not.
Su Zhelan felt a burning sensation on the side of her neck where the hand had brushed against her. Sheng Xuan's intimate weight pressed against her side, and the fluffy hair tips brushed against her skin, sending shivers down her spine.
Patience has finally reached its limit.
Just as Sheng Xuan was about to lean his entire head on Su Zhelan's shoulder, Su Zhelan suddenly raised his arm holding the soup bowl and shoved Sheng Xuan with his elbow with extreme speed and resistance.
"Ugh...!" Sheng Xuan let out a muffled groan, leaning back slightly.
He stared wide-eyed in astonishment at Su Zhelan—her face was already flushed red, almost dripping blood, with a thin layer of blush on the corners of her eyes, her lips were bitten tightly and trembling slightly, and her eyes were so frightened that she didn't know where to look, only staring intently at the soup bowl that was still shaking in her hand.
"Stop...stop making a fuss..." Su Zhelan's voice was thin and trembling, as if it was about to dissipate into the air, "If you want to talk...sit properly and talk! Don't touch me..." The last few words were almost squeezed out from between her teeth.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
“Okay, okay,” Sheng Xuan replied immediately, his tone surprisingly quick, even carrying a hint of obedience. The deliberately roguish expression on his face vanished, leaving only a pure smile tinged with helplessness and accommodation. “I’ll listen to you. Sit down and talk.”
"Don't be angry, okay? I was really wrong..." Sheng Xuan's voice lowered, not in a sticky way, but in a magnetic and comforting way.
"The soup's all spilled, have a couple more sips." His fingertips swiftly brushed the edge of a drop of soup that had slipped down the rim of the bowl when Su Zhelan pushed him, leaving his fingertips slightly damp. The movement was light and fleeting, almost unintentional.
"Alright, let him eat quietly." Xiao Qiyun's voice was not loud, and even flat, but it carried an undeniable sense of ending, completely bringing this brief chaos to a close.
Su Zhelan quietly and mechanically finished the last sip of soup, gently placing the delicate porcelain spoon against the bowl's side, making a final soft sound.
He then sank wearily into the pillow, closed his eyes slightly, his chest rising and falling gently, his weak breathing revealing obvious weariness.
A very soft sigh, like a candle flickering in the wind, escaped from Su Zhelan's slightly parted lips.
There was no disgust or anger in that sigh, only an overwhelming weariness and bewilderment.
He raised his eyes, his gaze unfocused as it slowly swept between Sheng Xuan and Xiao Qiyun, who were sitting on the edge of the bed. His voice was soft and gentle, with a hint of hoarseness from being comforted:
“You guys…do this every day…” He paused, seemingly unable to find the right words, and finally uttered only a barely audible mutter to himself, “…What’s the point?”
Sheng Xuan had already raised his eyebrows slightly when Su Zhelan sighed, and now, upon hearing this small complaint, the corners of his mouth almost instantly curled up.
"What for?" Sheng Xuan's voice trailed off, carrying a sticky, undisguised possessiveness. "For you!"
His voice was crisp and clear, without any embarrassment, as if it were a self-evident truth.
Immediately afterward, before Su Zhelan could react to this sincere yet almost shameless statement, Sheng Xuan quickly leaned forward and kissed Su Zhelan's cheek.
"Shengxuan—!" Su Zhelan's voice suddenly rose, filled with surprise, shame, and anger, trembling with a crack, as if she had been pushed to the limit. The little bit of fatigue and languor she had just managed to accumulate vanished.
However, Sheng Xuan had already straightened up with lightning speed, wearing a smug smile as if his scheme had succeeded. He even quickly pinched Su Zhelan's earlobe with his fingers before gracefully jumping back a step.
"I'm leaving! I won't disturb your sleep!" he called out, a bright smile on his face, seemingly very satisfied with the explosive effect he had created.
Sheng Xuan's gaze lingered greedily on Su Zhelan's face, which was filled with shame and indignation, for a moment before he turned around, took long strides, and walked briskly toward the door, leaving only a snort of laughter floating in the air.
The moment Sheng Xuan leaned in to kiss Su Zhelan, Xiao Qiyun's hand, which was steadily holding the empty bowl, tightened almost imperceptibly, and his sharp gaze pierced Sheng Xuan's frivolous and unrestrained back.
As Sheng Xuan's figure disappeared by the door, leaving only that ambiguous echo, the icy storm in Xiao Qiyun's eyes had already subsided. He seemed as if he had never experienced that subtle shock. His gaze shifted to Su Zhelan on the bed, who was burning with embarrassment, her eyelids trembling, and she was pretending to be dead with her eyes tightly closed.
He unusually refrained from offering any words of comfort to Su Zhelan, who was clearly ashamed and indignant, nor did he reprimand Sheng Xuan for his foolishness.
The room fell completely silent, with only Su Zhelan's slightly rapid breathing, which she tried to suppress.
A moment later, Xiao Qiyun slowly raised his hand, his cool fingertips touching Su Zhelan's cheek with an almost sighing tenderness.
“Ze Lan…” His fingertips lingered briefly on Su Ze Lan’s slightly trembling lips, his voice so low it was almost a whisper, each word seemingly carrying weight.
“…You let him do so many terrible things…” The stroking continued, “It’s so unfair to me…”
These words, seemingly light yet carrying a heavy weight, exploded in Su Zhelan's ears like thunder!
Su Zhelan trembled violently as if startled! Her eyelids snapped open! Her beautiful eyes were filled with unexpected astonishment and confusion, staring straight into Xiao Qiyun's deep gaze—as if silently shouting: How could you be fooling around with him too?!
Xiao Qiyun's fingers did not flinch at the intense reaction; instead, they glided naturally over the delicate, rosy skin.
His fingertips were calloused, and his movements were so gentle they were almost tender, yet they carried an undeniable sense of control as he slowly, gently, stroked them.
His deep eyes were fixed on Su Zhelan's shocked pupils, and his deep voice rang out in the suddenly close air, like a feather brushing against a heartstring, yet carrying an indescribable sense of suppression.
Su Zhelan was completely stunned, even forgetting to dodge. In her wide eyes, astonishment was slowly overwhelmed by a bewildered and helpless panic.
He could even clearly feel the cool touch from Xiao Qiyun's fingertips and the steady, slow force, as if silently dissecting the unspoken and inexplicable "bias" in his heart.
"..." Su Zhelan opened her mouth, but her throat was so dry that she couldn't utter a sound. After a few seconds, with utter confusion and a hint of annoyance, she whispered, almost in a breath, "Then... what do you want...?"
This statement was like removing the last shred of resistance.
Xiao Qiyun looked at the face in front of him, which was particularly vivid and lively due to embarrassment, confusion and slight sulking. He looked at the eyes that were forced to moisten and were full of "admission". A very complex light flashed in the depths of the eyes - like the secret pleasure of getting what you want, or like a deeper, unfathomable vortex.
His fingers, which had been caressing Su Zhelan's cheek, finally stopped.
He gently tapped Su Zhelan's tightly pursed, soft lips with his fingertip. His voice remained low and calm, yet it contained a straightforward and unmistakable demand.
“Then…” He leaned forward slightly, his breath brushing lightly against Su Zhelan’s forehead, his gaze locked on her eyelashes that fluttered in bewilderment.
Give me a kiss.
Xiao Qiyun paused, his usually gentle eyes, now so deep they seemed to absorb all light, captivating Su Zhelan's entire being. His voice carried an undeniable allure:
"It will make me feel better."
Su Zhelan froze completely! Her heartbeat seemed to stop for a moment!
A kiss... a kiss?
This made him even more dizzy than Sheng Xuan's sudden kiss! One was an unexpected and forceful takeover, the other was... a demand filled with heavy feelings?
The depth of that gaze was so intense, so intense, that it made him tremble. He felt the heat that had just dissipated surge back, all the blood rushing to his head, even his fingertips went numb.
Su Zhelan gasped sharply, instinctively trying to turn her head away from the scalding gaze and touch, but her body was pinned to the spot by the invisible pressure, unable to move.
Time seemed to stretch out infinitely in their silent standoff.
Su Zhelan's chest heaved violently, each breath accompanied by a burning sensation and dizziness from lack of oxygen. He felt as if the cheek that had been touched and the lips that had been dabbed were about to burst into flames, and Xiao Qiyun's words, breath, and gaze were like heavy shackles that bound him tightly.
Finally, in the suffocating silence, Su Zhelan almost squeezed out a faint breath from deep in her throat, with a resigned plea and a last glimmer of hope:
"...Is it..." He took a difficult breath, his voice trembling uncontrollably, "...Is it...that I should...kiss you now..."
He dared not look Xiao Qiyun in the eye, his gaze helplessly fixed on the other's hard jawline. "...You're just leaving...won't...disturb my rest...?"
His voice was soft and broken, with a heavy nasal tone. Every word seemed to be painstakingly ground out from a crack in the stone, filled with exhaustion, resignation, and a desire to end it all as soon as possible.
Xiao Qiyun's gaze swept heavily over Su Zhelan's fragile and helpless plea. He didn't answer immediately, but his eyes, which were fixed on Su Zhelan, became even darker and deeper, as if he was silently assessing whether the price was enough.
After a moment, he spoke slowly, his voice still low, but carrying a strange and solemn sense of promise:
"Yes." A single word, clear and powerful.
He then added, a faint, almost imperceptible curve appearing at the corner of his lips, as if to reassure, or as if to seal a contract that could not be refused: "A gentleman... does not break his word."
Su Zhelan seemed to have made some tragic decision, and with extreme slowness and great sluggishness, he tried to sit up. The movement was particularly difficult and clumsy due to the soreness in his waist and abdomen and his inner struggle. He bit his lower lip, ignoring the dull pain in his back, and shifted his center of gravity little by little, finally managing to support himself in a position close enough to Xiao Qiyun.
Su Zhelan's gaze darted around in a panic, never daring to meet Xiao Qiyun's eyes. In the end, she could only stare intently at his clearly defined, slightly pursed lips.
He held his breath and swiftly pressed his lips to hers, like a dragonfly skimming the water.
The contact was extremely light and shallow; she only felt the cool, soft touch of the other's lips for a fleeting moment, without even a lingering sensation. Like a frightened bird, Su Zhelan instantly retreated!
Their lips parted quickly, as if they had never touched.
His cheeks were so red they felt like they were about to explode, and his heart was pounding wildly in his chest, almost bursting out of his throat!
Su Zhelan's eyes flashed with immense shame and relief as she stammered, "...Now...now it's alright, isn't it?"
Her voice trembled slightly, "...I really...need to rest..." After saying that, she slumped back into the pillow, hoping to fall asleep immediately and escape this terrible situation.
However, Xiao Qiyun's hand, which had been resting lightly on Su Zhelan's waist, suddenly changed from supporting to locking, and his strong arm tightly encircled Su Zhelan's slender waist like an iron hoop.
With his other hand, he pressed down on the back of Su Zhelan's neck, using an irresistible force to instantly stop him from retreating!
Su Zhelan's eyes widened in horror, feeling dizzy! She was suddenly pulled forward by a powerful force and crashed into a solid, warm chest without any warning!
Xiao Qiyun's aura instantly enveloped him completely, and the suffocating distance made his brain buzz.
Even more terrifying, he didn't even have time to cry out! Xiao Qiyun's calm yet extremely intimidating handsome face rapidly magnified before his eyes!
He tilted his head slightly, and with an extremely natural yet absolutely possessive air, extended his warm tongue and licked Su Zhelan's lips, which had just parted and still retained a trace of moisture and panic.
That wet, soft, and absolutely aggressive touch was like an electric branding iron, instantly burning Su Zhelan's lips.
Xiao Qiyun's aura swept forcefully across his face, his deep eyes almost touching, churning with an extremely dark and turbulent undercurrent that Su Zhelan had never seen before.
She had just licked the tip of his tongue, and even lightly grazed her own slightly pursed lips in an ambiguous manner.
His deep, magnetic voice rang out between their almost touching lips, each word like sticky honey mixed with a burning flame, carrying a blatant seduction and an undeniable force: "I love you so much..."
His nose brushed against Su Zhelan's cheek, which was burning hot from fright, and his hot breath sprayed on it. "...Can we kiss again?"
Xiao Qiyun was like patiently explaining the most basic concepts to a clueless child, yet it was full of deadly sexual tension.
"Only lips... touching... can that be called... a kiss?" The drawn-out tone carried a chilling allure, like a venomous snake coiling around the heart of its prey.
“…One more time.” The last four words, like a command, or a sympathetic whisper, carried a suffocating longing.
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