Chapter 147: Chapter 147: I Know You Want to Kiss

The distance between them closed in an instant.

Their lips were mere millimeters apart.

Yuan Shimo didn’t move any closer. He held the position, letting their hot breaths fall upon each other’s lips.

The psychedelic electronic music seemed to fade away, replaced by the sound of a quickening drumbeat in her ears. She couldn’t tell whose heartbeat it was.

Jiang Qingli wanted to pull away, but the moment their eyes met, she held her breath.

Backlit, the young man looked down at her with his eyes half-lidded. In the dim light, she couldn’t make out the color of his pupils. His thick eyelashes blinked slowly. Though he hadn’t touched her, Jiang Qingli felt a faint tickle.

It was like being brushed by a kitten’s tail—a pleasant, tingling numbness.

It was also a kind of silent bewitchment.

’What... what does he mean by this?’

A strange nervousness bloomed inside Jiang Qingli.

Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was the dazzling lights, but Jiang Qingli felt the young man before her was very different from his usual self.

Shadows danced around them. It was as if his usual cool composure had been torn open, revealing the hot, viscous magma beneath, which roared to devour her, to mess her up.

The ambiguous atmosphere was intoxicating. Not to mention, the one cupping her face was a genius of the academic world—her Beast Husband.

Her head grew hot at the thought. Jiang Qingli closed her eyes, her lashes trembling slightly.

A warm touch brushed past her lips, there and gone in an instant.

Realizing it was Yuan Shimo’s lips, Jiang Qingli’s eyes flew open.

But across from her, Yuan Shimo had already taken a step back. He retracted his long, clean fingers, plucking away a sequin he had caught between his lips.

Jiang Qingli: "..."

’So he was just getting the sequin for me.’

’I thought... he was going to kiss me.’

The fierce pounding in her heart, which had just started, subsided again.

Jiang Qingli touched her slightly flushed face and changed the subject. "Did you wash your hands?"

"Yes, I did." Yuan Shimo opened his palm toward her, his gaze falling to the hem of her dress.

Her head was still spinning. Jiang Qingli said in the most natural tone she could manage, "Let’s go back, then."

After she spoke, she noticed Yuan Shimo hadn’t withdrawn his outstretched palm. After a two-second pause, she tentatively placed her hand on it.

The next second, her hand was clasped in his.

A subtle feeling came over Jiang Qingli.

Yuan Shimo looked cold and unapproachable, but he was actually very passive.

’It seems... for most of the time they’ve been together, he only reacts proactively when she makes a move.’

’Poke him, and he moves.’

’Less like a cat, and more like a snail.’

’A cat-snail?’

Jiang Qingli imagined a snail with cat ears and couldn’t help but let her lips curve into a smile.

The young man beside her keenly sensed her reaction and asked, "What are you smiling at, female master?"

"I just think you’re a little cute," Jiang Qingli said.

Yuan Shimo’s steps faltered. He raised a hand to pinch his earlobe before catching up to her again.

As they walked down the corridor hand in hand, Yuan Shimo didn’t speak, but Jiang Qingli could clearly feel his gaze on her.

It was a searing heat, impossible to ignore.

The atmosphere turned ambiguous once more.

Jiang Qingli pressed the back of her hand against her hot cheek and forced out a topic of conversation. "Oh, right. I saw your younger brother just now."

"He’s here too?" Yuan Shimo’s voice was calm, showing no ripples of emotion.

Jiang Qingli nodded. "Yeah, it seems like his student union is having a party here. Do you want to go over?"

"No need," Yuan Shimo said. "I’m here to accompany my female master."

As they passed the corner, Yuan Shimo glanced toward the staircase.

Yuan Shiyao was nowhere to be seen.

A slight smile touched Yuan Shimo’s lips.

He knew his brother well. As a golden boy at the top of the pyramid, Yuan Shiyao had an extremely strong moral compass and wouldn’t allow himself to make a single misstep.

’After seeing that scene with his own eyes, it’ll probably be hard for him to have any ideas about his brother and sister-in-law.’

At this thought, Yuan Shimo subconsciously glanced sideways, his eyes sweeping over Jiang Qingli’s lips.

’Soft, pink, and glistening with a sweet sheen.’

He had been just a hair’s breadth away from tasting them.

But Yuan Shimo had held back.

In reality, Yuan Shimo considered himself to have a rather low sense of morality. He felt no responsibility toward his family, only caring for those who mattered to him. Most of the time, he couldn’t care less if others lived or died, let alone worry about their likes, dislikes, or opinions. None of it meant anything to him.

But when it came to Jiang Qingli, he found himself unconsciously trying to figure out what she was thinking.

He observed her subtle expressions, studied the changes in her tone, and wondered... if she liked him, even just a little.

It was because he cared so much that he feared her rejection, feared seeing even a hint of resistance or protest in her eyes.

Their private room was just ahead. Yuan Shimo, reluctant, slowed his pace.

Just as they were about to reach it, Jiang Qingli suddenly pulled him past the room and into a corner of the terrace, out of sight of the security cameras.

A corner perfect for getting into trouble.

Yuan Shimo glanced over. Jiang Qingli beckoned to him.

He bent down, and a pair of soft lips pressed against his, catching him completely off guard.

For a moment, Yuan Shimo’s mind went blank.

His senses were devoured, overwhelmed by her sweet scent and soft touch. The desires he had forcibly suppressed began to churn again, setting his heart ablaze.

He stared at her intently, trying to discern her intentions.

’Was this a sudden whim, a desire to tease him, or did she have a little bit of feeling for him...’

In the shifting light, the girl’s cheeks were flushed with a drunken pink. She stood on her tiptoes and ruffled his hair.

"Stop being so stubborn, Cat Teacher."

Jiang Qingli was actually a little drunk. Her eyes were glistening, and her voice was a bit hazy.

But because she had caught onto his weakness, she lifted her chin, a hint of unconcealable pride in her words:

"Of course I know."

"That night, when you were in heat, you stared at me just like that, and just now... Mmph—"

Before she could finish, the young man’s kiss crashed down on her, pressing against her lips and silencing the rest of her words.

Jiang Qingli whimpered and leaned back, but he grabbed both of her wrists with one hand, pinning them against his chest. With his other hand, Yuan Shimo cupped the nape of her neck, forcing her to look up.

She was like a reckless little bird caught by a cat, held in its mouth with nowhere to run.

-

Who knows how many songs had played before the sensation was withdrawn.

A light-colored handkerchief gently wiped the moisture from her lips.

"You..."

Jiang Qingli steadied herself by holding his wrist. After getting that one word out, she didn’t know what else to say. She could only look at him with glistening eyes, her face completely crimson.

A stark contrast to her smug look from moments before.

"What is it, female master?" Yuan Shimo chuckled.

The young man’s posture was as elegant and handsome as usual, but the jade-green eyes behind his glasses now held a distinct gentleness.

’This is the first time I’ve ever seen him look at me with such a gentle gaze.’

Her heartbeat quickened uncontrollably.

Jiang Qingli felt like she must be seriously drunk. Why else would she be so dizzy, with her legs feeling so weak?

She averted her gaze and said, "Let’s go back. They must have been waiting for a long time..."

"Alright." Yuan Shimo put away his handkerchief and held out his hand to her. "Can you walk?"

The culprit was acting like a good Samaritan, and a sudden spark of anger ignited in Jiang Qingli.

She slapped his hand away and grumbled, "I can walk by myself."

But as she stepped off the terrace, she didn’t notice the step down and stumbled—

"Careful."

A well-defined hand gripped her wrist.

But it wasn’t from behind her. It was from the front.

Her muddled brain suddenly sensed something was off. Jiang Qingli looked up and met a pair of jade-green eyes.

"Yuan Shi... yao?" Jiang Qingli paused before saying the last syllable.

In the dim light, the dark-haired young man smiled. "It’s me, sister-in-law."

The pads of his fingers, holding her wrist, unconsciously caressed her skin, creating a faint tickle.

The moment their eyes met, Yuan Shimo snatched the girl’s hand away.

"Thanks, I’ve got her." Yuan Shimo supported the girl’s waist, pulling her into his embrace, and asked softly, "Are you alright, female master?"

He put extra emphasis on the final title.

The stumble wasn’t even bad enough for her to fall, but being caught and held by the two brothers in succession made Jiang Qingli feel like she had just gone bungee jumping...

She shook her head. "I’m fine."

Yuan Shimo looked up at his younger brother, his voice turning slightly cold.

"How long have you been here?"