Su Mo’s hands roamed restlessly for a moment before she sensed something wasn’t right.

"Why is your skin a little red?"

Yue Ying said without looking up, "Probably from being in the sea. I swam over in my human form."

Su Mo pondered for a moment.

’He’s a land creature, so he’s probably not used to the undersea environment.’

’No wonder it took them so long to get here after I arrived.’

A strange feeling suddenly stirred in her heart. "Was it the same for Fei Yan?"

The moment he heard that name, Yue Ying couldn’t stop the pang of jealousy that rose within him.

’She’s lying in my arms, and she still has to worry about that damn chicken?’

’I don’t want to answer.’

Su Mo had already guessed the answer. She vaguely recalled seeing that Fei Yan’s skin had also been a little red that evening.

But the situation back then had been too charged, so she hadn’t thought much of it.

"You know, you could have just waited for me on the shore."

Yue Ying hugged her tighter and mumbled, "No. I just want to see wife at all times."

The memory of her being abducted by Jin Tong still made him shudder.

Luckily, his wife was clever. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

"From now on, wife must always be in my sight. I never want to see you get hurt again, nor do I want to see you in any danger. It hurts my heart. Does wife understand what heartache is?"

He took her hand and placed it on his chest, saying, word by word, "It hurts... right here."

Yue Ying knew that while she didn’t dislike him, she was always more on guard with him than she was with Fei Yan or Mo Xiao.

’It’s because in her mind, this fox is the most cunning of them all.’

So, he had to make her understand that no matter how cunning he was, he would never use it against her.

’Except... for certain special occasions...’

’For example, when it came to using every trick in the book to win a place in her heart, a little scheming was still necessary...’

Su Mo’s heart softened, and she reached out to hug the man before her.

This small gesture sent a shudder through Yue Ying’s entire body. In an instant, it felt as if his very heart was set ablaze.

The room was surprisingly quiet, so quiet that Su Mo could hear the powerful and steady beat of his heart.

It was the first time Yue Ying had ever felt that simply holding her like this was so deeply satisfying.

’Who she liked best, who she cared for most... none of it seemed to matter anymore.’

’As long as I have a place in her heart, that’s enough.’

Outside, Fei Yan and Mo Xiao had lost count of how many times they’d come out to "relieve themselves" only to "coincidentally" pass by Su Mo’s room.

This time, they happened to run into Ye Yuan, who was also out for the same reason.

The three exchanged an awkward glance before pretending to be looking at something else entirely.

During the silence, Ye Yuan blinked his innocent eyes at Mo Xiao and Fei Yan. "Young Master Snake, can you let me be the one to take care of wife tomorrow night?"

’I don’t know how long wife will be staying in the East Sea. I’m worried she’ll leave before it’s my turn... I should try to cut in line.’

Mo Xiao and Fei Yan exchanged a look, then nodded in agreement.

"Thank you! I’ll head back now!" Ye Yuan said, blushing as he walked back to his room.

Fei Yan and Mo Xiao didn’t rush off. They glanced toward Su Mo’s bedroom, the same question on both their minds.

’Why is Yue Ying so quiet tonight? This isn’t like him at all.’

「Inside the room.」

Su Mo looked at the red marks on Yue Ying’s body and said softly, "Let me put some ointment on for you."

Yue Ying’s eyes lit up. He gently pushed her up from his embrace, and with a flick of his long fingers, his robe was tossed aside.

Then he sat down obediently in front of Su Mo.

Su Mo took out the medicinal cream and began to apply it meticulously.

Her soft fingertips seemed to carry an unspoken electric current, sending a tingling numbness through every inch of Yue Ying’s body.

Su Mo, completely focused, kept her head down and continued to apply the ointment with care.

The way her soft hair cascaded down, swaying in a gentle arc, left Yue Ying completely mesmerized.

Heaven knew how much effort it took for him to restrain himself.

When Su Mo finished applying the ointment and looked up, she found his entire face was so red it looked like it might start bleeding.

His fox ears had popped out uncontrollably.

She blinked. Finding them rather cute, she couldn’t resist reaching out to touch them.

As soon as she finished petting his ears, his fox tail popped out as well.

The long, soft tail instinctively wrapped itself around her.

Su Mo found this fascinating. She narrowed her eyes and gave the tail a good stroke.

The next second, she heard the man in front of her let out a muffled groan.

He immediately pulled her into an embrace. Leaning close to her ear, Yue Ying whispered hoarsely, "Mo’er... how about a kiss? Just one. I’ll be... gentle."

Su Mo lifted her gaze slightly and pressed her soft lips to his cheek.

Yue Ying embraced her, spun around, and pressed her down onto the pillows. He then lowered his head, kissing her forehead, her cheeks, the bridge of her nose, the shell of her ear...

...as if intending to kiss every inch of her.

Su Mo quickly came to regret her impulsive act.

A long while later, she was finally released from his so-called "just one" and "gentle" kiss.

Right now, she was like a fish out of water, lips parted but unable to make a sound. The rare, short syllables that did escape her lips were laced with a sensuality that could drown a man.

It was so foreign that it startled even herself.

And it only made the mischievous fox even more brazen...

Su Mo silently vowed, ’I’m never falling for that damn fox’s lies again! He only acts obedient so he can bully me even more ruthlessly... His schemes are deeper than the ocean!!!’

Yue Ying hid the intense desire in his eyes, cupped her face, and whined pitifully, "But you were the one who agreed to one kiss..."

Su Mo’s eyes darted to the side.

’I’m not going soft on him next time!’

Yue Ying’s dark gaze fixed on her as he said plaintively, "Was my performance just now not good enough? Did I displease wife? How about we try again? I promise to perfect my technique this time and guarantee wife’s satisfaction!"

"..."

Su Mo, her face flushed, glared at him. ’Try again, my ass! Trying to pull another fast one on me?!!!’

She grabbed his robe from the side, threw it over his head, and said through clenched teeth, "Go to sleep!"

Yue Ying’s eyes crinkled in a smile as he pulled her into his arms. "Alright, alright, we’ll sleep. Why are you so fierce? You only act this mean to me because you know I like you..."

"Shut up! Don’t talk to me!"

"Then I’ll just continue in the morning."

"..."

’Why is he so long-winded... And why do I feel like I’ve been had?!!!’

—

When Su Mo woke the next day, Yue Ying was already long gone.

Fei Yan told her he and Mo Xiao had returned to shore to take care of some business.

Su Mo didn’t ask what it was about.

She first went to check on Ye Yuan’s injuries. For Beastmen like him, recovery was fairly quick once a wound was properly treated.

After taking his pulse, Su Mo’s lips curved into a smile. "Ye Yuan, you should be on the verge of breaking through to the Fifth Rank. I’ll adjust your prescription in a little while; we’ll see if it can help you advance more quickly."

Ye Yuan looked at her, his eyes shining. "Okay."

He’d had a feeling himself. In the past, he wasn’t particularly interested in advancing in rank, but now... now he felt he needed to train diligently.

’I need to advance quickly so I can better protect my wife!’

As Su Mo was leaving Ye Yuan’s room, she unexpectedly bumped into someone.

When she saw who it was, she froze, a flicker of confusion in her eyes...