Chapter 68: Chapter 54: This Embrace Is So Comfortable, and Only a Fool Wouldn’t Take Advantage

The blackout curtains were drawn, casting the room in a dismal, exceptionally dim light.

The man on the bed had his eyes squeezed shut, his two fox ears drooping limply. His bewitching, exquisite face was so pale it was utterly bloodless, lacking its usual captivating Charm. He looked weak and broken.

’This guy... he seems to be seriously injured!’

Jiang Yunnuan grabbed his wrist and, with a frown, activated her Superpower.

A verdant glow flowed into his body to begin repairing his damaged organs. In an instant, her Superpower was completely depleted. Her vision went black, and her legs gave way as she collapsed toward the bed.

Just then, the man on the bed suddenly opened his eyes. His complexion improved at a rate visible to the naked eye.

Before he could fully process what had happened, he heard a sound. Turning his head, he saw a figure slumped over the edge of the bed. Her slightly curled, light-brown hair was a mess, and she was dressed in a women’s combat uniform that perfectly hugged her wonderfully curvaceous figure.

The daze in his eyes faded as Si Xie abruptly came to his senses.

’It’s Jiang Yunnuan. Why is she here?’

He frowned and sat up. Brushing the hair from her face, he saw that she looked weak and exhausted, a clear sign of her Energy being depleted.

Feeling his fully recovered body, what was there not to understand?

’This woman must have healed me!’

"Jiang Yunnuan, how are you? Can you hear me?"

He got out of bed, lifted her, and placed her on the mattress. Leaning down close, his face etched with concern, he spoke.

Jiang Yunnuan hadn’t lost consciousness completely. She could hear the deep concern in his voice, but she was too exhausted to even open her mouth.

So, inevitably, her inner thoughts kicked into high gear.

’I can hear him, but I’m so tired I can’t even lift my eyelids, and I can’t speak. Ugh, I’m so exhausted, and my body feels terrible. If only I had a cup. I could get a drink of well water, and my Superpower would definitely recover instantly.’

Si Xie: "???"

’I know what a Superpower is, but what’s this about well water?’

’Where am I supposed to get that?’

’Whatever. I’ll just go get her a cup first.’

However, just as he swung his legs off the bed, her thoughts rang out again.

’Wait, is he just leaving? Hmph. He’d better not be abandoning me, or he shouldn’t blame me for what happens next!’

’This woman... Even this weak, how is her inner monologue still so dramatic?’ The corner of Si Xie’s mouth twitched. He found it hilarious.

A moment later, he returned with a cup of water in his hand.

"Here, let me help you drink some water."

Placing the cup on the nightstand, Si Xie sat on the edge of the bed. He then lifted her into his lap, cradling her head against his chest.

’Oh, so he just went to get me water. I almost misunderstood him.’

’He’s actually pretty considerate, knowing to give me water. Mhmm, now that I have a cup, I can secretly mix in the well water without anyone noticing.’

Si Xie: "..."

’Yeah, right. "Without anyone noticing." Except I noticed!’

As the doctored water entered her system, Jiang Yunnuan felt an incomparably pure power rush into her Crystal Core. Her Superpower was recovering at a rapid pace, and the exhaustion vanished from her body.

Opening her eyes, she found herself looking right into the man’s beautiful silver irises, and Jiang Yunnuan was instantly struck by a critical hit of handsomeness.

Before she could even form a thought, she heard his concerned voice. "You’re awake. How are you feeling? Any discomfort?"

’I’m all better...’

Jiang Yunnuan silently swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue. With a subtle shift in expression, she put a hand to her head, feigning a frail helplessness.

"I’m dizzy. I need to rest a little longer."

’Er...’

’But his arms are so comfortable. Only a fool passes up a good opportunity, so I’ll take this chance to lie here a bit longer. I might not get another chance like this.’

Si Xie: "..."

’She’s acting again. This woman is so incorrigibly thirsty, damn her!’

The events from before he passed out flashed through his mind. A dark glint shot through his beautiful silver eyes. He lifted her chin and kissed her with a sudden ferocity.

Completely absorbed in her performance, Jiang Yunnuan was startled when his lips suddenly captured hers. His scent filled her senses.

’What’s gotten into him?’ 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

’A kiss is a kiss, but why does he seem so angry?’

’Did I do something to provoke him again?’

’Wait, that’s not the point. My face is even uglier now. Even if he’s angry, he doesn’t have to punish himself like this, does he?’

Si Xie: "..."

Her thoughts completely deflated his anger. It was only then that he noticed the patch on her face had indeed changed.

He reached up to touch the patch, asking with a puzzled frown, "How did this change?"

Hearing his question, Jiang Yunnuan shook her head and sighed.

"So you noticed. To be honest, I don’t know either. It just changed out of nowhere."

’Sigh, this patch is so strange. In the original story, the original owner of this body didn’t have it. Why did it just bizarrely appear after Jiang Wanwan’s Rebirth?’

’And what’s more, this thing seems like it’s alive. It changes!’

’Don’t tell me this thing is related to Jiang Wanwan?’

’And another thing—what if it gets bigger and bigger and covers my entire face?’

’Wouldn’t I become some kind of monster that everyone wants to hunt down? How would I ever reclaim my destiny then?’

’No way. I absolutely cannot let that happen. I’ll have to grind quests more diligently from now on and try to collect all the Beauty Pill Fragments as soon as possible to get rid of this thing for good.’

From these thoughts, Si Xie gleaned an incredible amount of information. His eyes widened instantly, a hint of disbelief surfacing in their depths.

’That Jiang Wanwan... is a Rebirth case?’

’This woman mentioned reclaiming her destiny. It’s obvious who she’s reclaiming it from—it has to be Jiang Wanwan. And her face...’

Before his thought could fully form, he was interrupted by the woman’s urgent voice.

"Oh no, the mission! How could I have forgotten something so important? Jun Yao and the others are still waiting for me."

The thought of the mission reminded Jiang Yunnuan of what she was supposed to be doing, and she immediately tried to get out of his arms.

However, an arm grabbed her and yanked her back. She fell into his embrace once more, her slender waist held fast by a large hand.

"What are you doing? Let go! I have things to do."

She tried to pry his hand off her waist, but she couldn’t budge it. In fact, his grip only tightened.

Si Xie raised an eyebrow and said with a half-smile, "Going on a mission with them?"

"That’s right!"

She nodded without hesitation. At her response, his face fell, and his delicate features took on an aggrieved expression.

"Then what about me? Are you really going to leave me home all alone?"

"What else? Weren’t you the one who refused to go? I wonder who it was who said they would absolutely not go on any missions, and that they’d be a dog if they went back on their word. What? Getting antsy now?"

Jiang Yunnuan narrowed her eyes, her voice laced with a teasing smile. Si Xie felt a pang of awkwardness. He couldn’t help but feel a little guilty as he remembered how he had deliberately antagonized her back then.

’Ah, if I’d known it would come to this, I never would have done that!’

’Hah, serves you right for having such a rebellious streak, insisting on fighting me on everything. But I’ve always been magnanimous. If you were to beg me, I suppose it’s not impossible for me to agree to take you along.’

’All I have to do is beg?’

A flicker of light entered Si Xie’s eyes. Just as he’d formulated the words and was about to ask her, the door was pushed open.

Hearing the noise, both of them immediately turned their heads. A tall, imposing figure stood in the doorway. The man’s eyes were dark and emotionless as he stared at them, but his gaze was inexplicably chilling.

The atmosphere in the room plummeted.

THUMP.

The moment she saw him, Jiang Yunnuan’s heart skipped a beat. She knew it was ridiculous, but she couldn’t help being overwhelmed by the feeling of being a mistress caught by the furious wife.

She instinctively tried to pull away from Si Xie’s arms.

But the man who hadn’t let her escape before certainly wasn’t going to let go at a critical moment like this.

He held her firmly in place, glaring at the man in the doorway. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice dripping with annoyance.

Heh...

Jun Yao’s gaze turned cold. He looked away from Si Xie and walked over to Jiang Yunnuan. Taking her right hand, he spoke in a low, gentle voice.

"It’s getting late. Let’s go."

"Oh, okay..."

’That scared me to death! I almost thought he was going to kill me!’

Jiang Yunnuan breathed an inward sigh of relief as her tense nerves relaxed. She hastily agreed, then tried to pry the hand off her waist, but it wouldn’t budge. She was getting so anxious she started to sweat.

’Let go, you damn hand! Why are you gripping me so tightly?’

’Is Si Xie trying to stir up trouble again?’

’This damn woman... is she really that scared of Jun Yao?’

Si Xie was instantly overcome with a mix of sourness and anger. But with his rival right in front of him, he couldn’t lose his temper and his cool.

"Take me with you, and I’ll let you touch my ears on the way," he whispered close to her ear. "Er... you can touch them however you want."

He leaned close to her ear, the ears atop his head twitching. Suppressing his own sense of shame, he whispered the seductive offer. Jiang Yunnuan’s eyes trembled, filled with utter disbelief.

’???’

’Did he just say he’d let me touch his ears?’

’It’s over. He knows I like touching his ears. From now on, won’t he have me completely wrapped around his little finger?’

’Waah, who taught him how to play me like this?!’

"Our team is full. Go find another one," Jun Yao said, his voice cold. "Now, let her go!"

Jun Yao’s rejection was icy. His eyes were fixed on the large, well-formed hand on Jiang Yunnuan’s waist. If looks could kill, that hand would have been sliced to ribbons, with not even dust remaining.

Beastmen have exceptional hearing. Even though Si Xie had spoken quietly, Jun Yao had heard every single word—and every nuance of his tone.

He was so angered by Si Xie’s shamelessness that an uncontrollable urge to kill the man surged within him.

"Sorry, but you don’t call the shots!"

Si Xie let out a disdainful laugh, completely ignoring him. He then turned to Jiang Yunnuan. "Jiang Yunnuan, you decide. Are you taking me or not?"

Jiang Yunnuan: "..."

’How am I supposed to answer that?’

’If I take him, it’ll be a slap in the face to Jun Yao, and he’ll definitely be unhappy. But if I don’t take him, Si Xie will be hurt and disappointed. What do I do? Is this question designed to be the death of me?’

She was agonizing over the choice, but before she could come up with a solution that would please both of them, the hand on her waist was suddenly ripped away, and she was yanked forcefully out of Si Xie’s arms.

His arms suddenly empty, Si Xie’s expression changed in an instant. The events of two nights ago flashed in his mind, and he balled his fist, swinging it right at Jun Yao’s face.