Though they had no lantern, the starlight allowed them to see each other’s shining eyes and outlines.
“I guess what you mentioned happened a long time ago, definitely not recently, or I’d remember.” Yuwen Chu’s breath moved Mingzhu’s hair, tickling her skin.
Mingzhu’s heart raced. She laughed lightly, “You’re that confident?”
“Absolutely,” Yuwen Chu held her tightly, his breath quickening. “And I bet you got into trouble, I helped you out, and you wanted to thank me, but I didn’t respond out of jealousy.”
He guessed it right! Mingzhu was taken aback. Could he also be reborn like her? A cool finger pressed her lips. Yuwen Chu whispered, “You’re wondering how I knew? Remember how you treated me at the Jade Emperor Pavilion?”
She didn’t recognize him! He had emerged from the shadows, eager to confront her, only to find she didn’t know him. The deepest sorrow is loving someone whose gaze never acknowledges you.
“You didn’t recognize me,” Yuwen Chu’s voice was pained. “So I know, if you suddenly wanted to talk to me, it had to be because you had no choice. You caused trouble, I helped, and you felt compelled to thank me, right?”
Mingzhu blushed, trying to defend herself, “It was dark, I was upset, and things went wrong. When you confronted me, I didn’t see you clearly. It wasn’t my fault.”
“Still making excuses! I got it right, didn’t I? Not recognizing and not seeing clearly are different. Don’t try to fool me.” Yuwen Chu continued with a wounded tone, “Let me guess what you did next.”
“What did I do?” Mingzhu’s eyes sparkled with anticipation, revealing a row of pearly white teeth.
“It’s a bit hard to say,” Yuwen Chu sighed, looking troubled. In a low voice, he continued, “Old Ninth must have appeared, and then you heartlessly ran off with him.”
Mingzhu let out a distressed cry and denied it firmly, “No, no, you guessed wrong.”
“Still denying it?” Yuwen Chu reached out and tickled her under the arms. Unable to withstand it, Mingzhu screamed and begged for mercy, “Some things should just be forgotten. Why make it so hard on yourself by digging it all up?”
She angrily jumped onto his waist, biting his neck, “Then tell me, how did you guess so accurately? Are you the same as me?”
Yuwen Chu let her hang on him and said softly, “Because you’ve done the same thing countless times before. Many times, Old Ninth and I were both there, but you only had eyes for him. No matter how good I was to you, as soon as he appeared, you turned and left with him.”
Mingzhu couldn’t bear to listen anymore, imagining a deeply saddened Yuwen Chu watching her leave. Feeling incredibly guilty, she covered his mouth, “Stop! Everyone makes mistakes.”
Yuwen Chu pried her hand away, “If you dare to do it, you should face it. You won’t even let me talk about it. I’m telling you, my heart was ice-cold. I hated you so much, I wished I’d never met you. Given how you treated me, was it wrong for me to ignore you?”
Mingzhu, exhausted from hanging on him, struggled to free her hands to wrestle with him. But she lost her grip and fell backward. She screamed, thinking she was going to fall badly, but Yuwen Chu quickly grabbed her by her collar. With a ripping sound, a cool breeze hit her chest, and she looked down to see her white skin exposed.
Yuwen Chu chuckled and, taking advantage of the situation, grabbed her chest, “Are you trying to seduce me?” He looked around and said in a deep voice, “This place may be crude, but it’s secluded and beautiful. I bet it would feel great.”
The unfinished high platform was littered with broken planks, stones, and nails. Crude was an understatement, but secluded and beautiful it was, with starlight shining down and a gentle night breeze. It was just the two of them, undisturbed.
However, Mingzhu wasn’t ready. She laughed, about to speak, but Yuwen Chu silenced her with a kiss, whispering, “Shh, don’t spoil the moment.”
He kissed her deeply, skillfully teasing her until Mingzhu was breathless and dizzy. She could barely hold herself together, frustrated by his teasing. She wondered who was seducing whom; he brought her here with ill intentions.
In the end, Yuwen Chu didn’t actually take that step. He simply guided her, allowing her to possess him as she pleased, following his lead, but he never crossed the final line. It was clear he couldn’t resist, but each time, he held back at the last moment.
With sticky liquid all over her hands and body, Mingzhu, Yuwen Chu contentedly used his own clothes to wipe her clean, whispering softly, “I’ve told you before, I’m not someone who forgets loyalty for lust. Even if I want it myself, I’ll still consider your well-being.”
“So, Your Highness is telling me you have great self-control and won’t be dishonored?” Mingzhu leaned against him lazily, swinging her legs off the edge of the platform, feeling that life couldn’t get any better.
“Unless it’s me who wants it, and the person is you,” Yuwen Chu kissed her earlobe gently. “Don’t be jealous and overthink things.”
Mingzhu huffed, “When I stop being jealous and overthinking, it means I don’t love you anymore. If you want to talk about me, start with yourself.”
Yuwen Chu laughed, “Alright, let’s stop talking. Can you sleep now?”
“Yes.” Mingzhu held out her hand to him, “I want you to carry me back.”
Yuwen Chu carried her down, teasing, “You need to lose weight.”
“Are you sure it’s not that you’re exhausted?” Mingzhu shot back.
Yuwen Chu sighed, “You’re becoming more unruly. Just wait until you recover, and I’ll deal with you.”
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