266 I Bite in My Dreams
I’m going to die.
This was the first thought that flooded Jiang Huai’s mind.
Even he didn’t know where he found the courage, but in that instant, he leaned in and kissed her. As his greedy desire was fulfilled, unease wrapped around him tightly.
The sun hung low in the sky, and there was no sunset in the distance. The rain had just stopped, and the mountains beyond were still shrouded in thick mist.
Chu Xianning slowly turned her head.
Those eyes, which seemed to always ignore the world, appeared equally indifferent, yet a hint of pink flush bloomed on her cheeks. That faint color spread across her snow-white face, looking vibrant and extraordinary.
“You…” Chu Xianning’s voice trembled slightly.
“I confess, I’m despicable and a bastard. Greed has overtaken me, and I couldn’t control myself. Master, if you want to kill or punish me… I’ll obediently listen.” Jiang Huai felt increasingly guilty, unable to meet her gaze.
“You are truly annoying.” Chu Xianning’s cold voice came forth.
Jiang Huai’s eyelashes fluttered slightly as he found himself at a loss for words.
Chu Xianning studied him seriously for several seconds before gently reaching out to grab his ear and twisting it. Jiang Huai cried out in pain until she said, “Next time, don’t do that.”
“I understand.” Jiang Huai hurriedly replied.
Chu Xianning released her grip and turned her gaze back to the mountains cloaked in mist. Sitting upright made her posture appear even more graceful. Jiang Huai secretly looked at her profile; her cheeks were tinted with pink, yet her eyes seemed to be covered in frost, leaving him unable to guess what she was thinking. Was she more embarrassed or angry?
The slightly damp wind brushed against their faces, and Jiang Huai’s guilt grew, so he couldn’t bring himself to speak. The two of them sat quietly in the pavilion on the mountaintop for a long time, until the sky grew completely dim.
“Let’s go back,” Chu Xianning said as she stood.
Jiang Huai obediently got up and followed her. After returning to the courtyard, Chu Xianning went to bathe first. When she emerged, her golden black dress had been replaced with a simple white gown. She returned to her room while Jiang Huai went to the bathhouse, where he felt as if he could still smell her fragrant scent lingering.
After finishing his own bath, Jiang Huai approached the door to Chu Xianning’s room. Hearing her call him inside, he dared to push the door open. At that moment, Chu Xianning was already lying on the bed, wrapped tightly in the quilt, with her white and tender little feet hidden inside.
Jiang Huai began recounting the stories of the day. He anticipated that the story would have a tragic ending, as tragedy often leaves a deeper impression. Gradually, Chu Xianning grew drowsy, closing her eyes, her breathing becoming lighter.
Jiang Huai trailed off, and the only illumination by the bedside came from a dim lamp. He gazed at Chu Xianning’s cheeks, as if looking at a hazy oil painting— the woman in it was both cold and gentle.
Outside, the sound of rain gently persisted. He should have gotten up and left, but just as he took a step, Jiang Huai turned back, approaching Chu Xianning again.
A kiss? Or shouldn’t he?
If he were to secretly kiss her while she was asleep, it would be utterly despicable. Yet he had always been such a despicable guy, only daring to do mischief when Chu Xianning was not awake.
He was surprised by how bold he had been that day, but more puzzling was that he couldn’t guess what Chu Xianning was thinking.
She showed no sign of particular anger or extreme shyness, almost like an ancient, unyielding piece of ice. In Jiang Huai’s eyes, it felt like her silence was the greatest contempt.
He struggled against the sound of the rain for a long time before finally leaning in closer, lowering his head to gently kiss Chu Xianning’s forehead.
The touch was soft; her skin was slightly cool. Jiang Huai realized he was deeply conflicted; he wished she were awake for this kiss but also hoped she was deeply asleep, unaware of his actions. It seemed he could only feel this anxious around Chu Xianning. In front of Qingyu Wanwan or at Luo Yueguan, he had never been so hesitant.
A kiss on the forehead should suffice, right?
Jiang Huai thought this to himself, turning to step away, but then he recalled the warmth of Chu Xianning’s delicate pink lips.
What did a kiss really mean? It was just a mere brush of skin. So why was he so captivated by it? Jiang Huai knocked his head lightly, taking another step, feeling the weight in his legs grow heavier.
If only he could tell stories to Chu Xianning every day, so he could steal a kiss while she slept.
But since he had already kissed her forehead, what difference would it make to kiss her delicate pink lips again? It was all the same… Don’t be afraid, Jiang Huai, you can do this.
He seemed to hear the demon in his heart whispering quietly again, and he even heard the system chime with a ding-ding-ding, but he refused to look. He hated this system that chimed while he was feeling uncertain. He didn’t want the system to shape him into the person it wanted him to be.
But at this moment, he truly wanted to kiss her.
So he turned back. Chu Xianning’s sleeping position hadn’t changed at all. Jiang Huai slowly approached, carefully holding his breath to avoid waking her. Just as his lips nearly brushed against her cheek—
Chu Xianning opened her eyes.
In that instant, it was too late for Jiang Huai to escape. He realized he actually preferred it if Chu Xianning were awake rather than attempting to take advantage of her while she was asleep. Thus, he let his head drop down again, and at that moment, Chu Xianning’s lips parted slightly, then—
Her snow-white teeth bit down on his upper lip.
The pain left Jiang Huai speechless, unable to utter a single word. Chu Xianning grabbed hold of his collar, leaving him with no chance to escape. After biting him firmly, she pushed him away the next instant.
Chu Xianning sat up in bed, her eyes coldly staring at him.
“Did you think I was asleep?” Chu Xianning’s gaze was ice-cold.
“I…”
Caught in the act, Jiang Huai could only nod obediently. Chu Xianning’s eyes still held that icy coldness as she clutched the quilt, a flicker of irritation apparent in her voice. “Kneel.”
Jiang Huai complied without hesitation, sliding swiftly to kneel.
“Kneel all night. You can get up whenever I wake up.” Chu Xianning lay back down, turning her body to face him with her eyes closed.
After a while, Jiang Huai heard Chu Xianning’s voice, “I may not actually fall asleep next. If I catch you trying anything else… I’ll bite your tongue off.”
Jiang Huai nodded vigorously, but he also heard Chu Xianning’s voice slightly rise in a colder tone, “Did you understand?”
“I understood.”
Only then did Chu Xianning feel at ease, as the corners of her delicate lips seemed to bend into an almost imperceptible smile.
………………………………
Jiang Huai stuck out his tongue to lick his upper lip.
This time, he didn’t feel wronged at all. He was simply astonished that Chu Xianning hadn’t directly punched him out of the room. He scratched his head, wondering if this counted as significant progress in their relationship.
Even though he had been bitten, the sensation was sweet, and he thought it would be nice to be bitten every day.
Jiang Huai began to daydream again. He knelt in front of Chu Xianning’s bed, not daring to slack off. Only after a while of boredom did he start browsing through the system’s task list.
【Master Chu Xianning’s feelings toward you have become increasingly subtle.
She has deeply realized that she can no longer deceive her own heart, and her previous entanglement with Luo Yueguan has caused many subtle thoughts within her to quietly change.
So when you kissed her cheek today, she did not genuinely punish you, yet felt slightly uneasy, worried that this indulgence would only lead to you pushing further next time.
She has always known that whenever you enter her room, you would quietly kiss her while she was asleep. Thus, Chu Xianning began pretending to sleep, waiting for you to kiss her so that she could bite your lip fiercely.
But you still won’t fear her. This moment is indeed a superb opportunity; once it begins, it will only get easier. First, a kiss on the lip, next, perhaps a touch of the tongue.】
【Task Objective: Kiss the pretending-to-sleep Chu Xianning.】
【Task Reward: High-level Experience Scroll x1.】
Jiang Huai glanced over, and sure enough, he had earned another high-level Experience Scroll. It seemed that touch points with Chu Xianning or Luo Yueguan always yielded particularly high rewards, but the difficulty didn’t seem to increase as much as he had imagined.
Regardless, it was free experience, and Jiang Huai cheerfully tucked it away. At that moment, he felt he wasn’t tired at all, so he gazed at Chu Xianning’s sleeping face for a long time, until late into the night when fatigue overtook him, and he lay his forehead against her bed, barely falling asleep.
………………………………
The next morning.
The sound of rain outside had quietly ceased. A gentle breeze moved the wind chime in Chu Xianning’s room. She slowly opened her eyes and sat up. At that moment, Jiang Huai was leaning against her bedside, deeply asleep and yet to wake up.
He was in a deep slumber; Chu Xianning didn’t want to disturb him, so she quietly lifted the quilt, slowly undid the ties of her dress, and used her spiritual energy to retrieve underwear from the cabinet, carefully putting it on and starting to button it up.
However, after several attempts, she still couldn’t get it right.
Earlier, Chu Xianning didn’t want to wear the underwear sold by Ziyun Pavilion because she always struggled with those buttons. Although she had gradually gotten used to it, she still occasionally buttoned it incorrectly. While getting dressed, her gaze remained fixed on Jiang Huai to prevent him from waking up suddenly… But the longer she did this, the more a strange feeling of shyness welled up in her heart.
What if he opened his eyes right now? Chu Xianning suddenly pondered this odd thought, recalling yesterday when Jiang Huai had playfully licked her tender little feet. Even though she had desperately suppressed the tingling sensation, she still chose a brand-new piece of underwear when she went to the bathhouse afterward.
The Flower Spirit Physique made her body several times more sensitive than an average person, so she disliked being touched by others, even if it was just on the cheek. She vividly remembered the sensation when Jiang Huai suddenly kissed her yesterday, and the feeling surged back into her heart, igniting a mix of embarrassment and annoyance.
People are often like this; once you allow them to overstep, they will only be bolder next time. Eventually, things could spiral out of control, and by then, it might be too late to resist.
Chu Xianning understood this principle well. She had thought she would never compromise, but now…
She had her back to Jiang Huai, concentrating on buttoning her dress and lost in thought, which made her negligence towards him increase. When Jiang Huai slowly opened his eyes, he happened to see Chu Xianning turned away from him, her snow-white, smooth back shining in the light, her slender fingers struggling with the buttons of her underwear, but this time she buttoned it wrong again.
He originally didn’t dare to make a sound, but seeing Chu Xianning fumble with the buttons, he couldn’t help but chuckle.
In the next instant, he broke into a cold sweat.
Chu Xianning turned to look at him, irritation and panic appearing in her eyes. She lightly bit her lip, her voice still as cold as before, “Is it that funny?”
“N-no, no.”
“You were told to kneel properly. Who allowed you to lie on the bed?”
“I was too tired and dozed off.”
Jiang Huai gazed at Chu Xianning’s smooth and slender back, hesitating for a moment before murmuring, “Um… How about I help Master button up?”
“I can button it myself.” Chu Xianning turned her face coldly, adding, “Get out.”
Jiang Huai scrambled to his feet and fled the room, heading to the kitchen to start on breakfast preparations.
