“Why do you seem scared of me?”
Jiang Huai leaned in a bit closer, and Ning Yuzhu instinctively clutched the hem of her skirt, retreating further.
Jiang Huai had once studied a certain principle: one couldn’t take a woman’s words entirely at face value and had to figure things out for herself. It was like how he never asked permission to kiss, instead judging the situation based on his feelings. Now, as he approached Ning Yuzhu’s face, though she was backing away and her eyes showed a trace of panic and shyness, for some reason, Jiang Huai had a vague feeling that even if he did kiss her, the consequences wouldn’t be too severe.
“I’m not scared,” Ning Yuzhu replied calmly.
Jiang Huai moved closer, his nose almost touching hers, and asked slowly, “You’re truly not scared?”
“Should I be scared?” Ning Yuzhu’s eyelashes fluttered upwards. Clearly, she was like a little deer cornered by a hunter at this moment, yet her eyes held a hint of arrogance.
Jiang Huai had no intention of actually kissing her. He just wanted to see Ning Yuzhu blush, as a form of retaliation for her teasing him earlier.
But Ning Yuzhu only showed a slight panic. Jiang Huai was not satisfied. He suddenly reached out and gently cupped Ning Yuzhu’s neck, his voice softening considerably, “I suddenly realized Senior Disciple Sister’s lips are also very beautiful.”
“Beautiful how?”
Ning Yuzhu’s neck was held by him like this, causing her body to naturally lean back a bit, yet she still gazed at him proudly. She truly didn’t seem scared at all.
“Delicate pink and soft, her teeth like pearl shells, beautiful as a flower.”
“Is that so?”
Ning Yuzhu looked at him, but instinctively pursed her lips slightly, as if resisting something. Jiang Huai gazed at her without blinking, and Ning Yuzhu did the same. It was as if they had started a game of staring contest, where whoever looked away first would lose.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
The wind carried snowflakes, and the lake was embraced by the evening breeze. In the end, it was Jiang Huai who looked away first. He gently returned Ning Yuzhu to her original position, then looked back at the distant lake, giving his fishing rod a hard tug.
Unfortunately, the hook was empty. No fish had taken the bait.
“Sigh,” Jiang Huai shook his head, looking at the bait that had been eaten from the hook. He turned back to Ning Yuzhu, “It’s all your fault, Senior Disciple Sister. My big fish got away!”
“You’re being unreasonable,” Ning Yuzhu straightened her back, her voice clear and cold, yet a smile played on her lips.
It seemed like she had won the staring contest against Jiang Huai, who had been the one to flee first by looking away. She had held out until the end and emerged victorious.
“You were the one trying to flirt with me,” Ning Yuzhu added calmly.
“If Senior Disciple Sister wasn’t so beautiful, why would I want to flirt? Even if I’m ninety percent at fault, isn’t Senior Disciple Sister at least ten percent at fault?” Jiang Huai said indignantly, reeling in the hook again, baiting it, and casting it back into the lake.
“I sentence Senior Disciple Sister to accompany me until I catch a fish before I go to bed.”
Ning Yuzhu didn’t leave. She just shifted her body slightly, moving a little closer to him. Gradually, Jiang Huai felt warmer. Unfortunately, he then heard her cold words, “I thought you were at least a gentleman.”
“And now?”
“I didn’t expect you to be a rogue.”
“How is this being a rogue?” Jiang Huai straightened his back instantly. “This isn’t at all.”
“Then what counts as being a rogue?”
“This counts.”
Jiang Huai turned to look at Ning Yuzhu and said softly, “Senior Disciple Sister, I’m cold.”
“So?” Ning Yuzhu tilted her little head.
The next second, Jiang Huai threw an arm around Ning Yuzhu’s waist, pulling her into his embrace.
………………………………
Ning Yuzhu whispered softly, her breathing quickening slightly. She instinctively looked up, casting a reproachful glance at Jiang Huai, only to find him acting as if nothing had happened. His face wasn’t flushed, his heart wasn’t racing, and he showed no shame. Instead, his movements were incredibly practiced as he pulled her slender body fully into his arms. With her waist held captive like this, she surprisingly didn’t feel as inclined to struggle.
“Senior Disciple Sister’s body is so warm,” Jiang Huai praised her genuinely. Ning Yuzhu shot him a sideways glance but offered no reply, choosing to remain silent and letting him hold her. Snowflakes fell around them in the wind and snow. Then, Jiang Huai began to lightly tickle her with his finger.
“I’m not ticklish.”
“Oh?” Jiang Huai tickled her again, but Ning Yuzhu still looked composed. In an instant, Jiang Huai changed tactics, “Then perhaps I’m not tickling the right spot. Women are usually most ticklish on the soles of their feet.”
Almost instinctively, Ning Yuzhu subconsciously lifted her little leg. But in a flash, she froze. She then gently bit her lip and glanced at Jiang Huai, “You almost tricked me.”
He clearly wanted her to obediently put her white and tender little feet into his hand for him to play with again.
Jiang Huai, with his ruse exposed, seemed unfazed. After all, he was just teasing Ning Yuzhu. As long as he was shameless enough, nothing could truly affect him. Then, in an instant, Ning Yuzhu’s voice came to his ears again, “Do you want to play with my feet?”
“Yes.”
“If you jump into the lake and swim a lap now, I’ll agree. How about it?”
As soon as she finished speaking, a splash echoed in his ears the next second.
Ning Yuzhu’s eyes widened slightly.
…This was the first time she had seen a man so shamelessly brazen in front of her.
The lake water was bone-chillingly cold. Jiang Huai had already dived underwater, trying to see why his fish weren’t biting. He concluded that his hook had been placed too shallow and should have been deeper. Once he confirmed this, he felt reassured. He swam another lap in the lake, and by the time he got ashore, he was shivering all over, his face pale. He looked at Ning Yuzhu standing in front of him, then suddenly laughed, “A bet is a bet.”
Ning Yuzhu hesitated for a moment, then turned her face away. “Hurry and change your clothes.”
“Then Senior Disciple Sister Ning should close her eyes first, okay?”
Ning Yuzhu was about to say something but ultimately didn’t object. She obediently closed her eyes. A short while later, Jiang Huai wiped himself dry, put on a new set of thick clothes, and returned to Ning Yuzhu’s side. Ning Yuzhu glanced at him with a hint of disdain and disgust, but she reluctantly lifted her snow-white calf. Her delicate jade foot was clad in cute, hazy white socks, her toes slightly curled, as if ready to be admired by him.
But Jiang Huai changed his mind. “Senior Disciple Sister, please remember that you still owe me one time of touching my feet.”
Ning Yuzhu tilted her head, unsure what trick he was playing now, but Jiang Huai just smiled. He picked up the fishing rod again and cast the bait into even deeper water. Then, he rubbed his hands, waiting for them to warm up before gently embracing Ning Yuzhu’s slender waist again, not mentioning playing with her feet again.
The firefly stones cast a bright light. Jiang Huai occasionally turned to look at Ning Yuzhu’s profile, winking at her. “Senior Disciple Sister, the fish aren’t biting. It seems it’s time to borrow some luck.”
“Borrow luck?”
“Yes, haven’t you heard of this saying? The prettier a woman is, the luckier she is. If Senior Disciple Sister smiles at the lake now, the fish should bite soon.”
But Ning Yuzhu’s expression was placid, and she couldn’t bring herself to smile.
Her eyes simply watched Jiang Huai calmly until he suddenly stuck out his tongue, flicking it back and forth, and then wiggled his fox ears. His fox ears twitched non-stop, making him look like a puppy panting for breath.
Ning Yuzhu continued to look at him calmly.
“Senior Disciple Sister still won’t laugh?” Jiang Huai’s eyes suddenly looked mournful.
“So stupid,” Ning Yuzhu’s lips curved upwards unconsciously.
“But you’re laughing now, aren’t you?”
Jiang Huai turned his gaze back to the lake and then yanked the fishing rod. A three-jin fish thrashed its silver tail in the night sky. Ning Yuzhu’s pupils widened slightly in confusion.
Jiang Huai happily reeled in the large fish, planning to raise it in the courtyard for his secret recipe of grapefruit fish sashimi tomorrow. Ning Yuzhu took a while to recover, then slowly said, “What trick did you use?”
“The prettier the woman, the more effective it is,” Jiang Huai replied innocently.
When he went into the lake, he had crushed his secret fishing pill to chum the water. Jiang Huai thought it was slow that the fish only bit within five minutes, considering how picky the fish from the upper realm were.
“Alright, at noon tomorrow, Senior Disciple Sister can try my secret grapefruit fish sashimi. I’ll make smoked fish with the other half,” Jiang Huai said, satisfied, throwing the fish into the fishing net. “Okay, it’s late. Time to go back to bed.”
Ning Yuzhu stood up with him, and they walked side-by-side towards the courtyard. They didn’t speak again on the way. When they parted, Jiang Huai suddenly leaned closer to Ning Yuzhu and said, “Senior Disciple Sister, remember you still owe me one time of touching my little feet.”
“I will,” Ning Yuzhu replied calmly.
So, Jiang Huai excitedly carried his fish back to his courtyard, leaving Ning Yuzhu standing in the snow, watching his retreating back for a long moment.
That guy is so childish.
Thinking this, Ning Yuzhu returned to her own courtyard, took off her dress, and lay back down on her bed. She gently clutched the quilt. All the lights in the room were extinguished. She gazed into the pitch-black world, but Jiang Huai’s words suddenly echoed in her ears…
Was he deliberately not giving a deadline, making her wait in torment?
Ning Yuzhu suddenly realized she had fallen for his ploy. Her delicate pink lips couldn’t help but pout slightly, and she clutched the quilt over her head, curling her entire body into the warm embrace of the bed.
But soon, she gradually drifted off to sleep, no longer suffering from insomnia like before. She slept incredibly soundly that night.
……………………………………
Jiang Huai returned to his room and carefully lifted the quilt, slipping into bed. He had assumed Jiang Zhi was fast asleep, but to his surprise, as soon as he got into bed, Jiang Zhi’s voice suddenly rang out, “What, how was flirting with Senior Disciple Sister Ning?”
“Let me reiterate, I went fishing, not to flirt.”
“I smell her unique, faint sandalwood fragrance on you.”
“Your nose is even sharper than mine?” Jiang Huai exclaimed in surprise, but he couldn’t help but retort, “You listen to me try to explain, I really did go fishing at first, but then…”
