Chapter 109: Chapter 109: Serving the Female Master Is My Duty

Jiang Qingli fluffed up the blanket on the sofa, getting ready to sleep.

She had only just snuggled under the covers when Yuan Shimo, who was a short distance away, set down his book. He walked straight over, sat on the edge of the bed, and looked down at her.

The young man’s eyelashes were lowered, and his backlit profile was obscured by shadows.

They were only an arm’s length apart, yet Jiang Qingli found it difficult to read his expression. She could only feel his gaze fall upon her face, slowly wandering—as if in observation, or perhaps, in confusion.

After a moment, the young man’s brows knitted together slightly.

Jiang Qingli asked, "Are you in a bad mood?"

’It makes sense,’ she thought. ’He had a meeting yesterday, and now he’s forced to share a room with me today.’

For Yuan Shimo, this was basically "working overtime."

Jiang Qingli said considerately, "If this is inconvenient for you, I can just leave."

As she spoke, she reached out to lift the blanket.

’Besides, all the other Beast Husbands think I’m in Yuan Shimo’s room anyway.’

’I probably won’t get ganged up on by three of them at once again.’

’I could just sneak next door to Qin Muye’s room or go upstairs and have Baili Jing sleep with me.’

’Wait, maybe I should go to Baili Jing. Qin Muye can’t keep his mouth shut, so he’d definitely let it slip tomorrow. Then the others would have a grudge against me again...’

Just as Jiang Qingli was weighing her options, a hand suddenly grabbed her wrist.

The young man stared into her eyes, his voice unreadable. "Is the female master planning to find someone else?"

"Well, you don’t welcome me here," Jiang Qingli said honestly. "But I get it. It’s not Thursday, so it’s normal that you can’t be bothered to deal with me."

His jade-green eyes narrowed, and Yuan Shimo’s grip on her hand tightened slightly.

"I’m not unwelcoming," he heard his own voice say. "And it isn’t... a chore."

He met her gaze for a split second before hastily looking down. His light-colored lashes cast a faint shadow on his usually composed face, but they couldn’t hide the heat creeping up his cheeks and the tips of his ears.

A few seconds later, Yuan Shimo added in a low voice, "Attending to the female master’s rest is my duty, after all."

’He’s so awkward about it,’ Jiang Qingli thought. ’He’s trying so hard for an arranged marriage. That’s pretty impressive.’

’If I leave now, I’ll seem really ungrateful.’

"You don’t have to ’attend’ to me," Jiang Qingli said, lying back down. She scooted over a few times to make space. "Go get your blanket. Let’s sleep together."

Yuan Shimo frowned slightly but nodded anyway. He brought his blanket over and spread it out on the other side of the bed.

He had changed the bedsheets. They were a shade of blue even lighter than last time.

Jiang Qingli was wearing the same white nightgown from before. A corner of the hem peeked out, like a solitary cloud in an azure sky.

Memories he had deliberately tried to forget came flooding back.

Yuan Shimo’s fingertips twitched. He felt a restless stirring deep inside that he couldn’t quite describe.

’It’s strange. After that night, my contamination level clearly dropped and my heat passed. Why do I still feel so hot?’

After getting under the covers, Yuan Shimo lay perfectly still, his fingers interlaced over his stomach. His posture was as rigid as a soldier in basic training.

Jiang Qingli, by contrast, was much more restless.

One moment she was on her back, the next she was on her side. Every now and then, she would burrow her head under the blanket only to pop back out.

Yuan Shimo waited quietly for a moment before he couldn’t resist asking, "Can’t sleep?"

"A little..." Jiang Qingli’s face was half-buried in the blanket, with only her eyes peeking out at him.

’The main thing is, we don’t know each other that well.’

’It’s a little awkward for two people who barely know each other to be lying in bed together.’

Yuan Shimo pursed his lips and lowered his voice. "What would the female master like to do?"

Most males from noble families receive some form of education from their clans on marriage and procreation after coming of age.

After Yuan Shimo was found to have a low Superpower Level, his family immediately arranged for him to learn the various skills and knowledge required to serve a female master, seeking to mold him into the perfect candidate for a marriage alliance.

If he’d had a choice, Yuan Shimo wouldn’t have wanted to learn any of it.

But his memory was simply too good.

As a result, every term from the books, every position from the videos, and every piece of advice from experienced males... he remembered it all with perfect clarity.

One could say that, theoretically, Yuan Shimo knew far more than most males.

He just wasn’t sure if he would be as perfect in practice.

After all, Jiang Qingli had already been with several other Beast Husbands. If his performance was lacking, she would definitely compare him to the others in her mind.

’She might even be... dissatisfied with my performance.’

The girl beside him said nothing more, as if weighing her decision on whether to choose him.

The young genius, who had aced every exam since childhood, suddenly felt an ineffable sense of nervousness and anxiety.

After a long moment, Yuan Shimo turned his head to look at the girl beside him, wanting to say something.

But he found that she had already fallen asleep, facing him.

Yuan Shimo: "..."

Before their union, he had been averse to any form of intimacy with his female master.

And yet now, Jiang Qingli had lain in the same bed with him twice, and both times, she hadn’t made a move on him.

Yet he couldn’t bring himself to feel happy about it.

Instead, he felt a strange sense of disappointment.

Perhaps sensing his stare even in her sleep, Jiang Qingli’s hand burrowed under his blanket, fumbling until it found his arm.

The next second, her entire body snuggled up against his.

A soft, sweet fragrance instantly enveloped Yuan Shimo’s senses.

Cat ears unconsciously sprouted from his pale-gold hair, and a cat’s tail swished behind him.

Yuan Shimo’s breath caught in his throat. He wanted to pull away.

But he couldn’t stop himself from inhaling her scent more deeply.

A sliver of faint light slipped into the room through a gap in the curtains.

On the wall beside them, the young man’s shadow extended a small tendril. It slowly drew near and touched her lips, as gently as a cloud’s kiss.

Outside, the rain was still falling.

It was as if they were on a secret island forgotten by the world, with no one else around and no bothersome trifles to worry about.

They held each other amidst the soft blankets, like a tender scene from some cliché film.

Yuan Shimo turned onto his side to face the girl holding him.

He didn’t know what pleasant dream she was having, but the corners of her lips were curled into a small smile.

Involuntarily, Yuan Shimo’s eyes crinkled into a smile. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Good night."

He touched her lips with the pad of his finger.

-

The next morning, Jiang Qingli was awakened by a soft knock on the door.

Her head was still fuzzy as she frowned and opened her eyes. She tried to sit up but found herself lying in Yuan Shimo’s arms.

Not only that, but the hem of the young man’s silk pajama top was hiked up, and her hand was resting on his abs...

Jiang Qingli: "..."

’Damn hand, why did you start groping on your own again!’

’Stop it, stop it! It’ll be so awkward if he wakes up.’

’But these lean muscles feel so good... Since my hand is already here, it wouldn’t be a crime to cop a couple more feels, right?’

’Who would’ve thought? Yuan Shimo looks so sickly, but his body is actually amazing.’

’Then again, he and Yuan Shiyao have the same face and height. I wonder if their bodies are also...’

As Jiang Qingli was caressing him, she glanced down again, only to feel the skin beneath her palm suddenly tense up.

Horrified, Jiang Qingli snapped her head up, her eyes meeting a pair of slightly narrowed, jade-green irises.

’When did he wake up?!’

The girl, caught in the act, felt her finger tremble. It slipped downward and brushed against—

His cat ears shot up. A muffled grunt escaped Yuan Shimo’s throat as he grabbed her mischievous hand and turned his head away.

Jiang Qingli’s face flushed with embarrassment. "...If I said that wasn’t on purpose, would you believe me?"

Yuan Shimo pressed his lips together, his voice slightly hoarse. "The female master said the same thing last time."

He was referring to the night he had lost control.

Jiang Qingli remembered that night as well and stammered, "Neither time was on purpose..."

The young man’s eyelashes fluttered. He clearly didn’t believe her.

And yet, the fingers gripping her wrist loosened, inch by inch.

His posture seemed to imply that she could do whatever she wanted.

’Look what I’ve driven him to!’

Jiang Qingli might be shameless, but she wouldn’t force anyone against their will.

She immediately raised both hands as if to prove her innocence. "I’ll stop touching! I’m getting up."

The door was knocked on twice more, neither too lightly nor too heavily.

Thinking it was Yi Nuo, Jiang Qingli called out a response and hurried to the door.

When she opened the door, however, she was met by the rose-crystal eyes of the white rabbit boy.

"Sister, good morning."

Gu Nian smiled and greeted her, but his gaze swept over Jiang Qingli’s skin inch by inch, searching for any evidence of a wild night.

When his eyes found the girl’s skin to be snow-white and flawless, Gu Nian couldn’t help but let the corner of his lip curl up.

’They shared a room all night, but nothing happened.’

’I knew it. A sickly piece of trash like Yuan Shimo could never catch Sister’s eye.’

Just as he was about to speak, Yuan Shimo got up and walked to stand behind Jiang Qingli. His voice was impassive. "Do you need something?"

As he walked over, his slender fingers buttoned up his shirt, one by one.

Following his movements, one could clearly see that the fabric of his shirt’s hem and collar was wrinkled, as if it had been tugged on roughly.

The smirk on Gu Nian’s lips froze.

He bit his lower lip and glanced at Jiang Qingli with an apologetic look. "I’m sorry, did I interrupt something?"