Chapter 110: Chapter 110: If You’re Uncomfortable, Smack It with a Slipper

Yuan Shimo narrowed his jade-green eyes.

Gu Nian lowered his head, looking a little lost. "I’m sorry, brother. I just got here, and I don’t really know the rules yet... If I did something to make you angry, you can yell at me or whatever. Just... don’t blame Sister..."

Before he could finish, Yuan Shimo cut him off coldly. "Don’t call me brother."

Gu Nian looked up, a little confused.

But Yuan Shimo didn’t spare him a single glance, his eyes fixed on Jiang Qingli.

Jiang Qingli was still staring at her fingers, her cheeks slightly flushed, with a hint of surprise still lingering in her eyes.

Feeling the gazes of the two males on her, she looked up a beat later. "Hm? What’s wrong?"

"It’s nothing." Yuan Shimo’s gaze fell on her fingers, then snapped back as if he’d been burned. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and his voice deepened slightly. "Female master, are you going back to sleep?"

Although she knew he was just asking if she was going back to sleep, Jiang Qingli’s mind—having just felt his incredible physique—immediately went into the gutter.

Her cheeks grew hot. ’Get your mind out of the gutter,’ she chided herself, all while keeping a calm expression. "Er... I have class soon. I’m going to go get changed."

It was a perfectly good excuse.

Except the way she practically flew up the stairs, taking them two at a time, looked for all the world like a hasty retreat.

Yuan Shimo’s gaze softened unconsciously, and a small smile touched his lips.

"Stop looking."

A resentful voice drifted from beside him.

Yuan Shimo pulled back his gaze. Gu Nian had reverted to his innocent act, blinking as he said, "I made breakfast for Sister. Would you like some?"

"No, thank you," Yuan Shimo replied, his face devoid of expression.

He shut the door, cutting off Gu Nian’s provocative and jealous stare.

After pacing the room once, Yuan Shimo lay back down on the bed.

An unspoken exhaustion was etched between the young man’s brows.

He hadn’t slept at all last night.

What Jiang Qingli said was true; she really was a restless sleeper.

One moment she was grabbing his hand, the next she was kicking him away to steal the blanket, and the next she was burrowing into his embrace, nibbling on his shirt buttons.

The girl’s sweet, soft scent enveloped him, a constant torment to his senses that made his body react in strange ways.

Yuan Shimo knew he should stay away.

But then she would lean against him, her expression so peaceful and innocent in profile that he couldn’t bear to push her away.

Enduring one torment after another, Yuan Shimo lay awake until dawn.

He’d thought he’d be fine once she woke up and left. But lying in bed now, Yuan Shimo felt a profound sense of unease.

He had spent most of his life alone, had slept alone since childhood.

Yet in this moment, the bed felt far too large, almost cavernous.

Her scent still lingered on the blanket.

Yuan Shimo forced himself not to dwell on it, but the image of her lying in his arms surfaced in his mind.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, but inhaling her lingering scent made it impossible.

A few seconds later, Yuan Shimo glanced down at himself, below the waist.

Yuan Shimo: "..."

He closed his eyes, trying to ignore it and fall asleep.

But his thoughts only grew more active.

Ten minutes later, Yuan Shimo got up and walked into the bathroom.

Cold water pounded down from the showerhead, splashing against his skin and merging with the stream, as if trying to wash away the name that flickered incessantly in his mind.

Yuan Shimo narrowed his eyes, his peripheral vision falling on the bathroom’s one-way glass window.

The view outside was beautiful, and sunlight passed through the glass to land just a step away from him.

The rain had stopped, but he felt as if it were still falling.

A rain that was leaving its indelible mark on him.

Little by little, it corroded his heart.

He stood there, motionless.

He couldn’t tell if he was powerless to resist, or if he simply didn’t want to.

-

「In the dining room.」

Gu Nian held out a bowl of wontons to Jiang Qingli, blinking his eyes. "Sister, you’ll really try my cooking?"

"Of course!" Jiang Qingli said. "You made it to thank me, so how could I not eat it?"

"But I don’t know if it’s any good." Gu Nian pursed his lips, a flicker of nervousness in his eyes.

’Sister is a pampered princess, raised in the lap of luxury.’

’So as not to serve her anything impure, he’d gotten up at four in the morning and scrubbed his hands over and over, terrified the food he made would be dirty.’

’Even though he’d checked everything repeatedly, he couldn’t help but feel anxious.’

Gu Nian said earnestly, "Sister, just one bite is fine. If you don’t like it, you can spit it out and I’ll eat it."

Jiang Qingli couldn’t help but laugh. "Why are you making me sound so uncivilized? Spitting out food for someone else to eat? That’s so gross..."

"That’s not it at all!" Gu Nian’s voice rose. "Anything you’ve eaten isn’t the least bit dirty, Sister."

The way he insisted didn’t seem fake in the slightest.

Jiang Qingli thought of the life Qin Muye used to lead in the Lower District, and her heart couldn’t help but soften.

Gu Nian was young, his Superpower Level was low, and unlike Qin Muye, he didn’t know how to fight.

’His life must have been incredibly difficult.’

’That’s why he’s trying so desperately to get on my good side now that he’s here.’

’It made sense, when you thought about it. He’d come all this way from the Lower District to the Upper City District by himself. Who knows how many scornful looks he must have endured on the journey.’

’He was even captured and thrown into the Underground City, where he was nearly sold.’

’He’d never complained to me about any of these hardships.’

’Instead, he was always smiling and calling me Sister.’

Even if his attempts to win her favor were mixed with other motives, Jiang Qingli found it understandable.

’Who wouldn’t want a better life?’

Jiang Qingli looked down at the wontons he was holding.

Thin wonton wrappers, filled with meat, floated in a clear broth. A few specks of chopped scallion were sprinkled on top, and steam rose gently from the surface.

It looked so appetizing. He must have spent a long time on it.

Jiang Qingli scooped one up and put it in her mouth under Gu Nian’s expectant gaze.

A savory, delicious flavor filled her mouth. Jiang Qingli’s eyes widened, and before she even had a chance to swallow, she mumbled her praise, "Delicious!"

At her words, his pink eyes lit up as if they were filled with stars.

Gu Nian smiled sweetly. "I’m glad you like it, Sister."

’He actually wanted to feed her himself, but he was afraid that being too forward would push her away, like it did the day before yesterday. So he just rested his chin in his hands and watched her eat.’

’Watching her eat the food he’d made, Gu Nian’s heart felt like it would burst with joy.’

’Her cheeks puff out when she eats. She looks just like a little bunny.’

’They were both little bunnies.’

’It was perfect. They were a match made in heaven.’

Halfway through her meal, Jiang Qingli realized Gu Nian was staring at her.

She felt a little self-conscious. "You should eat, too."

"I’ve already eaten," Gu Nian said, his eyes curving with a smile.

’All of his failed attempts from the morning were sitting in his stomach. He was so full he felt like he might burst.’

Jiang Qingli’s gaze fell on his face, and she suddenly reached out to him.

"You have some flour here."

The girl’s slender fingertips wiped the flour from the side of Gu Nian’s face as she took the opportunity to ask about him. "Are you still feeling unwell?"

Gu Nian looked at the girl who had suddenly gotten close, and the rims of his eyes reddened without warning.

’Her beautiful face was flawless, like the bright, clear moon hanging in the blackest of nights.’

’But unlike the cold moon, she was so gentle. She would softly wipe a smudge from his face, her eyes filled with concern.’

’Just like on the night they first met.’

Gu Nian stared at her face, completely transfixed.

He thought that even if she did nothing at all—even if she just stood there—his heart would surge. He would willingly kneel and bow his head, just to become her most devout follower.

Seeing him silent with the rims of his eyes still red, Jiang Qingli grew a little anxious.

"What’s wrong?" She touched his forehead. "Are you running a fever again?"

Gu Nian opened his mouth. "I—"

However, just as he got a single word out, a cold, annoyed sneer came from the doorway:

"If you’re in heat, go slap yourself with a slipper. Don’t stand here polluting everyone else’s eyesight."