Before she could make a sound, his cold lips pressed down, capturing the soft pearl of her lip and nibbling on it.

The snake tail slithered under her skirt, coiling around Jiang Qingli’s calf and sliding steadily upward.

A tingling numbness traveled up from the skin of her ankle, and her breathing unconsciously grew heavier.

But his forceful attitude and the out-of-control stimulation made Jiang Qingli deeply uneasy.

Broken sounds escaped her throat. She reached out to push against Ye Linyuan’s chest, but he grabbed her wrist instead, pulling her up to sit on his snake tail and continuing the kiss.

He was an incredibly fast learner.

The first time, he’d been completely clueless, but now he was kissing Jiang Qingli until her whole body went limp, leaving her practically breathless.

After what felt like an eternity, Ye Linyuan finally let go of her wrist.

Jiang Qingli gasped for air and grabbed the first thing she could find, throwing it at him.

A pink slipper hit Ye Linyuan square on the head, paused for a second, then fell to the floor with a soft THUD.

As Jiang Qingli caught her breath, she realized she had just hit the villain. A wave of fear washed over her.

She bit her lip. "You kissed me first without my permission. It’s only natural that I’d hit you."

"Is that so?" Ye Linyuan’s voice was cold and gloomy. "Then why didn’t you hit Baili Jing earlier?"

Jiang Qingli was taken aback. "That’s different."

"How is it different?" Ye Linyuan’s logic was crystal clear. "He made a move on you before I did."

’Why is he making this a competition about who was first...’

Jiang Qingli was almost taken in by his argument. "He kissed my forehead. And he didn’t wrap himself around me like you are."

As she spoke, she kicked Ye Linyuan’s snake tail.

The spurned, dark snake tail slowly retracted, coiling beside Ye Linyuan. For some reason, it looked a little pitiful.

Ye Linyuan didn’t pursue the topic. He just put a little distance between them, his gaze drifting over her, intentionally or not. "I was in the Underground City last night and all day today, dealing with traitors."

Jiang Qingli blinked.

’Is Ye Linyuan explaining to me why he disappeared?’

’This villain boss is way too dedicated to his bodyguard duties. He even reports his whereabouts.’

In return, Jiang Qingli quickly showed her concern. "That must have been tough. You’re not hurt, are you?"

Hearing this, Ye Linyuan raised an eyebrow, a hint of imperceptible pleasure in his voice. "I’m not that weak."

After a pause, Ye Linyuan pulled something from his pocket and tossed it to her.

Jiang Qingli caught it and saw it was a small, crystal-clear blue gem. White specks of light flowed within it, making it look exceptionally ethereal.

"Is this... a Repair Gemstone?" Jiang Qingli asked.

A female’s spiritual power was like a mana bar for a video game character. It decreased after each healing session and could only be restored over time.

But a Repair Gemstone could help a female recover quickly.

However, these things were incredibly rare, single-use items that had all but disappeared ten years ago.

"Spoils of war." Ye Linyuan leaned against the sofa. "It’s from the black market. I’ll teach you how to use it later."

Jiang Qingli’s eyes lit up, but she also felt it was too extravagant. She suggested, "Can I save it for next time?"

Her instinct to hoard things inexplicably reminded Ye Linyuan of a squirrel that had found a pinecone, gathering a huge pile of things to get through the winter.

The corner of his lip curled up slightly. "There’ll be more next time," Ye Linyuan said.

’So generous!’

Jiang Qingli felt a little embarrassed. She leaned in closer, batting her eyes. "Then... as payback, should I help you now?"

A faint fragrance instantly enveloped Ye Linyuan.

But Ye Linyuan’s brow furrowed almost immediately.

Jiang Qingli carried the strong scent of another male.

Generally, this kind of scent signified possession. Unless it was done intentionally, it wouldn’t linger even if they had spent the night together.

When a Low Level male smelled the scent of a High Level male, they would become fearful and not dare to act recklessly. For a female, this was a form of protection.

But to a male of the same level, it was tantamount to a provocation.

The moment he had gotten close to Jiang Qingli earlier, Ye Linyuan had realized Baili Jing’s level was no lower than his own.

Ye Linyuan didn’t care why Baili Jing was hiding his true level; it had nothing to do with him.

But he didn’t like the scent of another male on Jiang Qingli.

That was why he had covered it with a more intimate act.

But even the faintest trace of it left him feeling irritated.

’I want to grab her and do even more outrageous things to her.’

’To drench her from head to toe in my scent...’

His breathing deepened slightly. Ye Linyuan lowered his gaze, hiding the emotion in his eyes.

"Can you even do it?" Ye Linyuan curled his thin lips into a smirk. "You must have used up a lot last night."

Jiang Qingli: "..."

’Here we go again. Ye Linyuan, master of passive-aggression.’

Without another word, Ye Linyuan used his snake tail to pull Jiang Qingli into his arms and taught her how to use the Repair Gemstone.

When a Repair Gemstone was used, the female would fall into a brief coma.

Ye Linyuan, holding Jiang Qingli, didn’t stay idle either.

His snake tail coiled around her arms and waist, while his thin lips slid gently across her skin, claiming every inch and marking it with his scent.

About two hours later, Jiang Qingli opened her eyes.

It was as if a dried-up lake had been filled with water; she felt completely refreshed and revitalized.

Jiang Qingli described how she felt to Ye Linyuan, "I feel like I could go run ten laps right now and be totally fine!"

His golden, slitted pupils stared at the girl’s face, no longer as sharp and cold as when they first met. Instead, they held a faint smile that even he hadn’t noticed.

After saying this, Jiang Qingli remembered something else. "Oh, right, do you go to the black market often?"

"Rarely," said Ye Linyuan. "Do you want to go?"

"I want to buy something..." Jiang Qingli pressed her palms together. "Can you help me?"

’She’s so meek when she’s asking for a favor. Where’s that fire she had when she was hitting me with a slipper?’

Ye Linyuan raised a hand, his index finger twirling a lock of the girl’s hair. "Buy what?" he asked.

"A drug that induces an early estrus period, or something like that," Jiang Qingli said. "I looked it up today and found out that kind of thing is contraband. You can’t buy it through normal channels."

Ye Linyuan frowned, his slitted pupils instantly fixing on Jiang Qingli with a sharp glint. His voice was mocking. "Who have you set your sights on now?"

"No, it’s not like that!" Jiang Qingli quickly explained. "You know what happened, don’t you? Qin Muye’s estrus period started suddenly last night, and Chi Yun lives right across from him. I have a feeling he had something to do with it. Since he came after me like that, I’m definitely going to let him have a taste of his own medicine."

"What kind?" Ye Linyuan stared at her warily. "The taste of forcing yourself on him?"

Jiang Qingli was speechless. "...I’m not interested in him, and I’m not interested in those five either. Can you please stop bringing them up?"

The anger in her eyes didn’t seem fake.

Ye Linyuan inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief, not even considering why he had been so tense.

"He didn’t use an aphrodisiac. It was a disfigurement potion." Ye Linyuan paused, his gaze landing on Jiang Qingli’s face. "The target was you."

Jiang Qingli’s heart skipped a beat.

A chill ran down her spine.

Chi Yun wasn’t trying to target Qin Muye—he was after her!

After her engagement was broken, Jiang Qingli had been focused on avoiding the protagonists and living a good life before the "system" arrived. But if they were going to keep targeting her, she wasn’t going to just let it slide time and time again.

Just then, Ye Linyuan’s large hand supported her back, and his voice softened. "My people already swapped it with normal tea last night."

"So, someone else put the aphrodisiac in?" Jiang Qingli realized.

"Perhaps an enemy of Qin Muye’s, or perhaps someone who wanted to offer himself to you." As he said the last part, Ye Linyuan’s voice turned slightly cold. "I’m looking into it."

He seemed to show little to no emotion, but for some reason, Jiang Qingli found herself trusting him implicitly.

Jiang Qingli couldn’t help but smile, then her brows furrowed as she emphasized, "Then I’m still going to get my revenge! I’ll buy five portions, one for each of them!"

Originally, Jiang Qingli wanted to mind her own business and stay out of their way, but since they were trying to drug and disfigure her, she couldn’t just swallow her anger.

Seeing her puffing her cheeks out in anger, the corner of Ye Linyuan’s mouth curled up slightly.

Without warning, Ye Linyuan grabbed her by the waist, lifted her up, and placed her on his snake tail.

Jiang Qingli instinctively grabbed his collar to keep her balance. "Didn’t you say we weren’t doing the healing?"

"Mhm." Ye Linyuan tucked a strand of hair from her cheek behind her ear as his lips descended. "We’re doing something else."

Just as their lips were about to touch, the terminal that had been tossed aside suddenly started vibrating.

He casually picked it up. After reading the contents, Ye Linyuan’s eyes narrowed.

Jiang Qingli asked, "Who is it?"

Ye Linyuan tossed the terminal into Jiang Qingli’s lap with a cold sneer. "Your ex-husband is looking for you."