As he spoke, his snake tail coiled gently around the girl’s slender, fair ankle.

The slick, cool tail caressed her skin as if trying to absorb her warmth.

The room was brightly lit, leaving nothing hidden.

Because of this, Jiang Qingli could clearly see the frightening undercurrents swirling in his golden, vertical pupils.

Jiang Qingli’s knuckles, clenched around his shirt, loosened slightly as she seriously considered what she could offer Ye Linyuan in exchange.

’The big villain has countless money and a powerful Superpower. It seems Spiritual Healing is the only thing I have to trade.’

But they had already made a deal: her Spiritual Healing during their marriage in exchange for Ye Linyuan’s protection.

’So what else could he possibly need...?’

An idea flashed through Jiang Qingli’s mind. "How about this? After we divorce, I can continue to give you Spiritual Healing. Or if you get hurt, you can still come find me. How does that sound?"

Ye Linyuan: "..."

He stared at her, a terrifying storm brewing in his eyes. His voice grew colder and more sarcastic. "Such a huge sacrifice."

’Before, she’d drag her feet just to perform Spiritual Healing. Now, for some lowly male she’s never even met, her memory is a mess, and she’s spouting all sorts of nonsense.’

’The one who mentioned divorce was that leopard idiot, not me.’

To stop that mouth from uttering anything else unpleasant, Ye Linyuan lowered his head and captured her lips.

His forked tongue, nimble and domineering, explored the space between the girl’s soft lips, forcefully stealing her breath.

Jiang Qingli found it hard to breathe, yet she unconsciously drew closer to the danger.

His skin was distinctly cool, but a faint heat bloomed wherever his large hands and snake tail roamed.

Suddenly, her body felt weightless.

When she came to her senses, they were already in the bathroom.

The water rippled.

Her thoughts felt like they were floating on clouds, yet also being dragged into a swamp.

"Jiang Qingli."

In a daze, she seemed to hear him call her name.

The girl looked at him with dark eyes clouded with mist.

He seemed to be saying something.

She could understand every word, every syllable, but her mind was like shattered ripples on water, unable to grasp the meaning.

She wanted to ask, but the sounds that escaped her open mouth were not coherent words.

Under the dim yellow light, Ye Linyuan looked down at the girl, her eyes nearly glazed over.

A drop of water condensed at the tip of his hair and fell on the reddened corner of her eye, rolling down slowly like a tear.

She reached out to him, muttering complaints, but the words spilling from her kiss-swollen lips had no bite. Instead, they made one want to hear more.

When she finished, Ye Linyuan lowered his head to find her lips again, his knuckles pushing her curled fingers apart and pressing into the gaps between them.

The night was deep, and her sweetness was like an alluring trap.

’I know I should be rational.’

’I should stay away from the source of my instability.’

But the moment he got close to her, all sharp resistance melted into lingering tenderness.

He was forced—or perhaps he willingly—disarmed and surrendered, falling into an endless abyss.

...

"Sit up."

It was two hours later when Jiang Qingli was placed at the head of the bed.

A pillow was propped behind her lower back, and her whole body felt weak.

She looked down at her new pajamas, then thought of the clothes that had just been torn to shreds and felt a pang of regret. "Next time, could you please go easy on my clothes..."

Halfway through her sentence, she saw Ye Linyuan reach a hand toward her.

He leaned in, his breath drawing near.

Jiang Qingli’s eyes widened, and she pushed against him. "I don’t agree! This is my favorite bedsheet! I won’t let you defile it!"

The young man lowered his gaze, a hint of a smile flashing in his narrow eyes.

The next second, a book was pressed into Jiang Qingli’s hands.

Ai Li had a large collection of books at home and had given a few to Jiang Qingli, who kept them on her bedside table to read when she felt sleepy.

Ye Linyuan had simply plucked one of those books at random and handed it to her.

He raised an eyebrow, his slightly hoarse voice tinged with a sated sexiness. "Do tell, how was I going to defile your bedsheet with a book?"

Jiang Qingli: "..."

’Who the hell knew he was grabbing a book? I thought he wanted to continue...’

She mumbled a nonsensical excuse, took the book, and glanced at the cover. It was a classic novel.

"Read to me." Ye Linyuan lay down beside her, facing her.

Jiang Qingli was a bit bewildered. ’Why would I read this?’

As if guessing her thoughts, Ye Linyuan closed his eyes and said lazily, "As an exchange."

Jiang Qingli: "..."

’So he wanted me to read to him as the exchange.’

’This is just like in those overbearing CEO novels, where the heroine has to lull the insomniac male lead to sleep...’

She opened the book with sore, weak fingers and grumbled, "After you wore me out like this, I still have to read you a bedtime story..."

"Wore you out?" Ye Linyuan’s voice was tinged with amusement. "When have I not pleased you first?"

"If you’ve forgotten what you just did to me, I don’t mind letting you see my back."

Hearing that last sentence, the tips of Jiang Qingli’s ears grew hot.

She glared back fiercely with her still-reddened eyes. "Who wants to look at you? There’s nothing to see!"

She didn’t need to look to know. On Ye Linyuan’s broad back, already scattered with old scars, she had left several scratch marks, some deep, some shallow, in just two short hours.

And it wasn’t just his back, but his neck, collarbone, and arms too...

Jiang Qingli really hadn’t meant to do it. It was just that Ye Linyuan was too extreme.

The cold, taciturn snake-type was always silent, yet he loved forcing her to make noise.

He was skilled at using any means necessary to arouse her.

In the throes of uncontrolled spasms, she would constantly scratch at his skin, using the sensation to confirm his existence.

But often, before she could even recover from her tears, the water would begin to ripple again.

He seemed to know no fatigue, taking pleasure in tormenting her.

If she hadn’t cried while kicking his tail with all her might, he might not have stopped.

Jiang Qingli came back to her senses, touched her slightly hot cheeks, and cursed Ye Linyuan a few more times in her head as a lecherous beast.

’Whatever. I’ll humor Ye Linyuan for now. Once I get Gu Nian back, I’m giving him the silent treatment for a whole week!’

’How dare he bully me just because he knows I need something from him!’

Jiang Qingli asked, "How long do I have to read?"

"Until I fall asleep," Ye Linyuan said.

Jiang Qingli: "..."

On the nights they had slept together, he was always awake whenever she opened her eyes. She had often suspected the man didn’t sleep at all.

’Now he wants me to read until he falls asleep? When is that going to be?’

But she had already agreed, so Jiang Qingli could only resign herself to her fate, open the book, and begin to read.

Her voice was lovely, but she really wasn’t cut out for reading aloud.

She read a long, romantic, and convoluted passage in a dry, emotionless monotone. You could find a robot outside that would read with more feeling.

But surprisingly, Ye Linyuan’s breathing evened out after just a short while.

Seeing this, Jiang Qingli put down the book and called out softly, "Ye Linyuan?"

Ye Linyuan didn’t respond.

’He fell asleep that fast? It hasn’t even been twenty minutes.’

’Could it be...’

In any case, he was asleep now, which made Jiang Qingli bolder.

She reached out and patted Ye Linyuan’s face, her tone full of schadenfreude. "Hey, Linyuan, don’t tell me you’re getting old and... can’t perform anymore?"

After saying it, she stared at Ye Linyuan for a moment, a little cowardly.

Fortunately, Ye Linyuan showed no reaction. He seemed to be sound asleep.

Jiang Qingli relaxed.

She set the book aside, turned off the light, snuggled into the covers, and soon fell into a deep sleep with her back to Ye Linyuan.

What Jiang Qingli didn’t know was that after she fell asleep, a snake tail wrapped around her waist, turned her over, and tucked her into the arms of the young man she had just been mocking.

Golden vertical pupils narrowed in the darkness. Ye Linyuan let out a soft snort and wrapped himself around her even tighter.

-

The next morning, when Jiang Qingli woke up, Ye Linyuan was still asleep.

She tiptoed out of bed to wash up.

In the dining room, Baili Jing had already made breakfast and was arranging it on the plates.

Jiang Qingli sat down and took the opportunity to tell him about her plans to go to an underground auction with Ye Linyuan that night.

"Do you have to go?" Baili Jing frowned slightly, for once not in complete agreement with Jiang Qingli. "I believe if you leave it to Mr. Ye, he has the ability to resolve everything."

’Of course, if he fails, it just proves Ye Linyuan is a useless piece of trash.’

"I have to," Jiang Qingli said, taking a sip of juice. "He is my Beast Husband, after all."

The truth was, Jiang Qingli was worried. Although Ye Linyuan had agreed to go, given his personality, if he ran into Yuan Shiyao and they started fighting, the inconspicuous Gu Nian might actually end up dead...

Baili Jing didn’t argue further. Instead, he lifted her onto his lap.

He leaned in slowly, tracing circles on her palm with his finger, sending a faint, ticklish sensation through her.

He pecked at the corner of her lips with his perfectly shaped mouth, asking for her opinion in a soft voice:

"Can I go with you?"

"I’m worried about Xiao Gu, too."