Ye Junfei, clad in snow-white robes, reclined half-lying on her embroidered bed, propping his head up with one hand as he watched her with keen interest.
His dark hair cascaded loosely, his peach-blossom eyes slightly narrowed, the crimson mole at the corner lending him an air of bewitching allure.
His slender fingers toyed with an object, idly twirling its delicate straps.
When Lin Xiuyan’s gaze fell upon the item in his fingers, her mind went blank for a moment, and her face instantly flushed crimson.
It was her bellyband!
She rushed forward to snatch it back, but his arm extended and hooked around her, causing her to lose her balance and tumble straight into his embrace.
The moment she fell into his arms, his previously agitated bloodline instantly calmed, and he felt considerably more at ease.
He could now confirm with certainty that she was indeed the special constitution he had been searching for.
Ye Junfei asked gently, “Throwing yourself into my arms like this—are you complaining that I didn’t satisfy you last night?”
Lin Xiuyan: “…”
If she weren’t the one involved, his words would have made her truly believe something had happened between them the night before.
Gritting her teeth, she asked, “How did you get in?”
Ye Junfei replied, “By walking in, of course.”
Lin Xiuyan: “…”
She realized she had been naive—how could he possibly let her off so easily?
But there was no need for him to wait for her on her bed!
He reached out and draped the bellyband over her face. “Where is the Xueyucao?”
Lin Xiuyan snatched the bellyband off her face, took a deep breath, and forced a smile. “The Xueyucao is in the Chengzhufu.”
Ye Junfei’s tone grew even gentler. “Didn’t you say the Xueyucao was with you?”
Lin Xiuyan replied, “You must have misremembered, Young Master. I said I knew where the Xueyucao was, not that I had it.”
Ye Junfei reached out and lightly pinched her cheek. “So you’re saying my memory is poor? That I remembered wrong?”
The fear of him from her past life was etched deep into her bones. When his cool fingertips brushed her cheek, she couldn’t help but tremble.
She shook her head frantically. “Of course not. I was the one who didn’t make myself clear.”
Ye Junfei was satisfied with her attitude and asked, “Did you know me before?”
From the moment they first met today, the look in her eyes when she saw him had been off.
He knew his own appearance—under normal circumstances, a woman’s first glance at him would never carry the expression she had shown.
Though she had tried hard to conceal it afterward, there was still something peculiar about her.
Moreover, her actions today, while appearing both coquettish and frivolous, differed from the rumors, revealing intelligence at every turn.
His intuition told him she had known him before, aware of his true identity, but he had no proof.
Lin Xiuyan naturally wouldn’t admit it and replied with utmost sincerity, “I’ve never seen you before, Young Master. Since you’ve come to my home, do you know me?”
Ye Junfei’s peach-blossom eyes scrutinized her expression and reactions without missing a single detail, but he found nothing amiss.
Had he been mistaken?
He gave a cool smile. “You’re quite famous in Yucheng. Finding your home wasn’t difficult, was it?”
Lin Xiuyan: “…”
She took a deep breath and said, “Now that you know the whereabouts of the Yuxuecao, there’s no need to waste any more time on me.”
She gestured for him to leave.
But Ye Junfei didn’t move an inch. “Who told you that knowing the whereabouts of the Yuxuecao means I’d let you go?”
Lin Xiuyan: “…”
Ye Junfei increased the pressure of his hand pinching her face slightly: "Do you think that taking off my clothes at night and stripping my pants in public can be brushed aside with such an unverified piece of information?"
Having been reborn, Lin Xiuyan wanted to kill Zhou Chenyang and Jiang Xinrou, but she had absolutely no desire to provoke Ye Junfei again.
She swore to the heavens: "If the Yuxuecao is not in the Chengzhufu, may I be struck down by divine punishment and blasted by thunder!"
Ye Junfei tilted his head, looking at her with eyes full of amusement.
Lin Xiuyan felt uneasy under his gaze and had no choice but to steel herself and ask, "What do I have to do for you to let me go?"
Ye Junfei's eyes grew even more amused: "How about you strip naked in front of me and give it a try?"
Lin Xiuyan: "…"
If stripping naked would completely sever ties with him, she was willing to do it.
Recalling her past life and the various interactions with Ye Junfei, she remembered his extreme aversion to women. Perhaps she could take a gamble.
Gritting her teeth, she took a deep breath and reached to untie her sash.
Ye Junfei propped his head up with one hand, watching her without blinking, his amusement completely unconcealed, showing no intention of stopping her.
When Lin Xiuyan was down to only her undergarments, she couldn't bear it any longer and stopped.
Ye Junfei raised an eyebrow: "Keep going!"
Lin Xiuyan: "…"
Why was this different from what she had imagined?
She couldn't go any further!
Taking a deep breath, she confirmed with him, "If I strip completely, will you leave?"
Ye Junfei smiled with tender affection: "Of course not. I was just giving you a suggestion to try it out."
"I suddenly realized that even though you're ugly, the way you take off your clothes is quite pleasing to the eye. So I've decided to stay and watch you strip every day."
Lin Xiuyan: "…"
Lin Xiuyan: "!!"
She wanted to strangle him!
She snorted coldly, picked up her clothes from the floor, and put them back on.
She knew he was someone she couldn't afford to provoke; otherwise, she would have smashed his head in!
He seemed to guess what she was thinking and asked with a smile, "Do you want to hit me?"
Lin Xiuyan gritted her teeth, forcing out a smile: "I wouldn't dare!"
Ye Junfei sat up straighter, leaning on the bed: "It's 'wouldn't dare' rather than 'don't want to.' I really love the way you're seething with anger but don't dare to speak up."
Lin Xiuyan: "…"
Couldn't she have been reborn just one day earlier? Then she wouldn't have met him, and this lifetime wouldn't have intersected with his again!
Frustrated, she asked, "What exactly do you want?"
Ye Junfei gazed at her affectionately: "Nothing much. I'm just here to make you take responsibility."
Lin Xiuyan asked, "What responsibility?"
Ye Junfei said seriously, "I'm not married yet, and I've never been with a woman. Since you've seen me naked, of course you have to take responsibility for me."
Lin Xiuyan: "!!"
If she didn't know his identity or the romantic escapades he had during his time as a hostage in the capital, she might have believed him!
She said earnestly, "Young master, you're a man. Even if I saw you, you didn't lose anything."
"Not to mention, it was so dark last night that I couldn't see anything!"
Ye Junfei smiled: "From the sound of it, you seem to regret not seeing clearly last night. How about you take off my clothes and have a good look now?"
Lin Xiuyan: "…"
She was about to cry!
She tried reasoning with him: "Young master, I have a fiancé. I like him very much. There's no possibility between you and me!"
Ye Junfei nodded: "Mm, what you said makes sense, but I never said I wanted to marry you. I just want you to take responsibility."
"You're not even married yet, and you already have a lover. Aren't you happy? Aren't you excited?"