Vоlumе 1 Сhаpter 16: Anоthеr Bite, Нarder
Наd shе missеd him sо muсh aftеr hе hаd оnly beеn gone for a shоrt whilе?
Yan Shi sighеd, рulling hеr сlоser with а hint оf hеlplessnеss. “If уou wаnt to hug, then hug. Would Тhis Prinсe push yоu awаy? Whу сry?”
Thоugh he didn’t understand whу shе hаd suddеnly beсоmе sо clingy, Yаn Shi found it quitе pleаsing.
It would be bеst if she staуed by his side likе this еvеry dау, clinging to him, revоlving arоund him аlone.
Sinсe she wаs being sо рrоaсtive, his darkеr thoughts of wаnting tо trаp her would no longer be neсеssary.
He раtiently cоаxed her, “So many tears. Is Jiao Jiao truly made of water? This Prince has to change clothes several times a day.”
Yun Jiao’s face flushed with heat at his words, belatedly realizing she had indeed soaked several of his garments.
She sniffled hard and finally lifted her head.
Her curled lashes were still damp with tears, her eyes watery as she gazed straight at him, asking softly, “Is my makeup really smudged?”
“Pfft.”
How could she be so adorable?
Yan Shi couldn’t hold back, chuckling softly at her expression. He pinched the tip of her nose affectionately.
“Yes, it’s really smudged.”
“!! Ah?” Yun Jiao’s heart sank with a thud.
She had never worn such beautiful makeup before, and she really loved it. Wuwuwu, if only she hadn’t cried.
Her eyes grew hot again, and she couldn’t hold back her distress, as if she were about to shed little pearls once more.
Yan Shi panicked inwardly and quickly soothed her. “Don’t cry, my dear. This Prince will reapply it for you.”
“Really?” Yun Jiao immediately held back her tears, her nose red as she looked at him, afraid he might change his mind. She extended her pinky finger. “Pinky promise.”
“Childish.” Yan Shi couldn’t help but scoff lightly.
Yet his heart melted completely as he gently hooked her pinky finger to seal the promise.
Finally, Yun Jiao still looked up at him uneasily. “Am I ugly?”
Yan Shi cupped her face, studying it carefully for a moment. “No.”
Then, remembering how much she cared about her appearance, he added, “You look very beautiful.”
Only then did Yun Jiao relent. Her gaze fell on his dampened chest, and she pinched her earlobe sheepishly. “Your clothes… are wet.”
Yan Shi glanced down indifferently. “Wet is wet. They’ll dry soon.”
Yun Jiao made a surprised sound. “Aren’t you going to change?”
“No. I’m afraid someone might start crying again if I leave for even a moment.”
“Someone” blushed and was about to speak when Chu Yi, who had just entered, coughed and reported, “Prince, the carriage is ready.”
Yan Shi hummed in acknowledgment and led Yun Jiao outside.
As soon as Yun Jiao turned around, Chu Yi’s pupils trembled, and he quickly lowered his head. Even after the two had walked several steps away, the astonishment in his eyes remained.
Watching Yun Jiao’s retreating figure, Chu Yi’s expression was indescribable.
The Princess Consort’s face was unevenly coated with powder—thick in some places, thin in others, smudged and patchy. Especially her eyebrows, which were thickly smeared, even uglier than the characters he wrote with his left hand.
How had His Highness managed to say “very beautiful” without batting an eye?
Yun Jiao and Yan Shi walked hand in hand, fingers intertwined. “Prince, Chu Yi’s gaze just now seemed a bit strange.”
Yan Shi replied in a calm tone, “Yes, Chu Yi’s eyesight isn’t very good.”
Behind them, Chu Yi’s lips twitched uncontrollably.
In front of the carriage.
Chu Er stood with his back turned, waiting. Hearing footsteps, he quickly turned around.
“This subordinate greets His Highness, Prin…cess Consort.”Chu Er’s gaze was vacant, and when he uttered the word “Consort,” his tone dropped eight hundred degrees, softer than a mosquito’s hum.
Yan Shi remained expressionless as he helped Yun Jiao into the carriage. The latter glanced at Chu Er in confusion, causing Chu Er to tremble all over.
Yun Jiao frowned. “Prince, Chu Er, he…”
“Chu Er has been solitary since childhood, afraid of people. Whenever he sees someone, he stiffens up like a wooden chicken.”
“Oh.”
The wooden chicken-like Chu Er: “…”
Out of the corner of his eye, Chu Er noticed Chu Yi frowning as he emerged. He quickly walked over and said, “Chu Yi, the Princess Consort, she…”
Before he could finish, Chu Yi’s lips twitched involuntarily, and he interrupted, “Chu Er, you know, I’ve had poor eyesight since I was young.”
Chu Er: “…”
The carriage slowly began to move.
Yun Jiao was held on Yan Shi’s lap as she slowly wiped her face with a handkerchief wrapped around her fingertip.
Glancing at the small bronze mirror on the table, Yun Jiao had a sudden impulse and picked it up.
The next second.
Her already round eyes widened abruptly, and she let out a scream, “Ah!!”
With a “whoa,” Chu Er hurriedly tightened the reins, his voice tense as he asked, “Master?”
“Nothing is wrong,” Yan Shi said calmly.
Yun Jiao threw the mirror down with a clatter and clung to Yan Shi’s neck, refusing to let go. Fortunately, Yan Shi had steadied her just now, preventing her from bumping into anything.
“Liar!” Yun Jiao puffed out her cheeks, accusing him angrily.
No wonder Chu Yi and Chu Er had looked so conflicted and hesitant earlier—they were appalled by her ugliness!
What nonsense about Chu Yi having poor eyesight and Chu Er being afraid of people—they were afraid of ugliness!
Yan Shi looked somewhat innocent. “This Prince has neither deceived you of your wealth nor your beauty. How am I a liar?”
As he spoke, he picked up the eyebrow pencil and began to shape her brows.
“This smudged makeup looks so ugly, yet the Prince said I was beautiful. That makes you a liar!”
Yan Shi raised an eyebrow and retorted, “Who said it was ugly?”
“This Prince said you are beautiful, and This Prince truly believes you are beautiful.”
Yun Jiao was left speechless, unable to argue with him. But the thought of her strutting around with a smudged face made her furious.
She opened her mouth and bit Yan Shi’s arm.
Yan Shi froze instantly, a strange sensation spreading through his heart.
Yun Jiao had two shallow little canine teeth, and the spot she bit tingled with a faint pain.
He could even feel the pressure of those two little teeth pressing against his skin, the area beneath them growing slightly warm.
Yan Shi’s breathing grew hot and rapid, all his senses converging on the bitten spot. A tingling sensation climbed from his waist to his brain, suddenly exploding and spreading throughout his body, seeping into his very bones.
Harder.
He wanted her to bite harder.
The next second, the sensation on his arm suddenly vanished as Yun Jiao released her bite and huffed angrily.
Yan Shi’s eyes darkened, and he called out to her in a hoarse voice, “Jiao Jiao.”
“Hmm?” Yun Jiao shrank her neck slightly. Had she bitten him too hard? Was he going to settle the score with her?
But she hadn’t used much force.
“Bite me again.”
“?”
Yan Shi licked his lips impatiently, gazing at her with longing. “Bite me again, harder.”
Yun Jiao: “??” Did he enjoy being bitten?
Could he have some kind of masochistic preference?
Yan Shi’s grip on the eyebrow pencil tightened slowly, the warmth from the bitten spot still lingering vividly in his mind.
He narrowed his eyes, as if envisioning the scene of his skin being torn layer by layer by her teeth, hot blood oozing from the flesh.
“Mmm… preferably until it bleeds…” Before he could finish, Yun Jiao covered his mouth with her hand.
“No! Don’t say another word!”Yan Shi blinked, a hint of disappointment in his eyes as he pulled her hand away. “Really not going to bite?”
Yun Jiao shivered and tried to cover his mouth again, but Yan Shi caught her hand in his palm, giving it a gentle squeeze.
Lowering his gaze, he resumed tracing her eyebrows, sighing in resignation. “Fine.”
Yet, in his mind, he was already quietly scheming—how could he provoke her into anger so she would bite him?
It wasn’t enough.
He wanted more than just her teeth on his hand. He longed for her to bite other places—his lips, his throat, every inch of his body, craving the sensation everywhere.