Vоlume 1, Chарtеr 2: Ноw Soft Is That Моuth of Yours?
А low, plеаsаnt vоiсе slipреd intо hеr ears, аccompаniеd by а grаduаllу quiсkening hеаrtbеat, sending tingling shivеrs thrоugh her.
А warmth that didn’t belоng to hеr seemed tо prеss agаinst hеr cheеk. Yun Jiao’s heаrt rасеd in disarraу, а flush сlimbing frоm her eаrlobеs all the wаy to hеr cheеks.
Yan Shi watchеd thе inсreаsinglу reddening eаrlobеs bеfore him, аs if discovеring somеthing nоvеl and аmusing.
Originallу, he had оnlу intеnded to tease her, but he hadn’t ехpected hеr tо be so eаsilу flustered.
He stared intently for a moment, then slowly raised his hand, gently pinching the flushed earlobe.
The warm earlobe suddenly met a hint of coolness. Yun Jiao stiffened, her back unconsciously straightening, frozen and not daring to move a muscle. Even her breathing slowed considerably.
A glint of amusement flickered in Yan Shi’s brown eyes, and the corners of his lips lifted into a faint curve.
“Hmm?”
Yan Shi rubbed the earlobe lightly, almost imperceptibly. Yun Jiao gasped, holding her breath, her heart pounding wildly. She swallowed hard and whispered softly, “Because… because…”
The soft, pliant sensation in his hand was oddly addictive. Yan Shi gently played with her earlobe, pinching it lightly. For some reason, he found himself patient, indulging her.
With a good-natured tone, he asked, “Because of what?”
“Because I’m a rice bucket.”
“……”
Yan Shi’s hand paused for a second, as if he hadn’t expected such an answer. First, he let out a low, soft chuckle, then laughed heartily twice, clearly in excellent spirits.
He straightened up, sighed lightly, and looked at her with a slightly troubled expression, as if pondering something.
This mouth of hers always said such interesting things.
For a moment, he felt reluctant to make her mute. What was he to do?
Yun Jiao felt uneasy under his gaze, sensing something chilling hidden within his eyes.
But she truly wasn’t lying—she really was a rice bucket. She wasn’t a human bucket, so how could she eat people?
After her eyes darted around twice, Yun Jiao pursed her lips, took a deep breath, and leaned closer to him.
Before Yan Shi could decide what to do, he saw the girl before him suddenly press close. Just as she was about to reach him, she closed her eyes and tilted her head slightly.
Then, a warm, unfamiliar, and soft sensation touched his lips.
Yan Shi’s slightly curled lashes fluttered rapidly twice. For a moment, he was stunned, staring blankly at Yun Jiao’s equally fluttering eyelashes.
The night breeze blew past, causing the tassels beneath her earlobes to sway gently. The crimson bell emitted an extremely faint yet ethereal sound.
The sensation on his lips suddenly vanished. Yun Jiao sat back, cleared her throat softly, and the flush on her cheeks deepened a shade.
“Since I’ve kissed the Prince, that counts as eating him. The Prince can’t hold it against me anymore.”
—In a roundabout way, this was her response to why she hadn’t devoured him, bones and all. Kissing him counted as eating him, didn’t it?
Yan Shi slowly raised his hand, his thumb, which had just brushed against Yun Jiao’s lips, now pressed against his own.
It was an indescribable feeling.
This was the first time he had ever been kissed. So this was what it felt like.
But…
“Why did you kiss This Prince?”
Yan Shi’s sudden question sent the heat on Yun Jiao’s face skyrocketing to its peak.
“I… because… because I like the Prince.”
Yun Jiao felt like crying. It was he who had told her to eat him—she couldn’t actually bite him, could she?
“I see.” Yan Shi finally withdrew the smile that had curved his eyes, his handsome brows lightly furrowing.
This was the second time she had said she liked him.He had never been liked before and didn’t know what genuine affection looked like. The emperor liked Consort Ying and would kiss her; his own mother liked his eldest sister and would kiss her too.
So it seemed she was telling the truth—Yun Jiao genuinely liked him.
Yan Shi found himself in a dilemma. Since she hadn’t lied, there was no need to make her mute. It wasn’t that he was biased; he simply had no reason to poison her into silence.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t bear to do it—he was just being reasonable.
His brows relaxed, and his eyes regained their lazy, wicked charm as he glanced sideways at the people in the courtyard.
The corners of his eyes curved slightly, and his voice drawled lazily, “Would all of you like to hold a funeral as well?”
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone scrambled to their feet, voices overlapping, “Your humble officials take their leave!”
In an instant, the entire courtyard emptied like a tide of fish surging out.
Even the sobbing man over six feet tall at the entrance was dragged away by someone covering his mouth.
Yun Jiao and Yan Shi locked eyes, a beautiful hue shimmering in her pupils.
Yun Jiao rubbed her nose, stood up, and began inching toward the mansion’s entrance. “Then I’ll take my leave too.”
After taking two steps, the faint sound of bells rose behind her, followed by Yan Shi’s unhurried voice.
“Stop.”
“Aren’t there some unsettled matters between us?”
Yun Jiao turned around in confusion, only to see Yan Shi’s slender fingers lightly tapping the edge of the coffin as he pointed at the food on the table with his other hand. “You haven’t paid for the meal.”
Yun Jiao’s eyes widened in surprise. Did one have to pay to attend a funeral feast?
Damn it, no one had told her that!
Ah… like a kitten bristling with anger, all puffed up and ready to pounce.
So cute, so adorable.
Yan Shi absolutely adored her frightened expression—so harmless and vulnerable, so easy to bully and torment.
He wondered if her eyes would be wider in shock now or even wider when he plucked them out.
Yan Shi chuckled softly. A blind person could still say interesting things—it wouldn’t be a problem.
The curve of his lips gradually widened as he slowly rose from the ice coffin and stepped barefoot onto the ground, his unbound black hair cascading down to his waist as he approached Yun Jiao.
With each step, the ends of his hair swayed gently, and the tassels by his ears trembled slightly.
That feeling of her heart racing returned. Yun Jiao looked at him, her lips parting as she was about to speak.
Suddenly, her eyes were gently caressed twice, the slightly warm fingertips lingering on her fair skin.
As soft as he had imagined.
“Your eyes are quite beautiful. This Prince likes them very much.”
Surely, if he complimented her, he couldn’t ask her to pay for the meal, right?
Suddenly plunged into darkness, Yun Jiao was caught off guard but managed a soft laugh. “Thank you for the compliment, Your Highness.”
Yan Shi’s smile widened even more than hers. “Why not give them to This Prince?”
“?”
Yun Jiao’s smile froze. She blinked, her eyelashes brushing against his palm, and asked in confusion, “Give them to you?”
“Yes, pluck them out and give them to This Prince.”
Yan Shi’s tone was as calm as if he were asking for an ordinary object, but to Yun Jiao, it felt like a thunderbolt had struck her head.
Startled, she immediately pushed his hand away, her eyes widening like bells.
Bristling with caution. The kitten was on guard.
Yan Shi’s other hand, hanging casually at his side, trembled slightly, his fingertips twitching with excitement.
So round, so innocent—he liked these eyes even more now.
Trembling slightly, he placed his hand back over Yun Jiao’s eyes. The sudden darkness made her body stiffen, her senses heightened to the extreme.A faint rustle of fabric suddenly sounded, and from between her fingers, she glimpsed Yan Shi’s sleeve swaying slightly.
Instantly, her eyes felt chilled. With one hand, she pulled down the hand beside her eye and gripped it tightly, while the other pressed down on the hand at his side.
“Your Highness is the most beautiful person. I love looking at you the most. These eyes are meant to be kept for gazing upon Your Highness.”
Yan Shi lowered his head and glanced at the hand pressing firmly against his—so slender he could snap it with a single grip.
Clearly trembling with fear, yet she still had the audacity to be glib, spouting nothing but sweet talk.
Not obedient. Needs to be disciplined.
“This Prince also likes your hands.”
“?!”
Yun Jiao jolted, instinctively wrapping her arms around him in fear, her eyes squeezed shut. “Yun Jiao is infatuated, so enamored with Your Highness. These hands are meant to be kept for embracing Your Highness.”
Now even her voice trembled, yet he couldn’t think of anything more amusing than breaking hands or gouging out eyes.
Yan Shi sighed, as if hesitating. His eyes lowered briefly, and as if recalling something, the corners of his lips curled upward again.
He pulled the trembling figure in his arms away and raised a hand to press lightly against her lips.
“Then do you know, ‘taking from others leaves one’s hands short’…”
“I know, I know! ‘Eating from others leaves one’s mouth soft’!” Yun Jiao blurted out, finishing the saying.
“Hmm.” Yan Shi’s eyelids lowered slightly, his long, thick lashes veiling the somewhat obscure gleam in his eyes.
“Then how soft is this mouth of yours?”