Xie Jue’s eyelids seemed to stir at the sound of Yun Miao’s voice, lifting once more as he raised his gaze toward her. Half of Yun Miao’s body had already emerged from the water, and her clothes, soaked moments earlier, now clung tightly to her curves as they left the pool.It was undoubtedly like adding dry kindling to a fire that had not yet been extinguished—the flames surged upward, licking hungrily.The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed lightly, and the light in his eyes darkened a shade.Yun Miao, having received no response from Xie Jue, remained in a sideways posture near the edge of the pool, looking toward him.Seeing him lost in thought, she hesitated before speaking again.But just as a single syllable escaped her throat—before she could even fully call out “Xie Jue”—a force tugged at her arm, pulling her back into the water behind her.Yet, before the pool water could envelop her, it was Xie Jue’s warm, damp chest that pressed against her first.“Miaomiao, is this alright?”Yun Miao was somewhat caught off guard. “What?”Her answer came in the form of a restrained, tentative peck of a kiss.But as he withdrew, he mischievously let the tip of his tongue lightly brush against her lips.The soft, damp, and gentle sensation on her lips made Yun Miao’s eyes widen abruptly.Yet he had closed his eyes reverently, his long lashes casting shadows beneath them. Below those lashes was a tall, straight nose, and further down were the lips that had just retreated from hers…Her gaze drifted downward, where a faint glimmer of moisture clung to his subtly visible Cupid’s bow, shimmering faintly under the moonlight.Xie Jue opened his eyes and looked up, meeting Yun Miao’s downward gaze.Perhaps because Yun Miao had not rejected him earlier, Xie Jue’s lips curved into a smile. His amber-hued eyes, filled with moonlight, stared intently at Yun Miao, whom he held in his arms.Yun Miao felt somewhat embarrassed by his overly direct gaze. The hand resting on Xie Jue’s shoulder lifted to give him a light tap, and she averted her eyes to look elsewhere. “Xie Jue, what are you doing?”It should have been a reproachful remark, but spoken softly as it was now, it carried little force.Xie Jue watched as a flush spread across Yun Miao’s entire body, making her look like a boiled shrimp.With a mischievous intent, he followed her gaze, pulling her back into his embrace. He rested his chin on Yun Miao’s shoulder, gently nuzzling against it.“Miaomiao, I like you.”Because he liked her, he couldn’t help but want to draw closer.It seemed as though he was answering Yun Miao’s earlier question, yet also baring his own heart.Counting the time in Peach Blossom Village, this was the second time he had told her he liked her.Naturally, Yun Miao had not anticipated things unfolding this way, nor had she expected him to confess his feelings at such a moment. Her mind went completely blank.Her body stiffened slightly as she allowed herself to be encircled in his embrace, letting his chest press tightly against hers through the layers of dampened clothing, like a finely woven fishing net draped over her head, enveloping her completely.In a daze, Yun Miao’s mind inexplicably conjured the image of the flickering candle flame from her first encounter with Xie Jue, swaying and dancing in the night. This made the current situation even more bewildering for her.“It’s alright if you don’t know how to answer right now,” Xie Jue said, not rushing for a response as he rested his chin on Yun Miao’s shoulder. “You can tell me once you have an answer.”After all, they should still have plenty of time, and he had enough time to make his sister like him as well.With that thought, he tilted his head slightly to look at Yun Miao, whom he held in his arms, only to find that she had turned completely red at some point.Xie Jue couldn’t help but smile softly, letting out a low chuckle that vibrated gently in his chest.Given their current embrace, Yun Miao naturally felt it.She instinctively turned her head away, but even now, she still didn’t know what to do. However, meeting his smiling eyes made Yun Miao feel her ears grow even hotter than before.As if her thoughts were lagging, Yun Miao belatedly turned her head back, trying to put some distance between herself and Xie Jue.But the hand resting on her waist silently prevented her from doing so.Yun Miao tried several times without success, and she turned her head again to look at Xie Jue with a hint of reproach.Yet, as if completely unaware of her intentions, he simply watched her leisurely.Finally, Yun Miao was the first to break the prolonged silence between them: "Xie Jue."Hearing her voice, Xie Jue not only didn’t let go but smiled even more broadly."I’m here," he replied calmly, leaning in closer with an innocent expression as he asked, "What’s wrong?"It was a shameless side of him that Yun Miao had never seen before.The words she had intended to say were caught in her throat, and her almond-shaped eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Xie Jue, who had rested his chin on her shoulder.The bone of the man’s chin pressed against the bone of Yun Miao’s shoulder through the skin, sending a faint ache that clearly reminded her of his presence.Yun Miao reached out to push him away, but as soon as she did, he pretended to be hurt and leaned in again, his gaze never leaving her.The already intimate atmosphere now flowed back and forth between their eyes, silently intensifying and reaching its peak.The tree shadows swayed, and the night breeze gently brushed over their soaked clothes outside the pool. A chill rose on Yun Miao’s body, and she instinctively shivered.Xie Jue noticed the slight movement of the person in his arms. He lifted his head from her shoulder and, with a gentle pull of his hand on her waist, guided them both deeper into the pool. The warm water immediately dispelled all the cold from Yun Miao’s body.Xie Jue led Yun Miao toward the shore, holding her waist as he lifted her onto the bank. He then climbed out of the pool with ease, grabbed his clean outer robe nearby, and draped it over Yun Miao."Still cold?"The man bent down to look at Yun Miao, handing her the neatly gathered robe.As soon as Yun Miao lifted her gaze, she met Xie Jue’s nearly bare chest.Yun Miao opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but before she could speak—From the direction of the nearby courtyard came Pei Qingji’s voice."Little Junior Sister, are you in there? Senior Sister Su made some chilled milk pudding and asked me to bring you a portion."The familiar voice, accompanied by knocking, abruptly pulled Yun Miao out of the earlier ambiguous atmosphere.For some reason, Yun Miao inexplicably felt as if she had been caught in the act of doing something wrong.In a flurry, she grabbed the robe draped over her and stood up, not even sparing a glance at Xie Jue, before heading toward the back door of the courtyard connected to the warm pool.She casually formed a hand seal to dry her clothes, then opened the gate of her small courtyard just as Pei Qingji was about to knock for the second time."Senior Brother."Yun Miao did her utmost to act as if nothing had happened, masking the wave of guilt surging within her as she calmly responded."Here."Pei Qingji handed the food box he was carrying to Yun Miao, then hesitated and looked up to examine her more closely.For some reason, he felt that his junior sister seemed a bit off at the moment, yet he couldn't pinpoint exactly what was different from usual.Thus, Pei Qingji couldn't help but frown slightly, unfolding his folding fan and gently waving it a few times.As soon as Yun Miao took the food box, she noticed her second senior brother frowning slightly while scrutinizing her, and her sense of guilt grew even stronger."Second Senior Brother, is something wrong?"As if trying to cover up her unease, Yun Miao preemptively asked in return."Nothing," Pei Qingji still hadn't found anything amiss and slowly shook his head. "It's getting late, so I'll head back now. Eat this chilled cheese dessert and rest early."With that, Pei Qingji turned to leave.Seeing her second senior brother turn to go, Yun Miao silently breathed a sigh of relief.But before she could fully relax, she watched as Pei Qingji turned back once more."By the way, that husband of yours… Xie Jue, right?"Hearing Xie Jue's name at that moment, Yun Miao's heart tightened. She forced a calm smile and asked, "He was injured a few days ago and is currently soaking in the hot spring pool. Did you need him for something, Senior Brother? Should I call him?"Just as Pei Qingji was about to say it wasn't necessary, a voice came from behind Yun Miao."Second Senior Brother, were you looking for me?"It was Xie Jue's voice.Almost simultaneously, Yun Miao instinctively turned to look at the newcomer.Her gaze was full of inquiry, as if silently asking why he had suddenly appeared.The man wore only an inner garment, with an outer robe casually draped over it. His long hair hung loose behind him, damp and tousled, clearly fresh from the bath.This matched exactly what Yun Miao had just described.Pei Qingji's earlier inexplicable doubts instantly vanished.As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Jue stopped beside Yun Miao, slightly bending down to take the food box from her hands.Yun Miao seemed unprepared for this gesture and turned her head to look at him. Xie Jue lowered his eyes to meet her gaze.Pei Qingji's eyes shifted between Yun Miao and Xie Jue a couple of times. The intimate atmosphere between them seemed to ripple outward, as if no one else were present.Seeing this, Pei Qingji naturally had no intention of staying as an extra person and tactfully left the space to the two of them."It's nothing, just a casual question. You two should eat the chilled cheese dessert quickly before it warms up. I'll head back now."Yun Miao nodded in acknowledgment. She had intended to walk him out a short distance, but before she could take a step, Pei Qingji stopped her. She didn't insist, simply raising her hand to close the courtyard gate again.But as soon as the gate shut, Yun Miao turned around and nearly collided with the chest of the other person in the room.She stopped just a finger's breadth away from him.His light-colored inner garment and the loose outer robe casually draped over it couldn't help but fill Yun Miao's field of vision.Yun Miao stared for a moment, feeling a sense of familiarity. It dawned on her belatedly that this coat seemed to be the very one the other person had draped over her earlier.As if to confirm Yun Miao’s suspicion, the still-damp water stains on the outer garment caught her eye.The figure, which had already halted right before Yun Miao, now leaned in closer.
Chapter 19
Mistakenly Believing I Was Given the Substitute Lover Script