Qin Shuyi slightly turned her face toward him.
His lips landed at the corner of her mouth.
Ling Jue’s smile suddenly widened, like a patient hunter seizing his desired prey. He pressed her waist firmly against himself, captured her soft lips, and deepened the kiss.
His body enveloped hers completely, shielding her from any onlookers.
Yet the stark size difference and his dominating posture, along with the faint, almost illusory sounds of wet kisses in the air, stirred a restless agitation, making everyone fidget as if plagued by fleas.
Given Ling Jue’s status, no one dared to openly watch the spectacle. They quietly averted their eyes, feigning enthusiasm as they moved on to the next round, deliberately avoiding the entangled couple.
The corner sofa seemed to become a vacuum within the room.
But in a daze, someone exclaimed with exaggerated boldness, “Ah, wasn’t the punishment one minute? It’s supposed to be five minutes!”
They were quickly punched by someone else.
Such audacity.
…
Qin Shuyi felt like a drowning person—weak, suffocated, her strength nearly drained.
Yet the serpent in the depths coiled tightly around her, refusing to let go.
Through the haze, she heard his low laugh. “Don’t know how to kiss?”
Then came gentle licks before he pried open her lips, invading and entangling with a tenderness that was equally unyielding.
One minute… could it be this long?
Weakly, she pressed her hands against his chest, trying to push him away for a breath of fresh air, but he was like an immovable beast.
Five minutes, not a second less.
He released her.
Qin Shuyi resembled a fish gasping on land.
As they parted, their eyes met. Beyond the dazed haze at the corners of her eyes from physical pleasure, their gazes held an identical calm.
With the punishment over, everyone glanced over curiously.
Jue Ye was always surrounded by beauties, but he had never shown such excessive intimacy in public. This was truly unprecedented.
Some envied Qin Shuyi’s luck, while others coveted the kiss Ling Jue had received. Only the Jiang siblings, seeing their cousin’s peach-blossom-like cheeks and swollen lips, burst into loud, dramatic sobs.
Their family’s prized cabbage had been trampled by a pig!
…
But what followed was even more devastating. In the next round of the King’s Game, numbers three and five were designated as temporary lovers for a week.
When the cards were revealed, the owners were once again the two protagonists of the night.
Qian Youyou genuinely wanted to curse—what a trashy game.
In contrast, Jiang Yuzhou was slow to react.
Unlike his stepsister, who had only joined the Jiang Family at fifteen, he had grown up in elite circles. Even without much cunning, he sensed too many coincidences tonight.
He glanced toward the man at the head of the table, who was idly toying with the cards, his expression indifferent and unreadable, and felt a chill of realization.
Was tonight orchestrated by someone, or had someone simply seized the opportunity?
Qin Shuyi wasn’t his biological cousin, but he got along well with his stepmother, Zhou Tinglan, and his stepsister Qian Youyou, who was a month younger. To him, Qin Shuyi was almost like a real sister.
He didn’t want Shuyi to be dragged into their absurd games.
Until the gathering ended, he held onto hope that everyone would treat it as a joke.
However, the Crown Prince, who had remained silent all along, walked over calmly to bid Qin Shuyi farewell.
“See you tomorrow, girlfriend.”
Jiang Yuzhou’s world collapsed.
…
That night, both younger siblings received a stern scolding from their parents.
They let them take their cousin out to have fun, but who would have thought they'd end up losing their own cousin in the process.
However, the two elders weren’t too worried.
They had a deeper understanding of Ling Jue’s identity. After all, it was just a game—who would dare to hold Ling Jue accountable for fulfilling the bet?
Like Qin Shuyi, they believed it was merely the atmosphere of the moment, and it wouldn’t do to be a poor sport. So, like Qin Shuyi, they casually agreed.
But the next morning, when they saw the eye-catching Ferrari parked at the entrance of the Jiang Family’s home and the impossibly tall, long-legged male lead leaning against the car, all four of them were stunned.
Jiang Yuzhou received a few more hard slaps on the back of his head.
To this day, Qin Shuyi still remembers the expressions on the faces of the four Jiang Family members as she got into Ling Jue’s car—it was as if they were watching her march toward her execution.
Her aunt, Zhou Tinglan, marrying into the Jiang Family was already considered marrying up, but the gap between the Ling Family and the Qin Family was more than just a few hundred Jiang Families wide.
Moreover, Ling Jue was constantly surrounded by women. For someone like Qin Shuyi, whose life was steady and by-the-book, he was definitely not a suitable match.
What they were worried about was precisely what Ling Jue had said in the private room earlier—
“Just for fun.”
A casual game played by those in power could easily destroy the peaceful life of an ordinary person.
But they had no power to refuse.
…
Qin Shuyi gazed at the scenery flying past outside the car window, recalling the past, and smiled faintly.
Actually, dating Ling Jue wasn’t as miserable as everyone imagined.
After the seven-day designated couple period ended, Ling Jue unilaterally extended the arrangement.
He had always been decisive, so Qin Shuyi soon discovered that the Jiang Family’s business, her parents’ work abroad, and even her own life had been thoroughly infiltrated.
She soberly realized that Ling Jue was determined to have her, and any pretentious push-and-pull or stubborn resistance wouldn’t change the outcome.
So, she agreed.
But even before Ling Jue appeared, she had entertained the thought: perhaps it was time to start a relationship.
With her studies completed and her career stable, finding someone to date seemed like a fitting new experience in life.
If it wasn’t Ling Jue, it would have been someone else.
Besides, he was handsome, wealthy, and knew how to have fun. His world was filled with colors different from Qin Shuyi’s.
Many things, if not for being with Ling Jue, she would never have experienced in her lifetime.
It was like passing by a beautiful landscape—she was curious to explore it.
Not every relationship had to lead to marriage. Just as Ling Jue treated it as a casual fling, she never intended to have a future with him either.
Why wasn’t she angered by Xu Chen’s provocation?
Because Ling Jue was never her destination.
…
After confirming that Ling Jue was single, currently without a female companion, no ambiguous relationships, and no fiancée, Qin Shuyi made only one demand of Ling Jue: she would not be in a relationship that had to be kept in the dark.
Ling Jue agreed, and so she became his first official girlfriend.
But both of them knew that this was a relationship destined to end.
Qin Shuyi liked Ling Jue’s face and his free-spirited nature, while Ling Jue liked her obedience and cherished the peace and comfort he felt when he was with her.
But he never intended to marry her, and the Ling Family had no need for a Mrs. Ling with an ordinary background.
They indulged in pleasure but also set boundaries for each other.
Still, what did it matter?
She just needed a relationship that was open and aboveboard, one where she didn’t have to hide or be evasive in front of her family and friends. It wasn’t being kept, it wasn’t being a mistress, it wasn’t being the other woman—it wouldn’t bring shame to her family.
With that premise, she also freely enjoyed the romance and the company of this exceptional man.
Even if they broke up in the future, it would be Ling Jue who was the jerk.
The only downside was that the game didn't start with her, and it seemed she couldn't call it to an end either.
But she thought this brief act of the prodigal son's return was almost over.
Because that "turning point" had already appeared.
The true owner of the ring that had caused everyone's misunderstanding—the one she had accompanied him to retrieve three days ago—
Tao Wangxi was about to return to the country.