Tang Lichu blinked her watery eyes and stared at the man before her in confusion.
“Wasn’t I already the Third Master’s woman from the moment I was sent here?”
Li Juechen could not suppress the amusement in his eyes. He reached out and lightly flicked her smooth forehead with his finger.
“When did you become my woman? Could it have been in your dreams?”
Tang Lichu puffed out her cheeks angrily.
“Li Juechen, you pinched my face tonight, flicked my forehead, and now you’re saying all these strange things to me. What exactly are you trying to do?
“I’m nothing more than a canary you keep. If I cling to you all the time, you’ll say I’m not sensible enough. But if I keep a little distance from you and don’t act too close, you call me a heartless, ungrateful wretch. Hmph! You get to say both the good things and the bad things. Why is it so difficult to please you?”
This was the first time Tang Lichu had ever lost her temper with Li Juechen.
Her fair, delicate face flushed and paled alternately, whether from nervousness or embarrassment, making her look especially adorable.
Her cherry-red lips, which he had just kissed, were slightly swollen. As she opened and closed them, she continued complaining nonstop. Unfortunately, her soft, delicate voice sounded more like she was coquettishly whining to him, even when she was angry.
Li Juechen watched her temper tantrum with great interest. The curve of his lips grew increasingly pronounced, and the amusement in his eyes deepened without him realizing it.
He absolutely adored this lively version of Tang Lichu.
This was what a real, vibrant girl should look like—not a porcelain doll who could be manipulated at will, always behaving cautiously around him.
She was lively yet coquettish, like a Persian cat with its fur all puffed up.
“Third Master, I was talking in my sleep just now. Do you believe me?”
Tang Lichu was already regretting it terribly. She wished she could immediately find a crack in the floor and crawl into it. How had she gotten so worked up that she had blurted out what she was really thinking?
Surely the Third Master wouldn’t strangle her, would he?
What was she supposed to do now?
Pretend to be asleep?
Yes, pretend to be asleep. After all, those words had been spoken in a dream. Even if someone beat her to death, she would never admit to saying them!
Without hesitation, Tang Lichu closed her eyes and lay completely still, like a statue, adopting the attitude of someone who had decided there was no point worrying about the consequences.
Li Juechen watched as the little woman’s expression changed from agitation and smugness to shock and regret, and finally to the pitiful look of a child who had done something wrong. Her face changed almost as dramatically as a Sichuan opera performer changing masks.
It was so adorable that it tugged straight at his heartstrings.
“Talking in your sleep, huh? For you to say something like that, I must be an absolutely unforgivable villain in your dreams.”
Tang Lichu: “…”
After a while, she finally could not help asking, “Third Master, what exactly is wrong with you today? You came in looking so aggressive. Did someone say something to you?”
Li Juechen did not want to burden her with his unpleasant emotions.
His woman should be pampered and allowed to live carefree. Whether she wanted to stay in her room all day or go out and have fun, as long as it was something she liked, he would do everything in his power to give it to her.
“Nothing. Just consider me to have been in a bad mood today and acting unreasonable. I’m staying the night. Serve me while I bath!”
With that, he planted another firm kiss on her.
Tang Lichu had still been staring blankly into his deep, fathomless eyes one moment, and the next she was completely stunned by his command.
Li Juechen did not give her any time to react. He scooped her up from the bed and strode toward the washroom.
Only if one looked closely could they see that the tips of his ears were bright red.
The first time the two of them had been completely exposed before each other, Li Juechen had been so stimulated that his blood surged and his breathing became ragged.
Every breath he took seemed to be an effort to suppress the turbulent desire surging inside him. His muscles tensed, and it felt as though all the blood in his body had rushed to a single place.
The little woman was simply too fair and delicate after her bath. Her beautiful phoenix eyes shimmered with tiny ripples of light, like waves spreading across a crystal-clear lake. She looked as pure as a flower bud waiting to bloom in early spring.
And now she was secretly stealing glances at him, her shy yet curious expression practically tugging painfully at his heart.
Tang Lichu was equally uncomfortable.
The man had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs. The smooth lines of his firm, muscular body were both strong and alluring. The scars of varying sizes and shades across his back only added a touch of rugged charm to his appearance.
As the water poured over his body, he looked like an enchanting demon capable of captivating anyone. Her heart raced, and her face burned with embarrassment.
Ahem… What was even more alarming was the obvious difference between a man and a woman in certain places.
Were men and women really that different?
Li Juechen flashed her a teasing smile.
“Tang Lichu, if you want to look, then look openly. I’m a man. Why would I be afraid of you looking?”
Her face immediately turned scarlet. Tang Lichu hurriedly turned her back to him, grabbed the robe beside her, and quickly slipped it on.
“Who—who was looking? Third Master, stop bullying me!”
But the moment she turned around, Li Juechen’s gaze once again landed on her shapely figure.
Her waist was so slender that he could easily encircle it with both hands. Her long legs were straight and slender, her skin as white as snow, and her silky hair cascaded down her back. Her entire being radiated an irresistible allure.
Every inch of his woman was beautiful…
Li Juechen stopped hesitating.
How was he supposed to endure this?
He was a man—a flesh-and-blood man with perfectly normal desires!
“Ah—!”
The sudden sensation of being lifted off the ground made Tang Lichu scream in surprise.
Li Juechen tucked her under his arm, kicked open the washroom door, and strode toward the bed.
Tang Lichu’s heart pounded like a drum. In a soft, breathless voice, she pleaded, “Brother Chen, be gentle…”
“I can’t. A little temptress is deliberately teasing me right in front of my eyes. If I go any gentler, I’ll explode!”
Like a starving tiger pouncing on its prey, Li Juechen pinned her firmly against the soft bedding. His broad, powerful hands moved over her delicate body like agile snakes.
This was not the first time he had experienced that intoxicating softness, but every intimate encounter still drove him nearly wild with desire, making it impossible for him to stop.
Her skin was so delicate that it seemed capable of bruising at the slightest touch. Before he had even exerted much force, faint reddish and bluish marks had already appeared.
His hands, hardened by years of handling firearms, were rough and calloused, so in the end he could only replace them with the warmth and softness of his lips.
“Chuchu, don’t cry. I won’t go any further, but if I can’t have the meat, you’ve got to at least let me have a little soup, don’t you?”
His answer was a helpless little whimper from the girl, as soft as a kitten.
“Am I dough or something? You’re kneading me so enthusiastically that I’m practically dying from the pain. Dying itself isn’t scary, but if I actually get kneaded to death like this, I definitely won’t be able to rest in peace. If the King of Hell asks me how I died, I wouldn’t even know how to tell him!”
Li Juechen was simultaneously exasperated and amused by her words. He gave her another playful bite and said sternly, “What nonsense are you talking about? Why are you talking about dying? You belong to me. If I don’t agree to it, even the little ghosts in the underworld wouldn’t dare take you.”
Tang Lichu pouted and muttered, “Then why don’t you listen when I ask you to be gentler?”