Han Yujiu’s broad palm once again clamped onto the youth’s wrist with irresistible force. He half-drooped his eyes, hiding all of his frantic and volatile emotions beneath dense, raven-feather-like eyelashes.
His wristbones were kneaded relentlessly, causing Yun Qingzhou to feel a trace of pain. Yet the person holding him acted as though he hadn’t noticed a thing, continuing to increase the pressure of his grip.
Yun Qingzhou knew that if he didn’t say something soon to soothe the wounded soul of the male lead, he could forget about ever getting down from this couch.
The Buddhist cultivator let out a seemingly helpless sigh, which coaxed Han Yujiu into raising his eyes from his depressed state to look at him once more.
Only then did Yun Qingzhou notice that the male lead’s eyes were red, filled with a desperate and paranoid gloom that looked ready to snap into complete madness at any moment.
The Buddhist cultivator slowly lowered his head and planted a kiss on the man’s forehead, his voice still laced with hoarseness: “Xiao Jiu, I’m sorry. I still can’t agree to this for now.”
At those words, Han Yujiu’s pupils shrank violently. He stood in a daze for a split second before snapping back to reality, immediately overwhelmed by a surging wave of joy. He looked at the youth in disbelief, murmuring to himself:
“Xiao Jiu! Xiao Jiu!”
“I’ve waited so, so many years for this name!”
The man trembled all over with excitement. He let out an uncontrollable laugh. Although he was happy, his smile carried a bitter edge. As he laughed, teardrops rolled down the corners of his eyes.
Han Yujiu tightly embraced the youth before him, burying his face in the crook of the youth’s neck. His voice was muffled and choked with emotion:
“Xiao Zhou, are you finally willing to return to my side?”
“Is this real? It feels just like a dream.”
“So Xiao Zhou still remembers me.”
Yun Qingzhou gently stroked the man’s back, his tone gentle: “Yes.”
“Big Brother, can you loosen your grip a bit?! Do you have any idea how much pain I’m in right now?!”
[Zhou, I’ve turned on pain shielding for you, so just bear with it for a moment. The male lead’s happiness value is already rising!]
Yun Qingzhou felt like he was going to bite his teeth into pieces, forcing an earnest smile onto the corners of his lips.
Missions, everything was for the mission.
Once the person in his arms gradually calmed down, Yun Qingzhou felt it was about time and tried to break free from Han Yujiu’s embrace.
However, the moment he moved even a tiny bit, the man seemed to sense his intention, and his waist was instantly pulled even tighter by a fierce embrace.
The youth frowned slightly, just about to open his mouth to remind the man to loosen up a bit, when his lips were mercilessly sealed by the other.
“Mm!”
This kiss was long and deep, filled with intense affection and madness, threatening to swallow Yun Qingzhou’s sanity whole.
The man kissed him too fiercely, causing the youth to tilt his head backward in distress, only to have his head firmly held in place by the back so he had nowhere to run.
It wasn’t until the youth was on the verge of suffocation and his vision was turning slightly dark that the man finally released him with visible reluctance.
Yun Qingzhou’s face was flushed red and he panted softly, a pair of watery eyes glaring at the person in front of him with zero intimidation.
Too much!
It was rare for the youth to be bullied to the point of anger. Suppressing the urge to beat the male lead to a pulp, he let out a cold huff and turned his head away.
Yet Han Yujiu didn’t seem to have an ounce of self-awareness. He still leaned in hastily yet with a trace of restraint, wanting to once again capture the youth’s already swollen lips.
Yun Qingzhou widened his eyes in alarm and swiftly slapped a hand over the man’s restless lips.
His speech came out muffled and indistinct, as if his tongue was swollen too. His lips trembled as he stammered:
“You’re still not done?!”
The youth’s eyelashes were already damp with tears, making him look like a startled rabbit, his gaze full of fright. Seeing this, Han Yujiu seemed to snap back to his senses a little.
He removed the hand from his lips and clasped it in his palm, speaking in a very gentle tone with tenderness that could practically overflow. The inherent coldness of his emerald-green eyes was entirely absent:
“I won’t kiss you anymore. Don’t be afraid.”
Taking a deep breath, Han Yujiu finally mustered the courage to ask:
“Why won’t you agree to a soul bond with me? I prepared so much for today.”
He turned his head slightly away, terrified of seeing cold and merciless eyes from the youth.
Hearing this, Yun Qingzhou shifted his gaze back to the wedding attire the man was wearing.
So, Han Yujiu wore wedding robes because he assumed I would definitely say yes?
Or perhaps, he figured I would definitely bind my soul to him no matter what methods he used.
Yun Qingzhou seemed to have guessed a bit of what was going on in Han Yujiu’s mind, especially since the male lead’s crazy persona was still fresh in his memory.
Viewed this way, if he had been even a little later in calling out the name Xiao Jiu, he probably would have been dragged off to form a soul bond by force.
Yun Qingzhou was grateful that he had spoken in time. He pinched the man’s chin and forced his face back toward him, his expression a mix of feigned forbearance and affection as he said:
“I have not yet severed ties with the Buddhist sect.”
The youth stated it concisely, and Han Yujiu instantly understood what he meant. The heart that had been bouncing up and down without a moment of peace finally settled down just a bit.
The man slowly leaned his head against the youth’s shoulder, rubbing against it longingly as if memorizing the unique scent of the person in his arms, and also clinging to this hard-earned dream.
Seeing Han Yujiu like this, Yun Qingzhou felt a twinge of soreness in his heart. Just as he wanted to raise a hand and stroke the man’s head to comfort him, his eyes were caught by the flash of the silver ring on his wrist.
That reminded Yun Qingzhou to ask about the chains. He shook the chain right in front of Han Yujiu’s eyes and asked:
“When do you plan to take this thing off?”
Upon hearing the youth’s words, the man instantly misunderstood his meaning. A sudden chill emanated from him, his gaze darkened, and his breathing grew oppressive once more.
What did that mean?
Were all of Xiao Zhou’s actions just now meant to trick him into removing the chains so he could run away again?
No! He would never allow it!
The youth grew a bit puzzled after waiting a long time for the man’s reply. Just as he was about to speak up and ask again, his neck was kissed.
Flashbacks of the previous days raced through Yun Qingzhou’s mind like a revolving lantern in an instant. His breathing hitched, and with weak, aching arms, he tried to push the man away, only to be firmly and effortlessly pinned down by a single hand.
His neck was being nipped at repeatedly, and the youth, whose body was still sensitive, let out a distressed whimper.
Seeing that he was about to be pinned down and overpowered once again, Yun Qingzhou finally spoke up in a flurry of grievance and panic: “No more!”
As those words fell, the man buried in his arms still remained completely unmoved. The youth grew so angry that he could barely maintain his character setting, and he delivered a slap across the man’s face, though that slap was admittedly rather soft and powerless.
Yun Qingzhou: “I said no more!”
Only then did a glimmer of clarity return to Han Yujiu’s eyes as he slowly lifted his head.
At a glance, Yun Qingzhou noticed that the man’s gaze was cold, and his expression was stiff and unsightly.