Chapter 62

The instant Chu Shao’s lips landed, Xiao Jin’s body instinctively stiffened.

She could have very well pushed away Chu Shao, who was buried against her neck, but in the end, she did nothing. Because the lips pressing against her skin were far too soft.

So Xiao Jin maintained her rigid posture and simply let her hands, now with nowhere to go, rest wherever they had been.

After all, before beauty, any struggle was, at best, merely a desperate, futile resistance.

Very heroic, yet also very foolish.

Xiao Jin didn’t want to be a fool. She was just an ordinary face-con. Giving up resistance and surrendering was the best choice.

The sensation on her neck was wet, like silk soaked in water.

The pressure on her neck wasn’t heavy. It seemed merely grazed by a feather, leaving behind a light, faint scratch.

Such kisses were very gentle, and also somewhat ticklish.

Ticklish enough that Xiao Jin couldn’t help but gasp, her knuckles pressing onto the wheelchair’s armrests, her grip tightening.

Chu Shao’s breath was warm, clinging to her skin. Then she reached out and undid the first button of the lapels. Her lips lingered and wandered, eroding what little remained of Xiao Jin’s reason.

By the time the second button on the lapels was undone, Chu Shao gently parted her lips and her tongue swept over the skin of Xiao Jin’s neck, bringing with it an almost imperceptible tremor.

Xiao Jin’s breathing was disordered. The fingers resting on the bamboo joints of the wheelchair were so pale they were translucent, the faint blue veins visible.

In that instant, many images surfaced before her eyes.

It was as if horses galloped past, the snow of Hidden Brocade Alley splashing onto the carriage wheels. A moment later, the woman pushed aside the curtain and looked up at the high-hanging moon.

What had fallen into Chu Shao’s eyes back then—was it moonlight, or frost covering the ground? Xiao Jin could no longer tell.

Then the painted barge swayed, and the clear radiance filling her eyes instantly dissipated. All that remained were the fluttering sleeves on the tower pavilion. Chu Shao held a flute, glancing at her.

Xiao Jin looked up, meeting that gaze, and could scarcely imagine such a person existing before her eyes, even smiling at her.

It was hard not to hold her breath.

Also hard to stay rational, to suppress that instant of heart palpitation.

Many images swirled through Xiao Jin’s mind. By the time she came back to her senses, Chu Shao had already left her neck.

She was raising a hand, gently wiping the moisture from Xiao Jin’s skin.

If not for the sheen of wetness still lingering on her neck, and that string of suggestive red marks, Xiao Jin would have nearly thought she was dreaming.

“I apologize. This humble wife was discourteous.”

Chu Shao’s expression was gentle; her words seemed to carry a hint of apology, but the smile on her lips hadn’t diminished one bit.

Xiao Jin lowered her eyes and looked at Chu Shao crouching before her. The thoughts in her mind turned and turned, finally resolving into a single calm statement: “It’s fine.”

This was entirely within Chu Shao’s expectations. She smiled, preparing to stand up.

Then Chu Shao froze.

Because Xiao Jin released her grip on the wheelchair and instead raised her hand, pinching Chu Shao’s chin.

Xiao Jin’s tone was exceptionally calm. “It’s fine… Of course, it’s not possible for it to be just fine.”

“Since the Princess Consort has been discourteous, then this Prince should, by right, reciprocate in kind.”

Chu Shao was stunned for a moment. Before she could say anything, Xiao Jin tilted her chin up and pressed her lips to hers in a kiss.

In the instant their lips met, Chu Shao seemed to taste a faint, coppery blood flavor.

The fresh blood dissolved between their lips and teeth. She knew this was Xiao Jin’s blood, a part of the other’s very body.

Thinking of this, Chu Shao’s heartbeat suddenly quickened. It quickened so much that her eyelashes fluttered, her legs trembled, and she almost couldn’t keep her footing.

The waves of inner delight surged over her, accompanied by a faint suffocating sensation, pressing down on Chu Shao’s already labored, slow breathing.

Although she knew Xiao Jin had no desire—and would not—kill her…

Chu Shao still desperately craved to, at this very moment, be strangled to death in the other’s arms.

Even though Xiao Jin hadn’t pulled her into an embrace, even though that face remained cold and detached, even though the force gripping her chin was somewhat painful—

Because she felt the pain Xiao Jin brought her, Chu Shao’s heart was jubilant to the extreme. Her body trembled.

Like a drowning person on the verge of death, she stroked Xiao Jin’s scattered ink-black hair, as if touching driftwood that could sustain her life.

The strands threaded through her fingers. Chu Shao couldn’t bear to let even a single strand go.

Even when the other pried open her lips and teeth, Chu Shao merely parted her lips obediently, offering not a single trace of resistance from start to finish.

The entire process went so smoothly that even Xiao Jin couldn’t help but frown.

Then it suddenly dawned on her that she was probably pinching Chu Shao’s chin a little too painfully.

So she lightened her force, suppressed the strange thoughts surging in her heart, and guided the other gently and softly to exchange lips with her.

Chu Shao felt the force suddenly lighten. She wasn’t pleased by Xiao Jin’s gentleness; instead, she was somewhat dissatisfied, even furrowing her brows.

This was something Xiao Jin had completely not expected.

Seizing the gap when the other paused, Chu Shao seemed to let out a soft laugh and murmured vaguely, “Too light.”

Xiao Jin had been immersed in the kiss. Hearing these words, her movements halted entirely.

She paused for a good long while before reluctantly applying a bit more force once again.

Of course, it was rather rigid.

After all, she truly wasn’t skilled at violent kissing.

Right after she increased the force, she heard another seemingly indistinct, muffled moan.

This sound was low and provocative, like the vibration of fingers brushing over a zither string—it should have made one’s heart flutter.

However, looking at the smile in Chu Shao’s eyes, and the clear, undisguised sobriety and rationality on her face, Xiao Jin instantly understood.

Chu Shao was… playing with her.

It was just a kiss. No need.

There was no need to make such deliberately artificial sounds.

Xiao Jin grew somewhat vexed. Her interest vanished instantly. She detached from Chu Shao’s lips, unwilling to continue this kiss any further.

Yet when Chu Shao lifted her sleeve and wiped away the trace of fresh blood at the corner of her lips, the gesture held its own boundless allure.

Only the words she spoke were extremely provocative. “Why won’t Your Highness continue?”

This question was purely asking despite knowing the answer.

Xiao Jin released Chu Shao’s chin and said flatly, “Too fake.”

Chu Shao was stunned.

For a moment, she didn’t react to what exactly the other meant by “too fake.”

A moment later, she saw Xiao Jin say expressionlessly, “Princess Consort, your voice is too fake.”

Chu Shao suddenly understood, grasping Xiao Jin’s meaning. Then she chuckled softly and asked, “Your Highness thinks the sounds this humble wife made were too fake?”

Xiao Jin was about to nod.

She hadn’t expected Chu Shao to actually smile and then ask, “To be more precise, does Your Highness think this humble wife’s moans were too fake?”

…

Xiao Jin fell silent once again.

Her complexion was already an unhealthy pale. After hearing Chu Shao’s outrageous words, she turned her head slightly aside, trying to hide the thin layer of crimson spreading across her cheeks.

Right now, Xiao Jin really wanted to ask one thing.

Do people in your ancient, early-era world all speak like this?

So succinct and blunt, going straight to the point?

Yet Chu Shao’s expression hadn’t changed at all. She still wore that gentle smile, as if that sentence brimming with suggestive color had not come from her mouth.

Chu Shao didn’t feel shy. After all, she was merely tentatively voicing the question Xiao Jin had wanted to ask.

But seeing the red blush creeping up the side of Xiao Jin’s face, the corner of her lips still couldn’t help but curve up.

She found it extremely interesting, exceptionally interesting.

So she asked with a smile, “Are you feeling shy?”

Chu Shao’s lips were a bit swollen from Xiao Jin’s bites. The slight part of her lips and teeth was extremely alluring. Too bad the words she asked were very direct, very tactless.

Xiao Jin didn’t feel shy and rubbed her temples, only feeling a headache coming on.

How could someone like Chu Shao exist in this world?

Looking at Chu Shao’s vivid red lips, Xiao Jin took a deep breath and chose to change the subject. “The Crown Prince will be here soon. Princess Consort should first tidy up her appearance and prepare to receive him.”

Although Chu Shao’s smile was very beautiful…

The questions she pressed on with were clearly not so pleasant to the ear. “Your Highness, are you changing the subject right now?”

“…”

Xiao Jin took another deep breath.

She truly didn’t understand why a perfectly beautiful woman was so bent on not being a proper human being.

Chu Shao stood up, her brows and eyes curving slightly. She said softly to Xiao Jin, “If Your Highness is changing the subject, this humble wife also finds it very normal.”

“It’s just that next time, I hope Your Highness doesn’t need to consider this humble wife’s feelings so much.”

Just as Xiao Jin was feeling utterly baffled, Chu Shao took the hand of the person before her and stroked the slightly cool inch of skin on the back of that hand. She said warmly, “Because this humble wife actually quite likes…”

“Quite likes the pain Your Highness gives me.”