Chapter 25 Part 2

The kiss’s imprint lingered on her forehead. Luo Yihuan narrowed her eyes, as if she could trace its shape.

Her obsessed gaze softened slightly at the kiss. Jiang Li noted it, her smile widening.

So easy to placate.

Standing there forever wasn’t an option. Seeing Luo Yihuan relent, Jiang Li simply took her hand and led her to the bedside.

Sidestepping, Jiang Li spotted the trail of discarded clothes on the floor—the very outfit Luo Yihuan had been wearing.

Luo Yihuan, pulled along by Jiang Li, had bristled at first—her eyes flashing sharp resistance upon seeing the proffered hand. But when she realized Jiang Li was leading her toward the bed, her expression softened.

Jiang Li glanced at the now-compliant woman beside her.

She got it now: Luo Yihuan was a clingy one, always craving contact.

If Jiang Li went along with it, Luo Yihuan turned perfectly docile, retracting her spines, letting Jiang Li do as she pleased.

Even… getting into bed.

Her ears flushed. Jiang Li didn’t want to admit it, but the aftereffects of that night in the Dream Realm were—

Now, every expression, every inch of exposed skin on Luo Yihuan automatically filled her mind with last night’s scorching passion, those sexy gasps muffled against her ear…

The heat in her blood sensed her thoughts and roared back to life.

She was thirsty.

Leading Luo Yihuan to the bed’s edge, Jiang Li’s tongue darted out unbidden, moistening her lips. Desire flickered in her eyes.

Jiang Li had kicked the bedding onto the floor earlier, leaving the bed bare. Eyeing the empty expanse, she frowned.

Her companion paraded naked without a care, but Jiang Li couldn’t bring herself to do the same.

Spotting a thin blanket draped over the nearby sofa, she released Luo Yihuan’s hand to prevent any further antics and said, “I’m going to grab the blanket from the sofa.”

She told her to stay put.

Jiang Li imagined Luo Yihuan traipsing naked over there and decided she’d be tormented more; better to fetch it herself.

With the blanket in hand, Jiang Li tangled with her host once more.

“Together.”

“You lie down first.”

“Together.”

“You first!”

…

They went back and forth. Luo Yihuan insisted Jiang Li join her; Jiang Li insisted Luo Yihuan go first.

Neither would yield.

“Ahem… ahem…”

Her throat itched unbearably, and Luo Yihuan finally caved, turning her head aside to cough.

“You really…!”

The coughing echoed through the room. Jiang Li’s brows shot up in concern. Ignoring Luo Yihuan’s stubbornness, she scooped an arm around her waist and pushed her forward.

Snowy limbs tumbled onto the bed. A flash of spring allure peeked out before the blanket smothered it completely.

Luo Yihuan’s nose pinked slightly. As she extended a hand from beneath the covers, Jiang Li snatched it and tucked it back.

Brows furrowed lightly, she commanded, “Lie still properly. No sticking your hand out.”

“Next time, don’t do this.”

The flush on Jiang Li’s ears faded. With Luo Yihuan covered, Jiang Li felt the embarrassment on her own face slowly ebb.

Luo Yihuan lay on the bed, hair splayed beneath her, looking remarkably obedient. But her words were a firm refusal.

“Don’t. You clearly like it.”

Jiang Li’s fingers clenched the bedsheet unconsciously at those words. Her lips parted, but the denial stuck in her throat.

Claim she didn’t like it? She was already… wet…

The woman seated at the bed’s edge lowered her gaze, lips pressed tight—a clear sign she was lost in thought.

Oh?

Amusement tugged at Luo Yihuan’s lips. She clutched the blanket and sat up, light streaming along her back to highlight the elegant curve of pale skin.

Lost in her thoughts, Jiang Li didn’t notice her rising. When she glanced over, her brows knit as if to say something—but her body went rigid.

Her earlobe was suddenly enveloped in sticky warmth. A small tongue glided over the skin, followed by a teasing whisper that painted Jiang Li’s cheeks a telling pink.

The room’s sole observer watched the blush bloom and trembled with laughter, her jade-like shoulders making even that motion enchanting.

After nibbling, Luo Yihuan pulled back the blanket and leaned against the headboard, tugging it modestly to her shoulders. Her lips and expression now radiated docility—worlds apart from the provocative words whispered in Jiang Li’s ear moments ago.

“Is Li Li thinking about how to get on top of me?”

Jiang Li’s face burned. She wanted to retort, but the words wouldn’t come.

To deny it? She sort of was. To admit it? She lacked the nerve.

In the end, she just huffed softly at Luo Yihuan.

“Ahem… ahem… ahem…”

Jiang Li rose to grab Luo Yihuan’s phone from the nightstand. She’d just unlocked it when the coughing fit started anew.

Worse than before, a relentless string of coughs.

Brows furrowing, Jiang Li dropped the phone and patted Luo Yihuan’s shoulder gently from the bedside. The sound grew louder in her ears.

This time, the coughs dragged on intermittently, making Jiang Li worry she’d damaged her throat.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Despite claiming as much, Luo Yihuan’s exposed cheeks burned red. Her voice rasped low, and coughing had reddened the corners of her eyes into a fragile vulnerability.

She looked nothing like “fine.”

Deeply concerned, Jiang Li glanced at the thin blanket on the bed and asked, “Where do you keep clean bedding in your room?”

Luo Yihuan weakly pointed to a large cabinet diagonally across.

Jiang Li crossed in a few strides, opened it, and spotted neatly stacked duvet inserts. She hugged one over quickly.

Draping the thick duvet over Luo Yihuan, Jiang Li finally relaxed a fraction.

After coughing that long, how was there no hot water in the room?

“Luo Yihuan, can you call someone to bring up a pot of hot water? You need some.”

Eyes downcast, hiding her expression, Luo Yihuan murmured, “This isn’t the Luo Family Mansion. It’s my own place.”

Right—no staff here. If Jiang Li wanted hot water, she’d have to boil it herself.

But she arched a brow, rubbing her forehead helplessly at the docile, downcast figure on the bed.

Would this mad dog let her out of sight? Jiang Li doubted it.

Having her do it herself would be cruel; she wasn’t heartless enough to make a sick, weakened person get up.

In summary, eyeing Luo Yihuan’s unmentioned frailty, Jiang Li massaged her temple and volunteered, “Luo Yihuan, I need to go boil some water.”

As expected, the bowed head snapped up instantly, eyes gleaming with unrest. Her other hand twitched under the covers.

Seeing Luo Yihuan’s lips part, Jiang Li cut her off preemptively. “I’m not letting a sick person go boil water. I’m not that heartless.”

Here came that familiar aggrieved look, like Jiang Li was some heartbreaker.

Thinking quickly, Jiang Li placed her phone by Luo Yihuan’s pillow. Meeting her darkening gaze seriously, she raised three fingers beside her face.

She swore to Luo Yihuan, “I guarantee I’ll return to this room with the kettle within the allotted time.”

Luo Yihuan shot back swiftly, “How long?”

Brows knitting, Jiang Li tested, “One hour.”

Fingers tightened on the blanket. Luo Yihuan’s stare deepened.

Such a demanding ancestor.

Jiang Li sighed, holding up two fingers. “Twenty minutes, okay? I need time to find your kettle and boil the water.”

Luo Yihuan finally agreed.

Jiang Li opened the bedroom door and stepped out, confirming they weren’t at the Luo Family Mansion.

It was a spacious apartment with minimalist decor—identical to Luo Yihuan’s office aesthetic.

Gazing out the sofa-side window, Jiang Li had no clue where exactly Luo Yihuan had whisked her away to.

【Relax, we haven’t left base.】

123’s voice popped into her mind. Jiang Li rolled her eyes lightly and retorted, “Thanks. I figure Luo Yihuan wouldn’t whisk me off-planet that fast.”

“Can you show up less, 123? I hate when you appear. Every time you do, my nightmare’s about to start.”

123 perked up with surprise. “Really? You’ve come to that realization already!”

Jiang Li rolled her eyes again. Anyone hammered with repeated “nightmares” would wise up.

She bantered with 123 while heading to the kitchen.

Stray hairs tickled her cheeks. Irritated midway, she ducked into the bathroom, rummaged, and found a hair tie.

She twisted her hair into a neat bun—crisp and tidy—then grabbed the kettle from the counter and entered the kitchen.

On the iPad, fingertips glided over the screen. Luo Yihuan stared unblinking, swiftly switching the view from the bathroom to the kitchen. Seeing Jiang Li’s silhouette boiling water, her rigid posture eased.

Ding.

Jiang Li’s phone chimed with a message. Luo Yihuan glanced over; her eyes locked, body snapping upright from its lazy recline against the headboard. Thick malice surged in her darkened gaze.

The sender: Yang Mu.

A while passed with no reply on Jiang Li’s phone. Luo Yihuan smirked, icy glints flashing in her eyes.

The screen lit again—this time hers.

She snatched the phone from the other side. Seeing the contact name in the popup, her aura chilled further.

The message dripped pure fury.

—Yang Mu:

Luo Yihuan, give Li Li back to me! Kidnapping her like that—you call yourself human?!

—Luo Yihuan:

Oh? Do you think you’re worthy of asking me for Li Li?

—Yang Mu:

Heh, knocking someone out and dragging them off—classic Luo executive style. But does Li Li like you? Does she know you’re a rabid mad dog who bites indiscriminately and stoops to any tactic?

—Luo Yihuan:

【Picture.】

She sent the photo. Yang Mu, probably fuming, sent nothing more.

Meanwhile, messages exploded on Jiang Li’s phone.

Luo Yihuan picked it up for a peek, sarcasm flickering in her eyes.

Heh, what a fake gentleman.

She tossed the phone aside and slid fully under the covers, arm flopping casually to one side. Her fair wrist bore vivid plum blossom marks, flushed to the peak of passion.

The mottled reds contrasted starkly with white skin, oozing eroticism, yet the owner paid them no mind.

Eyes closed, she began counting down the seconds.

In the kitchen, the kettle boiled over. Steam kissed Jiang Li’s hair, making her squint.

At last, she lifted the kettle and poured slowly into a rinsed thick glass.

Halfway full, the System chimed.

【Ding! Detecting host in new location, triggering Fourth Task protocol. Issuing Fourth Task.】

【Host, please press the task target onto the bed, clamp her hands in extreme fury, and deliver these lines—’Why did you run away! Do you need me to tie you up with ropes for you to finally stay put?!’】

Water overflowed. Jiang Li’s vision went black.

Who was running away—who was the one getting tied?