Chapter 55: Fifty-Five

Wei Shu, lying in Li Yuanxi’s arms, let out a soft moan. Li Yuanxi quickly leaned over and kissed the corner of her mouth. Wei Shu’s eyelids fluttered, then went still.

Half-awake, half-asleep, Wei Shu felt as if she were lying on a volcano. In her dream, she struggled to move toward the edge of the bed, not wanting to be pressed against Li Yuanxi.

Li Yuanxi loosely held her waist, their skin warm against each other. She sighed contentedly.

Wei Shu slowly opened her eyes, looking at the flickering amber flames. Her hazy mind gradually cleared. The soreness in her body reminded her of the physical exhaustion after that first temporary marking.

Wei Shu rested her head on Li Yuanxi’s arm, quietly watching the fire. Li Yuanxi kept playing with her fingers, twining them together, then wandering up her wrist.

Wei Shu yawned lazily. Her eyes were bright and moist, her skin glowing, especially her slightly swollen red lips. Every movement carried a woman’s youthful charm.

Li Yuanxi clamped her leg around Wei Shu’s thigh, nuzzling her neck again and again, her heart full of joy and love she didn’t know how to express, turning into frantic rubbing.

“Enough.” Wei Shu’s voice was hoarse. She weakly pushed Li Yuanxi’s furry head away. Li Yuanxi’s watery eyes returned to their usual begging and cutesy mode. Wei Shu covered her eyes—out of sight, out of mind.

The familiar agarwood scent wafted from Li Yuanxi’s nape, blending with the refined osmanthus and rose fragrance, guarding what belonged to Shu Shu.

And from Wei Shu’s nape directly came the dominant agarwood, almost suppressing her own pheromones entirely. Her whole body smelled only of Li Yuanxi’s scent.

This was just their temporary marking. At the last moment, Li Yuanxi had remembered, thanks to Wei Shu’s reminder, to only make it temporary.

They lay in bed for a long time. Finally, Wei Shu couldn’t lie still anymore. She needed to walk around. She almost caught fire from another one of Li Yuanxi’s kisses.

“I’m hungry.” Wei Shu pressed her index finger against Li Yuanxi’s forehead, shooting her a seductive glare at the person who still wanted to cuddle.

“Wait right here. I’ll cook right away.” Li Yuanxi quickly grabbed her pants and put them on. Now she wasn’t shy at all; she dressed in front of Wei Shu and put on her coat.

Wei Shu pulled the blanket up to her neck, covering herself. Her collarbone was faintly marked with a red trace. She watched Li Yuanxi’s back as she cooked quickly, a slight smile and warmth in her eyes.

Almost the entire day was spent in bed. She didn’t know how many hours they’d slept, but her entire body felt “soft.”

Li Yuanxi bent down, put the iron pot with the leftover swan meat on the stove, and added a few more pieces of wood. The fire grew bigger, maintaining the cave’s temperature well.

As long as the flame didn’t go out, the unventilated cave stayed much warmer than outside. Fortunately, she had plenty of firewood stockpiled.

After cooking, Li Yuanxi lifted the hot water that had been warming on the stove, poured a cup, and brought it to Wei Shu. She hadn’t even taken a sip for herself, only thinking of Wei Shu.

Wei Shu had already put on her top. There were some bite-like marks on her neck. Li Yuanxi looked at them and swallowed, wanting to add another.

Wei Shu drank greedily. She really was tired. Her first experience of intimacy between them had been a bit overwhelming.

Especially because… Wei Shu bit her lower lip and glared at Li Yuanxi. Her waist and legs ached.

Li Yuanxi gave an apologetic smile, quickly poured another cup of hot water, and handed it over. “I… heh…” Her hoarse voice made Wei Shu’s ears burn, but she maintained a serious expression. “You should drink some water.”

Wei Shu tied up her shoulder-length hair in a loose ponytail that obediently lay on her shoulder. She put on the pants Li Yuanxi had found, her face flushed. Angrily, she lifted her leg—the soreness made her want to curse.

Dressed, she looked at Li Yuanxi carefully lifting the iron pot. Her eyes flickered. Her relationship with Chuyi had suddenly progressed by leaps and bounds.

They’d done everything except the final permanent marking. Both Li Yuanxi and Wei Shu hoped their bond wasn’t purely driven by pheromones.

She had also successfully shattered the little inferiority and avoidance that Li Yuanxi had hidden. Originally, she’d only planned to help Li Yuanxi understand her body and overcome her shame.

Who knew that at the beginning, she still had the upper hand, but by the end, when she’d lost control, she couldn’t remember. It was all Li Yuanxi’s fault for being such a smooth talker.

“Shu Shu, dinner’s ready.” Li Yuanxi saw Wei Shu stand up, looking at her gentle eyes, but a chill ran down her spine. The danger radar kept flashing. Li Yuanxi swallowed, looking at Wei Shu’s black eyes.

She tried to act well-behaved and smiled sweetly. She walked over, picked up Wei Shu, and placed her on the stool. “Still feeling uncomfortable?” She crouched beside Wei Shu and asked cautiously.

“Hmph.” Wei Shu snorted, flicked Li Yuanxi on the forehead, then picked up a piece of swan meat and ate slowly. She was truly hungry, and the smell of swan meat was irresistible.

Li Yuanxi also sat at the table, eating slowly, sipping soup occasionally. She hadn’t had time to cook cassava today. Wei Shu had been eating a lot of cassava lately and wasn’t too fond of it now.

Li Yuanxi stealthily scooted her stool toward Wei Shu until she was pressed against her, satisfied. Wei Shu glanced at her, the corners of her mouth curling, and continued eating and drinking.

“Tired?” After eating, Li Yuanxi held Wei Shu’s hand and paced around the cave to aid digestion. She opened the wooden door. Fresh cold air eagerly rushed in. Wei Shu was wrapped in a thick blanket; Li Yuanxi wore an extra layer of thermal clothing.

Once they’d warmed up inside, they walked out hand in hand. Apart from feeling a little uncomfortable when lifting her leg, Wei Shu wasn’t too bothered.

Li Yuanxi draped the blanket over both of them, wrapping Wei Shu in front of her, tightly. The sea breeze was still strong today; the sky was overcast but bright.

Li Yuanxi looked at the bare trees, feeling a unique sense of poetry. The missing piece in her heart had been filled today. She interlocked her fingers with Wei Shu’s, holding tight.

Wei Shu closed her eyes, leaning into Li Yuanxi’s embrace. After a few minutes in the sea breeze, she said, “Carry me back.” Yawning sleepily.

Li Yuanxi immediately lifted her and carried her back inside, bouncing her lightly. “Shu Shu, you feel a few jin lighter,” she said worriedly.

“Mm.” Wei Shu was so drowsy she barely heard. As soon as she hit the bed, she was fast asleep.

Li Yuanxi filled a few glass bottles with hot water and placed them on the bed, tucked under the straw mattress. They would warm the bed and prevent burns from direct contact.

Living in the wild had honed their survival skills. Everything she thought of was geared toward living better.

Next year, if she had more time, she could even build a brick bed in the cave. She didn’t have practical knowledge, but she knew the theory.

She looked at the low bed. If she built a small clay stove underneath, sealed it at night, it would keep warm without burning the bed or letting the fire die easily.

But she’d never made such a stove; it might explode. She pondered for a while, then gave up.

With that effort, she’d rather cut more firewood to keep the cave warm twenty-four hours a day.

“I wonder how many years the trees on this island can sustain us,” she sighed, looking at the bare branches outside.

Li Yuanxi roasted a cassava and cut some dried Gracilaria. For dinner, she could stir-fry leftover goose meat with sand ginger and add some Gracilaria. Perfect.

In a great mood, she felt like doing a happy dance. If not for her cold, she’d run ten laps, wanting to tell the whole world: She, Li Yuanxi, had a lover!