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Lanyou finally made her way up to the second floor, her heavy footsteps coming to a halt at the very last guest room at the end of the hall. There was no turning back now. She could forfeit her own happiness, but she had to ensure her mother remained with the Yi family—the only place that held her mother’s love and memories.
She forced herself to stop thinking; she was terrified that if she lingered on the thought, she would succumb to the selfish urge to run away. With trembling haste, she twisted the doorknob, stepped inside, and locked the door behind her.
The room was pitch black, save for the pale moonlight spilling through the window like a silken veil. Groping through the dim light toward the bed, she realized it was empty. Han Yuming was nowhere to be seen.
"Little babe, what took you so long? Weren't you worried I'd be burned to ashes by this fire?" Han Yuming’s magnetic voice rang out abruptly from behind her.
Startled, Lanyou spun around. A realization hit her—his voice didn't sound like someone drugged with an aphrodisiac. Had he seen through their plot? Regardless of whether her guess was right, her instincts told her to get out immediately.
Lanyou turned to bolt for the door, but Han Yuming wasn't about to give her the chance. This was his game, and as the master of the board, he wouldn't let it end until he said so.
"Where do you think you’re going, little babe? Didn't you come here to help me put out the fire?" With a wicked smirk, Han Yuming pulled her into his embrace, pinning her against the wall.
My God, he thought. Her body is so soft, her scent so fresh. He was baffled; he had already taken the antidote, yet he felt a restless, unbearable heat rising within him. He had always prided himself on his self-control and was usually cautious to the point of coldness with women. He told himself it must be the remnants of the drug that hadn't fully cleared his system. It had to be.
"Ah! You... you aren't—" Lanyou’s voice trembled. Had it not been for the darkness, he would have seen the crimson flush spreading all the way down to her neck.
"I took the antidote long ago, little babe. If you wanted me, you only had to say so. There was no need for drugs." He gently caressed her unpainted cheek.
"I... I just came to check on you!" Under the moonlight hitting his handsome face, she caught a glimpse of that bewitching smile. It sent her heart racing like a trapped bird.
She couldn't understand why she didn't hate this man. Why didn't she feel repulsed? Instead, she felt a strange spark. Didn't she still have "Brother Ming" in her heart? The childhood protector who told her to stay strong and happy so he could find her one day. Her heart had never wavered for any man before, yet today, a single smile from this stranger left her completely undone.
"Is that so? Well, I should still thank you for your concern. How should I show my gratitude, babe?" He traced his thumb over her lips.
"No, no... there's no need!" Lanyou felt she was in over her head. Her body stiffened in anticipation of what might happen next.
"Really? You're making me quite sad by saying that," he whispered. He leaned down, capturing her earlobe in his mouth and tasting it gently.
"Mmm... no, don't..." Lanyou was no match for a veteran seducer like Han Yuming. A soft moan escaped her lips as her body shivered.
"Don't? Your body seems to be saying otherwise," he countered. Before she could protest, he captured her red lips in a kiss.
He had intended only to tease her, but the moment he tasted the sweetness of her mouth, he lost himself. The kiss deepened, turning into a greedy, desperate hunger.
Lanyou’s stiff body began to melt. Her arms instinctively wound around his neck, her tongue offering a shy, clumsy response.
Han Yuming froze for a second. He hadn't expected her to be so proactive and sensitive. To throw herself at him after just one kiss... was her "purity" just an act? Was she deliberately enticing him?
At the thought that she was intentionally seducing him, a surge of inexplicable anger rose in his chest. He shoved her away. But Lanyou seemed oblivious; leaning against the wall, she began to claw at her own clothes.
"So hot... it hurts... it's so hot..." The dress slipped, revealing a patch of snow-white skin and the faint shadow of cleavage.
"Damn it! What's wrong with you? Stop it! Do you even know what you're doing?" Han Yuming grabbed her hands, finally realizing the truth as he felt the scorching heat radiating from her skin.
- Writer
