A Lasting Impression

Only then did Su Luoqian realize that all the ornaments had been taken from her hair, and her robes had long since fallen open. The pale green undergarment beneath could not conceal her full, snow-white curves.

Lu Jingsi's lips covered hers again, kissing her fiercely and passionately.

Su Luoqian struggled faintly, whimpering and moaning as she pushed at him. "Lu Jingsi, we're on a boat..."

Lu Jingsi pressed his lips to her ear and kissed it for a while before lifting his head slightly to look at her.

His dark eyes were frighteningly deep, as though he meant to swallow her whole.

His gaze made Su Luoqian's heart tremble. She was about to speak when she felt his fingertips.

"Mmm..."

She bit her lip helplessly, her voice breaking beyond recognition.

"My skirt, it'll get dirty..."

As soon as she spoke, Lu Jingsi hooked a long arm around her and lifted her up. In the blink of an eye, he had stripped her skirt and robes away.

He seemed to lower his eyes for a glance, then leaned close to her lips again, kissing her tenderly.

One hand clasped her chin while the other gripped her slender waist and pulled her close. His voice was impossibly hoarse. "My princess is very honest."

Su Luoqian covered her face in embarrassment. "Stop talking."

The hair at her forehead was damp with a fine sheen of sweat, and her lashes were wet too. When he pulled her hands away, she finally remembered.

"Where's the little prin... princess..."

Sweat had slicked her waist.

Lu Jingsi tightened his large hand around it, his long fingers tracing circles as he felt her delicate body tremble on the chaise.

Only then did he answer, "She's already been sent back."

The words "sent back" seemed to bring Su Luoqian to her senses, and she struggled weakly in his grasp.

"I... mm, can we go back too..."

"No."

"The pleasure boat has left the shore. This is the best place to watch the fireworks, my princess, so enjoy them to your heart's content."

"Boom, boom, boom—"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the sound of fireworks going off came from some distance away.

The next moment, brilliant fireworks lit the night sky in a riot of colors, making it as bright as day.

The instant the fireworks flared, Su Luoqian was gripped and lifted by one of his hands. Through her dazed eyes, she glimpsed the empty, dark lake, where their pleasure boat seemed to be the only one left. All around them was utterly quiet.

The chaise was close to the window and the round table, both within Lu Jingsi's reach.

Su Luoqian rested her head on a cushion on the chaise, her slender hands clutching its frame, her eyelashes trembling uncontrollably.

She reached back, trying to push him away. "How am I supposed to watch the fireworks when you're doing this..."

Lu Jingsi caught her hand and clamped his large palm around her slender waist, pulling her back to him with a muffled chuckle.

"You'll be able to see them, and you'll remember them well."

Before Su Luoqian could understand what he meant, she saw Lu Jingsi stretch out his arm to fetch the unfinished pot of green plum wine from the round table.

He found a cushion and placed it beneath her, then pressed her slender waist down with his large hand.

The beauty's slender waist bent slightly, forming the most alluring curve.

Using the hollow of her lower back as a cup, he poured the green plum wine into it, letting it pool there. Then he bent over her and slowly sipped it up.

The wine was cool, but the man's lips and tongue were burning hot.

Su Luoqian's heart raced. She could hardly believe he was being so wanton and shameless.

She moaned softly, almost unable to bear it.

"Lu Jingsi, Jingsi..."

A fine sheen of sweat covered her body, which was flushed pink and tinged with red. She truly looked seductive to the bone.

Lu Jingsi's throat bobbed, and every drop of the sweet fruit wine in the hollow of her back went down into his belly.

Lu Jingsi came over her and found her lips, tangling with them in a kiss, the oppressive presence of his tall body pressing down on her.

The night was quiet and deep, and most of the boats on Bright Moon Lake had already returned to their moorings.

In the latter half of the night, Su Luoqian could no longer tell what night it was. She could only lean against his chest, breathing softly, unable even to finish a sentence.

The thoroughly sated man was gentle for once. But a pleasure boat was no match for their own home, so Lu Jingsi could only dampen her own handkerchief with clean water and give her a cursory wipe before holding her as they slept.

That night, the two of them stayed on the pleasure boat.

The next day.

The first faint light of morning shone through the half-closed window.

Lu Jingsi had always been a light sleeper and an early riser. At the first faint touch of sunlight, he woke.

He sat up and glanced to the side, seeing Su Luoqian lying beside him.

The chaise was spacious, but after their wanton night, large wet patches covered it, leaving very little dry space to sleep on.

Thus, when they had gone to sleep the night before, Su Luoqian had been held almost entirely atop him.

Now they had moved a little farther apart. Away from his embrace, Su Luoqian's delicate brows knitted slightly, but only for a moment before she fell sound asleep again.

Lu Jingsi got up and found her clothes where they had fallen at the foot of the chaise. Resigned to the task, he wrapped her in them one piece at a time, from her inner garments to her outer robes.

Finally, he lifted her into his arms.

The pleasure boat had docked. Fortunately, after the previous night's revelry, Bright Moon Lake was especially quiet and secluded in the early morning, with hardly anyone around.

Chengying brought the prince's residence's carriage to the path by the shore. He and Zelan stood to one side, their eyes lowered, not daring to look up.

Lu Jingsi carried her out and climbed directly into the carriage after only a few steps. Before leaving, he did not forget to instruct Chengying to have someone purchase the pleasure boat.

Su Luoqian was clearly exhausted. Even all that movement failed to wake her.

There were clean clothes in the carriage. In his twenty-four years of life, Lu Jingsi, Prince Cheng'an, was helping someone dress for the first time. Unfortunately, the person concerned was sleeping soundly and could not see this rare sight.

Su Luoqian slept straight through to the early afternoon.

The prince and princess had not returned to the residence the previous night, so Zelan naturally knew what had happened.

But a pleasure boat was not as comfortable as home, and the lake air was heavy with moisture at night and in the early morning, making it easy to catch a chill. So she worried about Su Luoqian's condition.

She came in several times throughout the morning, but fortunately, Su Luoqian was only sleeping soundly and showed no other signs of discomfort.

Only then did she go out, reassured.

Just as Su Luoqian slowly woke, Zelan came in again. Hearing movement from the bed, she hurriedly lifted the curtains.

"Your Highness, you're awake?"

Su Luoqian's body was terribly limp with exhaustion, but she was too hungry to go back to sleep.

She nodded and was about to speak when Zelan said, "Please stay seated and don't move. I'll wet a cloth and bring it over."

So Su Luoqian did not even get out of bed. After a perfunctory wash, she drank a small bowl of lotus seed soup and went back to sleep.