Shame, confusion, a heart pounding like thunder... All kinds of emotions tangled together, making her whole body burn.
She could only summon all her strength to stumble out of Lin Xuan's seemingly loosened embrace, which still held her as if to pull her back in.
"Young Master... I..." She wanted to say something, but couldn't get a single word out.
Her beautiful eyes were full of embarrassment and panic. In the end, she could only cast Lin Xuan a flustered glance before hurrying away from the rear courtyard. From a distance, she looked like a startled fawn.
For the rest of the day, Qin Shushen avoided Lin Xuan and never appeared in front of him again.
Over and over, her mind replayed that burning kiss. The tingling, the shudder, the moment it had robbed her of all strength.
Night fell, and the inn was silent inside and out.
Candlelight flickered in Qin Shushen's room. She sat alone at the edge of the bed, her ink-black hair spilling across the pillow. Tears glimmered in her bright eyes, and though her cheeks were flushed, she looked wan and heartbreakingly lovely.
Her thoughts churned wildly. She tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Lin Xuan's kiss from earlier kept echoing in her mind.
Again and again, she reminded herself that Lin Xuan had saved Hu Fei's life. How could she entertain such improper thoughts about him?
Her husband, Hu Yidao, had been a peerless hero who loved her deeply. She had once sworn she would never betray him in this life. And yet now, she had developed an indescribable attraction to another man.
She cursed herself for being shameless and fickle, for betraying the husband who lay beneath the earth.
And yet, strangely, no matter how harshly she berated herself, she could not muster