Qin Yuan's "Punishment," a Friend Out of Thin Air

"I hope we can avoid heavy casualties."

Qin Yuan let out a quiet sigh and thought to himself.

As long as his own safety was guaranteed, this was all he could do. As for being even more selfless... sorry, Qin Yuan couldn't manage that.

"Little Yuan, you investigated all this. Why did you push it onto me?"

Tang Yue stepped forward and asked directly.

"Of course, because I'm coveting you."

Qin Yuan grinned and teased her.

But this time, Tang Yue didn't fly into embarrassed anger. Instead, she seriously pressed, "Little Yuan, tell me honestly. Do you know everything about this matter..."

Before she could finish.

Tang Yue suddenly froze because Qin Yuan yanked her into his arms.

A pleasant masculine scent washed over her. Her heart instantly warmed, and she felt deeply embarrassed.

Tang Yue raised her head and instinctively said, "You... mmph!"

But Qin Yuan suddenly sealed her lips.

Tang Yue's eyes widened as she watched this in disbelief. The sensation on her lips told her that it was all real.

Qin Yuan was kissing her!

Yet she wasn't angry in the slightest. Instead, she felt an inexplicable hint of delight and joy.

The kiss lasted a full minute.

Although their lips had parted, Tang Yue was still leaning against Qin Yuan's chest.

"Sister Tang Yue, I already told you last time not to be curious about this matter." Qin Yuan lifted Tang Yue's delicate chin and smiled faintly. "This counts as a little punishment for you."

"But..."

Tang Yue still wanted to ask.

Qin Yuan tightly wrapped an arm around her slender waist and said calmly, "No buts. If you stay curious, I'll carry you back and take you to the bridal chamber right away."

The moment those words came out, Tang Yue instantly behaved herself.

She didn't dare ask again, because she saw the look of "seriousness" in Qin Yuan's eyes.

Though she didn't reject Qin Yuan, going to the bridal chamber together...

Ah, pfft, pfft! He was Yuer's "little lover." How could she be thinking such things?

After calming down for a moment, Tang Yue came to her senses and said oddly, "You kissed me."

"That was punishment."

"Wasn't it still a kiss?"

"Hmph, I kissed you. What are you going to do about it?" Qin Yuan snorted, sounding utterly pleased with himself.

Tang Yue: "..."

Taking advantage of someone and still acting so righteous about it—only you could pull that off.

Still, this matter couldn't simply be let go.

That had been her first kiss.

"Little Yuan, I'll tell Yuer about this." Tang Yue said flatly.

Since he dared kiss her behind Yuer's back, Qin Yuan was already courting death.

"Perfect. I'll tell Sister Yuer myself." Qin Yuan grinned.

Tang Yue: "..."

Looking at Qin Yuan's shameless expression, she truly had no idea what to do with him.

And was Qin Yuan simply trying to take advantage of her, without even a shred of intention to take responsibility?

Thinking of that, Tang Yue couldn't help feeling a little dejected and wronged.

Seeing Tang Yue's absent-minded appearance, Qin Yuan chuckled. "Sister Tang Yue, I've hugged you and kissed you, so from now on, you're mine."

The moment he said that.

Tang Yue's dim beautiful eyes lit up slightly.

What Qin Yuan meant was... he would take responsibility.

"...In your dreams. Who's yours?" Tang Yue turned her head away and said with feigned anger.

"I've always liked turning beautiful dreams into reality."

Qin Yuan immediately followed up on her words.

Tang Yue found herself both amused and helpless.

She had realized that she simply couldn't trade words with this stinky little brother. Even if she had the upper hand, it was useless—once he opened his mouth, he could twist crooked logic straight.

"Sister Tang Yue, remember this: you can only be mine. If you dare refuse, I'll storm the Spirit Hidden Tribunal and snatch you away."

Qin Yuan directly transformed into an overbearing CEO, getting just a little greasy.

"So arrogant."

Tang Yue rolled her pretty eyes and replied irritably.

Storm the Spirit Hidden Tribunal? A "god" was lying in wait there.

"Sister Tang Yue, I'm not joking." With a smile at the corner of his mouth, Qin Yuan dropped another shocking statement. "In the future, even that Big spicy strip won't be able to stop me."

"Hm?"

Although Tang Yue was somewhat surprised, once she thought of the relationship between Qin Yuer, Leng Qing, and herself, she understood.

"Yuer really tells you everything."

"You know so much about me, yet I only know the tip of Little Yuan's iceberg. It's not fair at all..."

Tang Yue said sourly.

Hearing that, Qin Yuan smiled knowingly and asked, "Then what does Sister Tang Yue want to know?"

"How do you know so much about the Black Vatican?"

Tang Yue pressed on.

She had already been "punished" by Qin Yuan. Even if she got curious again, at most she would just be "punished" again. How bad could it get?

Qin Yuan definitely wouldn't be willing to let her down, so she had nothing to fear.

"You really won't give up, will you?"

"Fine, I'll tell you in secret, but you can't let a third person know."

Qin Yuan said with feigned seriousness.

"Alright!"

Tang Yue nodded firmly.

Qin Yuan gave a slight nod. After taking a breath, he said, "I have a friend. She's an informant inside the Black Vatican, and she's the one who told me all this."

"Then she..."

Tang Yue had just wanted to ask when Qin Yuan interrupted her. "Sister Tang Yue, I know what you want to ask, but sorry, I can't tell you. Or rather... I don't know either."

"We both know the other exists, but neither of us knows the other's exact identity."

Qin Yuan casually made up a whole story.

He had no choice. Tang Yue was far too curious, and sometimes curiosity could easily get someone burned.

"Is that so?"

Tang Yue believed most of it.

After all, there were only two possibilities for how Qin Yuan could know so much about the Black Vatican.

First, Qin Yuan was part of the Black Vatican.

Second, there was a leak within the Black Vatican.

The first was impossible, so only the second remained.

"Then what is the Black Vatican's plan?" Tang Yue couldn't help asking again.

"Don't know."

"My friend isn't some important core member. What she knows is limited."

Qin Yuan shook his head.

"Hm?" Tang Yue's willow eyebrows furrowed as she suddenly felt something was strange.

What Qin Yuan had said seemed somewhat contradictory.

He had just said he didn't know her exact identity, yet now he said she wasn't some core member... this was more than a little suspicious.

"Little Yuan, you..."

"Sister Tang Yue, you smell so nice." Qin Yuan suddenly said.

Tang Yue froze for a moment, then lowered her head and saw that she was pressed against Little Yuan's chest, while Little Yuan was already having a natural reaction...

Whoosh!

Tang Yue sprang away as if electrocuted, pointed at Qin Yuan, and said with a face full of embarrassment and anger, "Little Yuan, you're way too lewd."

"That's quite a thing to say."

The corner of Qin Yuan's mouth twitched as he couldn't help retorting, "Sooner or later, this thing will be on you, and you're actually disgusted by it."

Tang Yue: "!!!"

"Ah!"

So embarrassed that she directly started hitting him, Tang Yue unleashed a barrage on Little Yuan.

Qin Yuan smiled faintly and began taking advantage of her.

After a round of his "unintentional" teasing, Tang Yue forgot her earlier thoughts and didn't pursue the matter of his "friend out of thin air" any further.

The two messed around for a long time, and the farce finally ended with Tang Yue having been thoroughly taken advantage of.