Xiao Fenghua Drugs Him

Xiao Meier held a wine cup, her peach-blossom eyes studying Zhang Yu across from her with a smile that was not quite a smile.

Just now, under the pretense of pouring him wine, her fingertips had "inadvertently" brushed across the back of Zhang Yu's hand.

The touch had been warm, yet Zhang Yu had snatched his hand back as if scalded, a suspicious blush even rising to the tips of his ears.

"Heh..."

Xiao Meier could not help letting out a soft laugh, her voice as crisp as silver bells, yet tinged with amusement.

I guessed right!

I really did guess right!

This peerless prodigy before her, who had left the imperial clan's ancestor helpless, who could command the Heavenly Prison's grand formation, whose mind was demonically sharp—when it came to men and women, he was actually... this innocent!

Xiao Meier's laughter made Zhang Yu somewhat uncomfortable. He gave a light cough, raised his wine cup, and took a sip to hide his embarrassment. His gaze drifted about, not daring to meet hers.

Before transmigrating, he had been a textbook shut-in college student. Every day, he was either gaming or scrolling on his phone. Forget dating—he had never even held a girl's hand.

After transmigrating, he had spent every day struggling to survive amid the Marquis Estate's schemes and infighting. Where would he have found the time or opportunity to get close to women?

Though Jiang Luohan was his fiancée in name, she felt nothing but contempt for him and sought only to use him. She had never given him even the slightest chance to grow close to her.

At the end of the day, deep down, he was still that clear-eyed yet foolish college student, utterly blank when it came to love.

Watching his clumsy evasiveness and his forced attempt at composure, Xiao Meier felt a sense of achievement at having everything under her control rise within her. It was even stronger than the first time she had successfully used Charm Arts to captivate an important court minister.

This was Zhang Yu!

A powerful man even Grandmasters feared!

A monstrous genius who had fought the entire imperial clan alone!

And yet, before her, a "seasoned veteran of romance," he was as nervous, embarrassed, and at a loss as some greenhorn boy fresh out of the gate.

The immense contrast filled Xiao Meier with an unprecedented thrill and... delight.

"Young Master Zhang,"

Xiao Meier set down her cup and leaned forward slightly. "Are you afraid of me?"

"Afraid?"

Zhang Yu instinctively refuted her, though his voice was somewhat unnaturally stiff. "County Princess, you jest. Why would I be afraid of you?"

"Not afraid?"

Xiao Meier chuckled, extending a slender jade finger to lightly tap the back of the hand Zhang Yu had just pulled away. "Then why is it that whenever I draw close, Young Master becomes so... nervous?"

At that moment, she had already switched into her coquettish persona.

After all, this persona worked best for teasing an innocent young man.

At the touch of her fingertip, Zhang Yu's arm gave a slight shudder, as though jolted by electricity.

He instinctively wanted to pull his hand back again, but Xiao Meier pinned him in place with her gaze, leaving him unable to move.

He felt his cheeks heating up. Inwardly, he cursed himself for being so pathetic, but his body's instinctive reaction was utterly beyond his control.

"I... I'm simply not used to being too close to people."

Zhang Yu forcibly calmed himself, trying to make his voice sound placid and even. Yet the faint redness at his ears betrayed him.

"Oh? Are you not used to being close to anyone, or are you... only not used to being close to me?"

Xiao Meier pressed forward step by step, her tone carrying a teasing note of grievance, while the amusement in her eyes deepened.

She had discovered that teasing this "romance novice" was far more entertaining than toying with those princes and young nobles who fancied themselves charming.

Those men were like flies that had caught the scent of blood whenever they saw her. They only made her feel disgusted and weary.

But Zhang Yu, terrifyingly powerful as he was, had a heart like a pristine blank sheet of paper.

Every touch, every test, could leave a distinct and interesting "mark" upon him.

"No..."

Zhang Yu was at a loss.

Xiao Meier stopped while she was ahead and did not continue pressing him.

She straightened up again, lifted her wine cup, and resumed that cool, aloof demeanor.

As though the seductive woman who had pressed him relentlessly just moments ago had merely been Zhang Yu's illusion.

Zhang Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but his vigilance toward Xiao Meier only grew stronger.

This woman was too terrifying!

Not only was she meticulous in thought and exceptional in her methods, but when it came to manipulating hearts, she had reached the pinnacle.

She could switch seamlessly between a "cold, proud ally" and a "bewitching enchantress," leaving others defenseless.

Yet he had to admit that speaking with her truly sparked many collisions of thought.

And this novel experience of being "teased" and "tested"—though it embarrassed him—was also... not entirely unpleasant.

Zhang Yu shook his head, casting aside these stray thoughts and refocusing his mind.

Meanwhile, Xiao Fenghua, who had been utterly ignored, watched the two of them chat and laugh amid an ambiguous atmosphere. Her face darkened enough to drip water.

Her clenched fists dug her nails deep into her palms until blood seeped out, yet she felt nothing.

She had lost.

Lost utterly and completely.

Whether it was scheming, methods, or understanding men, she was nowhere near Xiao Meier's match.

A profound sense of helplessness and... inexplicable bitterness gnawed at her heart like venomous snakes.

She stared fixedly at Zhang Yu, the man who made her feel defeated and humiliated, then looked at Xiao Meier, the woman she envied to the point of madness.

I won't lose... I absolutely won't lose!

She screamed wildly in her heart, a flicker of madness and resolve flashing through her eyes.