What Was Interesting Was Not the Skin, but the Person Beneath

"Are you alright?!"

"Not only did you come to me with this mark, Qin Wangchuan —who do you think you're fooling?!" Li Qingluan suddenly raised her head, her anger instantly extinguishing her reason.

Before she finished speaking, she suddenly exerted force as she straddled his lap.

With an irresistible arrogance, he shoved the unsuspecting Qin Wangchuan backward!

The chair back hit the ground with a dull thud.

Caught off guard, Qin Wangchuan was firmly pinned to the ground by her.

The girl pressed herself against him, almost pinning him down, her hands bracing against his ears, trapping him in a small space.

Then, she lowered her head and a burning kiss—no, more like a venting bite—fell down like a dense and fierce raindrop.

Not limited to his lips, but also spreading to his jawline, neck, collarbone...

Every part of it exuded a burning anger and an almost obsessive possessiveness.

It was as if he wanted to completely cover up any traces or aura of "others" that might exist on him in this way.

He did not resist.

Inside the cave abode, the temperature suddenly rose.

Only the sound of rapid breathing and the faint, intense clattering of lips and teeth remained.

Water droplets dripped from her hair, soaking his shoulder.

One drop, two drops... Warm liquid fell one after another, hitting Qin Wangchuan's neck.

Looking down.

Li Qingluan was pressing down on him, stopped moving at some point.

She propped herself up with her hands, letting the tears fall silently. Her eyes were filled with tears, and beneath the surging anger within them was a sense of grievance.

"Making me angry, teasing me..." Li Qingluan's voice was choked with sobs, nasal, and broken, each word sounding like an accusation, "Is... is it really that fun?"

Tears streamed down her chin.

This seemingly aloof and arrogant fairy, as seen by outsiders, was now sniffling, her eyes red-rimmed, like a child whose most cherished possession had been taken away and who was powerless to take it back.

"I haven't... I haven't..."

"I haven't... tasted it yet."

Li Qingluan is mature; she shouldn't be shedding tears.

But she also has her own bottom line to uphold.

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who received a delicious cake from a young age.

She guarded it carefully, and even when she couldn't resist, she would only... lick a bit of the frosting, telling herself it wasn't the right time yet.

It's not that this cake can't be shared with others.

The key point is that I have to be the one to take the first bite.

But one day she discovered that on her cake, there was a very conspicuous tooth mark that belonged to someone else.

I'm completely devastated.

Qin Wangchuan braced himself against the ground and sat up halfway.

Looking at the girl in front of him, crying her eyes out and looking as aggrieved as a child, he couldn't help but smile slightly, a hint of helplessness and affection flashing in his eyes.

He reached out and gently stroked the top of her head.

Li Qingluan turned her head away and avoided the situation.

He didn't take it seriously and reached out again.

She shook him off again, letting out a nasal groan with a tearful tone.

The third time, his hand finally landed steadily on the top of her soft, slightly damp hair, gently rubbing it with a soothing force.

"Fool." His voice held a faint, almost imperceptible hint of doting affection as his gaze fell on her tear-filled face. "There's no one else."

Li Qingluan paused in her sobbing, raised her wet eyelashes to look at him, and said in a soft, hoarse voice:

"... real?"

"Really." Qin Wangchuan looked at her, his eyes serious. "I swear."

Upon receiving this promise, Li Qingluan's tense shoulders finally relaxed slightly, but her grievances did not completely dissipate.

Just then, Qin Wangchuan's expression suddenly turned serious.

"Do you remember the last time we fought in the Upper Thousand Provinces?" he began slowly, "We agreed that whoever won would grant the other one a request."

Li Qingluan blinked, tears still clinging to her long eyelashes, looking at him blankly, not understanding why this was suddenly brought up.

Without waiting for her response, Qin Wangchuan gently wiped away the tears clinging to the girl's eyelashes and spoke:

"When we turn twenty, shall we find a scenic spot and travel together hand in hand?"

He paused, then added:

Just the two of us.

The cave abode was silent for a moment.

Li Qingluan's sobs gradually subsided.

She stared blankly at him, her eyes still red and tears still streaming down her cheeks.

But in those eyes, washed by water, a faint light slowly ignited, a mixture of disbelief and cautious hope.

"This is..." Li Qingluan sniffed, her voice as soft as a whisper, "... what does it mean?"

At the pivotal age of twenty, two people, alone together.

She had a vague idea in her heart, but the thought was too intense and too unreal.

Li Qingluan never imagined that these words would come from the Qin Wangchuan.

Qin Wangchuan didn't answer, but simply reached out and gently twirled a strand of the girl's slightly damp hair with his fingertips, playing with it as he calmly looked at her. "The literal meaning."

Should we refuse?

Li Qingluan shook her head, her movements so quick they barely hesitated.

Immediately, she relaxed her grip, her delicate body sliding down to her side, naturally nestling into Qin Wangchuan's arms. Finding a comfortable position, she pressed her face against his chest.

The boy's heartbeat was steady and strong, transmitted through the fabric of his clothes.

"Is it the one I'm thinking of?" she asked, her voice muffled and nasal, confirming again.

"Hmm," Qin Wangchuan responded, his arm naturally encircling her. "It should be."

He wasn't without desires; he just felt there were too many new and exciting things in the world, so perhaps matters of the heart could be put aside.

However, the girl's feelings were overlooked.

Li Qingluan snuggled closer to him, her nose close to his neck, and sniffed carefully—there was no unfamiliar perfume scent, only her own fragrance left from their earlier entanglement.

Qin Wangchuan felt the kitten-like movements of the girl in his arms, but did not move.

No one would have expected it.

Even the valiant and awe-inspiring Li Clan Goddess, who commands the respect of countless Prodigy and possesses an ethereal, otherworldly beauty, has this side to her—

She shed all her Divine Light and sharpness, like a cat that has sheathed its claws, nestled peacefully in his arms, revealing a vulnerability and attachment that is unknown to outsiders and belongs only to him.

"OK."

After sniffing for a while, Li Qingluan finally responded, then added, "But, this is because I agreed to it... not because of that request."

"So, let's choose another one."

Upon hearing this, Qin Wangchuan chuckled softly.

He let her lie in his arms, took her restless little hand with his other hand, and looked at the dim light on the cave abode ceiling.

"Then," he hesitated for a moment, "Let's use it in the future."

"The future?" Li Qingluan asked, puzzled.

Normally, it should be used 'later'.

The word "future" inexplicably made her uneasy.

"Yes, in the future," Qin Wangchuan said with certainty, "We will definitely need it."

"Hmm," Li Qingluan responded listlessly, her voice tinged with drowsiness, "I'm a little tired."

"Let's not go to the Secret Realm, let's just lie here for a while."

She was really sleepy.

"Aren't you afraid of things going wrong?" Qin Wangchuan chuckled, a hint of helpless indulgence in his voice.

"Then you get some sleep, I'll go for a bit and be right back."

After saying that, he gently patted the girl's back and made a move to get up.

"What will I sleep if you go?"

Li Qingluan immediately raised her face, gave him a reproachful look, her eyes still wet and red at the corners, but this look already carried a bit of her former liveliness and spoiled nature.

After saying that, she sat up nimbly, picked up her dress, and began to change.

Although there was a screen separating them, she wasn't really bothered by it.

However, the blush that quietly spread from her ears to her neck during her movements revealed that she was not as calm as she appeared.

Since she was so unconcerned with formalities, Qin Wangchuan sat down calmly as well, even casting an appreciative glance at her.

The screen may have concealed her graceful figure, but it couldn't hide another kind of beauty—

This goddess, who was usually aloof and noble, now had bright red ear tips, which were nowhere to be hidden at the edge of the screen, making her more vivid and lively than any scenery.

Qin Wangchuan watched, and the corners of his mouth curved into an almost imperceptible smile.