It was late at night.
Moonlight squeezed through a gap in the curtains, drawing a thin silver line across the floor.
Dugu Yan lay in Ye Qing's arms, panting heavily.
Her long, jade-green hair spread messily across the pillow. The damp strands of her fringe clung to her smooth forehead.
Her pretty face, usually so haughty, now wore just one expression: embarrassed, annoyed, and utterly helpless.
"Why are you glaring at me?"
Ye Qing propped his head up with one hand and mischievously twined a strand of her hair around the other, a roguish grin on his face.
"You were the one who started it, you little hooligan."
"Who—who are you calling a hooligan?!"
Dugu Yan's voice was so hoarse it startled even her.
"You were the one who said something about a hug... And look what happened! How did a hug turn into this?!"
"Well..."
Ye Qing studied her face, pretending to think it over. "Maybe it's because you're just too pretty?"
"Give me a break!"
Dugu Yan tried to raise her hand and punch him, only to find her arm was too weak to move.
Damn it.
She was a Soul Elder with over thirty levels of soul power, her physical conditioning far beyond that of an ordinary person. How could she lose to a rookie who had only just reached level ten at something as inexplicable as this?
It made no sense!
No, it made no soul sense!
"Have you been secretly practicing some weird technique?"
Dugu Yan eyed him suspiciously.
"Heaven knows I haven't!"
Ye Qing held up three fingers. "I'm a level-ten little Soul Master who just awakened his Martial Soul. What kind of technique could I possibly have practiced? This is called being born gifted!"
"If I had to put a name to it, I'd say I was born knowing the Wheel Turning Technique!"
"..."
Dugu Yan didn't want to talk to him.
She buried her face in the pillow, showing Ye Qing only the back of her head.
But the bright-red tips of her ears gave her away.
Watching her like this, Ye Qing couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from lifting.
Honestly, even he hadn't expected things to go this far.
At first, he'd really only wanted to hug her.
But once he had her in his arms... he hadn't wanted to let go.
And as a result, they'd been at it from the afternoon until the middle of the night.
"Wifey."
"..."
Dugu Yan couldn't even be bothered to correct him anymore.
Ye Qing leaned closer and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Well?"
"Well what?"
"My performance. Sure, my Soul Power Level is weak, but I should still be pretty impressive in certain areas, right?"
Dugu Yan's body stiffened.
Then she spun around, her jade-green eyes full of embarrassment and irritation. "Passable!"
"Oh? Just passable?"
Ye Qing raised an eyebrow, then suddenly grinned wickedly and started leaning toward her again.
Dugu Yan's face changed. She planted both hands against his chest and shoved at him desperately, trying to push herself away.
"Y-you—you're a monster!" Her voice held a trace of fear.
Weren't ordinary people supposed to be ordinary?
Wasn't he supposed to be a Soul Master who had only just reached level ten?
She was a Soul Elder and she'd been worn out, so how was he still full of life, as if nothing had happened?
"Actually, I'm a little tired too."
Ye Qing honestly admitted, "But then I saw you pushing me away, and suddenly I didn't feel tired anymore."
"..."
Dugu Yan swore that if she still had any strength, she'd summon her Jade Phosphorous Serpent and make it bite him.
Unfortunately, she didn't.
She didn't even have enough strength to lift a hand.
Dugu Yan suddenly fell silent.
She looked at Ye Qing, her jade-green eyes filled with complicated emotions.
Ever since they'd first met, this guy had kept turning her whole world upside down.
First, he'd shamelessly insisted she take responsibility for him.
Then he'd exposed the secret of the poison in the Dugu Family bloodline with a single remark.
After that, with just one Immortal Herb, he'd transformed from a good-for-nothing into a genius right before her eyes.
And now...
He'd taken her completely—twice—while she was fully conscious.
Dugu Yan silently tallied things up in her mind.
The first time, she'd been drunk and made the first move. She could just about count that as her acting like a hooligan.
But this time was different.
This time, she'd agreed to the hug first.
Even though what happened afterward had been completely beyond her expectations, she hadn't pushed him away.
Dugu Yan suddenly spoke, her voice low. "Ye Qing, I feel like you've got me wrapped around your finger."
"Hm?"
Ye Qing was taken aback.
Why did that sound like she'd given up and accepted her fate?
Dugu Yan raised her head and looked into his eyes.
The usual haughtiness was gone from her jade-green eyes, as was the embarrassment and irritation from a moment ago. All that remained was an emotion she couldn't quite name.
"Just who are you?"
She asked softly, "How can a waiter who carries plates at a hotel know so much? How can you be afraid of nothing?"
"There's plenty I'm afraid of."
Ye Qing smiled. "I'm afraid of dying, of being poor, of becoming useless, and of your grandfather poisoning me into a puddle in a fit of rage."
"Then how can you still dare to—"
"Being afraid and doing it anyway are two different things. Being afraid of dying isn't the same as waiting to die."
Ye Qing's voice suddenly turned serious. "I don't want to be a good-for-nothing again in this life. If you ask why... I guess it's because I met you."
Dugu Yan's lashes trembled.
"Sweet talk."
"I mean it."
"I'd have to be an idiot to believe you."
Dugu Yan huffed, but she didn't look away.
The two of them gazed at each other in silence.
Moonlight lay quietly across the blanket.
"By the way."
Dugu Yan suddenly remembered something, her expression turning serious again. "When we go see my grandfather, how are you planning to convince him?"
This was no small matter.
Her grandfather, Dugu Bo, was known by the title "Poison." He was the best poison user on the continent.
He had a fiery temper and killed without hesitation.
In her grandfather's eyes, any male creature who dared approach his granddaughter was a pest that needed to be exterminated.
And Ye Qing was even planning to become his live-in grandson-in-law.
Dugu Yan could practically picture the scene when her grandfather met Ye Qing.
"Yanyan, who's this kid?"
"Grandpa, he's your live-in grandson-in-law."
"..."
And that would be the end of it.
Ye Qing would turn into a puddle of green liquid.
"Well..."
Ye Qing suddenly moved close to her ear.
Dugu Yan instinctively tried to pull away, but Ye Qing held her by the waist with one hand, keeping her from moving.
"Don't be nervous. I'm just telling you what to do."
His warm breath brushed her earlobe, raising goosebumps all over Dugu Yan.
Then Ye Qing began whispering in her ear.
His voice was very low, low enough that only she could hear.
As she listened, Dugu Yan's expression shifted from wary to strange, then from strange to complicated, until finally her face went completely blank with disbelief.
When Ye Qing finished, he leaned back with a smile that said, "Trust me, this is foolproof."
"...Are you sure?"
Dugu Yan sounded doubtful. "If I really do what you said, won't I make Grandpa so angry he drops dead?"
"Not that bad, not that bad."
Ye Qing waved a hand. "He'll only be half-dead with rage."
"What difference does that make?!"
"Of course it makes a difference."
"If he's only half-dead with rage, he can recover. If he dies, he's dead for real."
"Your grandfather might be an old geezer, but he's a Titled Douluo. His heart and lungs have to be stronger than the average person's. He won't die of anger."
"..."
Dugu Yan desperately wanted to take back what she'd said earlier.
"Wrapped around his finger"?
She'd clearly met a lunatic!
"You're serious?" Dugu Yan asked again.
"I'm serious."
Ye Qing nodded, his expression unusually earnest.
"The only risk is..."
"What?"
"He might beat me up first."
"And you still—?"
"Let him. It won't kill me."
"Think about it. When he's beating me up, you'll rush in to protect me, and he'll go easy. It's called the bitter-flesh tactic."
Dugu Yan: "..."
She realized she couldn't actually refute this idiot's idiot logic.
And when she thought about it, her grandfather really was the sort of person who'd react that way.
He doted on her more than anyone.
If she really did what Ye Qing suggested, maybe there was a chance?
As Dugu Yan turned it over in her mind, her face suddenly changed.
Her jade-green eyes flew wide, and she stared at Ye Qing in alarm.
"Why are you still—?!"
"Uh..."
Ye Qing scratched his head, his expression so innocent it was downright infuriating. "Can't help it, Yanzi. You're just too irresistible."
"Didn't we just—"
"That was the round before the last one."
Ye Qing corrected her, then flashed a brilliant smile. "This is a new round."
Dugu Yan stared at him, dumbfounded.
Looking at his smile, she suddenly felt a powerful sense of foreboding.
"Wait—!"
"Not a chance."
"I want to sleep!"
"Sleep at dawn."
"My grandfather will kill you!"
"That's a problem for tomorrow."
"You—"
"Are you ready?"
"Who said I'd agree to that? I don't—!!!"
The moonlight still lay quietly on the floor.
Through the gap in the curtains, silvery light swayed gently in the night breeze.
This night.
Was still long.