Page 60
Upon opening the Brocade Pouch, Zhu Bafu saw only a small, thin piece of paper inside. Unconvinced, he pulled it out and was about to open it...
Just then, the door to the hall was pushed open from the outside. Startled, the small piece of paper slipped through her fingers and floated to the side of the door.
"Young... Young Master."
"It's rare that you would actually take the initiative to come to me." Li Chenjing lowered his eyes, coldly picked up the piece of paper on the ground and glanced at it. The next moment, his expression of joy and delight suddenly blossomed, like winter snow turning into spring.
"Really?"
"Huh?" Take, take what seriously?
Seeing that she only blinked and remained noncommittal, he looked at her with a mixture of doubt and delight and nodded, knowing full well what was going on, and hid the note in his hidden pocket.
"What can I do for you?"
"You're willing to help me?!"
"Um."
"Are you really going to help me? You're not just messing with me, are you?" What kind of magic Brocade Pouch is that, with such a miraculous ability to turn the impossible into the possible?
"I won't play games with you, as long as you don't lie to me either." He pressed his hand to his sleeve, lightly clenching his fist, unable to hide the smirk on his lips. "Tell me. What do you want?"
"Come with me to find your master!"
"... Who?" Master? What is that? Does he even have such a thing?
"Of course, it's the Emperor for whom you serve your country with utmost loyalty."
"... Is it edible?"
"..."Eat the reigning emperor? Could you even digest that...?"
"Forget it. I'm not interested in him. What I'm interested in is..." With a flick of his Wide Sleeves, his bright eyes gleamed with ill intent as he scanned her slender body, finally settling on her... well, her lips?
A gentleman keeps his word. You promised I'd kiss you.
"What?!?" When did she agree to this reckless request? Did she lose her memory too? She has absolutely no recollection of this part.
"Here. Don't deny it." Li Chenjing picked up the thin piece of paper from the Brocade Pouch and read the words on it carefully, one by one, "If necessary, give the Young Master a kiss."
==Master Wei! Are you cheating! Is this a piece of advice? It's a totally bad idea! It's so bad that you can smell it from five streets away, okay?
"Now you need my help, it's a necessary moment, right? Then I won't be polite." With feigned cuteness, Li Chenjing and took small steps closer to Zhu Bafu, who had frozen in place. He lowered his body, almost touching her lips.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Zhu Bafu pushed his chest away with both hands, stretching his neck and turning his face away.
"What? You're going to deny it?" Afraid that she would run away without paying, he Wide Sleeves swept her into his arms, intending to force himself on her if she didn't agree. Humph. He was not going to let go of such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"Young... Young Master, wait... wait..." Zhu Bafu grimaced uncomfortably, the Young Master's warm breath brushing against her neck. His closeness left her no room to resist. Held in his arms, she felt like a timid little girl. Ugh, what a terrible analogy! She was, in fact, a genuine little girl! Ah! It was all his constant teasing that made her almost lose track of whether she liked men or women! Stop! Li Chenjing, where are you touching? "You've never done business before, do you? You don't know what a transaction is!" she interrupted, cutting him off as he continued to press on her waist.
The Young Master's hand indeed stopped, and he looked at her with a bewildered expression, yet his hand still stubbornly refused to let her go. "What do you mean?"
"In business, it's all about cash on delivery. You didn't give me the goods, so why should I pay you anything!" Of course, this "money" referred to her... mouth. "You... you didn't help me find the Emperor, so I... I don't want to give you... that."
"Is finding it enough?" he asked bluntly.
"Um... maybe." T__T Can I renege on the debt? Or maybe I can pay in installments... or have her offset with something else, like her feet... kiss her feet!
"If you find it, kiss me here." Dissatisfied with her ambiguity, determined to drive her to the brink, Li Chenjing's long finger touched Zhu Bafu's lips, his eyes staring directly into hers, making Zhu Bafu extremely uncomfortable. Two men in Confucian Robe embracing and discussing kissing? Please, please, let no one see! If word gets out, she'll definitely be expelled from the academy! Cheating, truancy, absenteeism, failing exams—any excuse will do, but she doesn't want to be expelled for "Longyang." She can't afford to lose face like that.
"..."
"If you don't say anything, I'll demand a deposit first. I won't honor the agreement."
"Alright, alright, alright! Once I find the Emperor, I'll give it to you..."
"Um?"
"Darling..." Helpless, tears streamed down her face...
"Mouth."
"... I know... I've learned..." Bearing humiliation and hardship... Heaven will entrust great responsibilities to those who are first tested with hardship... exhausted with toil... emptied of resources... and their actions disrupted...
If you can get through this, Zhu Bafu, you will become the Grand Marshal, the Nine Ministers, and the Grand Chancellor in the future!
"Well... let's take a deposit first -- kiss." The refined voice carried a flirtatious tone.
Bo?
What's the deal with the "bo" sound?
A flush rose to her cheeks. Zhu Bafu ... Her face, pristine and untouched by marriage for eighteen years, was gently pressed against two cool, moist lips. It was only for a moment; Li Chenjing pulled his lips away, but his eyes held a smile, his dark pupils gazing at her with boundless light, as if asking her—
How are you feeling?
How are you feeling? He still dares to ask her how she is? Covering her face, she felt extremely aggrieved.