Chapter 40

"That's great... you haven't regained your memories."

"..."

"That's wonderful... You're still the Young Master."

"..."

"Very good..."

"Why...? Didn't you want me to turn back into that guy? More mature than me, better than me, and not clinging to you like a little puppy like I used to."

"You know you're like a little dog!" She looked up and scolded him, her brows furrowing but then quietly relaxing. Two hands with calloused fingers slowly crept up his cheeks, cupped his face, and smiled gently, "Woof woof."

Her playful voice sent a shiver down his spine, and he could no longer restrain himself from leaning in and capturing her lips in his, not allowing her to resist.

A puppy is fine, he doesn't need much. As long as Little Eight occasionally remembers to feed him, he'll be happy to wag his tail and beg for food.

She clearly had more to say and wanted to step back and open her mouth to speak, but he wouldn't allow her to bring up moral principles and lecture him at this moment. So he simply raised his hand, pressed the back of her head, and brought her to his lips. Her mouth, which wanted to speak, gave him the perfect opportunity. Even if she had something to say, she could say it through his mouth.

"This... this kind of thing... Young... Young Master, you..."

"Even if you say you hate it, I'm still going to do it." He narrowed his eyes, making it clear to her that he couldn't stop at this point, and he didn't want to talk about anything except kissing her properly.

"I... I mean, in the future... um..."

"It doesn't matter if you don't let me do it later, I want to kiss you to my heart's content now." He gently licked her lips, ravaging every inch of them.

"No... not in front of others..."

He stopped moving, stepped back slightly, and looked at her incredulously, her face flushed. "What... did you say?"

Author's Note:

I feel like I really need to delete everything below the neck that I can't describe...

Chapter 40

"Little Eight, what did you say? Say it again."

"... In the future, just don't do things like this in front of so many people." As she spoke, she lowered her head further and further, her face turning as red as a ripe tomato. "Also, I didn't mean to push the Young Master away... there were so many people around..."

"..."

"... This, this kind of thing... is also a first for me. I... I'm also thinking about how to face the Young Master, but... Young Master said last night... I, I've also considered it, that's too much, I... can't do it." Her fingers twisted nervously against each other, she no longer cared how silly she looked, how much she resembled a shy, timid girl.

He stood there, stunned, staring blankly at her. His unresponsive expression made her feel that her one-woman show was awful, especially her clumsy explanation. Yes, she was explaining why she had pushed him away—she didn't want him to overthink, didn't want him to silently sulk and walk away, didn't want him to think she didn't care. Her explanation must have been terrible, which was why he seemed not to understand and just stared at her blankly. Turning away, she felt utterly ashamed and wanted to run away. "That's all I wanted to say... I'm done... I'm leaving."

In an instant, she was lifted into the air by the person behind her and pressed against a large, shady tree. Before her toes even touched the ground, her lips were forcefully sealed by a kiss. A scalding heat overwhelmed her, burning her lips with friction. A wet tongue caressed her lips, trembling. Perhaps her mind was already clouded by the heat, she boldly opened her lips and extended her tongue. With just a slight touch, she was met with a greedy, demanding sucking that seemed to devour her, almost sucking all the air from her lungs.

"Eight... Little Eight..."

Her hoarse, almost sobbing voice trembled at her heartstrings, as if she had said something incredible that had pulled him from the abyss.

Redemption

As she left, she wondered if she could make him cry if she just mischievously a little more, if she could make that cold, aloof, and arrogant Lord Li cry. But... she couldn't bear to. He wasn't that Lord Li; he was the Young Master. She gave up... As for the Young Master... she'd just consider him stolen—this pure, foolish affection, this love that was only for her, that only saw her...

She didn't want to refuse anymore.

Her face was flushed, her eyes were darting around, her lips were swollen and red, she occasionally gave a sweet smile, and she seemed to drift off while speaking.

He had just been appointed Minister of Works and was in love.

He gently cradled his chin with one hand, while stroking his Imperial Noble Consort cat's fur with the other. His smiling eyes reflected the smug look on the Pig Kid's face before him. "When did this happen?"

"Huh?" Zhu Bafu snapped out of his daze, staring blankly at the Your Majesty was extremely fond of traveling incognito. "What is it?"

"About you two being together." He picked up the small jade cup, took a sip of tea, and narrowed his peach blossom eyes slightly, not giving her a chance to play dumb. "You—and Xiaojing."

"... How could Your Majesty know?"

"It's hard to tell what's so special about that rosy-cheeked expression," he sighed. "Because the scent is so strong."

"Strong?" She lifted her sleeve, carefully smelling her own scent. Had she caught the scent of the Young Master's books and ink? Or had she become tainted by his fragrance from lingering too long while she couldn't escape his affectionate advances? "There's no smell."

"It has a... showy smell." Her fingertips traced the rim of the glass. "It smells rather sweet, hmm?"

"I... I didn't! Your Majesty, please don't wrong me." She stood up abruptly; she couldn't bear this accusation. "Your Majesty sent someone to summon me, and I rushed to this teahouse to see you without stopping. How could I possibly be showing off to you for no reason? Besides... and the Young Master and I..."