Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
âEldest Miss, hot water has already been prepared. You can go over now,â Qing Mama, who was by the entrance, said enthusiastically.
When she was preparing hot water for Ye Ruyi, she had guessed that the Eldest Miss would need hot water too and readied it for her.
âAlright,â Ye Jiuge replied weakly.
It was the first time that she had ever been unhappy with Qing Mamaâs efficiency.
âI will be waiting for you in the bath,â Zi Shang lowered his head and bit at Ye Jiugeâs face then disappeared.
Ye Jiuge sat in a daze for a moment before she resigned to her fate. She changed into a set of new clothes and headed toward the bath.
The steam rose in spirals. Zi Shang was reclining comfortably in the tub with his arms spread apart and supporting his body.
His beautiful, flirtatious face was even more alluring cloaked in steam. His red lips were like cinnabar, and his wet, black hair clung to the sides of his handsome face. His charm could not be easily described.
Those purple eyes watched Ye Jiuge closely, as though stalking prey.
Ye Jiuge felt an unfathomable sense of pressure. Her hands reached toward her clothes several times, but she did not dare take them off. Finally, she gritted her teeth and jumped into the bath with her clothes on.
The water in the bath only reached her waist. Ye Jiuge leaned on the side of the tub furthest away from Zi Shang and looked straight at him.
With a hook of his tail, Zi Shang pulled Ye Jiuge into his arms. His thin lips pressed close to her ear and asked in a low, seductive voice, âHow do you bathe with your clothes on?â
âLike this!â
Ye Jiuge poured some water on herself and was about to splash some onto Zi Shangâs face. However, before the droplets could reach him, they froze in mid-air, doubled in volume, reversed direction, and hit Ye Jiuge in the face.
Crash!
Ye Jiugeâs neck and face were soaked with hot water. Her drenched tunic clung tightly to her body, and her nipples hardened from the stimulation.
âWhat are you doing!â Angrily, Ye Jiuge wiped the hot water off her face.
âHelping you bathe!â Zi Shang gave her an innocent look.
âGet lost! I donât need your help.â As she was already drenched, Ye Jiuge abandoned herself to despair and started pouring water on herself in the tub.
Shamelessly, Zi Shang leaned close to Ye Jiuge, narrowed his eyes, and asked with a laugh, âShould I drink your blood, or should we kiss first?â
âDrink my blood.â
Ye Jiuge raised her middle finger. Initially, she had thought that drinking her blood would be a straightforward matter; she did not expect Zi Shang to make it such an arousing affair.
He placed Ye Jiugeâs finger in his mouth and used his sharp fangs to repeatedly caress the tip of her finger. Those dark purple eyes affected her as though they had grown a hook and were pulling her little heart out. Ye Jiugeâs heart could not control itself and skipped a few beats. To hide her embarrassment, she reprimanded Zi Shang sharply, âJust drink. Donât take your sweet time.â
âRoger that!â Zi Shang smiled seductively, and his sharp fangs immediately pierced the skin on her finger.
Zi Shangâs tongue was incredibly soft. Its slightly forked tip repeatedly licked her wound, sometimes speeding up or slowing down, vigorous then gentle.
The water in the bath was too hot. It was so hot that Ye Jiugeâs mouth went dry, and her lips chapped. She desperately controlled the impulse to lick her lips with her tongue. She wanted to remove her finger, but her entire body felt weak, and she had no strength at all.
âThatâs enough!â Ye Jiugeâs voice became extremely hoarse. There was a hint of pleading that she did not recognize.
Zi Shang finally released Ye Jiugeâs poor finger. His palm held her slender waist, making her feminine body bend close to his masculine one. The unbelievably beautiful face inched towards Ye Jiuge with a charming smile.
Ye Jiuge could smell the fragrance coming from Zi Shangâs mouth and his body. She knew that Zi Shangâs tongue was very soft and nimble, and when he kissed her, he would make her soul depart her body in pleasure.
Just as Zi Shangâs red lips were about to kiss Ye Jiuge, there was a racket outside, âOpen up, open up!â
Ye Jiuge immediately sobered up from the intoxicating intimacy Zi Shang had created.
âD*mn it!â Zi Shang cursed in a low voice. He had finally managed to create some closeness with Ye Jiuge, and someone was interrupting them.
He wanted so badly to kill everyone in the Ye Residence.
Controlling his murderous impulse, he disappeared into the mark on Ye Jiugeâs hand immediately.
At that moment, Qing Mamaâs voice came hurriedly from outside the bath, âEldest Miss! Madame and Second Miss have brought over servants and claim that they demand something from you.â
âI understand.â Ye Jiuge splashed some water on her face. When her head cleared, she rose from the bath.
After putting on new clothes, she exited the bath and asked Qing Mama softly, âYe Yu and Fourth Sister?â
âI have already hidden them.â
Ever since Ye Jiuge had repurchased Ye Yu, Qing Mama had been thinking about how to help the Eldest Miss hide her wild man. Previously, sheâd had the idea of installing secret compartments in her own room; if anyone were to come and catch the Eldest Miss in a lewd act, she would hide Ye Yu in a hidden compartment and claim that she had been the one relieving herself with him. At last, the secret compartments were finally useful: They were perfect for hiding Ye Yu and Ye Ruyi.
Ye Jiuge nodded. Accompanied by Qing Mama, she unlocked the courtyard.
Su Yufeng and Ye Shanshan had brought a group of servants with them. They stood outside the courtyard aggressively.
âMadame, Second Sister, what is the meaning of this?â Ye Jiugeâs eyebrows rose. She tossed an unfriendly gaze at Su Yufeng and her daughter.
âYe Jiuge, let me ask you: where have you placed the Crown Princeâs jade pendant?â Ye Shanshan widened her eyes, pointed her finger at Ye Jiuge, and questioned her.
âWhat jade pendant? I donât know what you are talking about,â Ye Jiuge frowned, looking as though she did not know a thing.
âYou still have enough self-respect to quibble? After he met you today, the jade pendant that the Crown Prince had on him disappeared. Do you dare to say that you did not take it?â Ye Shanshan looked as though she had witnessed Ye Jiuge stealing.
âYe Shanshan, you must speak with evidence. If you dare slander me again, do you think that I will not slap you?â Ye Jiuge raised her hand and waved it at Ye Shanshan.
The Crown Prince had taken so long to come and question her, which meant that he had not realized at the scene that his jade pendant was missing; therefore, he should not have suspected her.
Furthermore, she had intentionally rubbed some of the Fragrance of a Thousand Miles, which remained on the jade pendant from contact with the Crown Prince, onto Ye Shanshanâs tunic. If the Crown Prince were to suspect anyone, he should have suspected Ye Shanshan.
Seeing that Ye Jiuge was angry, Ye Shanshan involuntarily hid behind Su Yufeng. A moment ago, the Crown Prince had sent a messenger to ask her if she had seen the dragon and phoenix jade pendant that he always had on him. Seeing that the Crown Prince valued the pendant immensely, she decided to deflect the blame to Ye Jiuge.
âJiuge, the Crown Princeâs jade pendant is priceless, and it is no trivial matter for him to lose it suddenly; you should think carefully. Let me ask you. After you returned home today, where did you go?â Su Yufeng asked without batting an eyelid.
She had not come over for the Crown Princeâs jade pendant, but because she had received news from the Su Clan that the place used to hold Ye Ruyi had caught fire suddenly and that someone had rescued the girl.
Su Yufeng had thought of Ye Jiuge at once. In a hurry, she had rushed over to sniff out what her step-daughter was up to through roundabout questioning.