Chapter 322

After saying that, Xia Xi turned her face, hoping to see if Xu Yanfeng looked drunk, but she couldn't see his face—only feel his lips, scorching hot, pressing against the skin of her neck, again and again, faint yet present, tingling, making her heart quiver.

Then, hearing his low, muffled reply: "Maybe, the aftereffect is a bit strong."

Xia Xi chuckled: "Don't pretend to be drunk just to take advantage of me."

The kisses that had been raining down suddenly paused; the man seemed to chuckle, his breath trembling slightly: "I want to take advantage of you—do I need to pretend to be drunk?"

"Who knows what nonsense you've learned from books—maybe you even have the trick of feigning drunkenness to gain sympathy." She had been holding something in for days; now the moment was right, and Xia Xi spoke up.

The flirtatious atmosphere was ruined by Xia Xi's words; Xu Yanfeng lifted his head, glanced at the mark he'd just left on her neck, still glistening with moisture. He grabbed her shoulders, turned her to face him, then lowered his gaze to her eyes: "What book?"

Xia Xi didn't believe he didn't understand: "What book are you asking me about? Isn't it you who bought it?"

Xu Yanfeng vaguely recalled something, but wasn't sure, staying silent. Seeing him feign ignorance, Xia Xi couldn't help laughing, preparing to lay the evidence before him to see what else he could argue.

She tugged Xu Yanfeng toward the study, saying as they walked: "You'd better think about how to explain this to me."

Xu Yanfeng now realized, but it was too late to run; he tried to divert Xia Xi's attention, speaking up to interrupt her: "The mood is so good—let's not waste it. We can talk about anything later."

Xia Xi glanced back at him, raised her index finger to her lips: "Shh, be quiet."

Releasing his hand, Xia Xi walked alone to the bookshelf, pulling out a few gaudy-covered books from among the stern, highly professional tomes. She turned to face Xu Yanfeng, the corners of her mouth turning up involuntarily, and read out the titles: "What are these? 'Mistakenly Flirting with the Ice-Cold CEO: Fiery Wife, Don't Run,' 'Contractual Marriage of the Noble Clan: Forced Pampering for 100 Days,' 'Obsessive Magnate's Long-Planned Scheme: Pure-Maiden Easy Capture'?"

After each title, Xia Xi paused to laugh; by the end she was laughing out loud, like a rooster crowing.

Xu Yanfeng: "……"

Xia Xi pulled out the book "Contractual Marriage of the Noble Clan: Forced Pampering for 100 Days," held it before Xu Yanfeng's eyes and shook it: "A contract? One hundred days? Doesn't that sound familiar, CEO Xu?"

Xu Yanfeng felt utterly ashamed.

Earlier, in desperation he had grasped at straws, not noticing anything wrong; only now, hearing Xia Xi read those titles, did he realize how foolish he'd been—laughable.

"Xu Yanfeng, why aren't you speaking?" Xia Xi, trying not to laugh until her cheeks twitched, her hand shaking, barely able to hold the book, asked, "Did you suddenly become mute?"

Xu Yanfeng snatched the book from her hand and tossed it onto the desk: "These aren't mine; Luo Luo got them from his niece, worried they'd affect his studies, so he asked me to keep them."

That excuse sounded fine, just not very credible; Xia Xi fixed him with a sharp gaze: "I don't care how you got them—I only care whether you're using them as textbooks to deal with me."

Feeling wronged, Xu Yanfeng surrendered: "How is this me dealing with you? Don't slander me—I've never dealt with you."

Xia Xi presented evidence: "Using Zi Heng's custody rights to threaten me, forcing me to live with you for a hundred days—isn't that what you said?" She paused, glanced at the desk calendar, and said, "Ah, I've finished everything—has the hundred days expired?"

Xu Yanfeng panicked completely, quickly stepping forward to hug her, disregarding dignity; coming clean was the priority: "I only referenced a bit from those books, but you know my intentions."

Now it was Xia Xi's turn to play dumb: "Know what?"

Xu Yanfeng, aware she was feigning, clarified further: "I just wanted to keep you by my side; you were so resistant then that I truly had no better option, so I panicked and resorted to this."

Xia Xi seized the chance to ask: "Was pretending to have a car accident also a trick you learned from novels?"

"That wasn't it." Mentioning this made Xu Yanfeng even more ashamed; looking back from the present, he couldn't fathom what his past self had been thinking to do something so outrageous, and he confessed: "That was Tang Yizhou's idea."

Xia Xi gave a faint smile.

Xu Yanfeng: "Don't laugh—your laughter makes my heart panic."

"……"

Held in his arms, Xia Xi had intended to let it go, but then she remembered something, feeling doubtful: "No, that time you got drunk, you held me while complaining, playing the victim, and kissing—were you really drunk or just pretending?"

Xu Yanfeng wanted to stab himself.

"Speak quickly." Xia Xi urged.

Xu Yanfeng, no longer daring to hide, continued to confess: "That was also Tang Yizhou's idea—have me drink to three-tenths drunk, act until you cried—but my tolerance is average, and that night I felt awful inside; I was truly drunk."

Xia Xi puffed a laugh; hearing these things, she suddenly gained a new impression of him, rose on her toes, pinched his ears and gave them a gentle shake: "How strange—you can also be foolish sometimes."

It's hard to believe that such a foolish act could come from someone as steady, calm, and wise as Xu Yanfeng.

"The contract's long been void—can you stay and not move out?"

Having said that, Xu Yanfeng didn't give her a chance to reply; he leaned in and sealed her lips. Xia Xi's lips were still upturned, her eyes not yet closed, she froze for a second, then responded familiarly. Soon after, those embarrassing, laughable things were tossed to the back of her mind; her head felt hazy, her gaze a little unfocused, and she slowly closed her eyes.

In the utterly silent night, every tiny sound was magnified many times over, making one's ears hot and heart pound.

Xia Xi leaned against the desk edge, her waist repeatedly bending backward, feeling somewhat uncomfortable; she shifted, and Xu Yanfeng noticed immediately, scooping her up and placing her on the desk, his hand brushing whatever was on the surface and sweeping it to the floor without regard.

A few crackling sounds rang out, but they didn't disturb the two people wrapped in passion.

Xia Xi didn't know how she got from the study to the bedroom; in a daze she was washed all over, rolled under the covers, hadn't slept a moment before being pulled and turned over and over.

Pleasure turned into torment; despite not being able to get angry, she unconsciously went along—she really was crazy.

Eventually it stopped; not knowing the hour, but it was late night, she finally could sleep peacefully—yet her mouth was dry, she woke from thirst, irritably shoved the person beside her, eyes too lazy to open, and muttered a single word: "Water."

Xu Yanfeng, meanwhile, was wide awake; understanding her, he didn't lose a second, swiftly threw off the blankets, poured a cup of warm water, set it on the nightstand, sat on the bed, gathered her and the blankets onto his lap, lifted the cup to her lips, and softly said, "Drink."

Xia Xi's eyelids remained shut; her dry lips touched the water and she gulped it down eagerly, her parched, smoking throat finally finding relief. She coughed, and Xu Yanfeng promptly took the cup away, giving her time to cough and catch her breath; once she eased a bit, he brought the cup back to her lips.

"More?"

In a half‑dreaming state, Xia Xi heard someone ask by her ear.

She nodded, then shook her head, and then was laid flat.

Xu Yanfeng drank the remaining water, set the cup down; in that short span Xia Xi had already fallen into deep sleep, as he heard her even breathing. He chuckled lightly, his lips moving, unsure whom he was speaking to.

"Although the tricks learned from those books are indeed outrageous, they… are somewhat useful."

If Xia Xi were awake now and heard that, she would surely be utterly speechless.