"Mmm~"
Time seemed to stand still at this moment.
Qian Renxue's long eyelashes trembled slightly.
Tender ripples of affection shimmered in her clear, watery eyes.
Her fair and delicate face had now turned as red as a blazing iron, glowing crimson and faintly steaming with wisps of white vapor.
A flicker of surprise passed through Ye Tian's eyes.
He cupped Qian Renxue's burning-hot, lovely face in his hands.
The soft, pink lips at the corner of her mouth were like dew-kissed flower petals, carrying a hint of sweetness.
It made Ye Tian unable to resist giving them a gentle, lingering kiss.
Now this is what you call a first kiss!
Ye Tian's heart surged fiercely, and he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
—
Outside the private room,
Xie Yue and Yan, who had escorted Hu Liena out, finally released their captive.
A round of questioning was, of course, inevitable.
"Brother! Yan!"
Hu Liena cried out indignantly,
her fragrant cheeks puffed up as she glared angrily at Xie Yue and Yan.
"Why did you do this to me?"
"Uh, Nana, this wasn't my idea. Xie Yue made me do it."
Yan raised both hands and waved them repeatedly,
shifting all the blame squarely onto Xie Yue's shoulders.
"Why?!"
Hu Liena immediately turned her pitiful, aggrieved gaze toward her dear older brother.
"Well, this…"
Xie Yue, under his sister's stare, wore an apologetic expression. Hurriedly gathering his thoughts, he explained:
"Little sister, can't you see it?"
As he spoke,
Xie Yue leaned close to Hu Liena's ear and whispered secretly:
"Sister Xue has long since fallen for Brother Tian!"
did not bring Hu Liena any enlightenment; she still looked utterly bewildered.
"Brother, I already know that."
"Senior Brother is so outstanding—who wouldn't like him? I like him too, and Sister Yue'er surely does as well. I understand all that, but why did you have to drag me out? What did I do wrong?"
Hu Liena tilted her head, looking at Yan and Xie Yue.
"Exactly, exactly, I like him too!"
Jin Yue'er nodded repeatedly beside them, smiling brightly as if adding fuel to the fire.
Her eyes held a hint of expectation as she looked at Hu Liena.
Breaking the ice was not something she could manage alone—more hoes were needed.
"Ah, this…"
Xie Yue was immediately left speechless.
If they really had to argue it out, Hu Liena hadn't actually done anything wrong.
But was he supposed to blame Qian Renxue for being petty?
Yet in matters like this,
how could anyone not be petty?
Xie Yue turned his head helplessly toward Yan for help.
"I—I don't know!"
Yan immediately shook his head frantically, signaling refusal.
His mouth was far clumsier than Xie Yue's.
At a time like this, it was better not to provoke Nana. Otherwise, if Nana held a grudge later, Xie Yue wouldn't remember any favors and would surely side with Nana anyway.
It was simply a thankless task.
"…"
Hu Liena furrowed her delicate brows and looked toward Jin Yue'er beside her.
"Sister Yue'er, you must know, right?"
"Hehe, that's because you did something you shouldn't have~"
Jin Yue'er chuckled mischievously twice before walking over to Hu Liena, grabbing her shoulders, bending down, and wagging her index finger in front of Hu Liena's face.
With a playful grin, she reminded:
"Ye Tian belongs to Sister Xue! There's no room for others to covet him~"
"Do you understand now?"
"…"
Hu Liena was momentarily stunned.
Finally understanding the root of the issue, a hint of defiance appeared on her face as she recalled the situation.
"Sister Xue is too domineering—mmph!"
Before Hu Liena could finish her sentence, Jin Yue'er covered her small mouth.
"Hehe~"
"Don't speak carelessly, Nana, or more than just Sister Xue will get angry."
Jin Yue'er playfully waved her pink fist at Hu Liena.
This only made Hu Liena even more indignant. She angrily swatted away the hand covering her mouth.
"Hmph!"
"Ahaha~"
Jin Yue'er patted Hu Liena's shoulder, placed her hands on her hips, and giggled charmingly.
——
Inside the room,
Ye Tian lingered for a moment longer,
only raising his head slowly after leaving behind some damp traces.
Releasing Qian Renxue's face,
as he straightened up, Ye Tian couldn't help but stagger back a step.
He steadied himself by placing a hand on the edge of the table.
Lowering his head, he took several deep breaths.
From the corner of his eye, he glanced at the beautiful woman beside him.
In his field of vision,
Qian Renxue's hands were clasped over her heart,
her fists tightly clenched.
Her lovely face was tilted upward, her eyes still wide open, reflecting Ye Tian's image.
The tip of her tongue peeked slightly from the corner of her mouth.
Ye Tian glanced sideways, taking in Qian Renxue's appearance—her face flushed a deep crimson, her earlobes tinged with blood-red, her head tilted back as she breathed with her mouth slightly open.
It was utterly intoxicating!
Ye Tian covered his face, closed his eyes, and swallowed several times, urgently trying to regain his composure.
He was still too inexperienced!
What a pity—he hadn't cherished his school days,
and for the sake of his furnace, he had tossed his stirring youthful heart into the flames as fuel!
Ye Tian sighed inwardly.
Having lived this long, who didn't have a white moonlight in their past?
"So, are you satisfied now?"
Having quickly adjusted himself,
Ye Tian finally revealed his usual expression as he looked at Qian Renxue.
Internally, he remained on high alert.
He absolutely must not let beauty cloud his judgment!
Now was not the right time to cross that line.
"Huff... huff..."
Qian Renxue seemed to exhale a misty breath, like that of a winter's day.
Within those purple eyes,
her gaze was seductive, sticky, and utterly captivating!
"..."
Qian Renxue couldn't speak,
she simply closed her mouth, fixed her eyes intently on Ye Tian, and nodded repeatedly.
Whew!
Ye Tian inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, straightened his posture once more, and extended a hand toward Qian Renxue. "Then let's go now. It's time for us to leave."
"N-no..."
Qian Renxue stammered out her reply,
then raised both hands to cover her burning, blood-red cheeks, shaking her head frantically.
"You... you go out first. I'll leave in a moment!"
"..."
Seeing Qian Renxue in such an awkward state, Ye Tian thought for a moment before nodding.
"Alright then."
"I'll take Nana back to Wisteria Residence first. Contact me if anything comes up."
"Mhm, contact me if anything comes up."
Qian Renxue covered her eyes, nodding repeatedly, her voice muffled.
"Goodbye."
"..."
Ye Tian gave a slight nod, then without further delay, turned and walked toward the door.
——
Click!
Ye Tian stepped out of the private room.
"!"
Xie Yue and Yan's eyes immediately filled with intense curiosity,
as they scrutinized Ye Tian from head to toe.
Searching for any possible traces or clues he and Qian Renxue might have left behind.
Hu Liena directly approached him, grabbing his forearm with concern. "Senior brother, are you alright?"
"Huh? What could possibly be wrong with me?"
A trace of helplessness appeared on Ye Tian's handsome face as he ruffled Hu Liena's silky hair.
"Hehe!"
"How did it go inside, Ye Tian? Is Sister Xue no longer angry?"
Jin Yue'er walked up to Ye Tian with her hands clasped behind her back.
Rising on tiptoe, she looked left and right, carefully examining Ye Tian's face.
Then she reached out and flipped through the collar of his clothes, her eyes full of teasing.
Smack!
Ye Tian irritably swatted away Jin Yue'er's paw and rolled his eyes.
"I wasn't really that angry in the first place."
"It was just a little joke, and it's all in the past now."
"Haha, that's good then."
Jin Yue'er nodded in relief.
"Alright then~"
Ye Tian waved his hand, dispersing the gazes of Xie Yue and Yan who were watching them.
He turned to look at them.
"Hehe..."
Yan scratched his bottom and chuckled. Xie Yue also wore an awkward smile.
Ye Tian curled his lip and instructed:
"If there's nothing else, we should all head back to our own places."
With those words,
Ye Tian took Hu Liena's small hand and turned to Jin Yue'er, adding, "Yue'er, you go in and check on Xue Er. I'm taking Nana back to Wisteria Residence first."
"Go on, go on."
Jin Yue'er nodded repeatedly,
then immediately looked at Xie Yue and Yan and urged,
"You two, don't go wandering off. Hurry back to where you came from. I'll take care of Sister Xue, got it?"
"Got it, Sister Yue'er!"
Xie Yue and Yan immediately straightened their postures and nodded in acknowledgment.
"Oh, right!"
Remembering the matter of the pills, Ye Tian called out to stop Yan and Xie Yue.
"After you return, when you take the pills, remember to have Senior Lion Heart and the others stay with you, just in case anything unexpected happens. Especially you, Yan. The medicinal potency of your Phoenix Sky-Burning Pill is very fierce."
"Don't worry, Brother Tian, we'll be careful!"
Yan replied solemnly, rubbing his hands together eagerly.
"Understood, Brother Tian. Wait for our good news! We definitely won't let you down!"
Xie Yue chimed in right after, his face full of excitement.
"Goodbye, Nana."
Finally,
Xie Yue bid farewell to Hu Liena, who seemed a bit sullen,
before hurriedly leaving with Yan.
"Goodbye, brother!"
Hu Liena waved at Xie Yue's retreating back,
then tightly grasped Ye Tian's wrist, as if afraid he might be snatched away.
"Yue'er, we'll see you next time then."
Ye Tian gave a final nod to Jin Yue'er and, pulling Hu Liena along, headed in the opposite direction from Xie Yue and the others.
"Goodbye, Sister Yue'er."
Hu Liena also bid farewell to Jin Yue'er.
Jin Yue'er nodded happily, rising on tiptoe, waving her hand, and responding crisply, "Goodbye!!!"
With those words,
Jin Yue'er sneakily glanced around.
She gently pushed the door behind her open a crack, then slipped into the private room.