Bella felt a slight itch on her shoulder, accompanied by a damp, tingling sensation.
She furrowed her brows and unconsciously reached up to scratch it.
However, the tingling didn't stop; instead, it intensified and spread toward the side of her neck.
Bella groggily opened her eyes. A few seconds later, she realized there was a head resting against her shoulder.
"Ye... Ye Jinzhi... what are you doing?"
The young man didn't answer her. Instead, he followed the line of her collarbone, continuing to plant soft kisses.
Rewind to a few minutes ago.
Ye Jinzhi stopped his work and raised his wrist to check the time. It was already past twelve.
He got up from his seat, his footsteps light and slow, and walked step by step to the bed.
Perhaps because they had played too wildly last night, the girl was currently fast asleep, her fair little face flushed pink.
Ye Jinzhi didn't wake her up immediately. Instead, he half-knelt by the bedside.
He quietly took out his phone and snapped several pictures of her defenseless sleeping face, his gaze unconsciously softening.
"Bella... Bella..."
He lowered his voice, murmuring softly:
"You are mine... Bella, I like you so much..."
Bella was wearing a lace silk nightgown. Seeing this incredibly familiar nightgown on her, Ye Jinzhi's Adam's apple bobbed, and he let out a low chuckle.
Ye Jinzhi reached out, his fingertip gently tapping her pert nose.
As if her sweet dreams had been disturbed, Bella frowned, but she showed no sign of waking up.
He looked at her, the smile in his eyes slowly creeping up, laced with a trace of unconcealable tenderness and possessiveness.
The next moment, the young man leaned over slightly, pressing against her with almost no hesitation.
Her cheek was soft, the touch delicate.
Ye Jinzhi's movements unconsciously grew gentler, carrying an uncontrollable greed and longing.
His thin lips slid slowly down the side of her face, pausing just before her pink lips.
As if restraining himself, he then brushed past them with measured lightness, lingering tenderly before continuing downward.
He brushed aside the messy hair scattered over her shoulder, lowered his head, and pressed his thin lips against the delicate side of her neck. He sucked and kissed her again and again, stubbornly leaving his mark on this soft patch of skin.
His gaze slowly shifted downward, landing on the nightgown she was wearing.
It was a style he had picked out himself. The peach-pink silk gave off a soft, warm luster, perfectly wrapping around her exquisite curves.
His eyes darkened, and the hand that had been resting on the pillow slowly moved to her collar.
In the end, he gave up, placing his hand back beside her ear and leaning down low.
The next moment, he suddenly opened his mouth and precisely caught the edge of her nightgown's collar with his teeth.
With a slight tug, he pulled one side of the nightgown down without a hint of hesitation.
The smooth silk slipped down Bella's rounded shoulder, spreading out like water, revealing a large expanse of fair skin and the delicate lines of her collarbone.
He lowered his eyes to look, his breathing unconsciously growing heavier as he slowly lowered his head.
The touch of his lips was initially so light it was almost imperceptible, carrying a tentative hesitation. Seeing that she didn't wake up, it gradually became more intimate and lingering.
The subtle sensation finally made the sleeping Bella feel that something was amiss.
Her brows furrowed slightly. As she opened her eyes and felt Ye Jinzhi's movements, her muddled brain instantly cleared.
Hearing her voice, Ye Jinzhi finally stopped.
The young man lifted his head. His fox-like eyes held no embarrassment of being caught. With both hands resting on Bella's pillow, he trapped her in this small space.
"You're awake?"
His fingertips gently stroked the place where he had just left a red mark, his tone incredibly ambiguous. "You look really beautiful in this dress."
"You... you hooligan!"
Bella clutched her collar tightly, her face blushing as red as blood.
"You... you're crazy!"
Overwhelmed with shame, she suddenly raised her hand and gave him a smack, then used all her strength to push against Ye Jinzhi's shoulders.
Ye Jinzhi chuckled softly and followed her push to straighten up.
He raised a hand to touch his own face, as if savoring the moment.
"Crazy?" Ye Jinzhi leaned in close to Bella.
"As my favorite doll... isn't it the master's freedom to choose how to wake her up?"
"You... that's just a twisted fallacy!"
Bella shrank back in shame and indignation, her back pressed against the wall, her hands tightly gripping her collar.
"A fallacy?"
Ye Jinzhi leaned forward and pressed down on her again, placing his hands on either side of her body, completely locking her between his embrace and the wall.
He deliberately teased her, "Go wash up. If you're too slow, I'll personally help you change your clothes."
After saying that, he gave her one last look, turned around, and left.
Bella slumped on the bed, her hand covering her chest, her heartbeat racing somewhat out of control.
Rushing into the bathroom, Bella slapped her burning cheeks hard in front of the mirror and took several deep breaths:
"Calm down, Bella! You have a backbone, you can't be corrupted by good looks!"
By the time she came out wearing a pale yellow dress, she finally noticed the four dishes and one soup laid out on the table. It was obvious that Ye Jinzhi had ordered someone to deliver them while she was washing up.
"Come here, let's eat."
Ye Jinzhi sat on a chair and waved her over. His eyes were clear, as if the pervert in the bedroom just now hadn't been him at all.
Bella didn't sit down as he wished. Instead, she marched over to him aggressively.
Ye Jinzhi looked up in slight confusion. Because he was sitting and Bella was standing, this height difference allowed Bella to rare reclaim a bit of a home-court advantage.
Without saying a word, she got straight to it!
Her two hands formed tiger claws, fiercely pinching both sides of Ye Jinzhi's cheeks and pulling them outward with all her might!
"Ye Jinzhi! You secretly kissed me again! And without my permission!"
Bella shouted while deliberately increasing her strength to pull his face sideways.
She thought darkly to herself:
Let's see you pretend, let's see you act all proper. Watch me stretch this face of yours into a flat pancake!
However, even though she stretched his face out of shape, his facial bone structure still held up perfectly.
He didn't look ugly at all!
Seeing the obvious teasing smile in his eyes, he was just letting her do whatever she wanted.
"Hmph!"
Looking at this handsome face that wouldn't collapse no matter how much she pulled, Bella felt even angrier. It was simply infuriating!
She abruptly let go. Only when she saw a few clear red finger marks left on the young man's cheeks did her anger subside a little.
Bella put her hands on her hips, pointed at the table full of food, and announced her punishment:
"I'm the only one allowed to eat this table of food! Little U •ェ•U can't have a single bite! Little U •ェ•U is going to go hungry. That is the price for 'assaulting' your master!"
Ye Jinzhi raised his hand to rub his pinched cheeks, a string of laughter escaping from his throat.
He wasn't angry at all. Instead, he took the opportunity to open his arms, wrapping them around her slender waist with a domineering yet gentle hold, burying his head in her embrace and nuzzling against her:
"Alright, Little U •ェ•U will be obedient."
Bella grabbed his hair, deliberately messing it up:
"Okay, now that you're done hugging, let go quickly. I'm really hungry."
Only then did Ye Jinzhi reluctantly release his hands from around her waist, his fingertips intentionally or unintentionally brushing past her side.
This caused Bella to involuntarily rub her waist and turn back to glare at him.
