"It is just that I am a little cold..." Yingshi added.
How could that be?
She was clearly a little hot.
But since their parting at Wendao Peak, the words Teacher Xinmei had said to her now echoed in her ears like the whispers of a devil—Tell him you are cold, tell him you are scared, grab his sleeve and shake it!
After all, you are good fellow disciples and best friends who rely on and care for each other!
When one of those best friends becomes a pitiful and innocent victim deeply persecuted by the fox poison, it would not matter if they did something a little out of line, right? It is all the fox poison affecting you, you cannot help it!
...Do you not want to know if Shuangjian's heart would be churning, suffering a hundred times more than you?
In modern times, there is a saying that alcohol gives liquid courage to cowards.
Many people use drunkenness as an excuse to do things they would not normally dare to do, so that even if they embarrass themselves, they can blame it on the alcohol.
Although she really did not want to admit it, Yingshi felt that she must have also been emboldened by the fox poison, and the devil in her heart seemed to grow stronger by the second.
She stared straight at Shuangjian, perhaps with a hint of mischievous probing in her eyes.
So, in the next second, she quietly used her foot to block the door that was about to close, stretched out her sinful claws, weakly grabbed Shuangjian's sleeve, and said softly, "...And a little scared."
"..."
Shuangjian's fingers resting on the door unconsciously tightened because of her two ambiguous complaints. By the time he came to his senses, his hand had already released the door, and as it closed behind him, he completely stepped into Yingshi's room.
The room was dim. After the illumination talisman went out, only the moonlight from the window filtered in, reflecting a faint, watery gleam in Yingshi's eyes.
Her discomfort could not be faked. The fox poison had likely flared up, disrupting the rhythm of her breathing. Her chest rose and fell more noticeably than usual, and her faint pants were exceptionally clear—this had become the only sound his ears could capture.
Yingshi did nothing but look at him.
The hand holding his sleeve did not shake, nor did it exert any force.
She did not say come in, nor did she say she needed him.
It was he himself... who was approaching her step by step.
"..."
Yingshi swallowed hard.
The moment she saw the door close, her heart truly trembled. But that tremble was different from fear; it carried a touch of contented anticipation and the secret delight of a mouse successfully sneaking into a rice vat.
She looked up quietly at Shuangjian.
He stood against the moonlight. His eyes, which were best at conveying emotions, were hidden in the shadows, yet it inexplicably added a bit of bewitching mystery.
Yingshi completely understood what Xinmei had meant when she said do not try to guess him. Once you feel he is elusive, you will sink deeper and deeper.
She felt she was right on this dangerous edge right now.
Even so, she still did not let go, continuing to tug at Shuangjian's sleeve, not yet having the chance to shake it.
But then she heard Shuangjian suddenly say, "No matter what happens this time... it can never return to zero."
These words sounded a bit strange, like a very subtle warning, though it was unclear whether the warning was directed at Yingshi or himself.
Because the voice was so soft it was indistinguishable from talking to himself, but Shuangjian did not have the habit of talking to himself.
"...This time?" Yingshi froze slightly.
The fox poison seemed to not only make a person's body sensitive, but her ability to catch Shuangjian's emotions also became unprecedentedly sharp.
She could actually hear a faint trace of... grievance in his warning? Or was it apprehension?
Why this time?
Did this mean there was a previous time that had been returned to zero?
Before Yingshi could figure it out, she felt the world spin—not the physiological dizziness brought by the fox poison, but because she was suddenly swept up into Shuangjian's arms!
Shuangjian's movements were too sudden, but even so, they were surprisingly gentle.
Yingshi let out a low gasp and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.
He carried her a few steps to the bed, but instead of tossing her onto it, he sat on the only relatively tidy edge, holding the dazed and timid Yingshi on his lap, encircled in his arms.
This posture was too intimate, far exceeding the boundaries proper for best friends.
Yingshi's body was pressed tightly against his chest, and she could clearly feel the heartbeat coming from beneath, much more rapid than she had imagined.
Stiffened, she did not dare to move. The little courage she had to play tricks dissipated in the face of his sudden physical action. At this moment, it felt wrong to just relax and lean on Shuangjian, but it also felt wrong to sit up stiffly.
Well, actually, she no longer had the strength to control her own body... How had every single finger become so limp?
"...Are you still cold?"
Shuangjian's voice came from above her head. Yingshi shook her head haphazardly, then nodded, not even knowing what she was trying to express.
Every inch of skin he touched was burning; she had not been cold from the very beginning.
Seeing her still nodding, Shuangjian seemed somewhat startled by her greed.
He remained silent for a long moment, hugging her tighter, resting his jaw gently on the top of her head.
"Still cold?"
Yingshi did not speak. Her breath was shockingly hot, yet she continued to nod with a serious and shameless expression.
"..."
Then she looked up and saw Shuangjian smile ambiguously.
He seemed to understand.
He understood her feigned fragility and deliberate probing.
Yingshi's heart beat even faster. She quickly shook her head and stammered, "No, no longer cold!"
Being held tightly in Shuangjian's arms for warmth, was this not a form of playing with fire and burning oneself?
Now her whole body was weak, and she could no longer distinguish how much of these reactions were amplified by the fox poison, and how much originated from her true heart...
Shuangjian still held her tightly, every word he uttered hitting right by her ear: "Then are you still scared?"
Yingshi was terrified to death.
She was afraid she would unleash her animalistic desires at any moment!
A drastic change in hormone levels might be bearable, but what if the person you like is pressed right up against you, embracing you with a posture of giving whatever you ask for?
Yingshi did not know whether to nod or shake her head at this moment. She remained helplessly silent, doing nothing but continuing to gaze at Shuangjian.
"...Afraid of what?" Shuangjian then pressed.
Yingshi felt like crying but had no tears. She felt she should look away, or quickly roll off Shuangjian, but her weak and powerless body disappointingly could not move an inch.
"Afraid you are under eighteen..." she whispered in near despair.
"...I am."
Shuangjian replied with a muffled voice, his hand wrapped behind her back stroking her hair extremely lightly and slowly.
"When did you turn eighteen?"
Yingshi shuddered. That was not right. According to the timeline of her past and present lives, he should still be over thirty days away.
However, this bit of doubt could not even last three seconds before it was quickly washed away by a shameful joy. She only felt that her already high body temperature was suddenly ignited like a spark. The fire swept through her entire body, making her feel unbearably tingly and itchy.
But Shuangjian did not answer her again.
And strangely, she did not speak either.
A strange and tender silence fermented in the room, and before Yingshi knew it, she was already dripping with fragrant sweat.
She hadn't... asked for a kiss, nor had she thrown herself at him recklessly.
But why was Shuangjian getting closer and closer to her?
That unresolved proximity, that locked and focused gaze, made her heart tremble more than a direct touch ever could.
...Was a violent storm approaching?
She didn't know that her silent gaze was full of wordless demands, more entangling and irresistible than any spoken words.
She parted her lips to pant. The slight tremble of her lips with each breath was far too eye-catching, not to mention how she would occasionally dart out the tip of her tongue to moisten them—he had tasted their sweetness before, and at this moment, it was even more impossible for him to remain indifferent.
Later on, Shuangjian would find it hard to pinpoint the exact moment his reason completely fled.
His defenses crumbled silently.
At first, it was just the pressing of lips, careful and cherishing.
He paused there, holding his breath as he waited for her verdict, giving her one last chance to push him away.
But Yingshi did not push him away.
She closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling fiercely. Her hands, without her realizing when, climbed up to gently wrap around his shoulders.
The signal of consent was successfully received. And so, in the next second, that originally restrained touch suddenly deepened.
Shuangjian took her lower lip into his mouth. It was no longer a mere taste, but a lingering, grinding kiss filled with a sense of devouring.
The feverish heat brought on by the fox poison seemed to have found an outlet, ignited, catalyzed, and evaporated by this kiss, turning Yingshi into a burning cloud floating on rippling water.
Mmh...
She let out a few muffled whimpers, so inexperienced she was at a loss, only able to passively endure his increasingly deepening demands, allowing his scent to invade all her senses.
The hands that had been hugging his neck and shoulders gradually lost their strength and slid down limply, only to be caught by Shuangjian's single hand and gathered into his palm.
Shuangjian was kissing her.
Kissing her endlessly.
As if he wanted to become a part of her body through this long and deep kiss.
But his kissing skills were unexpectedly superb... How could this be? Where did he get this experience?
It was a seductive entanglement. Sometimes gently licking, sometimes heavily sucking. Yingshi could only respond instinctively. Her mouth was already filled with Shuangjian's faint fragrance, making her almost lack oxygen, yet she didn't want to pull away.
When Shuangjian pulled back, resting his forehead against hers to teach her how to breathe, she whimpered and chased after him to press their lips back together.
—The fox poison was acting up, violently acting up. She was about to die from the poison and had to be fiercely rescued to recover!
Yingshi reached back to grab Shuangjian's hand, mumbling a plea: Touch...
She didn't just want kisses; she wanted comforting touches.
Not only did he need to attend to her lips and tongue, but he also needed to attend to more parts of her body.
A familiar command.
Whether groggy or awake, or indulging in a half-dreaming state, her needs had always been these.
She craved skin-to-skin contact, craved his touch; was she also craving him himself?
In the dim light, Shuangjian broke the kiss once more. His lips were equally crimson and moist, and dark tides surged deep within his eyes as he stared at Yingshi unblinkingly.
At this moment, her face was flushed, her lips slightly swollen, and her chest heaved unsteadily. Though her eyes were hazy, he could accurately see his reflection in them.
Dissatisfied, she tried to press tightly against him, but Shuangjian didn't let her recklessly kiss him again. Instead, he maintained a restrained distance and asked her in a low voice: Will Yingshi regret this? Will you forget what happened tonight? Will you hate me from now on and forbid me from getting close to you?
Yingshi's head was spinning, but she also realized that if she didn't answer this question properly, she could forget about continuing to taste the sweetness of the beauty before her.
And the subject of his words hadn't used a vague pronoun, but accurately stated her name, as if asking for a weighty promise.
How could she regret it?
Although her probing was clumsy and low-level, far less tactful and decent than Teacher Xinmei's, she still got a result!
—Shuangjian liked her!
If he didn't like her, why would he kiss her?
Shuangjian clearly could have insisted on guarding outside. After all, wasn't the flare-up of the fox poison an incredibly ambiguous moment? Once involved, they could no longer be just innocent best friends... Yet he stayed.
Since she liked Shuangjian, and Shuangjian liked her too, how could being intimate with the person she liked be something worth regretting?
How could she forget, how could she consequently hate and distance herself from him?
She was too busy being happy, too busy enjoying it...
Yingshi shook her head vigorously, reaching out to grab Shuangjian's hand and clumsily placing it by her lips for a light peck.
She raised her tear-wet eyes and promised with a voice that was practically smoking from the heat: I like it when Shuangjian treats me like this... really.
But, she added, will Shuangjian ignore me tomorrow? Will you regret it?
...I won't.
He lowered his eyes, his thumb unconsciously brushing past the corner of her lips. The area moistened by their recent kiss was still warm and soft.
Then does Shuangjian have any other concerns in his heart? Yingshi tried hard to stay awake, widening her eyes, and lightly bit Shuangjian's finger in return.
...
Shuangjian's eyes flickered slightly. He didn't pull away the hand she was teasing, but smiled gently at her. With his other hand, he stroked her sweat-soaked bangs and leaned down. None.
He spoke softly in an indescribably gentle yet solemn tone: Yingshi, I won't go all the way to the final step... Neither the timing nor the location was suitable right now. ...But I will make you feel good.
After a brief separation, his kisses fell once more.
This time, it wasn't on her lips, but densely pressed against Yingshi's brows, temples, nose, and jawline, lingering on her sensitive earlobes and the side of her neck, bringing wave after wave of even more intense shudders.
He continued downward.
...
Outside the window, the moon had unknowingly and quietly moved past its zenith.
Fengmo Village remained as dead silent as ever, but in one corner of a dilapidated stone house, the intertwined breaths and heartbeats created an endless, ambiguous intimacy.
...
Yingshi's eyes were wet. Swallowing the end notes of a sob, she thought dazedly: It was one thing for Shuangjian to be so handsome, but to unexpectedly possess such astonishing intuition as the ultimate service-oriented personality...
How could anyone withstand this?
