Qinian stopped staring at the door and turned to look at her.
“Just now, my brother and I were over by the infirmary when we heard something going on here. We figured you’d come over.”
“We were going to come find you together, but my brother found something—looks like some of the Bai family’s experimental records from a few years ago. He’s looking through them, so he asked me to come find you first.”
Experimental records?
The Bai family’s east wing really did seem to be where they stored old things.
She was just about to ask more when the floor lamp behind her suddenly gave off a burst of static.
Bzzzt—
The floor lamp flickered back to life, as if its connection had been faulty.
The moment the light came on, the rustling sound outside the door retreated as though scalded. The wet, soft scraping sound quickly vanished along the wall and disappeared deep into the corridor.
Qinian let out a breath of relief, and the flame leaping in his palm went out.
“The monsters in this restricted zone are seriously annoying.”
He clicked his tongue softly.
“If you’ve got the guts, come out and fight me head-on.”
A moment ago, it had been pretty obvious who was so frightened that his whole body had gone rigid.
Jiang Nuan held back a laugh and shook the hand he was still gripping.
“All right, hero.”
“Give me my hand back before you start talking about fighting.”
Qinian lowered his gaze to their joined hands.
Not only did he not let go, he tightened his fingers and held her even more firmly.
Jiang Nuan raised an eyebrow. “Qinian?”
“Mm.”
Qinian answered lazily, still showing no intention of releasing her.
Not only did he refuse to let go, he took two steps closer.
As he moved forward, he blocked most of the light.
That usually flamboyant face dipped slightly, a few strands of black hair falling over his forehead.
“Nuannuan.”
He gave her hand a little shake.
“That really scared me just now.”
His voice was low, with a hint of grievance.
Jiang Nuan stared at Qinian for several seconds before finally being amused into laughter.
“Weren’t you just saying that you’d burn it to a crisp the moment it came out?”
“Being scared and burning it aren’t mutually exclusive, are they?” Qinian lifted an eyebrow, not feeling the least bit conflicted.
It was, in fact, a perfectly reasonable argument, and Jiang Nuan found herself unable to refute it.
She raised her other hand and ruffled his hair.
Qinian’s hair was rather stiff and prickly to the touch. Once she had mussed it up, though, it made that outrageously attractive face of his look a little more obedient.
“All right.”
She softened her voice.
“Since that thing’s disappeared for now, let’s go find Qi Sui and meet up with him.”
Qinian looked practically ready to wag his tail.
He was just about to nod when his gaze passed over Jiang Nuan’s shoulder and landed on the easel nearby.
He stopped abruptly.
Jiang Nuan followed his line of sight.
Several portraits that had not fallen were still resting on the easel.
Every one of them depicted her.
Qinian’s lips pulled downward, and his face immediately fell.
He released Jiang Nuan’s hand, walked over to the easel, and pulled out the remaining portraits.
“What are these?”
Jiang Nuan did not want to explain Bai Siyuan in detail here, so she answered vaguely, “They might have been left behind when I was at the Bai family’s residence.”
Qinian put the portraits back where they had been, his voice carrying a distinctly aggrieved, muttering tone.
“Someone else drew your portrait. I’m unhappy.”
Jiang Nuan’s nerves, which had been taut ever since she entered the restricted zone, were thoroughly amused by his tone.
“Then what do you want to do about it?”
She leaned against the edge of the desk and looked at him with a half-smile.
Qinian turned around.
Once again, he bent slightly toward her and tapped his lips with one finger.
“Kiss me.”
Jiang Nuan: “…”
He really did dare to ask.
“Kiss me, and I won’t be mad anymore.”
Qinian leaned a little closer, a smile returning to his eyes.
“Pretty good deal, right?”
Jiang Nuan looked at the face so close to hers.
To be honest, Qinian’s eyes were unfairly beautiful, especially when he focused on someone. The warmth in them was almost unbearably intense.
An idea suddenly occurred to Jiang Nuan. She fought desperately to keep the corners of her mouth from rising and beckoned him with one finger.
“Lower.”
Qinian’s eyes lit up at once.
He immediately bent down cooperatively.
“Close your eyes,” Jiang Nuan said.
He did not hesitate for even half a second.
The moment he closed his eyes, the corners of his lips were already beginning to curl upward.
Jiang Nuan looked at his expectant expression and raised both hands.
The next second, she grabbed Qinian’s cheeks and pulled them hard in opposite directions.
“Mm—”
Qinian opened his eyes.
Looking at his face, slightly distorted by her fingers, Jiang Nuan finally burst out laughing.
“Still mad?”
“Jiang Nuan.”
With his cheeks stretched, Qinian called her by her full name, his words muffled.
“Hmm?”
“You tricked me.”
“All’s fair in war.”
“Fine.”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Jiang Nuan suddenly had a bad feeling.
Before she could follow her instincts and retreat, Qinian seized her wrist.
Her vision spun.
Qinian took a step forward, slipped one arm around her waist, and pulled her directly into his embrace.
Jiang Nuan’s lower back bumped against another easel.
The stand wobbled, and the sheets of paper bearing still-life paintings slid off and scattered across the floor.
“Qinian!”
“You tricked me first.”
He lowered his head and moved closer.
The tips of their noses were almost touching, and his hot breath fell across the side of Jiang Nuan’s face.
“That one just now doesn’t count,” Qinian said in a low voice.
Before Jiang Nuan could respond, his warm lips brushed past her ear.
Her shoulders trembled as though an electric current had skimmed across her skin.
Sensing her reaction, Qinian pressed his palm against the small of her back and pulled her even closer.
His kisses slowly traveled down from her ear.
They brushed along the side of her neck.
At last, they came to rest on her collarbone.
Jiang Nuan’s breathing grew uneven. She pushed at Qinian’s chest.
“Qi Sui is still waiting for us.”
Through the black combat uniform, her palm felt the firm rise and fall of his chest.
Even through the fabric, she could feel the contours of the muscles beneath it, lifting and falling with every breath.
“Forget him.”
Qinian kept his face buried against the side of her neck, not lifting his head.
His voice was muffled and, astonishingly, carried a trace of genuine grievance.
“I haven’t kissed you in so long.”
“Nuannuan, I missed you so much.”
They had been apart for less than an hour, yet the way he said it made their reunion sound like one after a long separation.
The hand Jiang Nuan had been braced against him gradually lost its strength.
Her palm slid downward over the combat uniform until it rested against his taut waist and abdomen.
The feel of him was too good. She could not help herself and gave him a squeeze through the fabric.
Qinian’s breathing stopped short, and even his voice changed.
“Nuannuan…”
Jiang Nuan realized belatedly what she had just done and immediately tried to pull her hand away.
But it was already too late.
Qinian sucked in a breath, and his arms tightened around her at once.
He supported the side of her thigh and lifted her, hooking her leg around his waist.
Jiang Nuan lost her footing and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.
The scattered sheets of paper were crushed beneath his boots, producing faint scraping sounds.
“I really like you, Nuannuan.” Qinian rested his forehead against hers, his gaze astonishingly hot.
Jiang Nuan’s heartbeat grew faster and faster.
“Qinian…”
But the moment she began to speak, his scorching kiss silenced her once more.
Jiang Nuan’s back pressed against the easel, her nose filled with his scent and warmth.
The easel wobbled again, and the last few portraits slid to the floor.
Qinian suddenly stopped.
The next second, he let out a pained hiss.
“Ah—”
Jiang Nuan opened her eyes. “What’s wrong?”
Qinian did not answer. He lowered his forehead into the hollow of her shoulder and panted several times before finally gritting out,
“My brother’s calling me.”
*
Using the desk lamp in the infirmary, Qi Sui was reading through a stack of experimental records in front of him.
Suddenly, he raised a hand and touched his lower lip.
A familiar, intoxicating warmth lingered at the corner of his mouth.
Next came the younger brother’s heartbeat, clearly thrown off its rhythm.
Along with emotions so scorching hot they were almost impossible to conceal.
Qi Sui’s fingers paused at the edge of the experiment report.
“Nian Nian,” he murmured to himself.
“This is off-limits.”
A moment later, more sensations came through the shared connection.
Qi Sui closed his eyes, his breathing turning ragged.
He let out a strained breath. After a few seconds of silence, he bit down hard on his lower lip.
His teeth broke the skin, and the faint taste of blood spread through his mouth.
Through the shared connection, the pain reached the other side in an instant.
The next moment, he felt his brother’s movements come to a halt.
Qi Sui released his lower lip, now marked with a faint bite wound, and curved his eyes into a gentle smile.
Good.
Nian Nian, Nuannuan—you should finally be coming back.
Qi Sui lowered his gaze to one of the pages of the report.
In the column labeled “Subject’s Name,” someone had repeatedly dragged a pen across the words, nearly tearing through the paper.
Yet beneath the scratches, two familiar characters were still faintly visible.
