Si Mingjing ruthlessly pried the man’s imprisoning hands apart, one finger at a time. With each finger she released, the man’s brow furrowed deeper, as if accusing her of being heartless.
Finally, she broke completely free.
Si Mingjing fled in a panic.
As she opened the door, Ye Shen, who was leaning against the outer wall chewing a mint, looked at her. "Miss Si, how did it go?"
"He should be much better now. There won’t be any issues tonight. And don’t you dare knock on my door again, or I’ll give you a dose of poison that will leave you without descendants!" Si Mingjing’s tone was suddenly incredibly ferocious.
Ye Shen, taken aback by her outburst, noticed her flushed face. "Miss Si, why is your face so red?" he asked, curious.
Si Mingjing quickly darted away, ignoring Ye Shen completely.
Even though her Dragon Horns were hidden, the man had touched them for quite a while, and now her body was thrumming with an almost uncontrollable restlessness.
Damn it, I need to hurry back for a cold shower! she thought. It’s true, after the second maturation, my Dragon Horns can’t just be touched carelessly!
「The main villa, Mo Yinhe’s bedroom.」
Ye Shen raised his hands, swearing, "Brother! I swear on my life, I’ve been in your bedroom the entire time! There was absolutely no woman here! You must be delirious from the fever!"
Mo Yinhe’s fever hadn’t subsided, but his mind was clear. He sat imposing on the bed and drank two glasses of water to rehydrate. Then, pointing to the bite mark on his shoulder, he asked, "You bit me?"
Ye Shen was speechless. Has Miss Si gone mad? he thought, rubbing his forehead hard. Daring to bite my brother, and in such an intimate place! It looks just like a hickey!
Afraid that Mo Yinhe would strangle Si Mingjing, Ye Shen refused to change his story. Bracing himself, he said, "Brother, I didn’t mean to bite you..."
"It was your sister-in-law!"
"What?" Ye Shen hadn’t finished speaking when he abruptly looked up, his dark eyes wide.
Mo Yinhe’s grip on the water glass tightened. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said with conviction, "Your sister-in-law’s scent is in the air."
Ye Shen was dumbfounded again. His brother’s brain really must be fried from the fever!
This is lovesickness manifesting as delusion...
The only scent in the air is probably the sour smell of my brother’s sweat!
"It’s dragon pheromones. Your sister-in-law emits this scent every time she’s aroused," Mo Yinhe said pensively.
Ye Shen was at a loss for words.
Mo Yinhe suddenly found Ye Shen’s presence irritating. Whether his brain was addled by fever or he was hallucinating from missing her too intensely, he said, "Get out. Don’t pollute the air."
Damn, a critical hit! Ye Shen thought.
I shouldn’t take it to heart, Ye Shen told himself. He’s just a terminally lovesick widower!
"For ten years, life and death have kept us far apart; though I try not to dwell on it, forgetting is impossible," Ye Shen muttered, reciting the ancient poem as he sighed and walked out.
After Ye Shen left, Mo Yinhe sat on the bed like a statue. He thought of nothing, simply sitting quietly, repeating two actions: inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale...
Is it a hallucination, or is it real? he wondered.
Half an hour later, Mo Yinhe slipped on his slippers and went downstairs.
The soles of his light blue slippers were worn through, but he couldn’t bear to throw them away and wore them every day.
Another pair of slippers rested under the bed, a matching set to the blue ones he wore. Though they hadn’t been worn in a long time, they were still laid out side-by-side with his every day.
It was as if the mistress of the house still resided in this room.
Downstairs, Mo Yinhe headed to the kitchen.
The evening light streamed through the window, emphasizing the long night. It also cast the tall, elegant silhouette of Mo Yinhe standing before the kitchen counter, looking somewhat desolate.
He prepared a late-night snack alone, a cigarette held between two fingers—unsmoked, merely lit and left to burn.
He had reached a conclusion.