Qu Yue's delicate fingertips touched the man's gentle neck. The artery hidden beneath it beat steadily, yet somehow gave off a cold feeling.
Her beautiful eyes trembled even more violently. She instinctively tried to pull her hand back.
As soon as she made a move, she was forcefully held down by Xie Qichi.
His slender fingers intertwined with hers, guiding her hand to press harder and harder on his own throat.
But he was also extremely careful to avoid the palm of her hand that had just been medicated, only using his fingers to exert force.
"Don't..."
Qu Yue never expected that he would actually do this. The pulsation under her palm became clearer and faster, scaring her pale.
Especially when she saw the redness rising on Xie Qichi's fair face, she desperately tried to pull her hand back.
"Let! Let go of me!"
She struggled fiercely and even started to kick Xie Qichi's leg with her feet, but the harder she struggled, the tighter he pressed.
Due to the lack of oxygen, his voice became a bit hoarse.
He was smiling, and asked Qu Yue with a smile, "Are you still angry?"
Qu Yue could clearly feel his increasingly weak pulse. Frightened, she immediately shook her head and said, "I'm not angry anymore! I'm not angry anymore!"
Only then did Xie Qichi let go of her.
Qu Yue immediately retracted her hand behind her back and hid it. Her heart was pounding violently against her chest. Her short, rapid breaths indicated that she was still in shock.
There was no trace of color on her delicate face. Her small nostrils fluttered rapidly, and her lips were tightly pursed.
She was scared but obedient and submissive, looking extremely charming. Xie Qichi couldn't help but reach out his hand and gently pinch her cheek.
"Yuanyuan, you're so good."
She flinched and dodged his touch.
Xie Qichi's hand missed its target. His slanting phoenix eyes narrowed slightly as he said, "Tell me, if you were even half as obedient as you are now before, and followed me as whole - heartedly as you followed Mu Yuan, would your life be different from what it is now?"
Qu Yue hadn't yet recovered from the shock. The warmth of Xie Qichi still remained on her palm. She quickly shook her head and said, "I, a commoner woman, wouldn't dare! I've never had any improper thoughts about Your Majesty!"
The woman's hasty explanation sounded particularly harsh to Xie Qichi's ears.
He was like a python locking in on its prey. There was a cold glint in his eyes, and he squeezed out two words from his thin lips.
"Never?"
Qu Yue remembered clearly that Xie Qichi had summoned her today to verify her true feelings for Mu Yuan, so she nodded repeatedly.
A moment's delay would be a disrespect to her own life.
Xie Qichi's whole face darkened. He sneered and propped himself up on the edge of the bed.
The embroidery on his black imperial robe was magnificent, making the jasper buckle around his waist even more eye - catching.
Qu Yue's gaze was instantly drawn to it.
Her pink lips moved for a long time, but due to the timidity caused by what had just happened, she didn't dare to ask if he was the one that night.
She knew all too well that this was clearly the best opportunity.
Xie Qichi felt an excessive tightness in his chest because of Qu Yue's nod. When he lowered his eyes, he saw her watery eyes fixed on his waist.
He followed her gaze.
He said sinisterly, "Do you like this jade pendant very much?"
Qu Yue suddenly closed her eyes. Her eyelids trembled with fear, and she shrank back beside the bed. "No, no!"
But Xie Qichi didn't intend to let her off easily. "Then why were you staring at it?"
Qu Yue's mouth went dry. "I just thought it was very beautiful..."
Her mind was blank. She had no idea how to probe.
Her delicate face was full of confusion. Her curly eyelashes fluttered, adding to her charm.
She was so beautiful.
Xie Qichi couldn't control his desire to get closer to her any longer. He walked towards the bed again, leaned over, and got closer to Qu Yue.
A faint fragrance wafted into his nostrils. His Adam's apple rolled slightly. "Then I'll give it to you. How about that?"
"How could I accept Your Majesty's things..."
Qu Yue didn't know why he suddenly came back. Her eyes were wide open. Although she looked vigilant, it somehow made people's hearts soften.
After she finished speaking, thinking that she had just accepted Xie Qichi's reward, she quickly added, "Unless it's for my husband."
The woman's bright and beautiful lips opened and closed, but none of the words she said were pleasant to hear.
Xie Qichi sneered. "You really can't have it."
He stared into Qu Yue's eyes. The cold, suffocating feeling enveloped her.
Then, she heard him say in a cold tone, "No one has ever touched it before."
This chill, along with the man's breath, attached itself to her skin and seeped into her flesh.
No one had ever touched it.
So he wasn't the one that night.
Right?
Qu Yue shivered.
Even she didn't know if she should be relieved or disappointed.
She hid all the confusing emotions in her heart and obediently nodded. "I... I'll be well - behaved."
"Be well - behaved?" Seeing that she still looked innocent, Xie Qichi suddenly felt a sense of helplessness. He couldn't beat her, scold her, or get angry with her.
Clearly that night -
So, was he just a pastime for her to miss Mu Yuan?
Qu Yue was cornered by him on the bed. She propped herself up on the bed board. The wound on her hand began to hurt. Finally, she couldn't bear it anymore and said, "Your Majesty, I..."
"Um!"
Before she could finish her sentence.
Her mouth was suddenly covered.
Qu Yue opened her eyes in surprise. She incredulously shifted her gaze and saw that Xie Qichi had somehow stretched out a finger and pressed it against her lips.
That finger restlessly rubbed against her lips.
The soft lips pressed against the hard teeth, inevitably causing a bit of pain.
Xie Qichi was also quite surprised.
There were many ways to make Qu Yue shut up, but he just chose this one.
The woman's lips were very easy to knead, like pushing soft clay.
Gradually, he was no longer satisfied with just kneading. He stretched out another finger and pinched the bead of flesh in the middle of Qu Yue's upper lip.
It was round and full. Pinching it was like...
Qu Yue was stunned.
She never expected that things would turn out like this.
The man's slightly cool fingertips rolled the bead of flesh on her lip, and her cheeks gradually turned red.
The pain in her palm woke her up. She turned her head to avoid Xie Qichi's hand. Her eyes were red. "Okay! That's enough!"
She originally wanted to slap Xie Qichi in the face.
But thinking about her current status, she silently retracted her hand.
Xie Qichi rubbed his hand and withdrew it to his side.
But he got even closer to Qu Yue, almost sticking his whole body to hers. "Sorry, I lost my composure."
This kind of behavior had already exceeded the normal boundaries between a man and a woman.
His breathing was slightly trembling. "You can make any request you want."
There was a hint of expectation in his words that even he himself didn't notice.
As long as Qu Yue asked him to take her back to the palace, he would definitely do it.
His usually calm phoenix eyes were like a sky full of stars, filled with tiny hopes.
Qu Yue opened her lips slightly, and his heart tightened suddenly.
"Can you stay for dinner tonight?"
The woman carefully observed his expression. Her soft, almost pleading words shot through his brain like an electric current.
Xie Qichi's chest surged uncontrollably. His eyes were extremely bright. "Did you, yourself, invite me?"
Qu Yue didn't understand what he meant by this question. She slowly nodded her chin. "Yes."
Xie Qichi smiled.
So, she didn't completely ignore what had happened that night in the mourning hall.
She wanted him to stay for dinner.
According to the regulations of the Great Yan Dynasty, those who stayed for dinner on the day of the deceased's grand burial must be immediate relatives and family members within three generations.
Was she indirectly acknowledging that Mu Qing had adopted her as a foster daughter?
Xie Qichi couldn't stop the corners of his lips from rising.
She was so stupid. She could have just directly asked him to take her away, but instead, she had to go through this formality.
The proud and noble emperor nodded condescendingly. "Well, I'll reluctantly agree."