Chapter 73: She! Likes! Qin Yichi!

Outside the window, the pouring rain fell like threads of silver, cascading down in endless streams. Raindrops struck the glass with heavy, muffled thuds.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Qiao Zhen agreed instinctively, “Alright.”

After all, there was really nothing she could do when it came to him.

Qiao Zhen went to the kitchen to fetch a spoon, scooped up a spoonful of honey water, and bent down to feed him, her voice unconsciously softening as she coaxed gently:

“Be good, open your mouth.”

She sounded just like she was coaxing a child from kindergarten.

She wore a beige nightgown, and as she leaned forward to feed him, a large expanse of her snowy skin was inadvertently revealed, though she herself remained oblivious—

Unaware of how enticing she looked;
Unaware that she was a little white rabbit being watched by a hungry wolf.

The faint scent of jasmine shower gel drifted from her, delicate and sweet, quietly filling the air.

The grievance in Qin Yichi’s eyes vanished in an instant, replaced by a deep, surging darkness—his gaze grew intense, almost predatory...

His eyes lingered at her collar for two seconds before his Adam’s apple bobbed, and his ears grew visibly redder.

He quickly lowered his gaze, obediently opening his mouth.

Qiao Zhen coaxed him, spoonful after spoonful, watching as faint starlight seemed to flicker in her eyes. She couldn’t help but smile.

Qin Yichi, when drunk, was so well-behaved! So pure! So adorable!

Who on earth thought he looked fierce?

After feeding him a cup of honey water, Qiao Zhen used a towel to gently wipe the rain from his face, her movements tender and careful, as if she were handling a precious piece of porcelain.

Suddenly, she blinked and leaned in to study his ear.

“Hm? Your ears are so red...”

As she bent closer, the curve of her white chest was on full display—impossible to ignore, strikingly alluring. Qin Yichi’s ears reddened even further.

Qiao Zhen, as if discovering a new world, reached out and pinched his earlobe, her eyes full of innocent curiosity.

His ear twitched, and he turned slightly away. A flush crept from his neck to his cheeks as he muttered in a low, muffled voice:

“Don’t touch me anymore...”

Though his voice was steady, his tone sounded oddly like he was acting spoiled.

Watching the spreading blush on his neck and ears, Qiao Zhen became even more convinced he was truly drunk.

Only someone drunk would flush so red!

She tentatively waggled a pale finger in front of his eyes, then pointed at herself, pursing her lips and asking softly:

“Qin Yichi, who am I?”

He tilted his head, eyes half-closed, long lashes casting shadows that hid his expression. There was a lazy air about him, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.

A long moment passed, yet he remained silent.

Qiao Zhen thought better of it—he probably didn’t even know who he was right now, let alone recognize her.

Wait!

Didn’t that mean... she could do anything she wanted?

Two tiny figures suddenly popped up in her mind.

[Devil Zhen] grinned wickedly: “Quick! Strip him! While he’s out of his senses, touch whatever you want! He won’t remember a thing anyway!”

Beside her, [Angel Zhen] stared wide-eyed, cheeks flushed with outrage: “That’s wrong! QWQ, you can’t do that! That’s improper! You’re being bad!”

...

Startled by her own wicked thoughts, Qiao Zhen’s delicate earlobes flushed pink, and her cheeks grew hot.

How did it come to this?

She clenched her fists and shook her head, hanging it in defeat.

Since when had she become so greedy for Qin Yichi...

Massaging her temples in distress, Qiao Zhen finally reached out to take off his clothes.

The heater was blowing warm air through the room. She took off his puffer jacket, planning to tuck him into bed so he wouldn’t catch a cold.

Just then, Qin Yichi, head drooping and eyes closed as if in a dream, murmured:

“Hug.”

His voice was hoarse, low, lingering.

Qiao Zhen’s fingers tightened, and for a moment, even her breath caught.

A hug?

She hesitated for two or three seconds, her face tense with deliberation.

After a long moment, she mustered her courage, shifting closer, and gently wrapped her arms around him.

It felt like hugging a giant plush dog at home.

Keeping her eyes down, she dared not look at him, simply nestling her face into his shoulder, not even sure why she was doing this.

She just wanted to hold him a little longer.

He was drunk, after all. She was only granting him a small request.

Surely that didn’t count as taking advantage of him...

The man’s body stiffened abruptly, his breathing roughening. His lips parted, and he mumbled two indistinct words.

Leaning against his shoulder, Qiao Zhen finally caught what he was saying.

It wasn’t “hug,” but—

“Baby.”

Qiao Zhen’s eyes widened as she jerked upright and quickly let go, feeling mortified and awkward, touching her nose guiltily.

Oh no, so he wasn’t asking for a hug at all; he was just babbling nonsense in his drunken stupor!

All of it—everything—was just her wishful thinking...

Qiao Zhen slapped her own cheeks to clear her head, regaining her composure.

She grabbed Qin Yichi’s arm, looped it around her neck, and dragged him to the bedroom.

His arm was heavy and warm, like a hot potato, impossible to ignore.

Determined, Qiao Zhen gritted her teeth, intent on dumping this drunken fool on the bed and making a quick escape.

She pushed open the door. Qin Yichi’s bedroom was clean and tidy, decorated in minimalist black, gray, and white, the air fresh and crisp.

The only jarring note was the nightstand.

It was crammed with little plush toys she’d once given him—brightly colored, playful, completely out of place in the otherwise austere room.

They shuffled slowly to the bedside.

Qiao Zhen was so focused on Qin Yichi that as she lowered him, her knee slammed hard into the bedframe.

Her leg buckled, sending her sprawling forward, losing balance and falling out of control.

Like a tree with its trunk chopped, she toppled straight down.

“Ah!”

Qiao Zhen squeezed her eyes shut, unable to react in time.

In the very next moment, she landed in an utterly overbearing position, pinning Qin Yichi completely beneath her, both of them sinking deep into the soft mattress.

Qiao Zhen’s heart nearly exploded, her mind going blank, leaving only a single thought:

Her cheek seemed to be pressed against something soft and warm, like a feather.

The man’s heated breath enveloped her, rippling across her skin.

Dazed, she opened her eyes, pupils contracting sharply.

Her face... was pressed to Qin Yichi’s lips.

The warm, pliant sensation was like an electric current, shooting through her, tingling all the way to her fingertips and toes, setting every nerve alight.

Which meant...

Qin Yichi had kissed her face!

Her heart skipped a beat, then thundered wildly in her chest, pounding so loud it drowned out everything else, until—

With a bang, it was as if fireworks erupted inside her, brilliant and dazzling against the darkness.

She sprang up like a jack-in-the-box, clutching her right cheek.

Her face flamed scarlet, as if it might bleed, and her clear almond eyes shimmered with tears of shock and disbelief.

She was completely stunned.

Night had deepened, the world shrouded in hazy moonlight. Rain poured down outside like a waterfall, drumming relentlessly against the windows.

The room fell instantly silent, save for the sound of steady breathing echoing in her ears.

Qin Yichi seemed to have fallen fast asleep, showing no reaction at all.

His profile was sharp and handsome, eyes closed, long lashes casting delicate shadows that hid the tiny, bewitching mole beside his eye.

Qiao Zhen hurriedly tucked him in, switched off the light, and fled the scene as if for her life, rushing back to her own apartment.

Oh, help!

All the way, she could feel her emotions churning.

It was as if a little deer were running wild in her heart, crashing again and again against her ribs.

Thump—thump—

A reaction she’d never felt before, not even when facing Ji Xian...

She dashed into her own bathroom and turned on the tap, splashing cold water on her face.

The icy water prickled her skin and jolted every nerve in her brain.

After a few silent minutes, she raised her head, staring seriously at her reflection in the mirror, but her heart was still racing.

At that moment, Qiao Zhen realized she could no longer deceive herself.

Long ago, she’d planted a secret seed in her heart. Nurtured by his gentle care, it had taken root, grown tall, even blossomed and borne fruit—sweet and tart.

But because she’d once been hurt so deeply, abandoned and treated coldly, she’d always avoided the truth, too timid to face it, too afraid to admit it. But deep down, she’d known for a long, long time:

She liked Qin Yichi.

She liked Qin Yichi!