Chapter 97: Girlfriend, Give Me a Reward

When Qiao Zhen was lying against Qin Yichi’s back, her mind was full of that one sentence:

Tonight, I’ll teach you how to kiss.

She lowered her head in silence, burying her face against his right shoulder, and said in a muffled voice, “...Haven’t we already kissed?”

In the stairwell.

That had been their first kiss.

But after that, Qin Yichi had turned into a woodpecker, often dipping his head to peck her lips and cheeks.

And every time he finished, he would pinch her cheek and praise her at the same time: “How can you be this cute?”

So bad.

Qin Yichi straightened slightly and bounced her on his back before continuing up the stairs step by step.

“That was only brushing lips. It doesn’t count as a real kiss.”

Better to tell her early, so she could prepare herself.

The girl behind him fell silent, pressing her face to his shoulder and saying nothing, only slowly tightening her arms around his neck.

That was agreement.

Qin Yichi was in a very good mood, his pace quickening while his body remained steady.

Even though he could not see Qiao Zhen’s expression while carrying her, he could easily imagine the faint blush on her cheeks.

After a very long while, a soft voice finally drifted to his ear.

“Okay.”

She was unbearably obedient.

Qin Yichi’s throat bobbed, and his breathing grew a little rough.

If one day he really swallowed this little rabbit whole, she would probably only worry and say, “Careful not to choke on it.”

Halfway up, they could look down and see lush trees below, sunlight spilling through the tangled branches in scattered flecks.

Far in the distance, lofty mountains rose and fell in layers; nearby, a clear stream flowed and shimmered, painting a quiet and graceful ink-wash scene.

Along the way, many strangers watched them.

Carrying someone up a mountain on one’s back was simply too eye-catching.

Lying against Qin Yichi’s back, Qiao Zhen could feel the gazes of many couples fall on her.

Beside them, a beautiful older sister wore an envious look and immediately turned to the boy next to her. “Look at other people’s boyfriends!”

The boy was drenched in sweat, his face miserable, nearly in tears. “Honey, you don’t want your husband to break both legs while he’s still young, do you? Boo-hoo...”

The mountain steps were not very steep, so the climb was fairly steady.

Qiao Zhen felt bad about it and poked his cheek with her index finger.

“Qin Yichi, aren’t you tired? Put me down.”

“Tired?” Qin Yichi didn’t even slow his steps, as though he had just heard a joke, and gave a soft laugh.

“Are you looking down on your boyfriend that much? Carrying you for three or four round trips would still be easy. Don’t worry, my usual physical training is way harder than this.”

Besides, he really, really liked carrying Qiao Zhen.

It gave him a sense of accomplishment, of being relied on and needed.

Just as Qiao Zhen was about to say something, Qin Yichi spoke again.

“And you’re carrying a bag while I’m carrying you. Isn’t that fair and reasonable?”

Qiao Zhen: ?

She buried her face again. “All right, then.”

It wasn’t as though she had never witnessed his stamina before.

It was strong. Extremely strong.

Ever since middle school and high school, at every sports meet Qin Yichi had always swept the awards: first in long-distance running, first in long jump, first in high jump—he seemed to come first at everything.

What she remembered most clearly was one relay race. He ran the final leg and, starting from fourth place, surged all the way to first. The whole stadium cheered. Even after running a thousand meters in the fitness test, this man still looked lively and full of energy.

As she thought about it, Qiao Zhen’s mind grew chaotic with all sorts of stray thoughts, and then a fierce sense of crisis suddenly surged up.

Then if... in the future, Qin Yichi pinned her to the bed, wouldn’t that mean...

Help!!

When they were nearly at the summit, Qin Yichi shamelessly said,

“If my girlfriend feels bad for me, could I get a little reward?”

Qiao Zhen had her arms around his neck and blinked.

A little reward...

She secretly looked left and right. Seeing that no one was paying them any attention, she suddenly leaned in and quietly kissed the right side of Qin Yichi’s ear.

Thinking it wasn’t enough, she leaned in again and kissed him once more, producing a very soft smack, and asked, “Is that reward okay?”

Qin Yichi’s steps stuttered slightly, and a low, sultry hum rolled up from deep in his chest.

He looked casual and at ease, but—

The base of his ear visibly turned red, so red it seemed ready to bleed.

Qiao Zhen, as though discovering something amusing, brightened. “Qin Yichi, your ears are so red.”

“...”

She kept observing him. “And the right side is red a lot more than the left.”

She had kissed the right ear.

By the time Qin Yichi reached the summit, he sighed and finally admitted:

Because it likes you.

It liked hearing Qiao Zhen’s voice. It liked hearing her sing. It even liked hearing her fragmented little whimpers.

So it would turn red for her, and only for her.

The air at the mountain top in the afternoon was fresh, as if the soul itself had been washed clean, leaving one refreshed and at peace.

The two of them visited the temple together and hung a wish plaque on the ancient tree of fate and marriage, each writing half a sentence so that together they formed a complete one:

May there be years to look back on, and may we grow old together with deep devotion and affection.

A breeze passed through, and the wish plaques and red ribbons among the branches began to dance.

When the dappled light fell upon them, they seemed even more mysterious and dazzling; the red ribbons looked like leaping flames, flickering endlessly.

Beneath the tree, Qiao Zhen held Qin Yichi’s hand, and an unprecedented feeling of contentment and happiness surged through her heart.

It was sweet, so sweet, a thousand times sweeter than the little rabbit sugar figure she had just eaten.

...

After spending the entire afternoon out, Qiao Zhen had worked up a slight sweat. After dinner, the moment they returned to the guesthouse, she went into the bathroom to shower.

They had booked a room with a large double bed, and the whole room exuded a gentle, romantic air.

Qiao Zhen closed her eyes. Just thinking that she would soon truly be kissing Qin Yichi made her heart race wildly.

When she came out of the bathroom, she was wearing a white nightdress. She shuffled over to Qin Yichi in small steps and sat down on the soft sofa, her whole body stiff with reserve.

Qin Yichi smiled, rubbed her head, and patted her back. “Be good. Relax. It won’t happen that fast.”

His voice was husky, and he added, “Later, I’ll make you feel good.”

Qiao Zhen always felt like there was something off about his words.

Qin Yichi pointed at the small cake and milk tea on the table. “Eat a little first. I’m going to shower.”

It looked as though this man intended to savor the night properly and taste her slowly.

Qiao Zhen lowered her head to eat the strawberry cake and took a sip of the bubble tea, feeling like every second was a torment.

She was both expectant and nervous.

At last, Qin Yichi came out wearing dark pajamas, the collar slightly open, his collarbones faintly visible, making his wildness and aggression even more apparent.

His eyes were deep and black, unruly and languid, and his lips curved with a smile that was not quite a smile, his whole person radiating danger.

Like a wolf in the desert.

Qiao Zhen instinctively leaned back.

But the next second, Qin Yichi walked over, reached out, and drew her into his burning embrace, asking in a low voice,

“Ready?”