Chapter 99: I’m Loving This

The animated film had finished, and in an instant the room fell utterly silent, making the sound of their breathing seem even louder, even more pronounced.

The dim, warm lamp cast a hazy glow over Qiao Zhen’s face, lending it a faint air of intimacy.

“Mm?” A blush rose to her fair cheeks, and a sheen of moisture glimmered on her rosy lips, like a freshly opened flower cradling morning dew. She was still slightly breathless.

Her long, smooth hair hung obediently over her chest, though a few strands remained tousled.

Dazed, and a little adorable.

Qin Yichi could not help curling his lips. One hand gripped her waist, the other cradled her small face, his rough thumb pressing against her soft lips and slowly rubbing them.

The touch was wet, still glistening with a bit of moisture.

He pinched her cheek as well and asked again, “Do you like it, when I kiss you like that?”

As fresh air returned to her lungs, Qiao Zhen finally came back to herself and quietly savored the kiss from moments before.

Did she like it?

In truth, she did. At the very least, in the midst of such a deep kiss, she could feel the other person’s fierce, surging love, as if she would gladly drown in it and never surface again.

Qiao Zhen’s hands rested on Qin Yichi’s shoulders. She gave a very small nod, then after a pause said, a little aggrieved, “But I couldn’t quite breathe...”

Qin Yichi chuckled wickedly and soothed her, “If you refuse to breathe, of course you’ll have trouble catching your breath. It’s fine. We can practice a few more times, and we’ll get the hang of it.”

As soon as he finished speaking, before Qiao Zhen could even reply, Qin Yichi lowered his head once more and took her trembling red lips into his mouth.

Perhaps because he had received Qiao Zhen’s affirmation that she liked it, Qin Yichi became even less restrained this time.

His palm pressed against the small of her back, and through the thin layer of her nightdress he slowly caressed her with unmistakable intention.

“Mn, no...” Qiao Zhen was most ticklish of all; her waist itched unbearably, and a plaintive whimper escaped her lips.

But every broken little sound was swallowed completely by Qin Yichi.

His fingertips continued to trace and tease at her waist.

The itch spread across her skin without end, like a feather’s light scratch, tender and numbingly tingling, making Qiao Zhen tremble involuntarily.

With each tiny stroke, she shivered once.

She was so ticklish it was unbearable. Her mind went blank, and she had no way to resist; her body only melted helplessly beneath him.

Seeing that she was having a little trouble breathing, Qin Yichi reluctantly stopped. His Adam’s apple rolled faintly, and his voice turned low and husky.

“Be good. Take a breath.”

At last, given a chance to rest, Qiao Zhen panted for air while burrowing into his shoulder and muttering muffledly, “Qin Yichi, don’t tickle me anymore.”

Qin Yichi patted her back and coaxed her gently, “All right. No more tickling.”

After that brief pause, Qin Yichi simply pressed Qiao Zhen into the sofa, seized both of her slender wrists with one hand, and lifted them above her head.

He bent down at an unhurried pace, leaving soft kisses that gradually peeled away the gentleness of his earlier manner.

Like a ravenous wolf, endlessly drawing nourishment from the girl’s mouth, greedy and cunning, his wicked nature laid bare at last.

Qiao Zhen was pinned beneath him on the sofa and kissed fiercely, while his hard, scorching body was pressed tightly against hers.

It was as though she had been thrown into a furnace; her temperature kept rising, and every cell in her body seemed ready to boil.

She could even feel the steady, powerful beat of Qin Yichi’s heart, thudding against hers, impossible to tell apart.

Her eyes were tinged pink at the corners. She narrowed them slightly and tried hard to savor it.

Yet before long, she became like a little boat on the sea, overturned completely by Qin Yichi’s surging love...

A clock hung on the wall, and its minute hand kept turning across the face, circling round and round.

After tasting her to his heart’s content, Qin Yichi finally lifted his head, breathing hard at his lips as well, looking terribly seductive.

Perfectly satisfied.

Still hovering close, he pinched Qiao Zhen’s chin and asked, “So? Do you like it still?”

Qiao Zhen’s cheeks were flushed pink, and the corners of her eyes were damp. For a moment, she did not know how to answer.

She pressed her lips together, her eyelashes fluttering lightly. Her neck and ears were even redder as she timidly tossed the question back at him.

“What about you? How did it feel?”

Qin Yichi’s chest rose and fell repeatedly. He curved his lips, his voice deeply intoxicating.

“I feel amazing.”

He was practically delighted beyond measure.

Hearing such an answer, Qiao Zhen silently covered her hot face. After a long while, she finally asked the thought that had been lingering in her heart.

“Why are you so good at kissing...”

It was clearly the first time for both of them to kiss like this, so how could he be so effortless?

Suddenly remembering something, Qiao Zhen lifted her eyes warily and questioned him in a small voice, “Qin Yichi, did you secretly practice?”

Qin Yichi let out an amused breath and leaned down over her. “Who else could I practice with besides you?”

This was obviously—

“Something I learned all by myself.”

The moment he kissed Qiao Zhen, it was as though some hidden meridian within him had been opened. Everything clicked at once, and his mind was filled only with the urge to devour more and more.

Qin Yichi had tasted the most delicious dessert in the world. In a very good mood, he lifted Qiao Zhen in a bridal carry and took her straight to the bed in the bedroom.

Patiently, he spread the blanket for her and squeezed her small hand. “I’m going to wash up again.”

“Hm?” Qiao Zhen looked up in confusion.

Soon, she understood something. After a brief pause, she suddenly buried the lower half of her face under the blanket. “Oh.”

Qin Yichi walked back into the bathroom and could not help glancing up at himself in the mirror.

Unfamiliar.

The roots of his ears were blazing red, and every inch of him seemed as though it had been soaked in a jar of honey.

Stained with her scent, her breath, her taste.

So soft, so sweet, so tempting.

As if he could never kiss her enough.

Qin Yichi lowered his dark eyes, unreadable in the dim light, glanced down at himself, and silently turned on the cold-water tap...

The night was deep as ink, the stars sparse, even the moon firmly concealed behind thick clouds. All was peaceful and still.

Qiao Zhen was very tired today, sleepy to the point of dozing off. Just as she was about to fall asleep, Qin Yichi came out of the bathroom and gathered her into his arms.

On the soft bed, Qiao Zhen gave a tiny, weak sound of protest to show her dissatisfaction.

Qin Yichi turned off all the lights, and the world before her was suddenly swallowed by darkness. He pressed close beside her and murmured, “Good night, Qiao Zhen.”

Qiao Zhen was lying with her back to him, buried under the blanket. She answered with a soft “Mm,” her voice muffled.

“Good night, Qin Yichi.”

The silence around them was profound, as though the whole world had gone to sleep.

Yet Qin Yichi himself was too excited to sleep.

This was the first time they had shared a bed. It felt as though even the distance between their souls had grown closer.

But not long after, Qiao Zhen suddenly shifted to the side. Frowning, Qin Yichi immediately became alert and moved closer after her.

“...”

Qiao Zhen moved once more toward the edge of the bed, and he followed again, wrapping his arms around her.

In the end, Qiao Zhen nearly fell off the bed.

Helpless, she turned around and poked Qin Yichi’s face, coaxing him like a child. “Let’s hook our fingers together, but stay a little farther apart, okay? I’m a little hot.”

Mostly because Qin Yichi was simply too hot, like a burning sun. The moment she drew near him, Qiao Zhen felt as though she might evaporate.

Hearing this, Qin Yichi’s lips turned down in a somewhat aggrieved way, and he silently moved back, leaving her some space.

Under the covers, their index fingers remained childishly hooked together.

Time passed slowly. Qin Yichi could feel Qiao Zhen’s breathing grow even and steady; she had fallen into deep sleep.

Even asleep, Qiao Zhen was very obedient. Like a small animal, she turned over and inched closer to him bit by bit, determined to burrow into his arms.

As if she took him for her own warm little nest.

Especially adorable.

At last, Qin Yichi’s lips slowly lifted, and he reached out to gather her gently into his embrace.

Like a giant shell holding a pearl safely within its body...