Chapter 315: Marked in Just One Night
The fabric covering her face loosened with her movement and slipped off. Their eyes met, catching them off guard.
Her breath hitched. Jiang Qingli could clearly see her reflection in the young man’s eyes, and the hazy, captivated look he wore because of her.
"Untie them for me."
Repeating the words, Xie Youchen stared into her eyes as he spoke.
Just as when he used to teach her anything, his voice was deep, slow, and gentle, possessing a sense of rightness that was hard to refuse.
Jiang Qingli faintly realized she wasn’t facing a mindless beast, but a top-tier Hunter who understood her completely.
If she freed him, she would likely lose the upper hand.
Jiang Qingli didn’t like the feeling of losing control, yet in this moment, a strange sensation swelled in her heart like a rising tide.
A longing to melt away with him in the silent night, to lose all control and just fall.
Her eyelashes trembled. The girl leaned closer, her fingers fumbling as they untied the silk ribbons binding the young man’s wrists.
Xie Youchen raised his hand, stroking the hair of the girl in his arms. His lips curved. "Thank you, Ah Li."
As he moved, Jiang Qingli saw the deep marks the ribbons had left on his wrists, shockingly conspicuous on his pale skin.
Jiang Qingli gently stroked the marks with her fingers, her brows knitting together. "I didn’t tie the knots that tight... How is it this bad...?"
Xie Youchen stared at her lips, his jaw tense. After a few seconds, he said, "My fault."
He didn’t intend to tell her that just moments ago, he had tightened the ribbons himself in an effort to hold back, and that even the pain had felt exquisitely blissful.
Jiang Qingli couldn’t stand seeing him hurt. Bracing herself on his shoulders, she started to get up. "I’ll go get some medicine... Mmph..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Xie Youchen grabbed her arm, pulled her into his embrace, and captured her lips.
In an instant, their roles were reversed.
After a gentle kiss, he propped himself up. His nose touched hers as he confirmed one last time, very responsibly, "Ah Li, are you ready for what comes next?"
Her answer was the soft sound of her breath as she drew closer.
The night was endlessly tender.
...
...
Xie Youchen had long forgotten when he first started to love Jiang Qingli.
Before he even knew what the emotion of "love" was, he was already putting her first in everything.
But one morning, he woke with a start from a chaotic, intimate dream, his first reaction one of self-loathing.
After that, Xie Youchen began to deliberately distance himself from Jiang Qingli. He stopped holding her hand, refused her hugs, and avoided being in the same room with her...
Jiang Qingli quickly sensed his distance. At first, she suspected he had fallen in love. She wasn’t pleased even after he denied it, but soon, her first love with Baili Jing captured her attention.
The things he refused to do, Baili Jing would do with her—and they would be even more intimate.
Many times, Xie Youchen stood from a distance, watching the deeply-in-love, inseparable couple, his heart clenching uncontrollably.
More than once, Xie Youchen considered becoming the villain, the other man, and stealing her love away.
But Jiang Qingli didn’t love him, so he didn’t even have the basic qualification to be the other man.
Xie Youchen told himself it was enough just to stay by her side. He should discard those useless feelings.
But every conversation, every accidental touch, left a searing brand on his heart.
Xie Youchen forced himself to be restrained, but his dreams only grew more and more wild.
Back then, he never imagined there would come a day when those dreams would come true.
...
Specks of light danced.
Beads of sweat dripped from the ends of the young man’s hair and rolled down the skin of the girl in his arms.
Jiang Qingli had lost all track of time. Her throat was hoarse and her back ached, but he showed no signs of fatigue.
’I’m going to pass out if this keeps up.’
Seizing the opportunity while he threw something in the trash, Jiang Qingli hugged the blanket and feigned a sob. "You’re bullying me... *sob*..."
Xie Youchen pulled her into his arms, his hands supporting her waist. "Tired?"
"What do you think?" Jiang Qingli knew he was easy to persuade. Seeing that he seemed to be done, she wrapped her arms around his neck and commanded with righteous confidence, "Run a bath for me. I want to soak."
Xie Youchen agreed and got up to go to the bathroom.
Once the bath was ready, he came over, lifted her up, and placed her in the tub.
The perfectly warm water enveloped her weary body. Jiang Qingli leaned back against the tub, closed her eyes, and felt a sense of pure contentment.
Suddenly, something felt off. She opened her eyes. Xie Youchen hadn’t left; he was sitting on the edge of the tub, watching her.
His dark eyes were half-lidded, an indelible smile playing on his lips.
"Wh-what are you looking at...?" The tips of Jiang Qingli’s ears burned. She reached out to cover his eyes. "There’s nothing to see..."
"You’re beautiful."
Xie Youchen took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. He kissed the back of it, his gaze locked on her, unblinking.
There was no pretense in his gaze, only a powerful, possessive intensity.
Jiang Qingli bit her lip, overcoming her shyness. "Don’t just watch. Join me..."
The sound of splashing water was endless.
...
The sky began to pale.
But Jiang Qingli was wide awake.
The young man peppered light kisses near her ear, constantly asking her who she loved.
Coming to her senses after a shudder, she murmured, "I love... Xie Youchen..."
"Say it again."
"I love Xie Youchen..."
In this secret place, she repeated his name again and again.
And he, in turn, would tirelessly kiss her lips and reply, "And I love my Ah Li, too."
-
It was impossible to tell how much time had passed before Jiang Qingli finally, slowly, began to wake.
She pushed herself up, and the blanket covering her slipped down, only to be pulled back up by a hand with well-defined knuckles.
As the hand withdrew, the back of it gently brushed against her cheek.
Jiang Qingli’s face grew warm. She didn’t dare turn her head to look at Xie Youchen.
The chaotic memories had become exceptionally clear now that she was awake.
She fumbled for the remote on the nightstand and opened the curtains.
Warm, orange sunlight spilled into the room. The sun was slowly setting.
’It’s almost evening already...?’
’We really overdid it.’
Jiang Qingli slowly turned her back to him, slid down into the blankets, and buried her head, trying to escape.
A low chuckle came from behind her. "Don’t smother yourself in there."
Xie Youchen used his arm to "excavate" her from the blankets, forcing her to breathe fresh air.
"It’s not that stuffy..." Jiang Qingli said quietly.
The moment she spoke, she realized just how hoarse her voice was.
But it was actually much better than it could have been. Xie Youchen had kept giving her water throughout, preventing her voice from getting any worse.
"Hungry?" Xie Youchen asked. "What do you want to eat?"
"Some congee would be nice." Jiang Qingli vaguely recalled them drinking some high-grade nutritional supplement partway through, so she wasn’t starving.
’Then again, just how thoroughly had he prepared for this? Even the nutritional supplement was a flavor she found quite good...’
Jiang Qingli huffed, intending to call him to account.
But as she turned her head, her gaze unconsciously fell upon his chest.
There, a complex and ornate totem was clearly imprinted.
It was her mark.
Jiang Qingli was wide awake now. Three massive, red exclamation marks seemed to flash in her mind.
’In a single night, she had marked Xie Youchen!’