Chapter 314: Untie Me
The night was still, the world outside the window pitch-black.
The floor-to-ceiling window reflected the scene within—
On the soft bed, a young man was bent over, his body forming a cage that trapped the girl in his arms.
But his was not a domineering, top-down position. He had lowered himself, tilting his head up to gaze unblinkingly into her eyes.
Their breaths mingled in the narrow space, the heat making Jiang Qingli’s heart pound wildly.
Ever since she had known Xie Youchen, he had always handled everything with an effortless grace, as if there was nothing in the world that could possibly challenge him.
Their elders were busy with their own affairs, so it was Xie Youchen who had taught her many things.
Like how to solve difficult problems, the techniques of combat, how to handle love letters...
But now, this man who had always seemed so omnipotent in her eyes had lowered his head, assuming a posture of reverence as he asked her to teach him.
How to please her.
The thrill of conquest in that single moment was enough to bring Jiang Qingli a pleasure so overwhelming it felt like drowning.
Her eyes widened, her chest heaving.
Xie Youchen lowered his gaze, his lips gently brushing against hers.
A flustered, short gasp escaped Jiang Qingli’s throat. Her hand fumbled toward the bedside table, unintentionally switching off the lamp, and her vision was instantly plunged into darkness.
Before she could speak, a low, husky voice cut through the silence:
"I’m sorry, Ah Li."
Xie Youchen reined in his breathing and pulled back slightly. His hand gently caressed her face as he apologized in a slow voice,
"This is moving too fast."
"It’s my fault."
"I promise you, I won’t do anything more until you take the initiative."
It was a restrained promise, one that, as always, put her feelings first.
The room fell silent, with only the sound of their breathing echoing in the dark.
A few seconds later, the young man retracted his hand and began to pull away.
But just as his fingers left her cheek, she caught them with pinpoint accuracy.
Jiang Qingli gripped Xie Youchen’s fingers tightly, her breath coming in pants. "Xie Youchen, have you been secretly watching the videos on my terminal? Or reading the comics? Or the novels?"
Xie Youchen didn’t answer, seemingly confused by her question.
Jiang Qingli bit her lip and whispered, "Where else would you have learned this kind of push-and-pull tactic to seduce me..."
A pleasant, low chuckle sounded from above her.
Jiang Qingli’s face flushed crimson as she flared up. "What are you laughing at? I’m asking you a question!"
"I didn’t." Xie Youchen said, "You’re grown up now. I wouldn’t invade your privacy."
"Besides..."
Xie Youchen paused, then said, "I don’t watch videos. I’m not interested in the bodies of other females."
It felt as if her blood had been set on fire.
Jiang Qingli felt her body temperature and heart rate skyrocketing.
It wasn’t as if she were some naive female who knew nothing. She had heard plenty of sweet talk and had built up a fair bit of immunity.
But hearing those words from Xie Youchen’s lips, she couldn’t stop her face from burning, and her fingers curled in embarrassment.
She really didn’t know how Xie Youchen could say these words with a straight face.
’Oh, but it’s not a straight face. The fingers I’m holding are burning hot.’
’Xie Youchen probably isn’t very calm either.’
Jiang Qingli twisted the switch on the lamp and saw that Xie Youchen’s ears were bright red.
She raised her hand to touch them. Xie Youchen instantly tensed, his eyes darkening, but he restrained himself and didn’t move, letting her study him.
Seeing him like this, Jiang Qingli calmed down a bit and asked, "Will you do whatever I teach you?"
"Yes."
"Really?" Jiang Qingli double-checked. "You’d better not be lying to me."
Xie Youchen looked into her eyes and asked, "When have I ever lied to you?"
’The temptation to have complete control over the person you like was simply too great.’
Jiang Qingli pointed to the sofa. "Then go sit over there." When he stood up, she added another command, "And take off your jacket."
Xie Youchen was still in his suit. He took off the jacket and tossed it aside, then ripped off his tie and let it fall to the floor.
The collar of his shirt was slightly agape, revealing the cool white of his collarbones.
The young man sat primly in the spot Jiang Qingli had indicated, and, following her command, closed his eyes.
A strip of fabric was soon tied around his eyes. Xie Youchen could tell it was his tie.
She had blindfolded him.
Xie Youchen’s breath hitched, and he asked in a hoarse voice, "Am I not allowed to look?"
"Didn’t you say you’d listen to me?" Jiang Qingli retorted. "Are you questioning your teacher?"
’She gets into character fast.’
"My apologies. It’s my fault." Xie Youchen chuckled, playing along. "Please continue, Teacher Jiang."
Jiang Qingli nodded in satisfaction, then found her silk hair ribbon, tied his hands behind his back, and then sat on his lap.
She leaned in, smelling the fresh scent of his body wash. A thought suddenly struck her as she remembered him putting Xiao Xue in the next room. "You’ve already showered?" she asked.
"Yes."
Xie Youchen admitted it readily.
"And you put the cat out. That was for this, wasn’t it!" Jiang Qingli demanded.
Xie Youchen tacitly admitted, "The cat understands what we’re doing."
Jiang Qingli said, "Oh," then her voice suddenly shot up. "Wait, the cat—the cat can understand?"
’Those few times before, when Yuan Shimo had come over while she was playing with the cat, and then...’
’The cat knew?!’
Jiang Qingli froze, her fingers curling in embarrassment.
As if dissatisfied with her attention shifting to someone else, Xie Youchen moved slightly.
Sure enough, Jiang Qingli’s focus snapped back to him. She pressed him down, stopping him from fidgeting.
’Actually, there were advantages to having him tied up.’
With Xie Youchen unable to see, Jiang Qingli could now brazenly study him.
Under the torment of desire, Xie Youchen had lost his usual aloof arrogance. He no longer had that forced coolness from when they first reunited, and he couldn’t even maintain a basic sense of decorum.
The young man was leaning back against the sofa, his head tilted up slightly as if searching for her. His Adam’s apple bobbed uncontrollably, his thin lips were parted, and his breathing was ragged as he softly called her name...
Ah Li, Ah Li.
It was like a magic spell, making Jiang Qingli’s heart race.
Every heart-fluttering moment from the past converged and flashed before her eyes, and her heart nearly melted.
Jiang Qingli lowered her head, drew close, and kissed his lips.
Xie Youchen tilted his head back, obediently exchanging ragged breaths with her.
The kiss lasted for a long time, until Jiang Qingli’s legs felt a little weak and her vision grew hazy.
Clearly, this wasn’t enough to satisfy Xie Youchen.
But he didn’t say anything, simply waited for her to come to him.
Jiang Qingli knew this full well but chose to ignore it. She just snuggled into his arms, idly kissing his chin and the corners of his mouth, occasionally pinching his ear as if playing a game, enjoying his amusing reactions.
So wicked.
Xie Youchen’s breath tightened, the silk ribbon strained against his wrists, and his knuckles were clenched white.
In truth, Jiang Qingli hadn’t tied the ribbon tightly at all. He could have broken free with ease.
But Xie Youchen made no move to do so.
When Jiang Qingli leaned in to kiss him only to pull away once more, the young man sighed softly:
"Ah Li."
"Stop torturing me."
His moist, thin lips brushed against her ear. A tremor ran through Jiang Qingli’s heart. She looked at him, a hint of guilt in her eyes, and whispered in her own defense, "It’s a rare opportunity..."
"We’ll have plenty of time in the future."
Xie Youchen tilted his head to kiss her, his breath scorching, his voice a dangerous, coaxing rasp:
"Now... set me free..."