Chapter 297: Buying Some Odds and Ends
Upon hearing this, Shi Lan didn’t force herself to eat. Bland food was fine, but anything too salty had a bitter taste to it.
In the end, the two of them decided to eat out.
After they finished eating, Shi Lan remembered something. "Oh, right," she said, "Jiang Xia’s parents gave me a plot of land. Want to go take a look?"
Shi Lan had already seen holographic images of the site, but she still wanted to go survey it in person.
"Okay."
An idea sparked in Yan Huoshui’s mind. ’Since we’re building houses, whose house gets to be closest to Shi Lan’s will be an issue.’
He fell into deep thought.
The Hovercar flew toward the designated plot of land. It was indeed located quite close to the city center, but it was surrounded by large buildings and wasn’t noisy. The bustling commercial districts were much farther down the road.
Shi Lan was quite satisfied. The thought that she would soon have a house of her own, truly putting down roots and making a home for herself in this Otherworld, filled her with an indescribable sense of anticipation.
She walked around the site, taking plenty of pictures, which she then posted in their group chat. "I’m planning to build the house here. When the time comes, we can discuss any ideas you all have in the group. The plot is huge, so don’t worry about not having enough room for all of our houses."
Yan Huoshui seized the opportunity to say, "Lanlan, let me find a robot construction crew. The quality of the crews on the market can be a bit hit-or-miss. Also, what style of house do you like, Lanlan?"
Since Yan Huoshui was offering to help, Shi Lan was of course happy to let him. When it came to what type of house she wanted, however, she couldn’t say right off the bat.
There were actually many styles she liked. "Mainly, it should look cozy and simple," she said. "I don’t want a monotonous, off-white color scheme. The colors can be a bit richer."
Yan Huoshui made a note of it. "Okay, I’ll talk to a designer and then send you the detailed blueprints so you can choose."
"Okay, thank you. I’ll leave it to you then."
Shi Lan nodded, took his hand, and stood on her tiptoes to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "You’re so good to me."
His throat tightened, and his red eyes darkened. His hand unconsciously came to rest on her waist, pulling them closer. "Lanlan, one more kiss."
It was rare for her to be so proactive, and Yan Huoshui was not about to be so easily satisfied.
Seeing that no one was around, Shi Lan obediently kissed him again. This time, however, his reflexes were quick. His large hand pressed firmly against the nape of her neck, not allowing her lips to leave his.
His tongue deftly pried her lips apart, plundering her breath like a sudden, violent squall.
In front of Shi Lan, he usually appeared gentle, cultured, and humble, but only he knew that was all a facade. This greedy, insatiable version of him was his true self. Like a predator with its prey, he bit and licked her, lingering for a long time. He only pulled away when Shi Lan was on the verge of suffocating, still wanting more.
Her mind went fuzzy from lack of oxygen, and her legs grew so weak that she had to lean against his chest for support. She balled a fist in the fabric of his clothes at his waist and unhappily pounded his chest.
"Damn it, you... you didn’t let me breathe again."
His kisses were always so fierce and intense that Shi Lan could never find a moment to breathe. A few times, he’d even had to forcibly give her air.
She had never experienced such a heady kiss before—it truly made her mind go numb. Even now, the eyes she glared at him with were misty, holding no threat at all.
Yan Huoshui’s large hand gently ruffled her hair, and a pleased smile graced his lips. "I can’t help it. It’s all because you taste so good, Lanlan. I simply can’t stop."
As he spoke, his gaze fixed on her lips, now red and swollen from their intense kiss, as if he might lean down to continue at any moment.
Shi Lan defensively clapped a hand over her mouth. "Don’t even think about it," she said, her voice muffled.
She felt like her lips had been kissed raw; she absolutely could not give him another chance to take advantage of her.
’Give him an inch and he’ll take a mile,’ she thought. ’If I had known this would happen, I shouldn’t have been the one to kiss him.’
A flash of regret crossed Yan Huoshui’s eyes. But as he gazed at his female, at the faint red at the corners of her eyes and her flushed cheeks, his heart swelled with an unprecedented sense of complete happiness.
’My Lanlan is so beautiful,’ he thought. ’I really wish I could keep her treasured away, just for me, forever.’
He sighed internally, knowing it was impossible. He could only force himself to stop the dark thoughts spreading through his mind.
After looking over the plot of land, the two of them decided not to take the Hovercar. Instead, they held hands and went for a stroll to walk off their meal, heading toward the bustling downtown district.
For the first ten minutes, there was hardly anyone around. But after walking for a few more minutes, the crowds began to grow.
The more males there were, the more people there were trying to curry favor with Shi Lan. As the only new S-level female to be discovered in decades, she was a perennial trending topic online, and many males had already committed her face to memory.
So, even with Yan Huoshui at her side, he was just one person. There was still an endless stream of males approaching to give Shi Lan gifts and try to befriend her.
Unable to bear it any longer, Yan Huoshui released the oppressive aura of a 2S male. The number of approaching males dwindled, but there were still some A-level and S-level males who, out of sheer desire for an S-level female, tried their best to ignore his imposing presence and refused to give up so easily.
In the end, they had no other choice. Shi Lan pulled him into a hidden corner, and they put on a quick disguise. Only then were they able to walk around in peace.
For a moment, Yan Huoshui regretted having updated Shi Lan’s file on the school network to reflect her S-class Spiritual Power. But after thinking about it, he realized he was mostly just happy for her.
’Lanlan is so exceptional,’ he thought. ’I never want to hear those people mock her behind her back again. She deserves so much more praise.’
Yan Huoshui suppressed the jealousy in his heart, his eyes fixed grimly on the surrounding males, waiting to see if any other idiot would dare to approach.
Thankfully, their disguises were quite effective. Aside from one or two males who were casting a wide net and offered a bouquet to the masked Shi Lan, most of the men kept their gazes on other females, searching for the Shi Lan they had spotted just a moment ago.
Of course, sensing the deep resentment radiating from Yan Huoshui under his mask, Shi Lan unhesitatingly rejected the other males’ flowers. She then had Yan Huoshui buy her a bouquet, so that one of her hands could hold his, and the other could hold the flowers, leaving no free space.
After they finished at the mall, Yan Huoshui bought her many new dresses, pajamas, shoes, and other items. They could all be kept at his villa, making it convenient for her to visit him whenever she pleased.
Although Shi Lan already owned such things, she didn’t reject her Beast Husband’s kind gesture and happily accepted the gifts. Then, she picked out two sets of pajamas to give to him.
As they passed a specialty store for male products, they went inside to take a quick look.
Shi Lan couldn’t help but feel relieved that it wasn’t the same store where she had previously embarrassed herself. However, coming into this shop didn’t seem like a great idea either.
She looked away for just a moment, and Yan Huoshui had already bought a bunch of strange things. Among them, she immediately recognized an item that looked like a hairband—it was the Adam’s apple cover she had previously misidentified.
Shi Lan’s face flushed red. Avoiding the shopkeeper’s gaze, she whispered to him, "Why are you buying all this strange stuff?"
The shopkeeper secretly perked up his ears, hoping for some gossip. Yan Huoshui shot him a cold glare. When he turned back to his mate, however, his eyes instantly warmed with a teasing glint.
"Lanlan, so you know what this is after all?"
"We really are a married couple, thinking about the same things."