Chapter 221: Will He Be Too Childish
For some reason, Shi Lan felt a solid sense of reassurance, as if she had finally gotten the confession she’d been waiting for.
In fact, she had always found it hard to be sure of Ye Ming’s feelings.
He wasn’t direct like Jiang Xia, or seductive like Yan Huoshui, who always used his tail to tempt her. He wasn’t as openly jealous as Mu Tangfeng, and he was even less like He Hanshi, whose love couldn’t be hidden in the details.
She felt Ye Ming was more like an elusive breeze—subdued, subtle, and seemingly ready to pull away and leave at any moment.
But she, on the other hand, had unknowingly fallen for him and couldn’t bear the thought of him leaving.
Shi Lan felt he was even more reserved than Mu Tangfeng. Despite being the heir to the Empire, he had a sensitive heart.
She didn’t leave him waiting anxiously for a reply. She quickly lifted her star-bright eyes, a joyful glint in them. "Yes, I’m willing."
She replied so quickly that Ye Ming couldn’t quite process it at first.
His expression grew uncharacteristically wooden, and his peach-blossom eyes seemed to glaze over.
Shi Lan said it again, "Ye Ming, I’m willing. Did you hear me?"
She might have been a bit timid, hesitant to show the full extent of her feelings, but once she received a clear response, she would hold tight to that love without hesitation.
The green, gem-like pupils in Ye Ming’s peach-blossom eyes slowly came into focus. Unable to contain his joy, he suddenly scooped Shi Lan up and spun her around foolishly. He even transformed into his beast form and began running through the manor grounds with her on his back.
Ye Ming’s Talent Skill was wind manipulation. He could even fly.
But he himself didn’t know why he had so foolishly chosen his beast form. However, mindful of Shi Lan on his back, he didn’t run too fast; it was more like he was taking her for a joyride.
Nestled in his soft, smooth fur, Shi Lan wasn’t scared at all. She hugged his neck tightly, clearly having fun, and even asked Ye Ming to go faster.
Ye Ming ran a few laps around the vast manor with her. The many housekeeping robots on the grounds only perceived gusts of black wind flashing past them again and again.
The robots blinked in confusion. Seeing the scattered leaves the wind had blown onto the ground, they diligently began to sweep them up.
But they were also puzzled. ’How come we can never finish sweeping up these leaves?’
It’s unknown how long it took, but the robots eventually managed to clear away all the leaves.
Meanwhile, the two culprits had returned to the swing set.
A lingering, satisfied smile remained on Shi Lan’s face. After his outburst of joy, Ye Ming carefully watched her expression, worried she might think he was too childish to handle the great responsibility of being a Beast Husband.
But thankfully, she seemed just as happy as he was.
Ye Ming quietly sighed in relief, a smile gracing his lips.
Even after running so many laps, his breathing was perfectly steady.
He looked at the swing. Lanlan must have been very relaxed, because she was taking up most of the seat, leaving only a tiny sliver of space for him.
Ye Ming’s ears grew a little hot. He carefully squeezed into the space, but then, feeling it wasn’t quite appropriate, he simply pulled her into his lap and sat on the hard swing himself.
Shi Lan wasn’t startled. Perhaps she hadn’t even had time to react, her heart still pounding with the euphoria from their recent run.
Spurred by a rush of dopamine and hormones, she snuggled into Ye Ming’s arms and found herself staring blankly at his lips.
She couldn’t help but lick her lips and say, "Let’s kiss."
"Huh?"
The light overhead cast a dark shadow under Ye Ming’s eyelids, and Shi Lan couldn’t clearly see his beautiful eyes. But the green gem on his ear was still sparkling brightly.
The light from the gem grazed the side of his face. On his flawless skin, the tear mole that was normally so alluring and suggestive now, combined with his expression, made him look almost shockingly pure and endearingly clueless.
Shi Lan placed a hand on his neck, tilted her head back, and kissed him.
Ye Ming had never kissed a female before. He passively lowered his head, his lips trembling slightly as they met hers.
Feeling a softness and sweetness on his lips he had never experienced before, their damp breaths mingling, a trace of confusion appeared in his eyes.
The books he’d read taught him a lot about females, but not a single one had explained how to kiss.
He was stiff as a board, but his large hands instinctively wrapped around the small of Shi Lan’s back, pulling them ever closer.
The moment their lips parted and their tongues met in a tentative tangle, he seemed to understand everything without being taught.
At first, Shi Lan was the teacher with a little experience. But soon, the student surpassed the master, and she was overwhelmed by his sincere, burning passion.
Ye Ming’s kiss wasn’t aggressive. He was gentle from start to finish, his pace unhurried. It was as if he were allowing himself to explore and learn something new.
In short, like a frog slowly being brought to a boil, Shi Lan found herself completely captivated.
She wasn’t sure how long their ’lesson’ had lasted, but she finally ended the kiss when the base of her tongue started to ache.
Exhausted from the lesson, she went limp in his fiery embrace. As for Ye Ming, who had maintained perfect composure even after running all over the manor, his breathing was now ragged and he was panting slightly.
He unconsciously loosened the tight bow tie at his neck, giving the surging heat coiling within him a small escape.
Seeing him like this, Shi Lan inexplicably wanted to laugh. Her gaze swept over his right ear, red from where she had been fiddling with it, and then to his wrinkled, messy clothes, which were a mess compared to hers.
’It really looks like I bullied him mercilessly.’
Ye Ming heard her chuckle, not understanding the reason, but his gaze drifted unconsciously to her plump, glistening, rosy lips.
Shi Lan thought he wanted to kiss her again and was about to cover her mouth to say ’no,’ but then she saw him produce a fresh handkerchief from his gemstone earring’s spatial storage and gently wipe the moisture from her lips.
After he finished, without any sign of disgust, he used it to wipe his own lips.
Shi Lan’s face reddened for no apparent reason as she looked at the light gray handkerchief, now marked with dark, damp spots.
After their intimate moment, Ye Ming kept her in his embrace. He gently brushed a strand of hair from her face, a fresh wave of sorrow clouding his eyes.
"Lanlan, I’m sorry. I still chose you as my dance partner tonight."
Shi Lan started to speak, but he gently placed a finger on her lips and continued, "But I don’t regret it. All I know is that when you love someone, you should see it through to the end. I don’t want random people coming between us and messing with our feelings."
"My father actually advised me on who to choose beforehand, but I didn’t do as he asked."
"I’m sorry, Lanlan. I was still too selfish. I’ve pushed you into the center of the storm."
Shi Lan shook her head, took his hand away, and glared at him in annoyance. "Hmph. You should be glad. If you had really chosen someone else, I might not have let you become my Beast Husband."
"Ye Ming."
She grabbed his hand, her voice clear and firm. "Let me tell you, I’m not one to back down easily. Since I’m willing to accept you, it means I’m already prepared to face the risks involved."
"Besides, you have to know, I’m pretty amazing myself."
Perhaps trying to lighten the mood, she gave him a deliberate wink, a smile curving her lips.
The tension in Ye Ming’s heart really did ease at her words.
Shi Lan then asked, "Is there a trustworthy facility where I can get my spiritual power and Fertility Value tested?"
She had checked on her chip. It only listed her spiritual power test results. Perhaps that was because spiritual power could fluctuate depending on one’s experiences. She’d heard that Fertility Value was fixed, but Shi Lan wasn’t ready to accept that and wanted to get it checked again.
Ye Ming had actually considered this, but he had another worry.
He was afraid that if Shi Lan’s spiritual power was revealed, someone would follow the trail and deduce that she was the one who had healed them.
A female capable of healing High-Level Beastmen from mental collapse was far too precious.
He told Shi Lan about the underlying risks. Shi Lan nodded in understanding, but she knew hiding her abilities forever wasn’t a viable solution. She still wanted to be a Military Doctor, and she would eventually have to use her spiritual power.
So she said, "If someone like that really does exist, they’re probably already investigating us behind the scenes. In that case, whether I expose my abilities or not, they’ll likely find out sooner or later anyway."