She had absolutely no principles, actually finding this feeling rather pleasant.
Ziye’s face flushed hot.
Perhaps it was because she sensed An Junlie’s intentions, and his body heat, which felt like a flame burning across her, so hot that her very core seemed ready to ignite.
She pushed him away: “Move away from me. You’re too hot!”
An Junlie refused to budge; having come this far, retreating meant he wasn't a man!
Ziye suddenly felt a flicker of fear.
She hadn’t yet experienced certain things, and an inherent resistance remained in her heart.
Put plainly, she couldn't quite envision what that kind of sensation would feel like.
Especially in their current posture, she could feel the intensity of An Junlie’s desire.
It was a strangeness laced with yu.
Thus, she had absolutely no desire to suddenly rush to that ultimate step with An Junlie; it was all too sudden!
In short, she possessed the mentality of an ostrich.
Just as the two were locked in a stalemate, the comms signal blared again.
What Ziye saw was like heavenly music.
She raised her hand high: “Alien, I need to take this transmission.”
Being interrupted three times in one evening, An Junlie’s expression darkened to the bottom of a pot; he didn't feel like speaking at all.
Ziye struggled for half a minute, finally drawing in a free breath, the corners of her lips involuntarily lifting. But the moment she opened the comms, her face fell; it was Tang Wen!
Tang Wen seeking her out in the dead of night...
Ziye’s heart hammered wildly. Seeing An Junlie sitting silently, his eyes like the deepest midnight sea, utterly unreadable, a sudden anxiety gripped her. Could she take the transmission somewhere else?
But she wasn’t wearing any clothes!
Ziye snatched the blanket to cover herself and accepted the transmission.
Forget it, she thought. If An Junlie hears, he hears. This is an act of nature.
Besides, she wasn't doing anything to betray An Junlie; why should she feel guilty!
“Ziye, Stath said you were looking for me?” Tang Wen’s cool, distant voice came through the comms.
Ziye’s heart instantly settled.
Right, she and Tang Wen had a student-teacher relationship; there was nothing to hide.
She should thank the gossipy Stath, because his loose tongue had informed Tang Wen, prompting Tang Wen to seek her out and pull her away from the situation involving the bedsheets.
She said: “You’re not asleep yet? Don't you usually go to bed very early?”
Tang Wen chuckled: “And you aren’t asleep either?”
Ziye instinctively wanted to explain, but the words died on her lips; suddenly, explaining seemed unnecessary. She said: “Mmhmm, because An Junlie is still awake.”
Tang Wen’s elegant face flickered grey: “He’s beside you?”
Ziye smiled: “Yes, the fighting here is intense, so he came to assist us.”
Tang Wen gave an "Mm," not continuing on that topic. “Are you looking for my assistance too?”
Ziye shook her head: “We have enough assistance, thank you for your fleet and your commander; Tang Jing is very capable.”
Tang Wen was silent for three seconds.
Ziye instantly sensed something was wrong; her words had been too distant. She hastily tried to remedy it: “Oh, right, Stath mentioned he left the Kolai Hotel and it had something to do with you. Did you know beforehand?”
The moment the words left her mouth, she immediately felt they were too direct—this was clearly accusing Tang Wen!
Ziye was so regretful she almost bit her teeth out.
Alas, her conversational skills were frustratingly poor!
How could she speak so easily with Stath, yet struggle like this with Tang Wen?
It seemed she had no trouble chatting with people she didn't know, or people she knew intimately, but only when they were 'half-familiar' did problems arise.
She felt a wave of emotion. She and Tang Wen used to be so close, but starting from some unknown day, they had become merely 'half-familiar'—this feeling left her completely adrift.
Ziye buried her head into An Junlie’s chest and rubbed against him helplessly.
Then she heard Tang Wen say: “Whatever the people at the Kolai Hotel planned, it has nothing to do with me. However,” he hooked the corner of his lips, revealing a slight smile, “the Kolai Hotel was built by the Tang Clan.”
Ziye: “……”
One sentence explained everything clearly.
Ziye could only sigh at the might of the Tang Clan; their shadow seemed to stretch everywhere.
After ending the transmission, before An Junlie could make a move, she immediately sent a signal back to Red Hair, explaining Stath’s situation clearly.
It was past one in the morning.
She was utterly exhausted. Disregarding whether An Junlie was near, she tossed the comms onto the table beside the bed, burrowed under the covers, and slept.
An Junlie didn't make any further advances toward her. He simply lay down beside her and pulled her into his embrace.
Ziye immediately felt something was off again.
She wasn't wearing clothes; being held like this seemed biologically unsound.
She lifted her head to look at An Junlie. He smiled softly and kissed her forehead, his hand resting lightly on her back. “Be good, goodnight. I won't disturb your sleep.”
Ziye looked surprised: “Alien, have you changed your ways?”
An Junlie pinched her cheek, smiling without speaking.
The real reason was simple: Ziye had frankly admitted to Tang Wen that he was right beside her.
Regardless of her intention, admitting at one in the morning that another man was with her was enough to signify Ziye's feelings for him.
He had just spent a long time in reflection beside her.
He could, in fact, sense Ziye's resistance earlier.
It was just that impulse had been overriding him then; he had wanted to take her regardless of everything.
Thinking back now, he was glad he hadn't acted on it.
Otherwise, he couldn't guarantee Ziye would be lying beside him as naturally as she was now.
However, the moment his skin touched hers, the urge to pin her down flared again. He suppressed it, merely holding her gently. “Are you afraid of me?”
Ziye mumbled: “No.”
An Junlie: “Really not?”
Ziye nodded: “Really not. I’m just a little annoyed with you.”
An Junlie couldn't help but laugh. Such honesty proved she wasn't truly afraid of him, which greatly reassured him.
He decided to be equally frank: “Next time, I won’t do it before you permit it. But I don’t like it that way, because when I’m pressed over you, there’s an intense feeling that you belong only to me.”
The pad of his finger gently traced the line of Ziye’s face. “I only want you to belong to me alone.”
Ziye caught his finger: “I’m asleep.”
An Junlie held her, speaking no more. After a short while, he heard her breathing deepen into a long, steady rhythm—yes, she was asleep.
An Junlie’s hand started to move restlessly again.
He lightly brushed over every patch of her skin, feeling her warmth, her delicacy, her softness; he could barely stop himself. Ziye, perhaps feeling ticklish in her sleep, reached out to scratch the places his hand had touched, turned over, and continued sleeping.
He smiled silently, picked up her comms device, and dialed Red Hair’s signal.
Red Hair, thinking it was Ziye with new developments, immediately answered: “Little Brat, any good news?”
An Junlie replied expressionlessly: “I am An Junlie.”
Red Hair’s smile instantly turned into a strained grimace: “Ahem, my apologies. Good evening. Shouldn’t you be putting the little brat to sleep?”
-RS