The Runaway Bride in a Substitute Marriage 25

"Wh—" Chen Yao barely managed to utter a syllable before the man's actions silenced her.

Xie Qingyan raised a hand to cup her chin, his warm fingertips brushing the corner of her moist lips. Without hesitation, he bent down and pressed a heavy kiss against her rosy mouth.

His breath carried a cool, crisp scent. The kiss deepened gradually, a forceful invasion of her lips and teeth, teasing and tangling, exploring every corner of her mouth with thorough attention.

Wet and scorching, the kiss bore an unyielding aggression that left her breathless.

At first, Chen Yao instinctively struggled, but from her few prior experiences, she knew her resistance only amused him during the kiss.

In the end, she simply relaxed her body bit by bit, her long lashes drooping as she let Xie Qingyan take what he wanted, their kiss growing increasingly fervent and lingering.

"Yao Yao."

The man's heavy breath landed against the side of her neck, still scalding hot.

Chen Yao blinked her damp eyes and slowly came back to her senses, realizing his suffocating kiss had finally ended.

Instinctively, she raised her palm and slapped him across the cheek. "You bastard!"

The young woman's beautiful eyes were rimmed with red at the corners; she'd nearly suffocated just now, almost choking to death from his kiss.

It wasn't as if she'd refused to let him kiss her—why did he have to be so rough?

Her lips throbbed with a dull ache, and the more Chen Yao thought about it, the angrier she grew. After slapping him once, she still felt unsatisfied and raised her hand to strike him again.

But Xie Qingyan caught her small hand and held it firmly in his palm.

Sometime during the kiss, he had unknowingly pulled her face-to-face into his embrace, settling her securely on his lap.

He lifted his head from the fragrant curve of her neck, then pressed a light kiss to her soft palm, letting her struggle to pull her hand back.

His tone was gentle and amused. "Why are you angry again?"

"How dare you say that?" Chen Yao's pretty face was taut, her moist, apricot-colored eyes glaring at him with a mix of shame and indignation.

Xie Qingyan looked at her pouting red lips and puffed-up, angry little expression, and without much thought, he quickly confessed, "Mm, it's my fault."

His attitude left Chen Yao momentarily speechless. She frowned, then couldn't help growing even angrier. "You—"

But before she could continue her outburst, he leaned over again, gently covering her red lips with a tender kiss.

"Didn't you say you were hungry?" Xie Qingyan's lips curved in a faint smile, his tone warm and gentle as he asked.

Chen Yao immediately stiffened her face, glaring at him with displeasure. "You dare bring that up? It's all your fault."

If he hadn't kept pestering her with kisses, she would have already filled her stomach.

Hearing her coquettish, complaining tone, Xie Qingyan's smile deepened. He coaxed softly, "I've already instructed the kitchen to prepare sweet porridge, along with the red bean sticky rice cakes you like."

As soon as he finished speaking, a soft knock sounded at the door, followed by Ban He's voice. "Young Master, the refreshments you ordered—shall I bring them in now?"

"Come in," Xie Qingyan said, gently pressing down on the young woman who was trying to rise from his lap. "Just set them on the table in the outer room."

"Yes, sir," Ban He acknowledged.

Keeping his gaze lowered, he quickly set down the refreshments on the table and then quietly withdrew.

Only then did Xie Qingyan, holding the young woman steadily in his arms, walk slowly toward the outer room, passing through layers of sheer curtains and falling pearl beads.

Forced to keep her hands looped around the man's neck, Chen Yao felt extremely awkward. "Let me go—I can walk on my own."

"But I don't want to let go," Xie Qingyan said.

He seemed to be gradually learning how to handle his little wife, who often said one thing while meaning another; at least he knew she was most vulnerable to direct, fervent words.

Chen Yao: "..."

Did he have no shame at all? Was this the same stuffy, rigid noble young master from before?

But no matter how reluctant she was, in the end she had to swallow her frustration and sit imprisoned in Xie Qingyan's embrace, slowly eating an entire bowl of sweet porridge and one and a half red bean cakes.

As for the remaining half...

Naturally, it was taken by this man, who seemed utterly devoid of decency tonight, as he bent down and bit it from her lips in a playful back-and-forth.

Yet Xie Qingyan still maintained a proper, upright demeanor, his handsome face full of concern as he said, "If you eat too much at night, you'll feel uncomfortable from indigestion."

But Chen Yao only felt he deserved a beating.

So, her head muddled with anger, she acted without thinking: she flung her arms tightly around the man's neck, lifted her head, and with an "ah-wu" bit down hard on his thin lips in a fit of pique.

Of course, the result was that Xie Qingyan turned defense into offense, grabbing the back of her neck and deepening the kiss.

His warm lips brushed and pressed against hers, changing angles repeatedly, teasing her tongue over and over, almost greedily draining the sweet saliva from between her teeth.

While Chen Yao was dazed from the kissing, Xie Qingyan's steps inadvertently drifted toward the bed.

Until finally, he pressed the young woman down and gently laid her upon the soft bedding.

"Yao Yao... my lady..."

Xie Qingyan's palm gripped her delicate wrist and pulled it upward, his gentle voice murmuring softly beside her ear in coaxing whispers.

The red candles in the room flickered gently, their flames dancing, casting a hazy shadow on the window lattice.

The elaborate outer robe, the sash, the undergarments... one by one, his long, slender fingers tugged them loose, then casually discarded them onto the floor.

Chen Yao felt as though her entire being were immersed in warm water, a warm, moist sensation spreading through her limbs and body.

The young woman's ink-black hair lay scattered across the bed like a waterfall, her snow-white skin tinged with a faint blush.

She stared at the bed canopy swaying overhead, her amber, apricot-colored eyes narrowing like a contented cat's, her lovely eyes glistening with a watery sheen.

Her rosy lips parted slightly, and fragmented, soft, coquettish little sounds escaped uncontrollably from her throat.

Xie Qingyan leaned down again, gently covering her lips with his own. His gaze was indulgent, yet with each movement, he grew fiercer.

The entire room seemed to slowly fill with a sweet, cloying fragrance.

Chen Yao didn't know how much time had passed. Her consciousness was hazy, and she vaguely heard Xie Qingyan call for servants to bring in hot water.

But after barely a moment in the bath, he returned, tasting his fill once more, entwining himself with her again...

And so, when she woke the next morning.

Chen Yao opened her eyes to find her entire body felt as if it had been taken apart and put back together, every inch of her skin bearing faint red marks.

Damn male lead! He was practically inhuman.

Feeling the tingling, sore ache all over, she drew in small breaths. When she finally sat up in bed, she couldn't help but let out a soft "hiss."