An Unexpected Morning Kiss and a Jealousy-Fueled Reunion

A sliver of dawn painted the horizon. In this secluded corner of the Hall of Clarity, the sunlight, obstructed by heavy clouds, ultimately failed to penetrate and illuminate the room.

Ji Xue’s eyes fluttered first, her consciousness, like a string of bubbles, rising one after another to the surface.

She slowly opened her eyes, her vision at first a hazy blur. Only after rubbing her eyes did her clear sight gradually pierce through the mist.

It was already morning, and her groggy head indicated she hadn’t slept at all last night. Yet, memories of the previous night were veiled, as if by a thin gauze; they seemed within reach, but any attempt to grasp them deeper only revealed more haze.

“Mmm…” She let out a soft hum, thick with a nasal tone. Attempting to shift her stiff body, she was met with an indescribable weariness, as if her soul had just been dredged from the deep sea, heavy and waterlogged.

‘What happened?’

She struggled to open her eyes, her consciousness feeling submerged in a thick fog. Her vision remained blurred for a long moment before gradually clearing.

What greeted her eyes were unfamiliar, slightly aged roof beams. Beside her, she felt the warm touch and steady breathing of another person.

Her gaze shifted slightly, landing on Lin Mo’s profile, incredibly close.

The young man’s long lashes were lowered, and his exquisitely beautiful profile appeared exceptionally serene in the morning light. His breathing was even, clearly indicating he was still in a deep slumber.

‘As expected… he’s beautiful.’

Ji Xue turned over, meticulously scrutinizing Lin Mo’s face.

‘Could a man truly be born this beautiful?’ she pondered.

The more she looked, the more captivated she became. Gradually, she began to forget what she had originally been thinking, simply staring at that face, unable to tear her eyes away.

It was as if that face possessed an indescribable magic, as if an invisible red thread was slowly pulling Ji Xue’s body, gradually drawing her closer to Lin Mo.

That face was like a mouth-watering delicacy, exuding an alluring fragrance. Ji Xue’s red lips parted slightly, and in that moment, she impulsively yearned to gently bite a piece from Lin Mo’s cheek.

Her fantasies gradually solidified into a resolve for action. The Imperial Princess subtly moved, focusing her intent. Inch by inch, she drew closer to Lin Mo’s sleeping face, holding her breath as she silently puckered her lips.

Just at that moment, Lin Mo, without any warning, turned over, now facing her!

Ji Xue nearly cried out in alarm, slapping a hand over her mouth!

Fortunately, Lin Mo’s breathing remained long and steady. It seemed he had merely turned over unconsciously in his deep slumber, not disturbed in the slightest.

Her heart, which had been suspended high, finally settled back into her chest. However, the blush on her cheeks deepened further.

This small mishap not only failed to deter her, but when Lin Mo’s lips, now so close, came into view, they ignited a long-suppressed throb deep within her heart.

Her yearning did not diminish; instead, it surged like rampant weeds.

Despite others being behind her, despite this being such a shameful, private act… the whispers in her heart not only failed to extinguish her impulse, but a strange sense of excitement surged against the current. Her heart pounded like thunder in her chest, even spurring a desperate, do-or-die courage.

This tension and thrill, like an addictive poison, pushed her to draw closer once more.

The gentleness and touch of that night quietly resurfaced in her memory. Ji Xue closed her eyes, leaning forward… her slightly trembling cherry lips once again sought Lin Mo’s.

“Imperial Princess, are you just going to kiss Sister Wan’er?”

A languid, satisfied, and sweetly soft voice, like drawn honey, drifted gently from above Ji Xue’s head. Yet, it was like an ice-tempered silver needle, instantly piercing through all her chaotic and amorous thoughts, pinning her firmly in place.

Ji Xue’s body completely stiffened, every inch of her muscle feeling like frozen ice. She could even hear the frantic drumming of her heart against her eardrums.

Time seemed to stretch endlessly. She almost exhausted all her strength to, little by little, like a rusted gear, extremely slowly twist her stiff neck towards the source of the voice.

There, she saw Liu Ruyan, who at that moment was propping herself up with small hands, peering down at them from above!

An unprecedented torrent of shame, panic, and utter mortification instantly swallowed her whole! Imperial demeanor, calm self-possession—all vanished into thin air!

“Waaah—!”

Two startled cries ripped through the room’s tranquility, as if violently launched by the same invisible, powerful spring!

At that moment, like startled rabbits, they simultaneously, with 100% synchronization, sprang “thump” from the bed!

Fortunately, Liu Ruyan dodged quickly; otherwise, her forehead would have collided with Ji Xue’s.

“Liu-Liu-Liu-Liu-Liu-Liu Ruyan!?” Ji Xue stammered, utterly flustered and at a complete loss. “Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-when did you wake up?!” Her hands didn’t know where to go.

“Just now, you see,” Liu Ruyan chirped. “I woke up and saw you, Imperial Princess, playing—”

“Waaah-aaah-aaah-aaah-aaah—!” Ji Xue’s shrill scream immediately drowned out Liu Ruyan’s explanation. “Th-th-this isn’t! I-I-I-I was dreaming of something delicious!”

“Something delicious! Th-th-th-th-that’s why I was like that!” she insisted.

“Oh, is that so?” Liu Ruyan said, ignoring the flustered Ji Xue as she turned her gaze directly to Lin Mo. “Good morning, Sister Wan’er~”

No sooner had her words fallen than Liu Ruyan, like a lively yet impetuous little rabbit, carrying a warm fragrance and a faint, lingering sweet scent of calming incense, suddenly flung open her arms. In an extremely intimate and dependent posture, she completely pounced into Lin Mo’s embrace.

!

‘This pounce was hardly a benefit!’

‘Ji Xue is still watching!’

‘If I’m hugged, a new round of a love triangle showdown is definitely coming!’

‘I refuse!’

‘Though she’s soft and fragrant, now that Ji Xue is here, I can’t be this intimate with other girls!’

‘Lin Mo wanted to dodge!’

‘Surely with my current strength, dodging wouldn’t be—’

But just as his body was about to move, Lin Mo felt himself stiffen!

‘Damn it!’

‘The spiritual needles I left in haven’t fully dissipated yet. My limbs are still somewhat numb! I can’t move!’

And so, the helpless Lin Mo was thoroughly slammed onto the bed by the sudden, solid embrace, seeing stars.

‘Even if my body is stiff, this strength is just too terrifying, isn’t it?’

It even hurt a little. But Liu Ruyan’s soft, fragrant hair brushed against his jaw, and that pure, fervent warmth and plump, soft sensation instantly enveloped him, compensating for his pain quite well.

‘But!’

‘Now is not the time for enjoyment!’

Ji Xue’s pupils suddenly constricted to pinpricks!

Her entire body’s blood surged backward, rushing straight to her head! A sky-filling, ocean-choking rage, mixed with bitterness and horror, exploded within her chest like a volcanic eruption!

Her breath instantly hitched.

“Let—me—go—!”

The furious roar, each word like a splintering icicle, tore from between her clenched teeth.

The extreme cold tempered within that vocal thread was ten times more biting than the frost from Lin Mo’s Foundation Establishment pressure that had frozen the room last night!

The temperature of the confined space plummeted in response!

‘Oh no!’

‘The love triangle showdown is back!’

‘Seriously…’

Lin Mo continuously wailed in his heart. ‘Why is the love triangle showdown back again? Don’t others only experience it after a long time? Why did mine return in just one night?!’

Lin Mo was utterly speechless.

‘Is this punishment for how I used to enjoy watching other people’s love triangle showdowns?’

‘However, if it’s a sin, then this is undoubtedly a light one. After all… two girls fighting over me, even if it is a sin… Lin Mo couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit of happiness in his heart at this moment.’

‘After all, someone likes me.’

‘But the outcome is very likely to be… I’ll die a miserable death!’