A Morning of Intimacy and Unspoken Feelings

“Are you hungry? Should we get up and eat? It’s already afternoon.”

The boy’s fingertips gently combed through the girl’s slightly disheveled white hair, his lazy voice drifting into her ears once more. The warmth of his breath caused Bai Xia’s body to tense noticeably.

He pulled her closer, his chin nuzzling against the soft top of her head, shielding her completely within his embrace.

The gentleness that followed the forcefulness was what she feared most…

Trapped within the boy’s protective hold, the scent of his reassuring presence filled her senses. The memories of last night’s intensity clashed with the tender intimacy of this moment, causing Bai Xia’s body to tremble slightly.

“D-don’t… don’t do this, Mo Hongyi…”

Bai Xia’s voice trembled softly, carrying a faint, barely perceptible plea. Her small hands pressed against his chest, trying to create some distance.

As a blood maiden, she had no resistance to her master’s scent.

“I can’t take this anymore…”

“Weren’t you enjoying it last night when you kept calling me ‘master’?”

Mo Hongyi’s voice carried a playful tease as he looked at the girl leaning against him. He raised his hand, his fingertips brushing against her nape before slowly trailing down the curve of her spine.

“Mm~!”

Bai Xia shivered and hurriedly pleaded, “D-don’t…”

Her skin was soft and smooth, flushing faintly from both touch and embarrassment. Wherever his fingers passed, a trail of goosebumps followed, making her curl up involuntarily. Yet she remained firmly held in his embrace, unable to escape, until his hand came to rest against her stomach.

“D-don’t, Mo Hongyi…”

Bai Xia begged again, her voice weak.

“You weren’t calling me that last night.”

Seeing that Bai Xia still addressed him as “Mo Hongyi,” he mischievously rubbed her stomach again.

Bai Xia tried to sit up, but she was still firmly restrained within his arms.

But… how could she possibly say that word?

Fragments of memory flooded her mind, and she realized that Mo Hongyi had always known about the blood maiden’s bond to her master. No wonder he had been so confident, teasing her all this time.

“D-don’t… I can’t…”

“Just say it once. Be a good girl.”

“Y-you stop first… just stop for a moment…”

“Say ‘master,’ and I’ll stop.”

“…”

…

……..

It was only when Bai Xia finally whimpered out the shameful word “master” that she nearly drifted off to sleep.

Mo Hongyi looked down at the girl curled up in his arms, her fingertips trembling faintly. A satisfied smile touched his lips as he finally withdrew his teasing hands. He pulled her damp, weakened body into his embrace, gently patting her back in a soothing rhythm.

“Feeling better?”

“Y-you always bully me…”

Bai Xia’s voice still carried a trace of tears, soft and pitiful. Her small body trembled in his arms like a rain-soaked chick, and even her complaint lacked any real strength.

Indeed, what confidence could she possibly have now?

Her deepest secret had already been seen through by Mo Hongyi—what resistance could she offer anymore?

Bai Xia felt both wronged and helpless. In the end, she could only bury her face into the blanket, her voice muffled as she murmured softly, “I guess… I can never escape you… so go ahead and bully me…”

Her words sounded like a complaint, yet beneath them lay resignation, dependence, and even a trace of pleading.

Like a small animal whose secret had been exposed—afraid of being abandoned, with nowhere left to retreat—she could only cling to the last remnants of her dignity, using her weakest resistance to express her unease.

After all, Bai Xia knew her own place. She didn’t dare imagine herself reaching the heights of the Mo family, a towering existence.

“Bai Xia…”

Mo Hongyi felt the girl’s faint trembling in his arms, along with the fragile dependence and quiet plea hidden within it. The last trace of teasing in him faded into a soft sigh, especially when he noticed her still quietly wiping away tears beneath the blanket.

For a moment, he didn’t know how to comfort her.

Should he confess everything directly?

It seemed like the simplest way to ease her worries. Yet… did Bai Xia truly like him?

That question had troubled him for days.

Her reliance on him—was it genuine? Or merely instinct? Or just the effect of their master-servant bond?

Over the past week, while he had felt her closeness, trust, and even affection when she acted coquettishly, there was also an intangible distance he couldn’t ignore.

What exactly was it?

For the first time, the usually decisive Mo Hongyi hesitated.

He feared that being too direct might place pressure on her. He feared seeing even the slightest reluctance in those clear, crimson eyes.

In the end, he could only tighten his embrace, pulling the girl who was still wiping her tears closer against him. Resting his chin against her hair, he suppressed all his emotions into a quiet, steady promise:

“How could I bully you? I’m the one who likes you so much.”

“Then why did you bully me so badly last night?”

Bai Xia’s voice came out in a soft murmur, muffled by the blanket. Yet this time, it lacked resentment, carrying instead a faint hint of shy reproach.

Mo Hongyi didn’t answer.

He hadn’t intended to go that far, but the effects of the potion, combined with her innocent and disarming reactions, had made it difficult for him to hold back.

“And who was the one crying in my arms, calling me a ‘junk fish’?”

Mo Hongyi let out a low chuckle.

After all… this mischievous little troublemaker needed to be taught a lesson.