Chapter 74.1 Eleventh Kiss

“Bestow marriage?” Yan Mu’s smile froze on her face.

She felt like today was indeed a bit surreal. First, the Empress inexplicably locked her up in a little black room, and afterwards, even more bafflingly, she was later bestowed with marriage. 

“The Empress is suspicious of your relationship with Chu Cong, so back then, in order to save you, this was the only way.” Yu Yuan didn’t seem to notice anything odd with Yan Mu.

He was still tenderly inhaling Yan Mu’s scent, and his tone was so gentle that it could give one goosebumps.

“Ah Mu has kissed me so many times, don’t tell me you don’t want to be responsible for me?” Yu Yuan kissed Yan Mu’s earlobe.

He placed tender kisses along her neck before finally stopping at her collarbone.

He opened his mouth and gently bit it.

“Wuu.”

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Zyd Yw’p cseu valxczle, pbl rkvkqwzzu vakle vs rwpb Zw Zwyd yoyu, cwv bl bwttle bla lhld vktbvla.

“Gb Yw, obu yald’v usw vyzjkdt?”

Zw Zwyd pwnjle sd bla rwal obkvl pjkd, zlyhkdt y qykdv ale xyaj.

“P-esd’v zlyhl ydu xyajp.”

Zyd Yw’p qynl oyp yp ale yp y akrl vsxyvs. Fbl rwpble Zw Zwyd’p blye yoyu yde nzsple bla pzktbvzu srld nszzya.

“Pslpd’v Gb Yw oydv vs cl okvb xl qsalhla?” Zw Zwyd’p hsknl oyp pollv yp puawr, cwv yzps zkjl y elhkz’p obkprla, vlxrvkdt sdl vs qyzz kdvs vbl ycupp.

Zyd Yw zsolale bla lulp, bla lulzypblp valxczle pzktbvzu.

Fbl nswzed’v ydpola Zw Zwyd’p iwlpvksd.

After a long silence, she opened her red lips.

However, at this moment, Yu Yuan interrupted Yan Mu.

“Forget it, don’t say it.” Yu Yuan was suddenly a little frightened.

He was afraid to hear words of rejection from Yan Mu’s mouth.

So, he leaned down and blocked her petal-like lips.

He seemed to combine both his longing and fear into the kiss as his attack was unprecedentedly fierce, and Yan Mu was unable to resist.

Yan Mu kept retreating, abandoning her armor¹丢盔弃甲 (diūkuī-qìjiǎ) – throw away your helmet and relinquish your armor (idiom); to throw away everything in headlong flight.

Yu Yuan had no intention of letting her go, and held tight like he was trying to fuse Yan Mu into his body.

“That’s enough……” Yan Mu whimpered weakly.

She gently shoved Yu Yuan’s chest with her hands, but the teenager grabbed them.

Both her hands were confined, and Yan Mu became a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. 

When the kiss ended, Yan Mu’s lips were already extremely red and swollen.

Like a begonia after rain, with water droplets on its petals, glistening and lovely.

Yu Yuan’s eyes darkened, and he took several deep breaths to restrain the stirring in his heart.

He let go of Yan Mu, and his face returned to his usual expression.

“Ah Mu must be tired, right? We’ll go back to the bookstore,” he said faintly.

Yan Mu felt like Yu Yuan was angry, but she couldn’t make any promises to appease him.

So, she could only lower her head and let out a soft hum.

************************

It was already afternoon when Yan Mu returned to the bookstore.

Xiao Qing and Ah Yu were already waiting anxiously at the door.

“Yan jiejie!” Yan Mu had just come down from the carriage when Ah Yu threw himself at her.

“Are you alright?” Ah Yu asked worriedly.

“I’m alright.” Yan Mu stroked Ah Yu’s head to comfort him.

Ah Yu seemed to have grown taller.

“It’s good that Miss Yan is fine,” Xiao Qing also said with concern.

  “Thank you for your help this time,” Yan Mu sincerely thanked him.

“Uncle Yan is coming back soon, so nothing must happen to you.” Xiao Qing scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed.

His father and Father Yan were good friends, so naturally, he usually paid Yan Mu more attention.

Yan Mu repeatedly expressed her gratitude.

“Yan jiejie, why is your mouth swollen?”

Ah Yu’s eyes were sharp, and he could tell at a glance that something was off with Yan Mu.

At his words, the three adults present were stunned.

Yan Mu’s face turned red almost instantly.

Xiao Qing quickly returned to his senses and awkwardly let out a light cough.

“Your Highness, you saw wrong,” Xiao Qing said with a straight face.

“Yes, yes, yes, Ah Yu, you saw wrong.” Yan Mu nodded desperately like a chicken pecking rice.

“I didn’t see wrong, Yan jiejie’s mouth is clearly……” Ah Yu was anxious.

“Ah Yu.” However, Yu Yuan coldly opened his mouth, “Have you finished your homework for today?”

In order to protect Ah Yu’s life, they couldn’t announce to the public that he was still alive. But he was still just a child after all, and mustn’t get behind on his homework. So, Chu Cong specially found a trustworthy teacher to teach Ah Yu lessons.

It’s just that Ah Yu was naughty, and the only son left behind by King Xiang, so the teacher couldn’t control him either.

Ah Yu would only still somewhat listen to Yu Yuan and Yan Mu’s words.

Especially Yu Yuan’s. Whenever he opened his mouth, Ah Yu would shrink back like a quail.

So with just one question from Yu Yuan, Ah Yu immediately stopped talking.

“If you can’t finish today’s homework, you’re not allowed to eat,” Yu Yuan said coldly. After leaving such words, he walked straight into the room.

Xiao Qing looked at Ah Yu, who’d completely lost his haughtiness, and wanted to laugh but didn’t dare to.

Ah Yu looked pitifully up at Yan Mu.

Yan Mu pinched Ah Yu’s cheek and glanced at him somewhat sympathetically.

“If you don’t study well, you’ll become an idiot. Ah Yu must work hard!” She kept thinking that Yu Yuan was angry, so watching him enter the room, she hurriedly followed him. 

Ah Yu stood pitifully in place.

A thought came to mind, and he looked at Xiao Qing, who was about to sneak away.

“You!” His little hand pointed at him and he said, “Come accompany this prince to do my homework!”

Xiao Qing failed to sneak away and could only bravely walk back²视死如归 (shìsǐrúguī) – look upon death like going home (idiom); to face death with equanimity; look death calmly in the face; face death unflinchingly.

He increasingly felt like Yu Yuan, Yan Mu, and Ah Yu were a family of three, and he was just the nanny of this family.

Xiao Qing held his forehead and sighed, looking up at the sky.

********************

Yan Mu followed Yu Yuan into the room.

Yu Yuan took off his jacket and lay on the bed with his back facing Yan Mu.

Yan Mu hesitated for a moment, then lay down beside him and hugged him.

She felt Yu Yuan’s body tremble.

He then turned around.

Their eyes met, and the teenager’s gaze were solemn.

Yan Mu did what Yu Yuan usually did, burying her head in the crook of his neck and gently nuzzling against it.

 Yu Yuan reached out and gently pushed her, but she lowered her head and kissed the teenager’s palm.

Yu Yuan withdrew his hand as if electrocuted.

The teenager’s palm had thick calluses, which felt a little rough to kiss.

“……What are you doing?”

Yu Yuan’s heart beat like a drum, but his face still looked cold and indifferent.

“Can’t I kiss you?”

Yan Mu leaned forward and kissed Yu Yuan on the side of his face.

“You can’t,” Yu Yuan softly said after a while.

“Why not?” Yan Mu asked again.

Yu Yuan pursed his lips and didn’t speak.

Yan Mu didn’t urge him either. She nestled in Yu Yuan’s arms and played with the teenager’s long and slender fingers.

“……You don’t seem to want to marry me.” Yu Yuan’s voice was very soft, like the first snowflake in winter.

This snowflake spiraled down from the air and fell onto Yan Mu’s heart, turning into a small puddle of icy-cold snow water.

Yan Mu’s movement paused, and she raised her head to look at Yu Yuan.

Sure enough, his usually cold eyes were currently filled with loss and grievance.

“I want to be with you.” This was all Yan Mu could say.

She was uncertain about her future, and because of her serious and responsible nature, she couldn’t make Yu Yuan any promises.

“Ah Mu, you……” The teenager hesitated for a long time before asking almost inaudibly, “Do you like me?”

Is it because of pity, or…… only because of replenishing your lifespan?

In the past, he used to be complacent because Yan Mu couldn’t leave him, but gradually, he became increasingly greedy.

He first wanted all of Yan Mu, wanted her gentle gaze that was like placid waters, her petal-like lips…… then her soul, and all of her love.

Everything about Yan Mu, he wanted them so badly.

He really wanted to tie Yan Mu to his side so that she would always be in his line of sight.

With Yu Yuan’s current power, imprisoning Yan Mu would be easy to do.

But this would be wrong.

Ah Yu said that if you truly love someone, you must respect them.

He really loved Yan Mu.

So, he didn’t want that pair of beautiful eyes to become dim or those petal-like lips to lose their color.

He had never wanted someone’s true heart so much.

Yu Yuan lowered his eyes.

He was a little afraid to look at Yan Mu.

A soft sigh suddenly came to his ear.

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Edited by: Gaze