Lu Zhao lightly kissed her.
For a moment, Shen Qingyao felt as if someone had pressed the pause button; her entire being was motionless.
The loud screeching sound from the little boy system was more intense than ever, directly hitting her skull. The numbers above Lu Zhao’s head reappeared, scrolling continuously like a lottery draw. The mechanical voice seemed to announce something, but Shen Qingyao had no time to pay attention to it.
At this moment, all her senses were focused on one thing: the soft touch on her lips. She couldn’t feel anything else.
The kiss started off restrained, meant to be comforting, but once he actually kissed her, Lu Zhao realized that his so-called restraint was a sham. He couldn’t control himself at all.
Tears were still on Shen Qingyao’s face, and now they slid down her cheeks, falling between their lips. Tasting the bitterness and saltiness of her tears, Lu Zhao’s breathing became heavier. He thought to himself that the girl had cried many times, but this tear was entirely for him.
The kiss grew more passionate. He gently nibbled on her lips, bit by bit taking away her breath. A slight pain came from her lips as Shen Qingyao placed her hands on his shoulders, moving slightly. The wound from the arrow was still there. She struggled a bit but ultimately did not push him away.
After a long time, Lu Zhao pulled back slightly, their noses touching. He gazed down at her. The girl in front of him was so nervous that her entire face was flushed, and her expression was dazed. Lu Zhao chuckled, a low, sexy, and magnetic laugh filled with immense satisfaction. Shen Qingyao’s heart trembled, and her whole body felt tingly.
Lu Zhao kissed her lips again and softly said, “Yaoyao, breathe.”
Only then did Shen Qingyao realize that she had been holding her breath in her nervousness, nearly suffocating herself. She hurriedly averted her eyes and took a deep breath, only to choke and cough because she inhaled too quickly.
Lu Zhao, half-amused, held her and gently patted her back to help her breathe more easily, laughing uncontrollably.
Shen Qingyao was mortified, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into. She prided herself on being well-read and experienced in romantic literature, yet she was so clumsy and awkward during a kiss, completely outmaneuvered.
She glared at Lu Zhao, unable to resist. It was all his fault for the sudden attack!
The girl’s eyes were glistening, her lips full and inviting. She glared at him lightly, and Lu Zhao’s gaze changed again.
“Is Yaoyao that nervous?”
Nervous, my foot! Shen Qingyao avoided his gaze, thinking, I’m only not pushing you away because you’re injured. Don’t push your luck.
But her heart continued to race uncontrollably.
Lu Zhao, being perceptive, noticed her reaction. Seeing that she wasn’t entirely resistant, he felt a surge of emotion and pulled her close again.
“If you’re not nervous, how about we practice a few more times? Otherwise, what if Yaoyao forgets to breathe every time?”
As he spoke, he kissed her again.
… “Practice” … “a few more times” … “every time.”
Is this something a person would say? Shen Qingyao cursed inwardly, but soon she was once again lost in Lu Zhao’s gentle kisses.
[System Prompt: Upon detection, the host’s favorability towards the mission target has exceeded the average level, and the host’s favorability will no longer be displayed. The mission completion rate is at 60%. The core of the mission has changed. The next phase’s objective is to ensure that the White Moonlight, Lu Zhao, maintains his current state without turning evil and to assist the main leads in achieving the final outcome. Please continue to work hard, Host.]
When Shen Qingyao calmed down and recalled the ignored system prompt, it once again appeared in her mind. It was a cold, mechanical voice, completely lacking the cute youthful tone of her system.
Shen Qingyao found a corner with no one around, her expression complex as she looked at these lines that appeared out of nowhere.
‘Host’s favorability towards the mission target’? Shen Qingyao’s brow twitched. So those numbers weren’t about whether Lu Zhao was going to turn evil? She had been nervous for months because of those digits, only to be told that he had no intention of turning evil at all?
Thinking about the foolish things she had done because of those numbers, Shen Qingyao couldn’t help but sigh deeply and lay back, closing her eyes: “I won’t do this mission anymore, let whoever wants to do it!”
[Host?] After the mechanical voice finished reading the mission, its youthful voice returned and immediately became excited.
[Host! Favorability exceeding the average level? What does that mean?]
“Hmph.” Shen Qingyao also wanted to know.
[Favorability no longer displayed? Did it display before? When?]
“Heh.” Shen Qingyao let out another cold laugh. Keep pretending.
[One last question! Why is there even a favorability setting? No one informed me about this!] The system was about to lose it. After all, it was just an accompanying system; how could its Host have so many settings it knew nothing about?
The murderous intent in Shen Qingyao’s eyes was almost palpable. She stared expressionlessly and cruelly at a spot in the air. “Are you asking me?”
[…Uhm,] the system cowered, [Actually… Host, let me explain. I’m just an accompanying system, only responsible for supervising Host’s task progress. As for the specific settings, that’s handled by the central system. I don’t have the authority, hahaha.]
The system let out a couple of dry laughs. It was telling the truth. As for the fact about the favorability inexplicably exceeding the average level, it was more bewildered than Shen Qingyao.
Shen Qingyao sighed and didn’t bicker with it, trying hard to recall the moment Lu Zhao kissed her. What was the number above his head? [60]? Or [80]?
“Ah… How could this be!” She couldn’t remember, but it was definitely high. Shen Qingyao covered her face in embarrassment. Thinking that it was her own favorability, she felt so awkward her toes curled. So every change in the number was proof that she was charmed by Lu Zhao?
Damn it!
Now it was confirmed that she was the one being pursued…
“What are you doing squatting here?”
Just as Shen Qingyao was dying of embarrassment, Lu Zhao’s voice rang out. Shen Qingyao turned to see Lu Zhao with his arm in a sling, wearing only a thin outer garment. He must have come out because she said she was going to find food but hadn’t returned for a long time, making him worried.
It wasn’t just Shen Qingyao who was frightened by the assassination; Lu Zhao was also scared.
He was afraid that if there were more assassins after he lost consciousness, what would happen to his little girl? He wished he could tie her to himself and never let her out of his sight.
Finding Shen Qingyao, Lu Zhao breathed a sigh of relief. His smile relaxed as he leaned crookedly against the ship’s railing, taking advantage of his injury. Seeing her sitting on the ground with her head buried in her knees, Lu Zhao was a bit puzzled. Could she still be feeling embarrassed about what happened earlier? Such a big reaction?
So she hesitated and said, “Yaoyao… are you angry? Is it because I just kissed you?”
Can you not talk about kissing me as if it were as casual as drinking a glass of water? Shen Qingyao still felt embarrassed to look at him. She had originally thought she was stopping him from turning evil, but now she found herself gradually falling for him. She felt like she might have tainted this pure White Moonlight, and felt awkward about it.
Seeing her remain silent, Lu Zhao’s lips curled slightly. He deliberately said apologetically, “If Yaoyao doesn’t like it, I won’t do it again…”
His tone was pitiful, with a hint of vulnerability as if he had been hurt, which only made Shen Qingyao feel more guilty. Clearly, she was the one coveting Lu Zhao’s beauty, yet he was the one apologizing.
Just when Lu Zhao thought she was really angry, the little ostrich hiding her head moved. She seemed to shake her head, then a muffled voice came from under her arm, “No… I’m not angry…”
After saying that, worried it might not be clear enough, Shen Qingyao raised her head, blushing, and said, “I didn’t say you couldn’t kiss me…”
*Pfft.* Lu Zhao couldn’t help but burst into a happy laugh.
His laughter made Shen Qingyao even more ashamed and annoyed. Determined, she thought since everything was already out in the open, why should she be the only one embarrassed about a few kisses when they’re legally married?
Deciding to go all in, Shen Qingyao jumped up and walked to his side. After a long pause, unable to come up with anything to outdo Lu Zhao’s flirtations, she clenched and unclenched her fists, then in a fit of self-abandonment, tugged at his sleeve. “Why did you come out now! The wind on the river is so strong, and you’re still injured! What if you catch a cold?”
She used the fiercest tone to express the most caring words.
The system, which expected to witness a domestic violence scene, was speechless: […] I thought you were going to hit him, but you’re just spreading dog food!
Lu Zhao raised an eyebrow in surprise, looking at the chattering girl. It was a rare experience for him to be taken care of by her.
Hmm… not bad at all.
Feeling pleased, Lu Zhao wanted to tease her even more. He deliberately leaned closer and said annoyingly, “Yaoyao isn’t angry, so were you hiding here to reminisce?”
Shen Qingyao’s face, which had just calmed down a bit, turned red again. She huffed, thinking, reminiscing my foot, you’re so disgusting! I didn’t expect you to be this kind of White Moonlight! She glared at him fiercely, silently warning him not to talk nonsense anymore. Otherwise, she would really get angry and show him.
Seeing it was enough, Lu Zhao showed a pleading expression, indicating he wouldn’t tease her anymore, thus avoiding an escalation of their little conflict.
Tilting his head, he asked if she wanted to go back to the cabin. Shen Qingyao, not wanting to delay any longer, followed him. After two steps, she stopped, feeling something was off.
Lu Zhao looked at her puzzled, then saw her eyes dart around as she circled half a turn to his other side.
“Hmm?”
Shen Qingyao hugged his uninjured arm with a smile, feeling this position was perfect. It shielded her from the wind, kept her warm by holding his arm, and avoided touching his wound. Satisfied, she nodded and said loudly, “Alright, let’s go.”
Lu Zhao stared at her for a moment, then laughed joyfully, seeing through her little scheme. Unable to resist, he cupped the back of her head and kissed her cheek twice before leading her forward contentedly.
“I’m ready too, let’s go.”
Shen Qingyao, with her head exploding like fireworks: Maybe I’m not so ready after all…
Thanks for the chapter!!!!