"You're quite self-righteous,"
Xiao Chi Zhan said, "Then would you be happy if I locked you back in the mansion?"
Ye Luan, "---"
"See? You don't want to return to the mansion with me, and you won't allow me to come here. Then when can I ever see you?"
"Does your mind contain anything besides locking people up?"
He lifted his eyelids and stated directly, "Yes, I want to lock you in."
"Do you want to see how wanton you are!"
"Only wanton with you."
Ye Luan, "----"
Angrily, she struggled, "I'm too lazy to talk nonsense with you. Let go."
Xiao Chi Zhan didn't release her, instead, he traced upwards from her ankle, saying, "There's something dirty on your face."
Hearing his words, Ye Luan doubtfully touched her face.
"I'll wipe it clean for you."
Suddenly, he leaned in, his slightly cool hand caressing beneath her eyelids, rubbing.
Ye Luan suspected he was doing it on purpose.
With a slap, she batted away his hand and bent her knee, aiming for his abdomen, but he firmly clasped her body, nimbly trapping her legs.
Ye Luan instantly became furious, gritting her teeth, "Are you done messing around?"
Xiao Chi Zhan said nothing, lowered his gaze, his slightly reddish pupils looking at her exposed fair skin, his eyes deepening, tinged with a hint of desire.
"Get off me!"
He instantly grabbed her hands and clasped her waist.
"Stop squirming, it's no use."
Seeing his pathetic state, Ye Luan's eyes turned red with anger, and she couldn't scold him. Sensing his intentions, her body stiffened, and she dared not struggle.
Xiao Chi Zhan saw her stop struggling, a malicious triumph flashing in his eyes.
She was pressed onto the couch, her black hair spread across the jade pillow, her cheeks and ears flushed, her red lips moist.
She wore only a thin inner garment, which, after a few tugs and struggles with him, hung loosely off her shoulders, revealing her fair, delicate collarbone.
She looked breathtakingly radiant.
Ye Luan naturally noticed his gaze. She lowered her head and saw that her inner garment had loosened considerably, no longer covering her, revealing her.
Her face flushed. Just as she was about to reach out and pull her clothes tighter, he seized her wrist and pinned it above her head.
They were very close, and she could clearly see the undisguised desire in his eyes.
Ye Luan felt a flicker of panic and angrily yelled at him.
"I should have thrown you out the window yesterday and let you freeze all night."
He lowered his head and nuzzled her hair.
"You wouldn't."
Silence fell around them for a moment, broken only by the rustling sound of sparrows flapping their wings against the window lattice.
"Luan Luan, you're so beautiful. I want to hide you away."
Ye Luan rolled her eyes, too exhausted to argue.
He was inherently a possessive, pathological mad dog, unchangeable.
"Xiao Chi Zhan, I want to hide you away too. Will you let me?"
"Yes, lock me up then."
He suddenly looked up, his excessively alluring red pupils filled with an irrepressible excitement.
"Just the two of us, never to be separated."
"You're sick!"
Ye Luan pushed him away with disdain, "Are you getting up or not?"
Xiao Chi Zhan released her, his hand sliding into her clothes.
"I don't want to."
Damn dog, always pushing his luck.
Ye Luan, enraged, slapped his face and pushed him back.
He leaned back with the momentum and, with a flip of his wrist,
"Luan Luan, if you liked this earlier, I would have..."
"----"
Ye Luan looked down at him, her teeth chattering.
She wasn't actually that short-tempered, but whenever she encountered Xiao Chi Zhan, she always went mad.
He always managed to infuriate her to the point of explosion, yet she couldn't do anything to him.
Xiao Chi Zhan held her, his gaze lifting.
Her disheveled inner garment hung loosely on her body, her black hair spread around her waist, her fair cheeks flushed with a rosy hue, truly a siren embodying both radiance and allure.
He gently caressed her waist.
The skin beneath his palm was delicate and smooth, her waist was curvaceous and alluring, perfectly proportioned, feeling as if it had no bones,
He was not satisfied.
But after only a few touches, Ye Luan stopped his hand.
She coldly removed his hand, "Let go."
"No."
His other hand held her tightly.
They were locked in a stalemate.
Ye Luan felt like she could have his heart with a knife. Just as she was about to twist away, the door outside was suddenly opened, and the strong voice of Old Madam Bai echoed from the outer room.
"A'Luan, are you awake? Grandmother has found portraits of several young gentlemen for you. Hurry and pick one, see if there's anyone you..."
Ye Luan was startled. Seeing that someone was about to enter, she quickly kicked him.
"Quickly, go out the window."
Xiao Chi Zhan narrowed his eyes, "What gentlemen?"
"Hurry up, get up, go--"
If she was seen entering, she would be utterly disgraced.
Bother!
It was too late.
Ye Luan quickly and fiercely kicked him, broke free, and shoved him to the farthest end of the bed with one foot, wrapped him in the quilt, and warned, "Don't come out."
After saying that, she lowered the bed curtains and put on her shoes.
The door was pushed open, and Ye Luan immediately grabbed clothes from the rack and put them on.
As soon as Old Madam Bai entered, she saw her in a hurry to get dressed and smiled, calling for the maids to bring down the portraits.
"No one was waiting outside, so Grandmother thought you were already up."
Ye Luan fastened the buttons and walked over obediently, smiling, "I overslept."
"You haven't had breakfast yet, have you? How about eating first."
She hurriedly said, "It's fine, Grandmother. What are these?"
Old Madam Bai smiled and pulled her to sit down, instructing the maids to spread out the portraits.
"You're not young anymore. At your age, most are already mothers. Your Aunt and I chose these for you. They're all sons of scholarly families. If you marry into one of them, you certainly won't be wronged. Hurry and pick, see if there's anyone you fancy."
Old Madam Bai had long been worried about her marriage. The incident between A'Luan and the Dingbei Prince back then was widely known, making it difficult to find a suitable match.
Now, she had been delayed until this age. If she didn't marry soon, she would truly become an old maiden.
After she passed away, this child would be all alone, what was to be done!
"In a couple of days, I'll have your Aunt take you to more banquets to see if you can meet someone you take a liking to. Grandmother heard from your second Aunt that the young master from the Hanlin family is also unmarried, with good character and appearance, and he's even a *tanhualang* (third-ranked scholar in the imperial examination)--"
Old Madam Bai spoke to herself, while Ye Luan listened with a pounding heart, her hand trembling as she touched the portraits.
She was afraid.
What if that madman rushed out recklessly, and she would never be able to show her face again?
She quickly coughed, interrupting Old Madam Bai, "Grandmother, um, put the portraits here. When I have free time, I will definitely examine them carefully."
"You child, you're not taking this seriously at all. Don't you see anyone you fancy?"
Old Madam Bai patted her hand and said, "What do you think of your cousin? That child has good character and will surely be promising in the future--"
Ye Luan's lips twitched, and she quickly interrupted, "Grandmother, I only have a sibling-like relationship with my cousin. Please don't say such things."
Saying this, she twined her arms around the Old Madam's arm and pouted, "I don't want to get married yet. I can accompany Grandmother more."