She glanced carefully toward Qiu Lan on the bed, only to find the other woman peeking back. Their eyes locked.
Caught, Qiu Lan immediately dove beneath the covers.
Xia He composed herself and tiptoed to the bedside. She leaned in close, her whisper barely audible.
"Now, tell your sister—what exactly did it feel like?"
Qiu Lan threw off the covers and lunged forward, clamping her hand over Xia He's mouth.
"Sister! How can you ask such things? Please, no more."
She glared through her embarrassment, never having imagined Xia He would be brazen enough to ask something so intimate.
Yet she herself had once asked that same question; now that the roles were reversed, it felt hypocritical to judge her fellow maid.
Xia He's face flushed slightly, though she showed no real shyness—after all, she already knew the answer from personal experience.
"Qiu Lan, seriously, you—"
Qiu Lan slapped her hands over her own ears.
"I'm not listening! Xia He, stop, please!
That question... don't you already know the answer yourself?"
The two dissolved into laughter and playful struggle.
...
Ye Qian left his palace and headed directly to his mother's residence.
As Yun Yao's niece, Yun Xi had naturally taken up quarters there during her stay.
Yesterday, when she'd returned from seeing him, she'd crossed paths with her aunt.
Their brief exchange had informed Yun Yao of everything—that her niece had visited Ye Qian, that in a few days the two would travel to the Yun Family together.
Cold and calculating as ever, Yun Yao's eyes sharpened with quiet satisfaction.
Yet behind that ruthless mask, her heart stirred with something softer, something reserved only for her beloved son.
If Yun Xi were to marry Ye Qian, it would strengthen the family's position, uniting the Yun and Ye bloodlines into a single, unbreakable line.
Not to mention securing a graceful, loyal woman at her son's side to bear his future heirs.
Early that morning, Yun Xi had paid her respects to Yun Yao and was returning when she crossed paths with Ye Qian.
The moment she saw him, memories of yesterday flooded back, heating her cheeks.
"Sister Xi, what excellent timing.
Didn't I promise yesterday to show you the Ye Family grounds?
So, I rushed over first thing this morning."
Ye Qian's eyes gleamed with mischief.
"Tempted? Or will you run away again?
Fair warning—I'm asking out of pure courtesy, but I won't accept no for an answer."
Yun Xi covered her mouth, laughter spilling through her fingers.
Her cousin had transformed completely. He'd grown not only more handsome and masculine, but far more playful, with an instinct for making women smile.
She scanned the surroundings cautiously. Finding no one nearby, she released a quiet breath and fixed him with a mock-stern look.
"Don't always be so flippant. I'm your cousin—show some propriety."
Ye Qian nearly laughed aloud at her attempted severity.
She couldn't maintain the expression to save her life, yet insisted on trying. It was endearing.
He ignored her stern facade entirely, reached out, and gently pinched her flawless cheek. The smooth, tender warmth felt exquisite beneath his fingers.
Yun Xi froze.
She'd been lecturing him—so why had he just pinched her face?
Color rushed to her cheeks. She stumbled back a step, covering the spot he'd touched.
Her other hand rose, finger pointing at him as she stuttered.
"Qian'er, you... you... that's going too far!"
The stammered protest, paired with her flushed face, carried no rejection at all.
If anything, it sounded like token resistance—the kind meant to be overcome.
Ye Qian's smile turned cunning.
Not content with mere teasing, he leaned in and pressed a tender kiss to the cheek he'd just pinched, as though soothing away phantom pain.
"Qian'er, am I? Good. I'm making steady progress then.
I'll call you Xi'er from now on."
[Ding! Target Yun Xi detected being teased by the Host, causing extreme shyness. Affection increased by 2 points. Current Affection: 77 points.]
Remarkable.
Simply teasing her like this had gained two full points. This Affection seemed almost too easy to accumulate.
Ye Qian chuckled and caught the hand she still had pointed at him.
"Xi'er, I merely pinched and kissed your cheek, and that's 'going too far'?
You haven't forgotten how you used to pinch and kiss my face when we were children, have you?
I'm simply collecting an old debt."
Yun Xi tugged at her captured hand, but couldn't break his grip.
When Ye Qian mentioned their childhood, images cascaded through her mind—herself as a girl, gleefully pinching his soft cheeks, stealing kisses without permission.
Back then, Ye Qian had been the bullied one, powerless to refuse her.
Now the tables had turned completely. Their positions had reversed.
He was clearly taking revenge for those childhood torments, and what could she say to that?
Head bowed, face burning, Yun Xi knew she had no ground to argue.
"You... Qian'er, let go! If Aunt sees us like this... it wouldn't be good."
She glanced around anxiously, searching for witnesses. The thought of Yun Yao catching them this close embarrassed her.
How would she explain?
But no matter how she struggled, Ye Qian showed no intention of releasing her. He simply smiled and pulled gently.
Yun Xi hadn't anticipated the tug. Balance lost, she stumbled straight into his embrace.
The scent of him—strange yet familiar—enveloped her. Her body went rigid, then flushed with heat.
Ye Qian wrapped his arms around her, his large hands settling at her slender waist.
Yun Xi's thoughts scattered into chaos. She pressed both palms weakly against his chest.
"Qian'er, you... let go now! Someone will see!
Aunt is still in the courtyard!"
Her pushing carried no real force. Even if Ye Qian hadn't been holding her firmly, that feeble pressure wouldn't have budged him an inch.
[Ding! Target Yun Xi's detected savoring the physical contact with the Host. Affection increased by 2 points. Current Affection: 79 points.]
A simple embrace gained another two points. Unexpected, but welcome.
His cousin was nearly his. Though her Affection hadn't quite reached eighty points, only a sliver remained.
If he proposed outright that she become his woman now, she'd have an eighty percent chance of accepting.
This level of Affection was more than sufficient.
But Ye Qian felt no urgency. Their relationship could continue warming naturally, and Affection would rise accordingly.
Everything could progress at its proper pace—haste made waste.
Just as with cultivation, he valued a solid foundation over shallow, rushed advancement.
The sweetest fruits are best enjoyed only if one waits to taste them.