Chapter 284

Ning Ning didn’t press him on the word he kept to himself.

As she continued to wipe away the blood, she gently asked, “Why are you unhappy?”

She used a deliberately puzzled tone, with a hint of a smile, without looking up at him.

“Is it because of me?”

Pei Ji replied without thinking, “No.”

“Really?”

Ning Ning said softly, “I thought you might hate me.”

Through the thin handkerchief, Pei Ji could feel the soft touch of her fingertips.

As they brushed over his wounds, it tickled and tingled, drawing out a sharp pain.

Pain that should have been unbearable, yet her touch made it almost addictive.

Pei Ji’s expression steadied as he took a deep breath.

“I could never hate you.”

His words were clumsy, but he tried to say more to her.

The icy sting from his wounds made him shiver slightly, and his voice became even hoarser.

“No matter what, I don’t hate you.”

Ning Ning didn’t respond immediately.

She seemed to be carefully choosing her words, and when she spoke again, her voice was clear like the ringing of a bell.

“Then… do you like talking with me?”

As she spoke, her fingers pressed slightly harder, circling gently around the bite mark on his lower abdomen.

The pain flared like a spreading fire, and Pei Ji instinctively gritted his teeth, trying not to let out an embarrassing sound.

It was an odd question.

As if surrendering, he replied helplessly, “…Yes.”

The word came out awkwardly, and the tips of his ears flushed a vivid pink, like ripples in water spreading silently to his neck and cheeks.

Ning Ning was so close that she must have seen everything.

If she saw him blush, would she… find it funny?

Just as this thought pained him, Ning Ning’s voice came again, “How about holding hands? Do you like that too?”

Her hand slowly moved down, reaching his lower abdomen.

Pei Ji’s entire body tensed up, as stiff as a statue.

His voice was just as stiff and hoarse and as hot as his burning ears.

“Yes.”

“Oh.”

She kept her head down as she asked, “And what about hugging?”

She pressed on, her questions growing more and more ambiguous, each word weighing heavily on his heart.

Pei Ji had no way out.

His attempt at a calm voice trembled involuntarily: “…Yes.”

Ning Ning remained silent for a long moment.

It seemed she understood everything now—the reason why Pei Ji was unhappy, the secret he kept hidden in his heart.

The girl sitting by the river suddenly lifted her head, and their eyes met briefly.

Her face was flushed, but she was smiling.

“Really?”

The playful lilt in her voice was like a cat’s tail swishing, brushing against his eardrums, and that subtle itch exploded in his veins.

His mind was hanging by a thread.

Looking into her eyes, Pei Ji felt as if he was under a spell and could only answer truthfully, “Yes.”

The girl in front of him blinked at him.

Then, without a word, she reached out her left hand and held onto his wristbone.

Amidst the swirling mist, Pei Ji watched as Ning Ning lowered her head again.

A warm, unfamiliar sensation suddenly covered the old scar on his middle finger.

It was the soft touch of her lips.

All the sounds around them seemed to vanish with this single gesture.

In the utter silence, the only thing left was the sound of his heart pounding wildly.

His mind was a chaotic mess, utterly bewildered.

Something exploded in his chest, and Pei Ji felt like he was in a dream.

Ning Ning, with her head still lowered, her expression hidden, asked in a calm tone, “What about this?”

He had no way out, utterly defeated.

His throat bobbed involuntarily, and in his muddled thoughts, he could only manage to mumble, “Blood, it’s dirty…”

The words hung incomplete on his tongue, as if stuck.

—Ning Ning suddenly leaned in closer, bringing with her the scent of gardenias, and without warning, kissed his earlobe.

Her voice was right by his ear, like a warm breeze gently passing by.

The uncontrollable tremors spread through him like electricity, swiftly coursing through every drop of his blood and every bone in his body.

He heard the girl whisper softly, “Do you like this?”

Pei Ji’s ears turned visibly red.

So red, it seemed that with just a little more teasing, they might start bleeding.

When her lips touched them, she could feel the young man’s entire body radiating heat, mixed with the cold river wind.

Too cute to handle.

“Pei Ji.”

Ning Ning’s smile deepened as she pulled back a bit to look into his eyes.

When she spoke, two shallow dimples appeared on her cheeks, and her voice, sweet as if soaked in gardenia, left him utterly entranced, unable to resist.

His heart pounded uncontrollably.

Ning Ning’s voice rose with his frantic heartbeat, and Pei Ji heard a light laugh.

“Do you like me?”