Before hearing the system prompt, Lin Ting’s forceful kiss could only be described as brutal.
Worried that a mere “dragonfly skimming the water” peck wouldn’t count, wasting her last chance at survival, she mustered her courage to pry open Duan Ling’s slightly parted lips and kissed him deeply, their tongues entwining.
At the moment their tongues touched, Lin Ting sensed Duan Ling stir slightly.
Afraid of failing midway, she pressed down on him with increasing force, almost lying on top of him, using both hands and feet in an attempt to restrain him.
However, with little experience in kissing, Lin Ting found it hard to breathe.
She didn’t know how to breathe properly during a deep kiss and didn’t dare to leave Duan Ling to take a breath, fearing the kiss would end and she’d have to start the timer again.
As the kiss prolonged, her face turned increasingly red, purely from holding her breath.
Uncomfortable from the lack of air, Lin Ting’s limbs started to move restlessly.
Her fingers plunged into Duan Ling’s hair only to pull out and plunge back in, her fair fingertips disappearing into his soft, black locks while her palms pressed against the back of his neck.
Her feet, planted on the floor, shifted positions, stepping on scattered petals, crushing them into a mix of red and purple juices, leaving chaotic marks on the wooden floor.
The petals were utterly crushed, their fragrance permeating the air.
Duan Ling’s collar loosened slightly, and Lin Ting’s long hair fell from above, the tips brushing against the skin inside his collar, flirtingly touching his collarbone before falling to his chest, rising and falling with the beat of his heart.
His breathing grew more erratic, his fingers brushing against the table behind him, producing almost inaudible sounds.
Before he could react, Duan Ling instinctively responded, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed the saliva Lin Ting inadvertently passed to him, letting her tongue freely stir within his mouth.
When he finally came to his senses, Duan Ling could feel Lin Ting’s nose lightly brushing against his face, her breath moist and fragrant, causing a strange, dense shiver to ripple across his skin, itching the bones beneath.
Duan Ling still didn’t push her away.
It seemed he wasn’t repulsed but rather.
Why was this happening?
The room was so quiet that only the ambiguous sounds of kissing and chaotic breathing could be heard.
Lin Ting’s body burned hotly; having kissed for so long, her mouth no longer felt like her own-numb, swollen, and filled with an enticing sandalwood scent.
What surprised Lin Ting the most was that Duan Ling not only didn’t push her away but also didn’t attempt to kill her.
Could it be because she had suddenly and forcefully kissed him, shocking him so much that he hadn’t reacted yet?
Upon hearing the system prompt, Lin Ting opened her eyes and immediately pulled away from Duan Ling.
The moment she did, the wet sounds ceased, a silver strand snapped, and she stepped back a few paces before looking at him.
“I…”
Lin Ting wiped the remaining moisture from the corner of her mouth, unsure of what to say.
After she left him, Duan Ling remained seated on the tea table, motionless, his eyes downcast, gaze unfocused.
His thin lips, after such ravishment, were severely swollen yet mesmerizingly captivating.
Duan Ling’s calmness reached an eerie level:
“Why did you do that?”
Lin Ting’s heart raced like never before, suspecting this was the calm before the storm:
“I drank too much wine, my mind was muddled.”
She knew it was a poor excuse, but what else could she do?
“Drank too much wine?”
The redness at the corners of his eyes was intense, and when he looked up, it seemed as though he could see right through a person’s soul.
Having reached this point, Lin Ting could only keep apologizing:
“Yes, I drank too much wine. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have kissed you.”
“If I recall correctly, Miss Lin Qi, you only had one cup of wine.”
“The wine was particularly strong today. One cup was enough to muddle my mind.”
Lin Ting apologized again, inexplicably feeling as though she had wronged a gentleman under the pretense of drunkenness and was now seeking his forgiveness.
What a sin.
The room was now in complete disarray, with shattered tea utensils and crushed petals scattered across the floor.
Lin Ting had somehow retreated to near the door, ready to flee at any moment.
Duan Ling looked at the crushed petals:
“Are you saying the wine was so strong that you got drunk, your mind muddled, and that’s why you kissed me?”
Lin Ting nodded, bracing herself.
He then asked:
“When you kissed me, did you still know who I was?”
She hesitated whether to lie, but seeing Duan Ling’s eyes, she couldn’t help but tell the truth:
“Yes, you are Lord Duan.”
He shifted his gaze from the petals to her face:
“You knew, and still kissed me.”
Lin Ting fell silent, wondering if Duan Ling was about to settle accounts with her, and if she could escape Nanshan Pavilion before he acted.
“Lord Duan, I suddenly remembered there’s an urgent matter I need to attend to, so I’ll take my leave now. I’m truly sorry about what happened today.”
As she spoke, Lin Ting observed Duan Ling’s expression.
Duan Ling’s tone was ambiguous:
“Alright, then I won’t keep Miss Lin Qi any longer.”
Lin Ting opened the door, half of her body already outside, showing how eager she was to leave:
“Lord Duan, aren’t you leaving?”
“I think I’ll sit here for a while longer.”
She felt as though she had narrowly escaped death:
“Sure, stay as long as you like.”
He made a sound of acknowledgment.
Lin Ting closed the door to the private room, ran downstairs, and soon after leaving Nanshan Pavilion, she returned to compensate the manager for the shattered tea set, twenty taels of silver.
The flowers didn’t need to be compensated as they were complimentary, and the vase wasn’t worth much.
The manager adeptly moved the abacus beads to calculate the cost:
“Just the tea set needs to be compensated, twenty taels.”
“What?”
That mediocre-looking tea set actually cost twenty taels!
Lin Ting paused, her hand on her purse.
She had intended to pay and leave immediately, not wanting to linger at Nanshan Pavilion any longer than necessary, as staying longer increased the danger.
But upon hearing the amount, she decided to argue the point.
“That tea set is so expensive? You might as well rob me; I’d say it’s worth five taels at most.”
Although Lin Ting had some savings, it was hard-earned money, earned at great risk.
Moreover, her savings weren’t vast, and she wasn’t one to spend recklessly.
Money should be spent wisely, like on food, entertainment… but certainly not on being cheated.
Lin Ting spoke loudly, drawing the attention of the diners on the first floor.
The manager, not wanting this incident to tarnish Nanshan Pavilion’s reputation, hastily said:
“Alright, miss, how much do you think is appropriate?”
He usually made money off young masters and ladies from noble families who didn’t care about the cost and would pay whatever he said for broken items.
He hadn’t expected to encounter a lady today who would question the price of Nanshan Pavilion’s tea set.
A miscalculation.
Lin Ting thought for a moment:
“Personally, I think three taels is appropriate.”
The manager had never encountered such a skilled bargainer.
Seeing her dressed in fine silks, she should be a noble lady, yet she only offered three taels?
He thought he misheard:
“Three taels? Didn’t you just say it’s worth five taels at most?”
Lin Ting, clutching her increasingly deflated purse:
“I said it’s worth five taels at most, not that it’s worth five taels. You just said it’s worth twenty taels, trying to cheat me. I’m not arguing with you, which is already quite generous of me. What more do you want?”
She didn’t back down.
The tea set had cost the manager just over two taels, so he wasn’t at a loss, but he still claimed he was:
“Three taels is a bit of a loss, but since I feel a connection with you, miss, three taels will do.”
He felt a connection with her, yet just tried to cheat her with a high price?
Lin Ting didn’t buy his nonsense.
Suppressing the pain of parting with her money, Lin Ting compensated the manager.
Then she remembered Duan Ling was still in the private room at Nanshan Pavilion.
If he caught her haggling over compensation after kissing him, it would be awkward.
Thinking this, Lin Ting glanced upstairs, quickly put away her purse, and left.
She hadn’t taken the Lin family carriage to Nanshan Pavilion today, as she had come prepared to die, so now she had to walk back.
After leaving Nanshan Pavilion, she hadn’t walked far when she ran into Jin Anzai.
Wasn’t this guy supposed to be working?
How could he have the leisure to wander around?
But Lin Ting didn’t feel like greeting him now.
Her lips were still red.
Lin Ting covered her overly red lips, sneaked to the side like a thief, and stood in front of a stall selling drums, pretending to be a passerby.
But who was Jin Anzai?
With sharp eyes, he immediately spotted the furtive Lin Ting and walked over:
“Lin Leyun? Why are you covering your mouth? Did someone hit you?”
Lin Ting almost rolled her eyes:
“You’re the one who got hit. Can’t you wish me well?”
He crossed his arms, the hand underneath holding a sword, looking at her sideways:
“If you weren’t hit, then what’s wrong with your mouth? Why are you covering it so tightly? Did you bite it yourself?”
“None of your business, get lost, I’m going home.”
Jin Anzai had seen her kiss Duan Ling at Prince Liang’s residence.
If he saw her lips more swollen and red than that day, he might make the connection.
The more Lin Ting wanted to go home, the more Jin Anzai wouldn’t let her leave easily.
He was more skilled than Lin Ting, and blocking her was a simple task, which made Lin Ting stomp her feet in frustration:
“Are you itching for a beating? Move! I really don’t have time to argue with you today.”
She was eager to get home and ice her lips.
Jin Anzai said coolly:
“Your reaction makes me even more curious about what’s wrong with your mouth. I saw you coming out of Nanshan Pavilion. Did something happen?”
“Nothing happened. Even if something did, I can handle it myself. If you don’t move, don’t blame me for making a move.”
Lin Ting kept looking back towards Nanshan Pavilion, hoping Duan Ling wouldn’t come out at this moment.
Jin Anzai wasn’t one to be threatened by her.
He noticed her constant glances towards Nanshan Pavilion:
“I taught you martial arts. Are you sure you want to fight me? Besides, you’re still covering your mouth. Are you going to fight me with one hand? If you use both hands, you won’t be able to cover it.”
She realized Jin Anzai was definitely doing this on purpose.
Lin Ting endured, ignoring the numbness in her lips:
“Jin Anzai, you’re being very talkative today. Shut up and go back to the bookstore.”
Jin Anzai walked around her, inspecting:
“Why is your dress so wrinkled?”
Lin Ting: “I fell.”
Jin Anzai nodded expressionlessly:
“You fell, wrinkled your dress, but it’s not dirty at all. You really know how to pick clean places to fall.”
Enough was enough.
Lin Ting kicked Jin Anzai with lightning speed, jumped over him, and ran forward with all her might.
But Jin Anzai grabbed her by the collar and pulled her back, at the same time moving her hand away from her mouth.
Lin Ting’s swollen lips were now exposed to the air: “Jin Anzai!”
At the same time, Duan Ling came out of Nanshan Pavilion, seemingly casually glancing at the two of them pulling and tugging on the street, then lifted his equally wrinkled hem and boarded the Duan family carriage.
Jin Anzai also saw Duan Ling.
He didn’t miss Duan Ling’s thin lips, red as if painted with thick rouge, and his obviously wrinkled clothes.
Lin Ting, in a similar state to Duan Ling, caused a rare look of surprise to appear on Jin Anzai’s usually icy face.
He looked at Duan Ling, then at her.
Jin Anzai hesitated to speak:
“You and Duan Ling were in Nanshan Pavilion?”
Lin Ting immediately retorted:
“Don’t spread rumors, we’re completely innocent!”
As she said this, the Duan family carriage passed by them, and she realized Duan Ling had come out of Nanshan Pavilion.
The wind blew, and the thin curtain of the carriage swayed slightly, faintly revealing half of the face of the person inside, his jawline smooth, his thin lips pressed together, exuding an almost obscene redness.
Seeing this, Lin Ting immediately shut her mouth.
The carriage stopped, and Duan Ling pulled back the curtain, seemingly forgetting what had just happened:
“Miss Lin Qi, why are you still on the street? Didn’t you say you had urgent business to attend to? Do you need a ride?”
A ride?
Like to the afterlife?
.