Qin Jiujiu sat on the bed, the atmosphere now even more awkward. Xie Jing continued to stare at her, yet remained silent. She felt that her recent kick had angered him.
She stole a glance at him and, as expected, saw him with a cold expression, a stark contrast to his earlier demeanor. This man was truly capricious!
From the very beginning, when she knew she had to undertake missions, she had analyzed how to gain favor with the protagonists.
To earn favor, one had to approach it through love, kinship, and friendship. Kinship was impossible between them. Only love and friendship remained. If she pursued love, such situations as this would be unavoidable.
It wasn't that she was conservative, but she always believed that for such intimate interactions, the other person had to be someone she liked. Moreover, this body wasn't hers, so she ultimately chose friendship, putting love aside.
However, the key to the villain's descent into darkness lay in falling in love with the heroine. If she wanted to prevent the villain from turning evil, she had to stop him from falling in love with the heroine!
Previously, she had thought she was a step too late, that Xie Jing had already fallen for Bai Qianluo. But recently, she felt that Xie Jing seemed to treat her differently.
Yet, she couldn't be sure if the villain was acting this way towards her because he had fallen for her.
After all, the villain was a person of deep and complex thoughts. If she hadn't understood the original novel's setup from the start, she might have been deceived by the villain and ultimately met her own demise.
"Miss Qin, do you remember what I asked you earlier?" Xie Jing suddenly spoke, pulling Qin Jiujiu from her thoughts. She tried hard to recall the answer in her mind.
Xie Jing's fist clenched and then relaxed, relaxed and then clenched again. If he heard the answer he didn't want from her, he would...
Qin Jiujiu was unaware of Xie Jing's inner turmoil. She only knew that the gaze from above was scorching. Although her expression remained somewhat natural, her inner anxiety intensified, and a thin layer of sweat broke out on her back.
Great, her bath was wasted. She had just been kissed by him, and now she was sweating, feeling sticky and uncomfortable. She just wanted to send Xie Jing away and take another bath.
"Could it be the bet?" The only conversation she could recall him having with her was this. Besides, she had left the banquet early today because of it, so she remembered the bet most vividly.
She couldn't recall anything else.
Xie Jing's fist tightened. Qin Jiujiu didn't see it, but she couldn't discern any answer from his unchanging expression. She could only wait for Xie Jing's response. His hand suddenly loosened, as if he had temporarily set the matter aside. He had plenty of time to get the answer; he could wait!
When he was truly out of patience, he had countless ways to get what he wanted!
A flicker of emotion that Qin Jiujiu couldn't understand crossed his eyes. "Since there's nothing else tonight, let's play this." His words instantly relieved Qin Jiujiu. Although she didn't know if she had guessed correctly, at least he wasn't fixating on that question anymore.
Qin Jiujiu inexplicably felt like she had narrowly escaped a disaster. Although he hadn't made a move or threatened her, she felt that her situation had been very dangerous, and now it felt like she had narrowly escaped death, leaving only relief.
"Okay... hahahaha..." She quickly forced a laugh, then belatedly remembered that she didn't have anything with her to play this game. She cast her gaze back to Xie Jing.
At some point, he had acquired several chess pieces in his hand. Qin Jiujiu mused, "He actually carries this stuff around? How perverted!"
But she only dared to think it in her heart. Her actions were swift. She ran back to Xie Jing, intending to take the chess pieces from his hand.
As her hand landed in his palm, Xie Jing suddenly spoke, "Don't move yet!" His words were imposing, and though his tone was calm, it inexplicably made her dare not refuse.
Qin Jiujiu withdrew her hand, looking at him with confusion. Xie Jing's gaze fell on her lower abdomen. The clothes there were stained red by the bleeding, forming a small circle. It didn't look extensive.
She had been too nervous earlier and hadn't felt the pain. Now, seeing the blood, she felt a throbbing pain in that spot.
It must be that her clothes were sticking to the wound!
But how had Xie Jing noticed it? She suddenly dared not think further, because this wound was inflicted by him. She couldn't bear to recall the scene from earlier.
"Sit down."
Xie Jing suddenly commanded. Qin Jiujiu obediently sat down on the bed, still murmuring, "I'm fine! This little injury..." It's nothing.
Before she could finish speaking, Xie Jing suddenly knelt before her. The scent wafted upwards and into her nostrils. She suddenly felt her consciousness beginning to blur. Was there something wrong with this scent?
But Xie Jing always carried this scent. If it could bewitch people, then why hadn't Bai Qianluo been affected? She dispelled the absurd thought that arose in her mind.
Xie Jing's hand fell on her belt. The knot, tied loosely, came undone with a simple pull. She was wearing only a pale pink undergarment beneath. Although the opening was not large, it was still vaguely visible.
"Don't..." Her words were again interrupted by Xie Jing. He had anticipated her next move and had already intercepted her hand as she tried to stop him. Her hands were small and delicate, completely engulfed in his palm. How could she resist?
Qin Jiujiu realized the vast disparity in strength. She was utterly powerless to stop whatever Xie Jing intended to do. But if she allowed him to unbutton her clothes like this, how could she face herself!
Didn't the ancients value propriety between men and women the most?
But this Xie Jing was not a normal person to begin with!
So, his actions were somewhat within expectation.
Qin Jiujiu watched as his other hand moved towards her clothes. She suddenly reached out with her other hand to stop him. Xie Jing didn't even look up, only saying, "What are you afraid of? I've already seen what I should and shouldn't see."
Qin Jiujiu: "..." Suddenly, she wanted to curse. What should she do?
She didn't know whether to feel ashamed or angry, so she could only curse him in her heart: You pervert!
Her clothes were pulled aside by Xie Jing. His expression remained unchanged, as if the person before him were not a woman at all. Qin Jiujiu felt even more annoyed. Did she have no charm? Otherwise, how could he remain so steadfast?
"Miss Qin, where is the medicine?"
When he called her Miss Qin, the word "Ajiu" suddenly flashed through Qin Jiujiu's mind. She inexplicably felt that his tone was somewhat forced, now as faint as if he hadn't been the one to call her that just now.
But she still had to answer. With her survival instinct fully activated, she immediately replied, "It's in the drawer beneath that dressing table... Or, shall I get it myself?"
Did she dare to order the villain around? She wanted to live a few more years. So, as soon as the words left her mouth, she immediately added.
Xie Jing stood up. Without giving her a chance to stand, he said, "Sit still." He then turned and walked in the direction Qin Jiujiu had indicated.
Qin Jiujiu: Why does this feel like an overbearing father?