Chapter 80: Good Girl

Yan Yichen’s lips curled slightly, his dark sandalwood eyes deep and shadowed, his voice low and tinged with a husky undertone, amusement lacing his words.

“Didn’t you call me a lecher? So I thought, if I don’t do something, wouldn’t I be letting down the title?”

His pitch-black eyes burned as they fixed on her delicate, rosy lips, and he leaned in as if about to close the distance.

Sensing how near he was, Meng Yi’er’s heart seemed to contract. The cool, sharp aura of the man surrounded her, and in the next moment, his sensual, thin lips were about to descend.

Her heart suddenly pounded wildly. Just before his lips touched hers, she turned her head ever so slightly.

“Wait,” she blurted, her clear voice full of panic.

Their lips brushed for just an instant, barely a touch before gliding past.

Soft.

Supple.

Though the contact lasted only a fleeting moment, the sensation startled them both into stillness.

Coming back to herself with a start, Meng Yi’er looked up and met his gaze, which held a trace of amusement. After just a glance, she dropped her eyes in embarrassment, not daring to look again.

It was as though someone had plucked hard at her heartstrings.

Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, as if it might leap out at any moment.

Even stranger, in that brief instant of contact, she found she hadn’t disliked it at all.

She was supposed to dislike him.

The time at the airport. The incident downstairs. Before, she had always resisted his touch, even felt anger.

Why did it feel different this time, with none of the usual resistance or rage? Instead, a faint sweetness seemed to blossom in her chest.

Her brows drew together in confusion as she looked up. The face before her was still the same, strikingly handsome, with a faint, teasing smile.

“You…”

Yan Yichen’s lips quirked upward. The sensation was familiar, as was her subtle fragrance.

He had only meant to tease her—this accidental brush of lips was an unexpected bonus. But this time, her reaction was different; she didn’t seem as resistant as before. That thought delighted him, and a hint of a smile played at the corners of his eyes.

“Yes?”

“I know you barged in just now because… you were worried about me. I shouldn’t have called you a lecher. Please, don’t take it to heart.”

Her voice grew softer and softer. When she finished, Meng Yi’er offered a small, embarrassed smile.

Had this girl actually learned to yield to him?

No longer the little wildcat always baring her claws at him.

How rare!

Yan Yichen smiled faintly, his long fingers gently pinching her cheek, his mellow, indulgent voice sounding from above, tinged with lazy affection.

“Good girl.”

Meng Yi’er looked up at him in surprise. He hesitated for a moment, then withdrew his hand, his expression becoming quietly reserved.

“Yan Yichen, could you… get up first?” she asked softly, afraid of provoking him again, especially since their current position was rather precarious.

He arched a brow, braced a hand on the edge of the bed, and with a swift, fluid movement, stood up, never once pressing on her again.

Meng Yi’er immediately sat up, clutching the towel tighter around herself, hands covering her bare shoulders.

Yan Yichen turned away, giving her time to compose herself.

“Achoo…”

As soon as Meng Yi’er stood, an itch prickled in her nose. She had just raised her hand but was too late to cover her nose—she sneezed twice in quick succession.

Yan Yichen turned, pulled two tissues from the bedside, and stepped forward to hand them to her, his eyes full of concern.

“Are you coming down with something?”

Meng Yi’er rubbed her nose and took the tissues from his hand, giving him a faint smile.

“I fell asleep in the bathtub while I was bathing just now. Maybe I caught a bit of a chill.”