Xue Chenjing, reborn, did not yet remember the dark past, nor did he recall the self he once was—despised and abandoned time and again, like sludge in the gutter.
The eyes before him were fervent, devout, brimming with a warmth like a bubbling hot spring. Pure as the rising sun, they glowed with vitality, unstinting and unashamedly displaying his love and ambition to her.
She found it impossible to refuse him, and had no reason to do so. For a moment, she even hoped he would never remember, that he would remain this radiant, like the morning sun.
Yu Yi stroked his eyes, reflecting the light, and smiled, "Alright."
Xue Chenjing's eyes lit up even brighter at her response. His heart, beneath his palm, pounded with increasing intensity. This was his first time offering his heart in pursuit of love, and he had received a response. There could be no greater fortune.
Overwhelmed with joy, Xue Chenjing knocked Yu Yi down onto the terrace. Beneath her were the tentacles he had lost control of, soft and tender, caressing her skin.
"Yi, Yi, I love you so much, so much, so much," Xue Chenjing murmured in her ear, each breath hot enough to sear into her heart.
The restless tentacles tangled her clothing into a mess, while their owner, equally undisciplined, nibbled and rubbed against her. He had forgotten how to kiss, relying solely on instinct to mark her as his.
Yu Yi couldn't take it anymore. She pushed his forehead away with her fingertips, catching her breath, and scolded, "Stop it."
Xue Chenjing immediately halted at her command. When Yu Yi told him not to move, he could only suppress his inner restlessness and remain still, his eyes burning with longing, unblinkingly fixed on her.
Yu Yi felt herself melting into his bright, fervent gaze. Pleased, she cupped Xue Chenjing's face, showering gentle kisses on his eyes, nose, and lips, patiently teaching him how to kiss and how to control his sharp canines so as not to hurt her.
In this moment, Xue Chenjing was the most devout and intelligent student in the world.
He followed Yu Yi's guidance intently, learning to gently kiss her lips, to caress her tongue, and then, by analogy, to deepen the kiss, to entwine and suckle, to seize the breath from her mouth.
Today's scene was bathed in a fine weather, with sunlight piercing through emerald leaves, casting dazzling light.
Yu Yi's garments gradually fell apart, exposing her skin to the sun. Her skin was fair and delicate; a slight loss of control would leave a flush on her.
Occasionally, a gentle sea breeze would pass by, causing the leaves to sway and the light patterns on her to ripple like water.
Xue Chenjing sniffed, locating the source of her aroused scent. Lowering his head, he kissed her as she had taught him, gently parting her soft lips with his tongue, suckling and entwining, before delving deeper.
Yu Yi bit her lip, once again forgetting to breathe, her mind blank, her senses filled only with his soft, fervent tongue.
"Ah Qiu, Ah Qiu..."
Xue Chenjing heard the name she involuntarily uttered, and a surge of sour bubbles of jealousy rose in his heart, driving him to madness.
Yu Yi wasn't sure when the intense sunlight had been veiled by thick clouds. By the time the white light in her mind subsided and she regained her senses, she had already returned to the wooden building.
Xue Chenjing, as he had once said, wanted to completely cover her with his scent, erasing any trace of another's presence.
He lacked method, acting purely on instinct. When he grew too impatient, he pleaded against Yu Yi's ear, "Yi, teach me, how should I do it, what should I do?"
Yu Yi, unable to withstand his persistent entanglement, finally blushed and took his hand, guiding him through the movements and showing him how to proceed.
Xue Chenjing learned earnestly, then doubled his efforts. Yu Yi felt the wetness at his eyes, his lashes trembling against her fingertips, warm tears sliding down her hand into her palm.
Still so prone to tears.
Yu Yi thought, her scattered gaze finding his eyes.
Translucent tentacles emerged from the air, filling every corner of the room. They were in such a spacious place, yet suddenly it felt crowded, suffocating, viscous.
A murmuring, like the sound of tides, emanated from the tentacles, incessantly repeating her name.
The sunlight outside faded, and the full moon rose, slowly moving towards the zenith. Crane Senior Brother, after wandering all day, returned to sleep, only to find the wooden building almost entirely enveloped by translucent tentacles. Red simulated a cocoon, wrapping the entire building.
Crane Senior Brother circled the building several times, unable to find any gap to enter.
He called out to the building for a long time, but no one answered. Finally, he angrily pecked at the tentacles entangled around the building, then flapped his wings to find another place to rest.
Crane Senior Brother's commotion eventually awakened someone inside the building. Yu Yi lazily opened her eyes, too exhausted to even move her fingertips, naturally not responding to Crane Senior Brother's calls.
She turned her head and met Xue Chenjing's awakening gaze. His sleepiness quickly faded, replaced by a strange expression. Though he tried to hide his awkward and regretful look, Yu Yi still noticed.
"What's wrong? You..." She paused, observing his expression, and tentatively asked, "Do you... remember?"
Xue Chenjing's eyes twitched violently, his gaze flickering, his face reddening visibly.
He indeed remembered much, the past awakening in his mind, just as it had in his previous lives. But there was a difference—in the past, he always remembered the painful deaths first, but this time, the first thing he remembered was the person beside him.
Ah Qiu, Ah Qiu, the name she had been calling all along was himself.
Just a few hours ago, he had been madly jealous of this person, covering her mouth, crying and begging her not to call that name. Now he finally understood the helpless look Yu Yi had given him then.
Yet, she had indulged his request, biting her lip and refraining from speaking afterward.
Seeing his reaction, Yu Yi didn't need to ask further. She raised her hand, pressing the back of it against his blushing, almost steaming cheek, and asked, "Can I still call your name? Ah Qiu?"
Xue Chenjing desperately wanted to find a hole to hide in, or to somehow muddle through, but he was terrible at pretending, especially in front of Yu Yi. Finally, he became flustered and annoyed, pressing his lips against hers and shamelessly saying, "Of course, Yi. I want to hear you call all the names you held back earlier."
You adjust your mindset way too quickly!
Xue Chenjing had boundless energy, as if he never tired. His body, like his gaze, burned with the fervor of the morning sun, making it hard to resist. Earlier, he had begged her not to call that name, and now, after regaining his memories, he shamelessly begged her to call it.
Indeed, Xue Chenjing, the shameless demon, wouldn't feel shy for more than a moment.
