Shen Qingqiu was caught off guard, so much so that when Xiao Muyu leaned in for a kiss, she didn’t react immediately, staring blankly at Xiao Muyu.
Kissing her and noticing the lack of response, Xiao Muyu stopped and moved back half an inch, her gaze sliding upwards as she whispered, “Why so dazed now?”
Shen Qingqiu’s throat moved a few times, and her eyes began to heat up. Just as she was about to kiss back, the itch in her throat made her quickly turn her head away, causing Xiao Muyu’s kiss to land on her cheek. The warm, soft kiss made Shen Qingqiu feel a bit overwhelmed.
“What’s wrong?” Xiao Muyu didn’t move away, whispering softly.
Shen Qingqiu slightly backed off, coughed a few times, and covered her lips, saying, “I’m sick. What if I infect you?”
Xiao Muyu’s eyes darkened slightly, “I’m not afraid, even if I catch it from you.”
Shen Qingqiu was stunned, looking at Xiao Muyu with some confusion. But Xiao Muyu didn’t say anything more, just smiled gently and kissed her again, this time not waiting for Shen Qingqiu to respond, directly deepening the kiss, teasing her and entangling her.
Xiao Muyu always prided herself on being very restrained. No matter how urgent the situation, she didn’t want to let her rationality collapse.
In the past, seeing those love stories, she couldn’t understand the irrational and illogical sweet talk between couples, finding it utterly useless.
But when it came to herself, she couldn’t escape it either. Watching Shen Qingqiu get hurt, seeing her in pain, sick with a fever, unable to do anything but watch, made her feel a bit crazy.
At this moment, she even thought irrationally that if she couldn’t make Shen Qingqiu feel better, it would be good to suffer together with her.
Shen Qingqiu naturally felt Xiao Muyu’s passion and persistence at this moment. She had no resistance to it, her rationality quickly being drowned. She reached out to embrace Xiao Muyu, getting closer and kissing deeper.
In the end, she pushed Xiao Muyu down onto the bed, still reluctant to part. This moment was so rare. Xiao Muyu’s initiative was as potent as an aphrodisiac to her, making her whole body boil.
Only when Xiao Muyu felt she couldn’t breathe did she gently pat Shen Qingqiu, slightly pushing her away.
Shen Qingqiu, looking down at her, originally had a face flushed with fever, now even more vividly red, and her once pale lips since coming out were now moist and glistening. Her chest heaved continuously, eyes burning as they stared at Xiao Muyu.
One had to admit, Shen Qingqiu at this moment was extremely alluring. Xiao Muyu’s ears reddened. She reached out to gently touch Shen Qingqiu’s eye corner, unable to resist saying, “You don’t look sick at all now. It feels like you’re going to swallow me whole.”
Shen Qingqiu, who had been staring at her, now had a touch of shyness in her eyes upon hearing Xiao Muyu’s words. She turned her head slightly, glancing at Xiao Muyu whom she was still holding down, quickly releasing her grip.
Xiao Muyu adjusted her clothes, feeling quite good. When she sat up, Shen Qingqiu seemed to have digested the sudden shyness. She soon placed her head on Xiao Muyu’s shoulder, hugging her from behind. The scorching body heat transmitted through the clothes made Xiao Muyu’s heart ache.
Just as she was about to turn around to let Shen Qingqiu lie down, the breath from the person beside her ear was already hot, tickling her ear.
Her voice carried a pleasant laughter, with a familiar tenderness in her sigh, “It’s not my fault. When you take the initiative, I can’t take it. If the situation were different, I really would have swallowed you whole.”
Xiao Muyu now felt not only her ears but her cheeks burning as well. Turning to look at the person in only their underclothes sitting on the bed, she picked up the quilt to wrap her up, pressing her down on the bed, “You still have a fever. You can’t catch a cold anymore.”
Shen Qingqiu, with her eyes wide open, watched as Xiao Muyu’s expression suddenly turned serious. She laughed even more happily, “Muyu, are you blushing?”
Xiao Muyu glanced down at the person who didn’t seem to mind causing trouble, leaning in seriously, whispering, “Qingqiu, have I been holding back from you?”
Shen Qingqiu’s smile froze for a moment, her eyes involuntarily shifting, her face turning red.
But who was Shen Qingqiu? In front of Xiao Muyu, she was always so vibrant and bold. That little bit of girlish shyness was completely suppressed by her intense emotions.
So she reached out and hooked Xiao Muyu’s collar, her affectionate peach blossom eyes slightly upturned, full of unspoken words.
Then she pursed her lips into a smile, looking up at Xiao Muyu, her voice slightly breathy as she laughed, “I thought Captain Xiao didn’t know. Turns out you did it on purpose. Knowing you’ve been holding back from me, what are you going to do about it?”
Xiao Muyu felt as if the air was being sucked out by Shen Qingqiu. The heat from her body transmitted to her, her heart pounding uncontrollably. She swallowed hard.
At this moment, Shen Qingqiu was so close that she could clearly see Xiao Muyu’s fair, slender neck, and the involuntary swallowing, causing her throat to move, stirred Shen Qingqiu’s heart and temptation no less.
So she couldn’t help but reach out to gently touch Xiao Muyu’s neck. The sensation made Xiao Muyu shiver. She quickly grabbed Shen Qingqiu’s hand, urging her to lie down, hurriedly standing up, saying, “The doctor prescribed some medicine for you. Your body hasn’t recovered yet. You need to drink it. I’ll check if it’s ready.” With that, she quickly turned and left the room.
Leaving Shen Qingqiu lying on the bed, laughing softly. She touched her chest, chuckling, “So repressed.”
Xiao Muyu took a while to come back. Shen Qingqiu lay on the bed alone, feeling a bit bored. She was indeed feverish, her head slightly aching.
Playing with Xiao Muyu just now had been fun, but now that she had calmed down, she felt uncomfortable all over, with symptoms similar to a cold, feeling chills.
Now it was already daylight. Although the revolving lantern was still hung in the room by Xiao Muyu, the light from outside the window was already enough to illuminate the room.
Last night she had been brought in while unconscious, so she only knew from Xiao Muyu that they were staying at an inn after entering the city but didn’t know where exactly.
The room had only one bed, neatly arranged. Besides two windows in front, there was another window near the courtyard at the back, but it was closed now.
Remembering how she woke up with Xiao Muyu wiping her hands, Shen Qingqiu belatedly realized that Xiao Muyu had been fully dressed. She must have stayed up watching over her all night.
They had gone through so much yesterday, both mentally exhausted, surely very tired. Xiao Muyu hadn’t rested, and she must be utterly exhausted.
Shen Qingqiu frowned, feeling both heartache and annoyance. If she hadn’t been dragging her feet, Xiao Muyu wouldn’t have had to stay up all night.
While she was thinking, Shen Qingqiu’s left ear twitched suddenly, her frown relaxing slightly as she bent over and coughed. She coughed violently, looking quite unwell.
Then Shen Qingqiu covered her mouth, still coughing, but her body subtly shifted slightly to the left, her gaze following the fallen strands of hair to the left.
She saw that the previously closed window was now open. The window was one of those that opened up and down. In that quick glance, Shen Qingqiu clearly saw a head peeking in from under the opened window. Those lively eyes were now staring at her with a sinister look — it was the head of a paper doll!
Shen Qingqiu’s heart sank. She decided to lie back down on the bed, curling up and remaining motionless.
With her eyes slightly closed, she hid a dagger in her hand. Soon, a faint sound was heard, and the paper doll climbed through the window.
It was so light that it seemed weightless, standing silently behind Shen Qingqiu.
Shen Qingqiu couldn’t see it, but she could feel the cold aura behind her, piercing her bones. If not for her strong inner strength and endurance, she would have shivered involuntarily.
At this moment, footsteps were heard outside the room. Xiao Muyu was coming back. Shen Qingqiu’s heart tightened. The sound of the wind behind her made her push off the bed, her body rotating half a turn, and then she landed on the ground. The paper doll’s right hand, with five fingers curled, stabbed into the bed with a dull thud.
Simultaneously, the door suddenly opened. Xiao Muyu saw Shen Qingqiu standing on the ground and the paper doll, which turned its head weirdly to look at them after its strike missed. Her heart skipped a beat.
Seeing someone coming, the paper doll shrank and prepared to escape to the window. But Shen Qingqiu anticipated this, moving quickly to block its path.
At the same time, Shen Qingqiu’s dagger spun in her palm, and she swung it down.
The paper doll raised its hand to block, but its hand was instantly severed. Shen Qingqiu’s control over her strength was flawless. After cutting off the doll’s hand, she swiftly retracted the dagger and took another step forward.
The paper doll was very agile. Its body lowered as it leaped over Shen Qingqiu and ran to the window, reaching to lift it.
But a dagger flew through the air, pinning the window shut, stopping its movement. Shen Qingqiu then swept her leg horizontally, forcing the paper doll away from the window.
Xiao Muyu, worried that Shen Qingqiu’s body couldn’t handle it, drew her bronze sword to join in. But she saw Shen Qingqiu had already thrown the dagger without looking back.
This time, the dagger was swift and ruthless, piercing through the back of the paper figure’s head and out through one of its eyes. The paper figure immediately slumped to the ground and completely turned back into paper.
“You really think I’m a pushover?” Shen Qingqiu coughed a few times, walked over, and retrieved the dagger. Xiao Muyu hurried over to check on her. “Are you hurt?”
Shen Qingqiu was sweating and breathing heavily. She shook her head. “Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
Xiao Muyu had initially been looking at Shen Qingqiu, but soon her cold gaze swept the ground. Her sword thrust down, precisely piercing the paper figure’s other eye. The paper figure on the ground let out a final scream before going completely still.
Shen Qingqiu couldn’t help but laugh at Xiao Muyu’s cold and decisive actions. “Our Captain Xiao is getting cooler and cooler, charming people left and right.”
Xiao Muyu glanced at her, then looked down and saw Shen Qingqiu’s bare feet on the ground. Her brows furrowed slightly, and she walked over to pick Shen Qingqiu up.
Caught off guard, Shen Qingqiu wrapped her arms around Xiao Muyu’s neck and laughed. “I’m really fine.”
Xiao Muyu didn’t reply, setting Shen Qingqiu down on the bed. When she saw the holes in the bed and bedding, her hands froze. Shen Qingqiu wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but Xiao Muyu seemed to have a chilling aura.
Xiao Muyu didn’t say much. She knelt down and used a cloth to clean the dirt off Shen Qingqiu’s feet, speaking softly. “You’re still running a fever, and the floor is very cold.”
As she spoke, she warmed Shen Qingqiu’s feet with her hands before placing them back on the bed. “Cover yourself with the blanket. The medicine is ready and will be brought over soon. I’ve had some porridge made as well; you can eat it in a while. I’ll stay here with you and won’t leave.”
Shen Qingqiu could hear the implication in her words. She wrapped herself in the blanket, looked at Xiao Muyu, and blinked. “Don’t be fooled by my current state. I only appear weak in front of you. If anyone dares to underestimate me, they’ll learn what true fear is. I’m fine; moving around feels much better.”
Xiao Muyu looked at her for a long time before sighing and relaxing her stance. “I know you’re very capable, but I still can’t help but worry. I feel uneasy unless I have you close by. I don’t know if it was intentional, but it has left you in this state.”
Xiao Muyu’s unease was particularly noticeable in this instance. Was Shen Qingqiu’s weakness a random choice by the instance or a deliberate action by the system?
In such a complex scenario, if player settings could be manipulated, what punishments would Shen Qingqiu face for defying the system’s intentions?
These thoughts filled Xiao Muyu’s mind. Shen Qingqiu didn’t want her to worry, so she reached out and rubbed Xiao Muyu’s brow. “Don’t overthink it. Its capabilities are limited. Still, hearing you admit how worried you are about me makes me very happy.”
“Alright, stop frowning. Inform Chen Kaijie and the others to come over. This paper figure is different from the ones before.”
“We escaped from there; they won’t be able to sit still. This means they’re ready to face us openly. We didn’t have any direct grudges with them, and it was already like this. The main culprits won’t be let off so easily. We’re running out of time.”
Xiao Muyu nodded. “I’ve already sent someone to inform Xiao Qian and Shen Wanlin. The other side targeting us probably means they want to torment the Xiao and Shen families, or they have another motive. If their plan fails, they might go all out.”
She then walked over to the paper figure and called Chen Kaijie and the others. The three of them responded quickly, indicating they were safe.
Moments later, Shen Qingqiu was sitting on the bed eating porridge while Chen Kaijie and the others examined the paper figure.
“This paper figure isn’t just made of paper; it feels like it’s drawn. The brushwork is exquisite. Although its eyes were destroyed by Captain Xiao, you can tell they were very lifelike. This style is completely different from the paper figures we encountered yesterday,” Chen Kaijie concluded.
“It’s not completely different. At least the lines and brushwork are by the same person,” Xiao Muyu said calmly. She then asked Shen Qingqiu and Chen Kaijie, “Is Miao Anli good at painting?”
Shen Qingqiu shook her head. “My uncle is a genuine businessman. From what I remember, he was always busy managing the business with my father. I’ve never heard of him painting. But what about Mei Qianqian?”
Xiao Muyu was silent for a moment before opening the control panel. “It seems we’ll have to unlock it.”
Author’s Note: I was browsing the comments before, and a reader asked in Chapter 38 if there would be a doi in seventy chapters. I replied that even after another seventy chapters, there wouldn’t be one, haha.
Two lovely readers threw in some deep water today. Thank you very much. But I haven’t been able to update more. Many authors can update frequently, but I feel very ashamed.
It’s tough for me. This book is difficult to write in one go. I always have to go back and revise it. Mysteries take a lot of brainpower, and without mysteries, I get stuck. Writing intimate moments is a bit easier, but I want to maintain the tension and avoid making the dialogue too mushy. It’s really hard. In my eyes, I’m not good at anything. I’m just crying here.
49315450, Pei Pei Le, Hsuan 1;
