Chapter 27: The Rival Always Wants to Taste Him Again [27]

Chapter 27: His Nemesis Just Can't Stop Tasting Him

"Mmm..."

When Shi Mo woke up, the sunlight felt a bit harsh. He instinctively raised his hand to shield his eyes and let out a soft hum.

—Yes, delete it, delete it all—

Shi Mo did the math in his head—he'd need to cut back on food for the next few days or he'd be stuffed.

He lowered his hand and glanced at Ye Qi beside him. After a brief pause, he turned over and snuggled into his arms.

He ducked his head back under the covers to escape the sunlight, adjusted himself into a more comfortable position, and went back to sleep.

Ye Qi, who'd been awake the whole time: "!!!"

Ye Qi had already braced himself for being kicked off the bed by Shi Mo as soon as he woke up.

But he still wanted to stay in the same bed with him a little longer.

So even though he knew what was coming, he didn't leave.

Yet to his complete shock, when Shi Mo woke up, not only did he not kick him off the bed or curse at him, he actually snuggled right into his arms!

Ye Qi gulped, noticing that Shi Mo's hand was resting on his waist, his head on Ye Qi's arm, and his face almost pressed against his chest.

The warm breath from Shi Mo's breathing washed over his chest, making Ye Qi's face turn red in an instant.

His body tensed for a moment, then fearing Shi Mo might be uncomfortable, he quickly willed himself to relax, but his heart still wouldn't stop racing.

Ye Qi couldn't stop his lips from curling up, no matter how hard he tried.

Shi Mo didn't kick him off the bed—so does that mean he doesn't actually hate him that much?

If that's the case, then proposing was back on the table.

The smile in Ye Qi's eyes was impossible to hide, and he couldn't help but plant a soft, careful kiss on the outer corner of Shi Mo's eye.

Shi Mo, who just wanted to rest, felt something nuzzling against his face. It wasn't unpleasant, just a bit ticklish, but it was really keeping him from resting.

So he right then and there left another bite mark on Ye Qi's chest.

Ye Qi: ...

What do you do when your wife is asleep in your arms and biting you?

He didn't dare move. Not one bit.

Shi Mo buried his head a little lower. Perfect, nothing to disturb his sleep now.

As for whether Ye Qi, who was being used as a pillow, would end up with a numb arm or feel uncomfortable from the pressure?

He didn't give that a single thought!

Shi Mo didn't wake up again until evening.

"Mmm..."

Shi Mo gave a little yawn, stretched, and then opened his eyes.

The moment he opened his eyes and looked up, he met Ye Qi's gaze directly.

Neither of them spoke. They just silently stared at each other for a full minute without moving a muscle.

For a moment, the air was thick with awkwardness.

Ye Qi finally cleared his throat to break the awkward silence.

"Ahem... you're awake. I've already put medicine on you. Does anything still hurt? Hungry? I'll go make you something to eat. What do you want?"

Completely different from his usual stiff, guarded attitude around Shi Mo, Ye Qi's gaze was now gentle, and his tone had gone all soft.

And as he said this, his other hand remained on Shi Mo's waist, not making any move to pull it back.

Shi Mo was also holding Ye Qi's waist, leaning into him.

Even without trying, everywhere he looked on Ye Qi's body was covered in marks he'd left.

Scratches and bite marks...

It looked even worse than the first time.

When Shi Mo had woken up earlier, he'd been too sleepy and hadn't really looked.

Now that he saw it clearly, a rare flicker of guilt crossed his eyes.

Normally, he wouldn't be this harsh on his food.

After all, you have to savor delicious food slowly to really taste it.

Besides, he wasn't one to waste energy on that kind of thing.

Even if he occasionally did something, it was absolutely for seasoning, or to tease the food and draw out more flavor.

But yesterday he had genuinely gotten drunk. So this is what he was like when drunk—hugging things and biting and chewing on them.

A little buzz is nice, but getting wasted is bad for you.

Shi Mo was silent for a moment. Yesterday he'd only wanted to get slightly tipsy, to give Ye Qi a chance.

After all, Ye Qi had been sneaking into his bed every night lately, and he was getting worn out by it.

But who knew he'd be the one to lose his head first?

And had his tolerance really gotten this low?

Yesterday he'd only had about two or three drinks...

His eyes went hazy for a second, then slowly turned determined.

There had to be something wrong with that booze! It definitely wasn't a problem with how much he could handle!

But right now, he clearly had bigger things to deal with.

"A... A-Mo...?"

When Shi Mo didn't respond, Ye Qi's heart, which had just relaxed, clenched up again.

Tentatively, he carefully called out that name he'd said countless times in his dreams and in his heart.

"Ye Qi... your heart is beating so fast."

Shi Mo let out a soft laugh, his fingertip idly tapping against Ye Qi's chest.

"What are you nervous about?"

"I'm sorry, last night I took advantage of you. I'll make it right."

"I'll tell my parents right away, and tomorrow I'll go discuss the bride price with Uncle Shi."

"It just so happens I've got my hukou with me too. We'll get our marriage certificate tomorrow, and get engaged on the 13th of next month—that's a lucky day."

"As for the wedding itself, we can take our time. Don't worry, I'll prepare everything properly and won't let you feel shortchanged. You can ask for anything you want, and I'll make it happen!"

Ye Qi practically blurted out all these words he'd bottled up inside, not letting Shi Mo get a word in.

Then his heart started pounding even harder.

Ye Qi hadn't expected their relationship to move this fast.

Nor had he expected that he'd actually dare to say all of this out loud right then and there.

But it was out there now.

What else could he do?

After finishing, he looked at Shi Mo with eager, pleading eyes, like a puppy waiting for its owner to say yes, tail wagging with hope.

Shi Mo, seeing that look, almost wondered if Ye Qi would turn from a good boy into a rabid dog and bite him if he said no.

With that thought, a slight smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He parted his lips and spoke slowly:

"Ye Qi... you don't need to apologize."

"I was drunk yesterday, but I remember it clearly—I made the first move. It's only natural you couldn't resist."

Shi Mo's eyes crinkled as he reached up and pinched Ye Qi's cheek.

"So I'm not holding yesterday against you."

"But as for marriage—let's just drop it. Like last time, let's just pretend nothing happened. Isn't that okay?"

Ye Qi seized his hand, hurt flashing in his eyes. His gaze darkened, and his voice was a little hoarse:

"Shi Mo, why do you always reject me like this? Can you at least tell me why?"

Ye Qi thought to himself—if there was something he was doing wrong, he could fix it.

But Shi Mo just blinked and said: "Probably because... your technique isn't up to par yet."

"Young Master Ye's moves like this aren't enough to make my heart race, nor enough to qualify you as my marriage candidate..."

Ye Qi: Σ('◉⌓◉')!!!

At that moment, Ye Qi felt as though a massive boulder had suddenly appeared and slammed down hard on his chest!

And carved upon that boulder were four bold characters—

TECHNIQUE! NOT! GOOD! ENOUGH!