Chapter 423: Pleasing Her Is an Instinct

In Ye Linyuan’s memory, this should have been the first time he’d ever kissed Jiang Qingli.

But strangely, he was exceptionally skilled.

The familiar vertigo of the kiss, the warmth of her fingers, and her smiling eyes all sent Ye Linyuan reeling.

Even when she grabbed his hair and pushed his head down, it came to him naturally.

Pleasing her seemed to be an instinct.

...

In the pitch-black depths of the earth, the sun was never seen.

Most snakes would adapt well to such a place, finding a sense of security in it.

But Ye Linyuan had come to hate narrow, enclosed spaces. As his pollution value rose, he became increasingly affected by his time as a test subject, developing a strong aversion to the smell of disinfectant and nutrient solution.

The emotions he had once suppressed now seemed to be lashing back at him with a vengeance.

He had chosen this place because, with his amnesia, he wasn’t sure if he had enemies on the outside. Besides, males were more vulnerable than usual during their mating period.

Ever since leaving the lab, Ye Linyuan hadn’t slept a wink.

It was as if his sense of security had vanished along with his ability to sleep.

But after they made love, Ye Linyuan fell into a sleep he hadn’t experienced in a long time.

In his dream, someone seemed to be pulling him along, leading him down a long, narrow, dimly lit corridor and out toward an exit.

Their pace quickened, and he could even smell a faint, floral scent that brushed past his hair and enveloped him.

They reached the exit.

Light and darkness, a single step away.

But as he took that final step, the warmth in his palm suddenly disappeared.

The scene around him shattered, replaced by the endlessly repeating nightmares and screams.

Ye Linyuan’s eyes snapped open.

Darkness. His first reaction was to feel the space beside him.

Empty.

A stunning emptiness.

Before the groggy haze of sleep could even fade, a wave of intense irritation and rage crashed over Ye Linyuan, consuming him.

He almost sneered aloud as he stared at the empty room.

’Perfect. Get what you want and run.’

’I knew it. Females have no sense of responsibility.’

’They’re full of sweet talk, but once they get what they want, they couldn’t care less.’

’She’d better not let me catch her. If I do, I’ll kill every male who tries to seduce her, then I’ll lock her up so she can only be with me—’

"You’re awake?"

The door creaked open, and a girl’s voice called out.

His thoughts were cut short.

The resentful, murderous intent seemed to dissipate along with them.

Ye Linyuan narrowed his eyes, staring at her for a few seconds before asking, "Where did you go?"

His voice was a bit hoarse, but it betrayed no emotion.

For some reason, Jiang Qingli found him to be a little... docile.

She remembered Xie Youchen telling her that Ye Linyuan’s current memories were only those of a twenty-year-old. He was still a young man, just like her. The thought made her heart soften, and her patience grew.

"I woke up feeling hungry, so I had your subordinate bring me something to eat." Jiang Qingli held up the fruit in her hand. "Do you want some?"

"No." Ye Linyuan’s nose twitched, and his gaze grew colder. "It has the scent of a male on it."

’A strange male. The stench is nauseating.’

Jiang Qingli frowned in confusion. "A male? There are no other males here... Q-29 and his men are all guarding outside the base." She paused to think. "Oh, maybe the little squirrel that brought me the apple was male. I don’t really know how to tell the gender of a squirrel."

"When did you learn his name?" Ye Linyuan had already found a new problem. "Did he introduce himself?"

Jiang Qingli struggled to keep up with his train of thought. "Are you talking about Q-29?"

Ye Linyuan was on high alert. "Who else would I be talking about?"

Jiang Qingli was speechless.

After a two-second pause, Jiang Qingli couldn’t help but laugh.

’Are you kidding me, Ye Linyuan? Being jealous of other people was one thing, but now you’re even jealous of a teenage boy and a squirrel?’

Her eyes crinkled with mirth, and the hand holding the apple trembled with her laughter. Ye Linyuan’s expression, however, only grew darker.

He was recalling the scene from before he fell asleep.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that Q-29 and Jiang Qingli had been too close.

A male’s possessiveness was intense and fierce, especially during the mating period.

If Jiang Qingli hadn’t been there, Ye Linyuan would have undoubtedly warned Q-29 and asserted his dominance.

But he couldn’t do that now.

He needed his eyes to watch Jiang Qingli.

Ye Linyuan sat sullenly in the corner, his vertical pupils fixed on the girl. He watched as her laughter subsided and she parted her lips, taking bite after bite of the red-and-green apple. Her soft lips easily sent his mind wandering.

He averted his gaze and took a sip of water.

After finishing the apple, Jiang Qingli went to the washroom to rinse her hands.

As she wiped her fingers dry, the communicator hanging around her neck vibrated faintly.

Bringing a terminal was inconvenient when you were out and about, and the signal was usually poor anyway. So, Xie Youchen had given Jiang Qingli a communicator. It made it easy to contact him, and it also allowed him to pinpoint her location in case of danger.

Jiang Qingli, worried that Ye Linyuan would see it and get the wrong idea, quietly closed the door. She turned on the faucet, using the sound of running water as cover.

She glanced at the message. It was from Baili Jing, asking how she was doing.

Jiang Qingli replied that she had already met with Ye Linyuan. He wasn’t hostile toward her, and she was going to look for an opportunity to try and heal him today.

Before she arrived, Lü Xin had confessed to them how the mark had been removed.

First, they used a chip to control Ye Linyuan, subjecting him to constant brainwashing and Spiritual Attacks. It took a full forty-eight hours to convince him that the mark on his body had been forced on him, making him loathe females—especially Jiang Qingli.

Then, through incessant fighting, they wore Ye Linyuan down until he was utterly exhausted and on the brink of death.

Finally, when Ye Linyuan was at his weakest, they surgically removed the mark.

At the time, Lü Xin had been sitting behind his desk, an unconcealable look of superiority on his face. "Qingli, didn’t you notice? Y-01 actually resents you. He only obeys you because of the mark."

"A test subject is incapable of emotion, to say nothing of so-called ’love.’ Your previous marking was just a coincidence."

Jiang Qingli snapped back to the present and put away the communicator.

The moment she pushed the door open, a snake tail coiled around her waist and yanked her back onto the bed.

The young man braced himself over her with one arm, looking down as he demanded, "What were you doing?"

Jiang Qingli blinked. "Washing my hands."

She raised her hands to prove her innocence, but Ye Linyuan caught them in a single-handed grip and pinned them above her head.

Her waist arched with the movement, forcing her to face him completely.

With nothing to hide behind, the tips of Jiang Qingli’s ears grew warm. Worried this was just a feint, she glanced toward her communicator.

Ye Linyuan’s lips curled into a cold smirk. He ripped the communicator from her neck and tossed it into the corner.

The sound of it clattering to the floor was jarring in the silent room.

His long, slender fingers stroked her delicate neck, closing around it in a loose grip.

"In my bed, thinking about other males?"

"Do you have a death wish?"

Ye Linyuan pressed against her, his threat punctuated with every word.

"Do it again, and tell him to prepare his last words."

Jiang Qingli’s eyes widened.

The scene and the words were so similar to when they first met.

The memory of that moment seemed to superimpose itself over the present.

The difference was, Jiang Qingli was no longer afraid of him at all.

She tilted her face up and kissed Ye Linyuan on the lips.

The young man froze, his grip slackening.

Jiang Qingli easily seized the opening, flipping over to sit on his tail. She nipped at his lip, her voice a soft whisper. "I wasn’t thinking about anyone else. Right now, there’s only one thing I want to do with you..."

His Adam’s apple bobbed. Ye Linyuan asked instinctively, "What’s that?"

Jiang Qingli looked at him, her eyes twinkling.

"Ye Linyuan... how would you like me to mark you again?"