Chapter 429: You Kiss Your Other Friends Like This, Too?

The light wasn’t on in the bathroom.

In the darkness, hot, damp steam and a sudden kiss enveloped Jiang Qingli.

Jiang Qingli tried to pull away, but Ye Linyuan anticipated her move, pinning her against the door. His long, slender fingers threaded through hers, lacing them together.

An undeniable force, thick with jealousy, stole her breath as if he were competing with someone.

Several minutes later, Ye Linyuan finally pulled back.

Jiang Qingli was already unsteady on her feet. As she slid down against the door, he scooped her up and sat her on his arm.

His other hand squeezed her cheeks, forcing her lips to pucker like a goldfish.

Ye Linyuan suppressed his displeasure and asked, "Who is he?"

If he hadn’t been worried about making Jiang Qingli angry, he would have charged out and killed that shameless male the moment he walked in.

The fact that he’d managed to hold back this long was a testament to his patience.

Jiang Qingli’s hand found the light switch and flicked it on. She glanced around and saw that only a bottle of shower gel and a bottle of conditioner had been knocked over. He wasn’t hurt.

Relieved, she also grew bold. "A friend of mine."

"Is that so?" Ye Linyuan lowered his gaze, wiping the moisture from her lips with the pad of his thumb. A storm brewed beneath his calm tone. "Are you like this with all your friends? Kissing until you can’t stand up straight."

Jiang Qingli froze for a second before realizing that Ye Linyuan had overheard her excuse to Yuan Shiyao about her "friend in the bathroom."

Heat rose to her pale cheeks.

Jiang Qingli gave an awkward cough. "Um, it’s a bit complicated... To put it simply, your—"

Remembering that Ye Linyuan currently didn’t like to hear the word "before," Jiang Qingli thought for two seconds and changed her phrasing.

"Your twenty-five-year-old self has another identity—a professor at the Imperial Royal Academy. The man outside is one of your students. He knows you, so if he saw you here, he would definitely be suspicious."

Jiang Qingli patted his chest. "You don’t want people to know your current identity either, right, sir?"

Ye Linyuan was silent.

’He didn’t mind people knowing who he was. The guy outside couldn’t beat him anyway.’

’But it looked like she wanted to cover for him.’

’She was just looking out for him.’

The thought softened Ye Linyuan’s heart.

He released his grip and grunted in agreement.

Seeing this, Jiang Qingli’s lips curved into a smile as she offered timely praise. "Wonderful."

Ye Linyuan shifted uncomfortably. "When is he leaving?"

"He’ll leave after he takes his medicine. Just hold on a little longer." Jiang Qingli continued her persuasive tactic. "Ye Linyuan, you’ll definitely be more obedient than the twenty-five-year-old Ye Linyuan, right?"

Ye Linyuan was speechless.

’Obedient?’

’Only a brainless idiot would unconditionally believe a female’s lies.’

’He hadn’t been associated with the word ’obedient’ since he was an embryo.’

’What on earth was his twenty-five-year-old self like to give her this mistaken impression?’

Just as Ye Linyuan was about to correct her, Jiang Qingli leaned in and kissed his cheek.

"I knew my hubby was the best to me."

The girl’s voice was soft and gentle, and Ye Linyuan felt a powerful wave of dizziness wash over him.

By the time he came to his senses, she had already turned to leave.

And he had even straightened out the skirt he’d just messed up for her.

The door closed in his face.

Ye Linyuan was at a loss for words.

He belatedly realized.

’It seemed he’d been completely played.’

...

Returning from the bathroom to the living area, Jiang Qingli passed the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of ice water, chugging a few mouthfuls.

The bloodstain on the armchair had already been cleaned up by the housekeeping robot.

Jiang Qingli sat back down next to Yuan Shiyao and smiled at him. "My friend is a bit shy, so he’s not coming out."

Her actions and expression were no different from usual.

Most people probably wouldn’t have noticed anything.

But Yuan Shiyao had been watching her the entire time.

So now, the subtle amusement in her eyes and her lips, which were even redder than before, were particularly glaring.

Yuan Shiyao lowered his gaze, a flicker of disappointment in his eyes.

Thick jealousy and rage churned in his chest.

’Xie Youchen must have heard my voice and did that on purpose as a show of force.’

’If you’ve got the guts, come out and fight!’

’What kind of male just hides behind a female?’

His hand at his side clenched into a fist so tight it ached. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to ignore it all, and instead asked with a smile, "It’s a bit boring while we wait. Want to hear about a case I was working on?"

"Sure!"

Jiang Qingli nodded eagerly.

Besides being interested in the case, she also let out a silent sigh of relief.

Because when Yuan Shiyao had leaned in closer earlier... the atmosphere between them had been a little strange.

The air had felt like melted ice cream, sweet and sticky.

Jiang Qingli thought of the touch under the blanket during their beach vacation.

The line between them was gradually blurring, dissolving...

Coming back to her senses, she heard Yuan Shiyao start talking about the case.

The districts were strictly controlled, but smugglers often tried to sneak people from the Lower District to the Upper City District.

If the smugglers had no criminal record and a clean background, the authorities would occasionally turn a blind eye.

But a while ago, someone had dared to organize a group from the Lower District to be smuggled into the Central District in an attempt to assassinate the City Lord.

The organizer was even a noble.

Not wanting to offend the nobility, the Central District sent the person back to the Lower District’s military jurisdiction to be dealt with.

By the time Yuan Shiyao arrived, the case was already wrapping up, and the verdict had been delivered. However, some of the individuals had taken advantage of the Mutant Beast riot a few days ago to break out of prison, so he’d had to join the others in pursuit.

They had run into quite a bit of trouble along the way.

Perhaps he took after Yuan Shimo, because Yuan Shiyao didn’t make the case sound boring when he talked about it. His pleasant voice was captivating, making you want to keep listening.

It made Jiang Qingli want to go work at the court for a few days.

Just as he was talking about capturing the head smuggler, the doorbell suddenly rang.

The Energy Supplement must have arrived.

Jiang Qingli wanted to hear the rest, so she scurried to the door in her slippers and opened it without even looking through the peephole.

When she saw the young man standing outside, Jiang Qingli froze for a moment.

"What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue? Not happy to see me?"

Xie Youchen curled his index finger and gently tapped the tip of her nose, a doting smile on his face.

Jiang Qingli glanced behind him. "What are you doing here? Are you alone?"

"Mhm, I saw you requested an Energy Supplement, so I came to deliver it." Xie Youchen handed her the supplement, then cupped her face and leaned in close. "Are you not feeling well? What has our Commander Jiang been up to these past few days?"

"I’m fine." Not forgetting there was someone else in the living area, Jiang Qingli took the Energy Supplement and started walking back inside. "A friend of mine needs it."

She walked quickly over to Yuan Shiyao and handed him the item.

She didn’t need to make an introduction; the two males had already seen each other.

From a distance, Xie Youchen raised an eyebrow, his tone neutral. "Well, if it isn’t the second young master of the Yuan Family. What a coincidence. What are you doing here?"

Yuan Shiyao’s pupils constricted. He instinctively glanced toward the bathroom.

Xie Youchen was standing right in front of him now.

’Then, the male in the bathroom just now, the one who kissed Jiang Qingli... who was he?’