Chapter 438: Thoroughly Ripe

"...And that concludes tomorrow’s schedule, Marshal."

On the elevator ride back, Chen Mi was giving Xie Youchen his routine report of the next day’s arrangements.

Yuan Liang lived in the same building as Xie Youchen and the others. He tore his gaze away from the ascending floor numbers and looked at the man beside him. "Youchen, you’re heading back to the East District the day after tomorrow. How about coming out with us for a drink tomorrow night to relax?"

There were two other familiar military officers in the elevator. One of them clapped him on the shoulder. "Youchen, you’ve worked hard these past few days. We’ll have to toast you a few times."

Xie Youchen didn’t answer right away. Instead, he glanced at Jiang Qingli first. "Is Advisor Jiang going?"

Jiang Qingli had just been looking down, replying to a message, a faint smile still lingering on her lips. She froze for a second when she heard the question, then realized it was directed at her. Thinking she had nothing else planned for the evening, she nodded in agreement.

Xie Youchen said, "Okay. We’ll go together after work."

His expression was placid, his aura calm and dignified. He seemed to be asking merely as a gentleman would.

Yuan Liang’s gaze darted between the two, a little puzzled.

’Why do they act like they barely know each other whenever they’re around other people?’

’Did I get it wrong before? Are they not in that kind of relationship?’

Yuan Liang was lost in a fog of confusion, and the other officers, naturally, hadn’t noticed a thing.

When they got to their floor and stepped out, someone slung an arm around Yuan Liang’s neck and said urgently, "Old Yuan, Old Yuan! Advisor Jiang is coming out with us tomorrow, you’ve got to do me a favor."

Yuan Liang raised an eyebrow. "As long as it’s not some nonsense that’ll waste her time."

"Of course not!" The man pulled out his terminal and opened his photo album. "I just want you to help me show her a picture of my nephew. He turns eighteen next year, and my brother keeps telling me to keep an eye out for suitable females. Just help me show her a picture. You never know..."

Before Yuan Liang could speak, another officer piped up, "What’s so great about your little brat of a nephew? My nephew is the real deal—a fine, talented man! He’s the same age as Advisor Jiang, so they’d have things to talk about! Hey, Old Yuan, help a brother out and make an introduction."

One by one, they were all desperate to send the males of their families to Jiang Qingli, who they saw as a rising stock.

Yuan Liang deflected casually, "Hey, you’d have to ask Youchen about that first..."

"Why would we need to?" said the first man. "Youchen doesn’t seem like the type to meddle in other people’s business."

"You know, I actually thought at first that Youchen had a thing for Advisor Jiang, but now it seems pretty unlikely..."

These officers, so quick to deny any relationship between Jiang Qingli and Xie Youchen, had no idea that just three minutes later, the two people who acted so distant in front of others would be kissing each other with inseparable passion when they were alone.

...

By the time the elevator reached Jiang Qingli’s floor, only she and Xie Youchen were left.

The elevator doors opened, and Jiang Qingli said, "I want to take a bath in my tub."

Her bathtub was equipped with a massage function specially designed for females, making it much more comfortable than Xie Youchen’s simpler one.

Xie Youchen nodded. "Alright."

Jiang Qingli thought he would go upstairs first and wait for her.

But just as she stepped out of the elevator, the young man followed, pulling her into his arms. He cupped the back of her head with one hand and brought his lips down to hers.

The night was deep.

Their warm breaths mingled in a long-overdue, forceful kiss.

Xie Youchen’s body was scorching, his breath just as hot. He kissed with an immersive passion, stirring a tingling numbness that made her feel as if her consciousness was about to melt in the heat.

The distance from the elevator to her apartment door was only a dozen or so meters.

But to Jiang Qingli, it felt like an eternity.

All she could remember was the voice-activated lights turning on and off, then on and off again.

Darkness and light intertwined in the blistering heat.

Kissed until she could barely stand, Jiang Qingli turned her head away and pressed her forehead against his shoulder, finally able to catch her breath.

Xie Youchen supported her by the waist, his large hand patting her gently on the back, like he was encouraging a small child about to compete in a sports day.

’Thinking about it, it seemed Xie Youchen had always been the one to accompany her to sports days in the past...’

’He would wait for her at the finish line with her mom and dad and help fix her messy hair.’

’After she won an award, he would also say softly,’

"You did great, Ah Li."

The words rang in her ears, and Jiang Qingli’s face flushed hot.

She pushed him away and realized they had already reached her apartment door.

He had just been pressing her against the door, kissing her.

Touching her burning-hot face, Jiang Qingli quickened her pace toward the walk-in closet.

Halfway there, she stopped short.

In the living area, a gloomy young man sat on the sofa, his face cold.

He was propping his chin up with one hand and looked as though he had been there for some time.

He must have arrived before it got dark.

Because the room’s lights weren’t on.

Jiang Qingli hadn’t expected to run into Ye Linyuan here at all.

’Shouldn’t he be resting with the other test subjects in the quarters the military prepared for them?’

’Baili Jing should have told him that she would be with Xie Youchen tonight...’

Ye Linyuan’s gaze fell on the young woman’s face.

With a single glance, he guessed the truth.

’That damned vixen... she deliberately tricked me into coming here, forcing me to sit in this room and listen to my own wife kiss some filthy mistress for over half an hour.’

But when he met her gaze and saw the look in her eyes, Ye Linyuan couldn’t bring himself to say a single word of blame.

’She did nothing wrong in this.’

’It’s that vixen who deserves to die.’

’It’s the bed-climbing homewrecker who deserves to die.’

His gaze swept over the young woman’s flushed lips before he looked away. "Just got here. Came to get something."

After speaking, he stood up.

He looked like he was about to leave.

Jiang Qingli breathed a sigh of relief, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that his posture wasn’t that of someone leaving after grabbing something, but rather someone heading out to pick a fight.

Just as she was about to ask, Ye Linyuan had already grabbed something and walked to the door.

Jiang Qingli figured that with Ye Linyuan’s personality, he would never be this calm if he had heard her kissing Xie Youchen. Feeling a bit more at ease, she told Xie Youchen to wait for her and went into the bathroom.

Xie Youchen retracted his gaze, walked to the door, and said, "Can we talk?"

Ye Linyuan hadn’t gone far. He turned around at the words, raising an eyebrow.

Xie Youchen’s eyes scanned him from top to bottom before he said calmly, "Your data has stabilized. You can continue to stay by her side."

"But I suggest that while you enjoy the treatment of a Beast Husband, you also take on the corresponding responsibilities. Learn some husbandly virtue, and put away your jealousy."

"Most importantly, don’t let her fall into danger again—especially not because of you."

Looking at him, the young man spoke, enunciating each word,

"Otherwise, I wouldn’t mind applying to the Empire to once again destroy a test subject that the world will not tolerate."

Having said his piece, he shut the door without a glance at Ye Linyuan’s expression.

Ye Linyuan stood there, his face devoid of expression.

Only when the voice-activated lights in the hallway went out did he depart silently into the darkness.

-

After her bath, Jiang Qingli changed into a nightgown.

Xie Youchen had already washed up. He was now lying in bed, casually flipping through a book he’d picked up from her nightstand.

Jiang Qingli nestled into his arms, joining him in reading *A Guide to Raising Pet Cats*.

"Since when did you get interested in this kind of book?" Xie Youchen stroked her cheek. "I have similar books."

"Yuan... Yuan Shimo got it for me," Jiang Qingli said. "He was afraid I’d be bored at night."

’Speaking of which, I haven’t seen Cat Teacher in a long time.’

’Contacting him online just isn’t as wonderful as petting a little cat’s tail in real life.’

While she was thinking about another male, Xie Youchen lowered his eyes, stared at the words in the book, and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

’She really likes the husband he prepared for her.’

’He really should be pleased about that.’

’But the jealousy welling up in his heart was impossible to hide.’

’Although he was willing to play this game of being her secret lover, Xie Youchen also wanted to know...’

’...if Jiang Qingli had ever thought about letting him return to the Jiang Family.’

’As her official husband.’

...

A dragon’s tail tapped lightly against her calf.

Jiang Qingli looked up, meeting the young man’s ink-black eyes.

There was a hint of probing in his eyes, and his voice was tense. "Ah Li..."

He seemed to want to ask her something but stopped himself.

Just as Jiang Qingli was about to ask him what was wrong, her terminal rang.