My Dearest General: It Has Always Been You

W—Where was he…?

There was a mix of relief, longing and loss in Lei Liqiu's heart. Broken string of pearls trickled down the corner of her eyes and she bit her lips to muffle the cry that threatened to escape from her throat. She was like a parched deserter, dying of thirst and ended up finding a mysterious honeybee.

She knew that the honey would make her thirstier, possibly it would also kill her. But she couldn't bear it anymore. She wanted it even though it was poison.

"Help…" She cried out, "Anybody, help me…"

As if answering her plea, the door slammed open against the wall, creating a loud bang and in the next second, a cold bucket of water was poured up from above her head. Literally.

She gasped in shock, the water entered her nose and mouth, making her cough incessantly.

The next moment, the room turned bright. Translucent light shone out from every corner of the room and Lei Liqiu could finally open her eyes enough to see the other person. "Mr—Mr.Xu…"

He was as cold as she remembered him to be. As he towered above her, there was a rolling storm crashing within his eyes, the mere sight of it was enough to sober her up. "Have you regained your senses?"

The frost in his tone was enough to make the room submerged in glaciers. Truly, Lei Liqiu felt like she was suddenly transported into Antarctica. Even the fire inside her body wasn't enough to rival the man's chilly aura.

"Y—Yes." She shifted, trying to cover her shameful appearance, her eyes blurry with tears. "I—I am sorry."

Xu Binchen had gone to confirm that there weren't any listening bugs inside the room before fetching a bucket of cold water. In this early autumn, drenched in cold water in the middle of the night would surely make someone invulnerable to cold.

The soaking wet Lei Liqiu was akin to a stray cat that had just been hauled out from the sewer, her eyes reddened in humiliation and shame.

In the next second, a warm jacket fell upon her head, covering her sight and bringing with it the faint scent of wine and fresh cologne. "Bear with it for a while." The man's voice sounded and a slight pull yanked on her chained wrist.

Xu Binchen rummaged through the drawer on the table beside the bed and found a small key. He directly unlocked the chain and Lei Liqiu was set free.

The girl wrapped herself in the blanket and Xu Binchen's wide jacket, her eyes slightly bewildered due to the aphrodisiac. "Thank you—achoo!"

Xu Binchen gave her a fleeting glance and pulled on her arm.

Lei Liqiu shrank back, her wide eyes filled with fear. "W—What do you want?!"

"Stay still." He said curtly, eyes staring intently on the white skin along her arms.

Lei Liqiu bit her lower lips so hard that it was going to bleed. She could feel the man's soft breath caressing her skin, his strong presence and the undeniable pheromones he exuded. Under the bright light, Xu Binchen's stunning features were akin to an Adonis that was carved out of ice.

However, he didn't notice her predicament at all.

His fingers slid across her inner arm and he found a few small bruises and black dots. Frowning, he asked in a grave tone. "They injected something into you?"

Lei Liqiu tried to concentrate and answered. "Yes…"

The most probable one was aphrodisiac but who knew whether there would be another kind of drugs in there? Xu Binchen's expression sank and his jaws clenched.

From Lei Liqiu's perspective, she could see the small movement of his lower jaw, sharp enough to slice through her defense. His curly eyelashes, hiding the dark, obsidian eyes that were particularly sharp and aloof. His thinned lips, pale and supple…

Lei Liqiu fell into a trance. She didn't know what possessed her, but the next thing she knew, she had her arms wrapped around the man's neck, her teeth biting his lower lips, impatient and eager. Her eyes blurred and a weak whimper sounded from her throat, pleading sweetly.

Xu Binchen stiffened, clearly didn't expect that she would move all of a sudden. The sudden weight around his neck caused him to lose his balance and his arms propped on both sides of her to stabilize his fall. 

This movement made Lei Liqiu move more freely, her lips nibbling and sucking messily, hot breaths splayed between the cracks of her lips. "En…um…" Wet kissing sounds and soft moans reverberated through the room.

Never did Lei Liqiu realize that a man's lips could taste so sweet and exquisite.

She was like a death row prisoner that was granted amnesty, her body pressing up to him, eager to stick herself closer. She opened his lips, her tongue leaking the seam of his lips…

However, her arms were empty all of a sudden.

She opened her eyes hazily and saw his tall figure with his collar opened a bit, showing the sight of his collarbone. The man's hair had become slightly messy and his lips glistened due to the kiss, yet his eyes remained icy cold. He wiped the corner of his lips and without a word, chained both of Lei Liqiu's hands once again.

Lei Liqiu: ???

"Stay there until you have sobered up." He left that sentence and went out of the room, leaving her alone and helpless.

He returned a few seconds later and dumped another bucket of water above her head mercilessly. The bed became totally wet and the thin blanket clung to her figure. Fortunately, there was still Xu Binchen's jacket covering her, even though it had all turned wet due to his act…

Lei Liqiu's face paled along with the chill and her shoulders trembled incessantly. "Sorry…" She choked on her tears. "Sorry, Mr.Xu…I didn't mean to do that. I don't know why…" 

How could she be so wanton and lascivious?! Lei Liqiu couldn't believe that she could actually behave in such a presumptuous manner.

She was already twenty three years old but Zhu Zhenli was her first boyfriend. The latter had been chasing her for a while. At first, she had rejected him but Zhu Zhenli remained firm and persistent. Maybe that's why Lei Liqiu became softhearted in the end and decided to try it out with him.

However, they only hugged and held hands. Zhu Zhenli hadn't even kissed her cheeks yet!

But just now…just a little bit more and she would have slid her tongue inside a man's mouth…

A man whom she had just met two times.

Oh my God…

Lei Liqiu instinctively bit her lips, a subconscious movement when she was anxious or worried. Yet it made her jolt because she could still taste the lingering sweetness and acidity of Xu Binchen's lips there. Her cheeks reddened further and she sneezed two more times.

Xu Binchen knitted his brows. He couldn't ask for any antidote because it would make Si Yusheng suspicious. He had come so far and he wasn't willing to trip just because of a random woman. Nonetheless, he couldn't leave her like this all night either.

The man's face turned more and more somber, scaring Lei Liqiu so much that she didn't dare to breathe too loud. The ambiguous atmosphere earlier had dispersed without leaving a trace, leaving a thick awkwardness that was so mortifying that she wished to die.

Xu Binchen pondered for a while and made a decision. "Get up. Take a cold shower first and rinse yourself with hot water."

Lei Liqiu looked up blankly. His natural commanding tone made her obey but before she could move, the chains clanked once again and she was thrown back into the bed. The harsh movement caused Xu Binchen's jacket to slide down from her body.

Lei Liqiu: "!!!"

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A/N: Congratulations to listlesslemon, you guessed it right! Xu Binchen's fl is indeed Lei Liqiu. I have made numerous considerations for it and you will slowly see that she is the best choice for him! ^^

Where is the main couple's romance?! Why are the side couples thriving?! Be patient, dearies. It is because Jiang Jinyan is too fragile and volatile right now so Shi Nian should take it slow.. Too much care will make him suspicious and that's just the way he is QAQ everything will become sweet when the time comes. Wait for it ;)