Chapter 236 -

Chapter 236: Chapter

"Nothing!" Qianqian said, backing toward the door with a bright, innocent smile. "I’ll go now! I have a gown fitting to get to... bye!"

Before Wenzhe could question her further, she slipped out of the room, her heart racing.

Later that night, the grand estate quieted down as most of the household went to sleep. Taking advantage of the dark corridors, Qianqian quietly snuck out toward the eastern wing of the Xi estate.

Dong Yi’s courtyard sat isolated at the edge of the grounds. It was small, walled off, and completely private, surrounded by quiet bamboo trees. Since no servants were stationed there, Qianqian easily slipped through the gate and pushed open the door to his room.

She held a small wooden box tightly in her hands. Walking inside, she looked around the dark bedchamber. There was nothing charming or decorative about it. The room was extremely plain, containing only a simple bed, a low table, and a few dark robes hanging on a rack—clothing she had barely ever seen him wear outside his guard armor.

Qianqian sat down on the chair by the window to wait for him. As the hours slowly ticked by, the quiet night made her eyes grow heavy. Exhausted from the long day, she finally stood up, curled up on his bed, and fell fast asleep.

Hours later, the door creaked open softly.

Dong Yi stepped inside, exhausted from his late-night patrol. Thinking he was completely alone, he casually unfastened his dark outer robes and threw them onto a chair, leaving only his thin white inner shirt. He pulled off the shirt, revealing his broad chest and muscular back, both covered in deep, faded scars from years of fierce battles.

He walked into his small adjoining bath area, soaking in the cool water for a short while to wash away the night’s chill.

When he finished, he threw on a thin, loose robe, barely tying it around his waist as he ran a hand through his damp hair. Walking back toward his bed, he reached out to pull back the heavy blanket, eager to sleep.

The moment he lifted the blanket, Dong Yi froze. His face turned pale.

Lying peacefully in the middle of his bed, fast asleep, was Qianqian.

Upon feeling the blanket being pulled away, Qianqian opened her eyes and let out a soft, sleepy yawn.

Still dazed from sleep, she reached out, grabbed Dong Yi by the arm, and yanked him toward her. Caught completely off guard, Dong Yi lost his balance and fell onto the mattress. Before he could react, Qianqian quickly scrambled up and sat right on top of him.

"Oh, you’re back," she murmured softly, her voice heavy with sleep.

Dong Yi’s heart slammed into his chest. His breath hitched as he stared up at her, his pale face flushing with pure panic. "Young Miss! What are you doing here?"

He immediately reached up, grabbing her arms to lift her off him. But Qianqian stubbornly leaned her weight downward, pushing his hands back to his sides. Even though she wasn’t anywhere near as strong as he was, the sheer surprise of her sudden movement kept him pinned flat on his back.

To make matters worse, she was sitting directly over his lap. Because Dong Yi had only thrown on a thin, loose sleeping robe after his bath, he had no proper trousers on underneath. The thin fabric offered almost no barrier, leaving his bare, broad chest completely open to her view, his quick, heavy breathing rising and falling right beneath her gaze.

"Young Miss... please, get off," Dong Yi choked out, his voice turning rough and strained. He refused to move his hands toward her waist to push her, terrified of touching her inappropriately. "If anyone sees you in my room like this, your reputation will be completely ruined!"

Qianqian blinked, the lingering fog of sleep finally clearing from her mind.

As she tried to shift her hips to get a better footing, she felt something warm, thick, and surprisingly hard pressed right against her inner thigh. Her brow furrowed in confusion. Still half-dazed and not fully realizing what she was touching, she reached her hand down to feel what was under her.

Her fingers closed directly around his bare, erect length through the flimsy silk of his loose robe.

The moment her palm wrapped around it, time seemed to stop completely.

Dong Yi’s eyes went wide as saucers. His entire body locked up, turning as stiff as a board. His heart beat so hard against his ribs that it felt like it would burst right out.

"Y-Young Miss..." Dong Yi choked out, his voice dropping an octave, raspy and trembling with utter shock and sheer panic.

Qianqian froze, her hand still holding tight. She looked down at where her hand was resting, then looked up at his flushed, breathless face.

The instant the realization hit her mind of exactly what she was holding, her own face exploded into a violent, fiery red.

Qianqian quickly scrambled off him, but her hand stayed wrapped tightly around his hot, solid length, completely frozen in shock.

Dong Yi let out a heavy, shaky breath, his chest heaving as he stared at her in pure panic. "Young Miss... please, let go," he rasped out, his voice rough and pleading.

Qianqian’s face was burning bright red, but she couldn’t take her eyes off his flushed expression. She was completely mesmerized by how flustered and vulnerable the usually cold, unstoppable warrior looked right now. Instead of pulling her hand away, her fingers mindlessly tightened their grip, holding onto him even firmer.

"Young Miss..." Dong Yi groaned softly, his hips twitching despite himself. A deep, helpless blush covered his entire face, spreading all the way down his bare chest as he tried to pull her wrist away with a trembling hand.

Dong Yi’s eyes went completely wide, his breath catching painfully in his throat as she brought both hands to hold him. His heart slammed against his ribs like a trapped wild animal.

"Young Miss... no, stop!" he choked out, his voice turning into a desperate, raspy whisper. He tried to pull back, his muscles locking tight as a wave of intense heat washed through his entire body.

Qianqian stared down, her face flushed red, completely fascinated as it throbbingly twitched in her grasp. "So this is how it looks like... Wow, it’s way bigger than in those books I see Gu Yue read."

"Qianqian, please—" Dong Yi pleaded, his hands trembling as he reached down to stop her wrists, every nerve in his body on fire.

Before he could pull her away, she tilted her head down. "I wonder how it tastes," she murmured softly.

Dong Yi’s heart completely stopped as she leaned down and slowly took the sensitive tip into her warm mouth.

A sharp, breathless groan tore from the back of Dong Yi’s throat. His hips bucked up slightly against his control, his knuckles turning white as his hands gripped the bedsheets beneath him.

The burning heat filled her mouth, and the sudden realization of what she was doing hit her like a bucket of cold water. Shocked by how intense it felt, Qianqian panicked.

She pulled back right away, covering her mouth with both hands as she coughed hard.

"Ew! Gross!" she gasped, her face burning hot as she wiped her lips with the back of her sleeve. "Why does it taste like salty raw egg white?! That is terrible! Books are total lies!"

Dong Yi lay frozen on the bed, his chest rising and falling fast as he tried to catch his breath.

Dong Yi didn’t just lie there taking it. The second she pulled back, the shock left him, replaced by pure anger. His blood boiled as he quickly pulled his robe shut to cover himself.

Before Qianqian could even try to run, Dong Yi grabbed her wrist in an iron grip and slammed her back onto the bed.

He pinned her down, his broad shoulders blocking the dim light. His chest heaved with heavy, angry breaths. His eyes burned with a dark fury that would have scared anyone else to death.

"Have you lost your mind?!" Dong Yi barked, his voice deep and harsh. His grip on her wrists tightened, trapping her completely. "Do you have any idea what you just did?! Creeping into a man’s room at night and acting so shameless, do you even care about your life?! If anyone saw you, your name would be ruined! I would be killed, and you would be disgraced!"

Instead of getting scared by his angry glare, Qianqian’s eyes lit up. She wasn’t frightened at all. In fact, a big, cheeky smile spread across her face.

She wriggled her hands free from his grip. But instead of pulling away, she boldly wrapped her arms around his neck, dragging his furious face down close to hers.

"Why are you shouting?" Qianqian giggled, her smile growing wider as she felt his heart beating fast against her chest. "I just did that for you... and I know you enjoyed every bit of it."

Dong Yi’s breath caught in his throat, his jaw clenching tight. "Young Miss—"

"Don’t ’Young Miss’ me," she teased, poking his burning cheek. "I gave you a nice treat, so now you have to pay me back as well."