Chapter 424 - 200: Mr. Blake’s Materials List

"Wait, Elise, this isn’t appropriate..."

"Inappropriate? Then why are you cooperating so much? You were even using tongue."

"...That’s a physiological reflex! You were the one who started it!"

"Is that so? Well, I’m doing it again~"

"Mmph!!!"

Sean’s eyes flew open as he was forced to respond to Elise’s clumsy yet passionate kiss.

Until a certain moment, when he suddenly felt a chill on his chest.

Elise had, at some point, slipped her hand inside his bathrobe and undone the buttons.

Perhaps due to her fingernails, Sean felt Elise’s fingers were slightly cool, but her palm was scorching hot as it gently caressed his chest. Each time her fingertips brushed against his skin, it sent a tiny jolt of electricity through him. Her touch traveled downwards, sweeping over his chest and tracing his abs, making Sean’s body heat up as well.

’No...’

Sean’s heart clenched.

’If he let Elise keep exploring downward, something big was going to happen.’

So he quickly used some force, pushing Elise up and slightly away from him.

Their lips parted, glistening with moisture.

"That’s enough, Elise."

Sean cupped Elise’s face, preventing the woman from launching another sneak attack while he wasn’t paying attention.

Elise licked her lips, her gaze as soft as water as she looked at him. "Is it really enough, Mr. Writer?"

Her beautiful face was flushed, and combined with those shimmering, watery eyes, she looked exceptionally alluring. Sean didn’t dare to look for too long and turned his head away, saying, "It’s really enough."

Elise glanced down toward her own lower abdomen, her eyes turning sultry. "Your ’little friend’ doesn’t seem to agree."

Sean: "..."

"First of all, it’s not little."

He corrected, "And second, this really isn’t appropriate."

Elise sat up a little straighter, still straddling Sean, and pursed her lips as she looked at him. "What’s inappropriate about it? I don’t see it."

Sean said righteously, "We can’t do this to Elvire."

’He was Elvire’s brother-in-law... Bah, Elvire’s boyfriend. And she was Elvire’s best friend. For them to get together... it was unthinkable.’

Elise teased, "It seems Mr. Writer isn’t enough of a scumbag after all."

"What do you mean, ’not enough of a scumbag’? I’m not a scumbag in the first place," Sean snorted. "Now get off me."

Elise didn’t move. Instead, she said with a grin, "How about I teach you?"

Sean: "?"

"Teach me what?"

"How to convince yourself."

Elise said, "Let me ask you a few questions first."

"One, do you really, truly like Elvire?"

Sean: "..."

’If Elvire herself had asked him that, he definitely would have denied it.’

’But since Elvire wasn’t here, it didn’t matter.’

He admitted it freely, nodding. "Yes."

"Good." Elise asked again, "Then how do you normally treat her?"

"Do you shower her with affection?"

"Do you give her gifts?"

"Do you try to make her happy?"

"None of the above, or very rarely, right?"

Not only that, but Sean often deliberately provoked Elvire instead.

Elise had seen all of this with her own eyes.

Sean: "..."

"Just because I don’t do those things doesn’t mean I don’t like her," he argued. "Everyone expresses their feelings differently."

Elise: "Yes, yes, of course. A pair of hopeless tsunderes."

Sean: "?"

’Was she just insulting me?’

Elise continued, "Third question. Assuming we do something tonight, when you go back, will you still treat her the same as before? And by that, I mean continuing to provoke her."

Sean: "..."

"Probably not?"

He thought about it seriously for a moment, then said, "Actually, no. I wouldn’t."

’Doing something he shouldn’t with Elise would already be letting Elvire down. If he then went back and kept provoking the girl, even just the thought of it made him feel utterly shameless. Regardless of whether he confessed to Elvire afterward, Sean felt he would have to change his current way of interacting with her—like coaxing her and trying to make her happy more often—to make up for his inner guilt.’

"Then isn’t that just perfect?" Elise blinked. "So, our having an affair behind Miss Flame Crow’s back is actually a good thing."

Sean: "?"

"Wait a minute... How is it a good thing?"

"Objectively speaking, it is a good thing."

Elise said, "A man as knowledgeable as you, Mr. Writer, must have heard this saying."

"A lie that lasts for a day is a deception, but a lie that lasts a lifetime is love."

"If you never tell Elvire about what happens between us, you’ll feel guilty forever. And because of that guilt, you’ll dote on Elvire forever. Every time we have an affair, you’ll be even better to her. The more we do it, the better you’ll treat her. Isn’t that a virtuous cycle with very positive implications?"

"You’re good to her, so she’ll be happy. When she’s happy, you’ll be happy. And when I see you happy, I’ll be happy too. It’s a win-win-win, you see, Mr. Writer?"

Sean: "???"

’A... a win-win-win...’

Sean was left utterly speechless.

’Cheating... could be explained like that?!’

’Something that was clearly a betrayal of his partner had been twisted by Elise’s logic into a lubricant for domestic harmony?’

"Elise, you’re an absolute genius," Sean said, genuinely impressed.

’How had he never noticed before that Elise had such potential to be a scummy woman?’

"So, Mr. Writer, you don’t have to feel any psychological burden at all. Besides, we’re in the ’New World’ right now."

This was, at most, a spiritual exchange, not a physical, end-to-end encounter.

Elise’s tone was ambiguous as her finger traced circles on Sean’s chest. "It’s still early. Let’s continue."

As she spoke, she leaned down, about to kiss Sean again.

"Stop! Hold it!"

Sean put out a hand to block Elise’s lips.

’There was no way they could continue. Elise’s theory on cheating was too profound; he needed to take a moment and digest it.’