Chapter 54: Enticing

At this moment, the slender young man before her had a panicked look on his face, which was not feigned. A flush spread from his cheeks down to his neck as he faced her with tears welling up in his eyes. Those reddened phoenix eyes were brimming with crystalline tears that fell like round, lustrous pearls. The natural beauty mark below his reddened eye corners, though not deliberately seductive, was enough to stir one’s soul.

Lu Yuner slightly lowered her eyelids, avoiding direct eye contact with him. Her gaze naturally and silently fell on the young man’s beautifully contoured shoulders and neck. On his clearly defined collarbone, made prominent by his thinness, there was a bright vermilion mole.

This was Lu Yuner’s first time seeing it. In this matriarchal world, a vermilion mole was a symbol of purity for unmarried men. It would only disappear after they had consummated their marriage and become someone’s husband. This was something she had only learned after coming here, and she was surprised to find it was true.

Below that was an unknown expanse of enticing spring scenery. Lu Yuner didn’t dare to look further down. She turned her head aside, casting her flickering gaze elsewhere. Her hand, raised in the air, wanted to push away the person in her arms, but faced with a sea of white skin, she had nowhere to place it. She could only remove the slender arms embracing her through the clothes, trying to break free from this incredibly sticky embrace. “Young Master Su, you’ve overstepped. The medicine has been applied, please put on your clothes quickly.”

However, this had the opposite effect. The young man clung to her like glue, nuzzling closer into her embrace as she tried to pull away. With the increased movement, the loosely hanging clothes on his upper body completely fell to the couch, leaving his body bare, as if they were lovers in an intimate embrace.

Su Qingwan certainly wouldn’t put his clothes back on. He knew that once he let go, Sister Yuner would only flee further from him. Moreover, as a young woman full of vitality, he didn’t believe Sister Yuner could have no reaction to him at all.

Lu Yuner still felt somewhat uncomfortable. Young Master Su showed no reservations in front of her. She silently turned to the side, intentionally not looking at him. Her slightly flustered movements, however, brought a glimmer of joy to Su Qingwan’s eyes.

Su Qingwan’s face was flushed with embarrassment as he rested his head in Lu Yuner’s embrace. A hint of mischief flashed in his misty eyes as he spoke in a gentle tone, “Even if I’ve overstepped, it was Sister Yuner who overstepped with me first. Sister Yuner, you pressed your lips against mine on the riverbank earlier. Wasn’t that a kiss?”

Hearing this, Lu Yuner’s body stiffened. So Young Master Su remembered everything. No wonder she had felt his lips move when she was performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. It seemed he had slowly regained consciousness early on, but being unfamiliar with the method of artificial respiration, he had misunderstood it as a kiss.

Lu Yuner looked down at him and explained, “I was saving you. You weren’t breathing at the time, so I had to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. It was an emergency measure.”

Su Qingwan once again skillfully gazed at her with puppy eyes, stubbornly insisting, “I don’t care about anything else. Although Sister Yuner did it to save me, the fact remains that our lips touched. You kissed me. I suppose last time when I fell into the Liusu River, Sister Yuner also used this method to save me. Sister Yuner, you must know that once there’s such intimate contact between a man and a woman, you have to take responsibility for the man’s purity. That’s why Sister Yuner left without saying goodbye last time, right? You managed to cover it up last time, but this time I’ve found out. Sister Yuner, you can’t escape again.”

Lu Yuner’s eyes were dark, staring at him without emotion, but her brows furrowed slightly, as if caught in an inescapable dilemma.

What Young Master Su said was correct. In this matriarchal world, women could have three husbands and four male concubines, while men could only be faithful to one. Therefore, a man’s purity was especially valued. Regardless of the reason for overstepping boundaries with a man, to protect his reputation, the marriage would be out of one’s control.

It’s worth noting that rumors could be deadly. Sometimes, even blood relatives like parents, for the sake of the family’s face, would despise a son who had lost his purity. They couldn’t control their thoughts and actions. Once a man lost his purity, he couldn’t hold his head high, and no woman would be willing to marry him. He could be driven mad or even to death by malicious gossip.

The first time she saved Young Master Su, considering these factors, she chose to leave after saving him. She didn’t expect Young Master Su to suddenly bring it up and refuse to let it go today.

Lu Yuner’s eyes narrowed slightly: “Human life is of utmost importance. Young Master Su should know what takes priority. Moreover, Young Master Su, your purity is still intact, and your reputation hasn’t been damaged. If Young Master Su considers my actions as inappropriate, I’m willing to accept punishment without a word.”

“So, Sister Yuner would rather be punished than take responsibility for me? You don’t have even a shred of pity for me, is that what you mean?” Su Qingwan, with tears in his eyes, picked up the conversation. The light in his eyes instantly dimmed, especially after failing to get his first hug, as if he had fallen into a bottomless abyss. “You’re right, my purity is still intact, my reputation hasn’t been damaged, but… my heart and body are no longer my own.”

A sour emotion welled up in Su Qingwan’s heart, and he gazed at her face with immense sorrow: “I know Sister Yuner doesn’t like me, so I never dared to hope for even the slightest response from you. I thought that if I was proactive enough, sincere enough, even if Sister Yuner’s heart was made of cold stone, I could warm it a little. But it seems Sister Yuner gave me a chance to interact, yet had already decided the outcome.”

“I know Sister Yuner promised to try with me for a month, but this month is actually nothing more than Sister Yuner treating me as a normal friend. Even for this boat trip, I know Sister Yuner had planned from the beginning to invite Young Master Mu, intentionally avoiding being alone with me. Sister Yuner has actually been waiting for this month to pass quickly, right? Once this month is over, Sister Yuner can completely get rid of me, this clingy and shameless nuisance, isn’t that right?”

As Su Qingwan accurately voiced her thoughts one by one, Lu Yuner furrowed her brow, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. Her usually calm eyes now showed traces of unexpected panic.

Before Lu Yuner could react, she saw that the young man’s eyes, already brimming with tears, had completely overflowed. Crystal clear teardrops fell in large drops, and his dejected tone carried a pitiful sob, “Unfortunately… this month has only just begun. Even if Sister Yuner… dislikes me so much, you’ll have to bear with me a little longer. In the days to come, even if Sister Yuner hates me, I won’t give up. On the contrary, my feelings for Sister Yuner…”

As he spoke, faced with the softness so close at hand, a hint of desire flickered in Su Qingwan’s clear, watery eyes. He swallowed, his whole body heating up. He tilted his head back, his lips parting slightly, exhaling a faintly heated breath.

“My feelings for Sister Yuner are far beyond this. I’m very greedy… I want to get more from Sister Yuner…” Su Qingwan, throwing caution to the wind, suddenly moved his tear-stained face closer, pressing his lips against that softness. His heart pounded violently, like touching something incredibly precious, daring only to make the lightest contact, afraid he might lose control and devour the fragrance of her lips, worried he might hurt Sister Yuner’s lips like he did in the carriage last time.

The moment their lips touched, Lu Yuner felt as if she had been electrified, her whole body going numb. Her thoughts and actions became sluggish. Although Young Master Su often “ambushed” her like this, she hadn’t expected him to suddenly kiss her this time.

By the time she came to her senses, Su Qingwan had only tasted her lips briefly before pulling back, both embarrassed and afraid. He gazed at Lu Yuner with panicked eyes, but still tightened his arms around her, afraid she might angrily push him away.

Having gotten his way, Su Qingwan was secretly delighted and stopped crying, but his phoenix eyes were still a sea of tears. With the shyness of a young man, his voice was particularly firm, “I know… Sister Yuner won’t give me what I want on her own, so I have no choice but… but to take it myself. Even if the outcome is already decided, from this moment on, I don’t want to leave any lifelong regrets, even if it makes Sister Yuner despise me.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Yuner instinctively looked at Su Qingwan, coincidentally meeting those teary eyes full of passion and obsession.

At this moment, the young man was slightly out of breath, his thin ear tips seeming red and hot. A faint blush spread over his exposed snow-white skin, as if dusted with a light layer of rouge. His originally flawless, handsome face now looked like a ripe cherry, smooth and glossy, with a sweet fragrance.

Lu Yuner’s gaze was deep and unfathomable, a wave of indescribable darkness rippling in the depths of her eyes.

Regarding Young Master Su, she had tried both kind words and harsh ones, but to no avail. Young Master Su seemed impervious to both soft and hard approaches. It was the first time in her life she had encountered such a persistent person.

She was truly at a loss.

Suddenly.

“Again?” Lu Yuner placed her slender finger on the fair forehead of the beautiful face so close to her. Her dark eyes shimmered with a faint light, looking pitiful and innocent. She sighed, almost helplessly, “Young Master Su, are you no longer concerned about your purity? Just now, you were still fixating on the riverbank…”

“Purity?” Su Qingwan interrupted Lu Yuner’s words, seemingly also detecting the change in her tone. Although his voice was cool, there wasn’t a trace of anger.

“Purity is indeed important, but to me, Sister Yuner is worth more. Perhaps Sister Yuner doesn’t know, but my feelings for you are far deeper than you imagine.” Su Qingwan stared at Lu Yuner unblinkingly, his gaze never leaving her. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he spoke in a low, husky voice that sounded strangely alluring, “Sister Yuner, you’d better get used to it quickly!”

With that, Su Qingwan no longer concealed his burning emotions. He gently nuzzled against Lu Yuner’s warm palm with his forehead, like a puppy showing affection to its owner, enjoying a loving caress. He unconsciously let out a soft, contented moan, “Mmm—”

His voice was soft and gentle, very light, like a kitten’s paw lightly scratching at Lu Yuner’s heart.

Lu Yuner’s whole body shivered. She suddenly realized that some things seemed to have slipped out of her control.