By the time Ye Ran returned to her quarters, night had fully fallen.
She pushed open the door and stepped inside, only to find the room just as dark, lit only by a few flickering candles.
Ye Ran didn’t like dim environments. Her room was always brightly lit at night, so this was the first time it had been so dark.
She looked around in confusion and was about to call out to the system to ask what it was up to when a splash of water came from one side. The next moment, Lu Li emerged from behind a folding screen.
“Junior sister is back.”
Lu Li seemed to have just bathed. He wore only a loose red outer robe, beads of water still clinging to his hair.
As Ye Ran looked over, a few drops of water slid down his neck and disappeared into the open collar of his robe.
Under the dim light, the scene was incredibly alluring.
Ye Ran’s breath caught for a moment. At that instant, Lu Li looked like a bewitching spirit.
“S-senior brother, why didn’t you light the lamps?”
Ye Ran could barely speak clearly. Flustered, she looked away and started toward the lamps to light them.
But the moment she turned, Lu Li appeared before her, blocking her path.
“Don’t you think this creates a better atmosphere, junior sister?”
“I don’t like the room being this dark.”
As she spoke, Ye Ran’s gaze involuntarily fell again on Lu Li’s slightly parted robe.
Just then, a soft laugh sounded in her ear, startling her into immediately averting her eyes. But the next moment, Lu Li grabbed her hand and pressed it against his chest.
“Does junior sister like this?”
This, Ye Ran did like.
Especially in the dim light—though she couldn’t see clearly, the sensation under her palm was vivid, tempting her to explore further.
Before she could move, Lu Li, as if reading her mind, guided her hand across his chest, making her feel every contour.
Only when the sound of a heartbeat traveled through his skin to her palm did Ye Ran snap back to reality. She quickly pulled her hand away.
“I don’t like it at all. Let me light the candles, senior brother.”
Ye Ran didn’t dare look at Lu Li, afraid that even one glance would reveal her lying.
After just a few touches, she had already noticed that Lu Li’s physique seemed even better than before. If she let him continue seducing her, she was afraid she would lose control—and in the end, she would be the one to suffer.
She walked around Lu Li toward the candlestick, intending to light it.
But before her fingers even reached it, Lu Li pressed against her from behind.
He seemed to have used incense. The moment he drew close, Ye Ran caught a fresh, subtle scent—like melting snow over pine—not overpowering but very pleasant. She instinctively breathed it in.
“No need to light the lamp, junior sister. If you want to see more clearly, just light this.”
Lu Li produced a red candle.
The moment Ye Ran looked at it, the candle ignited on its own. Drops of wax began to drip down its red surface.
They fell onto Lu Li’s pale fingers, like red blossoms blooming in the snow.
The sight made Ye Ran’s heart tremble.
It instantly reminded her of the content in those love letters.
Lu Li’s actions clearly followed what was written in those letters.
But since Lu Li hadn’t written those letters, how did he know about this?
Ye Ran turned to him in surprise. Lu Li, in turn, pressed the red candle into her hand and, under her gaze, slowly pulled his robe open a little wider.
“Would junior sister like to come closer and take a look?”
Lu Li’s low voice was incredibly enticing in the darkness.
Ye Ran unconsciously took a step closer. But when Lu Li grabbed her hand—the one holding the candle—and guided it toward his chest, she suddenly came to her senses.
She pulled her hand free, quickly extinguished the candle, and threw it aside.
Then she looked at Lu Li again.
“Where did senior brother get that red candle?”
“Naturally, I read some things and gained a great deal of inspiration.”
This confirmed Ye Ran’s suspicion. She rushed to the antique shelf and took down a wooden box. When she opened it, she saw that the love letters inside had indeed been opened.
“Since junior sister knows who wrote these letters and still keeps them so carefully, you must really enjoy the games described inside. Now that I’m willing to play them with you, you resist so much. Could it be because you want someone else to play with you?”
Lu Li’s jealous tone carried an undercurrent of danger.
Ye Ran immediately felt the temperature around them drop. Seeing him getting jealous over nothing again, she quickly put down the box and hurriedly explained:
“Of course not! I kept those letters as evidence to prevent Senior Brother Meng from bothering me anymore.”
And indeed, her decision to keep the letters had worked.
She could tell that Meng Xuan still hadn’t given up on her, but as long as she held leverage over him, he clearly didn’t dare to pester her too much.
“In that case, won’t junior sister continue to reward me?”
Lu Li produced another red candle from somewhere and slowly approached Ye Ran.
Seeing this, Ye Ran instinctively stepped back a few paces.
She realized that Lu Li only ever heard what he wanted to hear.
She had just been explaining why she kept those love letters, but the only word he had taken from her explanation was “not.”
Although when she first saw those letters, she had indeed fantasized about dripping wax on Lu Li with a red candle, that was back when she had yet to experience how terrifying he could be.
Now, she didn’t dare provoke him in the slightest. Even when he was the one seducing her, she didn’t dare respond.
“Senior brother! It’s late. Time to rest!”
Lu Li backed Ye Ran into a corner. She even considered fleeing the room, but Lu Li blocked her path, leaving no chance for escape.
“Perfect. Before we rest, we can build some chemistry.”
The red candle was pressed back into Ye Ran’s hand.
Though unlit, holding it made her feel as if she were being burned.
Seeing Lu Li still advancing, Ye Ran panicked and pressed her hand against his chest.
“Senior brother, just tell me straight—what will it take for you to let me rest?”
Ye Ran tried to negotiate.
Her words did make Lu Li stop, a smile appearing in his eyes.
Suddenly feeling she had fallen into a trap, Ye Ran quickly added before he could speak:
“Let’s be clear—I won’t agree to anything too excessive.”
The moment she finished, she caught a flicker of disappointment in Lu Li’s eyes.
She silently congratulated herself for speaking up in time.
Just as she was secretly rejoicing, Lu Li stepped forward and pulled her into his arms.
“If junior sister allows me to sleep in the bed, I won’t pester you anymore. Deal?”
“Just for tonight. And sleep only—nothing else.”
Knowing full well Lu Li’s tendency to push his luck, Ye Ran quickly added conditions.
Though clearly reluctant, Lu Li seemed to think of something and agreed readily.
“Alright. Whatever junior sister says.”
Only then did Ye Ran relax.
She tossed the red candle aside and walked around Lu Li toward the bed.
But before she could take more than a few steps, her body suddenly lifted into the air. Caught off guard, she instinctively wrapped her arms around Lu Li’s neck.
By the time she gathered her wits, Lu Li had already carried her to the bed and lay down with her.
Seeing this, Ye Ran closed her eyes, ready to sleep. But Lu Li suddenly pulled her tighter and kissed her lips.
The kiss came out of nowhere, catching her completely off guard.
Before she could react, Lu Li had slipped past her defenses, robbing her of all the air in her mouth.
Ye Ran immediately regretted letting him into the bed. They had barely lain down, and he had already forgotten what he said.
He was utterly shameless.
And now, Lu Li had her completely trapped, leaving no room for resistance.
Just as Ye Ran thought he would have his way again, Lu Li ended the kiss. He pulled her into his arms and made no further move.
In disbelief, Ye Ran looked up at Lu Li—only to meet his smiling eyes.
“Is junior sister curious why I didn’t continue?”
“N-no… I’m going to sleep.”
With that, Ye Ran shut her eyes. She didn’t dare engage with him now, afraid he would trap her with his words again.
But Lu Li stroked her hair and continued on his own: “I need to show junior sister my sincerity. If I broke my promise on the very first night, wouldn’t you push me even further away?”
So that was it.
Now Ye Ran was truly relieved.
She shifted, found a comfortable position in his arms, and slowly drifted off.
To Ye Ran’s surprise, over the next few days, Lu Li found every excuse to sleep with her.
And every time, she fell for his tricks. By the time she realized what was happening, he was already under her covers.
Though Lu Li didn’t do anything inappropriate, he was incredibly clingy. He had to be pressed against her every night, giving Ye Ran the odd feeling every morning that something had wrapped itself around her.
After several days, Ye Ran had finally had enough. That night, she guarded the bed with all her might and successfully banished Lu Li to the small couch.
She thought she would finally get a good night’s sleep. But when she woke the next morning, that familiar feeling of restraint was still there.
Ye Ran shifted and looked up—and sure enough, it was Lu Li’s face.
“Good morning, junior sister.”
Lu Li opened his eyes and gave her a quick kiss. He seemed in an excellent mood.
Ye Ran pushed at him. “Senior brother, you broke your word. You clearly said last night that you would sleep only on the small couch and wouldn’t sneak into bed.”
“I didn’t break my word. Look carefully, junior sister—where are we?”
Lu Li loosened his hold slightly. Only then did Ye Ran see clearly that she was lying with Lu Li on the small couch.
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