“M-Miss Qing? Are you all right?”
Qin Heng looked at Qing Nianyi, who’d been standing silently in front of him, and had no idea what to do.
He still held the folding fan in his hand. A faint sting came from his fingertips again…
Big Couch-Potato Qin lowered his head and looked at Qing Nianyi.
He wondered, What on earth is this young lady trying to do…? Could she say something already? Just tell me whether I’m doomed or not!
Ever since he’d handed her the folding fan, all Qin Heng had heard from Qing Nianyi was a few soft murmurs. Her voice had been so quiet that he hadn’t caught a single word.
Now she had one hand lightly against her face. It seemed like she was looking at him, and yet somehow she wasn’t…
???
Is she sick? Why’s her face so red?
“Miss Qing, are you feeling all right?”
Qin Heng asked again. This time, his voice was noticeably clearer, and he even took a step toward Qing Nianyi.
…
The voice from right in front of her finally brought Qing Nianyi back from her drifting thoughts. She quickly brushed back the hair over her shoulder and gave him a gentle smile. Her eyes were soft, and she lightly pressed her lips together before speaking.
“Y-yes. I’m sorry… I was a little dazed just now. I hope I didn’t make a fool of myself in front of you, sir.”
When Qin Heng heard her, his brows furrowed. That collision really had been quite a hit. It was all his fault for running too fast.
Still… from the sound of it, there might be room to talk. As long as nothing was wrong with the fan, he might just get out of this without a disaster after all.
It was a spiritual artifact, after all…
It couldn’t break from one little fall, could it?
…
At that thought, Big Couch-Potato Qin finally let out a breath of relief.
Seeing Qing Nianyi respond, Qin Heng held the folding fan out to her again. Then he softened his voice and spoke.
“I’m truly sorry about what happened just now. If you’re not hurt, could you check the condition of this fan? Whatever responsibility there is… I’ll take it.”
Big Slacker’s voice grew noticeably quieter toward the end. He didn’t have the confidence to back up his words—if the fan was broken, he really couldn’t afford to take responsibility…
He talked a good game, but inside, he was terrified.
“It’s fine!”
Qing Nianyi hurriedly waved her little hands. The look on her pretty face was even more anxious than that of Big Slacker, the person actually responsible.
“It’s just that, little brother—ah! No, that’s not what I meant.”
“You just bumped into me by accident, sir. It’s all right. And-and I’m not hurt, am I?”
Qing Nianyi’s voice was still clear and lilting, like a songbird’s, but this time there was a hint of panic in it…
Oh no!!
I said it! I let it slip!
That “little brother”!
Oh no!!!
She’d been so flustered that Qing Nianyi had called the boy by the name she’d secretly longed to use without even thinking…
She’d corrected herself quickly, but they were standing so close. He must have heard!
A blush spread across Qing Nianyi’s pretty face. Her fair cheeks grew so flushed they looked ready to bleed…
Qing Nianyi lowered her head again. Her jade-white hands clasped in front of her chest, and her Mu Zi eyes lowered as she shyly glanced to one side…
There was no denying it: a mature beauty like Qing Nianyi, so stunning she could make orioles and swallows feel plain, looked… tsk, tsk. When she blushed, nobody could possibly resist.
At least, Big Couch-Potato Qin was completely dumbstruck.
He had no idea why Qing Nianyi had suddenly reacted like that. Maybe it had something to do with her calling him “little brother”?
But to Big Slacker, that sort of thing was pretty common in everyday life. It was like calling someone “handsome” or “beautiful.” He’d only just come of age, and he was tall and slender, so he probably looked pretty young anyway.
Besides, Qing Nianyi was a senior in her fourth year of college, at least three or four years older than him. This was an off-campus dinner, so calling a stranger “little brother” wasn’t that strange. But she was a rich young lady, after all, so maybe blurting it out had felt a little improper. That was probably why she was embarrassed. But…
…Then again, if that Ice Snake could learn even half of this, I’d thank my lucky stars. Comparing one demon to another is enough to make you furious!
“Ah! Sir, your hand!”
Qin Heng was halfway through his daydream when a startled cry from beside him snapped him back to reality.
Big Slacker immediately looked down. The tip of the index finger on his left hand—the one holding the folding fan—was bleeding.
Earlier, once he’d realized he’d bumped into Qing Nianyi, all of Big Slacker’s attention had been fixed on her and the spiritual artifact, the folding fan.
He’d felt a sting when he first picked up the fan, but he hadn’t looked closely. He’d assumed he’d just scraped himself. But now his finger was bleeding like crazy!?
What shocked Qin Heng even more was that his left hand had been gripping the fan tightly, and his bleeding index finger was pressed right between its ribs. There was plenty of blood, yet the fan was still a clean, deep blue. The blood seemed to have stopped flowing…
No, it hadn’t stopped… It was—
—the fan was sucking his blood!?!?
As soon as Qin Heng realized what was happening, he hurriedly transferred the fan to his right hand. He stared at the still-bleeding index finger on his left hand, eyes wide.
What on earth was going on!?
Qing Nianyi was badly startled too. The moment she saw that he was hurt, her heart seemed to clench, and a sharp ache of concern filled her.
She hurriedly called out to warn the boy. But when he moved the fan away and held his injured, bleeding left hand out in front of her…
Qing Nianyi’s thoughts began to grow hazy in an instant. Her eyes fixed on the wound despite herself…
An inexplicable desire rapidly clouded her reason, tugging at her nerves. Her breathing grew heavier, and a blush began to creep across her cheeks…
As she watched the tiny beads of blood slide over the boy’s fingertip, Qing Nianyi’s heart ached for him—and…
—she couldn’t help wanting more…
The faint scent of blood reached her nose, and Qing Nianyi’s thoughts grew more and more muddled. Her long, fair legs gradually began to weaken…
…I want… to have him… all of him…
…………
Qin Heng hadn’t noticed that anything was wrong with Qing Nianyi beside him. He was just about to raise his hand to examine the wound when…
What happened next left Big Slacker rooted to the spot.
A warm, moist sensation came from his fingertip, carrying a faint heat and a gentle movement…
Something lightly teased his index finger. He could even feel the woman’s burning yearning…
What!!!???
Qin Heng stared at Qing Nianyi as she suddenly bent down, brushing her hair aside.
At that very moment, Big Slacker’s CPU straight-up overheated!
His ability to think vanished completely. His brain turned to mush, and he was already starting to babble nonsense.
“Ah… mm? Ahhh!”
Wait!
What on earth was going on!? What was this situation?
