"Because I'm scared," Xiao Jinsheng said, sounding wronged. "If you could grant me one small wish, then I wouldn't have nightmares tonight."
"What wish? Tell me," Que Zelian asked with a smile.
"To sleep with you," Xiao Jinsheng replied, lifting her gaze, trying to find a familiar reaction on his face. But Que Zelian, who moments ago would blush at her touches, was now remarkably calm, showing no hint of panic or nervousness.
Xiao Jinsheng vaguely felt something was amiss, and then Que Zelian picked her up in a princess carry. "I… I was just kidding, I was only teasing you," Xiao Jinsheng quickly changed her words, feeling that the man in front of her was somehow dangerous at that moment.
"But I took you seriously," Que Zelian said, his lips curling into a faint smile.
Xiao Jinsheng nervously watched his strange expression, about to say something more, when Que Zelian held her high, then suddenly withdrew his hands. His hands leaving her caused a moment of weightlessness, but the anticipated fall to the ground didn't happen. Xiao Jinsheng carefully opened her eyes and found herself still suspended in mid-air, beneath her something white and cloud-like, without any tangible sensation.
"I don't think this kind of thing should happen in this environment," Que Zelian's palm met hers, fingers interlaced. "There's no bed here, and the sofa is quite dirty." Que Zelian sighed, but then lay down on the cloud with Xiao Jinsheng. "However, besides wind, my ability also includes clouds." He chuckled softly. "This ability is usually useless, but it's very suitable as a bed."
Xiao Jinsheng tilted her head and looked down at the cloud, reminding him nervously, "Brother, this… this is suspended in mid-air."
"Don't you like it?" Que Zelian asked with a smile, his face showing none of the innocent shyness he displayed earlier in the day. White mist entwined around Xiao Jinsheng's skin, drifting through the gaps in her clothing, leaving soft kisses. Xiao Jinsheng trembled, suspended above the white clouds. Que Zelian scooped her up by the waist, and his gentle kisses once again fell upon her lips.
Xiao Jinsheng could only tightly wrap her arms around his neck, but being suspended four meters high in the room, the feeling of not being firmly on the ground still made her nervous. She could only press herself forcefully against Que Zelian to lessen this unfamiliar sensation of suspension.
"Can we go to the sofa, please?" Xiao Jinsheng's voice trembled. "It's suspended here, I'm scared."
"Sit on me," Que Zelian said with a laugh, pulling her into his embrace. His palm pressed against her lower back. The clouds floating around them, as if they had gained sentience, passed through the buttonholes of Xiao Jinsheng's pajamas. Buttons popped open, and a cool breeze swept through. Xiao Jinsheng shivered, then was immediately enveloped by the clouds, blocking the chill.
She turned her head and noticed a window near the back of the room, with the curtain not fully drawn. Anxiously, she reminded Que Zelian, "The curtain isn't drawn, we'll be seen."
Que Zelian followed her gaze but didn't get up to pull the curtain. Instead, he controlled Xiao Jinsheng's wrist with the clouds and chuckled softly, "You won't be seen." With that, he leaned back, pressing down on Xiao Jinsheng's lower back, pulling her down. The clouds instantly filled the entire room, blocking everything from inside and out. Only muffled sounds and gasps remained. And that clear, melodious concern: "Don't bite your lip, you won't be heard."
"Que Zelian, you're a liar!" Xiao Jinsheng cried, her voice trembling. At this moment, she was completely lost in pleasure and regret. She had chosen so carefully, thinking she had picked the most innocent and easiest man to handle. Who knew this scoundrel had been acting all day! Bullshit innocence.
Xiao Jinsheng whimpered, wanting to curse him, but before she could get out a few words, the rest were sealed by a kiss. "If it's just to curse me, you'd better save your energy." Que Zelian chuckled. "It's only eight o'clock now, and the west of the Misty Continent won't get light until ten in the morning at the earliest."
"This night is still very long."
Normally, she loved to brag online, casually saying things like "just a few." But now, experiencing it for the first time, Xiao Jinsheng found that even one made her legs weak. Thinking that dawn was still far away, she began to feel nervous.
Que Zelian buried his head in her neck, panting heavily, reminding her in pain, "Don't clench."
"I didn't..." Xiao Jinsheng sobbed, "I told you, you made me float, I'm nervous." Que Zelian, helpless, could only increase the thickness of the clouds, allowing Xiao Jinsheng to feel the clouds solidify.
It was a sleepless night, and Xiao Jinsheng forgot when she finally fell asleep. She opened her eyes in a daze, finding herself still lying on the clouds, the room dim. She didn't see Que Zelian beside her. Noticing she was awake, Que Zelian controlled the wind to turn on the bedside lamp by the sofa. Xiao Jinsheng also noticed he was wearing a brocade robe, leaning against the sofa, holding a book. Noticing Xiao Jinsheng's gaze, Que Zelian closed the book and looked up at her with a smile. "Slept enough?"
"Don't say that word!" Xiao Jinsheng reacted strongly, glaring at him fiercely.
"Which word?" Que Zelian, however, looked innocent, asking curiously.
"The second word!" Xiao Jinsheng was now gritting her teeth at him.
Que Zelian's expression grew even more innocent. "As your beast-husband, I'm just caring for you."
"Caring if you've eaten enough, slept enough, and… if I've fed you enough? Aren't these the most basic duties of a beast-husband?"
"You big liar, shut up!" Xiao Jinsheng said, her face flushed with embarrassment. She couldn't help but recall how, in her dazed state last night, Que Zelian would often whisper these questions into her ear. That scoundrel would also occasionally reduce the thickness of the clouds, making her feel suspended again.
"I've never lied to you," Que Zelian said, smiling as he approached, reaching out to her, who was still sitting on the cloud bed.
"Then why did you act all innocent when you were drinking water and I tugged at your sleeve?" Xiao Jinsheng was so angry that she kicked at the hand he extended to her. "If you hadn't misled me, I wouldn't have…"
"Wouldn't have what?" Que Zelian asked with a smile. "Wouldn't have chosen to be with me last night?"
"I…" Xiao Jinsheng quickly stopped herself. To be honest, she was a little flustered by this two-faced man now, even more so than when she saw Mo Jiao.
"I'll carry you down," Que Zelian, however, didn't delve into her words but reached out to her again.
"I mean, if you hadn't misled me, I wouldn't have been unprepared last night," Xiao Jinsheng added.
"But last night, you were very satisfied, weren't you?" Que Zelian asked with a smile.
Xiao Jinsheng's face flushed. Then she heard him say, "If you want to prepare, there's still time tonight."
"No, no, I think I should rest. My back hurts and my legs are weak… hmm?" Xiao Jinsheng said, but then realized that after a night of "battle," she felt no discomfort at all. It was just that the pajamas she was wearing, changed at some point, showed some red marks on her exposed skin. She then looked at her legs in confusion. There was no soreness at all from last night, except for the noticeable red marks on her thighs.
Xiao Jinsheng was puzzled. Based on her experience reading novels, shouldn't she have been unable to get out of bed for three days and three nights after last night's "battle"? Why did she feel like she could effortlessly kick Que Zelian away now?
Xiao Jinsheng was still sitting on the cloud, confused, when the familiar feeling of suspension returned. She looked down and saw the clouds beneath her growing fainter until they disappeared. She fell as the clouds vanished but was caught by a familiar embrace. Que Zelian held her, retreated to the sofa, and placed her on his lap. He reached out and tapped the glowing cloud-bird totem on Xiao Jinsheng's collarbone. "Congratulations, you're now a 3-star mental energy user as of the latter half of the night."
"3-star?" Xiao Jinsheng was surprised. Last night was a blur; she couldn't remember what happened later. With Que Zelian's reminder, she quickly connected to her terminal and checked. Indeed, she was 3-star in mental energy, even close to the critical point of breaking through to 4-star. From 1-star, directly skipping 2-star to 3-star and almost 4-star—she hadn't expected to level up so quickly with just Que Zelian.
"It seems your efforts in absorbing star stones to improve your physique have been very effective during this period," Que Zelian said with a meaningful smile.