Gu Jingyuan walked to the front yard and stood in the courtyard, slightly tilting his head back to look at the falling snow. He felt a bit depressed and, upon seeing Li Yunwan, inexplicably recalled the scene from twenty years ago when he first met Li Yunyan in the snow.
At that time, the world was all white. She appeared on the snowy mountain in a purple dress, becoming an unforgettable image for him for the rest of his life.
“Yunyan, how wonderful it would be if you were still here…”
A piece of snow swayed and fell into Gu Jingyuan’s eye, cool and so cold that his eyes turned red.
He shook his head to clear his mind and then saw Madam Tao standing by the moon gate, holding a robe and looking in his direction. Gu Jingyuan frowned and walked over.
Madam Tao quickly took two steps forward and said, “It’s snowing. I saw you weren’t wearing much, so I brought you an outer garment.”
She handed the outer garment to Gu Jingyuan. He took it and draped it over his shoulders, then started walking toward his bedroom. After taking a couple of steps, he stopped and looked back at Madam Tao, who was following him.
Madam Tao looked up in confusion and asked, “My lord, what’s the matter?”
“Stop letting your mind wander. Use that time to help Chuan’er with his studies,” Gu Jingyuan said gruffly before stepping over the threshold.
Madam Tao stood outside for a moment before a smile slowly appeared on her face. Not caring if Gu Jingyuan, who had already gone inside, heard her or not, she lightly responded with an “Okay.”
Li Yunwan cried for a long time. She sobbed, and Pan’er cried too, the two of them holding each other and crying silently. Gu Jianli, hiding in the wardrobe, couldn’t stop her tears either. She really wanted to come out and hug her aunt, to comfort her. But she knew her aunt wouldn’t want her to see this.
Ji Wujing’s face grew darker and darker. He couldn’t understand what there was to cry about. When he was four years old, he witnessed his mother and fourth brother die in front of him and didn’t shed a single tear. In his memory, he had never cried, so this salty water was unfamiliar to him.
Hiding here and watching three women cry—seriously, it was so damn boring.
Impatiently, he watched Gu Jianli’s silent tears and suddenly cupped her face, bending down to lick the tears off her face.
Gu Jianli, with tears in her eyes, looked at him in shock. She was still aware that she couldn’t be discovered by her aunt, so she held back and didn’t make a sound.
Ji Wujing’s tongue swirled around Gu Jianli’s face, initially just licking out of curiosity. But as he tasted the tears, he carefully savored them, finding sweetness in the saltiness.
Not bad.
So Ji Wujing leaned in again, seriously licking, tasting all the tears on her face.
Gu Jianli’s face felt tingly and itchy. No, not just her face. She, with tear-filled eyes, looked at Ji Wujing and felt her scalp tingle too. She suddenly wondered—does Ji Wujing eat people?
As Ji Wujing approached her eyes, Gu Jianli instinctively closed her eyes, letting Ji Wujing lick the tears from the corners of her eyes and even suck the wetness from her eyelashes.
Her tears wetted the delicate rouge on her cheeks, and even after Ji Wujing licked them all away, her face remained damp, now with Ji Wujing’s saliva.
Ji Wujing looked at Gu Jianli, his eyes filled with wickedness, as he silently formed the words with his mouth: “Disgusting, isn’t it?”
Gu Jianli furrowed her brows, her features contorted, and she fiercely wiped the saliva off her face with the palms of her hands.
Ji Wujing was not pleased. He grabbed Gu Jianli’s hand and licked her face again. With the tears gone, the saltiness disappeared, leaving only sweetness and tenderness.
Gu Jianli was furious. She inwardly complained that Ji Wujing had no sense of propriety. She was worried about her aunt, and he…he was just too much!
Once again, she reached out, pressing her palms against her cheeks and forcefully wiping away the saliva. Her grip was strong, causing her rosy lips to pout.
Ji Wujing suddenly grabbed her two hands pressed against her cheeks, keeping his palms against her face, and leaned in to lick her pouting lips.
Gu Jianli widened her eyes. She didn’t dare push Ji Wujing away, afraid he might make a noise by bumping into the wardrobe behind her. So she stiffened her body and let Ji Wujing have his way.
Her pouting lips were like blossoming flowers as Ji Wujing leisurely licked along their contours, his tongue sliding into the center, pressing against her teeth.
The sudden invasion made Gu Jianli’s heart race, the unfamiliar sensation leaving her flustered. It was different from when Ji Wujing casually kissed the corners of her lips before. If his previous actions made her blush shyly, now Ji Wujing filled her with fear and uncertainty.
She gritted her teeth, her eyes fixed on Ji Wujing without blinking.
Ji Wujing didn’t make any further moves, just kept his tongue pressed against her teeth, carefully savoring the fragrance and softness of her lips, as well as the warm sweetness of her breath.
Gu Jianli stood on her right leg for a long time, feeling somewhat unable to support herself anymore. Her body leaned backward, and Ji Wujing’s hand rested on her lower back, pulling her into his embrace, holding her tightly.
Listening to her aunt’s crying outside, Gu Jianli was startled and subconsciously opened her mouth. Ji Wujing took the opportunity to slip his tongue in. But in an instant, Gu Jianli instinctively bit down on Ji Wujing’s tongue.
Their eyes met, and neither of them made any movements, just quietly embracing each other.
It wasn’t until Gu Jianli tasted the metallic tang of blood in her mouth that she realized she had bitten Ji Wujing’s tongue. She immediately released her grip, feeling both apologetic and flustered.
Ji Wujing pinched Gu Jianli’s chin, his tongue still misbehaving in her sweet little mouth. Gu Jianli retreated step by step, with no way to escape.
Ji Wujing subtly raised the corner of his fox-like eyes, outlining a hint of a smile. He skillfully coaxed Gu Jianli’s petite tongue into his mouth.
Gu Jianli gradually felt unable to stand, leaning completely into Ji Wujing’s embrace. Even so, she felt like her feet weren’t touching the ground, as if she were standing on soft clouds. Her body felt weak, as if beneath her was a bottomless abyss, where one misstep would lead to a fatal fall.
In a daze, she instinctively grasped Ji Wujing’s clothes, fearing she would fall to her death.
Sensing Gu Jianli’s panicked breath, Ji Wujing slowly loosened his hold on her. He cupped Gu Jianli’s face and mouthed, “Call me uncle.”
Gu Jianli squinted her eyes, trying hard to control her erratic breathing, not wanting to be discovered by Li Yunwan. Tears welled up in her eyes, forming into beads that rolled down one by one. This time, the tears were not for her aunt’s sake. She looked at Ji Wujing with tear-filled eyes, easily deceived by him, and silently called out, “Uncle…” Then, with a hint of resentment, she whispered, “You…you bully…”
With each word she spoke, a round teardrop rolled down her cheek.
The smile in Ji Wujing’s eyes dimmed slightly as he silently watched Gu Jianli cry for a while. Then he took her hand and carefully wrote something on her palm.
Gu Jianli wiped away her tears, only to shed more, and looked at Ji Wujing’s writing with a sense of grievance.
Ji Wujing wrote slowly, but with great seriousness.
Gu Jianli earnestly looked at it and finally understood.
He wrote—”Next time, I’ll let you bully me back, let you lick.”
Gu Jianli angrily grabbed his hand and wrote forcefully on his palm—”Who cares!”
Gu Jianli exerted all her strength, causing her fingers to ache.
Ji Wujing laughed recklessly. He pinched Gu Jianli’s face and silently said, “Gu Jianli.”
Gu Jianli angrily turned her head away, refusing to look at him. Ji Wujing then bent down, resting his chin on her shoulder, and whispered in a low voice into Gu Jianli’s ear, “Uncle hasn’t licked your whole body yet, so it doesn’t count as bullying.”
He straightened up lazily, casually licking up a tear that hung on Gu Jianli’s face. He looked at Gu Jianli, who was both annoyed and embarrassed, tasted her tears, and thought about trying the water from other parts of her body next time.
Gu Jianli calmed down slightly. She raised her head and pleaded silently with Ji Wujing, mouthing, “Uncle, stop messing around. Please…”
Her eyes glanced subtly, indicating someone outside the wardrobe.
Ji Wujing patted her head and reluctantly nodded.
Gu Jianli breathed a sigh of relief, inwardly lamenting her fate for marrying such a weirdo…
Although she complained inwardly, she still leaned her head against Ji Wujing’s chest, leaning her entire weight on him—she couldn’t stand on her own.
Ji Wujing indeed stopped playing around and quieted down, temporarily acting as Gu Jianli’s support.
Gu Jianli looked through the ornate carvings on the wardrobe’s upper part and glanced at her aunt outside. Her eyes dimmed again. However, perhaps due to Ji Wujing’s disturbance, the heavy feeling in her heart eased a bit, and she didn’t cry anymore.
Pan’er wanted to call for a doctor, but Li Yunwan was afraid of being discovered and didn’t agree.
Time passed slowly. Gu Jianli and Ji Wujing hid in the wardrobe for half a day but still couldn’t find a chance to sneak away. Gu Jianli, leaning on Ji Wujing, gradually looked pale, and her steps became even more unstable.
Ji Wujing noticed something was wrong and lowered his gaze to observe Gu Jianli’s face. His gaze gradually moved downward, landing on Gu Jianli’s tightly pressed legs, and he vaguely guessed what was happening.
It wasn’t until noon that Pan’er helped Li Yunwan up and led her into the inner room. As soon as they left, Gu Jianli awkwardly turned her head to look at Ji Wujing and whispered in a low voice, “Let’s go, quickly, let’s go back! I…I need to go to the bathroom…”
Ji Wujing temporarily extinguished his playful thoughts towards her. He blew a breath, and the wardrobe door silently opened. He picked up Gu Jianli and swiftly flew away. Pan’er, who came out from the inner room carrying a wooden basin, only managed to catch a glimpse of a red shadow, thinking she was seeing things.
Ji Wujing carried Gu Jianli to the door of the lavatory. As Gu Jianli’s right foot touched the ground, she hurriedly supported herself against the wall, hopping inside in a panic.
The door slammed shut in front of Ji Wujing, who turned around speechlessly. But just as he turned, he heard the sound of a fall inside the lavatory.
“Gu Jianli?”
The answer to Ji Wujing was Gu Jianli’s sobbing.
Ji Wujing pushed the door open and saw Gu Jianli sitting on the floor, holding her left leg, her fingertips trembling in pain.
This is bad.
Ji Wujing took two steps over, squatting down to look at Gu Jianli’s leg.
“Get out! Get out!” Gu Jianli pushed Ji Wujing away frantically, anxiously trying to get up.
She was really in a hurry.
Ji Wujing glanced at her helplessly, helped her up, and deftly pulled down her skirt along with the undergarments, then pressed her to sit on the wooden bench.
He moved so quickly that Gu Jianli didn’t even have time to react before there was the sound of water.
Gu Jianli instinctively grabbed the scented soap from the rack and threw it at Ji Wujing. He easily caught it, turned around slowly, and said indifferently, “Why so shy? Sooner or later, I’ll be licking it anyway.”
Gu Jianli covered her face with both hands, crying, “Please leave… I beg you, uncle… This is so embarrassing, sob sob sob…”
