Chapter 37

After Yu Tao processed what had just happened, she was completely stunned, her brain short-circuiting.

Th-th-this… Little Senior Brother is kissing her!?

The hand around her waist was warm. Yu Tao was always sensitive to ticklishness, but at this moment, she completely forgot about it.

Suddenly, she felt a light touch on her lips, like being gently bitten, but more like a caress, as if he was trying to convey something to her.

But Yu Tao didn’t know whether it was from the lack of oxygen or the overwhelming sensation, but her head felt dizzy, and her hand was gripping his shoulder, completely unsure how to react.

It seemed that seeing her still frozen in shock, the beautiful hand that had held hers just a few days ago, the one she had been thinking about, brushed against her neck. It then gently pinched her chin, urging her to part her lips slightly, accepting his slow, steady breath.

Fresh air flooded into her lungs, and Yu Tao’s heart began to race.

Her consciousness started to clear up a little, and she closed her eyes, calming herself down. After thinking it through, she realized what was happening.

He was just giving her breath. She had over-thought it.

After living in Haicheng for so long, she had this basic knowledge—people who are drowning are often given breath to revive them.

She understood what Junior Brother meant. If she drowned from lack of oxygen, there would be no one to help him get to the surface. Plus, he definitely wouldn’t want to watch his junior sister die in front of him.

The more she thought about it, the more rational she became, even feeling like slapping herself. What was she thinking at a time like this? Her life was at risk, and she was still caught up in other things.

Yu Tao lowered her eyes, and with a little force, she pushed against the young man’s shoulder, signaling that she was fine now and he could stop.

She tried to push some distance between them, thinking that he would let go, but the next moment, the hand around her waist tightened even more.

One of her hands, which was pushing against his shoulder, was firmly held by his knuckles and removed. The other hand was tangled in something soft and furry, moving it away and wrapping around the back of his neck.

The hand at her waist pulled her back gently, closing the small gap that had just been made, so close that Yu Tao could feel the warmth of his body.

“Mm…!”

Her lips were pressed again, and his gentle teeth parted her lips. In the moment of her daze, he slipped inside.

The young man’s movements were somewhat inexperienced, occasionally bumping into her lips, but he would immediately soothe her.

The sound of the water around them was muffled and heavy, but the only thing clear in her ears was the loud, persistent sound of their hearts racing.

Yu Tao began to feel more and more dizzy.

…Did giving breath require all of this?

She wanted to ask.

But in the water, her breath was completely controlled by him. Any sound she made was swallowed up, and even her hands were trapped by something soft and fuzzy, gradually tightening around her wrists.

She couldn’t even ask.

But actually, if she used force, it seemed like she could push him away.

For some reason, Yu Tao hesitated for a moment, but then she lowered her hand.

She didn’t know how much time had passed, until the wet, soft fur brushed against her delicate skin, suddenly touching the places where the vines had cut her. The sharp pain made her tremble, and a pained cry slipped from her lips.

The young man’s movement paused slightly, as if he had been startled awake. He loosened his grip on her wrist and pulled back a little, creating some distance.

Yu Tao opened her dizzy eyes. The person in front of her blinked, and his long lashes trembled as they opened. His shallow golden eyes softened for a moment, focusing and locking onto her face.

As their gazes met, the young man’s eyes suddenly wavered, and the next second, he turned his head away, averting his gaze.

At this moment, Yu Tao naturally caught sight of his flushed profile and the pair of black furry cat ears on his head, the inner part of the ears also flushed red.

Cat ears…?

Yu Tao froze for a moment. Was she dreaming?

Last time, she seemed to have also imagined her Little Senior Brother having cat ears and a tail in a dream.

Thinking this, Yu Tao suddenly raised her free hand and grabbed one of the fluffy cat ears.

Though it was wet, the sensation was real, not fake at all.

But this didn’t feel like a dream. She clearly remembered how she had gotten here.

So this was real. Her Little Senior Brother really had cat ears.

This revelation was so shocking that she momentarily forgot everything that had just happened. Her mind was full of thoughts of the cat’s ears and trying to remember whether that night had been a drunken dream.

As Yu Tao thought this, her hand didn’t stop. She kept squeezing and rubbing the ear until, suddenly, the young man reached out and caught her wrist, pulling her hand away.

Both hands—one was held by his cat tail—were taken, and the wet sleeves were pulled up. Her delicate, pale arm, which should have been smooth, was now covered in bruises and blood marks, a shocking sight.

The young man stared at her, his gaze dark and unreadable.

Yu Tao was stunned. Were the vines that dangerous? She hadn’t even felt it was that serious.

She spat out a bubble, and her fuzzy mind suddenly remembered her initial purpose—she had come here to save Little Senior Brother.

Shaking off the confusion, Yu Tao turned and grabbed his wrist, swimming upwards with him.

This time, the young man was very obedient, and didn’t cause any more trouble. Yu Tao used all her remaining strength, finally getting him to the shore of the island, where she leaned on the sand, gasping for breath.

The moonlight poured down like a waterfall, spilling over the surface of the sea. The mist on the island had cleared significantly. Yu Tao glanced around and realized she wasn’t at the beach where Hua Lian and the others were. She had lost her bearings and swam to the wrong spot.

While catching her breath, Yu Tao finally regained her ability to speak and immediately asked her biggest question: “Little Senior Brother, what’s up with your cat ears?”

After asking, she turned her head to look at Yu Li.

The young man was stepping out of the deeper part of the sea, with the water reaching only up to his knees. His wet white robe clung to his body, the collar loosely open, revealing his collarbones and a small portion of his chest.

At this moment, his cat ears and tail had already disappeared. His red hair tie had loosened, and his dark hair flowed down his back. His face was strikingly beautiful, his eyebrows and eyes like a painting, and his pale golden eyes were cold and sharp, like the moon.

There was a mixture of calm and intensity in his presence. To put it in Yu Tao’s words, he looked like a captivating sea demon, just emerging from the water.

Yu Tao, naturally, stared at him, frozen in place.

She had been staring at him for a long time, so long that it made him feel embarrassed, and he turned his head away to avoid her intense gaze.

Finally, Yu Tao cleared her throat twice, trying to appear calm, and repeated her earlier question.

After all, she was really curious about it.

This was important because it related to whether or not she had actually acted recklessly and shamelessly towards Little Senior Brother that night, which was a matter of great significance.

The young man remained silent, not answering.

But Yu Tao soon found out the answer, because she noticed something unusual on his body as he walked closer.

The collar of his robe had loosened, revealing his fair neck, on which a black cat-eye stone collar was very conspicuous. As his Adam’s apple moved, the golden cat-eye on the collar shimmered.

Yu Tao wanted to reach out and touch it to confirm, but then she felt that reaching out to touch Little Senior Brother like this would seem like she was being improper again.

After hesitating, she pulled her hand back before it could reach.

Seeing this, Yu Li’s gaze darkened slightly. He parted his lips and said, “I…”

Before he could finish, Yu Tao quickly lowered her head and sincerely apologized, “I’m sorry, Little Senior Brother!”

Yu Li was taken aback. “Why are you apologizing?”

Yu Tao bit her red lips, then slowly said, “At the beginning, Little Senior Brother just wanted to remind me not to rush my cultivation, not to expect instant results, so he appeared at Training Platform, with good intentions.”

“Receiving a spirit pet was my decision from the start, and you never agreed. To put it bluntly, I was taking advantage of the situation, and you weren’t firm enough to refuse.”

“…” What an idiot.

Yu Li remained silent and sighed, “I still haven’t told you that I am Li…”

“Isn’t it normal for Little Senior Brother not to want others to know his identity?”

Before he could finish, Yu Tao spoke up, her gaze slightly lowered as she softly said, “If it were me, I probably wouldn’t have said anything either.”

Yu Li fell completely silent.

It seemed like she was always thinking of others. The first thing she considered was always someone else’s feelings, always finding excuses to defend others.

Yu Tao propped herself up against a rock and stood, trying to keep her tone light. “Little Senior Brother, it’s getting late. We should find a place to rest. It’s not safe by the sea.”

As she spoke, she turned around and took two steps, but was suddenly stopped by someone grabbing her wrist.

The movement was gentle, as if afraid of touching a wound.

“Yu Tao.”

She stopped, paused for a moment, and turned around, her eyes curving into a soft smile. “Little Senior Brother, what’s wrong?”

Yu Li gazed at her steadily. “I want to know what you think.”

She was always talking about others.

But she had never shared her own thoughts.

Yu Tao raised her eyes and looked into his beautiful gaze. In the past, she had never noticed it, but now, it seemed like his eyes reflected only her.

She hesitated for a moment, then murmured, “What do you mean?”

“Are you angry?”

Yu Tao, for once, fell into silence.

Though she wasn’t good at communicating with others, whenever someone asked her a question, even if she didn’t want to answer, she would politely express her unwillingness to share.

But this time, for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything.

Little Senior Brother was the person she secretly admired, the deepest, most hidden part of her heart.

He had lied to her, had been calling her “Lili” all this time while she had no idea that it was actually him. Did he think she was stupid? Did he laugh at her in his heart?

An indescribable feeling lingered in her chest, and Yu Tao couldn’t figure out what it was, but it felt embarrassing.

If only there were somewhere she could hide right now.

But unfortunately, there wasn’t.

The young man was still waiting for her answer, his gaze intense.

Yu Tao remained silent for a long while, finally speaking in a very soft voice, trembling slightly: “Little Senior Brother, what if I said I do?”

His eyes paused, momentarily still.

“I know that you must have your reasons for doing this, and it’s normal not to tell others. But why couldn’t you just reject me? Why didn’t you reject me from the start? You’re so strong, it’s impossible that you couldn’t have gotten away from me.”

Her voice shook as she spoke, and she slowly lifted her face, revealing eyes hazy with moisture. Her gaze wavered, fragile and filled with insecurity.

Yu Li’s breath faltered for a moment.

The night breeze rustled through the trees on the island, their branches and leaves making a soft noise, yet the space between them was eerily quiet.

Yu Tao sniffled, her tears falling from her face like stars, landing on the rocks before merging with the sea and disappearing.

Her gaze fell on the collar around the young man’s neck. “Little Senior Brother, sometimes not rejecting someone can be even crueler than rejecting them.”

She understood. Little Senior Brother had likely avoided telling her the truth because he didn’t want to hurt her feelings.

But “Lili” was just a dream.

It seemed her unrequited love was turning into a dream as well.

Yu Tao rose on her tiptoes and reached out to touch the black collar. Her fingers moved to the back and began to undo it. “Little Senior Brother, if you don’t like it, then don’t wear it.”

But suddenly, her hand was gently held by a warm finger.

“I never said I didn’t like it.”

“Yu Tao, I would never force myself to do something I don’t like.”

Yu Tao froze.

“I didn’t reject you because I thought…”

The young man’s voice was steady, the calm, cold tone she had always loved, each word clearly reaching her ears.

“…Being your spiritual pet isn’t so bad.”

Your spiritual pet is me, so you’re not satisfied?