Chapter 49

The night was calm and peaceful, the wind gently rustling the bamboo forest in the distance. The soft moonlight streamed through the window lattice, not very bright, but enough for Yu Tao to see clearly the scene before her.

The young man’s pale golden eyes reflected the moonlight, and also mirrored her own image. His expression was clear, and she couldn’t tell how long he had been awake.

Yu Tao pushed him away and sat up, feeling a rush of emotions, almost accusing him in a slightly aggrieved tone, “Why are you awake again?”

Last time, she was caught red-handed, and now this time, she couldn’t figure out how he even slept. Once she fell asleep, it seemed like nothing could wake her up, so how could he always be awake?

Yu Tao also slowly sat up, leaning against the bed’s headboard. Her clothes had become tangled up in her arms, exposing small patches of pale skin.

It was strange for someone who had done something sneaky to complain about the other person waking up early. What kind of logic was that?

He lazily lifted his eyelids, one hand adjusting his collar, and his pale golden eyes, glowing in the moonlight, locked onto her. “If I hadn’t woken up, I still wouldn’t know what my junior sister has been doing while I sleep.”

Yu Tao’s heart tightened, and she gripped the corner of the quilt.

“Last time, you said the kiss was an accident…” His voice was neither fast nor slow. “And this time, you crawled into my arms and kissed me while I was asleep. Was that an accident too?”

He chuckled softly. “If so, then your ‘accidents’ seem… a bit deliberate.”

Yu Tao froze for a moment, then hung her head, dejected. “Alright, I did it on purpose.”

Being caught red-handed, she really had no way to argue now. If she had fallen asleep and rolled over, how could she explain a kiss on the face—something clearly done with intention?

Yu Tao decided to just give up. She tightly gripped the quilt and lifted her face, her voice dry, “Didn’t you say before that you didn’t mind if I did things like that while you were asleep? I didn’t do anything too excessive, right…?”

“So, you’re not going to hold this against me, right? And you’re not allowed to ask why. If you ask, you’ll be the one who’s confused.”

Perhaps because her thoughts were a little disordered in the late night, Yu Tao suddenly had an idea and spoke with more confidence, “And besides, I’m already sleeping with you. You’re sleeping in my bed now! As my pet, what’s wrong with giving me a kiss?”

Her unexpected, bold words left Yu Li staring at her for a moment, then he couldn’t help but laugh.

The young man raised his long brows and spoke lazily, “Of course, nothing’s wrong.”

“But I think you’re right. As your spiritual pet, I should be more sensible.”

Yu Tao, who had curled up in the corner of the bed, lifted her face in confusion. What did he mean by that?

Yu Tao was full of confusion and wanted to ask, when suddenly, the young man’s body leaned toward her. His cool, pleasant scent immediately enveloped her.

She froze for a moment, not yet having the chance to speak, when the warmth of his fingertip gently lifted her chin, and a feather-light kiss landed on her cheek.

Yu Tao: “!!!”

Her eyes went wide, shocked.

After kissing her, the young man slowly withdrew a little distance, his pale golden eyes, as bright as the moon, reflecting her stunned expression.

Their faces were so close now that his warm breath was falling on her face. Yu Tao stammered, unable to form a complete sentence: “L-L-Little Senior Brother, you…”

“What are you nervous about?”

The young man looked at her for a moment, then softly asked.

His tone was somewhat unclear, and he lifted her chin, his words deliberate as he asked: “Am I not your ‘Lili’?”

“Isn’t it normal for a spiritual master to be close with their spiritual pet, in your eyes?”

This series of questions struck her like a bolt of lightning, and combined with the sudden kiss, Yu Tao’s mind completely scrambled. She couldn’t think clearly and instinctively answered, “No, Lili is Lili, and you are you, not… not the same.”

“How are we not the same?”

Yu Tao couldn’t answer. After all, Lili was him, and he was Lili. How could the same person be different?

She bit her lip tightly, flustered, her gaze dropping as she didn’t know how to respond.

But the young man didn’t allow her to avoid him. He lifted her face and forced her to look into his eyes. His pale golden gaze seemed to pierce into her very soul, as if he could see into the most hidden corners of her heart.

He stared at her for a while before finally speaking, his voice light but heavy in her ears. Slowly, he asked, “Yu Tao, who am I?”

The question sounded absurd.

She hadn’t lost her memory, so how could she not know who he was?

Yu Tao was puzzled and bluntly said, “You’re Little Senior Brother.”

“Are you sure?”

The hand holding her chin tightened slightly. Yu Tao wanted to escape from this situation as quickly as possible, and reluctantly nodded, hoping that he would let her go after her answer.

He was too close, and her head was spinning. She felt that if this continued, her brain might stop working entirely.

She repeated, trying to reassure herself, “I’m sure. You’re Yu Li, my Little Senior… Mmm!”

The last trace of her voice was swallowed by his warm breath. As if afraid she might escape, the young man’s long fingers gently held the back of her head, leaving Yu Tao with nowhere to retreat as he kissed her thoroughly.

Yu Tao let out a painful gasp. His kiss was forceful, and his sharp teeth accidentally grazed her lips, causing a stinging pain.

He seemed to quickly realize this, and his movements became slower and gentler, as if to comfort her, lightly licking the blood that had welled up.

Unlike their previous awkward kiss, this time he was more experienced, gently and steadily deepening the kiss.

Yu Tao, at a loss, lifted her eyes and saw his long, beautiful eyelashes hanging low, obscuring his eyes. She couldn’t see the emotions in them.

“Li… mm.”

She tried to push him away, opening her mouth to speak, but her voice scattered around her lips, unable to form a complete sentence, only fragments of sound.

Because she tried to speak, it gave the young man the opportunity he had been waiting for. His hand tightened around her waist, parting her lips and slipping inside.

Her mind felt dizzy, as if a string in her brain had snapped.

She had been pushing his hand away, but at some point, her hands had stopped, now weakly resting on his shoulder, almost as if she were yielding.

His fluffy tail instinctively wrapped around her, its tip brushing across her palm before curling tightly around her wrist, the sound of her erratic heartbeat mixing with her chaotic breathing.

The night was gentle yet surging, the wind above the water chasing the bamboo leaves, swirling and rising with the breeze, passing through the bamboo pavilion, and finally settling softly on the slightly open window.

Yu Tao, being inexperienced, didn’t know how to breathe properly. After a short while, she became dizzy, unable to bear it, letting out a soft whimper. Her hands searched helplessly, grabbing onto his arm, trying to get him to stop.

But the young man misunderstood her, gripping her hand, his long fingers slipping between hers, locking their hands together more firmly, deepening the kiss even further.

“Mm!”

One hand was held captive, and the other was wrapped by his cat-like tail. Yu Tao bit him forcefully, hoping he would understand her meaning and let go.

Fortunately, the young man finally realized the issue. He pulled back slightly, his brows lowered as he looked at her, a hoarse voice escaping his throat: “… Hmm?”

Yu Tao lowered her head and leaned against his shoulder, finally able to breathe freely. She took deep, rapid breaths, not even noticing his voice.

Seeing her reaction, the young man understood, realizing he might have gone too far.

… He had originally only wanted a brief moment, but he had lost control.

The soft tail loosened, and Yu Tao’s hand slipped weakly into his embrace. She felt the hand that had been tightly holding hers loosen. After a brief moment of recovery, her mind finally caught up with what had happened.

She had been kissed again.

The first time could be excused as a life-or-death situation underwater, but this time…

There was no water, no difficulty breathing, and no danger, because they were now in the Huaishui Bamboo Pavilion on Yunjing Peak.

The wild, fantastical thought from last time resurfaced, growing more intense and impossible to suppress.

The senior brother was good to her—letting her sleep beside him, not resisting her touches, and even took the initiative to kiss her. These actions had already crossed the line of a typical senior-junior relationship, hadn’t they?

So, was it possible… that he liked her?

Yu Tao lifted her gaze, her eyes clouded with confusion, looking at him helplessly.

Before she could even think of how to ask, the young man gently cupped her face, his fingers lightly brushing over her swollen lips, and softly asked,

“Does it hurt?”

The memory of just a moment ago flooded back to her, and her face instantly turned bright red.

She turned her eyes away, struggling to figure out what to say. Whenever she was not sure, she unconsciously bit her lip, and now the impulse to do so rose again. But then, the image of their previous kiss came rushing into her mind, and she quickly stopped herself, her face feeling as if it would catch fire.

She muttered in a small voice, “A… a little.”

“I’ll be gentler next time.”

Yu Tao froze in shock. Next time?!

After a moment of hesitation, Yu Tao mustered the courage to call him, lifting her eyes. “Little senior brother.”

But to her surprise, the young man spoke at the same time. His throat moved as he spoke, his voice a little hoarse, and he asked,

“Yu Tao, do you… like me a little?”

Yu Tao: !!!

How could he beat her to this question?!

Her heart raced as she was caught off guard. She tried to calm herself, keeping her tone steady to appear unaffected: “What makes you think that?”

“When I kissed you, you didn’t push me away.”

The young man’s eyes were dark and uncertain, and after a pause, he added, “I didn’t use any spiritual power. If you didn’t want it, you could’ve easily pulled away.”

Yu Tao: …

Was it possible she had forgotten she even had spiritual power?

Yu Tao rubbed her wrist, which had just been wrapped by his cat-like tail a short while ago. The soft, furry sensation seemed to still linger there. She looked up, and sure enough, she saw two soft, furry cat ears on the young man’s head, gently twitching. They looked soft and tempting to touch.

The last time they were in the water… he had also had a cat tail wrapped around her.

Her thoughts became more certain, and her heart raced wildly.

Yu Tao took a deep breath, as if she had finally made a decision, and suddenly became bold: “Senior brother, can I touch your tail?”

The young man fell silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping over her face, before he agreed.

Yu Tao reached out and gently touched the fluffy tail. The fur was smooth, and the sensation was exactly as she had imagined. She traced the tail’s tip slowly, moving her hand up little by little, until she reached the base of the tail, where her hand was suddenly caught.

The young man’s voice was a little hurried, and his breathing slightly erratic: “Don’t touch it anymore.”

Yu Tao looked up: “Why?”

“…I won’t be able to control myself.” His voice carried a hint of helplessness.

Yu Tao looked at him steadily, her gaze unyielding as she pressed, “You mean, like what happened just now?”

The young man averted his eyes slightly, the tips of his ears turning a little red.

Perhaps… it wasn’t just that.

“I read in a book that when you care deeply for someone, you want to treat them well, think of them, not refuse their requests, and can’t help but get close to them. This is a sign that you have feelings for that person.”

Yu Tao gently stroked the tip of his tail, speaking slowly, and finally, in a soft tone, asked: “So… Little senior brother, do you like me?”