Chapter 35: Think Again

As the two of them drew closer, their scents after bathing mingled together, warm and fragrant, as if entwined by invisible hormones, making one’s fingertips tingle.

“!!!”

Was this man poisonous?

Even Wen Yao, who considered herself a woman of unwavering resolve, not easily swayed by appearances, found her heart beating faster.

She quickly averted her gaze, her fingertips curled and uncurled on the desk, her refusal firm: “…I don’t really want to.”

“Oh…” Ji Mingchen lowered his eyelashes slightly, nonchalantly straightening his back, his casual tone saying, “I thought you were looking forward to it.”

“…” Endure.

Wen Yao silently put down her milk cup.

She felt she truly didn’t know how to be alone with this man now. Before, they were enemies, sworn foes. Whenever she saw him, she didn’t need to think twice, just draw her sword and attack. There was no need to carefully choose her words or engage in pointless conversation with him.

But now, he was her savior, rescuing her from danger multiple times, showering her with favors. And in the future, she might need to rely on him to get the resources she wanted…

If she were as rude and unrestrained as before, wouldn’t it make her seem incredibly ungrateful?

Wen Yao suppressed her usual impulse to attack him, asking with good humor, “Did you come here so late for something?”

Ji Mingchen nodded, “Hmm,” and said, “Give me your hand.”

Wen Yao raised her eyebrows in confusion, but still extended her left hand.

Ji Mingchen raised an eyebrow and smiled, “The other hand, please.”

“…”

Wen Yao took a deep breath and withdrew her left hand, extending her right.

This time, Ji Mingchen didn’t speak. He lowered his gaze and grasped the silver bracelet on her slender wrist.

Seeing the bracelet about to be pulled off, Wen Yao quickly extended her right hand to stop his, “No…”

A cool little palm suddenly pressed against the back of her hand. As their skin temperatures met, Ji Mingchen couldn’t help but lift his eyelids to look at Wen Yao, his dark eyes gradually deepening.

Wen Yao was inexplicably scorched by his gaze, so she let go of his hand and said in a muffled voice, “You’ve already confiscated my Silver Moon Sword. This bracelet doesn’t have any identifying features, what do you want it for?”

Ji Mingchen didn’t answer, but continued to remove her silver bracelet. His white, slender fingers adjusted the size of the sliding silver bracelet, then put it on his own left wrist.

The silver was cold, and his skin was fair. Even though it was a bracelet designed for women, it didn’t look out of place on his wrist at all, but rather had a noble and cool beauty.

Wen Yao was a little anxious, but she didn’t want to make a scene, so she emphasized, “This is a silver bracelet my grandmother gave me…”

So he really just wanted her bracelet, did he?

At this moment, she really doubted if this man was a little off…

He was so rich, wouldn’t it be easy to make a gold or silver bracelet? Why did he need to snatch this old bracelet from her?

Ji Mingchen caught the look of grievance and difficulty in Wen Yao’s expression, and somehow, he wanted to tease her even more.

So, not only did he blatantly take it, but he also raised his hand with its distinct knuckles and waved it in front of her, showing off, “Does it look good?”

Wen Yao’s face was wrinkled, her expression complex: “…” She didn’t want to talk to him at all.

Ji Mingchen’s lips curled up, teasingly, “What’s wrong, Miss Wen? You see how many times I’ve saved you…”

Wen Yao said, “I can repay you in other ways.”

Ji Mingchen didn’t take it seriously, “Besides that knife, you only have this silver bracelet. What else can you use to repay me?”

As he spoke, he lifted his eyelids, his dark eyes deep, his gaze lingering, “Or… are you going to use yourself?”

“I…”

Wen Yao’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she was so angry that she didn’t want to speak.

Ji Mingchen sensed her slight mood shift and restrained himself, switching to a gentler tone, “Keep it with me for now, I’ll return it to you later…”

“You see, I go to more places than you. If one day I find your sister, I will bring her back to you safely.”

As these words fell, the little flame of anger in Wen Yao’s heart instantly extinguished. Her sparkling eyes lifted, looking at him with slight confusion.

She had only said it casually, but he actually remembered…

Ji Mingchen’s eyes held a hidden smile. He slowly lowered his hand, picked up the red velvet box he had casually placed on the table, and gently opened it.

Inside was a crystal bracelet, made of alternating blue and white crystal beads. In the middle was a slightly larger blue crystal gem, resting on a platinum base, exquisitely crafted and incredibly beautiful. It was clearly a valuable treasure.

The man picked up the bracelet, then pulled over the girl’s left hand and gently fastened it on her wrist with patience and focus.

Wen Yao felt a little uncomfortable being touched by him: “What is this…”

“A return gift.” After putting on the bracelet, Ji Mingchen instructed, “Wear it all the time, don’t take it off unless you have to.”

“…”

Ji Mingchen half-squatted in front of Wen Yao, patiently explaining, “The platinum base is embedded with a tracking chip, so I know where you are.”

“This little thing of yours is too good at running away. If you get lost again, I’ll be able to find you easily.”

Wen Yao lowered her head and touched the crystal beads on her wrist.

Such a thin metal base, yet it could embed a tracking chip? How did it feel like their Dongzhou’s technology was far superior to the Beizhou?

After Ji Mingchen stood up, his gaze swept over the dishes on the table, asking casually, “Are you still hungry? Do you want to eat something else?”

Wen Yao shook her head, “Thank you, I’m good.”

Ji Mingchen then smiled at the girl with a gentle curve of his eyebrows, and in his low, magnetic voice, said, “Then go to sleep early. Good night, darling.”

“…”

Looking at the man’s leisurely departing figure, Wen Yao frowned.

So he came over tonight just to give her a bracelet with a tracker?

It was true, though his tone was always flirtatious, he had been polite throughout, not making any inappropriate advances towards her.

It was she who had blurted out, “Are you going to sleep here?”

He clearly didn’t mean that, yet she had asked it directly. Now it was good, this man was already narcissistic, and now he would be even more convinced that she was lusting after his beauty.

“…”

Wen Yao took a deep breath and couldn’t help but cover her face with her hand.

So embarrassing, really…

…

After returning to the retro-furnished living room, Ji Mingchen sat down on a classical European single sofa.

He used the flame on his fingertips to light the nearby candlestick, then raised his jade-white wrist, using the dim candlelight to carefully examine the silver bracelet.

The bracelet wasn’t very bright, a little old, but in this dim light, it had a unique nostalgic beauty.

The man leaned back on the sofa, he stared at the bracelet for a while, then put his hand down, turning the bracelet in his hand as he recalled the scene of meeting Wen Yao in the icy mountains.

She had been wearing this bracelet, holding the Silver Moon Sword at the same time.

In the cold wind and heavy snow, the girl’s eyelashes were frosted, the silver bracelet clinking against the hilt of the blade as she swung it, a clear and melodious sound in the howling north wind…

Recalling that breathtakingly beautiful scene, Ji Mingchen lowered his eyelashes, the corners of his lips unconsciously curving upwards.