Chapter 16

His First Kiss

Lin Qianyou reeked of alcohol, and when Qi Shanglan heard her words, he frowned with displeasure. He glanced down at the plastic bag in her hand, which was filled with a pile of empty bottles.

“You’ve been drinking again?” His voice was deep.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’ve been drinking. How else would I make money if I didn’t drink?” She hiccupped, and the strong smell of alcohol spread between them. “I didn’t expect this shabby bar to have a handsome male model like you.” She smiled mischievously, looking like a rascal. She even reached out to touch Qi Shanglan’s face, but fortunately, he reacted quickly, turning his head to dodge her.

“Male model, my foot. You’re drunk. I’ll take you home.” He grabbed the plastic bag from Lin Qianyou’s hand and took hold of her wrist, pulling her along with displeasure as they left the alley.

A car accident had occurred at the mouth of the alley earlier, and the driver had reported it to the police. Qi Shanglan had rushed over from the station. After dealing with the accident, he didn’t choose to return with Captain Zhang but inexplicably decided to visit the earth temple at the end of the alley.

Unexpectedly, before he could enter, he collided with the drunk Lin Qianyou.

Qi Shanglan glanced at the empty bottles in the bag, surprised she had drunk so much. No wonder she was so drunk.

He, with his long legs, took large strides, and Lin Qianyou struggled to keep up. She yanked her wrist free from his grip and complained, “Can you slow down? Is this how you treat your guests?”

Qi Shanglan chuckled lightly, thinking to himself that she really had mistaken him for a male model.

With a cold and slightly impatient expression, he looked at the unreasonable, intoxicated woman in front of him. His eyes gleamed with a hint of amusement.

“Guests, huh?” Qi Shanglan smiled mockingly, putting his hands on his hips and stepping closer to her. “Then tell me, how’s my service? Are you satisfied?” His voice, deep and rich like wine, spread in her ear, sending ripples of sensation.

However, it seemed that he wasn’t satisfied with this distance and began closing the gap. Lin Qianyou, still tipsy, stumbled backward until her back hit a stone wall, with nowhere else to retreat.

Under the moonlight, his face seemed shrouded in mist, making it unclear yet mysteriously enchanting.

“Of course, I’m not satisfied!” Lin Qianyou was suddenly cornered, and her spoiled rich girl temper flared. “You’re hurting me!” She rubbed her wrist, which was red from where he had gripped it. “Unless you take me home, I won’t be satisfied. And forget about a tip.”

Qi Shanglan: “…”

“And also, I’m tired. You have to carry me back.”

“…”

Qi Shanglan really wanted to just leave her there, but in the end, he reluctantly bent down and carried Lin Qianyou on his back.

Lin Qianyou happily rested against his broad back, grinning as she patted his shoulder. “Your back is so comfortable, so cool.” She rubbed her face against his shoulder.

“Don’t move around.” Qi Shanglan spoke firmly, not bothering to be polite.

“Why should I? I’m the one who paid for you.” Lin Qianyou, unwilling to back down, wrapped her arms around him tighter, pressing her soft body against his in defiance.

Qi Shanglan’s throat bobbed, and he sighed in resignation. What’s the point in arguing with a drunk?

Fortunately, he wasn’t wearing his police uniform now, so he didn’t attract too much attention on the street. The person on his back remained silent for a while, probably mumbling to herself before eventually falling asleep, worn out from talking.

Her slightly alcohol-scented breath sprayed steadily on Qi Shanglan’s neck, alternating between cold and hot, making him feel restless.

“Hey, what’s your name? You’ve got hands and feet, so why be a male model?” Lin Qianyou suddenly spoke, still heavily intoxicated.

“Listen carefully then. My name is Qi Shanglan, and I’m a police officer, not a male model.” Qi Shanglan surprisingly had the patience to answer her question.

“Qi Shanglan?” The person on his back seemed surprised. “You have the same name as a friend of mine.”

Hearing this, Qi Shanglan was completely at a loss. Fine, he thought, let her think whatever she wants.

He didn’t say anything else, just quietly listened to her talk.

“But, he’s better looking than you, taller than you, has a better temper than you, and most importantly, he’s an honorable police officer!” Lin Qianyou suddenly raised her right fist to the sky, while tightly holding onto Qi Shanglan’s neck with her other hand to maintain her balance.

Qi Shanglan was speechless, no longer wanting to explain anything.

Lin Qianyou lay back down on his back and resumed her “Master Tang” rambling mode.

“I’ll tell you, today I even went to the Yellow Springs with him, but it seems like he knows nothing about the Yellow Springs. So, I asked him, ‘Have you never heard of ghost stories?’ Want to know what he said?”

“What?” Qi Shanglan humored her, playing along.

“He actually said no! Do you know how surprised I was at that moment? Ghost stories are so interesting, and he’s never heard of them.” Lin Qianyou spoke regretfully, “What a pity. I’ll have to tell him a few ghost stories if I get the chance.”

Qi Shanglan raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. “You can tell him now.”

“Huh?” Lin Qianyou didn’t quite catch on.

“I mean, you can tell me. I’ve never heard of ghost stories either.”

“You haven’t?!” Lin Qianyou was very surprised. “Well, then I’ll tell you one. It’s one my brother told me when I was little.”

“My brother said, a long, long time ago, in an ancient city, a girl was tied to a long bench by the townspeople. They used a special long and wide bamboo rod to whip her. It’s said they whipped her forty times, and in the end, the girl couldn’t bear it and died—”

“Why did they whip her?” Qi Shanglan interrupted Lin Qianyou, his brow furrowed, unable to listen further, feeling strangely uncomfortable in his chest.

“It seems it was because the girl made a huge mistake. The townspeople brought her to the county office and reported her, and then the officials ordered her to be whipped.” Lin Qianyou vaguely remembered her brother, Lin Bozhi, telling her this. “Don’t rush, let me finish.”

“This girl had a brother, but her brother was locked in the county office’s firewood room and wasn’t allowed to come out. So, the townspeople dared to bully the girl without restraint, and in the end, they caused her death.”

“But what those townspeople didn’t expect was that the moment they killed the girl, the city gates were suddenly breached by enemy soldiers. The soldiers charged into the city like wolves, killing anyone they saw, even sparing no women or children.”

“The leader was a young general, and he killed without mercy. In the end, he killed his way to the county office and slaughtered all the curious townspeople because the girl they had killed was the young general’s lover.”

“Then, because the girl died, the general carried her body all the way to the earth temple. But the earth deity manifested and scolded the general, cursing him in the book of life and death, making his name disappear and turning him into a dead man. The deity then made him its messenger to do its bidding.”

“The young general obviously wasn’t happy about it. So, after his death, he ignored the earth deity’s obstruction and went to the Yellow Springs, just to see his lover one last time. But then—” Lin Qianyou yawned sleepily.

“But then what?” Qi Shanglan asked, his voice serious, his brows furrowed even more tightly.

Lin Qianyou lazily leaned on his shoulder, closing her eyes and muttering, “But the girl already drank the Meng Po Soup and forgot about him. They hadn’t even said a few words before the girl turned into a wisp of yellow sand and disappeared. The general watched her vanish but couldn’t do anything. He got really angry and scolded Meng Po, asking why she made the girl drink the soup. But Meng Po was innocent. Her duty was just to give every soul on their journey a bowl of Meng Po Soup. But the young general didn’t listen, he just pierced Meng Po with his sword, and killed many of the underworld officials, causing chaos in the afterlife. In the end, fortunately, the King of Hell arrived just in time to stop him.”

“That ruthless general, due to killing so many people in life and then killing so many underworld officials in death, ended up becoming the god of calamity, suppressed by both the underworld and the gods. He was imprisoned at Wangchuan River, unable to reincarnate for all eternity. And then…”

The person on his back let out a long sigh, “And then…”

“And then what?” Qi Shanglan asked.

Lin Qianyou lifted her butt slightly on his back and hugged him tighter with both arms. “And then I don’t know either. My brother only told me up to here.”

“What kind of ghost story is this?”

“Of course it’s a ghost story!” Lin Qianyou suddenly got agitated, hitting his back hard, “I’ve been telling you all this, and you’re still not happy to listen, hmph!”

“I never said I wasn’t happy,” Qi Shanglan helplessly replied.

“Don’t believe it.”

“…”

By the time Qi Shanglan carried her to the entrance of her neighborhood, the person on his back was already asleep. He turned his head to wake her up. “Lin Qianyou, wake up. Which building do you live in? What’s your apartment number?”

Lin Qianyou groggily opened her eyes, told him a string of numbers, and then closed her eyes to sleep again.

Lin Qianyou’s rented apartment had a fingerprint lock. This time, Qi Shanglan didn’t wake her up. He directly pressed her hand to unlock the door, and once it opened, he smoothly placed her on the bed in the bedroom. He took off her shoes, turned on the air conditioner, and covered her with a light summer blanket.

He went to the kitchen and found the honey he had bought for her still in its place. So, he made her a cup of honey water.

When Qi Shanglan brought the cup of hot honey water back to her bedroom, he didn’t expect to see something he shouldn’t have as soon as he opened the door.

Lin Qianyou, probably feeling hot, was sitting on the edge of the bed, taking off her shirt.

Her slender waist was exposed, and the white lingerie wrapped around her not-so-small soft curves.

Qi Shanglan got burned by the honey water in his hand and quickly looked away. He placed the honey water on the dressing table, turned around, and left.

Lin Qianyou was about to take off her lingerie when she noticed someone still standing at the door.

Oh, it’s the male model I paid for. He’s so shy, he doesn’t even dare to look at me.

She smiled and suddenly decided to tease him.

“Qi Shanglan.” She called his name.

Qi Shanglan paused. Was she awake, or still not fully awake?

He stood still, not daring to turn around or respond. He didn’t know which Qi Shanglan she was referring to, nor did he know if she was angry because he saw her undressing.

“Is this honey water you made for me?” Lin Qianyou walked to the door and picked up the cup of honey water.

Qi Shanglan finally made a sound, “Hmm, it’s to sober you up.”

“I know, that jar of honey was bought by my friend for me.”

Qi Shanglan narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking, great, now she’s treating him like a male model.

Lin Qianyou took a small sip, it was a bit hot, so she blew on it before finishing the rest of the half cup.

After drinking, she walked barefoot behind Qi Shanglan, smiling at him and saying, “Why don’t you turn around? Don’t you dare look at me? Shy?”

Qi Shanglan’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, and after a long pause, he finally forced out seven words: “You’re drunk, I’m leaving.”

He lifted his foot to leave, but unexpectedly, Lin Qianyou behind him grabbed his wrist and yanked him over to face her.

Qi Shanglan did his best to turn his gaze away, feeling helpless against this drunkard. “Can you put your clothes on?” He said, his face filled with rejection as he spoke to her.

“I’m not wearing it, it’s hot. Besides, aren’t you a male model? Isn’t that what you do with women? I’m not shy, so why are you?”

“I’ll say it again, I’m not a male model,” Qi Shanglan said coldly.

Lin Qianyou made a dismissive sound, clearly not believing him. She reached out, lifted the hem of Qi Shanglan’s shirt, and her long fingers went straight in.

Qi Shanglan was startled and hurriedly tried to stop her hand. “What are you doing?!”

She grinned, triumphant, and laughed, “I heard from Ke Siyu that you male models are really good at this. What about you?”

“Good at what? Let go of my hand,” Qi Shanglan said, trying to pry Lin Qianyou’s hand away. He was flustered, completely unsettled by her words and actions.

Lin Qianyou finally pulled her hand back, and suddenly lifted her face, intoxicated and seductive, looking at Qi Shanglan. She asked, “Have you ever kissed anyone? Want to teach me?”

Qi Shanglan stared at her in shock. How could she say that with such a straight face? But before he could refuse, Lin Qianyou had already tiptoed and moved toward him to kiss him.

He froze for a few seconds, quickly turned his head to avoid her, and her kiss landed on his left cheek instead, soft and warm, with a hint of honey’s sweet fragrance.

Being so blatantly rejected by a male model left Lin Qianyou very dissatisfied. She immediately grabbed Qi Shanglan’s chin, seriously saying to him, “You actually dared to avoid me? Do you still want your tip?”

Frowning and speaking angrily, her half-exposed chest heaving noticeably, Qi Shanglan was really at a loss, thinking that maybe he should just pick her up and carry her to the bed, then lock the door and leave immediately.

However, in the next moment, Lin Qianyou once again tiptoed and swiftly kissed him. Qi Shanglan never expected that she would strike again. Before he could react, she took advantage of him once more.

Her warm lips pressed tightly against his as she closed her eyes in enjoyment. Her long eyelashes trembled gently, and her breasts pressed unabashedly against him.

The air was silent for a few seconds, and Qi Shanglan only felt a buzzing sound in his brain. It was as if he could see nothing but her, and all around him was her intoxicating, alluring scent.

After a moment, Lin Qianyou got up from Qi Shanglan, opened her eyes, and looked at him with a confused frown as he remained in shock. She muttered, “This isn’t how Ke Siyu described it. Didn’t she say the mouth should move and the head should turn? Do you even know how to kiss?” She was dissatisfied with his kissing skills.

Qi Shanglan had been restraining himself for a long time, but the situation down below hadn’t calmed down. He silently repeated to himself countless times in his mind, I’m a police officer, I can’t act like her and be shameless.

However, he was completely defeated by her, utterly crushed.

Caught off guard, Qi Shanglan suddenly bent down, wrapped his arms around Lin Qianyou’s legs, and hoisted her onto his shoulder.  

Lin Qianyou let out a sharp scream. “What are you doing?!”  

Qi Shanglan said nothing. His expression was tense as he carried her straight to the bedroom and unceremoniously tossed her onto the bed.  

Lin Qianyou cried out in pain, snapping back to her senses a little.  

She shrank into the corner of the wall, trembling as she stammered, “Y-you… what do you want? I just wanted to kiss you. I don’t want to sleep with you. Just leave—I’ll pay you however much you want.”  

“Now you’re scared?” Qi Shanglan’s eyes darkened. He loomed over her, exuding an oppressive presence that was completely different from before.  

Kneeling on the bed, he grabbed Lin Qianyou’s ankles and yanked hard, making her fall flat beneath him.  

Lin Qianyou’s eyes widened as she stared at Qi Shanglan. What should she do? Was her first time hiring a male escort about to turn real?  

She clenched her fists in front of her chest, taking deep breaths in shock.  

Qi Shanglan suddenly let out a low laugh. He wrapped both of her fists in his hands, then slowly lifted them—before abruptly pinning them down against the pillow above her head.

He leaned down, pressing his body against hers, bringing his face close to her cheek. Suppressing the huskiness in his deep, magnetic voice, he said, “Didn’t you want me to teach you how to kiss?”  

Qi Shanglan’s gaze fell on Lin Qianyou’s rosy lips—the very thing that had teased him into losing all sense of direction just moments ago.  

But now, the situation had changed.  

The one who was lost and disoriented had become Lin Qianyou instead. And this—she had brought it upon herself. She had no one else to blame.  

“You were the one who provoked me first.”  

Qi Shanglan breathed heavily as he captured her soft lips, effortlessly prying them open. His tongue slipped inside, roaming freely, teasing and playing with the tip of hers.  

The lingering sweetness of honey water still clung to Lin Qianyou’s lips. Qi Shanglan indulged in licking and sucking, his Adam’s apple moving up and down as the wet, intimate sounds of their mingling saliva echoed in the air.  

Lin Qianyou felt dazed from his kiss, as if she were being pushed into the clouds, unable to find solid ground.

At some point, Qi Shanglan had released her wrists. In a daze, Lin Qianyou wrapped her arms around his neck, tilting her head slightly to meet his fiercely dominant kiss.  

The summer night was eerily quiet, with only the sound of their passionate, lingering kisses filling the room.  

Tonight, she wasn’t the only one intoxicated.