Chu Yunge was rendered speechless by Pei Ji’s jumpy reaction.
“Don’t look at me like I did something to you, okay? I just said earlier that we needed to hold hands.” Outsiders would definitely misunderstand.
“That’s not… then what else do you want to do?” Pei Ji bit his lip and quietly backed away, looking like he might bolt at any moment.
Chu Yunge said, “You’ve probably asked a physician already. Intimate companionship and contact help with detoxifying. Holding hands naturally works better. With four of you taking turns every night, it takes four days for a full cycle. Without more contact to soothe, are you sure you can hold out for four days?”
At that moment, Chu Yunge felt like a men’s health physician going through the standard procedure, asking the patient to undress for an exam, only for the patient to accuse her of being a pervert.
They were fated not to detoxify through intimate contact or falling in love, and she didn’t want to die, so she could only alleviate it through things like holding hands.
“I didn’t even hug you. It was just touching hands.”
Chu Yunge truly had no other intentions. She knew Pei Ji and the others were pure-hearted boys who wouldn’t be interested in girls, so it was no big deal. She just wanted to detoxify.
Pei Ji’s first thought upon hearing this was: A hug too?
He knew better than anyone how effective it was. Just getting close to Chu Yunge earlier had eased the churning pain in his body greatly. And after touching her, the effect was immediate—his entire body calmed down. It clearly proved the more intimate, the better it worked.
But he still couldn’t calmly accept it. How could they just hold hands or hug casually? Those were things done between husband and wife.
Looking at Pei Ji’s expression, Chu Yunge asked, “Have you never held a girl’s hand before?”
With Pei Ji’s background, he lacked for nothing. He must have had bed-warming maids from early on. But he was pure-hearted and also practiced celibacy techniques…
Chu Yunge boldly guessed and chuckled at Pei Ji’s expression. “No wonder you’re reacting so strongly.”
And a bit cute too. Her imperial brother must have been drawn to Pei Ji’s pure and shy demeanor, right?
Teasing him was indeed quite fun.
Pei Ji couldn’t accept her expression. “What do you mean? Mocking me?”
“No mocking.” Chu Yunge desperately suppressed the smile tugging at her lips. “I really have no intention of taking advantage of you. Just think of my hand as a medicine pouch treating your condition. Don’t overthink it.”
She had to control her wicked thoughts. She couldn’t tease him just because he was cute, or watch him blush…
Pei Ji glanced at her hand, tightened his grip. A medicine pouch wouldn’t feel like this.
They said that under the lamplight, a beauty only grew more enticing the longer you looked.
Pei Ji knelt by the bed, his broad shoulders and narrow waist on full display. His long legs, bent in a kneeling position, revealed some muscle lines. From the side, he even had perky glutes.
He was unwittingly seductive, full of sexual tension, yet his face was full of shyness. The contrast was incredibly eye-catching and evocative. Even as a pure-hearted boy, it didn’t diminish how alluring he was.
But he really was pure-hearted.
Her imperial brother truly had great fortune.
Chu Yunge quickly reined in her thoughts, suppressing her jealousy and her twitching hands. Tired of wasting words, she got up, pulled him down onto the bed, and pinned his hand.
“Last chance. If you pull away again, when the poison flares up later, I won’t care about you anymore.”
Stop being so tempting, little brother.
Pei Ji’s mouth moved, his ears turned bright red, and his fingers twitched, but in the end, he didn’t move. He couldn’t let the poison flare up—it would affect his martial training.
Pei Ji tried his best to ignore the softness in his palm, telling himself it was just for detoxifying. He swore that holding hands was the limit. If Chu Yunge tried any more detox excuses tonight, he wouldn’t compromise. No way would he let her hug him, much less…
He was at that vigorous age, and with Chu Yunge lying beside him, Pei Ji couldn’t help but feel a bit heated even as he swore.
Pei Ji gritted his teeth. This must be Chu Yunge’s goal. He glared fiercely at her, only to discover that Chu Yunge… had fallen asleep.
She really fell asleep? Pei Ji didn’t believe it. She was just pretending.
Pei Ji glared at her fiercely.
A quarter-hour later, with his eyes aching, Pei Ji confirmed that Chu Yunge had really fallen asleep.
He should have felt relieved, but for some reason, besides relief, Pei Ji felt an indescribable strangeness in his heart.
He was lying right there, but Chu Yunge had fallen asleep. How could she sleep so easily?
As Pei Ji thought this, he saw Chu Yunge move. She rolled over with a slap, her hand landing on him, and continued… snoring away.
Pei Ji: “!!!”
He wanted several times to fling her hand off and wake Chu Yunge up, but seeing her peacefully asleep, he closed his mouth again.
When she slept quietly like this, she seemed rather well-behaved…
Chu Yunge slept deeply and well. The next morning, when she opened her eyes, she saw Pei Ji’s face extremely close, as if the next second he would kiss her…
This early in the morning, it was as if giving her phantom morning wood.
Chu Yunge held her breath, then realized Pei Ji’s target as he leaned in was the hand by her ear.
Chu Yunge: “…What are you doing? Kissing my hand?”
“Of course not.” Pei Ji jolted upright and realized how close he was to her. His heart thumped hard, and he jerked back.
“I was just…” Smelling a bloody scent, that’s all.
Pei Ji was sensitive to the smell of blood. Back when he first met Chu Yunge, she had it on her too.
Since she had no external wounds, he thought it was that thing girls had every month.
But last night, she had it too. Seeing how she forced Qingchen, it didn’t seem like those days. Finally, out of curiosity, he sniffed and somehow caught the scent on Chu Yunge’s wrist, only to get caught.
Pei Ji was about to explain, but Chu Yunge didn’t give him the chance. “Still not admitting it? You almost kissed it.”
Chu Yunge did it on purpose, to stop Pei Ji from asking more. Sure enough, Pei Ji bristled. “I didn’t.”
He quickly got out of bed. “Do you know how bad your sleeping posture is? A grand princess sleeping like a mess, limbs all over someone else.”
Heaven knew that in the latter half of the night, not only did her hand come over, but her foot did too.
He was already hot; much less able to sleep.
Later, she was probably heated by his body warmth. Sweating from the heat, she grumbled twice and pulled away, then nearly kicked him off the bed in disdain.
All night, she slept like a pig. He finally dozed off only to be woken up, basically sleepless.
“Sorry.” Chu Yunge apologized without sincerity. She was used to sleeping hugging her big white goose.
Yawning, Chu Yunge sat up.
Pei Ji abruptly averted his gaze and gnashed his teeth. “How are you… Did you do it on purpose?”
Chu Yunge looked down. Her sleepwear had come loose a bit. She leisurely pulled it closed. “No.”
The male characters in pure romance stories wouldn’t have any special thoughts about a woman’s body. Even if she stripped naked in front of them, they wouldn’t be interested. They wouldn’t even glance extra. Why would she deliberately expose herself?
She yawned, looking utterly indifferent.
“How do you feel? The detox worked, right?”
Pei Ji: “…Much better. It worked.”
“Good.” With that, Chu Yunge went straight off to wash up.
When she returned, dressed and groomed, she saw Pei Ji still there, full of surprise. “You haven’t left?”
Chu Yunge’s demeanor showed complete disinterest in him.
Pei Ji gritted his teeth. “Does Your Highness mean I can withdraw?”
“Of course.” Chu Yunge nodded. “You can go on your own from now on. No need to mind me.”
Pei Ji: “…” What was wrong with her? Why did it seem like she really didn’t care about him anymore?
Of course Pei Ji wouldn’t linger. Just as he was about to leave, he heard Du Ruo report, “Your Highness, Young Master Li has arrived.”
Hearing that Li Guangi had come, Chu Yunge’s eyes lit up. “Quick, let him in. We can have breakfast together.”
Breakfast with the cute little puppy.
Seeing Chu Yunge’s eyes light up, Pei Ji couldn’t help pursing his lips. It seemed she had truly lost interest in him and was now interested in Li Guangi instead.