Chapter 463

Jiang Qingli slipped into the car, and the gazes of the two males fell upon her.

She knew they had both heard but put on an innocent face. "What is it?"

Baili Jing gently pushed her to sit beside him and said in a soft, gentle voice, "Sweetheart, according to the schedule, we should be heading back on Tuesday."

He wasn’t feeling that magnanimous.

Yuan Shiyao disagreed. "Mr. Baili, on matters like this, it’s best to listen to our female master."

Baili Jing looked at him, offering a helpful reminder. "Shiyao, I believe the court’s vehicle is in the front courtyard."

"The court’s vehicle has already left." Yuan Shiyao pressed his lips together, his eyelashes trembling. "My apologies. I misspoke and upset Mr. Baili. I’ll just head back on my own..."

This place was in the complete opposite direction of the military base. It would take him until the next day to walk back.

Seeing Yuan Shiyao actually reach for the door handle, Jiang Qingli patted Baili Jing’s arm and stopped the young man. "It’s fine. We’ll go back together. It’s on the way."

Yuan Shiyao had no real intention of leaving. His movements were as slow as a scene from a movie in slow motion.

When he heard the words of reassurance he’d been waiting for from Jiang Qingli, he immediately pulled his hand back, though he still wore the expression of someone who had been wronged. "As long as I’m not causing you any trouble."

Jiang Qingli nodded, fighting the urge to laugh.

After spending this time together, she had more or less figured out another side of Yuan Shiyao’s personality.

Cat Teacher was such a serious and reserved person; how could his younger brother have such a ’green tea’ personality?

The personalities of these twins were really worlds apart.

You could tell them apart at a glance.

...

On the way back, Jiang Qingli brought up the follow-up arrangements for the welfare center.

In two weeks, she would be returning to the First District with Baili Jing and the others, while Yuan Shiyao would be staying for another week.

Jiang Qingli was worried the person in charge wouldn’t report every little thing, so she wanted Yuan Shiyao to keep a close eye on the welfare center and contact her directly if anything urgent came up.

Naturally, Yuan Shiyao had no objections.

On one hand, he genuinely wanted to care for the children at the center and do something for them. On the other, he had been worrying about what excuse he would have to contact Jiang Qingli after she returned.

Yuan Shiyao felt deep down that this trip to the Twelve Cities had been absolutely worth it.

...

By the time they reached the military base, the sun had set.

The military had received intelligence that the Baili family, the Xie Family, and Qin Yu’s paternal clan, the Wu Family, not only wanted to eliminate Baili Jing but also planned to abduct Qin Yu.

Of course, the military wasn’t going to sit back and wait. They decided to beat their enemies at their own game, deploying extra personnel to catch them all in one fell swoop.

As the primary person in charge of escorting Qin Yu and Lü Xin back to the First District, Jiang Qingli rushed off to a meeting the moment she arrived.

When it was all over, Jiang Qingli dragged her exhausted body back to her bedroom. She tossed her coat and shoes carelessly on the floor, collapsed onto the sofa, and let out a long sigh.

"Tired?"

A young man’s deep voice suddenly came from behind her. A snake tail slithered across the carpet, stopping beside her.

Jiang Qingli didn’t hold back. She rolled over so Ye Linyuan could massage her shoulders and neck, saying lazily, "Mmm, it’s going to be busy back in the First District too... Hey, hey, hey, not my waist, my shoulders and neck. That tickles! A little harder..."

Ye Linyuan had never done this for anyone before. Fearing he might hurt her, he used a very light touch, not expecting to be criticized for it.

Fortunately, he was always an exceptionally fast learner. In no time, he had mastered the art of massage, kneading her muscles until she was completely relaxed.

A comfortable little hum escaped the girl’s throat as she rolled over again.

In that moment, she found herself pulled into Ye Linyuan’s embrace.

Jiang Qingli’s eyes were half-closed. Her fingers trailed down from his hair, brushing against the bracelet on his wrist. Her eyes snapped open. "Why do you have a bracelet? Did you get the transplant surgery with the other test subjects?"

To prevent the test subjects from rioting again, the military required that a monitoring program be implanted in their bracelets. It would only be removed after ten years without any incidents.

During that time, if they showed any signs of disloyalty to the Empire, they would be terminated immediately.

During the first meeting, Ye Linyuan had rejected the idea without a second thought.

The military trusted Jiang Qingli, but they were wary of Ye Linyuan’s power. For the past few days, they had been trying to find a way to negotiate with him.

Jiang Qingli hadn’t expected him to agree. Her eyes widened.

Ye Linyuan raised an eyebrow. "Surprised?"

"I thought you’d never agree." Jiang Qingli had planned to argue on his behalf when she got back. "Don’t you hate being controlled more than anything?"

Ye Linyuan hummed in acknowledgment, holding her by the waist and letting her lie against his chest as he massaged her lower back.

Seeing his nonchalant attitude, Jiang Qingli grew a little anxious. "They didn’t force you, did they?"

As she spoke, she even felt the back of Ye Linyuan’s neck, making sure there wasn’t some new chip implanted there.

The girl’s movements were frantic.

A smile touched Ye Linyuan’s lips. He caught her restless hand and said in a low voice, "My bracelet is linked to your terminal."

Jiang Qingli: ?

She was stunned for a moment.

Then she realized what Ye Linyuan meant.

Jiang Qingli pointed to herself, confirming her suspicion with him. "Ye Linyuan, are you saying that the program monitoring you is now linked to my system—that your life and death are now in my hands?"

Ye Linyuan arched an eyebrow. "Not satisfied?"

"Oh, I’m satisfied."

Jiang Qingli lay back down, sprawling even more like a lord than before, and even made a bold declaration, "Oh, Linyuan, you’d better serve me well from now on. Otherwise..."

She raised her hand, flexing her fingers in the air and then clenching them into a fist, like a villain threatening a virtuous, innocent man.

Except the man being threatened had nothing to do with the words ’virtuous and innocent,’ and there wasn’t a trace of fear on his face.

Instead, Ye Linyuan cupped her cheeks with one hand, looked into her eyes, and asked slowly, "Otherwise what?"

Meeting those vertical pupils, the corners of his eyes crinkling with a faint smile, Jiang Qingli blinked. She’d forgotten her line.

Ye Linyuan chuckled. His snake tail coiled around her waist, and he hoisted her onto his shoulder, slithering toward the bathroom.

Jiang Qingli struggled a couple of times, but he only held her tighter.

She was a little frustrated. "Hey, this isn’t how the script is supposed to go! I’m the master who holds the power of your life and death now. Show some respect."

The straight line of Ye Linyuan’s lips curved upward, his eyes crinkling into crescents as he smiled.

He was starting to smile more and more these days.

Jiang Qingli loved seeing him smile; it was such a beautiful sight.

She turned her head to get a better look, but his tail, anticipating her move, pressed her firmly against his shoulder.

"Don’t move."

The great villain swatted the top of her thigh.

Jiang Qingli’s leg tensed up. She didn’t dare move again, muttering with a red face, "Is that any way to treat your master?"

"Weren’t you the one who said it?" Ye Linyuan enunciated clearly, repeating her earlier words. "’Serve me well’..."

Jiang Qingli tried to argue, "I meant in day-to-day life..."

Ye Linyuan: "Mmm, I’ll work hard."

Jiang Qingli: "..."

’Fine. He wins this round. He could find a dirty innuendo in anything. At this point, what could she do?’

Inside the bathroom, steam filled the air.

Jiang Qingli slid down from the young man’s shoulder, wrapped her arms around his neck, and tilted her head to kiss his lips.

The temperature rose with their kiss, gradually spiraling out of control...