After The Coquettish Fake Master Was Driven Away - Chapter 28

“Yan…”

When the man opened his eyes, Xie Jinning thought that he had finally managed to wake him. Before he could react with surprise or tell him to let go, the back of his neck was pressed down.

Then, his lips felt a sudden warmth.

Realizing what had touched him, Xie Jinning’s eyes widened instantly, his pupils trembling.

Yan Yi… was kissing him?!

And it wasn’t just a simple kiss. Like a traveler in the desert, parched for three days without a drop of water, desperate for moisture, the man seemed to instinctively take advantage, opening his slightly parted lips to invade and claim him.

“Mm!”

Pressed at the nape, Xie Jinning couldn’t lift his head. He reached out to push and struggled with all his might, trying desperately to get off Yan Yi.

But the man gently kneaded his lower back, sending a jolt of electricity through him. Like a trapped ferret, his waist shivered, his legs went weak instantly, and his resistance felt faint and powerless.

The hot, rough palms moved forward, sending shivers across his skin. His jaw was pinched.

The door couldn’t close. The original “owner” of the room could only try to drive the domineering intruder away, but instead, he was entangled and teased, forced into a struggle.

Overpowered, he could only let out low cries of defeat. Tears flowed too freely for the carpet to absorb, spilling through the cracks onto the thick straw outside.

The sound of water trickled, the room became a battlefield again, mixed with the sniffling of his nose, half-crying, half-pleading, which somehow made one feel flushed just hearing it.

Flames of passion rose. Oxygen inside the room grew thin, all consumed by the tireless intruder. During the struggle, the owner fell back, exhausted and helpless.

In the tussle, the wild berries brought for snacking were toppled to the floor, crushed under pressure, releasing their sweet, fragrant juice.

His lungs burned, tears ran down his cheeks, leaving damp streaks on his flushed skin.

Struggling to breathe, Xie Jinning nearly fainted from the intoxicating scent, his fingers clutching Yan Yi’s collar powerless to release.

A pitiful whimper escaped his nose, but it didn’t bring the man back to clarity. Yan Yi, like a wild beast, pinned his prey and continued gnawing, refusing to stop until fully sated.

Mist blurred his vision, his eyes swelling with tears. He couldn’t see Yan Yi’s face clearly, but those dark, unfathomable eyes were etched into his mind, filling him with fear.

Why wasn’t he waking up yet? He was going to… be kissed to death…

Ugh.

After an indeterminate time, the satisfied intruder finally thought of leaving. The room’s occupant seized this tiny opportunity and slammed the door, catching him off guard.

Pain shot through the root of his tongue. Yan Yi groaned, the strong metallic taste of bl00d finally bringing him back to awareness.

His dark pupils regained light, and his vision cleared gradually. He met a pair of sparkling apricot-colored eyes.

The youth’s eyelashes were damp, cheeks flushed, and his lips, bitten and swollen, resembled crushed balsam petals, strands of bl00d and saliva connecting as they separated.

A single, fine thread of connection snapped as distance grew, yet it clung to Yan Yi’s heart like a web, tightening relentlessly.

Yan Yi nearly thought he was still dreaming.

The boy straddled his waist, clutching his chest and gasping. Ripples swirled in his eyes, and the corners of his face were tinged with a red flush, like a drenched begonia flower with dew still on the petals.

One hand still held his slim waist tightly, embedding him in Yan Yi’s arms, not allowing escape.

The skin under his palm was so soft, so full that even through the cloth he could feel it. If he tightened his grip just a bit more, the boy seemed as if he would melt into his hands.

The intense pain in his head had vanished. Yan Yi could only hear the deafening thump of his own heartbeat.

Thump, thump.

Like a trapped deer, pounding against his ribs, almost about to break free from flesh and bone restraints.

Unable to suppress himself, Yan Yi’s breathing choked, and he quickly loosened his arms, pulling the boy up.

Xie Jinning’s legs were weak, letting him guide him to stand straight. After a while, he regained some composure.

The lingering tingling from the overwhelming sensations receded, but remnants still crawled through his bones, unsettling him.

“Sorry, A-Ning, I…”

Smack.

Fresh air rushed in. Xie Jinning, gathering all his strength, slapped Yan Yi.

His wet, trembling eyes, filled with fear, unease, and anger, met Yan Yi’s gaze. His chest heaved violently, his body quivering uncontrollably. “Yan Yi, you bastard!”

That was his first kiss! Meant for his future wife, yet Yan Yi had taken it so shamelessly!

Fuming, he spat twice, wiping his lips hard with his sleeve. His already swollen lips turned even redder under the force, looking as if the plump flesh might burst through the thin skin. Yan Yi, startled, quickly offered a handkerchief.

“Don’t—”

“Don’t talk to me!”

Xie Jinning’s tongue was swollen, his throat hoarse. He glared at him, ignoring all etiquette. He slapped the handkerchief aside, pointing at Yan Yi with trembling fingers.

He shouted angrily: “I—I came to help you, but you—you pinned me to the ground and… kissed me!”

He couldn’t finish, and in his fury began rambling: “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have come! I should have let you suffer here alone!”

“…”

Yan Yi didn’t know what to say, heart racing wildly. That web of emotions tangled him up completely, forming knots he couldn’t untangle or cut.

His tongue still hurt, the bl00d’s iron taste spread in his mouth, yet there was a faint sweet fragrance that made him involuntarily savor it.

Like an all-night illusion, yet it lasted only a few heartbeats.

His Adam’s apple bobbed. Realizing what he was thinking, Yan Yi’s pupils shrank suddenly. He raised his hand and slapped himself.

This was not the weak force Xie Jinning could muster. It was even stronger than that night. Half his face instantly bore a red swollen handprint, like a branding iron.

His lip was pierced by his teeth, bl00d trickled down, staining his chin, palm numb. The wound reopened, blotches of red spreading.

Xie Jinning was shocked, staring wide-eyed.

That slap had dissipated his anger and cleared Yan Yi’s jumbled thoughts.

His joints felt rusty. The man turned his head slowly, like a predator preparing to pounce, and lifted his eyes.

“I was wrong, A-Ning. I apologize,” his voice low and hoarse.

Chewing his lips… how could he even apologize? By biting him back?

Before Xie Jinning could react, Yan Yi continued: “I lost control just now. I thought I was dreaming, which is why I acted like a beast.”

“You… you can’t just kiss people when you lose control! That’s terrifying!”

Xie Jinning’s face burned as if licked by fire. He caught only fragments of Yan Yi’s explanation. “I think you’re insane, you big jerk!”

Having finished scolding, he wiped his lips a few more times and ran off in a panic.

He even forgot the basket, which fell to the side, spilling most of its contents.

Yan Yi, half his shirt stained with berry juice, watched the boy’s retreating figure. He stepped forward to follow but stopped mid-stride.

He paused for a moment, wiping his lips. The crystal-clear liquid on his fingers still carried a faint sweet fragrance from the boy.

The dull pain on his cheek and the wild thumping of his heart reminded him—everything that happened was not a dream. He had indeed kissed Xie Jinning.

And made him cry.

And he still… wanted to do it again.

Crazy. How could he have such thoughts about his younger brother?

Yan Yi even wanted to slap himself again, to wake fully, yet this strange feeling couldn’t be ignored.

He would make amends.

His expression remained indifferent as usual, giving nothing away.

He picked up the fallen handkerchief, covering his nose and mouth with his palm, immersing himself in the lingering scent, sinking once more into the illusion.

Soft, juicy, and abundant.

After a while, the wind stirred, mingling with the rustling wheat, dispersing the sighs.

…

Xie Nong was also startled by Yan Yi’s return.

Half his body was stained red, his neck mostly covered in red too. From afar, he looked like a bloodied ghost crawling out of hell. Xie Nong almost raised his sickle to run over, only relaxing when he got closer and recognized Yan Yi.

Yan Yi’s once-handsome face was now swollen, mottled red and blue, with a few scratches—terrifying at first, but then replaced by a comical look.

In such a messy state, his eyebrows relaxed, lips slightly curved, an expression never seen even when he had hunted wild boars.

Injured? Or did he hit his head?

Xie Nong twitched his eyelids, concerned: “Xiao Yan, what happened? Why are you covered in so much bl00d?”

“Nothing,” Yan Yi touched his nose and picked up the basket of berries. “I cut my hand by accident and fell into the pile of fruit. It’s just the juice.”

“Good, that’s a relief.” Xie Nong exhaled.

Recalling last winter when he found Yan Yi, the man had been similarly bloodied and battered, lying motionless by the shore.

He thought he had found a corpse and brought him back to bury, to avoid contaminating the water. When he flipped him over, there was still a breath.

Thinking saving a life was worth merit, and for Zhou Fang’s blessings, he brought him home and nursed him for days. The village’s medical care was limited—just basic treatment, some hemostatic medicine, survival depending on fate.

Yet the man recovered so strongly, waking after a day, cooperating with medication and bandages, soon lively again. It seemed the fall had erased previous memories, leaving only his name.

Would this fall make him remember something?

Xie Nong didn’t mention it. Yan Yi, embarrassed, rubbed his brow and shifted the topic: “Xie Shu, I saw A-Ning just now. Why isn’t he around?”

“He went to the river.”

Yan Yi’s expression changed immediately. He dropped everything and ran.

“I’m almost done here. Go back and eat first, we’ll…”

Before Xie Nong finished, he had already disappeared. He shook his head: usually so calm, now all restless.

“Strange,” he murmured.