The Guide Always Wants to Run (GL) - Chapter 31

After sending Mi Lin off, Qin Xiao was in high spirits. She logged into the Star Network using her own account and began searching for attractive shop names and books on medicine.

However, there was far more gossip than serious discussion on the Star Network. Reliable answers were few and wildly inconsistent, with no clear standard.

After half an hour, she still had not found a name she truly liked. Somehow, her search drifted into the entertainment section where she began looking for news about Her Highness Yuzhu.

“The General’s wife is so beautiful it made me doubt my own face.”

“A few things about Madam Qin’s new role.”

“The Princess and her mysterious son.”

Qin Xiao jumped in surprise, her heart seizing at the clickbait title. When she opened the article, it turned out to be completely misleading. The post described Princess Yuzhu shopping for children’s clothes with a boy about five or six years old. When his shoelaces came undone, she crouched down to tie them and gently patted his head as she stood. The heartwarming moment had been captured and uploaded.

Not long ago, there had been speculation that the boy was the Imperial heir. However, this gentle public gesture made people believe those rumors were entirely baseless.

The little boy looked shy and was undeniably adorable. His eyes were bright and black, making him incredibly endearing.

“Thank goodness.”

If Ah Qin had a child with someone else… Just imagining the possibility twisted her brow into a tight knot. Her chest felt heavy, as if a boulder had been placed on it. Furious, she thought, Then I’ll just steal them all away.

Qin Xiao clicked on another post about the General’s wife. Ever since the trial marriage with Yan Ningjin began, she had not spent much time browsing the Star Network. This rare opportunity to check it out left her stunned by the flood of breakup messages.

Avril888: She is too ugly and doesn’t deserve the General. The guide from the Academy, Du Juan, is far prettier. How could the General choose her for a trial marriage? It is ridiculous.

I’m Just a Cabbage: I’m more attractive than she is. The General should have chosen me.

Fate Reader: You don’t understand. This is what true love looks like.

Heartbreaker: Their compatibility must be the highest. For years, the General never compromised with Madam Qin from the Academy. This sudden trial marriage must be because of compatibility. If it were me, I would pick someone with higher compatibility even if they were less attractive. Survival comes first.

Qin Xiao saw line after line all repeating the same word in unison, calling her ugly. Furious, she logged out of the Star Network, cheeks puffed in anger. Right now, nothing irritated her more than being called ugly. She could not help her beast form being called a little beast, but her human form? Where was it ugly?

Eva was not ugly. Aya had a delicate, pretty face. At most, she looked malnourished. Give it some time, and her looks would recover.

Yan Ningjin had been sitting quietly beside her. Though she did not interrupt, she had sensed the shift in her little guide’s mood through their faint empathic bond. What had been a cheerful energy was suddenly replaced by rage. She waited patiently until Qin Xiao exited the Star Network.

“What happened?”

Tuan Tuan lay down beside Qin Xiao and nudged her. The motion shook the round ball loose from his fur and into Qin Xiao’s hand.

She instinctively gave it a squeeze. The ball let out a shrill squeak. Startled, she loosened her grip, and it lay across her thigh, letting her pinch it at will. It even rolled back and forth on its own.

Qin Xiao thought her human form was actually quite petite and cute, not ugly at all. Most of those people were probably just jealous. Jealous that she had married Yan Ningjin. With that thought, her spirits soared once more, and a gleeful sense of having scored a massive win returned. “I’m fine.”

Yan Ningjin looked at her quietly, her gaze fixed on Qin Xiao’s delicate ear. The reddish mark from the temporary bond they had established was already fading.

The red had deepened into pink and was now nearly the same tone as her skin. The once-visible spot was almost gone. Her soft pink earlobe looked untouched, as if it had never been marked at all.

Qin Xiao touched her ear. She had seen the red dot before. It had been vivid. To be fair, the temporary mark had worked well. She had spent days surrounded by sentinels without feeling a thing.

“Should we renew the mark now?”

She did not want to risk running into another heat cycle unprotected.

Yan Ningjin gave her a long look, then suddenly stood and took her hand. Without a word, she pulled her toward the stairs.

Tuan Tuan followed eagerly, his tail tip playfully flicking at the round ball in Qin Xiao’s other hand. His face was full of excitement.

The round ball gave a sharp cry of protest. “Eep!”

If it had fur, it would surely be bristling by now.

Qin Xiao asked curiously, “Why are we going upstairs?”

Yan Ningjin strode back into their room, shut the door behind them, and pinned her against it. Her forehead rested against Qin Xiao’s. Her nose was cool to the touch, but her body gave off a comforting warmth.

Qin Xiao was small, her size a result of long-term toxin exposure. She resembled an underage girl. Standing this close to Yan Ningjin, who was more than ten centimeters taller, she felt out of her element. In the past, she had always been the one doing the teasing. Now she was being dominated, which made her feel like she was constantly at a disadvantage.

To look at Yan Ningjin’s expression, she had to tilt her head slightly. That slight movement exposed the vulnerable curve of her neck.

Yan Ningjin looked down and caught sight of Qin Xiao’s lovely nose and the way her lips curled when she pouted.

She smiled and lowered her head.

Her voice came out low and rough. “Xiao Xiao, to strengthen a temporary mark, we have to exchange saliva and mark each other.”

Qin Xiao’s eyes widened. Wait. She had asked Dr. Aili and Mama Mara about this. Why had neither of them mentioned that part? Still, marking came first. “Do I have to bite you, too?”

Yan Ningjin leaned in closer, letting her breath mingle with the other’s slightly parted lips. They were so inviting, so tempting.

She had the thought and she acted on it.

Qin Xiao was not used to such a passionate exchange. She preferred the deep unity of soul fusion. She missed Ah Qin. She really did. But this wet, warm, unfamiliar kiss carried a powerful determination that made her surrender.

In the room, their lips moved together with a quiet rhythm.

Tuan Tuan licked the round ball repeatedly. Its already sleek surface grew shinier, glistening with moisture. The ball lay there listlessly, not even trying to move.

Tuan Tuan nudged it in circles with his nose, completely ignoring the ball’s clear disinterest. He gave soft, satisfied growls as if celebrating his happiness.

Minutes later, Qin Xiao, now breathless, gently pushed Yan Ningjin away. Her fragile heart pounded wildly. This was all so unfamiliar. She whispered, “Just bite me already.”

The sooner it was done, the sooner it would be over.

Yan Ningjin’s eyes glowed red for a moment. She lowered her head to rest a bit, and when she looked up again, her eyes were clear. It was as though that earlier moment had never happened.

She toyed with Qin Xiao’s earlobe. It was soft and slick to the touch. She could not stop stroking it. “Shall we switch sides this time?”

Qin Xiao had no idea what she was thinking and did not care. “Doesn’t matter. I don’t mind.”

But clearly, Yan Ningjin was in no rush to finish.

Qin Xiao lost her patience and grabbed her arm, nearly losing her mind from the teasing. “Yan Ningjin, what are you doing?!”

With that, Yan Ningjin bit down on her earlobe, gently breaking the skin. A single drop of red bl00d welled up, releasing that sweet scent.

Drawn in by the fragrance, Yan Ningjin kissed her again, pressing Qin Xiao down and pouring her potent pheromones into her. The pheromones surged through Qin Xiao like a dragon unleashed, overwhelming every inch of her.

“Ah—”

Qin Xiao could not describe the sensation. It was like something foreign had invaded her, something she could not resist. She had no choice but to accept it. It took her a while to adjust and come back to herself.

Yan Ningjin, forehead pressed to hers, was breathing heavily. “Now it’s your turn to bite me.”

Without hesitation, Qin Xiao bit her ear, drawing bl00d. She licked it once, as if completing a task. “Done.”

The faint taste of bl00d lingered. It carried a pure scent of pheromones. She frowned, feeling like she had gotten the short end of the stick. Why does marking between sentinels and guides have to involve mutual pain?

For a thick-skinned sentinel, a little pain was nothing. Yan Ningjin could not help but laugh at her little guide’s annoyed expression. Still, she had to be honest.

“Xiao Xiao, sentinel marks and guide marks are not located in the same place.”

Qin Xiao: !!!