Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 31: “My Rouge—Does It Taste Good?”

　　After Lin Qingyan had her wound bandaged, she left. Her expression as she departed carried a faint trace of disappointment.

　　Pei Ji could sense what she was feeling, but he had no intention of probing further—nor of using the opportunity to change the nature of their relationship.

　　Even though Lin Qingyan had killed him in his past life, Pei Ji didn’t truly resent her for it.

　　He hadn’t had long to live anyway. Even if she and He Ziqing hadn’t made a move, he would have still died from increasingly frequent poison flare-ups.

　　Besides, the end he met back then was one he had expected. In his final days of that life, he had been tormented to the brink of collapse by the poison, teetering on madness, and had done many foolish things he would never have considered while clearheaded.

　　Looking back now, it was as if he’d been marching toward his own destruction.

　　Reborn, he would not make the same mistakes again.

　　Pei Ji’s emotions were always faint and distant—he didn’t know how to love, nor did he truly know how to hate.

　　Most of the time, his heart was like a lake sealed in ice—unmoving, unshaken, always rational and clear.

　　In this life, he would never let his other side show again. He would always remain the benevolent and kind divine doctor in the eyes of the public, the warm and gentle ‘older brother’ in Lin Qingyan’s eyes, and the righteous good brother in He Ziqing’s heart.

　　No one would ever find out he was the leader of Qiansha Pavilion.

　　He would no longer take part in the scramble for martial arts secrets. He would remain pure and untainted, standing openly in the sunlight.

　　He would become the good man everyone praised—respected and admired by all, just like his father once was.

　　But all of this hinged on one thing: that he could live a long, long life.

　　The lights in Pei Ji’s room were still on. He packed away the medicine bottles, gauze, and other tools used for treating wounds into his medical box.

　　After finishing everything, he didn’t go to sleep. Instead, he quietly sat at the table, as if waiting for something.

　　Sure enough, not long after, a faint tapping sound came from the window. It was Night Marquis, the messenger he had trained in his previous life for Qiansha Pavilion, standing on the windowsill. A small bamboo tube was tied to its foot.

　　Opening the letter, a line of words caught his eye. 

　　[I bought a box of rouge today, it's a pity you weren't here, otherwise I would have asked you to help me choose a color.] 

　　So was ‘Pei Ji’ just a choice made out of helplessness? 

　　He wrote back to her: [Why would I choose?] 

　　Pei Ji really didn't understand, why should Fei Yi choose? How can a man understand the affairs of a girl? 

　　The owl flew away, and then returned a moment later. 

　　Fortunately, this was a specially trained bird, its flight was almost silent, otherwise, the bird flying back and forth between the two windows would easily attract the attention of others. 

　　This time, the girl's reply was quite bold: [Because...a woman adorns herself for the one she loves. And don't you know? Besides looking pretty, there's another use for rouge.] 

　　Pei Ji: [What use?] 

　　[Oh, how can I say that!] 

　　There was only this one line on the paper, Pei Ji thought that was it, but upon closer inspection, he saw a small arrow pointing to the back of the paper. 

　　He turned the paper over, and another line of words was written there. 

　　[I can let you taste it too~ ] 

　　A bright pink lip print was clearly imprinted below, it must have been printed recently, with some shiny paste still on the paper, and a faint, sweet fragrance wafted from it. 

　　One sentence, one lip print, the meaning was self-evident. 

　　He could almost imagine the girl pressing her red lips to the paper, the white paper pressed against her delicate lips, leaving a vivid imprint. 

　　The young man in white suddenly clenched the note, his fingertips pressing hard, instantly tearing a hole in the paper. 

　　How could there be such, such a shameless woman in this world! 

　　His chest heaved, his long eyelashes trembled several times. 

　　Pei Ji had never seen such outrageous behavior!

　　In the modern world, sending a picture of luscious lipstick is almost a basic flirting technique online. But in the eyes of the conservative and reserved people of ancient times, such behavior would be considered extremely frivolous. 

　　Although Pei Ji had lived two lifetimes, he was barely twenty when he died in his previous life. 

　　In his life, the only woman he had interacted with extensively was Lin Qingyan. 

　　Lin Qingyan, although a martial artist, was also a modest and proper girl. Even when he imprisoned her in his past life, he never considered touching her. 

　　Pei Ji couldn't understand. Had An Jiu always been so unrestrained? Had she done this to He Ziqing as well? 

　　Just thinking about it, a surge of anger suddenly welled up in his heart, shattering the calm of his mind. 

　　The sound of tearing paper suddenly broke through his turbulent thoughts. 

　　Pei Ji's gaze fell, and as soon as it touched the pink lip print on the paper, he instantly looked away, his breathing becoming rapid. 

　　He took several deep breaths, casually poured a cup of tea and drank it. Only then did he realize the tea had long gone cold, but he didn't care, gulping down half a cup in one go. The cold tea soothed the burning anger in his chest. 

　　He crumpled the letter and threw it on the table, no longer in the mood to continue the ‘game’ with her. 

　　He coldly released the owl, closed the window, extinguished the candle, and went to bed. 

　　But he lay in bed for a long time, unable to sleep. Whenever he closed his eyes, the pale pink lip print appeared before him, followed by the image of the girl from earlier that day, her rosy lips moving as she spoke. 

　　Just as he was finally drifting off to sleep, a gentle knock came from outside the window – it was the messenger bird. 

　　It had returned, carrying who knows what daring words. 

　　Pei Ji didn't open the window. The bird, receiving no response, pecked at the window a few times before stopping. The faint sound of its wings indicated it had flown away. 

　　Pei Ji lay in the darkness for a long time before finally falling into a deep sleep. 

　　He had a dream. 

　　A long, vermilion corridor, with a lotus pond filled with blooming lotus flowers beside it. A refreshing lotus fragrance carried by the breeze, and dazzling sunlight fell like golden sand, blindingly bright.

　　A girl, her face obscured, sat on his lap, his arm around her waist. 

　　The dream's touch was as real as reality; he could feel her slender form, as if he could clasp her with a single hand. 

　　The girl looked up, her face veiled in a mist, indistinct no matter how hard he looked. 

　　At first, Pei Ji was calm; he knew clearly it was a dream. 

　　In reality, no one dared sit on his lap, no one could get this close. His body held countless poisons; anyone who approached him within three steps without permission would die silently, without a trace. 

　　He even wondered why he was having such a dream. 

　　Soon, however, the mist on the girl's face dissipated slightly, revealing a delicate chin and lips as bright as petals. A layer of pink lip balm coated her lips, releasing a sweet fragrance. 

　　Those pink lips drew near, and Pei Ji couldn't control his body in the dream. He could only watch helplessly as the girl drew closer, until their noses almost touched. 

　　The girl breathed softly, “Pei Ji, do you want to taste the rouge?” 

　　A sweet fragrance, accompanied by warmth, brushed his lips, bringing an indescribable palpitation. 

　　Pei Ji thought, it's time to wake up. 

　　But he didn't wake up; the dream continued. 

　　In the dream, his fingers tightened, pulling the girl closer. She let out a small gasp, her hands supporting his chest. 

　　With this movement, their lips suddenly met. 

　　Just as he had imagined, the girl's lips were soft and sweet, like a delicate flower, its pistil filled with sweet nectar. 

　　He opened his lips, encompassing that flower, gently biting it. The girl trembled slightly, like a fledgling bird. 

　　She was so small, so soft, sitting in his arms, her waist held by him, obediently opening her lips, allowing him to explore deeply, greedily consuming her breath, absorbing the sweet nectar, without the slightest resistance. 

　　“Pei Ji…” Their lips parted slightly. 

　　She murmured his name, the corners of her mouth curving up in satisfaction, whispering softly, “My rouge, is it delicious?” 

　　Pei Ji in the dream remained silent, but fiercely lowered his head again, biting her bright red, swollen lips, almost swallowing her softness. 

　　Like a tiger tearing through camouflage and pouncing on flowers, he could no longer conceal the malice within him. 

　　In the hazy dream, a vague thought crossed his mind. 

　　So, rouge really does have a taste. 

　　Before dawn, Pei Ji awoke from his sleep. He sat silently by the bed for a long time before going to the window and opening it. 

　　The bird, which had been guarding outside all night, let out two aggrieved coos; dewdrops clung to its feathers, wetting the tips of its wings. 

　　Pei Ji was silent for a moment, then reached out and took the paper from the bamboo tube.

　　[Fei Yi, are you shy? Anyway, I'm going to marry you eventually. I'll only let you taste my rouge, no one else!] 

　　The man's slender fingertips trembled slightly, his fair earlobes flushed. 

　　A low voice, gritted out: “Shameless!” 

　【Pei Ji's favorability towards you +10, current: 15.】 

　　 — 

　　An Jiu woke up early in the morning and sensed something was wrong with Pei Ji. 

　　He was actually avoiding her! 

　　It wasn't a complete avoidance, but he wouldn't look her in the eye. Every time she looked at him, he would lower his gaze, almost never letting his eyes rest on her face. 

　　An Jiu noticed his change and naturally knew the reason. 

　　It was just a bit of online flirting; she hadn't expected the villainous boss to be so innocent, unable to handle such a small thing. 

　　As a wealthy heiress, An Jiu had seen a lot of this kind of thing. 

　　Since coming of age, men had constantly flocked around her – sunny puppies, energetic and masculine older brothers, mature and steady elite men, abstinent university professors – she'd seen them all. 

　　One day, someone would send her a picture of their abs, the next day, a picture of their six-pack, the day after that, a picture of their tie and Adam's apple. An Jiu was used to it. 

　　However, An Jiu had never been in a relationship; romance wasn't currently on her agenda. 

　　In her life plan, she would first take control of the family group, and then have time for romance. As for the men who kept coming after her, whether actively or passively, they all had ulterior motives, and the heiress simply ignored them. 

　　Thanks to these men, An Jiu was well-versed in flirting techniques. 

　　Even if she hadn't eaten pork, she had seen pigs run. And An Jiu's learning ability had always been very strong. 

　　It seems...the effect was quite good? 

　　Regardless, even villains are human, and humans have desires. This wasn't some underhanded tactic.

　　An Jiu always believed that love inevitably involves sexuality. If you like someone, you will naturally want to have intimate contact with them – kissing, cuddling, hugging – regardless of gender. 

　　This is a code written into human genes. 

　　Facing Pei Ji's unusual behavior, An Jiu pretended not to notice, behaving as usual. 

　　She didn't need to deliberately seduce Pei Ji; the best approach was to treat him indifferently. 

　　The seduction could be saved for ‘Fei Yi.’ 

　　In the following days, Pei Ji continued his free clinic, He Ziqing continued to catch his criminals, and An Jiu didn't deliberately stay near Pei Ji. Seeing that Lin Qingyan also had nothing to do, she suggested they explore Pinglan City together. 

　　Lin Qingyan also had a lively personality, though she usually acted reserved. The two immediately hit it off. 

　　An Jiu usually only acted mischievously in front of Pei Ji; when he wasn't around, she would become much more restrained. 

　　Sometimes they would listen to storytelling in teahouses, other times they would watch plays at the theater, unexpectedly drawing closer. 

　　After three days of this, He Ziqing finally caught the notorious thief after much hardship, receiving a substantial reward and gaining a little bit of fame. 

　　Unfortunately, it was far from the outcome in the original story, where he was treated as an honored guest by the Huashan Sect. Now, he was still just a fledgling hero. 

　　Lin Qingyan's injuries were almost healed. 

　　The three of them planned to travel to other cities. As for the Huashan Sect that had invited them, they had reportedly searched Pinglan City inside and out, even the outskirts, but they couldn't find the trace of the Gu master, who seemed to have mysteriously disappeared.

　　Since the Gu master had left and the living dead no longer appeared, the incident was resolved as mysteriously as it had begun. 

　　Pinglan City, under the jurisdiction of the Huashan Sect, was peaceful and prosperous, a very livable city. 

　　Such a place wasn't suitable for martial artists to roam the Jianghu. 

　　Because you'd find that there weren't even opportunities to act righteously. The streets were full of martial artists, greatly reducing the chances of criminals committing crimes. 

　　If you spotted a thief, at least ten people would chase after them to catch them. 

　　“Leaving Pinglan City, where should we go next?” 

　　“To the Jinshe Villa (Golden Snake Villa),” said the young man in white, fanning himself at the table with a smile. 

　　Jinshe Villa… 

　　The book recorded that the legendary martial arts manual that stirred up the Jianghu was discovered in the Jinshe Villa.

________________

Author's Note: 

Pei Ji: Calm, rational, clear-headed, that's me. (pushes up sunglasses)

An Jiu: (Show lipstick photo.jpg) 

Pei Ji: !!! You shameless woman! How many people have you sent this to?! (going crazy, hysterical, insanely jealous…)

Did you all see that? Pei Ji is secretly causing trouble, ruining his shining moment, while remaining a pure and innocent white lotus (his sinister and cunning nature is confirmed!!!)

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