Seeing Lin Xiyue's red lips part as she elegantly sipped her wine, Luo Xiu, after a brief hesitation, tilted his head back and downed his drink in a single gulp. He didn't know why, but he felt that Lin Xiyue had become a different person in the past two days. She was still as cold and proud as ever, but she was talking much more.

"Where is your hometown?" Lin Xiyue asked, putting down her glass and staring into Luo Xiu's eyes.

Luo Xiu smiled. "Just a small mountain village. It's not worth mentioning."

Lin Xiyue continued to stare into his eyes. Seeing that they were clear, she thought to herself that the medicinal wine would probably take a while to kick in. She said, "No matter how you put it, I'm your wife now. Don't I have the right to know about your family?"

Luo Xiu shrugged. "My family is very simple. I'm an orphan who was taken in and raised by my master, along with three elder martial sisters."

"Strictly speaking, though, I was raised by my three elder martial sisters. My master rarely bothered with me."

"What about your three martial sisters?"

Luo Xiu thought for a moment. "They left the mountain when I was in my teens, and I haven't seen them since. But they occasionally send money back, along with clothes and other necessities."

"I see. You must miss them a lot, then?"

Luo Xiu said wistfully, "Yes, quite a bit. It's been over ten years since we last met. I imagine they've all changed by now. We might not even recognize each other if we were to meet again."

Hearing this, Lin Xiyue smiled faintly and raised her glass to toast him.

Luo Xiu drained his glass spiritedly, but Lin Xiyue only took a delicate sip.

Afterward, Lin Xiyue deliberately brought up various topics to chat with Luo Xiu. Her goal was to stall for time until the medicinal wine took effect, after which she could deal with him as she pleased.

However, after chatting for ten minutes or so, Luo Xiu showed no change at all. He drank the high-proof medicinal wine as if it were plain water.

But Lin Xiyue had no idea that as long as Luo Xiu didn't want to get drunk, no alcohol could affect him. He could easily neutralize its effects just by circulating his energy. Besides, this was just ordinary sorghum wine, merely infused with some medicinal herbs and the organs of certain wild beasts.

Isn't this medicinal wine supposed to be quite effective? Why doesn't it affect this guy at all? Could it have lost its potency from being stored for too long? No, I have to try it myself.

Driven by curiosity, Lin Xiyue found an empty glass and poured one for herself.

The moment the wine went down her throat, she felt a scorching burn, as if her throat were being cut by a knife. The burning sensation spread from her throat to her stomach like a fireball, then began to radiate outwards, causing her entire body to heat up.

She stuck out her little pink tongue and fanned herself with her hand, panting heavily. Her head quickly grew dizzy, and her consciousness began to blur.

At that moment, Luo Xiu suddenly became irresistibly charming in her eyes, like a medium-rare black pepper steak she was eager to devour.

"What's wrong with you?" Luo Xiu asked, seeing her flushed face.

"Nothing... nothing at all." Lin Xiyue shook her head violently, struggling to stay conscious. "You go ahead and drink. Don't mind me."

Luo Xiu shrugged, then poured himself another glass and finished it in one go.

At that moment, Lin Xiyue stretched languidly and leaned back in her office chair. Her body felt limp and weak, and her gaze was somewhat hazy as she stared at Luo Xiu. She realized this guy was actually quite handsome.

"Luo Xiu," she called out softly.

"Hm? What is it?"

"Do you like me?"

Luo Xiu looked at her and lightly shook his head. He knew he didn't have long to live, so he wouldn't allow himself to develop feelings for anyone.

"That's good." Lin Xiyue ran her fingers through the hair by her ear, a seemingly casual gesture that made her even more alluring. "Luo Xiu, you have to remember, we're just partners. At most... we might have *that* kind of relationship. But we're all adults, and there's nothing to say about consensual acts. However, we absolutely must not develop feelings for each other."

"I know that Jade Pendant is very important to you. I promise that after six months, I will definitely return it to you."

Luo Xiu nodded. Seeing that she was a little drunk, he didn't say anything more.

He was about to get up when Lin Xiyue suddenly lifted her leg and placed her foot on his knee.

"What are you..." Luo Xiu looked at her, puzzled.

Lin Xiyue pouted, looking slightly aggrieved. "I've been running around in high heels all day, and my feet hurt. Can you massage them for me?"

She was completely unaware that while Luo Xiu was unaffected by the wine, she herself had fallen into its trap.

Luo Xiu smiled and asked, "What's in it for me if I massage your feet?"

Lin Xiyue's cheeks puffed up. "Why are you so dense? I'm already letting you play with my leg, what more could you want?"

As she spoke, she puffed out her chest toward him and said with her eyes closed, "I'm offering my body to you. Do you want it?"

Luo Xiu glanced over, then quickly averted his eyes. He hadn't paid close attention before, but he now realized that Lin Xiyue was wearing only a thin lace nightgown and nothing else. It wasn't much different from being naked.

Luo Xiu took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the improper thoughts in his mind. He reached out, took one of her feet, and secretly channeled his energy to massage the acupressure points on her sole. The small, fair foot, with its pink-painted toenails, was sheathed in thin, flesh-toned stockings, making it look all the more mysterious and seductive.

As he pressed the points on her sole, the unusual sensation made Lin Xiyue involuntarily let out strange moans.

Listening to those moans, Luo Xiu immediately felt a heat build within him. He bit down hard, stood up, and said, "It's getting late, I should go to sleep!"

He was afraid that with any more contact, he would lose control.

Although Lin Xiyue wasn't like Su Shenyun, whose Innate Allure Bone could make a man lose his reason instantly, Luo Xiu didn't know why he reacted this way to her. Every time they had physical contact, he would gradually lose control, sinking deeper and deeper. It was as if some divine, miraculous power in Lin Xiyue was attracting him. Unlike Su Shenyun's physical appeal, Lin Xiyue's was an attraction of the soul.

Just as Luo Xiu finished speaking, Lin Xiyue suddenly stood up and threw herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and pressing her body into his embrace.

Before Luo Xiu could react, Lin Xiyue boldly sealed his mouth with hers.

In that instant, Luo Xiu's body stiffened, and the world around him seemed to fall silent. After a moment, he slowly closed his eyes, silently savoring the novel sensation.

Lin Xiyue's beautiful, misty eyes also slowly closed. Her hands moved from around his neck to cradle his face, and she rose higher and higher onto her tiptoes on the carpet.

Luo Xiu felt Lin Xiyue's intense possessiveness. As she let out an unintentional "Mmm," his consciousness began to blur...

...

「The next morning.」

When Luo Xiu woke up, he felt sore and weak all over, as if recovering from a serious illness.

The room was a mess.

He vaguely remembered that he and Lin Xiyue had moved to several different places last night, and that she had been unusually bold, saying many things that would normally make him blush just to think about.

But now Lin Xiyue was nowhere in the room, only her lingering fragrance remained. She must have already left for work.

Sigh... Damn it, it was like she was possessed by Su Shenyun. I must never get too close to her again.

Luo Xiu let out a long sigh and reached up to rub his lower back.

He then picked up his phone from beside the bed and saw several missed calls. They were from Su Shenyun.

Why is she calling so early?

Curious and sensing something was up, Luo Xiu called her back. The call connected a moment later.

"Luo Xiu, what kind of trouble did you get into last night?!"

Luo Xiu was bewildered. "Are you on your period or something? Why are you so angry?"

Su Shenyun pressed, "What did you do last night?"

Luo Xiu thought for a moment and replied, "Lin Xiyue."

Su Shenyun laughed with exasperation. "I'm asking you what you went out and *did* last night! Tell me honestly, did you trash a casino?"

"It seems so," Luo Xiu said.

"That casino belongs to my husband!"

Luo Xiu touched his nose. "So?"

"Where are you now? Get over here! Just you wait and see how I deal with you!"

"..."

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