Volume 1, Chapter 8: My Dear, Trouble Yourself to Leave a Mark for Me

After a full meal, Xu Qingning felt strangely energized. Just as she was about to examine the interior design of the house, she saw Pei Xi approaching with a hairdryer in hand.

"Come here, let's get your hair dry first."

"Just leave it there; I'll do it myself in a bit."

Xu Qingning’s hair was incredibly thick, and her arms would ache every time she had to dry it; most of the time, she simply chose to let it air dry.

Seeing she wasn't in a hurry, Pei Xi pulled her over to the sofa and sat her down. "Wait until it's dry before you look around. I’ll do it for you."

"Alright then!" Having someone else take over the tiring chore was something she was more than happy to accept. "If you do a good job, I'll give you a five-star review!"

"Then I’ll thank you in advance, Qingqing."

"Don't mention it."

The warm air hummed beside her ears as Pei Xi’s fingers wove through her hair. Xu Qingning closed her eyes, feeling completely at ease.

"Pei Xixi, how are you so good at everything? Don't tell me you’ve done this for someone else before?"

A soft chuckle came from above her head. "I'll take that as a compliment, Qingqing, but allow me to clarify: I have only ever served you."

Pei Xi's voice, mingled with the drone of the hairdryer, made her ears tingle. For some reason, Xu Qingning felt her heart racing.

"You seductive demon, messing with my composure," she muttered under her breath. Pei Xi didn't catch it.

"Did you say something, Qingqing?"

"No! I didn't say anything at all!"

*Hmm, she definitely said something, probably talking behind my back. How cute,* Pei Xi thought.

After nearly half an hour, her hair was finally mostly dry. Pulling a hair tie from his pocket, Pei Xi tied her hair into a loose ponytail.

"Done. I wonder if this service earns me a five-star review from you?"

Xu Qingning gave him a thumbs-up. "I hereby declare that from today on, you are my designated hair-drying envoy!"

"My honor. However, besides your praise, may I also ask for something else in exchange for a five-star review?"

That was fair. Xu Qingning felt that besides providing emotional support, material rewards were also essential. "Spit it out. What do you want? But let's get this straight: I can't afford anything too expensive!"

"Don't worry, it's definitely something you can afford."

Looking into Pei Xi’s eyes, Xu Qingning felt as though she had fallen into a trap. She narrowed her eyes. "Pei Xixi, you aren't... plotting anything bad, are you?"

It was indeed something "bad," but not the kind of bad Xu Qingning had in mind. Pei Xi smiled and brushed her cheek with his hand. "Don't worry, Qingqing. Your wishes will always come first."

"That's more like it."

As she spoke, Xu Qingning let out a yawn. "I'm a bit sleepy. I'm going to head to bed. Goodnight."

"Alright, goodnight, Qingqing."

Once she disappeared up the stairs, Pei Xi went to a room in the corner of the first floor. Inside, monitors were recording all the information in this world.

"Now, let's see just how capable this little mouse who snuck in really is."

The main storyline of this world was being navigated by Xu Qingning, so he wasn't worried about that. What he needed to do was expose the intruder and provide an answer to the System Bureau. This was his only bargaining chip, and he had to win.

Pei Xi’s fingers flew across the keyboard, his eyes fixed on the screen, terrified of missing any useful information. It wasn't until he heard movement that he realized Xu Qingning had woken up.

"Where is Pei Xi? He isn't still sleeping, is he? If we don't go back now, that old man Pei is going to get suspicious."

As soon as she finished speaking, a voice came from behind her. Xu Qingning turned around to see Pei Xi emerging from the room.

"Isn't your room upstairs? Don't tell me you didn't sleep all night?"

"I didn't. I finished late and was afraid of waking you if I went upstairs, so I just slept here."

Xu Qingning waved her hand. "Don't worry about that. Once I fall asleep, even if someone kidnapped me, I might not wake up." She paused, then added, "But it's getting late. If your second uncle finds out we haven't returned, will he get suspicious?"

Pei Xi wasn't worried. "Don't worry, everything is arranged. But what about you, Qingqing? Do you want to go back to sleep?"

Despite his words, Xu Qingning was still uneasy. "It's not even five yet. Should we head back and check? Your second uncle has so many eyes and ears, what if..."

Before she could finish, Pei Xi pulled her into his arms. His "Qingqing" always thought of the worst-case scenarios, and in the end, she was the one who ended up anxious. He patted her back gently, his touch soothing. "Relax, Qingqing. Trust me."

Breathing in the faint scent lingering on Pei Xi, Xu Qingning gave a muffled, "Mmh."

"So, should we change our clothes and sneak back?"

"Yes!"

Once they left Starry Moon Bay, the two drove to Pei Xi's current residence. Before getting out of the car, Pei Xi held her back. "To make the act convincing, I need a favor from you, Qingqing."

He unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt and pointed to a spot. "Could you... leave a mark for me?"

Realizing what he meant, Xu Qingning’s ears turned bright red. But thinking of the mission, she shut her eyes and lunged at him.

A muffled groan sounded above her head. Unconsciously, she gripped Pei Xi’s shirt tightly. Three minutes later, she slowly pulled away from his neck.

"O-okay, it's done."

"Mmh, thank you for your hard work, Qingqing. Now, it's my turn."

As he spoke, Pei Xi’s hand cupped the back of her neck, pulling her toward him, and pressed his lips against her throat. "Be good, bear with it."

A tingling sensation shot straight to her head, and her grip on his clothes tightened. Intermittent, uncontrollable whimpers escaped her lips.

A few minutes later, when they finally pulled apart, both were breathless. Xu Qingning even had a mist of tears in her eyes.

Looking at the mark he had left, Pei Xi took several deep breaths to suppress his wilder impulses. His voice was hoarse as he said, "Thank you, Qingqing."

Xu Qingning slowly released her grip on his clothes. Seeing the wrinkles she had caused, she felt her face flush even deeper.

When the car window was knocked, Xu Qingning immediately shrank back into her seat, wishing she could disappear into the cracks of the car.

"Don't worry, it's one-way glass. No one can see in."

"I-I know! Just hurry up and do what you need to do!"

Pei Xi then lowered the window, unhurried. "Is everything arranged?"

"Yes, the news that you haven't returned has already spread. By the morning meeting, they will likely seize the opportunity to attack."

"Mmh, I see."

With that, Pei Xi started the car and drove into the underground garage. He looked at Xu Qingning, who had been stealing glances at him the entire way, with a look of tenderness. "What's wrong?"

Xu Qingning shook her head. "Nothing. It’s just the first time I've felt your 'villain' aura. It’s quite novel."

Besides it being novel, there was one thing she hadn't said aloud: *That was incredibly cool! The master of masters! The pinnacle of masculinity!*