Chapter 200: Chapter 200: I Dare Not Even Kiss You With Force.

Cui Lingyao couldn’t help but frown, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving him a silent push, urging him on.

A silent urging.

Xie Jinbai couldn’t hold back a laugh and obliged her completely.

Cui Lingyao tilted her chin up, her eyelashes lowered, letting him kiss her.

’It’s so hot.’

A light sheen of sweat beaded on her forehead.

The heat left her dazed and muddled, her mind unclear.

She only felt that the man on top of her was a drug, one that made her lose all reason.

And she was watching herself sink deeper, bit by bit.

On her first mission, she had managed to pull herself out by lying to herself.

Now, this was the second time, and it seemed she could no longer deceive herself.

’What an asshole.’

’Is he trying to turn the tables and conquer me instead?’

How could a modern woman, fiercely competitive all her life, admit defeat? Just as Cui Lingyao was feeling indignant, her body suddenly stiffened, her pupils dilating in shock.

"Xie Jinbai!"

Her neatly trimmed nails dug into his back, but the force was barely a tickle to Xie Jinbai. He even remembered to lower his protective Inner Strength.

He propped himself up on his arms, looking down at the woman beneath him.

Her long, thick eyelashes were half-closed, the corners of her eyes red as if she were about to cry.

Her hair was soaked with sweat, her breathing ragged and chaotic.

Xie Jinbai watched her quietly, patiently waiting for her to recover.

Then he lowered his head, kissed her eyes, and asked with concern, "Are you all right?"

Cui Lingyao pressed her lips together and glared at him.

Xie Jinbai laughed again before lowering his head to kiss her eyes once more.

After murmuring a word of comfort, his hand with its long, slender fingers slowly wrapped around her narrow waist.

...

「Time trickled by until the moon climbed to its zenith.」

The storm inside the room finally subsided.

Xie Jinbai gathered the woman in his arms, his lips nibbling the soft flesh of her nape. He placed a hand on her lower belly, rubbing it gently.

He asked with a muffled laugh, "Why is this part trembling?"

Cui Lingyao was slick with sweat and utterly exhausted; she didn’t want to speak at all.

She looked like a doll, completely at his mercy.

Xie Jinbai sighed. "I still haven’t bullied you enough."

He’d never heard of any healthy wife, three years into her marriage, being so unable to take it.

But it was only when he had her pinned beneath him that this cold-hearted, rebellious girl showed a hint of femininity.

The girl in his arms was being so pliant. Xie Jinbai’s voice softened even more as he coaxed her, "Should I carry you for a bath?"

His voice was husky, tinged with the sated satisfaction of fulfilled desire—impossibly seductive.

Cui Lingyao was immediately reminded of their previous encounter in the washroom.

The water had grown cold, only to be warmed again by his Inner Strength.

For a full...

She shivered and shook her head repeatedly.

"No bath," she mumbled, burying her head in the soft pillow. "I’m going to sleep."

"..." Xie Jinbai chuckled. "You won’t be able to breathe like that."

He reached out and pulled her face out. "Don’t be afraid. Once was enough. I promise I won’t touch you again tonight."

Her willing compliance had given him the sweet feeling of mutual affection.

This kind of lovemaking satisfied not just the body, but the heart as well.

For Xie Jinbai, this single time tonight was worth more than all of yesterday’s exhausting session.

It was, in fact, the most physically and emotionally gratifying of all their encounters since her return.

’It really was enough.’

He was telling the truth, but Cui Lingyao knew how easily he was provoked and didn’t believe him one bit.

Without a word, she just kept her eyes shut, pretending to be asleep.

Knowing she was faking it, Xie Jinbai had no intention of disturbing her further.

’She cried for so long, and then indulged my nonsense for a while.’

’She must be exhausted.’

’If she doesn’t want a bath, so be it. Besides, I love holding her like this anyway.’

A wave of tenderness washed over Xie Jinbai as his hand gently brushed aside her sweat-dampened hair.

The gesture was incredibly gentle.

Cui Lingyao could feel it. Her eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes to meet his gaze.

Her dark, bright eyes were still moist from being thoroughly tormented, the corners red. She just looked at him and asked in a small voice, "Are you really going to have someone interrogate me?"

Xie Jinbai’s hand, which had been wiping away her sweat, froze.

In an instant, he transformed from a gentle, doting husband into that calm, reserved, and inscrutable superior.

’Yes, a superior.’

’Calm, rational, composed, impassive.’

Such a deceptively simple question, coming from an utterly defenseless woman he had just spent half the night thoroughly exhausting.

And he had reacted so defensively.

Cui Lingyao was stunned for a moment, the light in her eyes dimming. "So you’re still going to interrogate me?"

"..."

Even though he knew this display was certainly an act, Xie Jinbai still felt a tightness in his chest.

There would never be another woman who could stir his heart like this.

A single look, a single sentence from her, and he was utterly defeated, wanting only to raise his hands in surrender.

His lips moved, his voice strained. "I don’t want to lie to you, but... I don’t dare to trust you anymore either."

To find out whether her words were true or false, he only had one option left.

Cui Lingyao was silent for a moment, then asked, "Will it hurt?"

"No," Xie Jinbai said, holding her tighter. "I won’t let you get hurt."

Cui Lingyao didn’t believe him.

She said, "No matter what kind of interrogation it is, my words would only be credible if I speak after being tortured, right?"

’Are they going to wine and dine me into talking?’

’If not physical torture...’

’Then it must be mental.’

Cui Lingyao bit her lip, her voice much softer. "Are they going to mess with my memories? If my memories get jumbled, will I go crazy, or will I just..."

She rattled off several of her own theories in one breath.

Every single sentence revolved around her safety, an attempt to make him abandon the idea.

Xie Jinbai listened quietly.

He tried to calmly analyze her thoughts.

’The moment she heard I intended to have her interrogated, she became extremely concerned. There’s only one reason she would muster the energy to change my mind, even after being completely exhausted by me.’

’—She wasn’t telling the truth earlier.’

’She’s been on edge all night because she’s afraid the real answer will be forced out of her.’

’And she’s been working to prevent that.’

’For instance, by crying her eyes out.’

’Or by complying with me in bed.’

’And now, by nestling obediently in my arms, naked and letting me hold her.’

A chill ran through Xie Jinbai. The sweetness of mutual affection he had just tasted began to fade, bit by bit.

He held the woman in his arms tighter, desperately trying to draw warmth from her body.

The pressure around her waist suddenly tightened. Cui Lingyao stopped talking. "What’s wrong?"

’What’s wrong...’

Xie Jinbai’s lips trembled. He called her name, his voice hoarse. "Say you love me."

Cui Lingyao: "..."

’We’ve circled right back to this again.’

’What’s the use of saying ’I love you’ out loud, anyway?’

Cui Lingyao was speechless. "Don’t you already disbelieve me?"

"I’ll believe it," Xie Jinbai said. "I’m willing to believe this. If you say you love me, I’ll believe you."

Perhaps it was the hoarseness of his voice, or perhaps her own emotions were a little out of control tonight.

After their extreme intimacy, Cui Lingyao’s heart had softened along with her body.

She couldn’t bring herself to refuse, nor could she remain hard-hearted and ignore him.

After a moment of silence, Cui Lingyao wrapped her arms around his waist.

In the pitch-black room, her soft voice sounded.

She said, "Xie Jinbai, I love you."

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