Free Web NovelChapter 181: Chapter 181: Lanlan, I Like You Too
Mu Tangfeng’s mind was still wandering, replaying the dream. He’d even made up his mind: the next time he dreamt it, he was going to kiss her with everything he had.
If Jiang Xia dared to kiss her, so did he.
’It’s just a dream, anyway. It wouldn’t matter even if Lanlan hit or yelled at me.’
’She wouldn’t feel any pain, and neither would I.’
But as he was lost in thought, he suddenly felt a soft warmth on his lips.
Mu Tangfeng’s pupils trembled. His eyes flew open as he instantly turned his head, dodging her kiss and feigning a fierce expression.
"What do you think you’re doing?"
"I don’t need you doing things just to deliberately get on my good side."
Shi Lan knew he was feeling utterly wronged, so she didn’t take his attitude to heart. Instead, her own heart ached with tenderness.
’Even at a time like this, he’s still worried that I might be forcing myself.’
’Sigh... What a stubborn but kind-hearted little bird... ’
Avoiding the swollen, red areas on his face, she gently cupped his cheeks with both hands and kissed him again.
Mu Tangfeng kept up his fierce facade, but he was so emotional that the expression strained the bruises on his face, making him look almost savage.
Shi Lan kissed him again.
"Don’t be angry. I wanted to kiss you, so I did. Are you angry?"
Mu Tangfeng’s lips twitched. "Angry," he said, not meaning it at all.
"Oh."
Shi Lan acknowledged his answer. Just as Mu Tangfeng was regretting his quick reply, not having savored the taste of the kiss at all, she leaned in and kissed him again.
His lips nearly trembled with excitement, but he still put up a last-ditch resistance. "I told you I was angry, so why are you still kissing me? Lanlan, you’re fighting dirty."
Shi Lan’s eyes curved in a sly crescent. "I’m a female, not a warrior. I don’t have to fight fair."
She punctuated her words with another kiss.
Finally, perhaps giving up the fight, Mu Tangfeng simply closed his mouth. But an unconscious, joyful smile appeared in his eyes.
Just then, Shi Lan’s gaze fell on the peak of his cupid’s bow, which was growing plump and rosy. Unable to resist, she leaned down and sucked on it firmly.
Mu Tangfeng’s pupils contracted. He stared at her in disbelief as a sensitive shiver ran through his body. "Wh-what are you doing?"
His voice had gone hoarse, and he nearly collapsed into Shi Lan’s arms.
Shi Lan, meanwhile, had discovered just how effective the peak of his cupid’s bow was. She couldn’t help but suck on it a few more times. In the end, Mu Tangfeng was leaning completely against her, all his anger gone.
’All he could think was, Lanlan kissed me. She kissed my lips so many times, definitely more than she kissed Jiang Xia.’
’And she sucked on it.’
’It feels so good...’
His face was flushed and his eyes were hazy as he looked at her. Seeing that he had finally calmed down, Shi Lan said in a serious tone, "Mu Tangfeng, I want you to have a little more confidence in yourself. Don’t overthink things so much."
"Since I was willing to accept all of you, that means you’re all equally important to me. You are all my inseparable family, or perhaps I should say, my lovers."
"So, if you ever feel like I’m neglecting you, can you be brave enough to just tell me?"
"Lo...vers?"
Shi Lan had apparently said a lot, but in his dazed and muddled state, Mu Tangfeng had only caught that one key word. He couldn’t help but repeat it, his gaze fixed on her.
"Lanlan, do you like me?"
Shi Lan nodded, making no attempt to hide it.
’Perhaps there was no rule that a person had to love only one other. Just like with family, you could love many. She felt the same was true for lovers.’
’She was certain that her heart had raced for Mu Tangfeng before.’
’Besides, in a society that allowed for multiple husbands, there was no need for her to be bound by conventional morality and hide her affection.’
She sounded a little exasperated. "If I didn’t like you, why would I hold your hand?"
"Why would I have patiently applied your medicine? Or let you continue to live in my home?"
"You’ve never seen me do any of this for any other males besides you all, have you?"
Mu Tangfeng shook his head dumbly. Hearing this string of words that sounded like a confession, his mind became unusually clear and excited.
"Lanlan... you’re not just saying that to make me feel better, are you?"
’He still couldn’t quite believe it. He looked so ugly right now; how could Lanlan not only be unbothered but also confess to him?’
Thinking of his own face, Mu Tangfeng lowered his head again, trying to hide.
’I’m so ugly. I look like a pig.’
Shi Lan gently ruffled the hair that lay docilely against his earlobe, her tone firm. "I mean every word."
"If you don’t believe me, then I’ll just have to..."
Mu Tangfeng waited for a few seconds, but she didn’t finish her sentence. Left hanging at such a critical moment, he couldn’t help but look up and ask, "Have to what?"
Shi Lan dove in and gave the peak of his cupid’s bow another firm suck.
"Suck you. And kiss you."
"I don’t believe you."
Shi Lan gave it a suck. "Believe me now?"
Mu Tangfeng shook his head. "Nope."
"Aha! You just want me to kiss you more, don’t you? Well, just you wait."
His thoughts exposed by Shi Lan, Mu Tangfeng’s face instantly turned crimson. But Shi Lan quickly followed up with a few more kisses, and his mind went blank once more. His body went limp, and he was no longer able to put up any resistance.
Shi Lan patiently played along with his little game until, finally, the peak of his cupid’s bow was red and swollen like a fresh cherry, looking as if it might burst with sweet juice at any moment. Only then did the game finally wind down.
Mu Tangfeng hugged Shi Lan’s waist tightly and, in his dazed state, finally murmured, "Lanlan, I like you too. I like you so, so much. Don’t ever leave me, okay?"
Shi Lan hugged the little bird she had finally managed to soothe and immediately replied, "I know."
Mu Tangfeng’s affection was reserved, but he showed it in his actions. Worried she would overtire herself, he had modified the household robot for her. Worried she might be cold or unsafe, he had renovated the house.
Afraid of making her angry, he would do his best to suppress his rebellious nature around her and would even bow his head in apology.
Thinking back on it now, Shi Lan’s heart ached. Perhaps Mu Tangfeng had been in the wrong, but she shouldn’t have called him out in front of an outsider. She really had imposed her own values on him. As a pampered and powerful young master, he truly had the luxury of not needing to worry so much.
She whispered guiltily, "I’m sorry."
Though he didn’t know what she was sorry for, his drowsy consciousness still made him reply, "Lanlan has never done anything to wrong me."
"Don’t apologize."
"I don’t like it..."
He continued to murmur as his eyes slowly closed and his breathing evened out.
Having been angry all day, taken a beating, and cried for a long time, Mu Tangfeng finally felt a wave of exhaustion in that warm, reassuring embrace and fell asleep.
However, he only slept for about ten minutes. His subconscious must have remembered that Shi Lan was holding him, and worried that she would get tired, he soon woke up again.
He didn’t open his eyes, choosing instead to feel for the warmth beside him.
’Lanlan was still holding me. She was still here with me.’
’I’m so happy.’
’So this wasn’t a dream after all.’
He reveled in his secret joy for a while before finally opening his eyes and pulling away from Shi Lan’s soft embrace.
"Lanlan, you should go to sleep."
After his short nap, the redness and swelling around Mu Tangfeng’s eyes had subsided a bit, though the bruises from the fight were becoming a more vivid shade of purple. Not that Jiang Xia looked any better.
Shi Lan glanced at the time. She hadn’t realized that more than two hours had passed; it was almost ten o’clock.
’Time flies.’
’But at least Mu Tangfeng wasn’t heartbroken anymore.’
She snuck a peek at the still-swollen peak of his cupid’s bow, then pointed to her own lips. "Well, I’m going to bed, but your... it’s still red..."
The heat that had just faded from his face came rushing back. He cleared his throat. "It’s fine. It doesn’t hurt."
That wasn’t really what Shi Lan had wanted to say, but she decided to just keep her mouth shut.
However, the next day in the game pod, Jiang Xia followed suit, making Shi Lan kiss his lips until they were red—even redder than Mu Tangfeng’s had been—before he finally let her go.
