"Tell me the truth," Li Xueyue demanded. "Who exactly is she to you?"

Yu Zhen pressed his lips together. She was here for less than a couple of days, but their relations.h.i.+p was already rocky. Did she not trust him? Was that it? His mood dimmed at this unwanted thought.

"Well?" she demanded.

"Prior to your arrival, I announced to the entire court I would take a servant as my wife."

Li Xueyue was floored by his words. She felt like cold water was splashed onto her face. What did he just say?

"Of course, it was a cover-up. A tactic to terrify the Ministers that I would be marrying someone of lower rank. That way, when I bring up marriage to you—Princess from a foreign country, they would be so happy I changed my mind, they'd accept the new marriage proposal. Which they did, flawlessly."

Li Xueyue ground her teeth. Did the Imperial Court of Hanjian abhor Wuyi so much that they only accepted her as a second option? She didn't like it one bit.

"Xu Jiaqi, is nothing to me," Yu Zhen spoke in a menacing voice too serious for it to be a lie.

He reached for her hand but she s.h.i.+fted it, pretending to adjust her sleeves. "Xueyue," he warned. Yet again, he moved to grab her but she took a step away.

"It doesn't seem like it to me," she said. "I saw the way she looked at you, with so much adoration in her eyes, I—"

"None of that matters to me," Yu Zhen deadpanned. He advanced towards her and she was courageous enough to stand her ground.

Her eyes, though, were vicious. Her eyes were violent waves of earthy brown, colors so surreal, he didn't think it was real. He had never seen eyes as light as hers, but dark when angered.

"Trust me, my Little Suns.h.i.+ne," Yu Zhen rea.s.sured. He settled his hands upon the sides of her waist but she refused to look up at him. She refused to meet his gaze nor listen to him.

"You can't be so stubborn," he softly told her.

Yu Zhen grabbed her fingers and swayed their hands. When she continued to burn a hole in his shoulder with her glower, his lips twitched.

It was hard not to kiss her. She was cuter when angered. Perhaps it was because her small stature made it difficult to come across as threatening.

"This side of you is cute too," Yu Zhen mused whilst lifting her fingers and pressing a kiss upon the tips.

Li Xueyue pulled her hand back, but he retaliated. He yanked her towards him until their chests were pressed against each other.

Her eyes widened when he craned his neck. His face was close to her. There was a familiar glint in his onyx eyes—like a predator watching their prey. His lips curled into a devious smirk.

She tensed when he bent his neck. His soft lips brushed against her ear. She s.h.i.+vered against his touch, his hot breath fanning her ear lobe.

"Yu Zhen," she called out in a threatening voice but he ignored it. Her eyes widened. Then he gently nipped at her ear lobes.

"Let's have some fun," he mused.

"Are you crazy?" she hissed.

"No, are you?" he retorted.

Li Xueyue pulled away to see his teasing smile. His obsidian eyes had a twinkle in it.

Upon noticing her reddened cheeks, Yu Zhen let out a chuckle. "What did you think I was implying?"

Li Xueyue refused to fall for this game again. She crossed her arms and jutted her chin to the side.

"Aww, is the Little Hamster angry?" Yu Zhen poked her cheek again and again. It was soft to the touch but lacked the familiar bounce.

"Leave me alone," she grumbled.

"So she speaks!" Yu Zhen exclaimed as if she had performed a magic trick. Her nose scrunched at his words.

"Did that irritate you further?" he mused.

She ignored him.

"If you don't talk to me, I'll continue to annoy you," he promised. Her lips were firmly shut.

Yu Zhen narrowed his eyes. A wry smile formed on his face. Fine then. He grabbed her cheek and tried to pull it, to no avail. He pinched harder and watched her eyes flare. She wanted to say something. But didn't.

Suddenly, an idea came to mind. His smile widened deviously.

Without warning, she was tugged towards him. Her arms remained crossed and she continued to stare towards the side, revealing her neck to him. He swooped in and pressed a kiss upon the exposed skin.

She jumped in his arms, but he continued on. Nipping and kissing, he trailed open mouth kisses down her neck. When he found the spot where her shoulder met her neck, he suckled upon it. His grip on her tightened. Her knees buckled a bit, but he held her in place.

Li Xueyue bit down on her tongue. She tried to ignore the warmth that spread in her body. His hands began to wander and she let out a shaky breath. It was then she realized what he was doing.

"You—"

Her eyes widened when he captured her lips. She refused to kiss him back, pressing her lips tightly together. But he was cruel.

He bit her bottom lip, earning a gasp from her. And just like that, he was granted access. His slick tongue dove in until she finally kissed him back.

He moved her body backwards until her back was against a bookshelf. One hand slammed beside her neck as he stabilized both of them. A split second later, his fingers dove into her hair, angling her head to deepen their kiss.

Their lips molded together perfectly. He swirled his tongue against hers, easily dominating hers. The kiss was hot and pa.s.sionate.

He nibbled upon the corner of her lips, allowing her to suck in trembling gasps of air. But it wasn't long before their lips crashed against each other again.

As always, Yu Zhen was merciless. Biting, sucking, and licking as he pleased until she was puddy in his hands.

He kissed her until she was on her tippy toes, unable to run, unable to resist. By the time he finally let her go, she was a panting mess. Her head fell upon his st.u.r.dy chest whilst she struggled to catch her breath.

"Did you think this was the fun we'd have?" Yu Zhen teased her. He slowly pulled his hand out of her soft hair. Locks of it rested upon his fingers and he toyed with it.

"That wasn't fun," she lied.

"Really now?" Yu Zhen spoke up, grabbing her chin. He lifted it until he was staring down at her. Her cheeks were flushed. Her eyes were hazy. Heat gathered below his stomach.

Rosy red lips greeted him. He had done that to her. Caged between his warm body and the bookshelf, she had nowhere to run, but into his arms. She was utterly hopeless. He could do anything as he wished.

She thought he would. But he didn't.

Instead, Yu Zhen caressed both sides of her cheek. Her eyes fluttered shut. Her heart skipped a beat when he pressed his lips to her forehead. It was a chaste, gentle kiss that left her wanting more.

"You shouldn't bite more than you can chew," Yu Zhen muttered.

His hand trailed down her shoulders until it was nestled comfortably on her lower back. She was nestled upon him, her weight fully supported.

Li Xueyue rested her face against his chest whilst his other hand played with her hair. She didn't realize her hairpins had slipped out until she spotted it next to her shoes. Touching her bruised lips, she knew he was right.

But she'd never admit it. Not because she was stubborn, but because it'd stroke his large ego.