Chapter 495: What Is He Up To?
Another bowl? Are you kidding me?
Yun Ran snapped out of her daze, quickly shaking her head, "No, no, I don’t want it!"
Nangong Mo looked at her hastily denying demeanor, a hint of amusement in his eyes, as he gently wiped the droplets on the corner of her mouth, speaking softly, "Hmm, I know."
You know and still ask? You’re doing it on purpose, right?
Yun Ran was just about to tease him when he fed her a piece of candied fruit.
It was the green plum flavor she liked, tart and sweet without being overpowering.
"Alright then! I won’t scold you."
"Thank you, dear wife, for being merciful."
"..." Yun Ran rolled her eyes at him speechlessly, waving her hand, "Alright, I’m tired, you can go now!"
Watching her lie down, Nangong Mo immediately drew the quilt over her but his gaze lingered on her face with a hint of worry, and he asked softly, "Are you really alright? No more pain?"
"Pretty much alright, you tidy up and get some sleep quickly, staying up late makes you ugly!"
Nangong Mo leaned down to touch her cheek, "Your complexion does look much rosier than before."
Yun Ran gave him a cool glance, "If you become ugly, I won’t want you!"
Nangong Mo’s expression stiffened, incredulously, "Then... toss me away?"
Yun Ran lazily glanced sideways at him, "Otherwise? Keep you pasted on the wall to ward off evil spirits?"
Nangong Mo: "..."
Even if I’m ugly, that ugly?
Yun Ran caught a look at his expression, stifled a laugh, and said knowingly, "Or, you could bury it, whoever digs it up can keep it."
Nangong Mo: "..."
Digging for wild herbs?
Wanting to argue a bit for himself, but ultimately too considerate of her current weakness to call her out, he raised a hand to stroke her head, gently chuckling, "Alright, I’ll go tidy up."
One incense stick later...
Nangong Mo lay with his eyes closed, the gentle moonlight falling on his face through the window, handsome as a deity, but with a slight frown on his brow, a trace of restraint in his expression, a little helplessness.
"Aran, didn’t you say you wanted to sleep? Why aren’t you asleep yet?"
His deep voice was slightly hoarse in the night, yet gentle.
Yun Ran lazily yawned, drawing circles with her fingers, a bit aggrieved, "Aren’t I trying to sleep? But I have insomnia! It’s not like I can fall asleep just because I want to!"
Nangong Mo didn’t even catch everything she said, just felt the girl’s light, soft breathing like a feather brushing past his collarbone, tickling his heart.
Raising a hand to stop the misbehaving paw, he took a deep breath to calm himself, "Don’t mess around, focus on resting, you’ll fall asleep soon."
Yun Ran pursed her lips, a little dissatisfied, "What do you mean? I can’t even touch your chest with my fingers?"
Nangong Mo: "..."
Was that... just a touch?
Did she count how many symbols she drew?
"You’re not talking? You admit it? You despise me? You can’t even tolerate a finger touching you?"
"?"
Nangong Mo’s mouth twitched, looking down with a glance...
Her legs, her hands, and her head... everywhere he looked, it was her...
And that’s what she calls just a finger touching him?!
"Ha! Men! Always straying, fond of the new and bored with the old, always changing!"
"..."
A drop of cold sweat slipped down Nangong Mo’s temple, he pressed his stiff lips, solemnly saying, "No, absolutely not, no way."
"Hmph! Don’t try to dodge it! Your expression has betrayed you! Look at that face of yours, full of rejection! You wish I was a million miles away!"
Nangong Mo’s expression froze, he worked hard to adjust it, earnestly saying, "Aran, you misunderstand! I’m just pleasantly surprised!"
"Oh? Really?"
"Yes!"
Nangong Mo nodded firmly, carefully choosing his words, "Mainly, you don’t usually... cling to me... so it’s... pleasantly surprising."
"Really?"
"Of course! It’s an honor to be Aran’s pillow, couldn’t ask for more."
Yun Ran blinked her beautiful eyes, a sly and victorious look flashing through them, she said seriously, "Since you sound so sincere, I’ll believe you then! But I won’t hold back, pillow~"
Nangong Mo: "..."
Just now... you were holding back?
But he quickly realized:
There’s no most excessive, only more excessive!
Turns out the soft jade warmth could also be a fiery inferno...
Sinned...
Nangong Mo closed his eyes tightly, a look of true resolve to devote himself to the void, silently chanting:
"Form does not differ from emptiness, nor emptiness from form, form is emptiness and emptiness is form..."
"All conditioned phenomena are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow, like dew or a flash of lightning..."
"Whatever has form is illusory..."
Yun Ran watched everything, nearly injuring herself trying not to laugh, it was so hard!
Having tormented him this long gave her a sense of gleeful vindication, exhilarating, making her want to laugh out loud thrice.
Having wandered the world for so long, Yun Ran knew well the principle that being overly pleased with oneself leads to counterattacks, she bared her teeth without a sound then magnanimously released him, flipping over and instantly falling asleep.
Finally ’pardoned’, Nangong Mo slowly opened his eyes, a gaze deep like an abyss, a faintly flickering ghostly flame.
He took a deep breath, looking at the sweetly sleeping girl with a touch of helplessness, tugged his mouth into a smile, and sighed lightly, "What a tormenting... little fox."
It wasn’t until Nangong Mo tucked her in and tiptoed out that Yun Ran scrambled up, straining to hear the movements outside the hall.
Her heart filled with curiosity, what’s he up to? Could he be planning some scheme to get back at her?
