Chapter 119: Let Me Mark You Too, Okay?
His gaze uncontrollably drifted to those pink, tender lips. Hong Que swallowed hard and blurted out, “Wanna kiss?”
“Wh-what?” Xie Qiangâs face flushed instantly. “Who wants to kiss you!”
Hong Que frowned in confusion. “You, of course? Thereâs no third person in this room!”
…Why are you answering so seriously!
Xie Qiang wanted to move away, but the narrow space between them wasn’t enough for her to maneuver. Instead, it was easier for the red-haired youth to get his way if she wasn’t careful.
“No way, get up!” Xie Qiang raised her hand to push his shoulder. “Are you on the wrong medication?”
“The medicine isn’t for eating; itâs for injecting.”
Hong Queâs eyes darkened, his golden pupils appearing as if coated in a thick layer of frost. “I didn’t even mind that you just kissed Sen Ji, yet youâre complaining that I took the wrong medicine?”
Xie Qiang was speechless. It was already embarrassing enough that he had walked in on that, but she hadn’t expected him to point it out so blatantly. She said crossly, “You know I just did it with Sen Ji!”
“What? Wasn’t it like this last time too?” Hong Que lowered his gaze slightly, his lips nearly brushing against hers as he spoke. “Back then, you kissed him, then came to kiss me, and then went back to kiss him again…”
“Stop talking!” Xie Qiang was so annoyed she reached out to pinch his waist. “That was because I wanted to stop you two from fighting; I had no choiceâ”
Hong Que let her pinch him, his body unmoving. “Now I want to go find Sen Ji and give him a beating.”
“You can’t even beat him, why botherâ!”
“So, do you want to kiss me, or do you want to see me beaten black and blue by him?”
“…” Who threatens people like this?
Knowing Hong Que wasn’t just scaring her and that he really would rush out to start a fight with Sen Ji, Xie Qiang bit her lip and tilted her head up slightly for a quick peck.
She whispered, “Is this enough?”
“Xie Qiang, thatâs not how you kissed last time.”
“…” Xie Qiang clenched her small fists. “Don’t push yourâmmph!”
His lips pressed down. Xie Qiangâs eyes widened slightly, and her fists instinctively loosened. she raised her hands to grip the form-fitting clothing at his shoulders, but the fabric was very slippery, and the youthâs arm muscles were thick; she couldn’t get any leverage.
It wasn’t until all the breath in her chest was stolen away that she started pounding his shoulders desperately, struggling, “Mmph… let… hha… can’t…”
The red-haired youth finally let go. The frost in his golden eyes faded, replaced by a layer of misty haze. A faint blush stained his handsome, unruly face as he stared blankly at the girl gasping for air.
“Xie Qiang…” He brushed away a strand of hair from her lips, his voice dazed. “Let me mark you too, okay?”
“Wake up. You want to mark me because of the side effects of kissing for too long.” Xie Qiang caught her breath. Seeing that he was showing signs of heading toward combination heat, she spoke up, “Iâll give you a temporary mark first…”
“No!” Hong Que frowned and covered both sides of his face. “Iâm very clear-headed right now; I know exactly what Iâm doing!”
He growled, his eyes turning red. “On the contrary, you have no idea how Iâve suffered through these four hours!”
He had looked forward to the date so much, looked forward to her receiving his gift, but sheâ!
Xie Qiang shrunk back from the roar. Looking at the red-haired youth’s aggrieved and bitter expression, she finally caught a glimpse of a hidden fact.
“You… like me?”
When? Where? Because of what?
Could it be that his sacrifice back then wasn’t out of duty or friendship, but because ofâ”love”?
Translator’s Note: Hong Que is such a “golden retriever” type of character, but with a spicy temper! “Wrong medication” is a bit of a joke here, referring to the antidote from the previous chapter. The realization that his feelings are genuine is a big moment for Xie Qiang.
Chapter 120: Anyone Who Enters Will See!
“Yes! I like you!”
The red-haired youth growled, his eyes full of hurt. “For you, Iâm even willing to become the Second Consort of the State! If you dare to abandon me, Iâll hang myself in front of the Princessâs Palace and let everyone see how heartless you are!”
Xie Qiang blinked in shock. “Who threatens people like this?”
“Then are you going to let me mark you or not!” Hong Que gripped the hem of her skirt and shouted, “Can’t you just give me a straight answer? How much longer are you going to keep me on the hook?”
Xie Qiang bit her lip. “Aren’t you afraid that I might turn back into my old tyrannical self in the future?”
If one day this world finished its plot and she returned to her original world, perhaps the original host would take back this body.
A permanent mark might become his pain.
“Then Iâll take Mo Yin to another planet where youâll never find us!” Hong Que said stubbornly. “Anyway, the distance will be so great you won’t be able to trigger your Guide essence and force us into combination heat!”
Is that so…
Xie Qiang felt a sense of sudden enlightenment. Since Hong Que liked her and she was going to marry him anyway, wouldn’t letting him plant a permanent mark be okay?
Besides, Hong Queâs personality wasn’t like Sen Jiâsâhe wasn’t self-deprecating or sensitive. A permanent mark wouldn’t bind him down.
“Fine then, go ahead and bite.”
“Really?” Hong Que looked at her with distrust. “Not lying?”
Xie Qiang spread her arms, no longer resisting. “Why would I lie? Pick a spot.”
Hong Que narrowed his golden eyes, scanning Xie Qiangâs expression to confirm she truly didn’t know anything. Only then did he pout slightly, doing his best to suppress a successful smirk as he moved back.
He had chosen the spot long ago!
In the next second, Xie Qiang gasped. She punched Hong Queâs head, her face turning redder than a sunset. She shouted in exasperation, “Hong Que! Where are you biting!”
Hong Que looked at the mark on her inner thigh and nodded with pride and satisfaction: I really am a genius!
Once he planted the permanent mark here, whoever went in would have to see the tooth marks he left behind first, understanding whose Guide she was!
Especially that “old” tiger!
Xie Qiang also realized belatedly that she had only been bitten once.
“What exactly are you doing!” Xie Qiangâs head was throbbing with anger. “Didn’t you say you were going to do a permanent mark?”
She wanted to scold him, but Hong Que suddenly put on a long face and began to sob, clutching his lips. “Xie Qiang, you scumbag! I knew itâwahhh, you want to kick me out of the trials and only dote on Mo Yin!”
“What?” Xie Qiang was a bit confused. “Where did you get that idea?”
“During the trials, if someone marks you, theyâll be disqualified!” The red-haired youth closed his eyes tightly, his body trembling as if he had suffered a major blow. He said tragically, “And you actually tried to trick me into withdrawing while I was losing my self-awareness from kissing you! Luckily, I suddenly came to my senses just as I was about to bite down!”
Xie Qiang: …
Xie Qiang: Do you really think Iâm that easy to fool?
He actually bit her under the guise of marking… When she went back to the palace to see Sen Ji tonight, wouldn’t he find out?
Xie Qiang simply didn’t dare to imagine that scene.
She kicked Hong Que, whose body was still trembling. “Enough! Stop laughing!”
The red-haired youth paused slightly, then curled up his body and turned his back to her, continuing to sob. “I don’t know what youâre talking about… Iâm crying so hard, yet you won’t even comfort me. If it were Mo Yin, youâd definitely have kissed him by now!”
“If you want me to kiss you, you can just say it. No need to sneak it in.” Xie Qiang caught the subtext. Thinking about how Hong Que had just played tricks on her, she decided to be a bit wicked. “I have an appointment with Mo Yin at five. Iâll kiss him then; consider it coaxing the both of you at once.”
“No way!” Hong Que immediately turned around and looked at her indignantly, the look of sadness and crying completely gone. “Either kiss both of us, or don’t kiss either!”
“Haven’t I already kissed you?”
“Itâs not the same! Iâm talking aboutâ”
“About what?” Xie Qiang propped up her chin, looking at him with a smile.
Hong Queâs face turned red. After a bit of hesitation, he leaned down with lightning speed and kissed the girlâs cheek. “I want a first-hand kiss, not a second-hand one.”
Xie Qiang burst out laughing. “Hong Que, youâre so funny!”
“Argh! So annoying!” Hong Que scratched his hair in frustration, staring at her with wide eyes. “Stop laughing! Do you even know how enticing you look when you laugh!”
If he hadn’t been considerate of the fact that she was already tired after four hours, he would haveâ
“Ahem, okay, okay.” Xie Qiang used her two index fingers to pull down the corners of her mouth. “Iâll listen to you; I won’t laugh.”
Listen to me…
Hong Queâs entire body turned beet red. He hurriedly looked away, not daring to look any further for fear he wouldn’t be able to hold back and would lose his “first sentinelhood” right there in the VIP room.
He had principles, tooâone of which was that he absolutely could not “collide” with Sen Jiâs location!
“Cough, right, I have something for you.”
Hong Que pulled a small square box from his pocket. Noticing the metal gift box was wrinkled from his grip, he paused for a moment before taking the item out and tossing the box behind him.
“This shop has no taste; the gift box is too ugly.” Hong Que complained without a change in expression. He grabbed Xie Qiangâs wrist and placed the gift in her palm. “Here, a date gift.”
Xie Qiang looked down. In her palm was a very light metal concave support. After feeling it for a long time, she couldn’t tell what it was.
She looked at Hong Que for an answer.
“Itâs a gunstock-shaped energy-absorbing stone.” Hong Que raised his chin, his tone carrying a hint of a plea for praise. “When you use the Zhuque Gun, can’t you not handle its recoil? If you install this stock on the back of the gun, it can help absorb all the recoil so your shoulder won’t get hurt!”
A flash of surprise and joy crossed Xie Qiangâs eyes. “Youâre so thoughtful! Thank you, Hong Que. I really love this gift!”
“Hmph.” Hong Que smirked and rubbed his nose. Seeing the girl looking as if she couldn’t bear to put it down, he couldn’t help but ask indirectly, “The others didn’t give you gifts, did they?”
“They did. Guide Shu gave me an ancient medical book~” Xie Qiang looked up and thought for a moment before saying.
Who asked about her! Iâm asking about the Sentinels! Sen Ji and Cang Jiu!
But since she didn’t answer, they must not have prepared anything. Hong Que couldn’t help but rub his nose again, feeling triumphant.
As expected~ He was the most virtuous and considerate Consort of the State~~~
As 5:00 PM approached, Xie Qiang intended for Hong Que to go back.
“No way!” Hong Que refused almost instantly.
He leaned against Xie Qiangâs arm and held her tightly, saying with a solemn expression, “Didn’t you hear my father just now? He told you to take good care of me and not lose me!”
“He clearly meant that as soon as I leave your sight, heâll immediately snatch me back!”
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