Chapter 61: You Can’t Do This Just to Compete for Favor
Xie Qiang had no memory of this, but thinking that Sen Ji, a local, definitely knew more than she did as an outsider, she nodded. “Okay, then I’ll begin.”
She gripped Sen Ji’s hands tightly, her forearms also pressing closely against his broad arms. While her eyes searched for other places that could touch, her gaze unintentionally landed on Sen Ji’s forehead.
He was kneeling on one knee, and his tall, slender frame meant that his face was positioned exactly where she could touch it by just lowering her head.
She blinked and tentatively leaned closer. Finding that Sen Ji didn’t reject her, she gently pressed the center of her forehead against his.
Sen Ji’s body stiffened for a moment. His green eyes met those beautiful glacier-blue eyes. He was slightly startled and uncontrollably moved away half an inch.
“Can you still take it?”
Xie Qiang asked softly.
Sen Ji didn’t speak. His shoulders just suddenly trembled, and after a brief pause, he shook his head.
Something lightly brushed against Xie Qiang’s cheek.
Xie Qiang froze for a moment. She raised her now-free right hand and, when she felt around, found the familiar texture of tiger ears.
“How did your beast ears…”
“It was a bit hot, so they came out,” the man quickly interrupted her, explaining in a flat tone, “It’s not something I can control.”
“I see.” Xie Qiang’s attention was fixed on his tiger ears. “Then can I touch them?”
The tiger ears on Sen Ji’s head were a bit smaller and softer than Bai Jin’s, making them easier to control with her palm. So Xie Qiang actually liked Sen Ji’s tiger ears more.
Sen Ji pursed his lips. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Xie Qiang’s completely focused expression as she stared at his tiger ears, and the corners of his mouth curled up in an almost imperceptible arc. “Mm.”
Xie Qiang’s eyes lit up. She leaned forward slightly, admiring the white-patterned golden tiger ears from an even closer distance.
Her thumb and index finger sometimes gently rubbed the cartilage on them, and sometimes traced the contours of the ears in detail, causing the tiger ears to tremble slightly, like a plantain leaf being lightly hit by raindrops.
“They feel so good.” She murmured softly but didn’t forget to ask about Sen Ji’s state. “Is it hot like this?”
Sen Ji’s eyelashes trembled, and his fingertips unconsciously tightened around the leg ring on his military trousers. “Mm, but it’s bearable.”
“That’s good.” Seeing that he didn’t reject her, Xie Qiang continued to happily rub the tiger ears.
Sen Ji’s gaze lowered slightly, casually sweeping over Bai Jin.
Bai Jin: …
What are you acting for! You clearly don’t have a single sign of a hot flash!
You can’t do this just to compete for favor!
Bai Jin squeezed his big head between the two of them and nudged Xie Qiang’s left hand with his tiger ears: Stop rubbing his! Rub mine, rub mine!
A bit of Xie Qiang’s attention was diverted. She looked at Bai Jin’s tiger ears, which were trying hard to get close, and said to him with some regret, “Sorry, Bai Jin, I really don’t have a spare hand to rub you.”
Bai Jin: (￣□￣；)
T-too much!
Bai Jin glared indignantly at Sen Ji: You scheming man!
Sen Ji calmly looked away. Hmph.
Clearly, it was just that Bai Jin’s tiger ears couldn’t compare to his. What did that have to do with being scheming?
The man turned his head slightly, offering the other untouched tiger ear to Xie Qiang’s hand.
Xie Qiang didn’t notice anything unusual and naturally started “rua-ing” this tiger ear as well.
During the process, she accidentally ruffled the man’s golden hair a bit. She smoothed it over with her hand, tidying the slightly messy strands.
Sen Ji suddenly looked up, gazing at her with shock.
“What’s wrong?” Xie Qiang was a bit confused by his stare. “Is something uncomfortable?”
Sen Ji’s lips moved, and he seemed to hesitate, but in the end, he still shook his head, his gaze darting away to another spot. “Nothing.”
It was just that… it had been a long time since anyone had touched his head so gently.
And it just so happened that it was she who gave it to him.
…
The night passed.
Early in the morning, Hong Que, sporting two dark circles under his eyes, stood at Xie Qiang’s door and began banging on it.
He looked at the guarding Mo Yin with a face full of disappointment. “Are you even a man! You actually stood here dryly all night and did nothing!”
Mo Yin looked at him in confusion. “Do what?”
“Of course it’s to stop—uh…” Hong Que choked. Realizing that Sen Ji experiencing Combined Heat was unavoidable, he could only say in a low, heavy voice, “Even if you couldn’t stop it, you could have joined in! How could you let the two of them stay alone together!”
If they developed feelings, and if that defective product turned out to be a jealous one who didn’t allow Xie Qiang to touch other sentinels, you’ll be the one crying then!
Mo Yin stared intently at Hong Que for a long time before spitting out six words: “So Brother… wants to join.”
Hong Que: ???
“I’m not—” Hong Que, a two-meter tall man, almost jumped up. Just as he was about to defend himself, the room door suddenly opened, and Sen Ji walked out.
He gave Hong Que a flat glance, said nothing, and turned to leave directly.
Hong Que saw that there was no temporary mark on his face, and his heart immediately sank. He was about to call out and ask for some details about last night when he felt something hit his thigh hard.
Hong Que: ?
He looked around but didn’t see anything at all.
His spine instantly went cold, and he nervously grabbed Mo Yin’s tight-fitting suit. “Is it haunted? Mo Yin, something just hit me!”
You’re the ghost.
Bai Jin rolled his eyes. Before leaving, he raised his back paw again and kicked Hong Que’s shin.
Hong Que: “!!! There really is a ghost!”
“What ghost?” Xie Qiang walked out while rubbing her wrist. She looked up at Hong Que, whose red curly hair was all frizzed out, and couldn’t help but stare with wide, shocked eyes. “Did you get an electric shock?”
“Xie Qiang!”
Seeing the girl, Hong Que immediately forgot about any ghosts. He scanned Xie Qiang with a harsh and rigorous gaze. Seeing her rubbing her wrist, he couldn’t help but frown and ask, “What’s wrong with your hand? Does it hurt?”
“My hand? It doesn’t hurt, it’s just a bit sore.” Xie Qiang looked down at her left wrist and muttered in a small voice, “After all, I was ‘rua-ing’ back and forth all night…”
One moment it was Sen Ji’s, the next it was Bai Jin’s. If she didn’t let one of them get rubbed, that one would start acting cold.
Hong Que stepped back two steps in shock, pointing at her with a face full of incomprehensibility. “You… you-you-you, you were sliding back and forth all night—?”
How could she, how could she say it so bluntly!
Does she have no shame!
Hong Que’s entire face turned red. His gaze caught Xie Qiang’s fair and slender little hand, and he couldn’t help but imagine that little hand sliding back and forth. He shook his head desperately to get rid of the image and shouted at Xie Qiang in a fierce and angry tone, “Who wants to hear about your messy business—you pervert! I’m not interested at all!”
Xie Qiang was shouted at so loudly her ears were ringing. She covered her ears and glared at him unhappily. “You were the one who asked first!”
And how is rubbing tiger ears perverted?
Wait… as far as she knew, Hong Que’s mental body was a Vermilion Bird. After beastification, he didn’t have beast ears.
Xie Qiang realized something. She took a deep breath, stood on her tiptoes, put her hands on her hips, and shouted back at Hong Que just as loudly, “You just don’t have them, so you’re jealous that Sen Ji does!”
Hong Que: !!!
How could he possibly not have them—!
Translator’s Note: The “sliding back and forth” misunderstanding is absolutely peak comedy! Poor Hong Que’s imagination is running wild, thinking about hand j*bs, while Xie Qiang is literally just talking about petting tiger ears. And “rua” is such a great term for that obsessive petting/rubbing feeling. Hong Que is definitely jealous, but he’s jealous of the wrong thing! He thinks he’s missing out on a “Shura Field” bedroom scene, but he’s actually just missing out on head pats.
Note: It just came to my attention (thanks to the reader) that I uploaded the wrong version. So sorry. I have edited the chapters.
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