Chapter 247: Request

She widened her eyes, watching Ye Lan’s movements in terror. 

Her mind went blank, completely unsure of what would happen next.

Ye Lan slowly lowered her head, her burning tongue lightly licking Mu Xi’s instep. 

The texture of the stockings was cool and smooth, carrying a faint, light fragrance.

Mu Xi’s body jolted violently. 

An indescribable numbness instantly surged from the soles of her feet throughout her entire body, making her let out a faint groan.

“Mmh…” Mu Xi’s voice carried a trace of suppressed pain, but more so an unspeakable trembling and shame.

She had never experienced such intimate contact, especially with Ye Lan, the woman who held a special place in her heart.

Ye Lan’s tongue moved slowly up Mu Xi’s instep, licking every inch of skin as if tasting the most delicious delicacy in the world.

Mu Xi’s body trembled even more violently, and her breathing became hurried. 

Her chest heaved dramatically, as if her heart were about to leap out of her chest.

She squeezed her eyes shut, her eyelashes fluttering wildly. 

A strange longing surged from deep within her, making her feel both ashamed and infatuated.

The interior of the off-road RV was bathed in soft beige light, forming a sharp contrast with the dead silence of the desert outside.

The air purification system emitted a low hum, maintaining a constant temperature and humidity, completely sealing out the decaying smell of sulfur and metal.

It was like a warm cocoon, wrapping around two entangled souls.

Ye Lan’s breathing was somewhat heavy. 

She gazed at Mu Xi’s delicate, small, fair instep. 

The skin covered by the thin stockings shimmered with an alluring luster under the light.

She slowly lowered her head. 

Her deep phoenix eyes reflected Mu Xi’s slightly curled toes, which looked like startled butterfly wings.

Against the cool, smooth surface of the stockings, her burning tongue touched down with undeniable possessiveness.

“Ah…” Mu Xi’s body suddenly tensed. 

A strange numbness instantly exploded from her instep, racing along her nerve endings and straight to her brain.

Her mind went blank, leaving only that moist, soft, yet invasive sensation.

The sense of shame was like a rising tide, instantly drowning her and making it almost impossible to breathe.

She had never imagined that one day Ye Lan would treat her in such a — such a nearly devout yet desecrating way.

This woman had left the deepest mark on her blank memory, the person she instinctively relied on and longed for.

This feeling was too foreign, too stimulating. 

It caused a forgotten corner deep within her body to begin waking up, sending out a faint and dangerous signal of longing.

Ye Lan did not stop.

Her tongue patiently and meticulously moved along the beautiful curve of Mu Xi’s instep, licking every inch of skin wrapped in stockings.

That faint fragrance belonging to Mu Xi, mixed with the scent of the stocking material, drifted into Ye Lan’s nose, making her gaze grow darker.

She was like someone tasting a rare treasure. 

Every movement was slow and focused, carrying a nearly cruel tenderness.

Mu Xi’s trembling grew more intense. 

Her breathing was as ragged as a dying fish. 

Her chest heaved violently, and her heartbeat thundered in the silent cabin, making her eardrums feel numb.

She tightly shut her eyes. 

Her long silver eyelashes were like startled butterfly wings, fluttering frantically and revealing the storm within her heart.

The strange heat inside her grew more turbulent, making her feel dizzy. 

She was terrified, yet irredeemably drowning in it.

Her throat tightened. 

She bit her lower lip hard to keep any more shameful moans from escaping.

Just as Ye Lan’s lips and tongue were about to move up her slender ankle to explore more hidden territory, Mu Xi tensed her body instinctively and interrupted her with a broken, trembling voice.

“Ye Lan…” Her voice sounded like it had just been pulled from water, damp and hoarse. 

“Don’t… don’t be so gentle…”

Ye Lan’s movements instantly froze.

She raised her head, her deep eyes filled with confusion and a trace of subtle hurt.

She gazed at Mu Xi’s pale cheeks, which were flushed with an unnatural redness, not understanding the meaning behind her words.

‘Wasn’t tenderness… good?’

She thought this was what Mu Xi wanted.

“Little Xi?” Ye Lan’s voice was low, carrying a hint of uncertainty.

She released her grip on Mu Xi’s ankle and backed away slightly, creating a bit of distance as she tried to see Mu Xi’s expression clearly.

Mu Xi’s eyes remained closed, and her long eyelashes seemed damp with moisture.

She seemed to use all her strength just to speak again. 

This time, her voice was filled with a desperate gamble and a heart-wrenching craving.

“I…” She took a deep breath, her body trembling more noticeably, “I want you… to hit me.”

The air in the cabin seemed to freeze instantly.

Ye Lan went completely stiff. 

The confusion on her face turned into total shock and disbelief.

She suspected she had misheard, or that Mu Xi’s mind was becoming muddled again.

‘Hit her? Why? How could this treasure — whom I am afraid would melt if held too tightly in my palm — make such an absurd request?’

“Little Xi, you…” Ye Lan’s voice was dry, carrying a faint trace of panic. 

“Do you know what you’re saying?”

Mu Xi’s beautiful eyes were now filled with tears and a nearly insane obsession.

She looked at Ye Lan with the gaze of a drowning person grabbing onto the last piece of driftwood, full of pleading.

“I know!” Her voice suddenly rose, carrying a sharp edge, “I’m perfectly clear-headed! Ye Lan, please… hit me… anywhere is fine… use force…”

Her words were like the sharpest knives, stabbing ruthlessly into Ye Lan’s heart.

Ye Lan watched her as she wept, seeing the expression mixed with pain, shame, and a pathological longing. 

Her heart felt as if it had been soaked in cold salt water — bitter and astringent.

‘What is going on? Is this a lingering effect of Luoyuan’s control? Or had my past self left an indelible shadow on her heart?’

A surge of anger rose from the depths of Ye Lan’s heart — not at Mu Xi, but at the unknown that had caused all this.

But more than that, it was a sense of helplessness, a despair that came from watching something she loved break while being powerless to stop it.

It was the bitter fruit of her own wrongdoings.

“Ye Lan…”

Seeing that she remained still, Mu Xi’s voice became mournful again. 

She even struggled to sit up, reaching out a trembling hand to grab the corner of Ye Lan’s clothes. 

“Please… only this way… only this way can I feel… feel…”

Her words cut off abruptly, as if she didn’t know how to describe the feeling.

‘Is it the feeling of being alive? Or just the clarity brought by pain?’

Ye Lan watched her struggle in pain, and her internal defenses began to crumble bit by bit.

She didn’t want to hurt Mu Xi, not even a single strand of hair.

But Mu Xi’s current expression, that nearly self-destructive craving, filled her with a deeper fear.

‘If I refuse, will it push her into an even deeper abyss?’

“…Why?” Ye Lan’s voice was incredibly difficult. 

She forced herself to ask the question, even though she knew she might not get an answer. 

“Why do you want this?”

Mu Xi only shook her head, her tears flowing even more heavily. 

She repeatedly murmured, “Please… hit me… please…”

Ye Lan closed her eyes. 

When she opened them again, the struggle in her eyes had been replaced by a heavy sense of resolve.

She slowly raised her hand, her palm slightly damp with sweat from tension.

She looked at the slender, fragile calf just above Mu Xi’s ankle, which was still slightly flushed from the previous licking.

Her hand fell gently. 

Rather than a hit, it was a hesitant touch, the force as light as a passing feather.