The earlobe was a sensitive spot for Lin Ting.
After being bitten and then gently sucked by Duan Ling, a tingling sensation spread uncontrollably throughout her body.
His action caught her off guard.
Lin Ting was momentarily stunned, standing still until the dampness on her earlobe grew increasingly warm.
She instinctively turned her face to look at Duan Ling, but his lips, which hadn’t yet left, brushed against her warm cheek, leaving a soft touch that lingered ambiguously at the corner of her lips.
Lin Ting’s throat tightened.
Every time Duan Ling kissed her, it was always sudden, leaving her unprepared and frozen for a moment.
Her earlobe still felt warm, as if it were still being held in his mouth.
Lin Ting wanted to reach out and touch it, to dispel the lingering tingling, but she restrained herself.
“The reason he came to see me today was because he heard from the Imperial Guards that I had a fever. He left in less than a quarter of an hour.”
Duan Ling was very close to Lin Ting, his nose pressed against hers, his long eyelashes occasionally brushing against her skin: “So that’s it. I thought you preferred having Mr. Jin, your ‘friend,’ accompany you.”
Lin Ting:”….”
She thought too much.
They couldn’t stay together for too long.
Unless they were on a mission for the bookstore, they would end up arguing.
Their longest argument lasted for an hour, and a few times they almost came to blows.
It wasn’t exactly a fight, but they would grab whatever was at hand and throw it at each other.
Every time, Lin Ting emerged victorious, and Jin Anazi would say he couldn’t be bothered to argue with a mad woman.
So there was no way she could enjoy having him around, as it would only lead to arguments.
It was better to meet occasionally just to confirm that the other was still alive.
However, when Duan Ling encountered Jin Anazi downstairs at the inn, he probably didn’t expose his impersonation of an Imperial Guard, or there would have been a commotion, and she would have heard it.
Since there was no disturbance, it meant Duan Ling had let Jin Anazi off the hook once again.
The reason Duan Ling always turned a blind eye was that Jin Anazi was her friend.
Lin Ting’s heart skipped a beat.
Meanwhile, Duan Ling lowered his eyes, slowly inhaling Lin Ting’s scent, a morbid longing as if he wanted her essence to remain on him forever.
Yet, he hid it well, so well that even he didn’t realize this seemingly instinctive act.
“If I had known you preferred having friends around, I would have brought Lingyun today. Why bother Mr. Jin every time?”
Lin Ting’s eyelids fluttered.
Bring Duan Lingyun to North Long Street?
Everyone wanted to leave this place, yet he suggested bringing his own sister.
Duan Ling must be joking.
She couldn’t quite handle the heat radiating from Duan Ling, feeling as if it were burning straight into her chest.
She wanted to step back and escape, but seeing his face so close, she inexplicably stopped.
“Don’t joke around. This place is dangerous. How could you bring Lingyun here?”
Duan Ling seemed to be genuinely joking and didn’t dwell on the matter further.
He stepped back slightly, but in the next moment, he kissed her again, his lips landing on her tightly closed mouth, his tongue brushing against the corner of her lips.
Lin Ting’s feet remained rooted, but her head tilted slightly back.
She raised her hand, wanting to retrieve the scarf Duan Ling had taken off, to cover her mouth and nose.
But she failed.
His legs were longer than hers, and his arms were too.
She couldn’t reach it, so she gave up trying to reclaim the scarf.
She felt her breath was even hotter than when she had first fallen ill during the day.
Lin Ting adjusted her breathing: “I’m still sick, so… this could pass it on to you. Honestly, I wouldn’t kiss someone who’s sick.”
Duan Ling, perhaps noticing her rosy complexion, had forgotten that she had just been ill that morning.
Duan Ling paused for a moment, rubbing the handkerchief in his hand as he gazed at her: “You avoided me just now because you’re still sick?”
Lin Ting hesitated: “Yes.”
Duan Ling: “Right, you like me, so why would you avoid me? It’s because you’re still sick.”
Here we go again.
Lin Ting had grown accustomed to hearing him say “You like me.”
She couldn’t refute it, so she simply nodded, her expression saying, “You’re right, that’s exactly it.”
She carefully added: “You’re the Imperial Guard responsible for East Street and North Long Street. If you were to develop a fever, even if it’s not the plague but just a common cold, your subordinates would panic.”
Duan Ling: “If I catch it, so be it…”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he pried open Lin Ting’s slightly parted lips and kissed her deeply.
The moment he truly kissed her, Duan Ling felt the restlessness in his body ease.
Lin Ting was stunned.
She had thought Duan Ling would stop once he knew the reason, but instead, he kissed her anyway.
Was he really not afraid of catching her cold?
Before Lin Ting could think further, Duan Ling let go of the handkerchief and steadied the back of her neck with his hand.
His tongue pressed against hers gently but persistently, pulling her tongue into his mouth, allowing her to briefly occupy his body through the kiss.
Lin Ting felt her lips and tongue repeatedly brushed by Duan Ling.
They were so close that, in a way, the kiss was at a negative distance.
She heard Duan Ling swallowing her saliva again, as if it were just ordinary tea.
This kiss lasted longer than any before.
As they kissed, Lin Ting found herself being lifted onto the table.
But there was still a height difference between them, and Duan Ling had to bend slightly to reach her.
Duan Ling kissed her from below, tilting his head upward.
Unconsciously, he positioned Lin Ting above him, making it seem as though she were the one initiating the kiss.
Gradually, the kiss reached an unprecedented depth.
Lin Ting’s heart raced, and her intuition told her it was time to stop.
Just as she was about to speak, Duan Ling turned his face away, bending even lower to rest his chin on her shoulder.
After a while, Duan Ling pulled away from Lin Ting and gently wiped the moisture from the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief—a remnant of their kiss.
Lin Ting felt her mouth filled with the scent of agarwood, fragrant and intoxicating.
Seeing Duan Ling wipe so slowly, it tickled her.
She snatched the handkerchief and wiped her mouth haphazardly, making her lips even redder: “I can do it myself.”
Duan Ling turned and poured her a glass of water.
Lin Ting tossed the handkerchief aside and drank the water he poured.
She was so thirsty.
Perhaps it was because Duan Ling kept swallowing her saliva, but after the kiss, she felt parched and needed to rehydrate.
The room was too quiet, so Lin Ting searched for something to say: “Don’t you need to accompany the Eastern Depot Director on his inspection?”
Judging by the Eastern Depot Director’s demeanor, he intended to inspect the entire North Long Street.
Her inn was at the start of the street, meaning they had only just begun their inspection.
“It’s still early. I’ll accompany the Director to inspect various parts of North Long Street later.”
She quietly slipped off the table, smoothing out the wrinkles in her dress: “Didn’t His Majesty entrust the plague matter entirely to the Imperial Guards? Why did he suddenly involve the Eastern Depot?”
Duan Ling pursed her lips slightly, “The Emperor’s intentions are hard to fathom. Who knows what His Majesty is thinking?”
“You should go now, don’t delay.”
At this point, Lin Ting pretended to be very sleepy, yawning several times, “It’s easy to feel drowsy when you’re sick. I feel like sleeping again.”
Duan Ling: “Go ahead and sleep.”
Lin Ting lay down on the bed, covering herself with the quilt, only her head peeking out: “Will you still come tonight? With how busy it is, you probably won’t come over, right?”
“After I finish the patrol, I’ll come over. Aren’t you still sick? You’ll need someone by your side at night.” Duan Ling tightened the slightly loose wrist guard.
When they kissed, her hands didn’t know where to go, so she grabbed his wrist, loosening the guard.
As the wrist guard was securely fastened, all the scars disappeared into the shadows.
“I’m almost better.”
These past few nights, facing Duan Ling, Lin Ting had been feeling a bit nervous.
As for what she was nervous about, she couldn’t quite put it into words.
Duan Ling took a few steps, opened the door, and repeated, “I’ll come over.”
“But I’m going to sleep.”
If she fell asleep, she wouldn’t be able to open the door for Duan Ling.
Lin Ting didn’t want to be woken up from a good sleep and then have to face him without being able to get angry.
“I know.”
Lin Ting thought for a few seconds and compromised, “Then I won’t lock the door. You can just come in when you arrive. That way, you won’t wake me up.”
Before leaving, Duan Ling wiped the nearly dried water stain from the corner of her lips.
As soon as Duan Ling left Lin Ting’s room and went downstairs, Ta Xuening had just finished inspecting the inn and walked up to him: “Commander Duan, why didn’t you stay upstairs a bit longer with Miss Lin Qi?”
He remained composed, “Isn’t it because I need to accompany the Director on the inspection of North Long Street?”
“With Commander Duan’s abilities, it wouldn’t be difficult to get Miss Lin Qi out of here. Why keep her in such a dangerous place? Are you afraid of being impeached by those censors, or are you afraid His Majesty will blame you for bending the law for personal gain?” Ta Xuening seemed to be teasing.
Duan Ling smiled in response, answering flawlessly, “As a member of the Imperial Guards, I must always prioritize His Majesty and the court above all else.”
What a way to always prioritize His Majesty and the court.
Ta Xuening scoffed.
He seized every opportunity to mock Duan Ling, not for anyone’s sake: “No wonder they say the Imperial Guards have no true feelings, only power in their eyes. Commander Duan, aren’t you afraid Miss Lin Qi might regret publicly proposing to you and later find someone else?”
Duan Ling’s smile didn’t fade, and he didn’t refute the words, like a magnanimous gentleman he said:
“The Imperial Guards naturally can’t compare to the Eastern Depot in terms of affection.”
Ta Xuening narrowed his eyes.
The phrase “the Eastern Depot has affection” would probably make people laugh their heads off if it were spoken aloud.
Everyone knows the Eastern Depot is involved in all sorts of dirty deeds, adept at fabricating charges and framing loyal officials for their own benefit, unworthy of even mentioning the word “affection.”
On the surface, the people show respect to the Eastern Depot, but in private, they spit at them, both because they find these rootless, neither male nor female eunuchs dirty, and because they despise them for doing all sorts of evil deeds, considering even the slightest contact with them to be bad luck.