Chapter 96: I Don’t Want To

Disheveled clothes, eyes closed, Liu Xie wore a dazed expression, the faint blush on her cheeks seemed to whisper something seductive.

Liu Anran glanced at the blonde woman he had just thrown onto the soft bed and let out a long breath.

No matter what, no matter how tempting Liu Xie was on the road.

Even if Liu Xie was arching her back like a mosquito-bitten head behind him, occasionally opening her mouth to lightly nibble on the exposed skin of his neck.

It was as if she were fighting the last few mosquitoes by the seaside—though all those mosquitoes together hadn’t bitten him as much as Liu Xie alone.

“Huff…”

Liu Anran leaned on the washbasin, pulling open the first two buttons of his black shirt, revealing a hidden area usually unseen.

Of course, that wasn’t the main focus after loosening his collar.

He looked up at the mirror above the washbasin, the boy’s face always carrying a cold shadow now showing a vacant look in his eyes.

Through the mirror, those vacant eyes stared at the uneven but almost densely clustered red dots circling his neck.

They looked like mosquito bites—oh, the bites from the so-called mosquito named Liu Xie.

The center—the part of the neck beneath his chin—had few red marks, naturally, because Liu Xie was behind him, unable to bite the front.

He had tried some massage, even alternating cold and hot compresses, but unfortunately, those red marks weren’t fading easily.

Though it wasn’t exactly something shameful—after all, these marks were left by Liu Xie, not by some stranger.

Still, going out with that circle of marks felt like wearing a name tag, one that boldly displayed the name “Liu Xie.”

Thinking it over, Liu Anran decided to ignore the marks for now. If necessary, he could wear a scarf and say he’d been sick lately. Once the marks faded, he could claim he’d recovered.

With that in mind, he shifted his gaze back to the restless Liu Xie on the bed.

She didn’t seem to be sleeping comfortably, often frowning and shifting her body.

She wasn’t wearing a dress—her top was a blue three-quarter sleeve shirt, and her bottom was white denim shorts, so no risk of exposing anything from below.

But the upper half was a different story. This one was reaching her hand inside her shirt, tugging at something.

Right in front of Liu Anran, pulling and pulling at some unknown item.

Just as Liu Anran wondered what could possibly withstand such tugging inside her clothes, a warm piece of black fabric was suddenly thrown at his face and landed in his hand.

It was the piece of cloth covering Liu Xie’s chest, still warm from just being removed.

That piece of fabric gave Liu Anran a strange feeling—if he pressed it to his nose and took a gentle sniff, maybe he could still catch a faint scent.

Freed from that fabric’s restraint, Liu Xie’s chest clearly bounced more vividly, rippling noticeably with each turn.

Liu Anran had seen all kinds of scenes, but this was something entirely new.

He froze in place.

Watching Liu Xie’s furrowed brow relax, it seemed the removal of that fabric relieved a great deal of pressure, letting her feel much lighter.

Then he looked down at the black fabric in his hand, still warm from her body, and could clearly see the sheer lace edging.

Having seen countless dramatic scenes, Liu Anran now found himself at a loss.

Perhaps in his mind, such a scene shouldn’t have existed between him and Liu Xie.

Yet here he was, unable to ignore her.

“Huff…”

Shaking off the heavy pressure in his mind, Liu Anran placed Liu Xie’s intimate clothing—the warm piece of fabric—on the bedside table.

He reached out, supporting Liu Xie’s back and legs, slipped off her shoes, and carefully positioned her fully on the bed.

After finally settling the blonde down, Liu Anran’s thoughts couldn’t stop racing—what if Liu Xie rolled off the bed? What if she caught a cold because she wasn’t covered? Or if she kicked off the blanket?

He couldn’t just leave her here comfortably.

His mind wandered back to why he had come in the first place—simply because he saw Liu Xie had booked a double room at the seaside hotel.

He rushed over, only to find it wasn’t what he’d imagined: his good sister was just on a team-building trip with her roommates.

But when he saw Liu Xie, he found he didn’t want to just turn and leave.

It was as if all his suspicions and doubts before learning it was a misunderstanding needed compensation—at least two words with Liu Xie, or some private moments, so he could leave at ease.

Then he received a call from Ye Qingchang telling him Liu Xie was drunk.

If possible, he’d rather talk to a sober Liu Xie.

But the drunken Liu Xie was bold, saying things and doing actions she never would sober.

Like the red marks circling his neck.

It was kind of cute—something he’d never experienced before.

There happened to be another bed nearby, so he could stay beside Liu Xie, watching over her until she stabilized.

Just as he was about to turn toward the other bed, his wrist was suddenly grabbed and pulled to the bed’s edge, face-to-face with Liu Xie.

“Liu Anran, why can’t I see your face?”

Liu Anran looked at her closed eyes and twitched at the corner of his mouth.

“No need to look. You should just get some good sleep,” he said, trying to pull his hand back.

But Liu Xie didn’t let him go. Instead, she reached out and grabbed his wrist.

“My chest feels so tight, it’s hard to sleep. Can you check if I’m choking on something?”

Liu Anran had no idea how to check for choking in this situation.

Then Liu Xie pressed his hand down onto those two huge, soft mounds.

It was another scene Liu Anran had never seen before. He could fully feel, with every press, the flesh overflowing eagerly between his fingers.

Before he could react, there were three knocks on the door, two footsteps, and a voice calling out.

“I forgot something. Coming to get it,” Ye Qingchang entered and saw the scene just then.

Liu Anran was carrying Liu Xie on his back when he entered, so he hadn’t even closed the door behind him.

“She got drunk and is causing trouble.”

“I know, I know. This one’s always trouble when she’s drunk. Good thing you’re here, or we’d have a headache,” Ye Qingchang said casually, grabbed her things, waved, and left.

Liu Anran was stunned.

He looked down at the unmistakable posture and touch, then at Ye Qingchang walking away.

He had expected some kind of accident, some misunderstanding he’d need to explain, but there was none.

Why was there no misunderstanding?

Liu Anran was momentarily speechless.

Wouldn’t that make it look like he was hoping for some kind of misunderstanding?

What exactly was he thinking?

The restless blonde on the bed finally loosened her grip on his wrist, murmured something, turned, and settled into a comfortable sleeping position.

Just because he was Liu Xie’s brother was enough to put her roommates at ease.

Because he was Liu Xie’s brother, there was no misunderstanding.

But he wanted there to be.

Liu Anran pulled his hand back, staring blankly at Liu Xie on the bed.

“But I don’t want to just be your brother.”