Li Meirong stilled, as per his demand. A bashful expression dominated her features. She bit her swollen lip ever so slightly, looking as though she yearned to speak but was holding herself back.

Her long, dark tresses tumbled over her shoulders and spilled across Zhu Qingyue's exposed pectorals. The man underneath her raised an arm to tuck a few stray locks behind Li Meirong's ear.

Thump. Thump. Thump...

As she gazed, spellbound, into the man's expressive eyes, the sound of her own heartbeat echoed in her ears.

Feather-like hair framed his exquisitely sculpted face, more captivating and beautiful than any man or woman she had ever laid eyes on. Zhu Qingyue looked like a person who had never suffered any sorrows nor worked a day in his life, and yet, the feel of the rock hard body underneath her was that of an athlete, or in this era, perhaps a seasoned warrior. A man who frequently experienced the hardships of battle.

'And to think he is terminally ill… This man is full of contradictions.'

Time stood still for what felt like an eternity.

Consequently, Zhu Qingyue said with a throaty voice, "You are quite daring."

After the words were spoken, the special moment between them all but vanished. Li Meirong felt compelled to defend whatever was left of her dignity, she started sputtering, "There's a perfectly good reason for this! Actually, I only wanted to wake you up, but then in your sleep, you-you grabbed me! And no matter what I did, you refused to let go. And then by accident I also, I mean, my mouth was shoved against yours…"

As Li Meirong finished that pathetic excuse for an explanation, she mentally berated herself. 'Of all the ways to explain an accidental kiss, I had to make it sound so stupid! And why am I so flustered, anyway?! We already did the deed!'

The edges of Bai Qingyue's lips tilted very slightly upwards into a smirk, the change in his expression so small it was almost imperceptible. 'How is it possible for a girl to be so adorable? Even when she is frustrated or angry, she still remains irresistibly cute.'

He wanted to see more of her expressions. He wanted to learn everything about her.

When he was pretending to be asleep and pulled her to him, he didn't expect to be so fortunate. He had been just about to release Li Meirong when he felt her tender warmth grinding against him.

He may have tackled her first, but she was the one tantalizing his senses! He had to stop her from arousing him further before his lust could get the better of him. Bai Qingyue was dangerously close to ravaging the girl.

'So now, she's shifting all the responsibility to me, is that right? Well, two can play this game.'

Disregarding her account of the situation, Bai Qingyue's sword-like eyebrows furrowed and arranged his expression to project that of a victim who had been deeply wronged. He moved his hand from Li Meirong's waist to the side of his cheek, concealing part of his face behind his sleeve.

"There is no need for an explanation between husband and wife. Now that we are a couple, Wife can touch me whenever she so pleases. I am more than willing to grant my affections, however you must finish what you started." His low voice, a hoarse whisper. The spoken words made Li Meirong wish she could just disappear back into her dimension for a few centuries!

However, she chose to focus on the most immediate problem, and that was her compromising position. Now that she was no longer held captive, Li Meirong used the opportunity to leap from the bed, pointing an accusing finger at Zhu Qingyue. "Y-you! Who is your wife? I said I would be responsible for you, but I didn't say we'd be married! And I didn't mean to jump on you, it was an accident!"