'That's not how it works.' Li Meirong wanted to say, but as she opened her mouth, no words came out.

Zhu Qingyue's direct gaze unnerved her into speechlessness. He looked like he was fighting to suppress something within himself, though what, she wasn't so sure. When he looked at her like that, it reminded her of the time she had found Snowball in the woods, and of Chou's frightened pleas to leave the fox cub to his own devices.

Peculiarly, the silly carnivorous plant spirit had proclaimed that little Snowball had wanted to eat her.

However, instead of harmless little Snowball being a threat to her life, she felt a certain sense of danger emanating from the fair-haired man on top of her. It felt as if he was the one who wanted to gobble her up.

As these thoughts threatened to overwhelm her, Zhu Qingyue's panting breaths caused her nerves to be on edge, drawing her back to the present.

"There will be no divorce, understood?" Zhu Qingyue's baritone voice lowered to a murmur, breathing hard. The flash of his fangs vanished in an instant.

"Understood." Li Meirong nodded dumbly at Zhu Qingyue as she realized what it was about him that made her feel scared.

Unfortunately, she wasn't capable of thinking of a witty comeback, and pettily blamed his bewitching appearance for her lack of concentration.

Especially those amber eyes… so terrible was their beauty.

As though she was spellbound, she couldn't help but gaze back into their depths. His eyes shone like sunlight on pools of mirrors, reflecting a heat wherever they looked. His anger was slowly being replaced with a different kind of heat that made her whole body perspire.

Li Meirong's heart raced as Zhu Qingyue made a sound low in his throat. He gradually loosened his hold over her wrists, and reached down to snare her mouth in a chaste kiss.

His hands slowly moved down to either side of her, keeping himself steady atop her as he gently caressed her. Everything else became a hazy blur to Li Meirong, and she could only concentrate on the softness of his lips, the warmth of his touch.

Their lips kept connecting and gliding over each other in a sort of teasing dance until Zhu Qingyue groaned in frustration against her, ripping his mouth free.

"Do not look at me like that." Zhu Qingyue's voice sank into a plea, softening to a barely audible whisper. "I won't be able to control myself if you do. I am not so honourable as to not take advantage of you."

Li Meirong raised her freed hand to him, ghosting her fingers over the face of a man too perfect to be true. The only flaw that showed on him was a pain-filled expression that made him look a little less alien, and a little more real. She slowly slid her delicate fingers down his fine eyebrows, shutting one eyelid at a time.

"If that is the case," she started saying as her blush deepened. The heady wine in her veins spurred her tongue forward. "Then don't look. Let me be the one to ravage the beauty."

Her words earned her a short chuckle of amusement. "What would you have me do?"

She swallowed hard, gathering her drunken courage. "I want to be the one to make the decisions tonight."

"Consider it done."

A small smile, full of mischief, slowly spread across Li Meirong's face. In a slow and deliberate movement, she began to remove Zhu Qingyue's robe from his shoulders. As her hands slowly glided down his chest, she could feel his heartbeat quicken under her touch, its drumbeat rhythm matching her own.

"I want to be on top," she brazenly stated.

A moment later, Li Meirong squealed when she felt Zhu Qingyue's palms firmly cupping her ass. Her arms held him around the neck for balance as he effortlessly shifted into a sitting position, hoisting her to straddle him.