Chapter 514 - 511: He Wasn’t as Magnanimous as He Thought

Chapter 514: Chapter 511: He Wasn’t as Magnanimous as He Thought

He began to take the lead, kissing her back deeply. He was no longer just passively receiving her affection. Instead, he claimed her fiercely yet tenderly, tangling with her as he poured all his long-suppressed love, longing, desire, and desperation into the kiss.

It was as if he wanted to convey every ounce of his feelings to her through that single kiss.

Not even the cool seawater could quell the heat that was rapidly building between them. Within the magnificent palace, nothing remained but the sound of their mingled breaths and the faint, intimate noises that would make anyone blush.

In a moment’s pause, as she was lost in a daze of passion, Jiao Yin pressed his forehead to hers. His dark red eyes gazed deeply into her own misty ones as he whispered in a voice thick with emotion, as if making a sacred vow:

"Wanwan... Whether you acknowledge this when you wake tomorrow, and whether or not I can ever truly become your Beast Husband... having you right now, in this moment... I, Jiao Yin, will have no regrets in this life."

As his words faded, the final barrier between them was removed. The gentle seawater swirled around their tightly joined bodies. The bed of pearl and shell swayed gently, sending out soft, intimate ripples...

An unknown amount of time passed before Bai Wanwan’s muddled consciousness, like a sunken ship, began its slow, difficult ascent from a warm, disorienting abyss.

A sharp headache and an unfamiliar ache deep in her muscles were the first things to assail her, causing her to knit her brows in discomfort.

She pried her heavy eyelids open with great effort. Her vision was a blur at first before it slowly sharpened.

The first thing she saw was Jiao Yin’s face, up close and impossibly handsome.

His ice-blue eyes were brimming with an intense adoration and a sated tenderness, threatening to spill over. He stared at her unblinkingly, as if he could never drink his fill of the sight.

Seeing her awake, a blissful, tender smile graced his lips. He couldn’t resist lowering his head again to place a cherishing kiss on her forehead.

"You’re awake?" His voice was hoarse, yet full of affection.

Memories flooded back in sharp fragments—scorching, chaotic images tangled with the haze of alcohol and the tides of passion, crashing into her mind.

Bai Wanwan’s mind went blank for several seconds before she could be certain that what had just happened was not a dream.

Her immediate instinct was to reach out and push him away.

However, no sooner had she raised her hand than it was gently caught in Jiao Yin’s large, warm one, completely enveloped in his palm.

His gaze was reverent and tender. "Wanwan... I love you. Thank you... for accepting me."

His tone was full of the gratitude and reverence one would have upon finally obtaining a long-coveted treasure. It was like a tiny needle, unexpectedly piercing the softest part of Bai Wanwan’s heart.

The hand she had raised to push him away froze in mid-air, suddenly devoid of all strength.

There was no denying she had feelings for Jiao Yin. Though it had all started in a haze of confusion, her subsequent surrender... had not been entirely against her will.

But Jiao Yin, it seemed, had no intention of giving her time to sort through her tangled emotions.

He leaned down to kiss her again, and with a fresh wave of tenderness and passion, he silently dismantled the last vestiges of reason and the questions that had just begun to form in her mind...

Hua Han stood with his back against the cool, ornate coral wall, as still as a frozen statue.

The intermittent sounds coming from the room—suppressed, yet unable to conceal the passion within—were like blunt knives repeatedly carving into his heart.

His face was pale, his fists clenched so tightly his nails dug into his palms.

’A war raged within him.’

’He knew this was an enormous risk, that it would most likely infuriate Wanwan. But he had seen it clearly before: in Bai Wanwan’s heart, Jiao Yin clearly held more weight than he did.’

’That was why he’d taken such a risky gamble, going to great lengths to "help them get together." At the very least, he considered his debt to Jiao Yin repaid.’

’Whether Wanwan accepted or rejected him, that was something the two of them needed to discuss in private.’

’He hoped Wanwan would accept Jiao Yin. Then he and Jiao Yin could form an alliance and protect her together, always.’

’And yet... actually hearing the sounds from inside, hearing that Wanwan didn’t seem to be resisting... an indescribable mix of bitterness and regret surged through him, as if he had just pushed away his most precious treasure with his own hands.’

At some point, Jiao Yue had quietly slipped back. Listening to the activity inside, her face was a mask of unconcealed excitement and glee. When she looked at Hua Han, however, her expression held a trace of guilt mixed with gratitude. "Thank you so, so much for this. You’ve helped my brother out in a huge way. From now on, you will always be an honored guest of the Merfolk Clan. If there’s ever anything you need, the Merfolk Clan will surely give you our full support!"

Hua Han’s thoughts were a tangled mess; he was in no mood to pay any mind to her promises.

He just gave a distracted "Mhm," his gaze still locked on the tightly shut door as if he could bore a hole through it with his eyes.

He had no idea when Jiao Yue left his side.

Not until he heard familiar footsteps approaching did he notice Yan Lie had returned after putting the cubs to bed.

Yan Lie found it odd to see Hua Han standing stock-still like a pillar in front of Wanwan’s door, a terrible look on his face. "Hua Han? What are you doing just standing here? Where’s Wanwan?"

The words had barely left his mouth when his sharp ears caught the faint, all-too-familiar sounds coming from within the room—the soft sighs of an aroused female.

Yan Lie’s expression soured. Even after sharing Wanwan for so long, hearing her be intimate with another of her mates still caused a primal possessiveness and jealousy to rear its ugly head.

"Is... Zhu Xiu back?" He instinctively assumed one of her mates who had been away had returned.

Hua Han’s eyes darted away as he mumbled an indistinct reply, deliberately avoiding Yan Lie’s gaze.

Yan Lie frowned, shooting a long look at the closed door. In the end, he didn’t say anything, just turned and walked away, agitated, looking for something else to distract himself.

The sounds from inside continued, intermittently, for an unknown length of time.

For Hua Han, every minute, every second, was an eternity of torment.

He had overestimated his own tolerance. He discovered he couldn’t bear the torture of having pushed the one he loved into another’s arms with his own hands.

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, he abruptly raised his hand and knocked sharply on the door.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

The intimate sounds from within came to an abrupt halt.

After several seconds, Jiao Yin’s strained, hoarse voice called out, "Wait... wait a minute!"

That "wait a minute" felt like a knife twisting in Hua Han’s heart, leaving it raw and bleeding.

He spoke through gritted teeth, his voice carrying a tremor and an urgency he himself didn’t realize was there. "What about Wanwan? Is she alright?"

Inside the room, Bai Wanwan, who was being kissed tenderly in Jiao Yin’s embrace, clearly heard Hua Han’s voice outside.

In that instant, hazy fragments of the previous night flashed through her mind.

’It was him who handed her the drink. It was his shifty eyes, his unusual attentiveness...’

A cold dread, the feeling of being schemed against, shot up from the pit of her stomach, scattering much of the passion-fueled haze.

Her eyes turned cold.

"Ignore him." She heard her own voice, calm and even a little chilling.

With that, she took the initiative, wrapping her arms around the neck of a stunned Jiao Yin, who had been startled by the interruption. She pulled his head down and kissed him again, her actions a clear signal that he was not to answer the door.