Chapter 525: Extra: Yuan Shiyao - Under the Moon, Before the Stars (3)

The car drove out of the garage as dusk began to fall.

Before leaving, Jiang Qingli had prepared baseball caps, giving one to Yuan Shiyao. The two of them snuck out, but they were still recognized by a few sharp-eyed people as soon as they stepped outside.

Those people didn’t bother them, but being followed from a distance was still uncomfortable.

Jiang Qingli told the driver to lose them, pulled into a more secluded intersection, and got out with Yuan Shiyao. She found a shared electric car and scanned the code to unlock it.

Just as she was about to get into the driver’s seat, Yuan Shiyao said, “You must be tired from work today. I can drive.”

Jiang Qingli raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Is Secretary Yuan so amazing that he can predict where I’m going?”

Yuan Shiyao: “…”

He was usually the one who drove when they went out. Now that the roles were reversed, he was filled with even more anticipation than usual.

‘Where will she take me?’

It was just the two of them today, with no other distractions.

‘Perhaps… could it be… that the thing I’ve been looking forward to for so long might finally happen…’

Yuan Shiyao sat in the passenger seat, momentarily mesmerized as he watched Jiang Qingli’s profile.

He didn’t snap out of it until he felt a tightening sensation in front of him. He lifted his gaze.

Jiang Qingli was leaning over, one hand braced on the center console while the other grabbed the seatbelt, about to buckle it for Yuan Shiyao.

As the young man looked up, his face tilted slightly.

Their breaths mingled.

His long fingers closed around her wrist, caressing it gently.

Yuan Shiyao’s eyelashes fluttered, his eyes swirling with ardent love, yet his voice was soft and tinged with apprehension. “Sister-in-law, if we’re like this… and your husband finds out, will he—mmph—”

Before he could finish, Jiang Qingli, unable to stand it any longer, pinched his chin and pressed her mouth to his, silencing the rest of his words.

SNAP.

The seatbelt sprang back, striking Yuan Shiyao’s wrist.

The nylon strap left a red mark on his pale skin.

But he was in no state to think about anything else.

The world seemed to blur. All he could feel was the soft touch of her lips, followed by the slight, punishing sting of a bite.

‘I love this…’

Yuan Shiyao leaned in closer, his fingers tracing a suggestive path up her wrist.

She flinched, but he hooked his trembling fingers around hers as his own lips took the lead, launching an offensive.

Yuan Shiyao’s eyes were closed, but he could clearly hear her breathing deepen.

‘I love this…’

‘The mere thought of her ears turning red because of me makes my heart race erratically.’

Yuan Shiyao took a few heavy breaths and cupped the back of her head with one hand. Just as he leaned in again, she decisively pushed him away.

“It’s getting late.” Jiang Qingli sat back in the driver’s seat, fastened her seatbelt, and glanced at her watch. “Buckle up. If we go now, we can still make it.”

“Mm…”

Yuan Shiyao, seemingly still in a daze, stared at her profile. His lips were slightly parted, revealing their soft, crimson interior.

The kiss hadn’t even lasted three minutes.

Yet he looked as though he had been tortured for ages and was on the verge of death.

Jiang Qingli was a little exasperated. She urged, “…Hurry up and put on your seatbelt.”

His vacant eyes seemed to regain their focus. He blinked weakly, his voice hoarse and hazy. “Wh… at?”

Jiang Qingli’s gaze lingered on his face for a few seconds before she looked away. “…You, stop acting.”

Yuan Shiyao blinked.

He looked confused.

Jiang Qingli gritted her teeth, her face warming. “Don’t be like this every time.”

Yuan Shiyao pursed his glistening lips. “Like what?”

‘He’s still asking.’

Jiang Qingli had no choice but to say, “You make it seem like I… did something to you.”

Yuan Shiyao touched a fingertip to his lips. “Sorry. Maybe I’m just not very experienced yet.”

Several minutes had passed, yet his face and ears were still red. His breathing was faint, as if he had just recovered from a round of intimacy.

Jiang Qingli: “…”

‘Something *did* happen.’

‘But not *that* much!’

In the past, Jiang Qingli would have turned beet red.

But now, she chose to pretend she didn’t see a thing.

As their relationship grew more intimate, Yuan Shiyao’s true nature gradually revealed itself.

Jiang Qingli had discovered that he loved to seduce her. After she kissed or touched him, he’d put on an expression as if she had taken advantage of him. In reality, he had been clinging to her just now, unwilling to let go, secretly hoping she would be even more forward.

‘Where on earth did he learn this tactic of playing hard to get…’

‘No wonder people on the forums always called him a homewrecker. He really fits the part.’

‘How did I never notice this side of him before…’

But.

Jiang Qingli glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

The blush hadn’t faded from Yuan Shiyao’s face as he leaned languidly against the window.

The young man’s gaze still roamed over her, his lips moving slightly as if silently mouthing her name.

At some point, his Beastification traits had appeared.

Black cat ears twitched atop his head. His cat tail was coiled around a pillow on his lap, but then it slowly reached over to rub against her arm.

It was like a silent plea for affection, a show of gratitude, or… a seduction.

Specks of light floated in the enclosed space of the car, dancing around Jiang Qingli.

Jiang Qingli knew this was a sign of Yuan Shiyao’s happiness.

‘He gets this happy from just one kiss.’

‘Such a greedy, yet easily satisfied guy.’

Jiang Qingli swatted his tail away. “Stop messing around. We’re leaving.”

Yuan Shiyao noticed the slight curve of her lips. He retracted his tail and looked at his terminal.

He appeared to be sitting prim and proper.

In reality, his mind was filled with all sorts of wild thoughts, and he kept sneaking glances at her out of the corner of his eye.

When she occasionally caught him, he would be met with a fierce glare.

Yuan Shiyao leaned back against the seat, a satisfied smile playing on his lips as he turned his gaze to the window.

Watching the sunset outside, he sighed.

‘In truth, sometimes it wasn’t that I was intentionally trying to seduce her.’

‘It’s just that whenever she gets close, I can’t help myself…’

–

The destination wasn’t far.

They drove through bustling streets where the crowds gradually thinned out, and the car stopped in front of a tall, grandly designed building.

By now, Yuan Shiyao had composed himself.

He opened the door, got out, and looked at the building. “A planetarium?”

“That’s right. This place was renovated last year. Have you never been?” Jiang Qingli stood beside him, pulling two tickets from her bag and handing one to him.

Yuan Shiyao took it. “Why here? Did you want to see the stars?”

“I thought you’d be interested in this stuff,” Jiang Qingli said matter-of-factly. “Isn’t the wallpaper on your terminal always a picture of the moon?”

Yuan Shiyao was taken aback. “You… noticed.”

Jiang Qingli: “…Hey, I’m not blind.”

She waved the ticket, and with her other hand, she pulled the slightly dazed Yuan Shiyao toward the planetarium.

They had only taken a couple of steps when a clear, pleasant voice spoke up. “Female master.”

Jiang Qingli was looking down at the closing times and other notices, so she didn’t look up. “What is it now, great Secretary Yuan?”

She thought Yuan Shiyao had something to say.

But she suddenly felt the surroundings go silent.

The voice… it didn’t seem to have come from behind her.

Stunned, Jiang Qingli snapped her head up.

She was met with the sight of green eyes behind the glasses of a white-haired young man.

Jiang Qingli: !!!

“Female master.”

Yuan Shimo called out again.

He walked forward, took her hand, and rubbed her fingers twice with his thumb in an extremely intimate gesture.

A faint sound came from the side.

Yuan Shimo looked toward the source of the sound.

Only then did he “finally” seem to notice Yuan Shiyao’s presence. In a nonchalant tone, he said:

“Oh, you’re here too?”

“What a coincidence.”