Chapter 527: Yuan Shiyao's Side Story: Under the Moon and Before the Stars (Finale)

Hot breath fell against the side of her face, near her ear. In the narrow, dim room, every subtle movement was infinitely magnified, stimulating her nerves and senses.

A fluffy touch brushed against her through the thin fabric. It was his cat tail.

Between kisses, Jiang Qingli tried to remind him, “There are cameras—mmph—”

She only managed a few syllables before he captured her lips again.

“Not anymore…”

Yuan Shiyao caressed her lips with the pads of his fingers, then traced over her cheeks where another male had touched her, as if trying to cover the spot again and again.

He pressed his forehead against hers, a certain stubbornness in his breathy voice. “I paid. The cameras aren’t running now.”

Jiang Qingli was speechless.

‘So when he left just now, he was taking care of the cameras.’

‘He’d planned on doing something all along, hadn’t he?’

Jiang Qingli lifted her knee, and a muffled grunt sounded beside her ear.

Perhaps thinking she was displeased, Yuan Shiyao stroked her hair and said softly, “It’s okay. No one will find out.”

‘It sounded less like he was comforting her and more like he was giving himself a pep talk.’

Jiang Qingli had to suppress a laugh. “Did I say I was sorry? And here you are, saying ‘it’s okay.'”

Yuan Shiyao froze.

Whatever he was thinking of, his earlier high spirits suddenly plummeted.

He hunched over, burying his face in the crook of her neck. His voice was muffled. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to, either.”

“I shouldn’t be competing with my brother.”

“But today… the one you asked out was me.”

“Even if you decide to be with him today, can’t you spare me a little time before the event ends?”

His voice grew quieter and quieter. “I won’t leave any marks. I won’t let my brother find out.”

Yuan Shiyao knew that as someone with no official claim on her, he should be satisfied just to remain by her side. He should stop.

‘But he still wanted more.’

Yuan Shiyao’s fingers tightened as he awaited her verdict.

Suddenly, the image of her and Yuan Shimo in the photo room earlier today flashed through his mind—the moment she bent down to kiss him.

‘She’ll choose Yuan Shimo, won’t she?’

‘To press the issue would be to invite humiliation…’

A few seconds of silence felt longer to him than several hours.

Yuan Shiyao loosened his grip and said in a low voice, “I get it. I’ll leave now. I won’t make things difficult for you, and… I won’t be the one who’s just extra.”

He had just taken a step back when she suddenly grabbed the cat ears on top of his head.

Yuan Shiyao looked up, his gaze meeting Jiang Qingli’s clear, dark eyes in the darkness.

Her eyes crinkled in a smile. “I haven’t said a thing. How have you already acted out the entire drama all by yourself?”

Yuan Shiyao’s heart skipped a beat as he realized something. “You mean… could it be…?”

“I have a feeling you’ll get really smug if I say it.” Jiang Qingli took his hand and used it to wipe her lips. “Didn’t you say it yourself? The one I asked out today was you, wasn’t it?”

As soon as Jiang Qingli spoke, she felt him stiffen.

‘What is this new plot twist?’

Jiang Qingli raised a hand to wave in front of his eyes, only to have her wrist snatched in a firm grip.

Yuan Shiyao lowered his head and buried his face in her palm, nuzzling and kissing it, clingily refusing to let go. “I won’t be any worse than him. Really.”

“I know, I know.” Jiang Qingli ruffled his hair, then found and flipped on the light switch. “Get yourself ready. I’m taking you somewhere.”

“Just me?” Yuan Shiyao’s eyes sparkled. “You’re so good to me.”

Jiang Qingli sighed internally.

‘See? I knew he’d get smug.’

…

The events that followed were like a film on fast-forward.

A moonless night, the roar of the rain, order giving way to chaos.

…

When Jiang Qingli opened her eyes again, her vision was still a little blurry.

The arm around her tightened slightly. Yuan Shiyao was holding her from behind. “You’re awake?” he asked.

Jiang Qingli nodded.

The lights were off, and the room was still dim. It was impossible to tell if it was day or night.

The fingers resting on her waist twitched.

Jiang Qingli’s still-groggy mind cleared instantly, and she slapped his hand away.

Yuan Shiyao was instantly nervous. “What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable? Did I do something wrong?”

Jiang Qingli opened her mouth. “No, I’m just thirsty.”

“I’ll go get it.”

Yuan Shiyao breathed a sigh of relief and went to get her some water.

Leaning back, Jiang Qingli realized she was lying on a sofa.

When she looked up, she saw a sky full of brilliant stars.

This was the hotel next to the planetarium. The penthouse suite had a ceiling of one-way glass, allowing a clear view of the stars outside.

‘To be able to see the stars now must mean… it’s the following night already?’

‘No wonder I feel so exhausted.’

Especially since Yuan Shiyao was so preoccupied with the gap between him and Yuan Shimo. He kept making comparisons every few moments, adding a Spiritual Attack to everything else.

Eventually, Jiang Qingli couldn’t take it anymore and slapped him twice. Only then did he finally stop bringing it up and change the subject.

‘How terrifying.’

Jiang Qingli shook her head, trying to banish the images, and leaned back to watch the stars.

Yuan Shiyao walked over with the water. He didn’t dare let his gaze wander, keeping it fixed on Jiang Qingli’s face as she drank.

Moistened by the warm water, her lips appeared even more flushed.

Yuan Shiyao’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he averted his gaze.

After she finished her water, Yuan Shiyao sat down beside her. He watched her for a moment, and once he was sure she didn’t mind, he carefully pulled her onto his lap, resting his chin lightly on her shoulder.

Jiang Qingli leaned into his embrace, wanting to watch the stars for a while, but it wasn’t more than a few minutes before he started getting restless again.

Yuan Shiyao lowered his head, his lips brushing against the tip of her ear and her hair as if by accident. His cat tail rubbed against her calf, then swept across her palm, lingering there clingily.

Jiang Qingli let him be at first, but as he grew bolder, she grabbed his tail.

Yuan Shiyao jumped, his whole body going limp against her. His breath hitched. “Don’t pull…”

Jiang Qingli tugged a little harder. “In heat?” she asked.

Hearing such blunt words from her, Yuan Shiyao’s entire body went limp—all except for one part.

Even his voice was soft, as faint as a mosquito’s hum. “No…”

“Then what’s this?”

“Stop asking…”

“But it’s obvious you want me to ask.”

‘As if she didn’t know him by now.’

Looking at his dewy eyes, Jiang Qingli was suddenly struck by a playful impulse. She picked up his terminal, unlocked it, aimed it at him, and took a picture. CLICK.

The image of the young man’s slightly widened eyes was captured.

Jiang Qingli’s lips curled into a smirk. “Don’t you people at the court care all about evidence? I’m just taking this to prevent you from trying to weasel your way out of it later.”

‘She wanted to mess with him on purpose.’

But she had severely overestimated Yuan Shiyao’s moral baseline.

Having his picture taken like that made Yuan Shiyao tremble even more violently. It took him several seconds to speak. “Then you should use your terminal to take it. That way…” He bit her finger, his gaze so thick with desire it could practically be spun into thread. “You can use it to threaten me, to make me do whatever you want.”

He leaned in to find her lips, his voice hoarse and seductive. “Qingli, I’ll do anything you say…”

The terminal slipped from her hand. Like a hunter lying in ambush, Yuan Shiyao seized the momentary opening, pouncing on his prey and cutting off all escape routes.

His kisses traveled up her calf, weaving a dense and inescapable net.

Her vision blurred as the stars swayed and the moon seemed to fall from the sky.

…

「One hour later.」

Jiang Qingli sat astride Yuan Shiyao’s waist and ordered him not to move. She picked up his terminal again, intending to take a picture of him.

The dark-haired young man lay amidst the soft bedding, his hands bound, strands of hair clinging to his face.

Now he looked truly and utterly wrecked.

But his jade-green eyes were filled with a sated smile as he asked, “Do you need my cooperation?”

“Shut up.”

Jiang Qingli grabbed her silk nightgown from nearby and stuffed it into his mouth.

When she opened the camera app, she realized her finger had swiped, taking her into his photo album instead.

Yuan Shiyao rarely took pictures, so there wasn’t much in his album. As Jiang Qingli glanced over it, she saw that all the photos were of her.

The most recent one was from the Melt Star Association’s official website—a photo of her giving a speech.

Scrolling down, she saw more photos from various events.

Further back, there were photos that dated to even before her award ceremony—paparazzi shots taken when she had just arrived at the military district…

‘Jeez, this guy.’

‘He’s like some kind of crazed fan…’

Just as she was about to make a snide comment, she suddenly saw a familiar photo.

A blurry, dark sky, with a bright moon hanging high above.

Jiang Qingli turned the terminal to face him. “What’s this?”

Yuan Shiyao glanced at it, his gaze evasive. “Oh… I just took it randomly.”

Jiang Qingli said nothing, just stared at him unblinkingly. “When did you take this?”

Yuan Shiyao didn’t want to admit it.

But after being stared at for a few seconds, he caved. “The day I realized I was in love with you.”

Jiang Qingli glanced at the date, slightly surprised. “You fell for me that long ago?”

“Mhm. By the time I noticed, the feeling had already grown so much.” Yuan Shiyao sat up and buried his face in her embrace. “What about you? Do you like me a little more than you did before?”

Jiang Qingli propped her chin on her hand and watched him without speaking.

She waited until anxiety flickered in his eyes before deliberately holding up her thumb and index finger, leaving only a tiny sliver of a gap between them. “This much more.”

“Wow, that much?” Yuan Shiyao played along, putting on a look of being overwhelmed by her favor. “Thank you, Chairman Jiang.”

The corners of Jiang Qingli’s lips twitched, and the gap between her fingers widened slightly. “Alright, now it’s a tiny bit more.”

They gazed at each other for a moment, a gentle emotion flowing between them.

He tilted his face up to kiss her lips, his voice very soft. “As long as you like me even a little bit, that’s enough.”

–

If only the moon would tip just half a beam of her light toward me,

I would chase the moon forever.

And never rest.