Chapter 31
Ye Xiyao just felt incredibly uncomfortable all over.
When he was alone just now, the pain was unbearable, and now that he was being held by Xing Xu, the areas of their bodies that touched seemed to alleviate the pain somewhat, but it turned into an itching sensation instead.
He had no idea how much the demon markings had spread, fearing they would reach areas not covered by his clothes and be seen by Xing Xu.
However, this time Ye Xiyao wasn’t as confused as he had been the last time.
He had more or less figured out why the demon markings appeared on his body—it was the power he had absorbed from Xing Xu but failed to assimilate, leaving it stored in his body as demon markings.
Generally speaking, the more demon markings, the more power a succubus has acquired.
An experienced succubus can control this power at will and absorb it whenever they like.
Some succubi even deliberately keep the markings, seeing them as badges of honor, shaping them into various designs to show off how much power they’ve taken from humans.
But Ye Xiyao’s demon markings weren’t for showing off.
He simply hadn’t yet learned how to quickly absorb the power.
As a natural-born succubus, Ye Xiyao was quite irresponsible. Over the years, he had never taken in any power from the outside world.
His body wasn’t familiar with this unfamiliar, strong life force, and he couldn’t calm it down.
The power stored within the demon markings sensed Ye Xiyao’s clumsiness and tried to escape before he could absorb them, causing them to surge chaotically beneath his skin.
For other succubi, perhaps the power gained from a single kiss would be insignificant. But Ye Xiyao, for some reason, couldn’t handle it.
It was probably because this was the first time the little succubus had tasted such pleasure from Xing Xu. His body, like his soul, wasn’t prepared to accept external power, much like a human child just learning to walk—awkward and clumsy.
He had eagerly taken in too much, but his body couldn’t hold it. Instead, he was overwhelmed by the very power he had absorbed.
Luckily, the owner of that power was right beside him.
Xing Xu’s soul was domineering and strong, and as soon as he got close, the unruly demon markings settled down obediently.
Ye Xiyao instinctively snuggled closer to Xing Xu, rubbing his face against Xing Xu’s neck. He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he thought he heard Xing Xu chuckle softly.
However, when Ye Xiyao looked up, Xing Xu’s face seemed expressionless again.
The resting area was in the far corner of the office.
This room didn’t have any windows, and with the door closed and no lights on, it was so dark you couldn’t see a thing.
Even so, Ye Xiyao still felt anxious. He saw that Xing Xu hadn’t closed the door, and the light from outside illuminated everything clearly, so he whispered, “Close the door.”
Xing Xu didn’t respond verbally, but he complied, hooking his leg to close the door. The room was now completely dark.
The bed was more than enough for Ye Xiyao, but Xing Xu was too tall. Once he squeezed in, there was hardly any space left, and Ye Xiyao couldn’t lie down properly.
Ye Xiyao said, “No need to go through so much trouble. Just sitting is fine, as long as you massage me a bit…”
Before he could finish, the world spun around, and he found himself pressed into the small bed by Xing Xu. His entire body was wrapped in Xing Xu’s embrace, his waist snugly held in place.
It was as if he was sleeping on Xing Xu’s body.
In the total darkness, Ye Xiyao felt less nervous and stopped wasting time resisting. He let Xing Xu press him down with his legs while both of Xing Xu’s hands circled around Ye Xiyao, boldly unbuttoning his shirt.
Xing Xu’s hands wandered over Ye Xiyao’s tender skin, soothing the pain and heat wherever they touched. Ye Xiyao finally managed to take a breath.
“Do you not eat regularly?” Xing Xu suddenly asked.
Ye Xiyao, confused, said, “I eat a lot.”
He had a sweet tooth and always bought snacks to bring to the office. Later, Qiao Linchuan and the others discovered his little habit and often brought him treats.
Not to mention Xing Xu, who constantly left various snacks on his desk.
So this question seemed to come out of nowhere.
“Your waist is so slim.” Xing Xu’s voice lowered, his breath warm against the back of Ye Xiyao’s ear. “I can wrap one hand around it.”
As he soothed Ye Xiyao’s pain, Xing Xu’s thumb and forefinger casually gripped Ye Xiyao’s side, as though measuring but actually playing around.
Ye Xiyao felt ticklish and tried to squirm away, but Xing Xu pinched his waist.
“It’s because your hands are big,” Ye Xiyao lightly slapped the back of his hand, “It’s so ticklish, stop messing with me.”
“I’m massaging your stomach,” Xing Xu, trying to stay serious, dutifully rubbed the spot where Ye Xiyao felt uncomfortable, but soon his thoughts began to wander. “Your belly is so flat, what did you even eat?”
“Two pieces of crispy sweet and sour pork, one eggplant fritter, three pan-fried dumplings, a quarter of a roast duck, and a bowl of soup,” Ye Xiyao listed off what he had eaten for lunch.
“…” Xing Xu had only intended to tease him, but Ye Xiyao’s detailed response left him both amused and exasperated. “Alright, alright, Little Bao can eat so much.”
Ye Xiyao proudly praised himself, “Little Bao has a big appetite.”
Xing Xu fell silent, seemingly focusing on massaging Ye Xiyao’s stomach.
Ye Xiyao, feeling comfortable, couldn’t help but hum contentedly. He wasn’t sure why Xing Xu had stopped talking, but he vaguely sensed the tension in Xing Xu’s muscles behind him.
Maybe the position he was lying in was uncomfortable.
With Xing Xu’s help, the demon markings had temporarily calmed down, but they weren’t fully settled. Earlier, they had been running wild inside Ye Xiyao’s body, almost reaching his collarbone. His chest was already covered with the “branches” of the markings, and with each breath, the spreading itch worsened.
Xing Xu couldn’t see anything, and Ye Xiyao didn’t say a word, so naturally, Xing Xu didn’t know where Ye Xiyao’s discomfort was. He instinctively thought it was a stomachache, so his palm pressed against Ye Xiyao’s waist and abdomen, rubbing back and forth.
Ye Xiyao held out for a moment, but in the end, he couldn’t bear it any longer. He took Xing Xu’s hand and moved it upward, saying, “Rub here instead.”
A soft gulping sound came from next to his ear.
Xing Xu replied, “Alright.”
His hands were truly large. Not only could they encircle Ye Xiyao’s waist, but they could easily grasp other areas as well. The sensitive and fragile spot under his rough, calloused hand was instantly flooded with intense sensation. Ye Xiyao had only been trying to calm the demon markings, but pressing here had an unexpected side effect. His body trembled uncontrollably, like a leaf in the wind, and as he arched his back to escape, he found himself pulled deeper into Xing Xu’s embrace.
“Strange.” Even though Xing Xu knew Ye Xiyao’s reaction was extreme, he deliberately kept talking, speaking softly, “You’re so skinny, but you’re so soft here.”
Last time, he hadn’t felt it this clearly through Ye Xiyao’s clothes. He hadn’t realized that despite Ye Xiyao’s slender frame, his body wasn’t as bony as Xing Xu had imagined. He was just small-boned, and the places where he should have flesh were not thin at all. In fact, touching him felt wonderfully soft.
Ye Xiyao picked up on the teasing in his voice and felt embarrassed, instinctively trying to explain, “People’s flesh is naturally soft, it’s the same everywhere… Stop pinching me… ah!”
“Oh.” Xing Xu pretended to think deeply for a moment and then said, “I’ve never touched anyone else before. Little Bao, are you going to let me experience something new?”
Before Ye Xiyao could respond, Xing Xu began to explore on his own.
His hand roamed across Ye Xiyao’s entire upper body, and finally, he made his assessment: “Hmm, yes, it’s all soft.”
Just as Ye Xiyao was about to let out a contented sigh, Xing Xu’s hand suddenly stopped.
Suspended in that feeling of not-quite-there, Ye Xiyao called out, “…What’s wrong?”
“Let’s change positions.” Xing Xu’s voice was calm, with no noticeable inflection.
Ye Xiyao immediately scooted outward a bit, asking, “Am I squishing you?”
“You’re very light, you can’t squish me.” Xing Xu pulled him back, his chin resting in the hollow of Ye Xiyao’s neck. “I want to kiss you.”
Ye Xiyao responded, “Ah…?”
Without waiting for a reply, Xing Xu flipped over, shifted their positions, and found Ye Xiyao’s tightly pursed lips, capturing them in a kiss.
What surprised Ye Xiyao most about the kiss was…
He didn’t reject it.
Instinctively, he wanted to blame his reaction on his succubus nature, thinking that Xing Xu made him feel too comfortable—both physically and spiritually—so he couldn’t resist.
This was normal.
Of course, it was normal.
“Little Bao, relax your lips,” Xing Xu cupped his face and said, “I want to kiss you inside.”
Ye Xiyao’s face flushed instantly, and now, not even the darkness could hide his embarrassment. “No.”
Xing Xu asked, “Why not?”
This sentence left Ye Xiyao completely dumbfounded.
His mind went blank.
In fact, all he needed to do was ask Xing Xu, “Why did you kiss me?” That would have been enough—this was a question for Xing Xu to explain.
But Ye Xiyao didn’t think of it that way. He kept feeling that to explain, he would have to start with “I’m a succubus, kissing me is like committing suicide,” and after agonizing over it for a while, he chose silence.
He was afraid that once he opened that door, there’d be no going back today, and he’d have to spill all his secrets.
Emotionally, Ye Xiyao did have an impulse to tell the truth.
But his rational mind told him he couldn’t.
His secret wasn’t a small matter. Coming clean would be a huge gamble. It wasn’t a question of whether he wanted to, but whether he could.
The more he cared about Xing Xu, the less he wanted to take that risk.
In the end, Ye Xiyao decided to hold out a little longer.
After all, it hadn’t reached a point where he had to reveal anything.
“Is there anywhere else you feel uncomfortable?” Xing Xu didn’t push him. He appeared to be seriously massaging Ye Xiyao, gently rubbing from his collarbone downward, asking, “Does this feel better?”
Better? It wasn’t just better—it felt amazing.
Xing Xu completely calmed the agitated magic marks from earlier. The powers that had refused to merge with Ye Xiyao now fell in line. He no longer felt any pain and was even satisfied from absorbing the excess energy.
“Mm…” Ye Xiyao didn’t want to speak, afraid he’d give himself away, but his body reacted too strongly to hide his good mood, so he forced himself to say, “It’s a little ticklish.”
“It’s not ticklish,” Xing Xu explained in a gentle tone, guiding his fingers along Ye Xiyao’s body, “You’re just sensitive here.”
“It won’t be ticklish if you stop touching me!” Ye Xiyao’s slender waist arched as if electrified, his eyes flushing red with embarrassment.
But Xing Xu replied, “I want to touch.”
Ye Xiyao: “…”
Under Xing Xu’s deliberate coaxing, Ye Xiyao could neither struggle nor escape, so he gave in to his instincts.
Taking advantage of Ye Xiyao’s dazed state, Xing Xu captured his lips again, diving in deeply. In that moment, not only did Xing Xu feel joy, but Ye Xiyao did too.
Although this joy carried a danger that Ye Xiyao didn’t dare face, for a brief moment, he felt lost in the illusion of safety that Xing Xu created. He couldn’t shake the feeling that if it was Xing Xu, maybe it would be okay.
Who knows how much time passed, but Ye Xiyao suddenly felt Xing Xu’s hand rubbing against his skin painfully, like being scraped by sandpaper.
He turned his head, patted Xing Xu’s shoulder, and mumbled, “Be gentler.”
“I’m not using any force,” Xing Xu said, holding him tighter to prevent escape. His palm moved over Ye Xiyao’s body, and every inch made Ye Xiyao shudder. He asked in confusion, “What’s going on?”
Ye Xiyao grabbed Xing Xu’s hand. In the darkness, neither of them could see the other clearly; they could only communicate through touch. “Your hands have calluses. It hurts when you touch me.”
Xing Xu hadn’t even thought about that.
He was used to holding knives and guns, and sometimes fought barehanded, so his whole hand was covered in thick calluses. Usually, it was convenient, but now, it was a problem.
Ye Xiyao’s skin was so soft it seemed like you could squeeze water out of it, and when Xing Xu touched him, he felt fragile, like he could leave red marks with just a little pressure.
That’s how he had hurt Ye Xiyao’s wrist last time, too.
But Xing Xu didn’t want to let go. Holding Ye Xiyao in his arms felt too good—he not only enjoyed it, he was getting addicted to it.
“Then I won’t use my hands,” Xing Xu said.
“I’m not uncomfortable anymore,” Ye Xiyao thought that since the magic marks had calmed down, it wasn’t right to keep Xing Xu busy, so he tried to sit up and button his clothes.
But as soon as he said the word “fine,” Xing Xu’s next action interrupted him.
Xing Xu suddenly pulled down the clothes hanging on Ye Xiyao’s shoulders and leaned down, pressing his lips to his skin.
Ye Xiyao had a vague sense that something was off and instinctively tried to escape, but Xing Xu held his waist firmly in place.
Soon, Ye Xiyao realized what Xing Xu was doing.
Xing Xu was trailing kisses up from the slightly concave navel, his ears tuned to Ye Xiyao’s breathing and faint moans, judging which areas were the most sensitive, then following suit, finally stopping at his chest, teasing with the tip of his tongue. No matter how tough or fierce someone was, a tongue was softer than fingers, and with its warmth, it swept away the last of Ye Xiyao’s reason.
This was bad.
Very bad.
At that moment, all Ye Xiyao could think were these words.
