His face was close to hers, and Qin Jiu Jiu instinctively tried to dodge, but Xie Jing refused to give her the chance. He stepped closer, pressing her shoulders tightly, preventing her from retreating.
Qin Jiu Jiu had no choice but to look at him.
Her reflection was clear in his eyes. Qin Jiu Jiu paused and said, "You..."
His lips suddenly moved towards hers, kissing her. Qin Jiu Jiu, in her panic, was already captured by his kiss. She could see his curled eyelashes and the entirety of her reflection in his peach blossom eyes.
The young man tentatively kissed her lips, then quickly withdrew. Qin Jiu Jiu's heart was racing. The sound of her strong heartbeat echoed between them. He pursed his lips, smiled, and then said to her, "So Ah Jiu really likes me!"
His tone was a little flippant. Qin Jiu Jiu's face burned hot and red. Her heart continued to pound. She suddenly pushed him away forcefully and ran out.
Near the doorway, a couple was about to go downstairs. They were surprised to see her running out with a flushed face and stared at her intently.
Qin Jiu Jiu turned her back, and the couple then averted their gaze.
She looked at the door in front of her. This room was hers, so why was she running out?
Qin Jiu Jiu suddenly realized she didn't have her room key. Helplessly, she walked to the door and knocked. At first, she knocked softly, but there was no response from inside, so she had to knock louder.
Xie Jing was definitely doing this on purpose!
Xie Jing stood at the door, listening to the knocking, and an inscrutable smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.
"Xie Jing, open the door!"
She shouted directly from outside, attracting the attention of many guests. Everyone assumed it was a quarrel between the young couple. That cold young man looked difficult to deal with, and it seemed the poor maiden was being wronged.
Some people sighed inwardly. Qin Jiu Jiu even heard a middle-aged man say to his wife, "See? What good is being good-looking? It's better to have someone like me who dotes on you!"
His wife blushed and lightly hit him on the chest, "You indecent man..."
Just then, the door suddenly opened. Qin Jiu Jiu leaned forward, about to argue with Xie Jing, when she saw him standing at the door, his gaze falling on the couple who had just spoken.
His eyes were unfriendly. The man clearly trembled but quickly feigned composure, pulling his wife along and saying, "It's time to go! Let's go!"
The man, dragging his wife, hurried downstairs. Xie Jing stood in front of Qin Jiu Jiu and suddenly asked, "Do you think what that man said makes sense?"
Qin Jiu Jiu hadn't reacted at first. She looked at him with confusion. He stood with his hands behind his back, as if waiting for her answer. Influenced by his demeanor, Qin Jiu Jiu had completely forgotten that she had intended to argue with him.
"You mean what that couple just said?" Xie Jing had clearly been inside the room. She couldn't believe he could have heard the couple's words, but Xie Jing's gaze didn't waver, clearly waiting for her answer.
Obviously, he was referring to the couple.
Qin Jiu Jiu was somewhat of a face-con, so she thought for a moment and said, "I like handsome, warm men!"
"So, you mean... I'm a handsome, warm man?"
Qin Jiu Jiu: "..."
System: "..."
Qin Jiu Jiu couldn't help but laugh. Xie Jing, however, didn't think there was anything wrong with what he said. He stared at Qin Jiu Jiu with genuine seriousness, insisting on an answer.
"System, do you want to check if something's wrong with the villain's brain?"
The system was also helpless. It hadn't expected that the villain in the author's writing would have such a hidden trait. It, a machine, could barely tolerate it, let alone Qin Jiu Jiu.
"Host, the villain is perfectly normal!" Just infatuated...
They say falling in love lowers one's IQ, and it truly seems to be the case now!
Seeing that she hadn't answered, Xie Jing moved closer. The distance between them became extremely narrow. Qin Jiu Jiu took a step back. Before Xie Jing could express his displeasure, she said, "You're good-looking, alright!"
This was the truth, after all. The villain was indeed handsome, but as for being a warm man, he should stay far away...
"Then, your meaning is, you like me..."
Qin Jiu Jiu couldn't help but roll her eyes. Then she heard Xie Jing suddenly say, "You looked so ugly just now!"
She was a little angry when she first heard this, but she quickly calmed down, almost forgetting that the villain was a white-cut-black who was a merciless killer and a venomous snake!
"Fine, fine... Think whatever you want... I'm hungry, I want to go in and eat!"
Then she sidestepped him and slipped inside like an eel, sitting at the table on her own.
What a shame for this table of food. It had already gone cold...
Qin Jiu Jiu ate a large bite of food with tears in her eyes.
"Thank you, honored guest, please come again!"
The shopkeeper behind them was beaming with joy. In just one night, they had earned two taels of silver.
"I asked the waiter, and Willow City is not far now. We just need to pass through this forest, and we'll soon reach the territory of Willow City..."
The two stood at the entrance of a forest shrouded in white mist. The misty forest ahead looked eerie all around.
Qin Jiu Jiu felt an inexplicable unease. She tightened her grip on the Qiankun bag at her waist. It still contained talismans left by Xie Yun before he left, crucial items for survival in critical moments.
She looked at Xie Jing. A look of vigilance flashed across his face, indicating that the forest was indeed very eerie.
He turned his head to look at her, seemingly sensing her fear. He suddenly reached out and took her hand. Her hand was small and could be enclosed in his palm. The boy's cold palm transferred warmth to her hand.
Qin Jiu Jiu's heart stirred, and a smile bloomed on her lips.
System: "Host, are you blooming in your heart?"
Qin Jiu Jiu: "Shut up!"
It had been resting just moments ago when it was warned that the host's heart rate was too high and there was danger. It had to power up again to check the situation, only to find that she was overjoyed...
Xie Jing walked ahead, with Qin Jiu Jiu slightly behind her. Her hand was firmly held in his as he led her through the mist.
"Xie Jing, the waiter told me that this forest didn't originally have such demonic fog. But recently, this layer of demonic fog appeared, and anyone who entered this place hasn't been able to leave. So, for the past few months, no one has dared to walk through this forest..."
As if the demonic fog had heard her words, it suddenly thickened, obscuring their vision. Xie Jing's grip tightened.
Qin Jiu Jiu's sweaty palm transferred moisture to Xie Jing's hand. He gently comforted her, "Don't be afraid..."
Just then, a fox's cry suddenly came from within the demonic fog. Xie Jing's sharp gaze flashed, looking in a certain direction.