Chapter 43
“But just one kiss is enough…”

Si Jin’s heart raced for a few beats, frozen in place without time to react further.

Urgent hoofbeats echoed through the mountain path, each strike pounding against eardrums.

The reporting servant’s expression shifted, turning back in panic.

Si Jin craned her neck toward the sound.

Though the hoofbeats grew louder, the path remained empty in her line of sight.

Her heartbeat quickened with the approaching rhythm of the horse.

Until Xiao Rong’s figure truly appeared at the distant end of the mountain path.

The surrounding attendants tensed visibly.

Some showed surprise, others alarm, while a few nervously lowered their heads.

Only Si Jin stared unblinkingly at the rapidly approaching figure.

Xiao Rong appeared travel-worn, his expression somber. The wind tousled his hair, his robes fluttering behind him. The veins on the back of his hand gripping the reins bulged faintly, his bent arm creating a taut curve beneath his clothing.

Si Jin narrowed her eyes slightly, her gaze tracking his approach.

Until Xiao Rong reined in before her.

The horse whinnied, rearing before landing heavily with a resonant thud.

Si Jin’s gaze shifted from level to upward.

The man seated high on horseback lowered his eyes slightly, looking down at her with an inscrutable expression that made his emotions difficult to decipher.

Silence fell momentarily, even the horse seeming to sense the tension, remaining quiet for a long moment.

They stared at each other from different heights, as if spreading a stalemate through the surroundings.

Suddenly, Si Jin spoke, her tone flat: “Get down.”

Xiao Rong’s pupils contracted briefly, his expression darkening further.

The surrounding servants held their breath, hearts pounding anxiously, fearing another conflict between their masters.

This wasn’t Xiao Fu—they had nowhere to disappear to here.

The next moment, Xiao Rong released the reins and swung down from the saddle.

No sooner had his feet touched the ground than he reached for Si Jin.

The servants stared wide-eyed in astonishment.

Si Jin blinked but didn’t evade or avoid as Xiao Rong’s large hand covered the nape of her neck.

His broad palm enveloped her neck completely, the same force he’d used to grip the reins now resting on her skin. After a restrained tremble, it quickly transformed into a somewhat appeasing kneading motion.

As if easing the stiffness from her brief upward glance moments earlier.

Yet Xiao Rong’s expression remained somber.

He stared directly at Si Jin, his lips pressed into a tight line.

Suddenly, the small bird that had fled from the horse’s vibrations returned.

It landed on Xiao Rong’s hand and pecked at the fingers massaging Si Jin’s neck.

The unusual sensation made Xiao Rong glance sideways.

Si Jin instinctively tried to turn her head but was blocked by his wrist.

Before she could wonder if he meant to harm Xiao Bai.

Xiao Rong withdrew his gaze, taking her hand with his other: “Shall I accompany you further up the mountain?”

The original attendants were dismissed, and even Xiao Bai, who had enjoyed less than half a day of freedom, was taken back to Xiao Fu.

On the still rideable mountain path, a black steed paced gracefully forward.

On horseback, Si Jin was encircled before Xiao Rong. Lowering her gaze, she could see one of his fingers lightly hooking the reins while his entire arm pressed firmly against her waist.

The surroundings were quiet, with no wind for the moment. Apart from the slow clip-clop of horse hooves, there was almost no other sound.

At this pace, wouldn’t it be dark before we even reached a place where we’d need to dismount?

And how long was he going to stay silent behind me?

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Si Jin had never possessed Xiao Rong’s convoluted, tangled thoughts. Her sudden question made the arm around her waist stiffen slightly.

“Waiting for you to coax me.”

Xiao Rong finally replied. Though his tone wasn’t exactly bold, his words still nearly made Si Jin laugh in disbelief.

“Why should I coax you?”

The arm around her waist tightened further, and Xiao Rong’s breath brushed against the side of her neck. “It wasn’t time to come out today, but a servant came to report that you had taken Xiao Bai and left the city in a carriage.”

“Which servant?”

“A servant from Songlan Courtyard.”

Si Jin abruptly turned her head, her posture awkward as she twisted to face him, but she insisted on fixing her indignant gaze on Xiao Rong’s eyes. “Have you been having me watched?”

Xiao Rong’s expression shifted slightly, his voice so low it was almost drowned out by the hoofbeats. “I haven’t been watching you.”

A hint of guilt was clearly visible in Si Jin’s eyes.

She frowned slightly.

Xiao Rong added, “Not this time. He came to report on his own.”

His tone grew a bit more confident.

Si Jin took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling, then abruptly turned away, refusing to look at him again.

“I only came to Qing Yun Mountain, and you chased me all the way up here. Where else could I possibly run from a mountain?”

“I only found out you were going hiking when I reached the city gates.”

“Then why did you follow?”

There was a brief silence behind her.

Though the horse moved slowly, there was still a gentle swaying on its back.

Xiao Rong lowered his head, resting it on Si Jin’s shoulder, his hair brushing against her skin with the motion.

“You haven’t come to see me all these days.”

Before one matter was resolved, he was already accusing her of another.

Si Jin instinctively wanted to turn and glare at him but restrained herself.

Even one more glance at him might encourage him to push his luck.

“It’s not easy to get into the Ministry of Justice. Last time I came, it took a lot of effort.”

“After that, I gave orders. If you come, no one would dare stop you.” Xiao Rong tilted his head, burying his nose in Si Jin’s hair and taking a deep breath.

“But you never came again.”

How was she supposed to know Xiao Rong had made such arrangements? How could he blame her for that?

“Are you there to serve a sentence or to give orders?”

“Not to serve a sentence—to await trial.”

Si Jin muttered under her breath, “What’s the difference? You’re locked up either way.”

Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible, as if she were speaking only to herself.

But Xiao Rong heard her.

“That’s why I’m anxious. Being unable to leave is the heaviest punishment. I haven’t slept well these days. Every time I close my eyes, I wonder if you’re really waiting for me at home.”

“I wanted to have you watched, to know your movements, to know who you see every day, where you go, what you do.”

Xiao Rong’s voice was deep, grinding in her ear, his warm breath brushing her neck, yet his words sent a chill down her spine.

“But I didn’t.”

With that, Xiao Rong tightened his arm, tilting his head and forcing his face into Si Jin’s line of sight from behind.

Si Jin had been wearing a stern expression, but the moment she met his clearly intentional dark gaze, she couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.

“Am I supposed to praise you for that?”

“I want you to.”

Si Jin’s face grew warm. He was clearly asking for praise, but hearing his inexplicably hoarse voice, her thoughts inexplicably drifted toward unspeakable directions.

He had corrupted her.

And the culprit was still pressing: “Can I, Xiao Jin?”

Slightly annoyed, Si Jin pressed her hand against his chest to push him away.

Her palm grew warm, immediately followed by the violent thumping of a heartbeat.

Si Jin was momentarily surprised.

Why was his heartbeat so fast?

“No praise is fine too.” Xiao Rong pinched her chin. “Kiss me.”

Without receiving either praise or a kiss, his breathing had already grown heavier.

Si Jin was rendered speechless by his audacity and sense of entitlement.

Xiao Rong remained completely oblivious.

He didn’t force her, because she wouldn’t allow it.

He simply pressed his thumb against her cheek, rubbing back and forth with deliberate pressure.

His thumb traced from her jawline all the way to the corner of her lips.

Her soft cheek yielded under the pressure, forming a slight indentation until the force reached her lips.

“All the way from the Ministry of Justice, I kept thinking about how you would react when you saw me.”

“Whether you’d retreat in fear with a terrified expression, or frown in anger and slap me.”

Xiao Rong’s finger followed the shape of Si Jin’s lips until it reached the most prominent peak of her cupid’s bow.

He pressed down gently, his gaze dark as he watched the crimson softness deform under his pressure. His Adam’s apple suddenly bobbed.

“I thought the reactions I could imagine would be exciting enough.”

His thumb pressed into her lips, becoming coated with warm moisture.

“But seeing your reaction beyond my imagination, my heartbeat instantly became so fast. I don’t know if it’s joy or surprise, but it’s simply uncontrollable.”

Xiao Rong lowered his head as if to kiss her.

Si Jin snapped back to reality and quickly raised her hand to block him, swatting away the finger in her mouth while covering her own lips with the back of her hand. “We’re on horseback.”

“I want to fuck you on horseback.”

Si Jin’s eyes widened in disbelief.

His previous words were shocking enough, but she had still underestimated Xiao Rong’s brazenness.

Who said he was awkward and reserved with hidden intentions?

When it came to matters like this, he had never been subtle.

“But just one kiss will do.”

Si Jin’s temples throbbed, almost suspecting that his earlier statement about fucking her was complete nonsense, merely setting the stage for his true desire to get a kiss.

But he might have meant it exactly, though he would never admit it.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Rong said seriously: “It’s true.”

He guided her hand to touch.

“Being here makes me so excited. I’ve done this in my dreams.”

Si Jin’s fingertips tingled, and she immediately withdrew her hand to protect her chest.

“Enough, shut up.”

She closed her eyes heavily for a moment, unable to bear his outrageous words any longer, nor wanting to know what licentious things he had done in his dreams.

She turned sideways, leaning in to give him a kiss just to get it over with.

Before her lips could reach his, her waist was suddenly grasped by Xiao Rong’s hands.

With a startled gasp and wide eyes, Si Jin was suddenly lifted into the air, her body flipped around, and when she landed back in the saddle, she was facing forward with her back, now sitting face-to-face with Xiao Rong.

Xiao Rong released one hand from her waist and moved it to the side of her neck. He kneaded with moderate pressure, as if explaining why he had done this.

Si Jin only wanted to give a casual kiss, not something that would make her neck sore and weak.

But the horse, startled by the earlier commotion, began pacing restlessly, causing violent jolts on its back. Instinctively, she bent her knees and wrapped her arms around Xiao Rong’s sturdy waist.

A smile tugged at Xiao Rong’s lips, his delight evident as he cared not whether it was intentional or not.

He seized her ankle, unable to wait any longer, and leaned down to capture her lips.

It was yet another devouring kiss.

Si Jin distractedly wondered if he might learn to kiss more gently if she let him kiss her once daily from now on.

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than the kiss indeed softened.

Si Jin suspected Xiao Rong could read her thoughts.

In truth, Xiao Rong was already lost in the heated intensity of kissing her.

He tangled with her tongue, swallowed her sweetness, gentle and slow yet consuming her thoroughly from within.

His large hand at her waist tightened and loosened with restless intensity, kneading her soft flesh as if trying to bury itself deep into her bones and blood.

For a moment, Si Jin hesitated.

She too was stirred by this kiss. After such a long separation, she hadn’t yet expressed it, but her heart held equal longing for him.

Beneath this tender kiss, she couldn’t resist wanting to respond, yet feared that any slight reciprocation might excite Xiao Rong into reckless behavior on horseback.

But longing seemed an emotion impossible to suppress—it crept silently into her mind before surging violently through her thoughts.

Never mind, she thought. These days must have been hard for him. Why should she begrudge emotions that already existed?

If he truly became unruly, she could always stop him.

Tilting her head slightly, Si Jin tentatively responded to his entanglement with her own tongue.

Even now, her kissing remained quite unpracticed.

Most times, he left her breathless without needing her response—he alone could thoroughly devour her.

But kissing him indeed gave Si Jin tremors of different sensations.

Xiao Rong’s lips were soft, his tongue scorching.

His breath was overpowering; tangling with it felt like being completely consumed by him.

So Si Jin believed, unaware that everything about her was the ultimate temptation to Xiao Rong—an irresistible presence.

It wasn’t him consuming Si Jin, but rather him sinking irrevocably into her.

Tenderness, resistance, acceptance, retreat—whatever she offered, he cherished it all.

Soon Si Jin felt the grip on her waist nearing loss of control, his frantic heartbeat louder than the horse’s hooves.

The gentle rocking of the horse made it hard to distinguish whether it was his trembling or the uneven path.

Si Jin only knew his entire body radiated heat, his breathing heavy enough to scorch.

She almost wondered if he might release right there—after all, at peak excitement, he easily lost control. She’d teased him several times this way, succeeding each time.

But she hadn’t touched him this time—surely not?

Suddenly she recalled the last time, when in her bewilderment, he’d secretly pleasured himself, culminating together with her.

Si Jin’s eyes flew open, her gaze frantically darting downward.

Xiao Rong’s eyes narrowed slightly, his lips still kissing her, but his dazed gaze seemed to see right through her thoughts.

Mumbling against her lips, he said, “I won’t.”

Si Jin froze, her eyelashes fluttering.

“Haven’t been in the mood lately. Without you here, I didn’t even bring anything. Couldn’t finish even if I tried.”

What was he talking about? Bring what?

Si Jin couldn’t bear to listen any longer, trembling as she bit down on him with gritted teeth.

Xiao Rong let out a muffled groan, his fingers tightening deliberately around her waist—not from loss of control, but with clear intent.

After a moment’s pause, he murmured, “Even if I pull out, I’ll still finish inside you.”

Following a soft, wet sound of a kiss, Xiao Rong’s breathing grew ragged, the corners of his eyes flushing red.

Yet his voice emerged hoarse and quivering with unmistakable excitement: “Xiao Jin, do you want to try it here?”