After Becoming a Cannon-Fodder Lackey, I Swore to Protect the Young Lady to the Death - Chapter 21

Li Gangjiao stood outside the villa door, clutching a plastic bag of medicine and staring at the electronic lock in a mild panic.

Crap. I don’t have a key…

Her hand moved faster than her brain, and to her surprise, the second her fingers brushed the sensor, the door chimed and swung open.

When did she record my fingerprints? How did I not know about this?

She didn’t have time to dwell on it. She bolted straight for the second-floor bedroom. Lu Jiaoyue had sounded miserable on the phone; she needed to see if she was any better. Halfway up the stairs, she remembered that the painkillers were opioids and shouldn’t be taken on an empty stomach, so she doubled back to pour a glass of warm water.

She can’t just swallow them dry.

Inside the room, the floor-to-ceiling curtains were drawn tight, leaving only the soft, amber glow of a desk lamp to cut through the darkness. The warm light spilled across Lu Jiaoyue’s profile, casting a hazy, ethereal halo over her pale skin. She looked breathtaking.

Li Gangjiao’s footsteps instinctively slowed.

Lu Jiaoyue lay on the bed with her eyes shut, seemingly caught in a restless dream. Her brow was slightly furrowed, likely from the lingering pain. A few stray hairs lay across her forehead, a departure from her usual perfectly polished state. Without the practiced smile and the “perfect” persona, she appeared far more real and far more vivid.

Lu Jiaoyue’s beauty was “author-certified” within the world of the novel; a villainous Eldest Miss had to be stunning and arrogant to be effective. But after spending so much time with her, Li Gangjiao never felt like her temper was bad. It felt more like the author had forced those traits onto her just to turn her into a plot device.

Before she even realized it, Li Gangjiao had crouched down beside the bed.

Jiao Jiao is so pretty. Can I steal a kiss? She’s my girlfriend, so it should be fine, right? But… I haven’t asked her yet. Still, I really, really want to.

The air in the room seemed to grow warmer, and Li Gangjiao didn’t realize it was actually her own face heating up. The blush spread from her cheeks down to her neck.

Aaaah! Don’t the novels always say people kiss once they start dating? Why isn’t Jiao Jiao kissing me yet?

Crouched by the bed, Li Gangjiao’s inner monologue was reaching a fever pitch.

Her eyes snagged on the earrings sitting on the nightstand, reminding her of Lu Jiaoyue’s stern warning from that morning: “Until your ear is healed, you are not allowed to wear them.”

At the thought, Li Gangjiao’s invisible dog ears and tail drooped in dejection. The Eldest Miss is so mean!

Staring at the sleeping girl, Li Gangjiao’s gaze grew increasingly mournful. She won’t let me wear my gift, and she won’t give me a kiss…

Lu Jiaoyue’s sleep had been shallow due to the discomfort, and the feeling of an intense, unblinking gaze finally roused her. She opened her eyes blearily. There was Li Gangjiao, crouching by her bedside and staring at her with the pathetic, needy eyes of a puppy waiting for a treat.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Jiaoyue asked, bracing herself up with one hand and offering a faint smile. Her hand still hurt like hell.

“Can you… give me a kiss?” Li Gangjiao asked, her eyes full of hope as she reached out to take Lu Jiaoyue’s hand. Her bright red ears, however, betrayed her completely.

“Are you shy?” Lu Jiaoyue let out a soft, melodic laugh, her eyes glinting with a mix of curiosity and amusement.

Lu Jiaoyue had stunning eyes. The slight upward tilt at the corners gave her a naturally seductive look, especially now as she leaned forward to lock eyes with Li Gangjiao.

The temperature in the room climbed even higher. Li Gangjiao swallowed hard.

“If you want a kiss, get on the bed and come closer,” Lu Jiaoyue teased, her voice a low, honeyed lure. She knew she was beautiful, and she knew Li Gangjiao was a sucker for a pretty face. She was doing it on purpose, and she wasn’t sorry.

Swimming in a sea of pure bliss, Li Gangjiao scrambled onto the bed. Even the pins-and-needles sensation in her legs from crouching too long couldn’t stop her.

Lu Jiaoyue laughed at her eagerness and leaned in to kiss Li Gangjiao’s ear. It was a sensitive spot; at the touch of Lu Jiaoyue’s lips, Li Gangjiao’s breathing instantly hitched.

“You’re so well-behaved. Should I give you a reward?” Teasing her was so much fun that Lu Jiaoyue almost forgot the pain in her hand.

Li Gangjiao licked her dry lips. Crap. I’m being seduced.

She didn’t wait any longer, leaning in to press a nervous, careful kiss against Lu Jiaoyue’s cheek. It was a light, feather-soft touch.

“I thought you’d be greedier. Are you really too afraid to kiss me here?” Lu Jiaoyue tapped her own lips with a slender, pale finger. Her eyes narrowed slightly, her gaze fixed on Li Gangjiao’s mouth.

“Can I?” Li Gangjiao whispered.

Soft lips met. A tentative tongue flicked against the seam of Lu Jiaoyue’s mouth before Li Gangjiao pulled back, as if afraid to take too much.

Lu Jiaoyue was about to tease her again when the soft lips returned. This time, the kiss was deliberate; a gentle grinding and pressing. Li Gangjiao took Lu Jiaoyue’s lower lip into her mouth, her warm tongue following to trace the shape of her lips before prying past her teeth to deepen the kiss. It was slow, meticulous, and sent a wave of sweetness through them both.

Li Gangjiao suddenly bolted upright, staring at the smiling girl on the bed. The crimson blush on her face had spread all the way down to her chest. She felt like she was physically emitting steam.

I KISSED HER! AAAAAAH!!

Even as she screamed internally, she couldn’t find her voice. She managed to squeeze out one sentence: “I… I bought painkillers. Take one.”

“…Okay,” Lu Jiaoyue replied, lowering her head. A smile tugged at her lips that she couldn’t quite control.

As Lu Jiaoyue drank, a few drops of cool water trickled down her neck and disappeared into places Li Gangjiao couldn’t see. Li Gangjiao felt like the heat in the room was going to drive her mad.

“What is it?” Sensing the intense gaze lingering on her, Lu Jiaoyue turned her head in confusion, only for Li Gangjiao to reach out and cover her eyes.

“Don’t look,” Li Gangjiao said, her voice sounding a bit hoarse. She could feel Lu Jiaoyue’s eyelashes fluttering against her palm. “My face definitely looks… like a total creep right now.”

Lu Jiaoyue: …You’ve been staring at me this whole time and you’re just realizing that now?

“I’m finished,” Lu Jiaoyue said, changing the subject instead of pulling the hand away.

Li Gangjiao withdrew her hand and shoved it into her pocket, where her palm continued to throb with heat. That simple touch had acted like a spark, igniting a deep, hidden craving that had only been partially satisfied the night before. With every breath, the hunger grew.

Back at the internet cafe, the clerk looked at the half-empty cocktail glass on the table and scratched his head.

“Oh, man… I think I forgot to tell that girl that the drink on the table wasn’t just soda.”

The second floor of the cafe provided free drinks: one was Sprite, and the other was a potent “Special Blend” cocktail.

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