The corners of Jie Jingchen’s thin lips curved up slightly, and a wave of emotion stirred in the depths of his dark eyes.
A source of heat drew near. Qin Mei wanted to pull away, but then she changed her mind. ’Oh, whatever. Let it be hot.’
Seeing that she didn’t shy away, Jie Jingchen’s smile slowly widened. He leaned over, trapping Qin Mei in the chair, and ambiguously pinched her pointed chin with his fingertips.
"Hm?" Seeing her silence, Jie Jingchen prompted her with a hum.
Qin Mei gazed at him, an unreadable smile playing on her lips, her voice tinged with a hint of shyness. "You’re... impressive. Very impressive."
"Meimei, you’re just going through the motions." The smile on Jie Jingchen’s lips deepened as he leaned closer to her, his voice a provocative murmur. "Meimei, we should..."
"We should what?" Qin Mei cut him off, the corners of her lips curving into a coquettish smile. She didn’t believe for a second that Jie Jingchen would dare try anything at this hour.
He wanted to tease her? Fine, she’d mess with him right back. She wasn’t afraid to play with fire; she refused to believe he’d actually lose control.
They had that one wild time in the mountain forest, but here at home, with everyone starting to return from work, Jie Jingchen wouldn’t dare. Even if he couldn’t resist, he would always hit the brakes in the end.
"You little temptress." Seeing her shy yet sulky expression, Jie Jingchen lowered his head and captured her red lips.
Qin Mei wrapped her slender, pale arms around his neck and responded with equal passion.
"Sis-in-law, where’s my fourth brother?" Without a second thought, Jie Jingjue pushed open the door, only to find the two inside locked in a passionate, inseparable kiss. He froze, utterly shocked and dumbfounded.
’Fourth Brother and Sis-in-law are way too... bold.’
’It’s the middle of the day, and people are starting to get home from work. Do they have to be so desperate?’
Jie Jingjue really wanted to ask, ’Fourth Brother, weren’t you supposed to be making dinner?’
They had been chatting in the kitchen, and the next thing he knew, his brother was gone. He’d been wondering where he’d disappeared to, and it turns out he’d run back to his room to get hot and heavy with his wife.
’What an animal! Fourth Brother is such a beast.’
Qin Mei reacted in a flash, lashing out with her foot toward Jie Jingchen without a thought for where the kick would land.
"Ngh." Jie Jingchen let out a pained, muffled groan and collapsed limply on top of Qin Mei.
Qin Mei’s body went rigid. Seeing Jie Jingchen clutching himself down below, she was completely stunned. ’Does it have to be this coincidental?’ She had actually kicked him right in his family jewels.
"Uh... I... I didn’t do it on purpose. You believe me, right?" Qin Mei felt she had to at least try to defend herself.
Jie Jingchen gritted his teeth, enduring the pain, his gaze hardening.
"Jie Jingsi, are you okay?" Qin Mei felt a surge of anxiety. ’Please don’t let me have actually broken it.’ She had been too reckless. She really needed to reflect on her actions.
"Qin. Mei." Jie Jingchen bit out her name, one syllable at a time, through gritted teeth.
’Crap.’ Qin Mei’s heart sank. He used her full name. He was truly angry.
She swore it wasn’t intentional. She had just wanted to push him away with her foot, never imagining she would hit such a... vital area. ’It was an accident. A total accident.’
"Hahaha." Jie Jingjue snapped out of his daze and burst into unrestrained, belly-aching laughter. His sister-in-law’s kick hadn’t even been that hard. He refused to believe it could have been enough to cripple his fourth brother.
"Get out," Jie Jingchen roared, his amber eyes suddenly darkening and filling with a frosty chill.
Qin Mei jumped in fright. Jie Jingjue’s boisterous laughter cut off abruptly. He shot Jie Jingchen a sympathetic glance and considerately closed the door behind him.
"Hahaha." The moment the door was shut, Jie Jingjue couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing again. Jie Jingchen’s expression was absolutely foul; he found his brother’s laughter exceptionally grating.
’That culprit has the nerve to laugh?’ If Jing Wu hadn’t suddenly burst in, would Qin Mei have kicked him?
"Jing Wu, what’s so funny?" Jie Jinghun had just gotten home from work and saw Jing Wu laughing hysterically as he closed Jing Si’s door. Curiosity filled his gentle, refined face.
"N-nothing," Jie Jingjue stammered. He didn’t dare share the details with his third brother; his fourth brother would kill him.
Jie Jinghun narrowed his dark eyes, a look of understanding on his face. He reminded him in a gentle tone, "When your fourth brother is home, especially when he and his wife are in their room, you’d best knock first. Otherwise, you’re liable to see something you shouldn’t."
Jie Jingjue stared at Jie Jinghun in disbelief. He hadn’t said a word, yet his third brother had guessed exactly what happened. "Third Brother..."
"Don’t look at me like that." Jie Jinghun walked over to Jie Jingjue and slung an arm around his shoulders. "Your third brother is a man of the world. Come on, let’s go to my room and you can tell me all about it."
"I’m not talking about it, I need a shower." Jie Jingjue pushed Jie Jinghun away. He was filthy from head to toe, while his third brother was immaculate. The contrast between the two was stark.
Jie Jinghun stared at Jie Jingjue’s retreating back, his deep, dark eyes narrowing slightly. A grave expression settled over his gentle, handsome face.