Yama Reborn

Chapter One Hundred [Hall Master Li Punishes Tiger Wang, Empress Lu Flirts with Chen Yanluo] (Part 2)

Hall Master Li, who had figured out the correct answer by sheer luck despite making errors in his reasoning and being misled with the wrong key information, was destined for a sleepless night.

For Li Qingshan, the initial panic, rage, and subsequent calm all led to a startling realization that even he had not anticipated: Could this perhaps become an opportunity for him?

After all, no one wants to be in a wheelchair for life.

Especially not Hall Master Li, who had indulged in pleasures for the first half of his life. The prospect of spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair, as a eunuch, was naturally unbearable for a man like him.

Previously, there had been no choice.

Revenge? He didn't dare, knowing he couldn't win, so he had to admit his weakness.

But to beg for mercy... there was no reason for it, either.

However, Li Qingshan, an old hand in the Jianghu, wasn't without actions. He had identified Zhang Linsheng's true identity in secret, preparing for the slim chance he had in mind.

It has to be said, none of those who rise from obscurity to become a regional boss in the Jianghu are simple characters.

It was also a night of no sleep for Chen Nuo.

Lu Xixi was cradled in his arms. The woman seemed to have fallen asleep, but Chen Nuo still dared not move, fearing that any action might startle her awake.

It was a very uncomfortable situation!

The woman in his arms might be soft and warm, but at this moment, Chen Nuo felt as if he was holding a volcano.

In fact, Lu Xixi was already awake.

Although she had not fully sobered up from the wine, her consciousness had somewhat returned.

The reason Lu Xixi kept her eyes closed and didn't move was that—she didn't know how to face this "husband" of hers right now.

As the drunken haze gradually lifted, the current moment, with Lu Xixi in such close embrace with Chen Nuo, brought a sense of panic to her heart.

Instinctively, Lu Xixi felt the closeness was too intimate and had trouble accepting it.

But reason told her: This was her husband.

For a married couple, hugging each other was the most normal thing, wasn't it?

And... it seemed that she was the one who initiated the embrace?

After about an hour of mutually pretending, Lu Xixi couldn't keep up the act any longer.

Chen Nuo acutely felt the woman in his arms beginning to wriggle slightly, then more and more, as if she was getting increasingly restless. Even her breathing seemed to speed up.

Chen Nuo looked down just in time to catch Lu Xixi sneakily peeping at him through her eyelashes.

As their eyes met, Lu Xixi hurriedly looked away.

Chen Nuo asked, "Awake?"

"Mhm."

"What's wrong?"

Chen Nuo continued—perhaps he had grown accustomed to holding her for over an hour; he didn't even realize that Lu Xixi had let go of him at some point, while Chen Nuo himself still had both arms around her waist and one hand casually resting on her thigh.

"Can you... let go of me for a moment?" Lu Xixi mumbled with her head down.

"Huh?" Chen Nuo was startled, then realized the situation and awkwardly lifted his hand.

As soon as Chen Nuo let go, Lu Xixi immediately jumped out of his embrace and dashed out of the living room, heading straight into the bathroom.

Chen Nuo couldn't help but smile: Oh, drank too much water, huh...

The bathroom door shut tightly, and Chen Nuo, sitting in the living room, suddenly felt a bit at a loss.

Moments later, not only had Lu Xixi not come out, but the sound of running water could be heard. The woman had started to take a bath.

Chen Nuo was curious, but then it didn't seem all that strange upon further thought: Lu Xixi's clothes were stained with wine and watermelon juice, and women, being cleaner than men, naturally, bathing was normal.

But after nearly an hour of bathing with no sign of Lu Xixi coming out, Chen Nuo grew more curious.

The sound of water inside had stopped a long time ago, but Lu Xixi, for some reason, just wouldn't come out.

Chen Nuo was too embarrassed to ask.

Finally...

Not knowing how much time had passed, Lu Xixi's weak voice came from the restroom.

"Husband~..."

"Huh?"

Lu Xixi's tone was very shy, as if her voice was trembling, "Can you do me a favor?"

"Hmm?"

"That is... can you bring me my clothes?"

"..." All of a sudden, Chen Nuo was stunned!

...Oh no.

Where in the house are there clothes for women to change into?

After Lu Xixi finished washing off, she dried her hair and tied it up directly with a hairband without blowing it dry. But then she was at a loss.

No clothes...

Looking at the dirty clothes she had taken off and thrown in the basin, she really couldn't bring herself to pick them up and put them back on.

If this is her home... then there should definitely be her clothes here.

Where would they be?

In the bedroom closet?

But she can't just run out naked from the restroom, right?

Although reason told her that the man sitting in the living room outside the door is her husband and she is his wife. In theory, such a situation, forgetting to bring clothes after a shower and going out naked, shouldn't be a problem...

But, Lu Xixi just couldn't bring herself to do such a thing.

He might be her husband in name, but in reality, that young man was still a stranger to Lu Xixi.

Even though she drank tonight, hugged him, even threw him down, and took the initiative to lie in that man's arms for a long time...

But after she sobered up, Lu Xixi wished she could just find a hole to crawl into.

Go out naked? She couldn't even if she was killed!

After holding back for a long time, she finally managed to call out.

There was no other way; she could only ask Chen Nuo for help.

But little did she know, she had presented her "husband" with a huge dilemma!

Since they were a married couple.

The family photos and the like could be excused by a fit of illness that caused a fire to burn them.

The memory could be claimed to have been forgotten due to illness.

But a couple living together for a year without a single woman's change of clothing in the house, that couldn't be explained away, right?!

Women's coats, jackets, long skirts, pants, even underwear... not a single item in the house.

That couldn't make sense, could it?!

Actually, Lu Xixi had mustered a lot of courage just to speak up.

Outside the door, Chen Nuo seemed to fall silent for a few seconds after hearing Lu Xixi's request.

"Okay, wait a moment, okay?"

"Oh~" Suppressing the shyness and restlessness in her heart, Lu Xixi quietly sat on the toilet and waited.

This wait lasted a full seven or eight minutes.

Lu Xixi, though anxious and a bit curious, cared too much about face to urge him again, so she waited patiently.

Finally, the bathroom door was knocked twice.

Lu Xixi sprung up from the toilet seat, "Ah! Don't come in!"

As she spoke, she hurriedly grabbed a bath towel and held it in front of her chest.

When she cracked open the bathroom door, Chen Nuo saw Lu Xixi's face flushed red, half from embarrassment and half steamed from the moisture. Her wet hair was tied in a ponytail at the back of her head.

Beneath the towel, the snowy whiteness of her neck and shoulders…

Chen Nuo quickly averted his gaze—his eyes couldn't wander any lower, or it would be 404 territory.

Shifting his gaze away, Chen Nuo lowered his head, handed over the clothes, and quickly closed the door.

Inside, Lu Xixi's face was also flushed red.

She lowered her gaze to the clothes in her hands: a pure cotton white T-shirt, a pair of sports shorts, and a pair of black women's briefs.

Lu Xixi was about to call out to Chen Nuo again—the pilot hat was missing.

But then she thought… who wears that sort of thing at home after a shower in the evening?

If she asked her husband to fetch it, it would seem too contrived and distant…

So, she gave up.

The clothes fit alright, but the black briefs were a bit tight, a little small.

After closing the bathroom door, Chen Nuo let out a sigh of relief.

He turned to enter the kitchen, opened the window, and threw out a tag he was holding.

The black briefs were new.

As for where they came from…

Lu Xixi changed into the clothes and exited the bathroom somewhat awkwardly, holding her arms in front of her chest in a strange posture.

She couldn't help it; the white cotton T-shirt was a bit loose, and... white clothes tend to be see-through.

With only some of the lights on, creating a dim glow, Lu Xixi pursed her lips and approached Chen Nuo.

Chen Nuo sat on the sofa.

Suddenly, Lu Xixi took a deep breath and sat down, settling back into the same position she had been in before jumping out of Chen Nuo's arms. The way she had lain before, she now lay back down.

She didn't dare to lift her head to look at Chen Nuo but simply buried her head under his shoulder.

Chen Nuo was taken aback for a moment.

But the woman in his arms didn't move, just leaning against him…

"Go to sleep."

"…Okay."

On the narrow sofa, the two of them held each other once more in an awkward embrace, lying close together, sleeping on the sofa.

Actually… there was a bedroom in the apartment, and Ye Zi's bedroom even had a bed. But for some reason, neither of them mentioned it. One didn't ask, and the other didn't suggest it.

So there they were, embracing on the sofa, just falling asleep…

In the dim living room, their breathing, far from calming down, grew more and more rapid.

Chen Nuo felt the fire in his heart nearly bursting forth.

His hands clasped around Lu Xixi's waist, instinctively tightening further, almost as if they were going to crush it.

Lu Xixi's breathing was fast and anxious like a fish out of water, her body trembling slightly. Her hot breath blasted onto Chen Nuo's neck…

Suddenly…

"Husband…"

"Hmm?"

Chen Nuo looked down at Lu Xixi.

Lu Xixi didn't look up, her eyelids drooping as if she didn't dare to meet Chen Nuo's eyes, but she said softly, her voice trembling slightly, "Maybe some other day… okay?"

"Ah?"

Lu Xixi took a deep breath, turned her head away, and whispered, "Sorry. I know you're my husband, and you can do whatever you want, but, but, but I, I'm not ready…"

Chen Nuo: "…"

Lu Xixi continued, "I, I don't remember anything, I, I'm not prepared in my heart..."

At that moment, she mustered up the courage to lift her head and looked at Chen Nuo, whispering, "Can you give me some time, please?"

Chen Nuo silently watched the panic and uncertainty on Lu Xixi's face and the softness in her eyes...

All at once, that fire of lust in his heart subsided.

Chen Nuo exhaled, smiled gently, reached out, and touched Lu Xixi's damp hair.

"Uhm, don't worry about it too much, go to sleep…"

A little after three in the morning, Qu Xiaoling got off work.

Exhausted, smelling of smoke and alcohol, she climbed the stairs to her apartment.

Groping in the dark, she fumbled for the keys and unlocked her door.

The moment she walked into her room, Qu Xiaoling was startled!

An intruder in the house?!

Everything in the room was tossed about chaotically!

Especially the closet, doors wide open, with clothes scattered all over the place!

Qu Xiaoling hurriedly turned on the lights and carefully looked around, then she felt bewildered.

The jewelry box on the dresser seemed untouched. The gold necklace was still there.

But…

Several pairs of new briefs she had bought last week from the closet were gone?!

Damn it!

Who the hell is so morally bankrupt to steal someone's underwear?!

[Today's update is here. It's late again, and the amorous part of this chapter was a bit difficult to write; there are too many restrictions.

For me, the holiday season has ended, and tomorrow updates will resume as normal, with two chapters per day.]