Absolutely Not

And so, Gu Chengyin was shocked to the ground.

Because the spark of electricity came so suddenly, he lost his balance and pitched forward.

By the time he recovered his senses, his face was already pressed against the soft carpet. The thick fuzz brushed against his skin, giving a slightly itchy sensation.

And the tip of his nose was a mere three inches from the tip of Lin Qingyan's right foot.

This was close enough to see many details clearly.

For instance, Lin Qingyan was wearing a pair of plain white soft satin slip-on shoes. The uppers were embroidered with extremely fine cloud patterns in silver thread, the stitches so dense they were invisible.

The toes of the shoes curved slightly upwards in an elegant arc, like a petal about to leave its branch.

Through the thin satin, the curve of her arch was faintly visible. The arc extended from her ankle to the base of her big toe, as smooth and flowing as a mountain ridge.

Then there was her ankle.

Slender, but not overly bony.

The joints were distinct, and the skin possessed the kind of paleness that hadn't seen the sun all year, revealing the faint blue veins beneath.

Tied around her ankle was a thin red string, threaded with a deep purple lightning-struck wood bead.

The bead's surface was smooth, emitting a gentle luster. Along its edge ran an extremely fine golden vein—the mark left behind by the lightning sealed within.

A cold fragrance.

It wasn't the scent of rouge or powder, nor was it incense. It was a crisper, more ethereal aroma.

Like frost condensing on pine needles after a snowstorm, like the morning mist of an ancient pool deep in the mountains, like the lingering freshness in the air after a thunderstorm.

The scent was very faint, so faint that one had to hold their breath to catch it. But once caught, it could never be ignored again.

Right now, because he was so close to her jade-like feet, the cold fragrance became palpable, gently descending like an invisible veil.

After a brief blankness, Gu Chengyin's brain began to work again.

He realized how pathetic his current posture was, sprawled at Lin Qingyan's feet like a squashed toad.

Undeniably, Lin Qingyan's jade feet did look very appetizing.

But this was clearly not the time for a taste.

So Gu Chengyin made a decision.

Since he was already lying here, since the distance was already so close, then...

Gu Chengyin's arm moved.

He didn't choose to prop himself up with his hands and rise properly; instead, he chose another way.

He raised his left hand, spread his five fingers, and then...

Grabbed Lin Qingyan's ankle.

The touch was warm and soft, yet the muscles were taut. The instant he grabbed it, the muscles in Lin Qingyan's ankle suddenly contracted.

Gu Chengyin could feel the texture of the tendons beneath the skin, the subtle tremors brought by the accelerated flow of blood in the veins, and the danger that was about to erupt.

Almost at the same moment, the air around Lin Qingyan buzzed and vibrated.

It wasn't a sound, but a tremor.

Visible ripples appeared in the air. Wherever the ripples passed, dense golden electrical arcs materialized out of thin air, crackling.

Each arc was only as thick as a strand of hair, but there were so many that it made one's scalp tingle.

The breath of ionization.

At this moment, these arcs were jumping madly, emitting high-frequency hisses like thousands of golden snakes raising their heads and flicking their tongues at once.

The direction they converged on was exactly Gu Chengyin's audacious hand.

Gu Chengyin didn't pull back, nor did he apply more force.

He just held on, his fingers loosely curled, his palm pressing against the side of Lin Qingyan's ankle.

His palm could clearly feel the numbing itch of those electrical arcs, and the increasingly tense resistance of the muscles beneath her skin.

But he didn't move.

He was gambling.

Gambling that Lin Qingyan wouldn't actually shock him.

Time seemed to stretch out.

In reality, it was only two breaths of time.

On the first breath, the electrical arcs converged to their limit, the closest one already touching the fine hairs on the back of Gu Chengyin's hand.

Those tiny hairs stood on end under the effect of the current, making it look as though a layer of silvery-white frost had grown on the back of his hand.

On the second breath, Lin Qingyan lowered her eyes.

She looked at Gu Chengyin's hand, looking at the skin on the back of his hand that was turning slightly red from the electric shock.

Then she looked at Gu Chengyin's face.

Gu Chengyin was also looking at her.

There were fine beads of sweat on his forehead, and his face was a bit pale.

The corners of his mouth pulled up into a curve, as if saying, I'm already in such a pathetic state, do you really have the heart to shock me again?

Their eyes met.

Lin Qingyan's eyelashes fluttered.

Then the madly jumping electrical arcs around her began to dissipate.

Starting from the outermost edge, they retracted inch by inch inward.

The golden electric light gradually dimmed, the crackling sound gradually weakened, and finally completely vanished.

Gu Chengyin breathed a sigh of relief, then put strength into his arm and pulled himself up from the floor.

His movements weren't elegant. First he got on one knee, then brought his other leg up, swaying as he stood up straight.

Throughout the entire process, his hand never let go of Lin Qingyan's ankle.

Even as he rose, he very naturally pressed down on Lin Qingyan's knee.

It wasn't until he was completely standing that he finally withdrew his hand.

Gu Chengyin didn't sit back in his original position.

Instead, he plopped down right next to Lin Qingyan, pressing close so the distance between them was less than half a foot.

He could feel the momentary stiffening of Lin Qingyan's body, her subconscious movement to shift half an inch to the other side, and her eventual compromise as she didn't continue to pull away.

The carriage was still moving.

The bumps caused their shoulders to lightly brush against each other from time to time.

With every bump, Lin Qingyan's body would grow a fraction stiffer.

Gu Chengyin, however, relaxed, even leaning back to let his spine rest against the soft cushions.

He turned his head and looked at Lin Qingyan's profile.

From this angle, he could see her slightly pursed lips.

Little Aunt.

Gu Chengyin spoke, his voice sounding very aggrieved.

Why did you suddenly shock me?

Lin Qingyan turned her head slightly and gave Gu Chengyin a faint eye roll.

Without a word.

But the meaning conveyed in her eyes was as clear as if it were written on paper:

If you weren't letting your imagination run wild, would I have shocked you?

Gu Chengyin understood, and then he felt he was wronged even more than Dou E.

In those visions, when was it ever not the inner demon taking the initiative?

When was he ever not the passive one?

Although being passive felt pretty good too.

Gu Chengyin silently admitted this point in his heart.

But that's a separate matter!

You can't pin all the blame on him!

Moreover, Gu Chengyin realized a very serious problem: ever since Lin Qingyan started shocking him, she was getting more and more accustomed to it.

The first electric shock was obviously hesitant, and the force was very light, only costing him thirty percent of his true qi and spiritual energy.

The intensity of the second time had clearly doubled, costing him a full sixty percent of his true qi and spiritual energy!

And this time just now, it was as natural as casually swatting a mosquito.

Yet without consuming any true qi or spiritual energy, she had shocked him until he was burnt on the outside and tender on the inside!

Could Lin Qingyan be developing some strange fetish from this?

This thought made Gu Chengyin shudder, and countless images flashed through his mind in an instant.

Being shocked until his entire body was paralyzed, lying on the bed unable to move, as Lin Qingyan walked in with a bowl of medicine, smiling radiantly...

Being shocked until his speech was slurred and he couldn't talk properly, as Lin Qingyan leaned down and softly asked, Still going to touch things you shouldn't?

Being shocked until he could only sprawl on the floor like a dead dog, as Lin Qingyan stepped on him with the tip of her foot...

No, way!

Absolutely no, way!