Rules

"I didn't..."

Lin Qingyan's voice came out rougher than she expected.

"It was Zhao'er who said it."

She displayed her talent for deflecting blame to its fullest extent.

She even blinked, trying to look more innocent.

If not for Luo Zhao, Lin Qingyan would never have thought of saying that.

But now it seemed the effect was even more useful than she had anticipated.

Gu Chengyin raised an eyebrow slightly.

Lin Qingyan saw it clearly—something in his eyes had been ignited.

It was like a single ember in the depths of winter, covered with a thin layer of ash.

It appeared lukewarm, but if you dared to reach out and touch it, you'd be burned to the bone.

"Her Highness said it?"

Gu Chengyin repeated, a faint trace of amusement in his voice:

"Then the one who reached a hand inside just now was also Her Highness?"

Lin Qingyan: "..."

"The one who whispered that sentence against my ear was also Her Highness?"

Lin Qingyan: "..."

"Or perhaps."

Gu Chengyin took a step forward, their distance abruptly closing to less than a foot:

"Everything about wanting to comprehend the immortal path was Her Highness's doing?"

Every step pressed against Lin Qingyan's retreat, every word blocked her excuses.

Lin Qingyan finally realized something.

She hadn't been testing a gentle deer.

She had been provoking a sleeping wolf.

And now, the wolf was awake.

"Chengcheng..."

Lin Qingyan's voice softened unintentionally.

This was her usual tactic.

When being stubborn didn't work, she went soft.

When provocation failed, she feigned weakness.

But only in front of Gu Chengyin would she do this.

This time, however, Lin Qingyan didn't get the expected result.

Gu Chengyin didn't stop just because her voice had softened.

On the contrary, he took another half step forward.

That half step forced Lin Qingyan to back up until her back hit the bookshelf behind her.

Several scrolls rattled from the impact, one of them wobbling precariously.

It finally fell with a sharp crack, shattering the silence.

Lin Qingyan flinched at the sound.

And in that instant, Gu Chengyin's hand came up.

It wasn't a dramatic 'cage' against the wall beside her head.

Instead, his palm pressed firmly against the wooden shelf behind her ear, sealing off her escape completely.

His arm cut across her shoulder, forming a barrier.

Lin Qingyan could feel the muscles in Gu Chengyin's forearm.

Lean, taut, like a drawn bowstring, carrying immense strength.

"Lin Qingyan."

Gu Chengyin leaned down, his voice so low it seemed squeezed from his chest:

"You've said so much, done so much—all just to see how I'd treat you, isn't it?"

"All just to see if I'm really a man, if I have what it takes, right?"

Lin Qingyan's breathing was completely thrown off.

Not because he had read her thoughts.

But because, after saying it, a smile flickered in Gu Chengyin's eyes.

"You'll see soon enough."

Lin Qingyan opened her mouth to say something.

But Gu Chengyin didn't give her the chance.

His other hand lifted, fingertips pressing against her jaw and tilting it slightly upward.

The pressure was light, so light it was more like a guide than a force.

But the angle was terrifyingly precise.

It left Lin Qingyan no place to hide her gaze, forcing her to look straight into his eyes.

"Since you and Her Highness both enjoy playing with fire,"

Gu Chengyin's voice dropped again, low and strained like a string pulled to its breaking point, a touch away from snapping.

"Then once it's lit, you need to put it out properly."

Every word was seared, like it had been branded with hot coals, making Lin Qingyan's ears burn red.

Gu Chengyin's fingertips slid down from her jaw, unhurriedly tracing the curve of her neck.

This kind of featherlight touch was harder to bear than any rough seizure.

Each movement seemed to press against her pulse, making her heartbeat rise and fall with his rhythm, until it spun out of control.

"But..."

Gu Chengyin's fingertips paused at Lin Qingyan's collarbone, his voice deepening with amusement:

"Even though you lit the fire, the way to put it out follows my rules."

Lin Qingyan's eyelashes trembled. She had a bad feeling.

Her intuition told her that tonight might be long.

Very long.

"...What rules?"

"First."

Gu Chengyin withdrew his hand, stepping back half a step to straighten up.

This retreat made Lin Qingyan think, for a moment, that she had a chance to catch her breath.

But the next second, his words shattered that illusion.

It was just a brief calm before the storm.

"Tonight, you are not allowed to touch me."

Lin Qingyan froze. What kind of rule was that?

"Not even a single finger."

Gu Chengyin added, his tone as flat as if he were reading an official decree:

"Touch me once, and it ends here."

This rule completely caught Lin Qingyan off guard.

She had expected that, by normal logic, Gu Chengyin would use a more direct method to quench the fire.

But no.

His chosen method was crueler, and even more excessive.

Gu Chengyin wasn't after simple possession.

He wanted her to wait—actively, willingly, even eagerly.

This was a higher form of control.

Not suppression by force, but restraint through rules.

Not making her unable to move, but forbidding her to move.

It wasn't just taking away her choices, it was occupying her consciousness.

"Second."

Gu Chengyin's gaze fell on Lin Qingyan's collar:

"Use the same hand that you used just now, and do the same thing again."

"Only this time, not on me—on yourself."

Lin Qingyan's cheeks flushed instantly.

Of course she knew what he meant.

Just now, her hand had traced down from his collar, over his collarbone, down his chest, between his ribs, to his waist and abdomen.

Every inch measured, every spot lingered upon.

And now, he wanted her to use that same hand to undo her own clothes.

This wasn't a command—it was a mirror.

The 'eye for an eye' of making her pay in kind.

You used that hand to do something. Now, do it to yourself.

Lin Qingyan's fingers trembled slightly.

Not from cold, and not from fear.

But because, when Gu Chengyin said these things, his tone was too calm.

So calm it wasn't like a flirtatious game, but like reviewing a routine official report.

This immense contrast between extreme calm and extreme intimacy was like a double-edged sword—it cut through her defenses while burning away whatever reason she had left.

"What's the matter."

Gu Chengyin watched Lin Qingyan's hesitation, tilting his head slightly.

His voice finally took on a trace of hoarseness:

"Weren't you quite bold just now?"

Lin Qingyan gritted her teeth, lifted her hand, and pressed her fingertips against her own collar.