Shu Mingye let out an overly dramatic sigh. "Fast? I think that's too slow."
Linyue stopped mid-step and gave him a stunned look. "What's the standard, then?"
"I'm the king," he said matter-of-factly. "I make the rules."
She squinted at him, unimpressed. "Fine. Fine. Then yes, it is too slow."
That seemed to satisfy him far too much. His grin stretched wider, far too pleased for someone who had basically just declared himself the universal timekeeper. Honestly, from the look on his face, this might have been the highlight of his entire week.
They reached his chamber just as the stars began to scatter across the night sky. The air felt calm and peaceful. Linyue, however, felt anything but peaceful. After four long days of meditation, her brain was buzzing and her body felt like it had been sitting on a wooden plank for years. Clearly, this was the perfect time for one thing: beauty sleep.
She stepped inside and already planned to collapse face-first onto the bed. Her eyes locked onto it instantly. Soft. Warm. Heavenly. A sacred resting place that seemed to glow brighter the longer she stared at it. She didn't even hesitate. She headed for the bed with silent determination.
Behind her, Shu Mingye closed the door. He turned at the perfect moment to see his Pie striding straight past him, eyes fixed on one thing alone. She hadn't seen him for four whole days, and now her first move in his chamber was to abandon him for his own bed?
Unacceptable. Completely unacceptable.
Shu Mingye's dark eyes narrowed, his jaw firm with sudden resolve. "Nope," he muttered under his breath as he strode after her.
Linyue had just reached the edge of the bed. Victory was one second away. She was about to perform the perfect tired flop, the kind that would erase four days of suffering in one heavenly collapse. But before she could execute her graceful fall, Shu Mingye moved faster than any respectable man should. He launched himself onto the bed, his arm hooked firmly around her waist, yanking her back against his chest in one smooth, overdramatic motion.
"Wha—" Linyue yelped, her entire plan derailed by the ambush.
He held her tight, as if she might attempt an escape, and lowered his head just enough that his breath brushed her ear. His voice dropped low. "Pie," he whispered, "I thought you said you missed me."
Linyue froze. Her brain made a valiant effort to process the situation but mostly just fizzled. She was sure she had, in fact, not said those exact words. Before she could gather enough sense to respond, he spun her around to face him. His expression was a ridiculous mix of playful betrayal and dramatic heartbreak, though the sparkle in his eyes completely ruined the act.
"I didn't," she muttered flatly, trying to wiggle out of his arms.
"Really?" he asked, his voice heavy with fake sadness. "So now you're trying to sleep without even sparing me a glance?"
Linyue, caught red-handed in the act of attempted napping, scrambled for an excuse. "Not just a glance. I was actually looking at you," she said quickly. "I saw you. Very nice. Good posture."
Shu Mingye let out a sharp laugh. "Terrible save."
Panic shot through Linyue's brain. Think. Think fast. Say literally anything.
"The bed looked lonely!" she blurted out.
Shu Mingye froze. He stared at her with an expression that could only be described as pure disbelief, like she had just declared her undying love for a piece of furniture.
"I haven't seen you for four days," he said slowly, his voice dangerously calm, "and you're worried about the bed? You owe me attention, Pie."
"…Fine," Linyue muttered. She turned to face him properly. "You have five minutes."
His grin spread instantly, bright and shameless. "Five hours it is."
"Five minutes."
"We'll negotiate."
"Then ten minutes," she countered, narrowing her eyes.
He chuckled, clearly enjoying himself. "I'm the king. I make the rules, remember?"
Linyue opened her mouth to argue again, but before she could get a single word out, Shu Mingye pressed a finger lightly against her lips.
"Shh," he whispered, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "You're ruining the moment."
Linyue narrowed her eyes.
This man. This ridiculous man. Somehow, she had gone from meditating in perfect silence for days to being emotionally held hostage in his bed. It was unfair. It was illogical. It was… annoyingly effective.
Her glare wavered when his arm tightened around her, steady and warm. His breath brushed softly against her forehead. The steady beat of his heart, loud and calm against her ear, made it unreasonably hard to stay annoyed.
She held out for another second. Maybe two. Then her will crumbled with a quiet sigh. "…Fifteen minutes," she whispered.
Shu Mingye's lips curved in satisfied victory. He pulled her even closer, his voice low and smug. "Deal."
It was definitely not going to be just fifteen minutes.
Before she could even register the smugness in his tone, his lips were on hers. The kiss was warm, unrestrained, and so very Shu Mingye. It felt like he had been holding back all week, saving up his impatience just to steal every bit of her breath in one go.
Linyue didn't fight it. She couldn't. The truth was she had missed him too. His warmth. The secure weight of his arms. The way he managed to sweep every thought out of her head until only he remained. So she kissed him back, her fingers curling into his robes, her own longing slipping out in the way she matched his impatience beat for beat.
His hands made quick work of their robes, tossing them aside as if they were nothing more than obstacles to his goal. For once, he didn't even look smug about it. He even laid her down with surprising care. One arm supported her back, the other cradled her head. His usual playful grin was nowhere to be seen. No teasing words, no sarcastic remarks. Just a deep, focused look. His brows slightly furrowed like he was concentrating on a particularly difficult task.
Her chest tightened at the sight. Before she realized it, her hand had lifted. Fingers brushed against his cheek, her thumb tracing the sharp line of his cheekbone. The touch was soft, unguarded, carrying far more meaning than she intended.
Shu Mingye stilled. Not completely. He was still moving, still gentle and careful, but now his full attention locked onto her.
"What is it, Pie?" he asked, his voice low and a little breathless. "Do you not like it?"
Linyue's lips curved in a small smile. Her fingers stayed against his cheek, calm and sure. "What's there not to like?" she said softly. "I like everything about you. Even when you're a shameless flirt… or a scary Demon King."
Shu Mingye's brain promptly short-circuited.
That smile. That soft voice. That sincere little confession she delivered like it was nothing, as if she hadn't just thrown his heart into chaos. He was trying so hard to be gentle. To be tender and romantic. To act like a respectable man she could tell her chaotic group without anyone throwing a shoe. But she was tempting him. Testing him. Pulling him in without even trying.
His restraint cracked. His lips curved into a slow, dangerous smirk that promised nothing good. "Pie," he murmured, his voice so low it made her shiver, "you're going to be in trouble."
Linyue parted her lips, ready to ask, "What trouble?"
She never got the words out. Because the second his lips met hers again, the question flew straight out of her head and dissolved into nothing.
This time there was no hesitation. No careful holding back. Shu Mingye abandoned every single rule he had made for himself and decided, with full confidence, that the rest of the night belonged to him.
Linyue's breath caught. Her hands gripped his shoulders, tense at first, unsure if she meant to resist or to pull him closer. Either way, her body made the choice for her. She leaned in.
Time slipped away. Minutes passed. Or maybe hours. Her sense of it blurred until she could no longer tell whether the world outside still existed. The only things that felt real were his warmth, his heartbeat, and the dizzying thought that she might never want to escape this trouble after all.
—End of Volume 2—