Chapter 144 My Sister is So Charming (Part Two)
“Ah!” A short exclamation was almost choked back in her throat. Mu Wanning felt as if she had been struck by the Nine Heavens Profound Thunder; her entire body stiffened instantly, her blood rushing to her head before freezing in an instant!
The hand that had accidentally “grasped” something incredible snapped back. She recoiled like she’d been electrocuted, nearly rolling right off the bed!
In the darkness, her cheeks, ears, and neck instantly turned a shade of red so deep it looked like they might bleed, becoming frighteningly hot. Boundless shame and panic submerged her like a tsunami, leaving her mind blank, save for the terrifying, overwhelming impact of that single moment.
‘Heavens! What... what did I do?’
She screamed internally, wishing she could find a crack in the floor to crawl into or simply faint away! This was completely different from what she had envisioned! She had only wanted to secretly check if there was a mark on the inside of his thigh!
‘How could I... how could I touch...’
On the other side, the seemingly “fast asleep” Xiao Ming felt his breathing hitch for an imperceptible beat the moment Mu Wanning accidentally touched him. Nearly breaking his act, he cursed inwardly:
‘Holy crap! Sister, if you want to look, then look! But isn't your method of verifying my identity... a bit too unique?’
He had originally thought she would, at most, sneakily lift his pant leg to check. Who would have thought this girl, flustered in the dark, would go for a “precision strike”!
In truth, Xiao Ming wasn't entirely unmoved. With a soft, fragrant beauty at his side, waves of delicate scent wafting over, and such an ambiguous posture and contact, he was no saint; naturally, he felt a stir of desire. However, he forced himself to suppress it. For one, Mu Wanning possessed great Luck and was a mysterious Daughter of Heaven; such figures usually required a fatal blow to be eliminated quickly. Acting rashly might forge an irreconcilable Karma, leading to endless trouble. Secondly, her Physique seemed quite special and had not yet undergone Awakening; if his actions ruined the opportunity for her Awakening or damaged her Origin, it would be a net loss. The System only issued tasks without providing hints, so he had to weigh his options carefully.
Just as Xiao Ming was rapidly weighing the pros and cons and thinking of how to “naturally” respond to this awkward yet stimulating accident, Mu Wanning—on the other side of the bed—actually managed to hold her ground. This was despite her initial extreme shame and the urge to bolt out the door.
She took several sharp breaths and slowly exhaled, trying to calm her exploding heart and the heat on her face. Though that searing, terrifying sensation seemed to linger on her fingertips, making her want to chop her own hand off, her... her goal hadn't been reached yet! She couldn't give up halfway!
With a determination that bordered on self-torture, Mu Wanning summoned her courage again. But she had learned her lesson this time and didn't dare touch anything else randomly. She pressed her face hard toward the wall, relying only on her intuition and peripheral vision as she tremblingly reached out. Extremely slowly and carefully, she began to roll up Xiao Ming’s pant leg, inch by inch.
Her movements were as light as a feather, for fear of waking the “sleeping” man. Finally, aided by the extremely dim light, she squinted and looked toward Xiao Ming's thigh.
The light was too faint and the shadows blurred, but as she focused her gaze, her heart seemed to skip a beat—there, a small, dark red mark was quietly imprinted on the skin. It was exactly the same as the birthmark on her brother in her memories! The position, shape, and color were identical!
Mu Wanning froze instantly, and her fingers holding the pant leg went limp. The fabric slid down, covering the small mark once more, as if also covering the last shred of doubt in her heart.
It really was him... But if he was Mu Changge, why was the change so earth-shattering? Can a person truly become someone else from the inside out in such a short time? Or had he been pretending all along? But could such a personality and temperament really be faked for over a decade?
Countless questions and chaotic thoughts crashed in her mind, making her momentarily forget her awkward situation. She just lay there on her side, staring blankly at the dim canopy of the bed, her heart in a mess.
Right then, the “sleeping” Xiao Ming suddenly moved. As if in an unconscious slumbering motion, he extended his arm and naturally pulled the nearby Mu Wanning into his embrace. The movement was so practiced it was as if he had rehearsed it a thousand times (and indeed he had, as he usually slept holding someone).
Caught off guard, Mu Wanning fell into a warm, solid chest, and the clear, pleasant scent of a man instantly enveloped her. Her body tensed up, and she instinctively moved to struggle away.
However, Xiao Ming seemed to only be adjusting his sleeping position. He lightly rested his chin on the crown of her head and let out a satisfied, sleepy mumble. His voice was low and blurred, yet it drifted clearly into her ears:
“Sister... smells so good...”
Warm breath blew across Mu Wanning’s hair and forehead, feeling like a tiny insect gently tickling her. Then, Xiao Ming’s breathing became even and long again, as if everything just now had been nothing but unconscious sleep-talking and movement.
Mu Wanning froze in his arms, all her struggling movements ceasing. Her cheek was pressed against his chest beneath his slightly open robe; she could feel the steady heartbeat and warm body temperature beneath. That unique, clear scent of a man with a hint of warmth drifted into her nose. Strangely, she didn't hate it much; she even felt a mysterious, drowsy sense of security.
Mu Wanning should have pushed him away immediately and scolded him sharply, or at least broken free of his embrace to maintain her distance, but in the end, she didn't move.
Perhaps her mind had been too exhausted lately, or perhaps the unfamiliar sense of safety from this embrace was at work, or perhaps that phrase “Sister smells so good” had caused her heart to flutter... For a moment, Mu Wanning made no move at all.
Just like that, on this dimly lit bed, amidst this incredibly ambiguous and eerie silence, Mu Wanning’s stiff body actually relaxed a fraction. Her gaze toward Xiao Ming seemed to carry a hint of softness.
She didn't move again. She simply kept her eyes open, gazing at the handsome profile so close at hand—which looked exceptionally peaceful and even a bit boyish in sleep—while smelling his pleasant scent. Her thoughts were a tangled mess that she couldn't straighten out or cut through.
She sighed softly and murmured in her heart, ‘Sigh, why bother with so much? I’ll be leaving soon anyway!’
As for the “sleeping” Xiao Ming, sensing the beauty in his arms go from frantic to breathing steadily, and seeing her relaxed expression, he felt content. Smelling the elegant fragrance wafting from her hair and neck, his consciousness gradually sank into a true slumber.
The night grew deep, the galaxy of stars began to fade, and the room remained dark, leaving only the sound of two steady breaths gradually merging and echoing softly in the silence.