88: Restless Night

“Okay.” Hearing that Ye Xi was going to feed her, Li Xuening became even more excited, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

“How about trying the steak I grilled?”

Ye Xi chuckled. She carefully cut the medium-rare steak into bite-sized pieces. Then, with the tip of a delicate silver fork, she gently picked up a piece of beef with an alluring rosy cross-section and slowly brought it to Li Xuening's mouth.

“This is a bit embarrassing.”

Li Xuening's eyelashes trembled slightly. Although she said that, her eyes revealed pure joy.

“Don’t eat so fast.”

Watching Li Xuening’s rosy lips get stained with rich black pepper sauce, Ye Xi didn’t immediately hand her a tissue. Instead, she gently wiped it away with her slender fingers, her fingertips lingering on those soft red lips.

“You have some on your fingertips too.” Li Xuening parted her cherry lips, raised her slender hand, and completely took away the sauce remaining on her fingertips.

“It tickles.” Ye Xi quickly pulled her finger back.

“This is the best steak I’ve ever eaten, so let me feed you a piece too.” Li Xuening imitated Ye Xi, bringing a cut piece of steak to her lips.

Ye Xi gently opened her tender, cherry-like mouth and took a bite of the fragrant steak, secretly marveling, this darn system's grilled steak is truly something else!

“Come, try this dessert I made myself, I guarantee you’ll love it.”

With that, Ye Xi playfully scraped Li Xuening’s upturned nose with her fingertip, then carefully unveiled the dessert by removing the thin gauze covering it.

“Wow! What is this?”

Li Xuening’s eyes instantly lit up, her gaze fixed on the exquisite and tempting dessert, her face showing curiosity and anticipation.

On the delicate porcelain plate, there was a “Snow Rose” that looked like it had just bloomed. Its petals were made of layers of meringue, with a glistening wine-soaked cherry at its center, surrounded by crushed pistachios, and, of course, some other ingredients Li Xuening didn’t recognize.

“Darling, this is a unique dessert I made just for you. It’s not sold in stores and doesn’t have a name yet. You can give her an exclusive name,” Ye Xi said with a hint of shyness.

When Li Xuening heard these words, tears welled up in her eyes. Regardless of the dessert’s taste, the effort and creativity Ye Xi poured into it had deeply moved her.

“Why are you crying?” Ye Xi asked with concern, gently wiping away the tears that slid down Li Xuening’s cheek with her slender fingers.

“You’re too good to me, I’m truly touched to tears.” Li Xuening tightly held Ye Xi’s hand, pressing it against her cheek, feeling the warmth and care.

Ye Xi smiled faintly, saying with a touch of playful reproach, “You’re so touched just because I cooked you one meal? Actually, I’m good to you with a purpose. If anyone tries to steal you away from me in the future, they’ll have to put in even more effort than I did. I’m deliberately making it harder for them!”

Li Xuening’s eyes welled up again, and she said with a choked voice, “No one will ever take me away from you. My entire life belongs only to you.”

“Quick, try it.” Ye Xi, holding a small silver spoon, gently unveiled the mysterious “petal.” Inside, a flowing vanilla custard sauce was hidden, slowly cascading onto a chocolate base.

“Mmm.”

Li Xuening gently bit into the exquisite pastry, and as the first sweet taste slowly melted on her tongue, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

Immediately after, she quickly grabbed Ye Xi’s wrist. The richness of the wine, the fragrance of almond, and the slight bitterness of chocolate intertwined in her mouth, creating an indescribable flavor. This taste was so familiar that it instantly brought back memories of the warm and unforgettable days she had spent with Ye Xi.

“If you think it’s delicious, give her a name,” Ye Xi said with a charming smile.

Li Xuening’s thumb caressed the inside of Ye Xi’s wrist, and after a moment’s pause, she said, “Then let’s call it ‘Yi Xi.’ Every time I taste this, it reminds me of all our past moments.”

After the meal, both felt a little thirsty. Li Xuening looked at Ye Xi, her eyes sparkling with anticipation: “Darling, can we have a drink?”

“Of course, today I’ll do whatever you want.” Ye Xi gently stroked her cheek, her smile blooming like a flower.

Candlelight flickered, and the golden liquid in the champagne flutes shimmered with tiny lights. Ye Xi gently held the slender stem of her glass, her fingertips slightly warm.

“Can we do a cross-cup toast?” Li Xuening raised her eyebrows, her tone playful, her eyes sparkling with cunning, and her fingertips gently hooked Ye Xi’s wrist.

“Isn’t that something you do when you get married?” Ye Xi responded softly, her voice as light as a feather brushing an ear, almost inaudible.

“We’re already considered married. I heard that drinking this way makes the wine sweeter.” Li Xuening gently bit her red lip and rubbed her beautiful cheek against Ye Xi’s, a gesture that was intimate and natural.

Just like that, their arms intertwined, their body heat passing through the thin fabric, like a sweet newlywed couple enjoying their happy time.

The wine glasses gently clinked together as they neared their lips, emitting a crisp, pleasant sound.

After taking a sip, Ye Xi tilted her head slightly, her attention completely focused on Li Xuening’s lips. Those moist lips, stained with wine, were even more alluring than any dessert.

Li Xuening gently held the rim of the glass, her gaze fixed on Ye Xi’s eyes, and whispered, “I want to know which is sweeter, you or the wine. Let me compare.”

Ye Xi’s breathing suddenly hitched for a moment, her heart pounding as if it would leap from her chest.

She instinctively licked the corner of her lips, only to find Li Xuening suddenly leaning in, her slender fingers gently caressing her face.

“Don’t move,” she whispered, her thumb gently brushing Ye Xi’s lower lip, then she deeply kissed her.

The lingering scent of champagne on their lips intertwined, sweet and intoxicating.

Ye Xi closed her eyes, her fingers unconsciously clutching the corner of Li Xuening’s clothes. After a long moment, the other person pulled back slightly.

“You’re still sweeter.” Li Xuening’s voice was a little hoarse, with a triumphant smile after getting her way.

“Sweet talk, smooth-tongued.” Ye Xi said shyly.

Li Xuening’s lips curved upwards slightly, letting out a light laugh, and asked, “So, do you like it?”

Ye Xi gently waved her fist, playfully tapping Li Xuening’s chest with feigned displeasure, and said with mock anger, “No, I don’t.”

Li Xuening chuckled softly and replied, “Since you don’t like it, I won’t flirt with you anymore.”

Hearing this, a hint of regret welled up in Ye Xi’s heart, and she quickly explained, “Once in a while is nice, but too much would be sickening.”

Li Xuening played with Ye Xi’s beautiful hair, smiling as she said, “I knew you liked it, you’re such a tsundere. Who wouldn’t like being flirted with?”

“Oh, I prepared a gift for you,” Ye Xi said, quickly running back to the room and returning with an exquisitely decorated gift box.

“What is this? The box is so big, what’s inside?” Li Xuening asked, her face full of curiosity.

Faced with her question, Ye Xi was a little confused. She had only asked the system to prepare a necklace, and normally, it shouldn’t be in such a large box.

Speechless, speechless, this darn system wouldn't be trying to trick her, would it? It was so sweet before, this isn't the time to ruin the atmosphere.

However, Ye Xi still smiled and said, “You’ll know when you open it.”

Li Xuening eagerly opened the box, only to find a smaller box inside a large one, and an even smaller box hidden within that one… It was like playing Russian nesting dolls, layer after layer.

Ye Xi was dumbfounded. If a boy gave a girl a gift like this, he would probably be scolded to death.

“Darling, you’re so mischievous! You’ve completely piqued my curiosity.”

Despite this, Li Xuening showed no sign of anger. Instead, she eagerly continued to unwrap the mysterious boxes.

Under the candlelight, Li Xuening reached the last box, her fingertips trembling slightly.

She took the necklace out of the velvet box; the metal gleamed with an unusual dark blue luster in the light.

“This is…” Li Xuening’s breath hitched.

“Would you believe me if I told you I don’t know what this is either?” Ye Xi said, her face full of embarrassment. She also didn’t know what this strange thing was; it wasn't a diamond, nor was it gold.

“It’s okay, as long as it’s from you, I’ll like it.” Li Xuening said without hesitation, putting the necklace around her neck.

Ye Xi broke down internally, “Darn system, explain yourself.”

“This is deep-sea blue gold, usually found only in the ocean at depths of 10,000 meters or more. Its content on Earth is extremely rare, even more so than gold. With current human technology, it’s impossible to mine, so it’s normal that you don’t recognize it. However, the day humans do recognize it, its price will be absolutely beyond your reach,” Xiao Ai patiently explained.

“I don’t believe your nonsense. Even if what you say is true, what’s the difference between it and a street vendor’s item right now?” Ye Xi felt at this moment that she couldn’t overly trust the darn system’s competence.

Since things had come to this, Ye Xi had no choice but to fabricate a lie.

“Actually, this material was given to me by a friend, who said it was super rare, so I had someone make it into a necklace.”

Hearing Ye Xi say this, Li Xuening paused, her fingertips gently caressing the necklace. Although she didn’t know what it was, it felt like a good thing.

“Oh, it has… our names engraved on it.”

Li Xuening’s fingertip touched it, and she looked down, seeing the tiny inscription on the inside.

“Are you… disappointed?”

Ye Xi asked nervously. She knew she might have messed things up and felt a little guilty, not even daring to look Li Xuening in the eyes.

“How could I be? Even if you bought it from a street stall, I would still find it incredibly precious and be overjoyed,” Li Xuening said gently, embracing Ye Xi.

Seeing Ye Xi still silent, Li Xuening smiled and suggested, “Darling, it’s getting late. Let’s go back to our room and rest.”

“Alright then, you can carry me back.” Ye Xi really enjoyed this feeling of being loved.

“How about we take a bath together?” Li Xuening winked playfully, a mischievous smile on her face.

Ye Xi’s face instantly flushed, “Wouldn’t that be a bit inappropriate?”

In the bathroom, a warm mist of water vapor rose, enveloping the room in a hazy yet tender atmosphere.

Ye Xi and Li Xuening stood side by side under the shower, warm water cascading from their heads, down their hair and faces, gliding along their gracefully curved necks and over their delicate skin.

Facing Li Xuening’s occasional sneak attacks, Ye Xi said coyly, “Darling, stop messing around. If you keep it up, I won’t be polite.”

Li Xuening’s lips curved into a gentle smile, and she lightly tapped Ye Xi’s nose, splashing water droplets: “Not polite? How not polite? Are you going to beat me up again?”

Ye Xi stuck out her tongue: “Shameless, brazen.”

Li Xuening chuckled, “There’ll be even more brazenness when we go to bed soon.”

The two squeezed some shower gel into their palms and gently rubbed them together, and instantly, fine, dense foam bloomed in their hands.

“Do you want me to help you apply it? You can’t reach your back.”

Li Xuening first carefully applied the foam to her delicate body, then gently turned to Ye Xi, wanting to apply it for her.

“Are you really that…?”

No sooner had she spoken than Ye Xi eagerly stretched out her hands and waved them towards Li Xuening, sending clouds of soft foam like light snowflakes towards her.

Li Xuening was surprised at first, but quickly reacted. She laughed heartily, dodging Ye Xi’s attacks while also retaliating fiercely.

For a moment, the entire bathroom was filled with the crisp, pleasant laughter of the two girls, and the air was filled with scattered foam, like a warm and vibrant painting.

Tired from playing with the bubbles, the two gasped for breath, wiping each other’s dripping bodies.

“It’s really time to go back to the room and sleep now.”

Li Xuening tightly wrapped Ye Xi’s snow-white body in a bath towel, holding her like a delicate doll. She princess-carried her into her arms, then gently tossed her onto the bed in the bedroom.

“Mmm, what a fragrant scent!”

Li Xuening murmured in admiration, her nose gently touching Ye Xi’s jade-like, flawless white body.

Then, she extended her snow-white, delicate arms and gently drew Ye Xi’s head into her embrace, letting her rest on her warm shoulder.

“Just sleep, no touching and grabbing,” Ye Xi frowned slightly, biting her lower lip.

She tightly held Li Xuening’s restless hand, trying to stop its further movements.

“But I feel like you really enjoy my touching and grabbing, my little tsundere,” Li Xuening’s warm breath brushed against Ye Xi’s cheek, her eyes sparkling mischievously.

It was a restless night, the air filled with an ambiguous atmosphere, and the distance between them grew closer and closer…