Unyielding Spring Mountains - Chapter 52: Affection

Her soft lips, carrying a trace of moisture, were like dewdrop-laden petals as they slowly pressed against his Adam’s apple. His neck trembled lightly under her kiss.

Qi Yan’s body tensed, and almost immediately, a shiver ran through him.

He couldn’t control the way his neck tilted upward. That strikingly beautiful Adam’s apple, bathed in moonlight, moved up and down as a low, drawn-out breath escaped his thin lips, stretched long in the dark, carrying an unbearable hoarseness.

His hand, resting on the edge of the table, clenched tightly around its corner.

Even though it was a rainy night, sweat beaded on his skin.

After a few moments, he lowered his gaze, only to see the girl’s delicate face half-hidden beneath a cascade of black hair, her head buried against his neck.

Those soft, boneless hands climbed from his shoulders, her smooth fingertips tracing his skin, igniting invisible sparks wherever they passed.

Feeling the tender warmth of her lips, Qi Yan closed his eyes. A drop of water slid down his forehead—it was impossible to tell whether it was rainwater or the cold sweat she had stirred from him.

The raindrops outside fell one by one, mirroring the rhythm of his heartbeat.

He lowered his head again, meeting the girl’s innocent gaze. She seemed to realize she had kissed the wrong spot, her delicate brows furrowing slightly. So her fingers inched upward, bringing her soft lips along with them until they reached the tip of his chin.

The light in Qi Yan’s deep, night-sky eyes slowly darkened.

Restlessness festered in the shadows, growing wild.

He moved closer—though they were already impossibly near, he wanted to be even closer. He trapped her between his arms and the table’s edge, yearning to press her so deeply against him that she would become a part of him.

The girl in his embrace could barely breathe. But with her back suspended in midair, her only option was to cling tightly to the person in front of her.

Qi Yan brushed away the strands of hair scattered at her ear, and just as she had traced his neck earlier, he traced the curve of her earlobe. His voice was low as he said, “Wei Zhen, I actually didn’t plan on kissing you.”

At those words, she visibly trembled.

Wei Zhen bit her lip. “I…”

She had only leaned in to speak to him but, unable to see clearly, hadn’t known where her lips had landed. Yet when she felt his body stiffen, she panicked and forgot to push him away.

But now he was saying he hadn’t intended to kiss her?

She tried to pull away from his embrace, but he refused to let her go. Instead, he trapped her within the curve of his arms, forcing her face, which was flushed as if holding her breath, to remain in his sight.

He lifted a hand to her shoulder.

That slender neck of hers looked as if it would snap with just a touch.

“You kissed the wrong place just now. Shall we try again?” His hoarse voice murmured at her ear.

Wei Zhen shook her head. He tilted his face slightly and said, “Does Lady Wei not remember? I only wanted to say a few words before leaving, but you were the one who insisted on kissing me.”

Wei Zhen gritted her teeth. “I couldn’t see.”

Qi Yan said, “But just because you couldn’t see, does that mean I should just let you kiss me? Isn’t that a bit too domineering? Do you even know where you kissed?”

She didn’t answer, so he helped her remember.

Wei Zhen felt the soft warmth of his lips pressing against her throat, his high-bridged nose nestled against the hollow of her neck, spreading a damp heat across her skin.

He wasn’t in a hurry. He mimicked the pressure of her earlier kiss, returning it exactly as she had given it, feeling the way her throat trembled under his lips.

He asked, “Was it like this?”

Wei Zhen’s face flushed a deep red. Forced to lift her chin, she shook her head, her long hair lifting slightly. “No.”

He sucked gently at the spot, sending a tingling sensation up her spine. Her head tilted back, her long hair spilling down to her waist, pooling on the tabletop. Strength drained from her limbs as she managed to say, “I only wanted to repay the young general a favor, but now… are you taking advantage of the fact that I can’t see?”

Qi Yan asked, “Repay a favor?”

Wei Zhen grasped at an excuse. “Yes. Didn’t I owe you two favors? I repaid one yesterday, and today I’m repaying the second.”

“So Lady Wei intends to repay me this way?” Qi Yan studied her for a long moment. “It doesn’t seem quite enough.”

Wei Zhen froze. Realization struck her—yesterday, he had kissed her for quite some time before she considered the first favor repaid. If today was to be the second, then clearly, it couldn’t be settled too hastily.

Qi Yan murmured softly, “Since Lady Wei wants to repay me, then go ahead. The sooner it’s done, the less you’ll have to dwell on it.”

By now, it was too late for Wei Zhen to regret her words. She had no way out, and when she refused to move, he simply held her there, waiting.

With no other choice, she finally relented.

As he had said, it was just a kiss. Once it was done, it would be over. And she was not the kind to drag things out.

She asked, “Where does the young general wish to be kissed today?”

Qi Yan’s brows arched slightly, and he chuckled. “You’re the one repaying the favor—why are you asking me?”

Nestled in his embrace, her senses spun from his presence. Dizzy and lightheaded, she hesitated briefly before leaning in.

In the stillness of the night, only the sound of wind and rain tapping against the window remained.

She moved slowly, tentatively pressing her lips to his throat once more.

They were so close that her chest rose and fell slightly with each breath. When she spoke, her heartbeat was clear, vibrant, alive—something Qi Yan could feel as if it pulsed within him.

She softly called his name. “Qi Yan.”

Her lips, cool like his own, carried a faint chill that reminded him of a dream.

A dream of a mystical land, shrouded in mist, where mountains cradled the sound of running water. A divine maiden emerged from the stream, parting the clouds as she walked toward him, pressing him down against the river stones, her lips grazing his Adam’s apple.

The sound of water in that dream overlapped with the rain outside.

The goddess in the dream merged with the girl before him, her delicate features aligning with the face he now beheld.

Qi Yan lowered his head, his voice murmuring by her ear.

Wei Zhen’s lips trembled. He asked her to kiss him while calling him “Qi Lang” three times.

She remained silent for a long time. It was unheard of for a woman to call a man “Lang” unless she harbored deep affections for him.

Yet he wanted her to call him that while biting his throat?

When he drew closer once more, she lifted her arms and wrapped them around his neck.

She couldn’t understand why Qi Yan had such peculiar desires. But in the next moment, she realized—this was simply one of the rare, intimate symbols between a man and a woman.

Such an action blurred the line they should not cross.

Her lips brushed his neck, and from her trembling lips came a whisper:

“Qi Lang.”

His Adam’s apple trembled uncontrollably under her gentle bite, moving up and down.

His large palm pressed lightly against the back of her head, refusing to let her leave.

For a long moment, Wei Zhen felt the motion of his Adam’s apple before lifting her head from the hollow of his neck. Her eyelashes trembled as she asked, “Is this enough?”

Qi Yan said, “How long did we stay in the woods yesterday?”

It was an entire afternoon.

As soon as he spoke, Wei Zhen understood—this was far from enough.

Her red lips moved up bit by bit until they landed on his chin. After a long pause, they finally brushed against the corner of his lips.

The girl’s breath was light and sweet, and the fragrance between her lips was even more intoxicating than when they were lying on the grass yesterday.

Her slender arms wrapped around his neck as she kissed him little by little, her inexperience evident in the way her lips merely pressed against his.

Her lover was much taller than she was, forcing her to stand on tiptoe.

As her body swayed slightly, she suddenly felt weightless—Qi Yan had lifted her by the waist with one hand.

He placed her on the edge of the desk, his body pressing down as Wei Zhen’s back met the tabletop. Her long hair cascaded down, while the cool temperature of the rosewood seeped through her clothes, drawing out the heat surging through her limbs.

A droplet of water slid from his damp hair and landed on her eyelashes.

She said, “Hurry up.”

Hurry up and kiss her so this torment would end.

By day, he was the confident and unrestrained young general admired by all, but at this moment, faced with her, he looked like this. If those admiring young ladies saw him now, their jaws would surely drop in shock.

Qi Yan leaned down and asked, “You want me to finish kissing you quickly?”

Wei Zhen gave a soft hum and closed her eyes.

She forced herself to remain calm, but her trembling shoulders and the deep red flush on her ears betrayed her completely.

Qi Yan reached out, brushing away a stray lock of hair clinging to her lips. “You want me to be quick, just like yesterday. And yesterday, how did you praise me?”

Wei Zhen’s face turned crimson. “I said your breath smelled nice.”

“And today?” He lowered his head, his high nose bridge brushing against hers. As he spoke, the warmth of his breath spilled over her neck.

Wei Zhen whispered, “It smells nice too.”

“Wei Zhen, do you know something?” His husky voice brushed against her ear, like fingertips lightly caressing the delicate skin behind it.

He murmured, “Your lips smell nice too. Right now, you look… truly beautiful.”

His voice carried a lingering tenderness that seemed to seep into her very bones.

Wei Zhen’s heart stopped for a moment before racing even faster.

“You can’t see clearly, so you don’t know what you look like right now, do you? Let me describe it for you.”

She reached up to cover his lips, but he brushed her hand away. With his other hand, he gently lifted a strand of her hair, his thin lips moving near her ear.

Wei Zhen’s breath hitched in sync with his words, pausing and stuttering in response. Then, his warm breath caressed her neck as he murmured, “But that’s not the most important thing. The most important thing is that, looking at you like this right now, I just want to ravage your lips completely.”

A shiver ran down Wei Zhen’s spine. “General Qi, you are truly shameless.”

She pushed against his chest, but a woman’s strength was like a mayfly trying to shake a great tree—he easily caught her wrists.

His voice was slow and lazy. “Yes, I’m shameless. And right now, this shameless man is going to kiss you. Will you accept it, Miss Wei?”

Wei Zhen didn’t need to open her eyes to know that at this moment, the young man was surely watching her with a teasing smile, leisurely waiting for her response.

Her tightly shut eyelids quivered as she pressed her lips together in silence.

He released her wrist and sighed. “Perhaps Miss Wei should return this favor another day.”

Wei Zhen immediately grabbed his sleeve. “I’ll do it.”

His breath brushed over her, and as she tilted her chin upward, she heard him chuckle softly.

Wei Zhen was so ashamed that she wished she could disappear. She said, “Don’t laugh.”

He rested his chin in the hollow of her neck, raised an eyebrow, and said, “Yesterday, when I kissed you, I still held back a little. Today, I won’t. Miss Wei, are you sure you’re ready for this?”

Wei Zhen nodded.

The moment she did, his shoulders pressed down, and what followed was a kiss so hot it nearly burned.

Like a raging storm, it left her no room to resist.

Her breath was stolen away, leaving her gasping, like a fish drowning out of water.

Outside the hall, torrential rain poured down. Inside, another storm raged just as fiercely.

Her fingers curled tightly, nails digging into her palms, the sharp pain jolting through her senses—until his hand slowly, forcefully pried them open.

Their kiss deepened, growing more desperate, filled with an intoxicating sweetness.

He reached out his long arm and swept the tea set off the table.

With a loud crash, the teacups shattered on the ground, the crisp sound echoing through the grand hall.

When their lips finally parted, a thin mist had formed in Wei Zhen’s eyes.

She panted softly, but just then, a sound came from the bed—someone seemed to turn over in their sleep.

The noise made both of them freeze.

Qi Yan turned toward the bed, and through the canopy, a vague shadow could be seen.

In Chinese, “郎” (láng) is a term traditionally used to refer to a young man or husband. In historical and literary contexts, it often conveys affection and intimacy, particularly when used by a woman toward a man.

Context in Romance:

1. As a Lover’s Address:
   • Women would call their beloved “郎君” (láng jūn) or simply “郎” (láng) as a term of endearment, similar to “my love” or “darling” in English.
   • It is typically used when a woman has romantic feelings for a man.
2. Marriage Implication:
   • Historically, after marriage, a wife might address her husband as “郎君”, reinforcing the idea of commitment.
   • It suggests that the speaker sees the man as her intimate partner.