Chapter 327: Chapter 325: "Actually, You’re Quite Endearing When You Cry.

A moment later, he cupped her face. Zhou Mochen tilted her chin up, studying it for a while. When he saw her shyly avoid his eyes, his heart melted. He couldn’t bring himself to tease her, so he simply placed a gentle kiss between her brows.

The precious, cherished kiss made Xu Su pause. "Zhou Mochen, how did you become so gentle overnight?"

Zhou Mochen hummed, his eyes narrowing into a smile. "It’s not like I just started being gentle with you today. Susu, I love you."

Confessing his love right after sleeping with her... Xu Su just pouted.

"I said I love you..." Zhou Mochen said with a raised brow and a smile. "What’s with that expression?"

"They say you can’t believe a word a man says in bed." Xu Su huffed petulantly, wrapping her arms tighter around his waist. "You’re just in a good mood because you finally got what you wanted!"

"Yes, I am indeed in a good mood now that my wish has been granted." Zhou Mochen nodded in complete agreement. He’d been dreaming of this for the entire year since she moved in; how could it not be his heart’s desire fulfilled?

He couldn’t hide his smile as he asked in a low voice, "Susu, how did I do?"

"..." Xu Su grew shy. She reached out to pinch his waist, then leaned in and kissed his chin. "You’re not allowed to ask that. Are you trying to be a creep?"

"Okay, I won’t ask." Zhou Mochen touched the spot she’d just kissed, his face wreathed in a smile. "I’ll stop messing with you. Are you hungry? Let’s get up and eat."

He truly had no intention of doing anything more, much less acting like a creep.

But since his girlfriend was feeling sore, he had no intention of defending himself. He just good-naturedly moved a little farther away and soothed her in a gentle voice.

Xu Su pouted and complained, "Who’s messing with you? Do I look like I have the energy for that?"

"..." Zhou Mochen froze for a second, then chuckled and placated her. "Okay, okay, you’re not messing around. Can you get out of bed? Or should I bring lunch in here?"

’It was her first time last night, and it hurt that much. She definitely needs something to help her recover.’

Zhou Mochen frowned, thinking he should have the housekeepers find different ways to stew some restorative soup for her.

His good-natured demeanor, however, only made Xu Su start to feel wronged in retrospect.

"How would I dare to throw a tantrum!" After their intimacy last night, she felt even more delicate. Thinking of his actions in the private room, Xu Su pinched his waist and couldn’t resist bringing up old grievances. "Zhou Mochen, if I hadn’t gotten so angry that I started pulling at your clothes myself, what were you planning to do?"

Zhou Mochen paused at her sudden question, but he quickly explained, "No matter what, I would never have let anyone else see you. No matter how angry I got, I wouldn’t have lost control and actually hurt you."

Xu Su believed him on that point. With his level of possessiveness, he would probably be more concerned about her showing a little skin than she was.

"I was wrong. I’ll never do that again, no matter how angry you make me." Zhou Mochen took Xu Su’s hand and patted his own cheek with it. "How about you hit me? Anywhere you want, as long as it makes you feel better."

"..." Xu Su pinched his cheek and mumbled, "Considering your... satisfactory performance last night, I’ll let you off the hook. For now."

"Oh, is that so..." Zhou Mochen’s eyes narrowed slightly as he grinned. "So it seems you were quite satisfied with me."

His grin made the hair on her arms stand up. She shuddered and pushed him a little farther away. "You have to keep being this gentle, you hear me? You really made my heart flutter last night."

Zhou Mochen said, "Oh?" raising an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Of course it’s true! What I hate most is when you’re domineering and tyrannical. You’ve already changed a lot, but it’s not enough. You can be even better!"

Xu Su never shied away from expressing her feelings and nodded with certainty. "Have you ever heard the saying, ’Tenderness is the ultimate killer move’?"

Especially for a man like him—an aloof, unapproachable ice king to the outside world, cold and taciturn—tenderness created a powerful contrast.

"I like it when you smile at me. When you only smile at me like that."

Thinking of the way he’d massaged her all night while she slept, his loving gaze when she woke up, and the kisses he’d peppered her with, Xu Su felt a rush of emotion and snuggled closer to him. "Zhou Mochen, I like you so much. I really, really like you..."

Her voice was delicate and soft, and it made Zhou Mochen’s eyes crinkle with amusement. "Keep going. What else do you like about me?"

’What else do I like about him...’

"Um..." The image of his red-rimmed, tear-filled eyes flashed through Xu Su’s mind. She swallowed and glanced at him cautiously. "Actually... you’re kind of endearing when you cry."

The moment the words left her mouth, Xu Su regretted them.

’That makes me sound like such a pervert...’

Zhou Mochen wasn’t like Xi Zirong. He was five years older than her, after all.

’He hardly needed her to find him endearing...’

Besides, she used to like it when Xi Zirong blushed, and now she liked it when Zhou Mochen cried...

Xu Su couldn’t help but wonder if she had some sort of special kink.

Zhou Mochen froze, too. He thought about her kiss in the private room last night, pursing his lips as he studied her for a moment.

’Could it be...’

’...that in the future, I’ll have to learn these kinds of cheap tricks?’

Xu Su had no idea what Zhou Mochen was thinking. Seeing the strange look in his eyes, she assumed he thought she had a weird fetish. She couldn’t help but cough lightly and explain, "It’s mainly the contrast. You usually have this ’I’ll-destroy-anything-in-my-path’ kind of aura, then you suddenly turn into a little crybaby. Who could possibly stand up to that?"

’It wasn’t her fault she’d gone soft...’

It’s always moving when a person who’s used to being strong shows a moment of weakness, let alone when they cry.

Xu Su looked up and pecked him on the eyelid. "Let’s not talk about this anymore. I’m starving. Get out, I need to get changed."

Zhou Mochen snapped out of his thoughts. His gaze traveled down from her face to the space beneath the covers, and a meaningful smile spread across his lips.

He hadn’t said a word, but his smile still made Xu Su’s face burn. She grabbed a pillow and threw it at his head. "Out! If you keep smiling like that, you’re banned from my bed forever!"

"I’m not smiling." Zhou Mochen’s smile vanished instantly. "I’m going," he said with a straight face.

Not daring to provoke the girl who was now furious with embarrassment, he threw back the covers, was out the door in a few strides, and even thoughtfully pulled it shut behind him.

Xu Su slowly sat up. The moment her feet touched the floor, her legs felt a little weak. It took her a moment to stand steady.

When she walked to the bathroom to wash up, her reflection in the mirror made her freeze.

There were clearly visible hickeys on her neck. A few of them looked terrifyingly dark; anyone who didn’t know better might think she’d been abused...

It was summer!

She couldn’t wear a scarf, and she couldn’t wear a turtleneck...

Thankfully, the class reunion was over. She could just stay home and not go out.

There was no rush to go to her grandmother’s, either. She could put that off for a few days.

Xu Su took a deep breath, not sure if she should blame Zhou Mochen for getting carried away.

Honestly, aside from the initial pain, she hadn’t felt any discomfort last night. She was exhausted, yes, but he had been incredibly attentive to her needs in every other way...

As for these marks, it also had a lot to do with how delicate her skin was. Even a small bump would leave a big red patch...