My Arch-Nemesis is the R-Rated Male Lead - Chapter 34

Qiu Ling’s words drew everyone at the table’s attention to Zhou Li.

Lu Rong also glanced at him instinctively, thinking that Zhou Li probably didn’t like anyone at all.

He was practically the textbook example of someone with no capacity for love—only desire.

Zhou Li’s calm gaze settled on Qiu Ling. Under his stare, Qiu Ling froze, barely daring to breathe, already regretting her earlier curiosity.

Lu Rong propped her chin on her hand, her long lashes fluttering slightly as she waited for Zhou Li’s answer.

Zhou Li replied with complete seriousness, “Don’t ask.”

Lu Rong couldn’t hold back her laughter. How could he reject someone’s question so earnestly?

Perhaps her laughter was too loud, because Zhou Li lowered his gaze to her.

Her smile froze on her lips, turning into an awkward dry laugh, especially when she noticed the five glaring yellow hearts above his head. Her thighs tensed instinctively, and she quickly said, “A’Ling, stop asking things like that!”

Qiu Ling truly didn’t dare ask anymore. Zhou Li’s gaze just now had nearly scared her to death.

Deep down, she became even more certain that Lu Rong was the most special person to Zhou Li. After all, only Lu Rong treated him with open hostility every day, and not only did Zhou Li show no reaction, he indulged her even more.

From the side, Lu Wen chuckled. “Li’er’s temperament is nothing like Rong’er’s. He probably finds it difficult to develop worldly desires at all.”

Lu Rong sneered inwardly. Hmph. Zhou Li is far more of a beast than you imagine.

[And a beast who doesn’t even know how to please a woman in bed.]

Hearing her thoughts, Zhou Li’s brows knit slightly. What did she mean by not knowing how to please a woman?

[All you do is charge ahead—you hurt me and didn’t even know to coax me afterward.]

Lu Rong continued grumbling in her head, gnawing on the ribs as if they were Zhou Li himself.

Zhou Li could tell she was deeply dissatisfied with him. That night, she really had cried the entire time.

He had kissed her for a long while, yet her eyes had still been red with tears.

Thinking back on those scenes, Zhou Li felt his mouth go dry. He picked up his teacup and took a sip—only to see Lu Rong casually take his cup, press it to her lips, and drink from it.

It felt like another kind of kiss.

Lu Rong noticed Zhou Li’s gaze and, as if afraid he might snatch her teacup away, downed the tea in one go. It tasted sweet, sweet with the mellow richness of osmanthus honey.

She casually set the cup aside, only to realize Zhou Li had been staring at her hand the entire time.

Following his gaze, Lu Rong instantly realized, she had taken the wrong cup!

The mouthful of tea she’d just swallowed wasn’t wasted at all, it sprayed straight onto Zhou Li. Some of it even trickled down his high, straight nose, dripping onto his philtrum.

His clothes were mottled with water stains, leaving him looking faintly undignified.

Lu Rong coughed twice and apologized awkwardly. “I didn’t mean to.”

Zhou Li wiped the dampness from his brow with his sleeve. Seeing how startled she looked, he simply said it was fine, then rose and left the table.

Lu Wen hurriedly said to Lu Rong, “Go check on him.”

She agreed and followed.

Now she understood why the tea had tasted so sweet, Zhou Li had eaten an entire plate of osmanthus cakes, and his mouth was probably saturated with that cloying sweetness.

Lu Rong suddenly remembered that every time she kissed Zhou Li, she would taste something sweet and mellow. Once that sweetness slid down her throat, her whole body would feel light, almost floating.

Lost in thought, she chased after him to the Wuhui Tower.

By now, she felt that going to Wuhui Tower was no different from returning to her own quarters—she came by several times a day.

She called out, “Zhou Li, are you alright?”

A little water wouldn’t have affected Zhou Li in the slightest. He had only taken the chance to excuse himself.

He hadn’t expected Lu Rong to follow. Instead of opening the door, he pushed the window open.

Separated by the half-open window, they looked at each other. Lu Rong glanced at the yellow hearts above his head, then at his cool, indifferent expression.

[How does he manage it? Looking so detached on the outside, while his mind is full of desire?]

[That mouthful of water must’ve soaked him good—maybe it’ll stop him from thinking about indecent things!]

Zhou Li: “???”

What exactly could she see?

Zhou Li felt puzzled. Watching her expression, he called out, “Lu Rong.”

Lu Rong had been grumbling to herself inwardly. When he suddenly called her name, she didn’t react right away and stared at him blankly. “What?”

“Come in.” After saying that, he turned and went inside.

Lu Rong hesitated outside for a moment, then pushed the door open and went in anyway. She felt a little nervous, afraid Zhou Li would suddenly pull her over and kiss her hard.

But once inside, Zhou Li merely sat at the table looking at her, with not the slightest intention of kissing her.

Lu Rong felt a faint, inexplicable irritation.

“What?” she asked irritably as she walked up to the table.

“Help me apply the medicine.” Zhou Li handed her the bottle.

Lu Rong looked at him in confusion. “Where are you hurt?”

Zhou Li lifted his neck, revealing the marks she had bitten into it, like undeniable evidence of a crime.

Lu Rong coughed lightly. “Why don’t you apply it yourself?”

“Afraid of pain.”

Those two simple words made Lu Rong roll her eyes.

“You’re not afraid of pain.”

When Zhou Li’s palm had been slashed by a tree demon before, the wound had been so deep that bone was visible, yet he hadn’t uttered a single word.

Now it was obvious he was just making up an excuse to get her to help him apply the medicine.

She reached out and took the bottle. After all, she was the one who had bitten him.

“Fine, I’ll do it.” She would scrub him raw.

To apply the medicine, she sat a little closer, her long lashes lowered as she focused on the bite marks on his neck.

Her fingertip, dipped in ointment, brushed over the skin. The cool sensation made the back of Zhou Li’s neck tighten.

“Didn’t my father ask when he saw the marks on your neck?” Lu Rong asked.

“He can’t see them,” Zhou Li replied calmly.

Lu Rong looked up at him in shock. “Then how can I see them!”

“What do you think?” Zhou Li looked at her with pitch-black eyes. Only then did Lu Rong realize that this bastard had used an illusion technique, letting only her see it.

No wonder no one had noticed the marks on Zhou Li’s neck during the meal.

What a deeply scheming villain.

He had made her worry the entire time that they would notice something suggestive.

“Zhou Li, are you sick?” Lu Rong glared at him. “You made me think you were parading around with the marks I bit into you.”

As she spoke, her movements applying the medicine grew rougher. Zhou Li’s neck was rubbed red, yet he didn’t mind in the slightest.

He merely lifted his chin, lowered his long lashes, and quietly watched her lips pout in irritation.

“Lu Rong,” he called again.

Lu Rong rolled her eyes at him. “Spit it out!”

“Your father wants to arrange a marriage for you,” Zhou Li said.

Lu Rong looked at him in confusion. “What do you mean? My father said that?”

“Yes. He came earlier to ask me how Minhui was, whether he was a reliable person.”

Lu Rong felt that her father worried far too much. She was still so young, yet he was already thinking about arranging her marriage.

“Then what did you say?” Lu Rong asked, a little curious about Zhou Li’s answer.

Zhou Li didn’t answer. He simply grabbed the hand she was using to apply the medicine.

Lu Rong instantly felt the pressure radiating from him and instinctively tried to retreat.

But Zhou Li didn’t let her go. He pulled her over, and Lu Rong nearly ended up sitting on him.

Zhou Li lowered his head toward the back of her neck. She felt a cold, severe breath fall over her and shivered.

“This mark on the back of Lu Rong’s neck,” he said, his lips seemingly brushing against it. Lu Rong bit her lip nervously, completely unable to break free. “I bit it.”

So she could only belong to him.

After he finished speaking, Lu Rong truly felt the trembling sensation of his teeth touching her.

“So that’s why I said—he doesn’t deserve it.”

Zhou Li’s voice was low and heavy, a hoarse rumble like a beast growling in defense.

Lu Rong’s shoulders shrank, her words coming out unevenly. “I… I get it. Let go of me first.”

Zhou Li lifted his head and put a little distance between them, yet the look in his eyes remained dangerous.

Instinctively, Lu Rong glanced above his head.

Sure enough, several ominous words appeared.

[Want to make her cry.]

Her heart skipped a beat. Damn—he was really dangerous.

Especially after seeing his inner thoughts, it felt as though a demon was standing right beside her.

She had always thought Zhou Li was the safest person. After all, he never seemed to care about anything.

She never imagined that he was the truly hidden killing weapon.

She had only just stood up, her face still pale, when Zhou Li grabbed her again.

“Are you scared?”

“I’m not afraid of you at all!” she snapped stubbornly, even lifting her chin. “Besides, Senior Brother Minhui is quite nice.”

That was like pouring oil on a fire.

Zhou Li’s gaze darkened, frost settling into his brows. “So—you like him?”

Lu Rong hadn’t expected him to leap to that conclusion. She froze, then hurriedly said, “I don’t like him at all! I don’t like anyone!”

She looked straight into Zhou Li’s eyes.

They were always beautiful phoenix eyes—long and deep, dark pupils hidden within. Her father said that when Zhou Li looked at someone, his gaze carried a chilling intensity that made people uneasy.

But every time Lu Rong looked into those eyes, they never seemed as terrifying as her father described. Sometimes, she could even see a hint of gentleness inside.

But now, she finally understood, truly understood, what her own father had meant.

It was as if countless tiny knives were hidden in Zhou Li’s eyes.

Lu Rong felt afraid. Seeing how displeased he seemed, she thought she had said something wrong and hurried to patch things up. “Don’t you also… not have anyone you like?”

She was trying to find some common ground between them.

The coldness in Zhou Li’s gaze faded, replaced by something else—bare, undisguised greed, and it was aimed squarely at her.

Lu Rong’s mind went blank for a moment. She suddenly remembered the question Qiu Ling had once asked Zhou Li. He hadn’t answered at the time, but she had clearly felt his sidelong glance fixed on her.

He… could it be that he likes me?

The thought jolted her so badly that she immediately struggled free. “I’m going back! You apply the medicine yourself!”

Watching her flee in a panic, Zhou Li knew exactly what she had realized. By the time he walked to the window, he saw her rushing about without direction and knew she had begun to understand.

Lu Rong may have understood it, but that didn’t stop her sword flight from turning into utter chaos.

Before she even left Wuhui Ravine, she fell off her sword twice.

The third time, she didn’t even know where she had landed. She lay flat on the grass in defeat, staring at the light filtering through the branches. Her overloaded mind hadn’t even recovered when the troublemaking system chimed in again.

[Congratulations, host. The male lead’s affection value has exceeded 80%. Continue completing the main quest to receive rewards.]

Lu Rong felt completely dead inside, wishing she could ram every system in existence straight into oblivion.

And to make matters worse, this system was still under repair.

She could only brace herself and listen to the mission.

[Main Quest Two: Teach the male lead the art of dual cultivation within three days.]

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