Chapter 260: Held—and Kissed
Little Eight was beside itself with excitement, letting out a wolfish howl.
“Awooo—awooo! They kissed! They kissed!! I’ve waited so long for this moment!”
The noise made Nan Xun’s temples throb. She immediately said, “Little Eight, block your five senses.”
The moment it heard that, Little Eight got even more excited.
“Darling, you’re making a move, aren’t you? Aren’t you?! Awoo—Master’s going full beast mode! Go for it! Do it properly! I believe in you, yoo-hoo~”
Then Little Eight went silent, obediently blocking its senses.
Whatever Nan Xun said, Little Eight believed. Sometimes it really was that simple-minded.
It was said that Void Beasts were inherently pure creatures—so pure they’d help count money even after being cheated. And according to Little Eight itself, its intelligence and emotional intelligence were top-tier among its kind. Which only went to show just how pure the others were.
That collision just now—Nan Xun hadn’t held back. Not only did she crash into the big boss’s lips, the impact was so strong that her front teeth knocked against his.
Nan Xun clearly saw it: Gong Mo Ran’s pitch-black, lifeless pupils shrank sharply, and his entire body stiffened in an instant.
When their lips parted, Nan Xun caught sight of two very obvious… little teeth marks on his thin lips.
Cough—
Awkward. Extremely awkward.
She had planned to steal a quick kiss, but every time she faced Gong Mo Ran’s handsome yet ascetic face, she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. He was so cold and detached, like a god untouched by mortal dust—kissing him outright felt borderline criminal.
Later, she decided she’d just brush his cheek or kiss his chin, take things slowly. But who knew—
Though it was just a brief contact, she’d hit him far too hard. Her lips felt numb, and she couldn’t help licking them lightly with the tip of her tongue.
Gong Mo Ran stared at her blankly, his gaze unconsciously dropping to the soft lips he had accidentally touched.
Warm. Soft. Moist.
The sensation… was strange.
The atmosphere fell into dead silence. Both of them were momentarily dazed.
After successfully “taking advantage,” Nan Xun had no idea what to do next. Going any further was clearly impossible, so she simply closed her eyes and pretended to pass out from pain.
She pretended for a long time, yet Gong Mo Ran didn’t react at all. Pretending and pretending… she actually fell asleep.
The big boss’s embrace was just too comfortable.
Her arms were hooked around his neck, her legs wrapped around his waist, her head resting on his shoulder. Add in the faint scent of sandalwood on him—it was impossible not to fall asleep.
Gong Mo Ran remained frozen in the same position: one arm around her waist, the other gently patting her back, leaning against the soft chair without moving.
His body stayed stiff like that for a full half hour.
Finally, something seemed to seep out from the depths of those lifeless eyes. He lowered his gaze to the woman sleeping in his arms, slowly stood up, and carried her toward the bed.
Because the little girl was clinging to him like an octopus, he slid the hand on her back downward to support her hips, preventing her from slipping.
He bent down, trying to peel the “octopus” off and place her on the bed. But she was wrapped around him far too tightly. With no other choice, Gong Mo Ran lay down on the bed together with her, then slowly pried her arms off his neck.
Next, he held her by the waist and carefully removed the unruly legs one by one.
Bracing himself with both hands on the bed, Gong Mo Ran leaned slightly forward and examined the woman beneath him.
She didn’t look like she’d fainted from pain—more like she was asleep. Her expression was peaceful, the cold sweat on her forehead long gone, with only a few tiny beads of sweat on the tip of her nose.
He reached out and brushed away the sweat from her nose. His gaze trembled slightly as it drifted downward, landing on her soft, rosy lips.
After a long while, he finally looked away, grasped her wrist, and summoned the Heart-Devouring Gu back.
Looking at the crystal-clear gu insect in his palm, Gong Mo Ran couldn’t help glancing at the woman on the bed again.
The Heart-Devouring Gu was notoriously difficult to control. Once it entered a host, it would immediately start gnawing at the heart. Even the person who planted it needed a moment before calling it back. But after months of refinement, this gu now obeyed him completely—how much it devoured, how many times it bit, all at his command.
Aside from the initial bite when it first entered her body, Gong Mo Ran had forcibly ordered it to stop. He was certain it hadn’t continued.
So when he later saw the little girl still sweating in pain, he couldn’t understand why.
Now… he thought he might.
After that accidental kiss, she had “fainted” on the spot. That look—she was clearly pretending.
Gong Mo Ran suddenly sighed softly and rubbed his brow.
Being deliberately approached by a little girl, held—and even… kissed.
How had he allowed this to happen?
He stood up, carefully returned the Heart-Devouring Gu to its silver container, then paced quietly around the room.
After some time, he went to the outer hall and stopped by the wide-open window.
From there, he could see the night sky over Mo Ran Hall in full. A slightly incomplete silver moon illuminated the entire courtyard, spreading a veil of moonlight over the ground. The large tree in the yard swayed gently, its shadow breaking up the silver glow into rippling patterns.
Gong Mo Ran raised his head and looked at the moon, nearly full now. Whatever memory stirred within him, the ripples in his gaze gradually stilled again, freezing into two pools of dead water, a layer of chill slowly forming over the surface.
Nan Xun woke up in the middle of the night, starving. When she opened her eyes, she found herself on a small bed in the outer hall.
She’d had a wonderful dream—standing on soft clouds, surrounded by food. Roast chicken, roast duck, roast suckling pig floated around her like clouds. She could grab one and eat it whenever she reached out.
Touching her flat stomach, she instantly understood why she’d dreamed that.
She was really hungry.
Even though she’d eaten quite a bit during the day, it had all been easily digestible food. By now, it was long gone.
Yawning, eyes half-open, Nan Xun slowly climbed out of bed.
She lit a lantern herself and headed to the small kitchen.
Soon, crackling sounds rang out as she started a fire and made a big mixed-vegetable soup.
One pot, everything thrown in. It didn’t taste great, but it was the fastest dish to make. When you just needed to fill your stomach quickly, flavor could wait.
Nan Xun sat on a wooden stool by the small stove, nodding off, when a sudden loud shout came from behind her, scaring her into jumping up.
Instinctively, she kicked toward the dark figure behind her.
