Liu Erlong's movements abruptly stopped, her unfocused gaze struggling to focus.
When she saw the handsome face before her, filled with concern and surprise, her sharp aura vanished instantly like a punctured balloon, her tense body went limp, and she slumped back into her chair.
She seemed to want to say something, but in the end, she only mumbled something vaguely, averting her gaze with a sense of self-destructive dejection.
"How did you get so drunk?"
Dai Chengfeng sighed, reaching out to help her up. "I'll help you to bed to rest."
Liu Erlong didn't resist, letting Dai Chengfeng's strong arms slip under her legs and back, lifting her horizontally in his arms.
Her body was warm and soft, carrying the scent of alcohol and the voluptuous allure unique to a mature woman. The warmth seeped into Dai Chengfeng's palm through the thin fabric of her clothes, sending a shiver through him.
Gently placing Liu Erlong on the bed covered with dark sheets, Dai Chengfeng pulled a thin blanket over her.
Liu Erlong seemed startled by this movement, struggling slightly. Her hazy eyes looked at him, and she asked indistinctly, "You...how did you get here?"
Her voice was thick with nasal congestion and hoarse from intoxication, lacking its usual fiery edge and possessing a rare vulnerability.
Dai Chengfeng sat down beside the bed, looking at her face, made even more alluring by the alcohol. "I still need your help, teacher. How come you haven't left yet?"
Hearing this, Liu Erlong's hazy eyes seemed to clear a little.
She didn't immediately answer the question about being angry. Instead, with a hint of defiance, she murmured, "Me leaving? You really want me to leave?"
Dai Chengfeng's heart skipped a beat. "Of course not!"
"Why would I want you to leave, Teacher?"
"I'm just curious. After all, you're the Dean of Lanba Academy, busy with academy affairs. Being away for so long..."
"No..."
Liu Erlong suddenly interrupted him in a low voice, her tone carrying a deep weariness and relief.
"What?"
Dai Chengfeng didn't hear clearly, or rather, he thought he misheard.
Liu Erlong, seemingly provoked by his persistent questioning, raised her voice, her tone dripping with drunken arrogance:
"I said no! Dean… I quit!"
Dai Chengfeng heard her clearly this time, looking at Liu Erlong in surprise: "Quit? Why?"
Liu Erlong closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, as if suppressing some emotion. After a long while, she chuckled, her tone self-deprecating:
"Why? There aren't so many whys…"
"Back then, taking over that academy was nothing more than… for some bastard, thinking that perhaps I could help him… help him accumulate some capital so that one day he could return to that damned family in glory…"
Her words were fragmented, some words unclear, but Dai Chengfeng understood.
She was referring to Yu Xiaogang. Liu Erlong had taken over Blue Tyrant (Lanba) Academy largely to help Yu Xiaogang realize his theoretical ambitions, enhance his reputation, and indirectly help him return to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family.
Now that her relationship with Yu Xiaogang was completely severed, the obsession that had sustained her in running the academy naturally crumbled as well.
She had never had much affection for the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, even harboring resentment, so why should she bother with that place anymore?
Understanding this, Dai Chengfeng felt an indescribable joy welling up inside him.
Didn't this mean that Liu Erlong had nowhere else to go for the time being and could stay in Spirit City for a long time?
Being close to the source was like having the first taste of the moon; this was undoubtedly great news for him.
He suppressed his excitement, his face showing just the right amount of understanding and heartache, and said softly:
"I see… It's good to not worry about those troublesome things anymore. Staying in Spirit City is quite nice too."
Liu Erlong didn't seem to care about his opinion, or perhaps her current intoxication prevented her from thinking deeply about the matter. She rolled over, facing Dai Chengfeng, her breath, heavy with the smell of alcohol, brushing against his cheek, and asked again:
"Don't just talk about me...you, you little rascal, what brings you here all of a sudden?"
Dai Chengfeng looked at her beautiful face so close to his, flushed from the alcohol, her eyes hazy, her lips slightly parted, carrying an unconscious allure.
A surge of warmth filled his heart. He leaned closer, his voice deep and magnetic:
"I left before to hunt for a soul ring. I just returned to Spirit City after obtaining it."
He paused, adding with a hint of probing and apology, "I left without saying goodbye because I was in such a hurry to hunt for the soul ring. I left suddenly and didn't have time to explain."
"Teacher, you won't… be angry with me, will you?"
His closeness carried a strong masculine aura, and Liu Erlong seemed a little uncomfortable. She shrank back slightly, her eyes flickering:
"I see…"
Soon, the two fell silent, the room quiet.
But Dai Chengfeng didn't pull away. Instead, he moved even closer, his gaze fixed intently on her, from her smooth forehead to her hazy eyes, and then to her lips, which were exceptionally red and alluring from the alcohol.
The atmosphere in the room instantly became ambiguous.
Liu Erlong seemed to sense the heat in his gaze, her face flushing even more, her heart pounding faster involuntarily.
In a flustered attempt to pull the blanket over her almost naked body, she protested,
"You...what are you looking at!"
Just as she reached for the blanket, Dai Chengfeng suddenly seized her slender wrist.
His movement wasn't rough, but it carried an undeniable strength.
Liu Erlong was startled, her drunkenness fading slightly. Instinctively, she tried to break free: "Dai Chengfeng! What are you doing?!"
Dai Chengfeng didn't answer. Instead, using the strength of his grip on her wrist, he lowered his head and accurately captured her slightly parted red lips.
"Mmm!"
Liu Erlong's eyes widened suddenly, her body instantly stiffening.
A warm, soft touch came over her lips, carrying Dai Chengfeng's unique, cool scent, mingling with the smell of alcohol on her breath, creating a strange sensation.
Her mind went blank; she seemed to have forgotten how to react.
But the kiss didn't last long.
After only a brief contact, Liu Erlong seemed to suddenly snap back to reality. Her powerful soul force surged instinctively, and she forcefully pushed Dai Chengfeng away.
"Dai Chengfeng, what are you doing?!"
Dai Chengfeng staggered back a step from the push. Seeing Liu Erlong's shocked and angry expression, he smiled, "Nothing, just... I missed Teacher. I missed you a lot."
He sighed inwardly, a slight sense of helplessness creeping in.
Indeed, being apart for too long had made them rusty.
If it were three months ago, even if Liu Erlong was embarrassed and angry, she would never have pushed him away so decisively; she might have even half-heartedly resisted.
It seemed his previous efforts had been almost entirely wasted due to his disappearance, and he needed to rethink his methods and strategies to get her used to and accept his intimacy again.
Liu Erlong's chest heaved with anger at his blunt words and actions, her cheeks, already flushed from drunkenness, turning a deep crimson.
Both ashamed and furious, she pointed at Dai Chengfeng and, in a drunken stupor, shouted:
"You...you're being insolent! You brat, I'm your teacher! If you...if you dare to be so disrespectful again, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
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