Chapter 15: A Drunk Ma Xiaotao Is the Most Tempting
At the small dining table,
Ma Xiaotao sat to Ye Chen's left,
Ling Luochen sat to his right—
sandwiching him between them.
With two beautiful women so close, each radiating a distinct fragrance of their own, Ye Chen found the exquisite dishes losing their flavor entirely.
Ma Xiaotao, in particular, seemed to "accidentally" bump his cheek now and then—whether by intention or not, he couldn't tell.
Ling Luochen wanted to do the same, perhaps, but couldn't quite match Ma Xiaotao's presence.
"Xiao Chen, try this," Ma Xiaotao cooed, spooning a piece of abalone into his mouth. "Deep-sea spirit abalone—tender and nourishing."
"Mmm… delicious," Ye Chen said, savoring it slowly.
"Junior," Ling Luochen added with a smile, "taste some of this crystal chive—it's from the deepest part of the Star Dou Great Forest, extremely rare."
She carefully fed him a neat, ribbon-like roll topped with caviar.
"This one's great too~" Ye Chen nodded approvingly.
He had eaten fine food before, but the taste of Shrek City's dishes, made from spirit beast ingredients, carried a unique vitality that couldn't be found anywhere else.
Some even used the flesh of century or millennia-year-old spirit beasts—one-of-a-kind delicacies.
"Here, Xiao Chen, have some wine~"
Ma Xiaotao filled two glasses—one for him, one for herself.
There were two kinds of wine in this world: ordinary alcohol and "soul master brews."
The latter contained special additives to prevent spirit power from dissolving its effect—even high-level soul masters could get fully drunk drinking it.
That slight, blissful intoxication made such wines immensely popular despite their higher price.
Ma Xiaotao, straightforward by nature, didn't hold back.
Eating and drinking alongside Ye Chen, she quickly grew flushed, her cheeks glowing pink like burning embers.
Ling Luochen, for her part, drank quite a bit as well—not because she particularly liked wine, but because Ma Xiaotao had ordered outrageously expensive bottles—vintages she would never receive otherwise.
Not drinking them felt like letting gold coins go to waste.
…
An hour later.
The three of them left the restaurant.
Ye Chen, one hand on each woman's shoulder, helped the staggering pair make their way back toward the academy.
He'd drunk a fair amount too, but his Ice Dragon martial soul made his body exceptionally strong—barely affected at all.
"All that just for dinner—did you two really need to drink that much…" Ye Chen muttered, exasperated.
Both women leaned on him for balance, walking unsteadily.
Every so often, one of them would—accidentally or not—press against him in ways that tested his composure.
"This is your fault, Ma Xiaotao! Why'd you order that much wine?" Ling Luochen murmured, her voice soft and slurred.
"You're the one who said you'd treat us! I had to make it count…" Ma Xiaotao replied, pouting as she mumbled.
Ye Chen had heard bits of their banter earlier during the meal.
The two were practically polar opposites—fire and ice, literally. They had started as rivals but somehow ended up as the best of frenemies.
They bickered often, but never seriously—it was just their way of bonding.
By the time Ye Chen half-dragged, half-guided them to the academy gates, he was already exhausted. The inner court was still a distance away.
The lunchtime crowd filled the paths.
Many students—especially the boys—watched the trio pass with stunned eyes, jealousy radiating off them like wildfire.
Ye Chen surrounded by two of Shrek's top beauties?
It was enough to drive the entire outer court mad with envy.
Ma Xiaotao and Ling Luochen, being among the famous Shrek Seven Devils, were well known across campus.
No one dared gossip openly—not with the academy's strict policies against rumor-mongering.
Anyone caught spreading baseless talk would face severe punishment—or even expulsion.
Watch all you want, boys, Ye Chen thought with a smirk.
Just don't talk.
Eventually, he guided them all the way to Sea God Lake.
Just as they were about to cross the bridge, Ma Xiaotao spoke up drunkenly, "Forget it… I'll fly us back…"
With a flick of her hands, fiery-red wings spread wide. Grabbing Ye Chen in one hand and Ling Luochen in the other, she launched them both into the air.
Unfortunately, flying while drunk was never a good idea.
"Ma Xiaotao! You're drunk! This is suicide flying—we're going to crash!" Ling Luochen yelled, half-serious, half-terrified.
"Sister Xiao Tao, maybe we should just walk…" Ye Chen said through gritted teeth, trying not to panic.
If not for their altitude, they would've been swimming with the fish by now.
"Ha! You're both scaredy-cats," Ma Xiaotao laughed dismissively, ignoring them as she veered uncertainly toward the inner court.
As they passed over Ling Luochen's residence, Ma Xiaotao suddenly let go.
"Whoa—!"
Ling Luochen fell with a shriek, landing in the courtyard below.
Thankfully, the grass cushioned her fall—no injuries, just sheer indignity.
"Ma Xiaotao, you lunatic! Next time I drink with you, I swear I—!"
Her angry voice trailed into incoherent muttering before she flopped onto the grasslike a ragdoll and promptly fell asleep.
Ma Xiaotao giggled, circling back before landing in her own courtyard—with Ye Chen still in tow.
As soon as her feet touched the ground, she swayed dangerously and fell forward.
"Ah—Sister Xiao Tao!" Ye Chen caught her quickly, though his hand accidentally landed… somewhere soft.
Her body trembled; she shifted lightly and leaned into his chest.
Half-conscious, half-pretending, she made no move to pull away.
She wasn't completely drunk—just tipsy enough to be playful.
She had intended to feign dizziness, tease him a bit—but things had escalated beyond what she'd planned.
Still, she certainly wasn't going to ruin the moment now.
Fine, she thought secretly, smiling faintly.
Consider this a small reward for my cute junior.
Meanwhile, the blush blossoming on her cheeks deepened, spreading to her ears.
"What's going on… Sister Xiao Tao, you're a Soul Emperor, you shouldn't be this drunk…" Ye Chen muttered, half-amused, half-flustered.
He suspected she was acting—but since she insisted on pretending, he had no reason to stop playing along.
Hehe…
Supporting her soft form, Ye Chen carried Ma Xiaotao toward her room.
Her perfume wrapped around him. Her cheek brushed his shoulder.
And from the corner of his eye, he couldn't help noticing every curve outlined against the thin fabric of her dress.
"See no evil," he whispered to himself—right before sneaking a few more looks anyway.
After all, he'd already reached her bedroom door.
He hadn't been inside before—only glimpsed it from outside the previous day.
It was simpler than Ning Tian's or Wu Feng's rooms, yet clean and elegant.
The theme surprised him—it was mostly white, not red, though touches of crimson decorated the clothing rack and linens.
A fully red room would've felt too eerie, he supposed.
Still, she clearly loved the color—and it showed, most obviously, in the articles of clothing drying by her bedside…
"Dummy," Ma Xiaotao whispered suddenly, her voice delicate, "don't you know gentlemen shouldn't snoop through a lady's room?"
She poked his forehead playfully, her face glowing with embarrassment.
She hadn't realized she'd left some of her laundry out.
Now he'd seen everything.
"Oh no… what if Ye Chen thinks I'm some shameless woman…"
She groaned inwardly, wishing she could melt through the floor.
But even through her flustered thoughts, her lips curled unconsciously into a faint, bashful smile.
A drunk Ma Xiaotao really was the most irresistible of all.
(END CHAPTER)
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