The kiss grew increasingly passionate. Fang Xian swept her up in his arms, wrapped her in his robe, and carried her straight to the next room, the sound of the door closing carrying a hint of urgency.
He gently placed Madam Yin on the bed, and the two embraced, drifting off to sleep in the afterglow of the wine.
How long had passed? Madam Yin was awakened by a headache. Opening her eyes, she found herself embracing a stranger's chest.
—It was Fang Xian!
She froze, pulling back the covers to see them lying on the bed, their clothes disheveled. Images from the previous night flooded her mind.
The illusion by the bathtub, the whispers in her ear, the passionate kiss…
She was instantly terrified, her voice trembling.
"What…what happened?!"
Fang Xian slowly opened his eyes, a smile playing on his lips as he looked at her panicked state.
"What's wrong? You've forgotten what happened last night? You were the one who came over."
"Impossible! How could I..."
Before Madam Yin could finish speaking, the scene in her mind became clearer, her cheeks flushed instantly, and she turned to get out of bed, but Fang Xian grabbed her and pulled her into his arms.
He held Madam Yin's slender waist, resting his chin on her shoulder, his tone teasing.
"Really don't remember? You didn't say that last night."
Madam Yin was both ashamed and anxious, struggling to get up, when suddenly there was a knock at the door, and Nezha's clear voice rang out.
"Mother! Are you in there? I'm coming in!"
"Don't come in!"
Madam Yin hurriedly called out, but it was too late.
Nezha pushed open the door and burst in.
In a moment of panic, Madam Yin lay on top of Fang Xian, covering him tightly with the blanket, only revealing her flushed face, trying to appear calm.
"Nezha, what's wrong?"
Nezha blinked, looking at his mother's flushed face, somewhat surprised, but didn't think much of it.
"Mother, let's go play shuttlecock! You promised me yesterday!"
"Mother is a little tired today, I want to rest a bit more."
"No! I want Mother to go with me now."
Seeing Nezha about to step forward again, Madam Yin's voice tightened slightly.
"Go wait in the yard first, Mother will play with you later, okay?"
"Alright, then don't forget!"
Nezha said, turning to close the door, but a second before it closed, he heard a soft thud from under the covers.
It was Fang Xian deliberately pinching her waist.
"Stop!"
Madam Yin lowered her voice, both anxious and angry.
Fang Xian didn't stop, chuckling softly close to her ear.
"You hid me first, and now you want me to stop? Too late."
Madam Yin was no match for his strength and could only let him do as he pleased.
After a while, she finally pushed Fang Xian away forcefully, her voice trembling with tears.
"Get out!"
Seeing her reddened eyes, Fang Xian stopped teasing her, smiled, and got up to dress.
"Fine, I won't tease you anymore." He then pushed open the door and left.
After Fang Xian left, Madam Yin could no longer hold back her tears.
She felt both ashamed and regretful, yet the thrill of last night remained vividly in her heart, inexplicably addictive.
It took her a while to recover before she managed to get out of bed. While dressing, she realized her legs were incredibly weak, and she limped as she walked out the door.
As soon as Madam Yin stepped into the courtyard, Nezha came bounding over, holding a shuttlecock.
"Mother! Come kick the shuttlecock!"
Her legs were still weak; she had no strength to kick, and could only force a smile.
"Nezha, be good. Mother doesn't have the strength today. I'll play with you next time, okay?"
"No, no! You promised!" Nezha tugged at her clothes, pleading.
Looking at her son's expectant eyes, and remembering her guilt towards Nezha, Madam Yin couldn't bear to refuse, and gritted her teeth.
"Alright, then let's kick for a while."
But as soon as she got into position, Nezha kicked the shuttlecock.
Madam Yin tensed up at the sight.
The shuttlecock's speed and power were immense; if she were hit, she would surely be seriously injured.
Just then, a figure blocked her way—it was Fang Xian.
He caught the rapidly approaching shuttlecock steadily, turned around, and smiled at Madam Yin.
"You were just injured, you should go and rest. I'll keep the child company."
He then turned to Nezha and gestured with his chin, "I'll play with you, I guarantee I'll be better than your mother."
"Wow! Really?"
Nezha's eyes lit up, and he grinned.
Fang Xian caught the shuttlecock and kicked it out, fast and steady.
Nezha was equally adept, catching it with a flick of his toe. The two of them went back and forth, the shuttlecock flying through the air.
Fang Xian deliberately held back, simply playing along with Nezha, not letting him notice anything amiss.
Madam Yin sat on a stone bench nearby, watching Fang Xian play with Nezha.
Fang Xian's eyes were smiling, less frivolous, more gentle, reminding her of the tenderness of the previous night.
Her cheeks flushed involuntarily, a bitter feeling welling up inside her:
How did things come to this? She sighed softly, her gaze never leaving the two figures.
After playing for a while, Nezha wiped his sweat and said,
"I'm tired! I'm going back inside for some water!" He then ran off.
Fang Xian turned and walked towards Madam Yin, reaching out to take her hand.
"Let's go, I'll take you home."
Madam Yin instinctively avoided him: "No need, I can walk by myself."
But as soon as she stood up, the soreness in her legs made her sway, and she was about to fall.
Fang Xian reacted quickly, catching her, but his hand wandered to her chest.
"You!"
Madam Yin was both angry and flustered, yet a strange flutter stirred within her.
"Don't do this, what if someone sees us..."
"Don't worry, no one sees us."
Fang Xian smiled, suddenly reaching out to pick her up in his arms.
"What are you doing! Put me down!" Madam Yin patted his shoulder anxiously.
"You can't walk, be a good girl."
Fang Xian didn't let go, instead lowering his head and kissing her.
The familiar touch softened Madam Yin's struggles, and she involuntarily responded.
After kissing for a while, she suddenly came to her senses, pushed Fang Xian away, turned her face away, and said with a hint of grievance in her voice.
"Quick...quickly take me back."
Fang Xian chuckled softly, carried her back to the room, and gently placed her on the bed.
Madam Yin pursed her lips and whispered:
"You...you should rest too."
"Okay, then I'll go back first, you get some rest."
Fang Xian grinned mischievously and turned to close the door.
Madam Yin watched his retreating figure, and a thought suddenly flashed through her mind.
Just now, during the kiss, she seemed to have kissed Fang Xian back.
This thought made her cheeks burn even hotter, and she quickly closed her eyes, afraid to think about it anymore.
She didn't know why she felt this way, but she didn't realize that in front of Fang Xian, she had already done a remarkable job of resisting him.
If it were any other woman, she would have already started dancing.
After all, Fang Xian's charm is unparalleled in all worlds.
—The largest.