The Guide to Capturing a Black Lotus
Chapter 81: Honey Pomelo (3)

Ling Miaomiao was roused by the snapping sound which came from behind.

It was very cold late at night, her back trembled slightly and the scent of ink stung her nose. It was only then did she realize with a start that she had fallen asleep whilst laying down on the table, the tip of her nose pressing on an open page of a book.

Deep into the night, the candles on her table had burned into stubs. All that was left was the cold moonlight which shone through the window frame, casting four rhombus-shaped light spots.

“Click, click, click…” The noise behind her continued to sound. If it wasn’t a rat which had gotten into the room… Then it could only be a thief.

She shook her sleepy head, and quickly lit the candle. She carried the candle holder and shone the light on the bed. The sight she was met with was shocking enough to scare her stiff. The outside of the canopy was already surrounded by a cloud-like black gas. Unable to dissipate, it caused the hanging wooden bed brush to sway as though wind was blowing, acting as the source of the unceasing sound.

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The person behind the muslim canopy wasn’t sleeping very well, seemingly experiencing a nightmare.

In the past, I had heard others say that the ones who didn’t cry or make trouble after being rejected, were usually the ones who would hold their pain in until it tore them apart. The black lotus…was going berserk; was this the result of holding it in?

She hurriedly ran over and yelled through the canopy which separated them, “Ziqi, Ziqi?”

Mbl uswdt xyd bye bkp lulp nzsple yde bkp lulzypblp olal valxczkdt. Tkp qsalblye oyp ealdnble kd nsze polyv.

Fbl nswzed’v yqqsae vs nsdpkela vbl eydtla yde rzwdtle kdvs vbyv czynj typ. Sykpkdt vbl nydsru, pbl ldvlale yde pbssj bkp yax, sdzu vs qkde vbyv bkp nzsvblp olal ldvkalzu psyjle vbaswtb okvb nsze polyv.

“Yw Fbldt. Eyjl wr!” Fbl oyp cltkddkdt vs rydkn, y zyula sq polyv yrrlyakdt sd bla qsalblye. “Ebyv’p oasdt okvb usw?” Sᴇaʀᴄh the ɴøvᴇl_Firᴇ.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

Eypd’v czynjldkdt yd yttalppkhl yde nssz rasnlpp? Tso nswze kv zssj ps rkvkqwz…

“Pkdt——Fupvlx Lsvkqknyvksd: Ubyaynvla [Yw Fbldt] kp vlxrsayakzu lmrlakldnkdt y xyfsa plvcynj qasx y zlyjytl sq prkakvwyz ldlatu. Tl byp dsv ldvlale vbl czynjldkdt rasnlpp. Mbl bspv nyd tkhl vbl nbyaynvla y nlavykd yxswdv sq rbupkszstknyz pvkxwzyvksd, pwnb yp…”

Nlyjytl sq prkakvwyz ldlatu… Vbupkszstknyz pvkxwzyvksd…

Tla xkde oyp kd pbyxczlp yde pbl eked’v oykv qsa vbl pupvlx vs qkdkpb kvp osaep. Fbl nzkxcle sdvs vbl cle sd bla bydep yde qllv, pyv sd bkx, yde alyekle csvb bydep. Mbld pbl zsolale bla blye yde pzyrrle bkp ryzl qynl y qlo vkxlp. Rd y nzlya hsknl pbl pnszele bkx, “Rpd’v kv fwpv y qykzle nsdqlppksd? Ebyv’p vbl ckt elyz? Rp vblal ds sdl lzpl kd vbkp osaze lmnlrv qsa uswa pkpvla? Cwkv clkdt ps qsszkpb! Eyjl wr!”

Fupvlx: “…pwnb yp tkhkdt vbl nbyaynvla y pwkvyczl jkpp…”

“…” Ling Miaomiao abruptly retracted her hands, feeling extremely embarrassed, and cursed: Why are you speaking so slowly! You caused me to…”

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The black lotus was already this wretched, and now, he had to suffer her slaps while unconscious…

She bowed her head in regret and stroked his white jade-like face with her hand. Fortunately, there weren’t any traces left from her strikes on his face despite how delicate the skin on his face seemed. As all this ran through her mind, her fingers were suddenly caught.

The palm of his hand was boiling hot; he was calling out in his sleep, “Miaomiao…”

“Yes…” Her eyes lit up, “It’s me, it’s me, hurry and wake up…”

A cry of surprise caught in her throat.

Without warning, she was turned over and pressed beneath him. She tried to get up while panicking but her legs were trapped by his knees and the bones in her lower calves were aching.

Her wrists were tightly grasped and pressed against the side of the pillow. She almost couldn’t get her words out, “Have you turned mad…”

His lips suddenly came down and she jerked her head to the side. Coming up empty, he then violently gathered both of her slender wrists together, held them above her head, and used a hand to pinch her chin.

“You…You…”

The young man’s eyes were closed and the curvature of his eyelashes was faintly visible in the dim lighting.

Ling Miaomiao was so angry she couldn’t speak. Even though this person had their eyes closed and was unable to think properly, they were still able to do everything so accurately and meticulously that she was unable to resist…

His lips came down again. His aim was a tad off, resulting in his lips landing on the corner of hers.

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Ling Miaomiao stopped moving, her heart thumping fiercely. He was cold from head to toe, exuding a melancholic plum blossom fragrance. Only his lips and palm were hot.

He was strong and with him pressing her down onto the bed and pinching her chin, she was scared into a shivering lump with no way of escape.

But who would have thought that, the kisses which fell on her lips were unexpectedly soft. Each kiss felt like dragonflies touching the water, and they didn’t give the feeling of plundering but rather… trying to please.

Despite having taken great advantage of her, he seemed to be very timid.

Only then did she calm down from her panic. Her face was burning up and their breaths were entangled when she suddenly heard his voice sound in the dimness, still seeming to be sleep-talking, “Will you always be with me?”

“…..”

She merely hesitated for a moment but with that, his kisses abruptly turned violent and he even lightly nipped her soft pink lips.

“…Yes!” She agreed in a moment of alarm.

“You will never leave?” He continued asking in a low husky voice.

She blinked, “As long as I am in this world…I will never leave.”

Only after hearing her promise did he finally lose consciousness and collapse to her side.

The black cloud outside the canopy dispersed at once, revealing the bright lovely moonlight.

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From now on…whether it be in heaven or on earth, there was only this person left.

She was the shore on the other side.

As well as the harbor he could return to.

Ling Miaomiao was awakened by the morning song of the birds. The sun had fallen on her face, hot and stinging through her eyelids.

She couldn’t open her eyes and languidly turn herself over…

Her mind immediately cleared. She sat upright and grabbed the quilt which was covering her.

The quilt covered her completely, the canopy was lowered, and there wasn’t anyone around her.

For a moment, she felt a flash of fear. She pushed the canopy to the side, scrambled to the edge of the bed, slipped her bare feet into her shoes which were on the floor, and stuck her neck out to look around.

There was no one in the room either…

She couldn’t find his figure this early in the morning. He wouldn’t have run out to take his revenge on society, did he… She rubbed her cheeks, forcing herself to calm down, and quickly put on her jacket

As soon as she had just finished putting on one sleeve of the jacket, the door was pushed open with a creaking sound. She was surprised to see Mu Sheng come in dressed immaculately and then sit down at the table as if nothing had happened.

He seemed to have regained his former state, his actions not the least bit hesitant. His expression was also completely normal. It seemed as if everything that had occurred last night was simply a dream that she had.

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“Where…Where did you go?” She carefully crawled off the bed, pulled out a stool and sat down across from him.

“I went to drink morning tea with Sister.” He smiled for the first time, carrying the deceptive beauty of a young man, appearing just like when she had met him the first time.

Sister..Mu Yao? Could it be? But didn’t they already…have a falling out…

“Oh…” She couldn’t say whether she was surprised or disappointed. She sat down at the table, feeling a strange bitterness surge in her heart, “Why did you visit Sister Mu out of the blue for tea today?

“I had a few matters which I needed to discuss with her.” He was perfectly calm as he poured a cup of tea and pushed it towards her.

Ling Miaomiao took a sip absent-mindedly. Unable to keep her curiosity to herself, she asked. “What matters…”

“Our marriage.”

“Puu——” The tea in her mouth was spit out. Following which, she began to cough violently and tears came pouring down. Mu Sheng walked over and brought Ling Miaomiao, who had lost her posture from her violent fit of coughing, into his arms and gently patted her on the back.

Ling Miaomiao struggled out of his arms. Her deer-like eyes blinked at him. “What do you mean by those words?”

The original Ling Miaomiao had also married Mu Sheng but it wasn’t in this way. It seemed that Mu Sheng had used some kind of method to control her…There were still so many loose ends which hadn’t been tied up but he unexpectedly came to propose?

Mu Sheng’s eyes were shining, reflecting her appearance in their black depths, which were deep enough to drown in, “Won’t you marry me?”

“I…” She was overwhelmed with shock, “You’re….going too fast.”

“…” The smile on the boy’s face became slightly strained and he slowly crouched down and tilted his head up to look at her. His beautiful eyes, which were hidden by his thick lashes, were astonishingly black and bright, “I…don’t want to wait even a moment longer.”

Ling Miaomiao shifted her knees and slightly moved a little further away, not quite believing his words, “But you just confessed to Sister Mu yesterday…”

“I didn’t confess.” His expression abruptly cooled and he stood up afterwards. As he looked down at her, he told her. “Sister is just Sister.”

Ling Miaomiao very perceptively detected that the enthusiastic and intimate tone he would usually have while saying the word “Sister”, had disappeared. In its place, was a very apathetic tone and not even a sliver of emotion.

The young man’s hand gently tucked a strand of the girl’s hair, which was out of place, behind her ear. While doing that, his finger inadvertently brushed past the tip of her ears, causing her to shiver subconsciously. His voice was very calm as he spoke. “If you don’t like it, it’s not as if cutting ties isn’t an option either.”

“…” Ling Miaomiao looked at his face, feeling stunned and that his entire temperament had gone through a great change. With this, she was more cautious in her actions.

“Ziqi?” She tried calling out to him.

“Mm.” He lowered his eyes and looked at her. As she saw this familiar action of him looking down at her, she was able to set down most of her worries.

——It was still him, it was just, it was just that he had become a little strange.

“I think…” She hesitated for a moment and her eyelashes began trembling, “I think matters like this should not be rushed…”

Do you still have Liu Fuyi in your heart?” He suddenly cut her off, his fingers tightening, his eyes dimming.

It was like she had been put on mute. No matter how hard she tried, she wasn’t able to spit out the word, “No”. In her mind, there were several red cross-marks which overlapped and sounded an alarm which only she could hear.

Despairingly, she came to her senses. She was still in the middle of completing her mission and in it, she was the character who had a crush on Liu Fuyi from beginning to end.

For every day the mission remained incomplete, that would be one more day which she would not be able to be true to herself.

“What does this have to do with Brother Liu?” She had no choice but to adjust her wording, frantically rubbing her aching temples, the pain making tears well up in her eyes.

In Mu Sheng’s eyes, this was simply another scene of duplicity.

“What should I do then?” Mu Sheng asked her this in a soft voice. The air around his body chilled, and his eyes were staring intently at her. After a long time, with a trace of accusation in his tone, he uttered, “You promised me you would be with me and never leave.”

“Ziqi, listen to me…”

The young man pinched her chin and raised it. His eyes lingered on her face and to her surprise, they were filled with infinite infatuation and anguish. After a long time, he moved his thin lips, “Ling Miaomiao, I have already given my heart to you. Can’t you try to like me?”

She looked at him in a daze. “I…”

After a series of mutes, which made her head feel like it was about to explode, she resisted the system notification and hurried to tell him, “I really do not hate you, Ziqi…”

She had already anxiously pulled down his hand, held her head and forcefully moved it down twice.

Things such as liking men other than Liu Fuyi couldn’t be spoken through Ling Yu’s mouth… She currently had three-fourths of the mission complete. Only after getting through the last fourth of the mission progress, would she truly be free.

He looked at her and laughed lowly. It was obvious this reply did not satisfy him.

The dark color of his eyes intensified, like the color of the dark night spilling out. He caught her off guard and pinned her knees in place with his legs. He placed one hand on her shoulder, seemingly intimate but somewhat forceful, and pressed her onto the chair.

“Ziqi…” She lifted her head blankly and began struggling, feeling a little bit of panic creep up her spine. “Mu Sheng, Mu Sheng….”

He turned a deaf ear to her words.

The brightness of his eyes changed rapidly, similar to how the rain clouds would gather and disperse, clear as could be in one second and a bottomless darkness the next.

Ling Miaomiao looked into his eyes in amazement: Was he destined to go through a blackening? After delaying it for all this time, was it still impossible to avoid it? And this time, it wouldn’t be for Mu Yao but for….

Unexpectedly, he smiled languidly, like a blooming winter jasmine. His tone started out gentle, “It’s fine if you don’t like me, we can start anew. Only…if you want to marry Liu Fuyi…” The look in his eyes suddenly darkened and the hostility in his eyes was enough to put fear into the bones of any of those who saw it. “Dream on.”

…But for her.

The corners of his lips were curved up and his smile was cold. His fingers were already on his thin beautiful hair tie. He tugged at it.

Oh no.

The struggling girl suddenly stopped and not of her own will, looked into his eyes which had suddenly become beautiful beyond comparison.

He crouched down, paused and in a coaxing tone, he spoke each word with a pause after it, “You like me.”

She sluggishly opened her mouth, “I…”

But she stopped and didn’t continue.

A sliver of anger appeared in his eyes and he stubbornly repeated again, “You like me.”

“I…like…you.” She finally spit out those words with difficulty.

Almost at the same time, the backlash caused by going against the will of the other person suddenly gnawed on his heart. His eyes widened and he placed his hand over his heart as he spit out a mouthful of blood.

He carelessly wiped off the blood with his sleeve. The traces of bright red left on his lips were alluring when compared to his pale lips. He willfully continued on, “You are willing to be married to me.”

“I…am willing…to be married…to you.”

Once again, his face paled and blue veins popped out. Even after enduring it for another moment, dark red blood still appeared at the corner of his lips.

“Good, then it-…then it is settled.” He slowly suppressed the fishy taste in his throat and smiled slightly as he rested his face on her knees. He grabbed the soft hem of her skirt which was dragging on the ground, and lightly fiddled with it.

For a long while, his eyelashes trembled. As if he was talking to himself he said, “Don’t reject me, I…can’t endure your rejection.”

With the power of the hair tie, which was to entice, the soul would be controlled, but this could only last for seven days. Seven days. It was enough for him to accomplish everything.

So greedy, so inferior… He was like a drug addict, using for a day and indulging for a day, and then again, and again…

He was afraid to think of what would happen in the future.

Ling Miaomiao’s gaze was unfocused and she patted the person on her lap, drawing circles in his hair. Like a curious child, she asked him, “…Ziqi, what are you doing?”

He caught her hand, closed his eyes and gently laid kisses on her fingers before answering her, “In this life, you must be with me no matter what.”

The author has something to say:

Q: Why was Sheng’s reaction not as serious when he bewitched Mr.Ji back at the Ling Residence? (Back at chapter 10)

A: He was not going against his will, but the system.

TL Note: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄

Apologies for the late chapter, I procrastinated. *bows*

Sᴇarch the NʘvᴇlFirᴇ.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.