Chapter 46: This Maddening Tease

Under the lights, Su Qinghu’s eyes shimmered, as if she held the entire galaxy within them. When she caught his gaze, she gave him a gentle smile.

The interplay of light and shadow made her look impossibly beautiful.

But all Chen Lie felt was danger. He stood rooted to the spot, silently watching Su Qinghu.

He decided to stay still and let her make the first move.

The moment she noticed him looking, Su Qinghu quickly reined in her composed expression and tried her best to smile softly.

But seeing Chen Lie’s guarded, wary stance, she could barely keep up the act.

Who said beauties under the lamplight could stir a man’s heart?!

She believed it, but now? Isn’t this just bullying an honest man?

Su Qinghu snorted inwardly. So what if he’s wary and defensive? She lifted her chin, pointed at the tall, handsome man, and declared haughtily, “Don’t you dare dodge!”

With that, she took a running start and charged at Chen Lie.

Let’s see if he learns his lesson today—he can’t just pat her head, or press down on her, whenever he feels like it! Who gave him the illusion that he could do that?

Immature? So what! She’d get her own back!

Seeing her barreling toward him, Chen Lie narrowed his eyes. The moment she started running, he spread his legs, lowered his stance, and quickly calculated the distance and angle in his mind. Just before she reached him, he grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up.

He truly didn’t dodge, but he didn’t let Su Qinghu succeed either.

Holding Su Qinghu aloft, Chen Lie straightened his legs and looked down at her from above. “Here to settle a score?”

Did they even have any scores to settle?

“Not exactly—” Su Qinghu, held by the waist, showed not a hint of embarrassment. She rested her hands on his shoulders and grinned mischievously, inching her face closer to his. “I just wanted to take a little advantage.”

If she couldn’t settle a score, she’d just tease him a bit. Sometimes you have to bend to get what you want.

Chen Lie didn’t move, letting her come closer, silently counting in his head. When he reached three and her face was just five centimeters away, as expected, she stopped.

She might act bold, but she wasn’t as fearless as she seemed.

Chen Lie met her gaze, raising an eyebrow, nine parts skeptical of her words: “Are you sure?”

Was he calling her bluff? Su Qinghu leaned in a bit more, staring at his eyes, then suddenly kissed him on the tip of his nose.

With looks like his, he really was blessed by the heavens…

Chen Lie’s hair stood on end. His grip loosened instinctively, and he almost dropped her.

Su Qinghu was quick—her hands, which had been on his shoulders, immediately wrapped around his neck, locking behind his head as she hung onto him.

Then she glared at him fiercely.

The moment Chen Lie let go, he felt the sudden weight on his neck. Realizing what was happening, he quickly grabbed her waist again to lift her up, only now noticing how soft and flexible her waist was.

He’d been playing around, treating her like a kid, not thinking much of it. But now, as the phrase “hot potato” flashed through his mind, he let go again.

Su Qinghu clung to his neck, their bodies pressed together.

He looked down.

Su Qinghu glared back, her attitude downright defiant.

After a moment of silence, Chen Lie spoke. “Let go.”

Su Qinghu, like a fiery beauty, stared him down. “I’m afraid of heights.”

She was completely unmoved by his words.

Chen Lie: “…”

Neither would back down. Su Qinghu refused to let go, and Chen Lie let her hang there. With her strength and weight, how long could she possibly hold on?

Su Qinghu admitted she’d just taken advantage of Chen Lie. She was just an ordinary woman, and his magnified handsomeness had gone to her head. The fact that she’d only taken a tiny liberty was already a testament to her self-control.

But why was his reaction even bigger than hers?

“You know, you’re really lacking in manners right now,” Su Qinghu threatened as she clung to him. “If you don’t set me down gently and safely, don’t blame me if you regret it later!”

If her arms got tired, she’d have to wrap her legs around his waist…

Then, we’ll see who gets embarrassed first!

Chen Lie’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he met her challenging gaze. He sighed helplessly. “Weren’t you the one taking advantage of me just now?”

“Between husband and wife, who’s taking advantage of whom?” Su Qinghu’s eyes switched from provocative to innocent in a flash, her long lashes fluttering.

This kind of innocent provocation made Chen Lie want to lump her in with Erdan and give her a good lesson.

But in the end, he still reached out, gently pried Su Qinghu off, and set her carefully on the ground.

“What got you so worked up?” Chen Lie looked down at her, trying to reason. “If you’d run into someone who didn’t know how to absorb the impact, you could’ve ended up with a fracture, or at the very least, some bruises and bleeding.”

Su Qinghu didn’t answer, instead asking curiously, “You’ve never been kissed before?”

It was just a peck on the nose, and he reacted like that.

Chen Lie was about to turn away and ignore her, but somehow found himself asking, “Have you ever been kissed?”

“Nope,” Su Qinghu replied crisply, without a second thought. “But I have plenty of theoretical knowledge—”

She stopped abruptly.

Blinking, she met Chen Lie’s scrutinizing gaze, forced a smile, and stood there like a well-behaved schoolgirl.

“Theoretical knowledge?” Chen Lie pressed, his expression serious. “Where did you get all this theory from?”

What was he imagining now?

For a moment, Su Qinghu wondered if he was thinking about her past with Zhang Dongsheng.

But honestly, her “theoretical knowledge” wasn’t acquired in this era at all.

If she didn’t want the original owner to take the blame, how could she explain it reasonably?

“As far as I know, the only places you could get that kind of information are video halls, dance halls, or banned books,” Chen Lie blocked off every escape route. At this point, forget subtle hints—he was being merciful not to slap handcuffs on her. “Which one is it? Or is it several?”

Su Qinghu’s mind raced.

Given the situation, if she said anything, he might drag her off to bust some illegal den.

But how would she know about any illegal dens? The only one she knew of was Zhang Dongsheng’s dance hall, and as far as she remembered, it was just a place for entertainment—selling drinks, singing, dancing, having fun—nothing shady going on.

Of course, just because he didn’t offer those services didn’t mean people wouldn’t hook up on their own. But what did that have to do with him?

“Come on. Confess and you’ll get leniency, resist and you’ll face severity,” Chen Lie urged. “The sooner you talk, the sooner you can go to bed. You don’t want to be late for work tomorrow.”

Su Qinghu’s eyes widened. “Are you really going to go head-to-head with me over this?”

What, I can’t sleep until I confess?

“I’m telling you, Chen Lie, if you keep this up, you’ll have a hard time finding a wife, you know?” she grumbled. “All I did was say one flirty line, and you’re treating it like a criminal case. Isn’t that a bit much?”"