Yaxi, now fully immersed in detective mode, pinched her chin as she spoke, unable to stop herself.
Chen Ling took a step forward, and Yaxi quickly pulled her hand back, clutching the bag of sleeping pills tightly.
This was her leverage to negotiate with him later.
But Chen Ling leaned in, his face inches from hers. He stared directly at her—or rather, she knew he was fixated on her lips.
"That person threatened you…" Yaxi's breath hitched, her voice growing softer.
It wasn't that she was being seduced. It was just that Chen Ling's actions were always unpredictable.
Chen Ling simply gazed at her for a moment, then reached out, his index finger brushing against her soft, full lips.
He gently caressed them, over and over.
Then, suddenly, he slipped his finger into her mouth, tapping her tongue before quickly withdrawing it.
What did that mean?
"You're very perceptive," Chen Ling murmured, his gaze meeting hers.
Perceptive enough that no one could resist liking you. It's no wonder Lu Ziyang is infatuated with you.
Chen Ling's eyes drifted down her open pajama collar, landing on the faint marks beneath.
The thorn in his heart began to stir again, and his entire body ached with the desire to kiss her.
But he couldn't. Yaxi wouldn't let him.
He turned away, slipping back into his usual mask of indifference, then brought his hand to his lips, licking his index finger.
Yaxi had been away from her livestream for nearly ten minutes.
Suddenly, Chen Ling spoke. "Yaxi, next weekend is Christmas Eve. Are you free?"
Christmas Eve? Yaxi thought of Lu Ziyang. She wanted to witness firsthand the fake snow falling as he and Xu Xiaoyi became a couple.
"After ten, yes," she replied.
"Perfect timing. Can I take you somewhere?" he asked softly, as if inviting her on a date.
Yaxi was accustomed to his sudden shifts in demeanor. She twirled the bag of sleeping pills around her finger and said casually, "Sure, why not?"
Then she added, "But you'll have to tell me everything—your background, your family, why your leg was broken… everything. If you don't agree, I won't go with you, and I'll slowly finish this bag of sleeping pills."
Chen Ling sighed, his body stiffening slightly, and nodded.
Yaxi didn't realize that using herself as leverage was the real sore spot for him.
She waved her hand dismissively. "Alright, I'm going back in now," she said, turning to open the door.
"Can I get your doctor's contact information now?" Chen Ling asked, finally realizing she hadn't brought her phone out.
"Not now. Tomorrow."
Her phone was still live-streaming.
"Oh—your phone's in use, so you can't get it," Chen Ling teased.
Yaxi was momentarily confused but quickly caught on and laughed along with him.
She gently tugged her collar down, revealing more skin and the faint marks at the base of her cleavage.
She was satisfied to see Chen Ling's smile falter.
He left in silence, slamming the door to the neighboring room shut before she did.
Yaxi exhaled deeply.
Tonight, she had won.
She had gambled correctly—Chen Ling didn't love her, but he was obsessed with her body, possessive to the core.
She returned to her seat, only to be horrified by the flood of explicit comments in the chat.
"—Been gone so long, the screen's turned yellow."
"—Let's scatter, don't disturb the lovebirds."
"—Wuwu, I want to cuddle with Yaxi too."