Chapter 217 - At the night when the clock starts to run (V)

Xiong Zhi, who was squatting behind the bushes along with Linfeng, eyed the box in his hand. 

"This—" Linfeng started to open the box. Xiong Zhi watched him attentively with obvious anticipation. That should be his birthday gift for her, right? It should be Linfeng's first ever gift given to her in this lifetime, right?

"…" Linfeng could practically see her thoughts on her face. Facing such an obviously anticipating look on her bright eyes, he suddenly had an itch to tease her. He suddenly closed the box. Screw the time. He decided to savor every moment here.

"This box is cute, isn't it?" Linfeng baited.

"Hmm. It's gorgeous. I wonder what it is," Xiong Zhi pretentiously said, her eyes remaining stuck on the box. She had already decided that it was for her, after all, wasn't today her birthday? She was wondering if it was a bracelet, an anklet, or a necklace. Anything from Linfeng would be fine, even if it was just a piece of candy, for her it would still be the most precious.

"Yes. It's a gift for someone." Linfeng deliberately touched the casing lovingly.

"I see. For whom?" Xiong Zhi eyes' lit up brighter, but still played along. It was for her, she knew it.

"To a friend of mine. I will meet them tomorrow. We haven't met for a period of time," Linfeng feigned as he put the box on his coat.

"…"

Xiong Zhi's eyes slowly dimmed. She felt like she was a fiery hot stove suddenly poured with buckets of cold water, her fire instantly went out. It was not for her? 

Her mood suddenly turned sour. She evasively looked down as she did not want Linfeng to see her disappointment.

"Oh. I see..." She was about to stand up when Linfeng pulled her down again into his arms. He hugged her softly. Before she knew it, Linfeng released her and looked back at her with a tantalizing smile. 

"It suits you very well." 

Following his eyes, Xiong Zhi looked down to her chest in surprise. Xiong Zhi touched the necklace which suddenly appeared on her neck. It was an elegant gold necklace with a small moon-shaped pendant. Its chain was very fine and dainty, making it appear more delicate. Looking carefully, there were words inscribed on it. 

'Linfeng & Zhi'. 

The unevenness on the surface of the pendant caused by the tiny characters engraved on it made the moon look very realistic. It was so simple yet beautiful.

Xiong Zhi touched their names. A crescent moon and their names. This necklace meant a lot to her. 

Linfeng stared at her beautiful figure gently caressing the necklace with a tender smile on. Liking someone could actually be this wondrous, you can feel happy just by giving something to the person you love. 

Seeing her wearing his gift made him feel happy and contented. If only they could stay like this. Even if they were both simply sitting on the grass lawn, even hiding from everybody, this moment was already so precious. 

He reached out and gently tucked her unruly locks behind her ear. 

He stared captivated at her long lashes framing her watery eyes glistening in the dark. His eyes traveled every inch of her small charming face—her eyes, her nose, her lips. 

He wanted to do more than just looking. To inch closer and…

Not right now. He do not deserve to do such things yet. He wanted to stand on equal grounds with her, to be a worthy and capable man deserving of her. Only then would he be able to freely do more than just this, because that was what his young miss deserved.

So he just looked on with longing, engraving all of her into his mind.

His young miss was so beautiful, beyond words. No one else could compare. Just her sitting there, looking down to her necklace with a gentle gaze, her hair dancing with the breeze—she looked like a princess awaiting his doting, affection, and care.

In a daze, Linfeng unconsciously spoke out what was on his mind.

"You are so beautiful, Zhi'er." 

Xiong Zhi looked up at him with wide eyes and met Linfeng's scorching gaze. Xiong Zhi's cheeks reddened as she shyly replied. 

"You too." 

Linfeng amusedly laughed. 

Then sighed. He was really reluctant to leave. 

"Can we just stay like this?" his mouth said, but he knew they could not. He gently laid down with his back on the grassy ground as a last ditch of effort to prolong the moment.

Xiong Zhi copied him, falling backwards to the grass. She looked up at the moon and reached her hand to it.

"We can," Xiong Zhi answered him, although she knew he would not.

Linfeng turned his head to her and spoke. "Young Miss, I have not been the perfect butler, haven't I?" 

Xiong Zhi was about to point out his good points but Linfeng continued.

"Young Miss. Young Miss, Young Miss, Young Miss. How many days is that?" 

Xiong Zhi laughed and played along.

"That is five days. So I have eight days with you." 

"Then maybe I should call you Young Miss more," Linfeng teased. 

Xiong Zhi turned to his side and stared at him.

"Does it mean you want to stay longer with me?"

"Maybe?" He smiled.

Xiong Zhi stared at him for a while then let out a laugh.

"I like you like this. Without restraint. Without thinking of anything. Without being so polite to me."

Linfeng quietened and listened to her sighs.

"You said you're not the perfect butler for me. Well…" Xiong Zhi liked those dark eyes that were watching her.

"You're wrong. You are the perfect butler for me." In both lifetimes, whether in the past or the present.

"But I like you more as my man," Xiong Zhi suddenly inserted, voicing out her thoughts. Her eyes gazed at him adoringly, as if he was her whole world. The look that never failed to incite a man. 

Linfeng's smile stiffened in surprise at the sudden unexpected trap his young miss threw his way.

His heart started beating wildly again.

"Not fair," he murmured.

"Hmm?" Xiong Zhi stared confusedly at Linfeng who suddenly became solemn.

"You're not being fair. You are—" Linfeng held her hand and pressed it against his loudly beating heart.

"—doing this again." 

Her hands felt the hard muscled chest first, his warmth next, and finally, the strong pounding of his heart.

It was so fast.

"You are seducing me again," Linfeng hopelessly said.

Xiong Zhi was really innocent this time. She had not done anything yet but he said she seduced him?

What did she do? She needed to know so she could do it again!

[The editor who read this part: "…"]

"You know I'm hopeless against your attack," Linfeng half-complained, half-indulged, bringing her hand to his lips. 

His scalding breath tickled her palm as he spoke.

His eyes darkened with a dangerous glint. "You have no idea how much it affects me." 

Then he lightly kissed her palm with his scorching lips.

Thump. Thump. Thump. 

It was Xiong Zhi's turn to burn up, her heart racing riotously. 

Her brain crashed down.

She could not look away from this scene—Linfeng's eyes narrowed in decadent sensuality, kissing the palm of her hand devoutly. She felt the hot, damp lips pressed against her palm, sending shivers down her entire being. His usually formal appearance transformed into a repressed beast about to pounce.

It was obviously Linfeng who was seducing her! She was falling deeper.

"What am I going to do with you now? You're here. With me. Alone." Linfeng's deep voice reached her ears. Intoxicating. Inviting something.

"…" A certain someone's CPU was still crashed. 

After a few more seconds ticked by, Linfeng looked up carelessly.

A certain robot's CPU was letting out steams of smoke from excessively high temperature.

"…"

Linfeng, who had almost lost control, instantly calmed down. Eh?

What he was doing? He, he had kissed his Young Miss's hand presumptuously! He had actually lost control for a moment there.

Meanwhile, the robot's CPU began to self-repair and recovered data in high speed.

"Cough, cough," Linfeng's cheeks instantly burned, and he coughed to cover his embarrassment at his sudden loss of composure. His young miss's temptation was really dangerous.

"I like it," the robot, Xiong Zhi, finally spoke.

"Huh?" Linfeng look confusedly at her, still a bit embarrassed.

"Just you and me. I like being alone with you. Do you like it too?" Xiong Zhi asked. Her sincere face and heartfelt voice made Linfeng feel guilty, as if he was a beast who had taken advantage of a young lamb. 

That was actually not what he meant, it was something else that was entirely immoral. But he could not say that in front of this cute and innocent young miss.

Linfeng had finally fully calmed down. He reached out again and put away the locks that kept on being ruffled by the breeze behind her ears. Time was about to come, and he wanted to see more of her even for a second. 

He lightly laughed at her naivety towards situations like this.

"Yeah. I like it too," he whispered silently. "I will miss it." 

"…"

After a moment of silence, Xiong Zhi spoke.

"When will I see you again?" 

Linfeng thought about it. When? He was not sure. But he would definitely do his utmost to make it come sooner.

"Soon," was the only reply.

"Will you give me flowers again when you come?" Xiong Zhi asked. They had not yet parted but she was already missing him. Ah, love.

Linfeng smiled. "Of course. Want some cheesecake too?" 

Xiong Zhi nodded.

"Then I will bring—" 

'Beep' 'Beep' ' Beep'. 

Three consecutive beeps cut off Linfeng's words. Linfeng immediately sat up. Three beeps meant he needed to leave now.

Xiong Zhi sat up too. Her eyes were sad. She knew that Linfeng needed to go. She did not fully understand the situation, but Linfeng hiding like this gave her some hints.

"I need to go." Linfeng stood up and reached his hand out to Xiong Zhi.

Xiong Zhi held it and stood up. She could not look at his eyes directly as she was afraid that her sad expression would worry him.

"I will lead you to your room first—"

'Beep' 'Beep' ' Beep'. 

Linfeng frowned at this and turned off the device. The person in charge was so irritating. 

"Let's go—"

"It's okay. I'll be fine. I can leave by myself. I will just see you off," Xiong Zhi said and finally took courage to look into his eyes. 

Linfeng gently smiled. Xiong Zhi was really understanding. But he wanted to see her safely arrive to her room. 

"Let me lead you, Young Miss. I will not be able to sleep peacefully tonight if I don't see you off." 

Xiong Zhi had no choice but to follow him. She, too, wanted to stay with him for a bit longer.

"And by the way, this is the last time I will warn you. If you do something like 'inviting' me again, I will not be a gentleman then," Linfeng solemnly declared as he glanced at Xiong Zhi's lips with a dark glint in his eyes.

"Huh?" Xiong Zhi looked clueless. Linfeng laughed at her.

"What do you mean?" Xiong Zhi asked him while they walk to the East building.

"Hmm. It is best to figure it out yourself."

"But I don't understand."

The two's chatting voices faded away as their figures were gradually swallowed by the darkness of the night.

******