227: Something's wrong.

The air in the living room was so thick it was impossible to stir, and even the light outside the window seemed frozen.

Lin Luo had indeed changed. It wasn't just the silent, surging sense of oppression deep in his eyes, but a near-tangible desire for control radiating from within.

Ye Nianyao sat opposite him with her arms crossed, her spine straight as a taut bamboo stalk in a cold wind. However, the crimson flush spreading from her ears down to her collarbone betrayed her—it was evidence of the previous night and the shame she couldn't hide despite her forced composure.

"How did you not die completely..." she whispered, her words wrapped in ice shards, her gaze sharp enough to gouge a hole in him.

Lin Luo didn't avoid her gaze. There was no defiance in his eyes; instead, a near-innocent softness surfaced, and he even shrugged his shoulders slightly—like a youth who knew he had caused trouble but was certain the other person wouldn't truly be angry.

"Weren't you the one who pulled me back?" he replied softly, his tone hiding a strange dependence, as matter-of-fact as stating a law of nature.

Before he finished speaking, his fingers reached for her hand—the one resting on her knee, clenched into a tight fist.

Slap.

A crisp but powerless smack. Ye Nianyao quickly pulled her hand away and slapped the back of his hand. It didn't hurt, and it didn't even leave a red mark; it was like a futile, ritualistic rejection.

Lin Luo's hand paused but didn't pull back. He watched her profile as she suddenly turned away, her face turning even redder, and noted her chest rising and falling slightly from the movement. The softness in his eyes gradually melted into something thicker and warmer.

How could such symbolic resistance possibly stop the current him?

He no longer hesitated, his palm covering her hand firmly before she could dodge again. Her fingertips were cold and trembled slightly in his hot palm before turning as stiff as stone.

"Let go," Ye Nianyao squeezed out through gritted teeth, still not looking at him, her spine taut like a drawn bow.

Lin Luo didn't let go. He slowly and stubbornly rubbed her tense knuckles with his thumb, as if silently ironing out a frozen string.

"I'm sorry for making you worry," he said, his voice dropping, as soft as warm water seeping into a crack.

Ye Nianyao's shoulders trembled, and the layer of ice she had been maintaining suddenly shattered. A red tide welled up in her eyes, and her voice shook. "I told you not to go... but you insisted. Do you have any idea how many people were worried sick after you disappeared?"

Lin Luo pulled her into his arms. She struggled at first, but as he held her more tightly, she gradually lost her strength. Her forehead rested against his shoulder, and her long-suppressed emotions finally escaped in small sobs.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." he whispered repeatedly, his palm against the back of her neck, stroking her trembling spine.

In fact, Lin Luo still didn't know the truth—the moment he stepped into the other world, his connection with "Mr. Long" had been severed by an invisible force. He had always thought those desperate battles alone were intentional trials, unaware that he had long since lost all backup.

Had he known there was no retreat, he never would have recklessly charged into the Eighth Continent of the Gourmet World.

Once her breathing stabilized, he asked softly, "How... did I get back?"

He was still completely clueless about how he had woken up to find himself back in his original world.

Ye Nianyao looked up from his shoulder, her eyes still red. "You don't know?"

"Yeah," Lin Luo replied. "I just remember it felt like I took a nap, and when I woke up, I was in bed. Then..." He paused, his voice lowering. "I felt very comfortable, and when I opened my eyes... I saw you on top of me..."

Ye Nianyao's pupils suddenly constricted, and she jerked away from his embrace. "You were awake then?! Didn't you say you didn't remember anything?! Lin Luo, you... you bastard!"

She raised her hand to hit him, but he easily caught her wrist. He watched her embarrassed and annoyed expression, her eyes shimmering with tears, and the corner of his mouth curved up slightly. The initial apology in his smile had faded, settling into a deep, steady sense of possession.

"Don't kiss me, you jerk," Ye Nianyao turned her face away, her voice muffled, but a slight tremor betrayed her as his fingertips unconsciously rubbed her wrist bone.

Lin Luo leaned down, his nose almost brushing against her burning ear, his breath warm. "I am completely devoted to you." His words were deep and serious, creating a subtle contrast with his current near-confining posture.

"Completely devoted?" Ye Nianyao let out a short snort, her gaze meaningfully darting toward the closed bedroom door. "There are still two others in bed who haven't woken up yet."

Lin Luo's movements paused for a moment. He knew exactly who was inside. The fragmented memories of last night's chaos surged back at her reminder, but instead of making him back off, it acted as a catalyst, deepening the darkness in his eyes.

He said no more, responding directly with action. First, he punished her by nipping her lower lip with his teeth, drawing a low grunt of pain and an even more forceful turn of her head in resistance.

Seeing her stubborn, tight-lipped refusal to cooperate, his hand on her waist crept upward. Through her thin clothing, he accurately captured that sensitive softness, his fingers closing in a firm squeeze.

"Ngh...!" Caught off guard, a short gasp escaped Ye Nianyao's throat, and her tightly closed teeth instantly gave way.

Lin Luo took the opportunity to enter, his tongue driving deep, sweeping away all her remaining protests and her bluff of coldness.

Lin Luo gradually deepened the kiss, greedily drinking in her scent, his tongue prying open her teeth to conquer every inch.

Ye Nianyao's hands, which had initially been pushing against his chest, gradually turned into erratic scratching, her fingertips digging into his tense muscles through the fabric.

Her frantic breaths were entirely swallowed by him, and her body softened inch by inch in his powerful arms, like snow melting under the spring sun.

After a long time, he finally pulled back slightly, his forehead still against hers, his breath heavy and hot. Looking at her dazed, watery eyes and her swollen, moist lips, his voice was incredibly husky. "Sister Nianyao, I want you."

The moment the words left his mouth, Ye Nianyao keenly caught something abnormal—dark purple-gold patterns flashed beneath the skin of his neck and the back of his hand, and a strange, almost bewitching purple light flickered deep within his dark eyes.

Alarm bells rang in her head, and using all her remaining strength, she pushed him back an arm's length. "Lin Luo! What's wrong with you?"

Lin Luo shook his head, seemingly unaware of the anomaly. Instead, a smile that was different from his usual self—one with a hint of wickedness—curled on his lips. "Nothing's wrong. I feel great... better than ever." He reached out to touch her again, his movements carrying an undeniable urgency.

"That's impossible!" Ye Nianyao shrank back, avoiding his hand. "You're not right at all; you're blinded by lust! Is this what happens to men when they've been holding it in for too long?"

"Holding it in?" Lin Luo chuckled and suddenly leaned forward, easily trapping her between himself and the back of the sofa. His warm breath brushed her ear. "Isn't it all your fault, Sister Nianyao? For your sake, I've been chaste for a very, very long time."

"What... what are you talking about!" Ye Nianyao's face turned beet red, not just because of his blunt words, but because of the hard, burning pressure she could clearly feel beneath her. The sensation was so vivid that her entire body went stiff.

"I'm not talking nonsense." He pressed closer, his nose almost touching hers, his purple-lit eyes locked onto her. "I kept myself that way until last night... when I finally lost my virginity with you. You opened this door in my body and released all this... so, you have to take responsibility and help me resolve it."

His logic was bastardly and blunt, driven by an undeniable obsession catalyzed by some kind of power.

Ye Nianyao was both ashamed and angry, but her rationality was screaming—this was the living room! And the bedroom door... Her gaze darted toward the bedroom; it was excessively quiet, but knowing those two... Taking advantage of his momentary lapse while speaking, Ye Nianyao's waist suddenly exerted force. With an extremely supple and flexible movement, she slipped out from under him like a fish escaping a net. Then, her bare foot unceremoniously stepped onto his firm abdomen, and with a bit of force, she pinned him back against the sofa.

"You two—" she raised her voice, her sharp gaze fixed on the closed bedroom door. "How much longer are you going to hide in there? Have you seen enough? Come out!"