179: It's just a physiological reaction.

He wanted to shake off her hand, but Cheng Siyu held on firmly.

Gu Xiheng felt the spot where Cheng Siyu held him suddenly turn scalding hot. The ambiguous atmosphere between them made him feel uncomfortable all over, and he was just about to use more force to push her away.

Unexpectedly, Cheng Siyu, her face flushed, suddenly leaned into his embrace, hooked her arms around his neck, and pressed her lips against his.

With a "boom," Gu Xiheng's entire body went stiff. Fragments of the night they spent together flashed through his mind; it was something done while he wasn't lucid, and he didn't remember much after it was over.

At this moment, those memories resurfaced.

Coupled with his current state of sobriety, he could clearly feel the softness of her lips, which left him somewhat at a loss.

Just as he was about to push Cheng Siyu away forcefully...

Suddenly, the door was opened. "Xiheng, the kitchen made a special extra dish for us today..."

Mo Li, who had barged in recklessly, happened to see the two of them kissing. He felt a bit awkward. "Hehe, sorry, sorry. I interrupted you, didn't I? Oh, I'll leave right now. You guys continue, please continue."

Seeing someone barge in, Cheng Siyu immediately let go of Gu Xiheng shyly, her face turning bright red.

She stood up quickly, glanced at Gu Xiheng, and said somewhat bashfully, "You... you guys go ahead with your business. I'll leave first. Xiheng, I'll come see you again in a while."

After saying that, she bit her lip and walked out.

Once she was gone, Mo Li walked to Gu Xiheng's bedside and slapped him on the shoulder. "I say, what's with you, kid? Have you finally made a decision?"

Gu Xiheng also regained his senses. He lay weakly on the bed and sighed, "I think I finally understand why, since ancient times, men haven't been able to resist a beautiful woman throwing herself at them."

"Hmm? What do you mean? Explain yourself," Mo Li pressed.

"Don't you think my self-control is strong enough?" Gu Xiheng said gloomily.

"Yeah, your self-control is second to none! Hiss, you're not telling me you've actually developed feelings for her, are you? That even a hero like you can't pass the beauty's test?"

"Not entirely. It's just... just..." Gu Xiheng found it hard to speak at this point.

"Just what? Just say it! What is there that you can't tell me?"

"It's just that when she leaned in, I... I had a physical reaction." Gu Xiheng's voice grew quieter as he spoke.

"Ha! I thought it was something serious! Isn't that normal? It's a physiological need. You're a big virgin, so it's understandable that you don't get it. If you didn't have any reaction facing such a great beauty, then there would definitely be something wrong with you."

Mo Li breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that he hadn't truly fallen for Cheng Siyu; he very much hoped Gu Xiheng could be with someone he actually liked.

"Is that all it is?"

"What else did you want it to be?"

"I don't know. I can't sort out my thoughts," Gu Xiheng said, rubbing his brow.

"Look at you. You've lived for over thirty years and haven't even tasted what a woman is like. That's quite a failure," Mo Li said with a look of mockery.

"You think everyone is like you, liking every person you see and tossing them aside when you're bored? I can't do that. If I touch someone, I have to be responsible for them for a lifetime," Gu Xiheng rolled his eyes and said heavily.

"Hey, that was in the past! I've changed now, you know. You have no idea how many Little Girls and young wives throw themselves at me these days. I've steadfastly avoided them all."

"This body of mine is being saved for Ye Rui," Mo Li said with a look of pride.

Gu Xiheng rolled his eyes in disgust, glared at him, and cursed, "Get out of here! I can't stand your narcissistic attitude!"

"Hehe, what narcissism? That's my radiant charm. I can't help it if girls just like me," Mo Li said, shrugging his shoulders.

Gu Xiheng was in no mood to discuss these messy matters with him anymore, so he chased him away. "Get back to your own ward. Don't be an eyesore in front of me!"

"Hey, it's just the truth! Hmph! I just have charm!" Mo Li turned to leave but suddenly remembered something. He looked back and warned, "Cheng Siyu is too beautiful, absolutely radiant. If she takes the initiative, you might really not be able to hold out. Good luck."

Having said that, he left without a second thought.

Gu Xiheng's face grew serious. Recalling his reaction to Cheng Siyu's initiative just now, it was indeed as Mo Li said—facing the advances of such a human stunner, he really didn't trust his own self-control much anymore.

If Mo Li hadn't accidentally barged in just now, he wasn't sure if he would have been able to push Cheng Siyu away.

"Sigh..."

Gu Xiheng let out a sigh. Although he knew he would eventually marry Cheng Siyu, the moment he thought about it, he couldn't help but stall. He hadn't even told his parents about his decision.

But doing this was unfair to Cheng Siyu.

"Sigh... Ai Yue."

Gu Xiheng thought of Ai Yue's high-spirited face, and then of the pitifully moving Cheng Siyu who was just before him. He irritably buried himself in his blankets, hoping to escape for a while.

After leaving Gu Xiheng's room and returning to her own, Cheng Siyu felt a sense of sweetness in her heart. She knew that her shameless test had been successful.

No one could escape her beauty. Even Gu Xiheng, with his iron-like will, had nearly lost his composure under her provocation. This greatly increased her confidence in winning him over.

Since he hadn't resolutely rejected her the first time, he certainly wouldn't be able to reject her in the future!

As Cheng Siyu thought about it, she couldn't help but reveal a triumphant expression of being determined to win, her eyes full of longing for power... Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had gone by.

Ai Yue's family woke up in their tent early in the morning. When they stepped out, they were pleasantly surprised to find that the gray smoke, which had been thick and showed no signs of lessening yesterday, had now completely dissipated.

"Whoa! I didn't expect this stuff to spread fast and disappear just as quickly," Ye Rui said with a face full of wonder.

"Alright, we can finally go home," Ai Yue announced happily.

"Yay! Finally going home! No more sleeping in tents." Ye Rui hugged Ai Yue and shook her like a happy child, then ran down the mountain.

She shouted happily as she ran, "Going home!"

Ai Guosheng and Li Shilan smiled, watching the bouncing Ye Rui with doting eyes as they followed behind her.

Ai Yue put everything into her space, then carried Da Wang down the mountain as well.

When they returned home, nothing had changed. It was still the same as before; even the grass in front of the door hadn't grown a bit. It just didn't look very energetic; the surrounding flowers and plants were somewhat withered, as if they had suffered a major illness.

It seemed that the enhanced version of the Knockout Drug still had significant side effects. However, its powerful medicinal effect was still very good; it should be quite useful for catching people off guard.