200: wingman

You Wu's eyes widened instantly, his face filled with shock.

"Brother, don't be afraid."

"If he's threatening you, just tell me. A good brother will definitely stand up for you!"

Star hurriedly shook his head and explained, "It's not like that. Brother Wu didn't threaten me."

"Actually, I've been hiding the truth from you this whole time because you were always taking me to see pretty girls... I was worried that telling you would make it too awkward, so..." As he spoke, Star scratched his head sheepishly.

You Pan felt as if his spine had been removed. He slumped despondently into his chair, as if his entire world had collapsed at that moment. "OMG!"

"My wingman partner actually got together with the boss behind my back!!!"

"This is a joke, right?"

...Inner Hall of Jiaotai Palace, Netherworld

Shang Wan Ning, dressed in a sheer silk inner garment, reclined on a meticulously carved imperial consort's couch.

Her graceful figure was like a "painting of a beauty at rest," exuding an intoxicating sense of charm from head to toe.

She turned her head to the right and slightly parted her luscious red lips, as if waiting for some delicacy to arrive.

Ling Qi extended two slender fingers and picked up a translucent crystal grape.

She slowly approached Shang Wan Ning, gently grazing the Empress's delicate, soft lips with her fingertips before skillfully placing the grape into Shang Wan Ning's mouth.

Just as the fruit was about to enter her mouth, Ling Qi gave it a gentle squeeze.

Instantly, the sweet and sour juice splashed onto the tip of Shang Wan Ning's tongue like a fountain.

The peeled grape was caught by Ling Qi's nimble fingertips—with a flick of her wrist, the skin flew back into her own mouth like a dancing butterfly.

The entire movement was smooth and seamless, without a hint of hesitation.

Shang Wan Ning wiped a lingering drop of crystal juice from the corner of her mouth with her thumb, and then Ling Qi's soft, suggestive chuckle reached her ears.

"Sorry, Wanling~ I might have been too tired last night."

"These hands of mine are trembling uncontrollably!"

Shang Wan Ning didn't mind, simply pursing her vermilion lips and uttering two words: "No matter."

Her voice was husky, tinged with a faint, imperceptible laziness.

Then, the Empress slowly turned her head back, her beautiful eyes appearing somewhat dazed and misty, as if covered by a faint layer of water vapor.

She gazed affectionately at Ling Qi and said coquettishly, "Feed... Us another one."

Hearing the Empress's command, Ling Qi quickly replied, "Yes!"

Obediently, she selected the plumpest and roundest grape from the plate again and brought it to Shang Wan Ning's lips.

"Slurp slurp slurp..."

A gentle breeze quietly swept through the palace.

The thousands of beaded curtains hanging in the hall swayed along with it, clashing against each other. They emitted a series of crisp, melodious sounds that echoed throughout the hall like heavenly music.

Shang Wan Ning's gaze was drawn away. She looked at the beaded curtains thoughtfully, a faint, imperceptible smirk playing at the corners of her mouth.

"What is Wanling thinking about?" Ling Qi asked softly.

Shang Wan Ning snapped out of her reverie. Her eyes flickered slightly, as if she had a thousand words to say but held them back.

She reached out a hand as white as jade and stroked Ling Qi's neck, which was covered in mottled marks, her movements as gentle as if she were handling a rare treasure.

"It's nothing," Shang Wan Ning replied softly, her gaze unconsciously drifting into the distance, as if her thoughts were still immersed in some far-off corner.

After a short pause, she continued, "I just feel that the breeze is a bit chilly, and I couldn't help but feel sentimental."

"And for some reason, We suddenly remembered an amusing anecdote about a subordinate. It's truly quite funny."

"Oh? Is it You Pan?" Ling Qi asked curiously, a glint of cunning flashing in her eyes.

"I heard the White-Haired Loli mention it briefly."

"Exactly!" Shang Wan Ning couldn't help but laugh.

"Qi Qi, you have no idea, that guy..." She vividly recounted the absurd thing You Pan had done. When she reached the best part, she laughed so hard she doubled over... The Empress's slightly parting lips inadvertently captured all of the Secretary-General's attention.

Her lips, pink as cherry blossom petals, were now curved upward with laughter, like the most gorgeous Flame Lily blooming in spring, radiating a reckless fragrance.

Ling Qi felt her heart race instantly, and an irrepressible impulse surged in her heart.

Without hesitation, she took off her shoes and knelt on the couch... slowly approaching Shang Wan Ning, she finally lowered her head and accurately kissed the vermilion lips she had dreamed of for so long.

The two lips, as soft and delicate as lily petals, were like top-tier chocolate that melted in the mouth with a rich texture.

They were like smooth and exquisite cocoa liquid carefully brewed from the finest cocoa beans, gently sliding across the tip of the tongue, like a warm and sweet stream slowly flowing into the depths of the heart.

Instantly melting both hearts—rich enough to intoxicate, mellow enough to cause addiction, and as sweet as the most delicious nectar in the world.

Gradually... Shang Wan Ning suddenly realized her lips were tightly sealed, and a slight sting came from the tip of her tongue.

She couldn't help but let out a low moan—but at this moment, everything seemed to have lost control, and no force could stop this surging flood of desire.

[The tip of the tongue, as hot as fire, squeezed into the gap of the lips like a loach, prying open the teeth like a crowbar...]

Ling Qi's jade-like hand, which had been resting on Shang Wan Ning's waist, began to move upward at some point. Finally, it rested gently on Shang Wan Ning's chest—this action was not intentional, yet it happened so naturally... When their lips parted, Shang Wan Ning was panting heavily, her chest heaving violently like a small boat in turbulent waves.

Her eyes, bright as Stars, were covered with a thin layer of mist. Under the reflection of the flickering candlelight, they were like falling Stars in the night sky, brilliant and blurred.

"That's enough, Qi Qi."

Shang Wan Ning said softly, her voice carrying a hint of breathlessness. "You haven't told me in detail about the report You Wu submitted yet."

"Mhm..." Ling Qi responded as if waking from a dream, her reason finally returning to reality for a moment.

She subconsciously stuck out the tip of her tongue and lightly licked her slightly swollen lips, as if trying to distract herself from her chaotic thoughts.

"Regarding You Wu's report..." Ling Qi composed herself and focused her thoughts.

"Preliminary investigations have found that Tao Yao and the counterfeit Ghost Gate Pass likely originate from the high-level officials of the Demon Tribe."