15: Bewitch him, make him addicted

When Tu Nan woke up, he was still there.

He was blocking the outside like a mountain.

Tu Nan touched her lower abdomen; it was empty—because the System remained silent.

So she knew that this would not be the only time between her and Li.

But it didn't matter; if once wasn't enough, then they would do it again... or many times.

Even considering both her past and present lives, this was her first time. Yet, the moment she woke up, there was no shyness or joy, only an insatiable sense of security.

Tu Nan smiled mockingly; she truly was a defective product.

Once, in the Research Institute on that island, she had maintained absolute purity. Not to mention intimate contact with men, even any activity that might cause her emotions to fluctuate too much would not be arranged for her.

As for after she was taken out and raised as a daughter?

Busy absorbing all kinds of knowledge and always surrounded by tutors, no man could Breakthrough the "parents'" blockade to have a chance to be alone with her.

Of course, "Father" was already arranging her marriage. Once the right terms were negotiated, Tu Nan would be beautifully packaged and sent to some tycoon's home in exchange for suitable benefits.

He must be disappointed; before that could happen, the "doll" he raised had been smashed to pieces.

Of course, this wasn't worth much grief to him; what likely pained him was the son he had finally managed to get.

Heh, she had always been just an exquisite doll, merely raised in different places by different people.

So, regardless of how open the society she once lived in was, her knowledge of matters between men and women only came from movies she'd seen or the interested descriptions of the rich Young Misses around her.

But both images and descriptions made it hard for her to imagine specifically. At the time, she indeed felt that all of this was not worth mentioning.

And now, having just experienced such an act, she still found it difficult to describe.

One could only say this feeling... was indeed excessively intimate.

As for Li's... performance, it was hard to judge.

His tension, his ferocity, and the aggression he showed when pinning her down still made her heart race.

He was like a ravenous wolf pinning down its only bone, fiercely devouring her from the outside in.

Tu Nan felt uncomfortable, yet she also knew that it was exactly what she had to go through.

Speaking of Li, Tu Nan found herself pillowed on his sturdy arm, curled up in his embrace.

His other hand rested on Tu Nan, his breath fanning over the top of her head, long and steady.

Contrasting with Li's sleeping posture over the past few days—silent and lacking any presence—Tu Nan's eyebrows twitched slightly. This was how he looked when truly relaxed in sleep.

So before, while Tu Nan was still awake, he hadn't actually fallen asleep at all?

But had remained vigilant the whole time?

Toward a Foster Mother?

Tu Nan chuckled, her chest vibrating slightly, and Li woke up instantly.

He turned onto his side, one hand resting on her waist, his large palm stroking her to confirm her presence.

So, his heart settled, he pulled Tu Nan into his arms and asked indistinctly, "Awake? Hungry?"

His voice interrupted Tu Nan's recollections, and her reply was somewhat vague.

"I'm okay..."

Li's hand stroked her back again and again, following her spine all the way... his strength growing heavier.

The palm, with its strong presence, stopped where a Cat Beastkin's tail should have grown.

Tu Nan was a defective Foster Mother; she had no tail.

But at this moment, she felt a tingle, as if a tail were growing out of thin air.

Her breathing grew uncontrollably heavy.

"Li~"

She pushed against his chest, but the force was useless against Li.

"Ah!" Tu Nan cried out softly.

Li pulled her closer. "If you're not hungry..."

The sentence cut off there; without him finishing, Tu Nan fully understood his underlying meaning.

The quality of the bed in the cave was truly poor.

The swaying and the noise made Tu Nan feel as if she were on a boat, on a choppy sea, facing wave after wave.

And Li's hand was the anchor.

No matter how the boat rocked, he could steadily control Tu Nan's position, never letting her drift too far, only allowing her to jolt back and forth within a limited distance along with the waves.

Tu Nan threw her head back helplessly, noticing the wall in front of her getting closer and closer.

She reached out, bracing herself firmly in front, only to receive Li's praise.

"Not bad, you held on."

Tu Nan regretted it; this was too much.

She suspected Li had just peeked at the thoughts in her mind and was determined to completely overturn her evaluation of his skill level.

Li was now showing her that, having moved past the first experimental attempt, how strong his learning ability could be, how quickly he could improve, and how... unfathomable his capabilities were.

In such intimacy, Tu Nan felt it.

She was alive.

Before her eyes, a vast expanse of white light exploded, and she fainted at the peak of emotion...***

The aroma of food seeped directly into her mind, pulling Tu Nan out of her sweet, dark dream.

Her stomach announced it even earlier, rumbling loudly.

"Get up and have something to eat."

Li walked to the bedside carrying a bowl of porridge; he had only casually pulled on some pants and wasn't wearing a shirt. Tu Nan's gaze drifted away, then she forced it back.

Ignoring her physical discomfort, she shyly propped herself up. "I can do it myself, why didn't you rest a bit longer?"

Even though their relationship had made substantial progress, she didn't think she could afford to be willful.

Just like her "Mother," who for twenty years of marriage had so carefully maintained a perfect union, only to end up with nothing but desolation.

"Don't believe in a man's sincerity," Mother had told her with a smile. "Their sincerity only lasts for that one moment; only a woman's love is eternal. This is the origin of our tragedy."

Tu Nan believed those words now.

"Mother's" love was indeed eternal. Her hatred for her husband was precisely because her love was too enduring, and her love for her daughter had never diminished.

Thus, in the end, she could not accept Tu Nan, the substitute, occupying everything that should have belonged to her daughter.

Tu Nan's end in her previous life stemmed from this kind of eternal love, so after opening her eyes once more, she swore—she would abandon such useless emotions.

Or rather, she would be like a man, offering only a moment's sincerity.

She wanted to lift the quilt, then suddenly realized she was naked.

A blush crept onto her face, and her outstretched hand retracted as she wrapped herself tighter... "Ha," Li might have laughed? Or maybe not. When Tu Nan looked over, he was stone-faced as usual, if one ignored the softening at the corners of his eyes.

"Don't get down." He sat on the edge of the bed and, under Tu Nan's surprised gaze, scooped up a spoonful of food and held it to her lips. "I'll feed you. Sleep a bit more after you eat."

The spoon was thrust right at her, so Tu Nan had no choice but to open her mouth, and a spoonful of hot porridge was poured directly in.

"Mph! Hot... mph!"

Tu Nan covered her mouth, simply not knowing what to do!

"Spit it out!" Li threw the spoon back into the bowl and held his palm under her mouth.

Tu Nan couldn't wait to spit the porridge out... Who would have thought it was so hot? Her mouth was likely blistered.

Was Li's hand lined with iron? He could actually hold such a hot bowl without any reaction.

Today's scene was too chaotic; it was really hard to play the part perfectly.

Sure enough, after Li washed his hands, he stared blankly at the porridge bowl... Was it disappointment?

Tu Nan speculated. She might as well cry first, then praise him later; that way, Li's emotions shouldn't take a hit.

Li came over again with the bowl, his brow deeply furrowed. He looked at Tu Nan for a long while before the tough guy stammered, "Don't... don't let my money go to waste."

"Sorry, I'll be more careful next time."

Tu Nan's expression was apologetic, but her heart was cold.

She was a "commodity" belonging to this man; even she herself shouldn't allow his property to be damaged.