Time Travel: I'm a Flower Thief

Gao Lie, who was inside the door, snapped out of his daze, and the corner of his mouth twitched violently.

His heart was heavy with worry for Mei Hua Yao Yao's safety, yet he was utterly helpless—

At the gambling table, one must accept the consequences of their bet. Going back on one's word in front of a room full of gamblers would only make one appear untrustworthy.

He could only clasp his hands in greeting and say, "Enjoy yourself, sir! I'm entrusting Miss Yaoyao to you!"

He was polite in words, but secretly gave a wink to the guard beside him and whispered, "Take a few more men with you, don't let Yao Yao get hurt."

......

In the western corner of Jieshi City, there is a tiny inn, no bigger than the palm of your hand. The signboard is faded, and you can barely make out the five characters "Youjian Xiaokezhan" (meaning "A Small Inn").

The shop owner was a bachelor in his fifties, squatting by the kitchen door picking vegetables. The millet porridge on the stove was bubbling away, emitting a faint aroma of rice.

Suddenly, a loud "bang" was heard—

The loose wooden door of the inn was kicked open.

The old shopkeeper was startled and looked up to see two figures standing at the door.

The man was dressed in all black, carrying a girl in his arms. The girl's hair was slightly disheveled, and her almond-shaped eyes were bloodshot.

She gripped the man's collar and pounded on it desperately, her curses crisp and trembling with extreme anger:

"You bastard! Put me down! If you dare to do anything again, I'll have Boss Gao break your bones!"

The man, however, seemed unconcerned, his arms tightly wrapped around her waist, remaining motionless, and he spoke with a roguish grin:

"Manager, please prepare a room."

Book a room?

The old shopkeeper stood there, stunned. He had never heard of this word before.

"Sir...sir, what does 'booking a room' mean?"

The man froze—

Damn!

I forgot that there was no such term as "opening a room" in ancient times; I was so excited that I didn't think about it.

The visitors were Xie Xiaoyi and Mei Hua Yaoyao.

His lightness skill was superb; the guards of Qianjin Pavilion couldn't catch him at all. And he chose such a remote place, so it was probably foolproof.

"Uh—slip of the tongue! I meant I wanted a superior room."

The old shopkeeper rubbed his hands together and smiled obsequiously.

"Please wait a moment, sir. I'll lead the way right away. Judging from your appearance, young lady, have you two had a little tiff?"

Our secluded courtyard is quiet; no one will bother us!

Upon hearing the words "young couple," Mei Hua Yao Yao's chest heaved with anger. She was about to retort when...

"Who said you're a couple with him! Are you blind?" Her lips were firmly covered by a warm hand.

"Ugh—ugh!"

Xie Xiaoyi turned his head and smiled at the old shopkeeper, a hint of smugness in his eyes that suggested he had been right:

"Shopkeeper, you have a good eye! Indeed, this girl is throwing a little tantrum and needs a quiet place to be coaxed."

As he spoke, he tightened his grip on Mei Hua Yao Yao, pulling her closer to his chest. "Please lead the way, as quickly as possible."

The old shopkeeper assumed it was just playful banter between young lovers and quickly bowed and scraped, saying, "Oh, sir, please come with me!"

Xie Xiaoyi, holding the struggling Mei Hua Yaoyao, followed closely behind, passing through the narrow corridor to the doorway.

Impatient with the shopkeeper's help, he rammed the door open with his shoulder, bolted it shut, and slammed Mei Hua Yao Yao onto the bed.

With a muffled thud, the coarse cloth quilt was shaken open, creating a crease.

Mei Hua Yao Yao struggled to get up, but Xie Xiao Yi had already stepped forward, placed one hand on her shoulder, and pinned her firmly to the bed.

"If you lose the bet, you have to accept it. You said it yourself, so you'll do whatever I say from now on."

Mei Hua Yao Yao was both anxious and angry, but having clearly lost the bet, she could only grit her teeth and ask, "What...what do you want me to do?"

"think!"

"Thinking...thinking about what?"

"Think about it carefully yourself?"

"...You...you're shameless!"

"And there's something even more shameless," Xie Xiaoyi chuckled as he released his grip on her, "Kneel down and slap yourself."

Mei Hua Yao Yao was stunned, and kept cursing herself in her heart.

Kneel down and slap yourself?

Do you want me to hit myself?

Damn it, why did I have to gamble with him again?

They could have stopped while they were ahead, but now they're completely helpless.

After hesitating for a moment, Mei Hua Yao Yao finally knelt down on the bed with a thud, raised her hand, and slapped herself hard across the face.

The slap was loud.

Xie Xiaoyi frowned, then gave a wicked laugh: "Not a slap!"

Mei Hua Yao Yao touched her slightly swollen cheek and froze.

Not a slap in the face?

He just clearly said to kneel down and slap himself...

Could it be?

open......

She instantly understood, her face flushing crimson, and she shrank back in shame and anger: "You...you beast! You can't!"

Xie Xiaoyi looked at her flushed face, his roguish smile deepening: "What? A promise made at the gambling table is a promise kept, and now Plum Blossom is backing down?"

Mei Hua Yao Yao trembled with rage, glaring at him through gritted teeth: "You deliberately tricked me! Were you just about to say...?"

"Mmm! We're thinking the same thing."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Xiaoyi bent down, grabbed her wrist, and with a little force, pulled her hand toward his cheek.

"No joking around, Miss Yaoyao, it's time to pay your bet."

After saying that, Xie Xiaoyi suddenly grabbed the back of her neck and lowered his head to cover her lips with his.

"Ugh—"

The sudden warmth and electric shock made Mei Hua Yao Yao freeze for a moment, her pupils dilated, and she even forgot to breathe.

Mei Hua Yao Yao only snapped back to reality when Xie Xiao Yi's hand reached for the buttons on her collar.

She raised her hand and pushed his chest, struggling to turn her head to dodge, but Xie Xiaoyi followed her like a shadow, chasing after her no matter how she tried to dodge.

Mei Hua Yao Yao's brows furrowed suddenly, a fierce glint flashed in her eyes, and her jaw clenched abruptly—

"hiss!"

Xie Xiaoyi cried out in pain and jumped back abruptly, covering her mouth with one hand, where blood had been drawn from the bite.

What a ruthless woman!

What?

If I get mouth ulcers, I won't be able to eat meat or drink alcohol, which is awful just thinking about it.

What a disappointment!

"Since you're so unwilling to admit defeat, then this round... forget it."

After saying that, Xie Xiaoyi turned to leave, his tone carrying a hint of inexplicable melancholy.

Mei Hua Yao Yao sat on the edge of the bed, her chest still heaving violently, and her lips seemed to still carry his breath.

She looked up and caught a glimpse of Xie Xiaoyi's profile as he turned around—

The candlelight illuminated his sharply defined face, highlighting his high brow bones and straight nose, adding a unique kind of handsomeness to his slightly disheveled appearance.

What a handsome appearance!

He's much more handsome than those young men at the Paramount Ballroom. I'm not going to suffer any loss, so why should I resist?

Mei Hua Yao Yao's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously leaned forward and grabbed his wrist.

Xie Xiaoyi paused, and before he could turn around, she was suddenly pulled, causing him to lose his balance and fall straight back onto the bed.

"What do you want to do?" Xie Xiaoyi asked in surprise.

"think!"

Mei Hua Yao Yao leaned in and pressed herself against him, her hands braced on either side of him, her peach blossom eyes shining brightly, as she leaned close to his ear:

"My dear aunt has never liked being forced into anything—"

She paused, her finger lightly tracing Xie Xiaoyi's bloodied lips: "This old lady only likes to use force on others."