Time Travel: I'm a Flower Thief

Xie Xiaoyi's voice was like a summer night breeze, making people's hearts itch.

Ouyang Qing didn't even have the courage to look up; her cheeks were burning hot, but she was still preoccupied with the book.

"Since you've said you'd like to talk about books, I'm naturally willing to listen... but I'm always worried about the book you've written."

"Oh?"

"When Li Ping'er made her secret appointment with someone, was she also feeling this mix of anxiety and anticipation?"

"Right!"

"Why do you deliberately leave those emotionally charged parts blank? Are you trying to make the reader feel uneasy?"

"What do you think?"

"And when you wrote about that secret rendezvous over the wall, did you already know that someone, like me, would feel a tightness in their chest while reading it?"

"That's about it!"

"Since you say the story is long, could you... could you just give me a heads-up: did Li Ping'er ultimately get what she wanted?"

"Wow, this place is huge!"

Is my place really big?

Ouyang Qing snapped back to reality and looked down to see Xie Xiaoyi's hand had somehow slipped inside her clothes.

"ah!"

She gasped, her cheeks instantly turning bright red to her ears, and frantically raised her hand to push against his chest: "What are you doing! Take it away!"

No wonder he only replied with a few words at a time; it seems his mind was completely focused on "this" and he wasn't paying attention to his own question at all.

It's so nasty!

My mind was completely occupied with the story of "Jin Ping Mei" just now. His hand was in such a state, and I only just realized it?

Ouyang Qing tried to shrink back, trying to break free from his grasp, but her waist was still gently held by his other hand. With nowhere to retreat, she could only grab his wrist and try to pry it open.

"We agreed, we agreed it was just a book presentation... How could you do this..."

Xie Xiaoyi leaned down and whispered in her ear, "What's the rush? It's just like the characters in the book, experiencing this feeling of longing and anticipation. Isn't that more real than just listening to a story?"

Ouyang Qing was caught in a dilemma. She wanted to shout loudly, but she was afraid of disturbing others and then she would be too ashamed to face anyone again.

She wanted to resist forcefully, but a strange, inexplicable reluctance welled up inside her, and she softly pushed him away, saying, "Young Master Xie... please... please don't do this!"

"Qing'er, just for a little while," Xie Xiaoyi coaxed softly. "Don't worry, I promise I won't offend you in any way."

Ouyang Qing was so agitated by him that her mind went completely blank, and a soft moan escaped her throat involuntarily.

Unbeknownst to her, the force of the shoving gradually loosened, and she eventually closed her eyes and stopped resisting.

She recalled the scene in the book where Ximen Qing visited Li Ping'er at night, and when the two were alone, Ximen Qing leaned in to kiss her, hold her hand, and stroke her shoulder.

At first, Li Ping'er would gently push him away and lower her head in embarrassment, saying "My lord, please don't do this," but she wasn't really trying to forcefully reject him.

Ximen Qing coaxed her gently, stroking her hand slowly and saying tender words, and her resistance gradually weakened...

They really do look alike!

Xie Xiaoyi seized the opportunity, gently holding the back of her neck and lowering his head to cover her lips with his.

Ouyang Qing is now just like Li Ping'er in the book, letting Xie Xiaoyi, this Ximen Qing, "act recklessly".

After an unknown amount of time, Xie Xiaoyi stopped talking and pressed his forehead against Ouyang Qing's forehead.

"Qing'er!"

"How old are you to call me Qing'er?"

"I'm eighteen, how about you?"

"I'm eighteen too!"

My birthday is February 15th.

"Then I'm younger than you; I was born on the tenth of the tenth lunar month."

Xie Xiaoyi's heart skipped a beat.

According to the Yin-Yang calendar conversion before the time travel, it should be Pisces paired with Scorpio?

Two water signs, that's interesting!

Ouyang Qing buried her head in his chest, her cheeks burning hot, and she tightened her grip on his waist.

"Then from now on, I'll call you Brother Xie Mo?"

"Alright, now it's time for the older brother to pamper his younger sister!" Xie Xiaoyi chuckled and picked her up, holding her waist.

Ouyang Qing gasped in surprise, hurriedly hugging his neck tightly, her face pressed against his shoulder, not daring to look up.

Xie Xiaoyi lightly touched the ground with his toes and leaped up, his light footwork bringing up the night wind. In a few steps, he returned to his residence, pushed open the door, locked it behind him, and gently placed her on the bed.

Both of them were still breathing heavily. He leaned down and supported himself beside her, gently stroking her flushed cheeks with his hand. Ouyang Qing turned her head away slightly, but did not push him away.

The willow trees outside the window were being swept by the night wind, their branches swaying and intertwining, seemingly unable to stop.

......

As dawn broke and the morning light shone on the bedside, Ouyang Qing was already awake. She propped her chin up and looked at Xie Xiaoyi's sleeping face. He had sword-like eyebrows, a high nose, and a sharp jawline, making him strikingly handsome.

"Am I handsome?" Xie Xiaoyi suddenly asked.

"Yeah, pretty handsome..." Ouyang Qing replied casually, but before she could finish speaking, she suddenly snapped back to reality, startled so much that her hand supporting her chin slipped.

Only then did he realize that he hadn't slept at all, and that he had been staring at him in a daze, answering without thinking. His cheeks instantly burned.

Ouyang Qing punched Xie Xiaoyi in the chest: "You...you liar, you're pretending to be asleep!"

Xie Xiaoyi smiled slightly and extended his unruly hand...

"Soft and supple, yielding to the touch; as smooth and delicate as solidified cotton!"

Ouyang Qing's cheeks flushed bright red. She slapped his hand away and glared at him, both embarrassed and angry.

"No wonder you can write those lines from *Jin Ping Mei*, that's the kind of tone you're always spouting!"

Just as the two were flirting, Ouyang Ce's urgent knocking came from outside the courtyard:

"Young Master Xie! Are you up yet? Have you finished writing the new manuscript?"

Ouyang Qing, who was on the couch, froze instantly. Her face turned deathly pale with shock, and she hurriedly grabbed her clothes and hugged them to her chest.

"It's my dad! What am I going to do? If he sees me here, he'll beat me to death!"

Xie Xiaoyi pressed her fingertip to her lips in a shushing gesture: "Hide behind the bed curtains, cover your mouth and don't make a sound."

Ouyang Qing panicked so much her legs went weak. Clutching her clothes, she staggered two steps and hid behind the brocade curtains on the inside of the bed.

With her back pressed against the cool bedpost, her fingers gripping the bed curtains turned white, and she dared not even breathe.

Xie Xiaoyi straightened his clothes and, feigning laziness, called out, "Boss Ouyang, please wait a moment!"

His steps were so steady that there was no sign of anything amiss, and when he raised his hand to open the door, a faint smile was already on his face.

Ouyang Ce burst in, covered in sweat, his gaze fixed intently on the desk:

"Young Master Xie! Everyone in the capital is going crazy with requests; shopkeepers are practically besieging our doors. Has the new manuscript been finished?"

"I just finished copying a few chapters..." Xie Xiaoyi turned around and walked to the desk, picked up the manuscript paper and handed it to Ouyang Ce.

Ouyang Ce was overjoyed, hurriedly took it, and repeatedly clasped his hands in thanks:

"Thank you so much, young hero! With this manuscript, my Jinghua Bookstore can finally turn its fortunes around!"

Xie Xiaoyi gave a perfunctory reply, but his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of Ouyang Qing's embroidered shoes sticking out of the bed!

His heart skipped a beat, but he remained perfectly composed: "Boss Ouyang, you're too kind. It's just a few pages of manuscript."

As he spoke, he feigned taking a step closer, using his body as cover, and then swiftly and accurately hooked his toe—

The embroidered shoes were kicked deep under the bed, the movement clean and swift, without making a sound.