No? Can I read the mind of my mortal enemy?

Or I might as well just die.

That's exactly what Shi Qiao thought at the time.

Pei Jingnian is usually driving all the time, but who knew he would suddenly become a bumper car driver today?

Pei Jingnian lowered his head and bit her ear, "Little Shi, what are you thinking about?"

"What kind of things are you saying you can't do?"

He enunciated each word slowly and deeply, his voice sounding as if it were rolling out from the bottom of his throat, making her heart itch.

Shi Qiao shrank back slightly. "What I mean is... we're so old, we shouldn't be doing things that kids do."

"Think about it, these kinds of dolls are only for little kids!"

She was truly impressed with herself for thinking so quickly.

"Hmm—" Pei Jingnian drawled out the last syllable, his voice slightly upturned.

Obviously, they don't believe it.

But he didn't pursue the matter further and picked up the doll again.

The owner was a local indigenous woman with gray hair. After a series of tongue-tied exchanges, neither of them could understand each other.

Everyone is anxious.

Pei Jingnian took out local cash and gave the shopkeeper a piece of paper, asking him to write down the amount.

The old lady quickly waved her hand, pointed to Shi Qiao and Pei Jingnian, and then pointed to the doll.

Just when they were getting really anxious, a dark-skinned child carrying a bag of books called out in the local language.

The old lady's face lit up, and she quickly waved, calling the child over.

After listening to the old woman's request, the child nodded.

"Brother, sister, my grandma is a local shaman. This doll is a blessing doll, meant to wish couples a long and happy life together."

"It is said that couples who kiss in front of the dolls will receive the blessing of the local sea god." (Readers, please assume this is in English.)

Shi Qiao swallowed her words, and sure enough, the old lady took out another woven doll from behind her back, dressed in a simple little grass skirt.

The child's eyes lit up, and he immediately went outside and shouted loudly.

No one knows what she did, but a chorus of islanders responded from outside the door.

"Brother and sister, if you kiss, your love will last forever!"

Shi Qiao quickly waved her hand, "He and I are not a couple."

The child blinked innocently, "But you're holding hands, and all ten fingers are intertwined."

"Can people who aren't couples hold hands like this?"

Shi Qiao never imagined that one day she would be left speechless by a child's questioning.

She looked back and saw a group of islanders gathered at the entrance. Some of them were whistling, while others were carrying flower baskets and holding handfuls of flowers, ready to scatter them at any moment.

They were directly placed on a high platform.

Now, they have no choice but to kiss, even if they weren't going to.

She looked up at Pei Jingnian, then tiptoed and whispered in his ear.

"What do we do now?"

Pei Jingnian wrapped his arms around her waist. "What do you want to do?"

[Although I really, really, absolutely want to kiss my wife.]

But my wife will be scared in front of so many people.

His dark eyelashes drooped, and his black eyes were gradually filled with a rare tenderness. "If you don't like it, you don't need to kiss me, Shi Qiao."

Shi Qiao was taken aback. She glanced at the two ugly-cute dolls, which the old lady had gently placed on the table, right in front of them.

Forever and ever...?

She and Pei Jingnian?

Shi Qiao clenched her fist slightly, and following Pei Jingnian's embrace, she tiptoed a little, "I... I want to make it clear beforehand, I just want that doll."

"Don't overthink it, Pei Jingnian."

As soon as she finished speaking, she put her arm around Pei Jingnian's neck and, before he could react, lightly pecked him on the lips.

My lips were instantly tinged with the sweet taste of peach.

"Okay... um."

Pei Jingnian lowered his body, his five fingers tracing the soft strands of her hair and tugging at the back of her head, deepening the kiss once more.

There is no resistance.

He kissed her irrationally, his nimble tongue easily slipping into her mouth, sucking and biting.

Saliva was everywhere, and their intertwined tongues would occasionally peek out. Whenever she wanted to catch her breath, Pei Jingnian would press her tighter, and whenever she was about to suffocate, he would loosen his grip to give her a chance to catch her breath.

With a pull and a tug, the hardened bones softened.

[Wife, I want to be with you for more than just a long, long time.]

[It will continue to entangle us in every lifetime.]

The islanders whistled and screamed, and colorful flower petals were scattered from all around.

After a while, Pei Jingnian reluctantly released Shi Qiao. Her face was flushed with an ambiguous blush, and her red lips were swollen and red from his kisses.

The child clapped her hands above her head, and the old lady beside her said a few words to her. She nodded, picked up two dolls, and ran to them.

"Grandma said you two are the most compatible couple she's met this year!"

"She felt it was a special connection, so she's giving both of these dolls to you!"

"Our recommendation is that boys should be cared for by their older sisters, and girls by their older brothers."

"That way, even when you don't see each other, you can still think of each other."

"I hope you two, brother and sister, can stay together for a long, long time."

The old lady behind her had a kind smile on her face. Shi Qiao felt it wasn't right to ask for money for nothing, so she bought a lot more things.

Back on the ship, Shi Qiao held the baby boy in her arms; his little head was tilted to the side, but a bright smile played on his lips.

Pei Jingnian held the little girl in the grass skirt with his index finger and thumb, "Ugly."

Shi Qiao angrily reached out her hand, "Then don't give it to me."

Pei Jingnian deliberately raised the doll high, and Shi Qiao couldn't reach it no matter how hard she tried.

"No, this was a gift from someone." He put the doll in his pocket.

Shi Qiao retorted, "They're gifts for couples, we're not really."

Pei Jingnian suddenly moved closer, their noses touching. He had a slight upturn at the corner of his eye, and his eyes shone with a dark light like obsidian, making him excessively beautiful.

"That was earned after Shi Xiaogou and I kissed for two minutes straight."

If I wasn't worried about not being able to control myself, I could have continued kissing.

What is my wife's tongue made of? How can it be so addictive?

He lowered his eyes, his gaze fixed undisguised on her still swollen red lips.

I want to kiss you again.

As the boat gradually approached the shore, Pei Jingnian looked up with suppressed emotion, secretly using the doll in his hand to kiss the one in Shi Qiao's hand.

However, he didn't believe in these things either.

He only ever believed in himself.

He and Shi Qiao will definitely be together for a long time.

Once they're together, he'll be a clingy dog, never letting go.

Even if she was tricked into this wolf's den, he wouldn't let go.

*

After returning to the villa with the purchased items, the other four people had already placed all the prepared ingredients on plates.

All that was left were their spices.

As soon as the door opened, Joe yawned on the sofa, looking like he had just woken up.

"You two are finally back." His gaze shifted to the bags filled with dolls in their hands. "What's that?"

Shi Qiao scratched her nose guiltily, "I saw it at the market and thought it was cute, so I bought one for each of you."

She handed over the bag and then slunk back to her room.

At night, a campfire was lit in front of the villa, the incomplete burning of the firewood making a crackling sound.

The tides ebb and flow, moonlight falls like silk threads, and stars accompany us.

Joe placed the marinated rocket squid directly on top, and instantly, the aroma filled the air.

Tom wasn't idle either; he dragged over several cases of beer and sat cross-legged.

"Just eating is no fun, let's have some traditional dishes."

"Time for Truth or Dare!"