Chapter 154.5: The Spider

Jet black, cotton white, cherry pink, light purple, crimson red, sky blue, and pale yellow.

Xue Tian'ai felt as though a magnificent and dazzling rainbow had suddenly bloomed right before his eyes... Oh holy heavens... Could things possibly get this intensely thrilling the exact moment he stepped into the room?

Scattered haphazardly across the expansive bed in Qin Mengxue's bedroom was a pile of undergarments in an array of vibrant colors... It had to be admitted that these undergarments were all designed with breathtaking allure, and Xue Tian'ai even found his imagination running wild, picturing his wife, Qin Mengxue, wearing these very pieces.

At this moment, Xue Tian'ai couldn't help but unconsciously swallow a mouthful of saliva. "Um, Wifey, those undergarments certainly look wonderful..."

"Undergarments?" Qin Mengxue, who was currently curled up safely within Xue Tian'ai's embrace, was momentarily stunned. Following his gaze, she glanced toward the bed and spotted her own pile of unmentionables strewn carelessly across the sheets...

She froze for a split second before a fiery blush rapidly crept up her cheeks. A piercing shriek instantly escaped her lips: "Ahhh!!!"

Without a second thought, Qin Mengxue broke free from Xue Tian'ai's arms and rushed toward the bed with almost blinding speed, desperate to deal with this scandalous underwear exhibition...

However...

Before she even reached the bedside, another startled cry burst from her throat. She spun around on her heel in sheer panic and flung herself right back into Xue Tian'ai's arms.

*Ah... Pure bliss... I'm floating on cloud nine...* Though Xue Tian'ai had no idea what was frightening her, all he knew right now was that Qin Mengxue had once again thrown herself straight against his chest.

Compared to the previous time, he could now feel the twin soft mounds of Qin Mengxue's chest pressing far more thoroughly and intimately against him. Heavens, what kind of supreme blessing was this?!

A colorful lingerie show upon the bed, and a delicate, fragrant body nestled warmly in his arms—what more could a man possibly ask for in this lifetime?!

*Hehehehehehe...*

"Wifey, what on earth is the matter...?" Xue Tian'ai asked gently, reaching out to stroke her cascading waterfall of silky hair with tender affection.

Even though his heart was cackling like a love-struck fool inside, on the surface, Xue Tian'ai maintained an utterly righteous and chivalrous expression. After all, in moments like this, a man had to play his part well. Taking advantage of the situation was merely a delightful bonus!

That's right, merely a "bonus"!!

"Th... There's a giant spider over there..." Qin Mengxue whimpered with a miserable expression, pointing a trembling finger toward the corner of the bed.

"A spider?" Xue Tian'ai blinked in surprise, then followed her finger and finally spotted the creature...

It had to be said that the spider lurking in the corner of the bed was indeed quite large. Pitch black in color, its long legs were constantly rubbing against its rear end, though whether it was spinning a web or simply scratching an itch remained a complete mystery...

Wait... Qin Mengxue was afraid of spiders?!

A sudden sensation washed over Xue Tian'ai, reminiscent of Galileo discovering a brand-new continent. The dignified, iceberg-like female CEO of a massive corporate conglomerate was actually terrified out of her wits by a mere spider... Could she possibly be any more adorable?

"Wifey, you're actually afraid of something like that?" Xue Tian'ai teased with a light chuckle.

"I... I am not afraid at all... of spiders or anything like that..." Qin Mengxue stubbornly insisted, refusing to admit defeat.

"Well then, let's just leave it be. It looks quite content just resting over there..." With those words, Xue Tian'ai wrapped his arm around Qin Mengxue and began guiding her toward the bed.

Naturally, Qin Mengxue resisted, her body fighting desperately against his advance, but given her strength, her struggle was entirely futile...

In fact, the harder she pushed back, the more forceful Xue Tian'ai's forward momentum became...

"Don't, don't, Tian'ai, I was wrong... Please go deal with that spider already..." Realizing that resistance was completely useless, Qin Mengxue finally surrendered with a pitiful, tearful expression and began to plead.

"Honestly, if you had just said so earlier." Seeing her pitiful little face, Xue Tian'ai let out a chuckle and finally loosened his grip around her waist.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Qin Mengxue darted away like a wisp of smoke and hid timidly behind the bedroom door.

Xue Tian'ai let out a soft sigh as he approached the large black spider. While he wasn't particularly phobic of spiders, he still found them profoundly and utterly repulsive...

Because Xue Tian'ai held some exceptionally unpleasant memories regarding this particular creature.

It dated back to when he was just a child. As part of a harsh wilderness survival training program, he had been abandoned entirely alone in the Greater Khingan Mountains for an entire summer.

Without any tools, without any backup, without communication devices, and without a single soul to care for him, Xue Tian'ai's only companion was a short, modest dagger. He had been forced to survive entirely on his own within that untamed wilderness, and he had to last a full two months!

At the very beginning, Xue Tian'ai had stumbled around like a headless fly, hitting wall after wall and finding himself utterly unable to secure any food...

Driven half-mad by hunger, he eventually set his sights on various insects that were easy to catch and packed with high protein... Those bugs tasted absolutely revolting, but they had at least saved his life...

However, an accident had occurred one day when he captured a massive spider... and, following his usual routine, shoved it straight into his mouth... Naturally, it tasted just as horrifying as ever, completely lacking the legendary "crunchy chicken flavor" people often talked about...

Yet, on the very next day after consuming that spider, Xue Tian'ai collapsed...

It was his very first bout of food poisoning since arriving in the Greater Khingan Mountains... Indeed, that giant spider had completely taken him down, causing him to suffer from violent vomiting and diarrhea all day long until he was utterly drained of all strength...

To make matters worse, misfortunes never came alone, and that very same day, he encountered a massive black bear... Completely sapped of energy, Xue Tian'ai had been chased by the furious bear through half the forest, ultimately managing to escape its jaws only by plunging into a river and holding his breath underwater for five whole minutes...

Consequently, Xue Tian'ai held zero positive associations with the biological classification known as spiders... Back then, when a member of the Butterfly organization wanted to register "Spider" as their codename assassin, Xue Tian'ai had ruthlessly and flatly rejected it...

Reaching the large black spider, Xue Tian'ai scooped it up directly with his bare hand, walked over to the windowsill, and tossed the creature straight out the window into the courtyard below...

"Alright, all taken care of..." Xue Tian'ai dusted off his hands, turned around, and looked at Qin Mengxue with a reassuring smile.

"Phew..." Qin Mengxue pressed a hand against her chest and let out a long, shuddering sigh of relief, finally allowing her suspended heart to settle back into place... The truth was, she wasn't just afraid of spiders; she was terrified of any creepy-crawly insect with flailing legs...

"Wait... Wifey... Don't move a muscle!!" Xue Tian'ai suddenly plastered an expression of profound shock across his face, pointing wildly behind Qin Mengxue as he let out a dramatic gasp!!