Chapter Sixty-Six: Bite, Bite, Bite, Bite, Bite

"Xue! Tian! Ai!" Qin Mengxue ground her teeth, her eyes blazing as she glared at Xue Tianai.

Xue Tianai shuddered from head to toe, immediately snapping to attention. "What is it, darling? Why are you calling me?"

Qin Mengxue didn't answer. Face stormy, she leaned in and bit down hard on Xue Tianai's shoulder. Her hands weren't idle, either; they pinched his waist, grabbing a small handful of flesh and twisting mercilessly.

"Damn it! What did I do to deserve this?" The pain shot through his shoulder and waist at once, leaving Xue Tianai on the verge of collapse. What was with this woman now? If she wasn't biting him, she was pinching him, and always in those exact spots! He still hadn't recovered from the bruises on his waist from yesterday!

Qin Mengxue bit down once more, pinched even harder, then finally released him, her face icy as she said, "You really don't know what you've done to offend me?"

"Come on, if I knew, would I be asking you?" Xue Tianai pulled aside his shirt, revealing a neat row of teeth marks on his shoulder. He looked at them, almost ready to cry.

"Xue Tianai! Let me remind you, this is the office! Not a place for you to flirt around! You’d better watch yourself!" Qin Mengxue's expression was dark and foreboding. Ever since that bet between Xue Tianai and Su Jiaqi, she’d felt a strange discomfort simmering within her.

"How am I flirting around?" Xue Tianai replied pitifully, still staring at the bite on his shoulder.

"Then explain what’s going on between you and Su Jiaqi, and Gan Bingning! Especially Gan Bingning!" Qin Mengxue fixed him with a piercing gaze.

A flicker of panic crossed Xue Tianai’s mind. Why was she suddenly asking this? Did Gan Bingning’s behavior earlier arouse her suspicion? No, wait, never mind Gan Bingning—why was she even asking about him and Su Jiaqi?

"Um? President Su and President Gan are just colleagues," Xue Tianai answered calmly, as if nothing were amiss.

"Colleagues?" Qin Mengxue sneered. "Do you think I never graduated kindergarten? If you’re just colleagues, why does Su Jiaqi always target you? Why did she want to fire you your very first day? And if you’re only colleagues, why did Gan Bingning suddenly stand up and offer to negotiate on your behalf?"

Damn! This woman’s no fool at all! Xue Tianai couldn't help but inwardly groan. Clearly, Qin Mengxue was deeply suspicious of Gan Bingning’s earlier behavior.

"Don’t tell me Su Jiaqi and Gan Bingning are your ex-girlfriends?" Qin Mengxue pressed on.

Xue Tianai almost slid off the sofa. Her imagination was wild! Ex-girlfriends? Impossible! He’d never even had a relationship, let alone an ex!

"Uh..." For a moment, Xue Tianai was so stunned he didn’t know how to respond. He could only stare at Qin Mengxue, shocked.

"Don’t tell me I guessed right!" Seeing his reaction, a strange feeling welled up in Qin Mengxue’s chest, an emotion she couldn’t quite name.

"Right my foot! Darling, your imagination is truly out of this world! Have you forgotten I was living abroad? How could I possibly have flirted with any of the women in your company?" Xue Tianai said, exasperated.

Now that she thought about it, what he said made sense. He had only just returned to the country a few days ago; there was no way he could have that kind of relationship with Su Jiaqi or Gan Bingning. Qin Mengxue felt a little better, but she refused to let it go so easily.

"Then why does Su Jiaqi dislike you so much? She tried to fire you just yesterday!"

Women truly are curious creatures! With no other choice, Xue Tianai briefly recounted his first encounter with Su Jiaqi the day he returned, though he carefully omitted the episode where he accidentally grabbed her chest on the bus.

"That’s about it. So, you see, darling, I’m absolutely innocent," Xue Tianai said helplessly.

"Really?" Qin Mengxue eyed him with open suspicion.

"Of course! If you don’t believe me, you can ask Su Jiaqi yourself!"

"Then what about you and Gan Bingning?" Qin Mengxue nodded, then pressed on.

Damn! Xue Tianai was at a loss. What was with Qin Mengxue today? Had he offended her somehow? Why was she grilling him about this and that, and always about women?

Wait—about women? Suddenly, a word came to Xue Tianai’s mind: "Jealousy!"

Although he’d never been in a relationship, he’d read enough to recognize the signs. When a woman keeps interrogating you about other women, it usually means she’s jealous. And Qin Mengxue’s behavior fit that pattern perfectly.

"Darling, putting that aside for now, could it be that you’re jealous?" Xue Tianai gazed at her intently.

"Wha—what? Why would I be jealous of you?" Qin Mengxue stiffened, her voice wavering.

"Oh? If you’re not jealous, why all the questions about other women?" Xue Tianai asked, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"I... I’m not jealous!" Qin Mengxue protested, her cheeks flushed but her voice lacking conviction.

"Sure, you’re not jealous. Then why is your face so red?" Xue Tianai grinned, his meaning clear.

"T-That’s just the morning sun!" Qin Mengxue’s blush deepened, but she stubbornly tried to deflect.

"Darling, could you at least check the time before you lie? It’s late in the day—no sun to blame! If you’re jealous, just say so. Why be shy?" Xue Tianai chuckled softly. This woman was truly amusing.

"Ah! Xue Tianai, you jerk, always bullying me!" Qin Mengxue, exposed yet again, was both embarrassed and furious. She lunged at Xue Tianai, hands ready to pinch and twist.

Her hands clamped and pinched all over Xue Tianai’s body, no longer limiting her attacks to just his waist. She targeted every soft spot she could find.

Xue Tianai grimaced in pain. "Darling, go easy... easy! Damn, that’s pure flesh! Stop pinching! Ah! Yame-te!* I’m dying here!"

Hearing him even burst out in Japanese, Qin Mengxue’s anger only grew, and she pinched even harder.

Feeling her grip tighten, Xue Tianai was nearly in tears. The mighty Phantom Butterfly, God of Assassins, being manhandled by a woman—how humiliating!

"Stop, stop, darling, enough! Any more and I’ll be done for!" Xue Tianai begged, nearly weeping. He could already foresee himself covered in bruises tomorrow.

At last, Qin Mengxue seemed to tire and let go. As the pressure eased, Xue Tianai breathed a tiny sigh of relief—she was finally done.

But before he could finish exhaling, she cried out, "I’ll bite you to death!" and pounced, sinking her teeth into the arm he’d raised to shield himself.

"Damn it!" Xue Tianai was at his wit’s end. He’d thought blocking with his arm would keep her from biting him again, but there was no escaping her wrath.

Wincing from the pain, Xue Tianai patted her head. "Darling, stop biting! My arm’s exposed—everyone will see the bite marks!"

At these words, Qin Mengxue reluctantly released him, shooting him a fierce glare before looking at the spot she’d bitten.

A row of neat bite marks, tinged with red, stood out vividly on Xue Tianai’s arm. He looked utterly crestfallen, at a loss for words.

"Hey, are you alright?" Seeing the marks, Qin Mengxue felt a pang of guilt. She’d probably gone a little too far.

"Darling, does this look like nothing to you?" Xue Tianai held his arm up for her inspection.

"Ah, sorry!" Qin Mengxue apologized, her tone slightly sheepish. "But you deserved it for teasing me!"

"When did I ever tease you? Where’s the justice in this?" Xue Tianai cried out, face woeful.

"You... you... whatever, you were bullying me!" Qin Mengxue stammered, then turned away, cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"I—"

"By the way, how do you plan to explain these... these bite marks?" Qin Mengxue interrupted, eyeing the marks on his arm.

Rubbing his arm, Xue Tianai blurted out without thinking, "It’s nothing. If anyone asks, I’ll just say I got bitten by a dog!"

Qin Mengxue froze, then realization dawned. Her beautiful face frosted over, and her eyes blazed with fury. Bitten by a dog? Was he calling her a dog?

This bastard! Even now, he couldn’t stop teasing and provoking her—unforgivable!

"Xue Tianai! If I don’t bite you to death today, my name isn’t Qin!"