He fidgeted under her scrutinizing gaze. 

"Hey, what are you looking at? I did everything you asked. I gossiped about you, so I apologized… what more do you want?" He relented, conscious of their surroundings. They were in a bustling restaurant, after all. He dreaded another shocking display from her, fearing it would ruin his reputation in the capital.

"Qi Ziyi, are you afraid? You weren't so timid when you threatened me. Besides, do you think a simple apology settles the score? My brother suffered physical harm. You offer a few words and think you've atoned for your grave misdeed?"

Shen Ruoyu advanced toward him, each step she took forcing him to retreat. His cloak was long gone, his outer robe disheveled. Thanks to her earlier groping, his upper garments were askew, allowing the cold air to nip at his skin.

"Crazy woman! It's not fear that keeps me from retaliating, it's magnanimity! I simply choose not to stoop to your level!" Hearing voices nearby, he dared not shout, his complaints reduced to a low grumble. This woman, so old, yet trying to seduce him, a mere youth! And wasn't she betrothed to his uncle? What was the meaning of this entanglement?

Shen Ruoyu watched the young man she had cornered. His face was flushed, his breath coming in shallow gasps, yet he still tried to maintain a fierce glare. It was strange. In past lives, he had aided Lu Zhixing in harming her brother, a truly ruthless act. Why did he seem so… foolish now?

"What? You frighten me so. Are you going to strike me? Your duplicity is quite unbecoming. You clearly enjoyed it, yet you feign innocence. Weren't you the one slandering me at the academy gates, calling me promiscuous? Yet with the slightest provocation, you become arovsed. Did you ever think of your uncle while pleasuring yourself…?"

The once arrogant youth deflated the moment his hypocrisy was exposed.

Qi Ziyi stared at her in disbelief. Heavens, had she drunk so much that she was spouting nonsense? He would never defile himself with thoughts of his uncle! His uncle was an esteemed figure, beyond reproach.

He frantically covered her mouth. "Shh… What are you babbling about? Shen Ruoyu, please stop! It's all my fault, alright? I'm arovsed, are you happy now? I admit it, I felt something."

Her scent, a sweet, intoxicating fragrance of wine, wafted into his nostrils as the distance between them closed. Perhaps influenced by the alcohol, the arovsal he had felt earlier intensified, the tip of his member now leaking a sticky fluid that dampened his inner trousers, creating a most uncomfortable sensation.

"Oh, really? Then let's play a game." Shen Ruoyu wasn't about to let him off the hook. With a light laugh, she took out two ribbons, neither short nor long, and tossed them at his feet. "Do you want these?"

Qi Ziyi stared at the ribbons, swallowing hard. "I'm warning you, crazy woman, don't push it! I'll tell my uncle!"

He wasn't completely naive. In a matter of seconds, he had envisioned several ways those ribbons could be used. The exquisite sensation she had evoked earlier by grazing his n1pple still sent shivers of heat through him.