Incurable Chapter 32 I Couldn’t Help It (2)

I Couldn’t Help It

Qingchan might be adorable.

But he was also an enormous third wheel.

He was too innocent.

There were plenty of things Mu Wan wanted to do with Liu Qianxiu that she would never have the nerve to do in front of a child.

When Liu Qianxiu lowered the net, Mu Wan stood to help.

They watched it disappear beneath the water.

Then she sat down again.

The river was crystal clear.

Yet there was not a single fish in sight.

Mu Wan leaned over the edge of the boat.

“Are you sure there are fish?”

She looked up at Liu Qianxiu.

His features were calm.

His presence cool and quiet.

He lowered his eyes to meet hers.

“Come here.”

Something stirred inside Mu Wan.

Her heartbeat tapped against her ears.

She smiled and stood.

Whether there were fish did not matter.

He was here.

That was enough.

Mu Wan placed the meditation cushion beneath her waist.

Then she stretched out across the boat, resting her head on Liu Qianxiu’s crossed legs.

The valley was secluded.

The sky clear.

Water murmured beneath them.

Birds and insects called through the mountains.

Mu Wan narrowed her eyes.

Then tilted her face back to look at Liu Qianxiu.

One of his hands rested against her cheek.

His palm was dry and warm.

Mountain wind slipped between his fingers.

His other hand held a book.

He was reading.

Liu Qianxiu had faith.

Even floating in the middle of a river, he could still sit there with a book in his hand.

They had gone all this way.

And somehow, all they had really done was change the place where he read.

Mu Wan was dissatisfied.

She reached up and took the book away.

“Why are you still reading?”

Liu Qianxiu looked down at her quietly.

His gaze was so deep that Mu Wan suddenly felt a little guilty.

She hugged the book against her chest.

Then looked up at him.

“Look at me instead.”

Her lips curved.

“I’m much prettier than a book.”

The moment she finished speaking, Liu Qianxiu lowered his head.

He kissed her forehead.

The kiss was brief.

Soft.

Warm.

Something inside Mu Wan ignited instantly.

Heat rushed through her blood.

Her cheeks warmed.

Even the roots of her ears softened.

Her resolve weakened.

She was still holding the book.

After hesitating, she reluctantly handed it back.

“Fine. Read.”

Mu Wan remained stretched across his lap.

Her dark, slightly wavy hair spread around her small pale face.

Black eyes gazed toward the deep valley.

Red lips lightly pressed together.

Fine brows.

She really was prettier than the book.

Liu Qianxiu accepted it.

But instead of opening it, he placed it beside himself.

Then he lowered his eyes toward her.

“All right.”

His voice was quiet.

“I’ll look at you.”

Every time Liu Qianxiu spoke, he somehow found exactly where her heart was most vulnerable.

Warmth spread through Mu Wan again.

She covered her eyes with one hand and laughed softly.

Through the gaps between her fingers, she watched white clouds slowly gather overhead.

She wished time could stop here.

And if it could not stop…

Then perhaps it could at least move a little more slowly.

Time ignored her.

The clouds thickened.

Within little more than ten minutes, white turned gray.

Gray became black.

Rain was coming again.

Liu Qianxiu pulled up the fishing net.

There really were fish inside.

Mu Wan helped remove them.

Three in total.

One large.

One medium.

One small.

They could not possibly eat all three.

Mu Wan released the smallest one back into the river.

They placed the other two in the fish basket.

Liu Qianxiu guided the boat back to the stony bank.

They climbed ashore and began walking toward Qingyuan Temple.

The weather changed quickly.

Within minutes, the valley had darkened.

Thunder rolled between the mountains.

Mu Wan looked up anxiously.

“It’s not going to start pouring before we get back, is it?”

Almost as soon as she spoke, a drop of rain struck her face.

Her brows lifted.

She looked toward the sky.

Beside her, Liu Qianxiu remained calm.

He studied the direction of the wind through the bamboo.

Then he took Mu Wan’s hand and led her away from the trail.

They headed deeper into the grove.

Not long afterward, a small bamboo-and-wood hut appeared among the trees.

Liu Qianxiu pulled Mu Wan inside.

The instant they crossed the threshold, lightning split the sky.

Rain crashed down.

Dense drops struck the bamboo leaves and the already damp earth.

Mu Wan stood at the entrance and looked around.

There was almost nothing inside.

Only a bed made from bamboo and wood.

A square window had been cut into the wall opposite the door.

Whenever the wind shifted, rain blew straight through it.

“How did you know this hut was here?”

Mu Wan turned toward Liu Qianxiu.

Then she reached beneath the thatched eaves and let rain collect in her palm.

“Master built it.”

Liu Qianxiu looked toward the bamboo forest.

“Sometimes he comes here to cultivate.”

For Daoists, cultivation meant contemplating and understanding the Dao.

And that did not necessarily need to happen within the temple itself.

They preferred places closer to nature.

The cliff where Liu Qianxiu practiced every morning.

This bamboo hut.

Places like these.

Mu Wan liked all of them.

She remained by the doorway.

Rain gathered steadily in her hand.

More.

And more.

Just before the water overflowed, another hand appeared beneath hers.

Liu Qianxiu’s palm was large enough to cover hers completely.

Mu Wan turned toward him.

He stood beside her, watching rain sweep across the bamboo grove.

Sensing her gaze, he looked back.

Rain continued falling into their joined hands.

Before long, even his palm could no longer hold it all.

Mu Wan tipped the water away.

Then she closed her wet fingers around his.

She drew their hands back beneath the shelter.

Two rain-wet hands remained clasped together.

Mu Wan looked at the bamboo forest washed clean by the storm.

“I like bamboo forests.”

She smiled.

“When I was born, my name was Mu Qingzhu.”

Then she explained,

“But my cousin was named Mu Qing, so they changed mine.”

Yan Mei had consulted someone when choosing Mu Qing’s name.

Apparently, the character Qing was auspicious with the Mu surname.

But Yan Mei had not wanted her daughter sharing that character with Mu Wan.

So Mu Wan’s mother had been made to change her daughter’s name.

And Mu Qing had certainly lived up to Yan Mei’s expectations.

Now she was with Shen Cheng.

With almost no effort, she could interfere with Mu Wan’s career while living comfortably herself.

Comfortable herself.

Making someone else miserable.

Perhaps the name had been worth stealing after all.

But Mu Wan did not want to think about Mu Qing now.

She pushed the thought aside.

Then turned toward Liu Qianxiu.

“My first name was Qingzhu because of my bamboo-leaf birthmark.”

The first time Mu Wan had gone to the emergency room, Liu Qianxiu had treated her wound.

When he pulled down her clothing to clean it, he had seen the mark.

At the time, he had stared for a moment.

Later, he had only said calmly that it was beautiful.

Remembering that night, Mu Wan raised a hand toward the buttons at her chest.

“Do you still remember where it is?”

She smiled.

Then started to undo one.

Before she could, Liu Qianxiu caught her hand.

Mu Wan looked up innocently.

“What?”

Liu Qianxiu lowered his eyes toward her.

A quiet sigh escaped him.

With a slight pull, he drew her into his arms.

Her light blouse had already fallen slightly open.

The collar slipped to one side, exposing half her collarbone and a stretch of pale skin beneath.

Liu Qianxiu’s gaze paused there.

Then returned to her face.

“Doing that on purpose?”

Her hand was still caught in his.

Her body rested against his chest.

Mu Wan smiled without even trying to hide it.

“Mm.”

His dark eyes held hers.

Deep.

Far-reaching.

As though they could draw her completely inside.

Mu Wan’s smile gradually faded.

Color spread beneath her pale skin.

For the first time, nervousness slipped into her expression.

She tried to pull her hand free.

She could not.

Liu Qianxiu lowered his head.

And kissed her.

The instant their lips touched, Mu Wan caught the scent of rain-soaked bamboo mixed with something much less restrained.

Her entire body tightened.

Her eyes widened.

Very quickly, she could do nothing except follow his lead.

Heat spread through Mu Wan like fire catching dry kindling.

His kiss drew her deeper.

She followed instinctively.

At last, she heard a quiet laugh beside her ear.

Then his teeth lightly caught her earlobe.

A shiver ran through her entire body.

Mu Wan opened her eyes.

Liu Qianxiu’s final kiss landed softly on her forehead.

It felt like someone had opened a box of candy and scattered every piece across the floor.

The entire little hut seemed filled with sweetness.

And the person responsible simply stood there, leaving her to deal with the aftermath.

Mu Wan’s lips remained parted.

Her breathing was uneven.

Moisture shimmered in her eyes.

Along with sparks of frustration.

Both hands tightened around Liu Qianxiu’s Daoist robe.

She finally understood.

He was getting back at her.

“You did that on purpose!”

Her voice was hoarse.

Indignant.

Liu Qianxiu looked at her.

His hand moved gently through her hair.

When he answered, his voice was low.

Completely serious.

“No.”

He paused.

“I couldn’t help it.”

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— End of Chapter 32 —

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