Standing up behind her, Wang Xiao sighed, "No, no problem. But you're starting to annoy ."
"And this — is — annoying !" She declared, putting her hand behind her head and grabbing his hardened mber, now right next to her face as she stood up behind him.
The firmness of it, like a rod, took her by surprise; she felt the warmth in her fingers and a sense of panic washed over her.
"Do you want to rip it off?" Wang Xiao narrowed his eyes in irritation as she held onto it tightly.
"No, I want to bite it off," Seraphine retorted before pulling her hand back. "Fortunately for you, I have no desire to put this disgusting thing back in my mouth."
Wang Xiao was left speechless.
"..."
He was surprised by her bold words, unsure she still had the strength to speak them.
He stepped forward, making Seraphine narrow her eyes as his mber lood in front of her face.
"What do you want?" She asked, her tone skeptical.
"Service. Use your hands," Wang Xiao stated bluntly.
"..." Silence enveloped Seraphine as she sighed in resignation, her hands reluctantly reaching for his mber.
With slow, gentle movents, she began to stroke him. "Your ego is quite fragile..." she murmured under her breath.
"Take the load over your face," Wang Xiao suddenly commanded, gazing down at her with a faint smile.
"..."
Speechless, Seraphine deliberated whether she should feel satisfied having finally gotten under his skin, or foolish for engaging in this self-inflicted humiliation.
Suddenly, a splurt broke the stillness.
Splash!
Fifteen minutes later, his mber throbbed and unleashed its load directly onto her face. Reality crashed down on her, and she realized she should indeed feel foolish.
Her eyelids clenched tightly as the warm liquid was slowly cleaned off her face by the water.
"Get yourself cleaned up and call back," Wang Xiao instructed as he slid open the glass door and exited, leaving Seraphine sat there alone, a mix of emotions swirling within her.
Lost for words, Seraphine stared in silence, pondering the encounter and the conflicting emotions it had stirred within her.
_______
Hours had passed, transforming the room's atmosphere into a temporary truce, yet again.
Seraphine, now sowhat composed, sat regally atop the bed. Her hair, still damp from a recent wash, was neatly bundled into a white towel that crowned her head.
Despite the casual setting, she exuded a restrained elegance, a plate of food balanced on her outstretched legs, covered by the quilt.
She watched in silence as Elina, her quiet presence a discomforting shadow, finally closed the door behind her, leaving Seraphine to her solitude.
Click!
"Sigh..."
The mont the door clicked shut, Seraphine's gaze, previously sharp and guarded, softened as it fell upon the al before her.
A quiet smile played on her lips, the formalities of cutlery abandoned as she opted to engage with her food directly, her fingers diving into the dish with an earnestness that belied her earlier composure.
Wang Xiao, returning from washing his hands, paused at the threshold, montarily struck silent by the candid scene before him.
"..."
The sight of Seraphine, so often composed and in control, now indulging in her al with such unguarded enjoynt, was both unexpected and disarmingly human.
!!
Caught mid-bite at his sudden appearance, Seraphine choked, the unexpected interruption sending her into a coughing fit.
"Cough! Cough!" She frantically patted her chest, trying to clear her throat, her eyes watering from the effort.
eting his gaze, her hands sared with the remnants of her al, she resembled a child caught in cri, her earlier poise dissolving into embarrassed stamring. "I..." she managed, her voice a mix of surprise and guilt.
Wang Xiao's initial shock gave way to a resigned shake of his head. "Do whatever you want," he uttered, his voice carrying a mix of amusent and disappointnt.
Seraphine, "..."
After a prolonged silence that stretched on for what seed like an eternity, Seraphine surrendered to her hunger, her previous concern over Wang Xiao's observation dissipating.
She was hungry, and that hunger justified her actions in her mind.
Without further ado, she resud her al, a subtle lick of her lips betraying her anticipation before she dove back into the food.
Wang Xiao, anwhile, seed to occupy his own world, moving about the room, his presence acknowledged by Seraphine only through her deliberate choice to ignore him.
Distractedly, Wang Xiao pulled out his phone, its screen lighting up with a barrage of unread ssages from Josephine.
It was a reminder of the world beyond these walls, a world still in motion. His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden realization. "Hey, do you have soone who can crack secured phones?" he casually threw the question into the air, directed at Seraphine without expecting much of a response.
??
Surprised by his query yet quick to recover, Seraphine paused mid-bite, her composure swiftly returning as she nodded, a trace of elegance in her acknowledgnt. "There is one," she confird, her voice carrying a hint of intrigue.
"There is?" Wang Xiao echoed, his interest piqued.
He had retrieved phones from kidnappers previously and handed them over to Anran to play with, but success had little to no chance.
The information locked within those devices was out of reach, and until now, he had been hesitant to involve Li Zhiming, wary of exposing too much to soone not within his circle of trust.
Now, with the stakes rising and his list of enemies becoming ever more defined, the prospect of unlocking those phones held new significance.
"Norhaven, we would need to go there if you want soone able to crack anything," Seraphine casually ntioned, continuing her al as if discussing a leisurely outing rather than a mission of digital espionage.
"Norhaven?" Wang Xiao echoed, his mind racing back to the rescue of Anran from that very place.
The na triggered a cascade of mories, each intertwined with danger and intrigue.
Seraphine, seemingly unfazed by the weight of her suggestion, elaborated without missing a beat. "You don't need to overthink it. The monarchs there face the sa threats from Guardian Asmodeous. Though we've been his direct targets thus far, the ripples of his actions have surely reached the ears of others in similar positions."
"The Queen there," she continued, her tone casual as she spoke of royal connections and subterfuge as one might discuss the weather, "I have so contacts. As long as I deceive them regarding your protection, they'll be inclined to assist us." Her ease in discussing the manipulation of her contacts revealed a pragmatic, if ruthless, approach to alliances and survival.
Wang Xiao found no surprise in her willingness to bend the truth to her advantage.
It was a tactic as old as ti, yet in Seraphine's hands, it seed both an art and a weapon.
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