*"Tap."*

Like a single drop of water landing right between her brows.

*A kiss?*

*...Can I really?*

Lucian regained a fleeting moment of clarity. Borrowing strength from some unknown reservoir within, he suddenly shoved past Shao Ying, scooped Serena into his arms, a

A reward?

Serena's eyelashes fluttered slightly.

The way he phrased that...

She had merely stepped in to keep Lucian from losing his mind and flying completely off the rails. A simple kiss—what kind of reward was that?

Using the word "reward" for it felt inhe

With that final declaration, completely ignoring whatever thoughts might be swirling in Jing Lin's head, Lucian grabbed a change of clothes and strode straight into the guest bathroom.

His physical resilience was nothing short of monstrous. Thanks to the medicine appl