Be Careful, Scum Dad! Mommy Is Back!
Chapter 382: Why Are Your Lips Cracked?

Chapter 382: Chapter 382: Why Are Your Lips Cracked?

The air carried a faint, lingering scent.

Xining furrowed her brows slightly. As soon as she realized what the scent was, she held her breath and turned to warn Li Mai to be cautious of the fragrance, but instead, she heard Li Mai’s teasing laughter and playful voice beside her.

Li Mai: "Ningning, live in the moment."

She didn’t hold her breath. Patting Xining’s shoulder, she said, "Aunt Li has gone to enjoy the games of the night. Loosen up a bit. Everyone who boarded the ship passed a health check. Relax and indulge in the fun."

"..." Xining hadn’t expected something like this, feeling rather old-fashioned in comparison.

When the surrounding people overheard the name of the game "Kiss of the Night," both the men and women seemed to instantly understand, smiles spreading knowingly across their faces.

As darkness descended, they each grabbed the person closest to them.

Sounds began to echo in her ears, blending with the faint scent in the air and weaving an intense tapestry of hormones.

But Xining had no interest in this game.

To avoid being pulled into it, she intended to retreat to a corner and wait for the game to end—but the moment she turned, her hands were grabbed!

Two domineering presences enveloped her immediately, making her heart skip a beat.

Xining instinctively leaned backward, resisting the closeness of these strangers.

With her breath held, she couldn’t sense their identities through their scent, so she responded firmly in fluent foreign language, expressing her refusal to participate in the game, while attempting to forcefully free her wrists from their grip.

Two faint chuckles rang out on either side.

Recognizing the voices of Ji Muye and Shang Lvxing, Xining exhaled slightly in relief.

The two men realized who else was holding her wrist and neither wanted to let go. Increasing their grip, they each tried to pull her towards their side.

Ji Muye: "Mr. Shang, kindly release your hand."

Shang Lvxing: "Same to you, President Ji. I just saw Miss Zhuang making it clear she’s after you."

Ji Muye immediately replied, "She didn’t touch me, but I noticed Shang Yueling throwing herself into Mr. Shang’s arms with some force—it looked pretty serious."

The two men traded verbal jabs, neither backing down.

Stuck between them, Xining had reached her limit, despite her skill at holding her breath.

As the scent rushed into her nose, heat surged over her body, her temperature steadily climbing, and a desperate need for cooler air overtook her.

As the surrounding sounds grew increasingly uninhibited, her temperature continued to soar. She understood all too well what this was.

Fisting her hands, Xining’s face darkened as she gritted her teeth and said, "I’m going to count down from three. Both of you let go at the same time when I reach one!"

"Three! Two! One!"

As soon as the words fell, Shang Lvxing released her hand, but Ji Muye, the cunning man, didn’t comply.

With one swift motion, he pulled her directly into his arms. Relying on his sharp familiarity with the arrangement of the banquet hall, he led Xining to the windowsill of the cabin, pulled the curtains aside, opened the window, and let the sea breeze pour in.

Ji Muye’s deep voice reached her ears, reminding her, "You can breathe now."

Standing protector in front of Xining, he used his frame to shield her from any men who might approach, giving her space to catch her breath.

The catalysts used on the Royal Cruise wouldn’t make one lose their mind; apart from initially raising body temperature and simulating a surge in adrenaline, the effects would gradually fade with calmness.

As Lott had mentioned, this was merely an appetizer provided by the Royal Cruise to add excitement to the banquet.

In the moonlight streaming through the open window, Xining could see the tall figure of the man standing before her. Her mind suddenly drifted to his injury, and her brows furrowed slightly.

The catalysts in the air posed little risk to uninjured individuals—but Ji Muye’s wounds hadn’t healed yet.

In her clutch bag, besides the intricate weapon Ji Muye had someone send to her, she had purposefully packed certain medications.

Such stimulants were not uncommon at elite social gatherings.

Thinking it was better to be prepared, Xining decided now was the perfect moment to use them.

Quickly retrieving the items from her bag, she addressed the man standing before her, "Ji Muye, turn around."

The catalyst-induced dry mouth made her voice sound somewhat hoarse. At her words, Ji Muye’s heart skipped a beat.

He lowered his gaze as he turned to look at her. The moonlight illuminated half of Xining’s exquisite features, while the other half remained hidden in shadow. Her cool almond-shaped eyes gazed at him, radiating an inexplicable allure.

Ji Muye’s voice came out hoarse: "What is it?"

"Swallow this." Xining extended her palm, revealing a small black pill that stood out starkly.

Ji Muye: "..."

After taking the medication, the intense heat subsided for both of them. However, the rest of the crowd continued to revel in unrestrained freedom.

Borrowing the moonlight spilling through the window, Xining glimpsed Zhuang Tian and Shang Yueling not far away. Both were actively searching for someone while covering their mouths, relying on faint impressions to grope through the crowd.

Since Shang Lvxing had released Xining earlier, he had backed into another corner and taken the antidote to cool his own body.

Having guarded Xining meticulously earlier, Ji Muye no longer turned his back to her after consuming the antidote but faced her directly.

There was a deliberate distance between the two.

Ji Muye’s gaze locked intently onto Xining’s eyes, causing her eyelids to twitch slightly. She turned away, her back to him, facing the sea surface under the cover of darkness outside the window.

The pitch-black and mysterious ocean held untold dangers unknown to mankind.

Suddenly, Xining heard a faint chuckle from the man behind her. Her body stiffened slightly, but she didn’t turn to meet his gaze.

The lights remained off, and the open window became the best source of ventilation.

The darkness served as a shroud for thrill-seekers.

["Dear guests, as the darkness fades and dawn rises, are you ready?"]

Before the banquet hall’s lights came back on, Lott’s reminder echoed, his voice tinged with the same lingering hoarseness.

The sound of shuffling garments rustled throughout the room.

As the lights brightened again, gentlemen’s suits appeared slightly disheveled, their lips faintly stained with traces of lipstick in different shades.

Zhuang Tian scanned the room until her gaze landed on Ji Muye, standing by the curtains. Seeing that his thin lips bore no trace of lipstick, she finally let out a sigh of relief.

A smile stretched across her lips as she lifted the hem of her dress and hurried toward him—only to see the woman hidden behind him in the next instant.

Her smile froze in an instant.

Behind her, Shang Yueling also noticed the pair standing by the curtains. Though she didn’t spot Shang Lvxing in her search, panic drove her further into her quest to locate him, worrying that another woman might have taken advantage of the game in the dark.

But upon finally finding him, Shang Yueling’s expression was noticeably worse than Zhuang Tian’s.

She questioned furiously, "Brother, why is your lip injured?!"