When Li Meirong unlatched the gate and passed through it, the image greeting the Fox Lord's eyes had caused him to suck in a sharp breath through his teeth.

Bai Qingyue's raven-haired wife was not the kind of girl to put a lot of effort into her appearance, he knew this, and that certainly didn't matter to him, for she was a natural beauty that hardly needed any embellishing. However tonight, she chose to adorn herself with jewellery, highlighting her appeal, and rouge that made her juicy lips look like they were made to be kissed. Li Meirong's small oval face and slender waist made her appear even more young and delicate. She was dressed in a pale loose robe that was not ornately made but its simplicity only complimented her gentle beauty and bright limpid eyes. All in all, she resembled a white lotus flower, tenderly fresh and pure.

Standing still as a statue, Bai Qingyue was rendered spellbound.

It wasn't until the girl had rushed to his side, slightly gasping for breath, that he snapped out of his reverie. Her pale cheeks instantly turned rosy when she momentarily tugged on his sleeve.

"Sorry I'm late…" Li Meirong's soft voice sounded shaky.

Bai Qingyue could hear her heartbeat accelerating, and the drumming pulse was the most beautiful melody he had ever listened to. The vision of her small, beguiling form brought out a beastly, primitive side of him, urging him to push this girl to the ground and have her dig those delicate fingernails into his flesh, gasping his name while he drove himself inside her inviting wetness.

The images flooding his mind made his throat run dry.

"You came at the right time." Unable to hold her gaze, Bai Qingyue cleared his throat and attempted to sound relaxed. He spun around and signalled for her to accompany him to her prearranged seat, pointedly avoiding her hypnotizing, starry eyes. Li Meirong timidly followed a few steps behind.

After making certain she was seated comfortably, he went to sit opposite her, his expression giving none of his inner turmoil away as he observed her for a brief moment.

It seemed as though she was just as nervous as he, her face cast downwards and she stared at her own lap, biting her lower lip.

Bai Qingyue's pupils dilated as he caught sight of the slightly swollen lip. That simple nervous act, he noted, drove him one step closer to the edge of insanity.

Was she trying to seduce him? Because she certainly didn't have to work this hard!

He picked up his own chopsticks, pretending to be greatly interested in eating. He selected a few of the side dishes, placed them in Li Meirong's rice bowl, and proceeded to add the same selection to his own bowl.

"Try these."

Li Meirong smiled bashfully and nodded as she picked up a pickled slice of cabbage with her own chopsticks, nibbled on it and hummed in appreciation.

"Thank you," She muttered after a few more bites, "I like the way you made them, slightly sweet and sour at the same time."

"I am pleased to hear..." Bai Qingyue replied at length, taking credit for his servants' hard work without batting an eye. He went ahead and sampled the appetizers in his own bowl.

After tasting the pickled vegetables and finding the flavour sufficiently pleasant, he picked a few meat dumplings from the porcelain plates and deposited them into Li Meirong's rice bowl.

Soon, Li Meirong's bowl contained a miniature pyramid of different dishes piled on top of each other.

"..." Feeling slightly amazed by her teacher's shower of affection, she slowly raised her widened eyes to meet his.

The Fox Lord's hand was currently occupied with holding his chopsticks, carrying a serving of meat dumpling to his partly opened mouth.

Then, in a moment of rare confidence, Li Meirong's lips parted ever so slowly as she said rather meekly, "You look really handsome tonight," she bit on her lower lip once more. "Although you probably don't need me to tell you that." The compliment ended with a nervous giggle.

Plop.

The dumpling never reached his mouth. The steamed bun rolled on the table until it fell off the side along with his chopsticks that dropped from his long shaking fingers with a loud clatter.