Bad breath

He kissed her and the world fell away. His lips brushed hers. Not innocently, it was more like a tease but hot.

Ye Shuxin's eyes looked as if they were going to fall out of its sockets. His very smell was flooding her senses.

If not the small, delightful squeal coming from his daughter, she would have ended up kissing him back. She gathered her strength and pulled away.

"Eh? Already done?" Yanyan pouted, she was still peeping through the space that her small fingers made. "One more! One more!"

One more your ass! Oh how badly she wanted to say out those words but she had to hold back because of the child.

Ye Shuxin could feel the heat growing in her cheeks. By now they must be beyond an attractive rosiness. 

"W-why did you kiss me?" She turned to the man, the cause of her red face. "T-this is against our contract! I-I didn't give you my permi-"

"You asked me to kiss you." He calmly interrupted.

"I asked but I didn't say you can!"

"But Yan'er said we can."

"..." What.the.hell?! How can he pass the blame to his daughter?

She felt a delicate tug on her shirt, it was Yanyan, looking at her with tearful eyes, "Mommy, please don't get mad at daddy... if mommy doesn't want daddy's kiss then mommy can just return the kiss to daddy."

"..."

Jin Mingze reached out and tousled his daughter's hair before he turned his gaze back to Ye Shuxin, "Do you want to return it?"

How she wished that she could wipe off the smug look on his face.

"Mommy, please don't be angry with daddy."

Ye Shuxin sighed inwardly, she turned to the little bunny, she bent down to her level just to gently wipe the tears that formed on the side of the child's eyes.

"I'm not mad." She tried her best to let out a smile.

"Then do you like daddy's kiss?"

"..." This girl sure knows how to ask questions that can catch you off-guard.

"Do you like it?" This time, it was Jin Mingze who asked, he was obviously teasing her despite how void of emotions his face was this time.

Did he think that she was not going to retaliate this time? Hah! He wished!

A grin spread over Ye Shuxin's face, wide and open, showing her white teeth. At that moment her motives were laid bare; he was a mocker, one who enjoyed whatever torment he could inflict on others.

"I wonder. Did I like it?" She stood straight, this time, it was her turn.

This time, she trailed her finger on his chest. Seduction was what she did best, moving once again into his personal space with just the right look of heat in her eyes. She leaned to his ear and whispered, "I probably would have liked it if you didn't have a bad breath right now."

Just like that, Jin Mingze wasn't expecting those words from her.

He has a bad breath?

A faint blush appeared on his cheeks out of embarrassment as he quickly averted his eyes from her.

She leaned back and turned her gaze on Yanyan, "Baby, why don't you tour mommy around the house?"

"Okay, mommy!" The little girl held her hand.

Ye Shuxin eyed the man with a small smirk when she saw him cover his mouth with his hand, pretending to cough.

What bad breath? He didn't have bad breath!

Ye Shuxin was obviously lying. By the time he turned to look at her, he found no one.

She already escaped the room with his daughter.

...

As Yanyan toured her new mother around, the servants who saw them together greeted them but they remained cautious of her.

Ye Shuxin was actually enjoying the tour that the little girl was giving her so she ignored all the watchful eyes that she was receiving.

"And this is Yanyan's favorite place!" She happily said as they stood in front of the hedge maze.

The gate of rough wood was as big as a cow and ivy cascaded around it.

"This is... your favorite place?" The hedge's height was until Ye Shuxin's shoulders so if she has to find the exit of the maze, it won't be hard, especially when the entrance and exit were easily seen by her.

On the other hand, that wasn't the same for the little Yanyan.

"Aren't you worried that you might end up getting lost here?"

"No. Daddy always manages to find Yanyan."

Ah, she should have known.

"What else do you love?"

"Yanyan loves picture books." She grinned cutely

While the two were enjoying their time together, Yanyan's nanny was watching them from a distance, her fists clenched. She walked towards them, turning her gaze to the little girl.

"Young miss, it's time for your afternoon nap."

Yanyan pouted, "But Yanyan wants to spend more time with mommy..."

"Madam just arrived, she must be tired from the journey." Wei Zhou, Yanyan's nanny, tried to sound polite as much as possible.

The little girl turned to Ye Shuxin, her imaginary bunny ears went down, sulking, "Yanyan's sorry, mommy... Yanyan should have let mommy rest first..."

Ye Shuxin's gaze became soft as she looked down at her. What a good little girl she was.

"It's alright." She leaned down and picked her up from the ground, carrying her in her arms. "How about I accompany you in having an afternoon nap?"

She wasn't really tired but it was only normal to feel sleepy in the afternoon.

Yanyan's face brightened up upon what she said, she leaned and hugged her by her neck, "Yanyan's going to nap with mommy!"