Chapter 344: Su Ming’s Bold Move, Ye Lingling: Is This What Sweetness Feels Like?

Su Ming was caught off guard when he felt a soft, warm sensation on his cheek—without a doubt, Ye Lingling had just kissed him!

He turned to face her, and for a moment, they simply looked at each other in silence. Ye Lingling was blushing furiously, steam practically rising off her cheeks, as if she could barely believe her own daring move.

Su Ming gazed at her, finding her even more beautiful in her shyness. Since she had taken the initiative, he felt he ought to return the gesture. He reached out, pulling her in close and, with a boldness she hadn't expected, kissed her deeply. A simple peck wouldn't do for him.

Ye Lingling's eyes widened in shock at his sudden move, her hands instinctively pressing lightly against his chest in a half-hearted attempt to push him away. But as she experienced the sweetness of the kiss, she gradually surrendered, caught up in the unexpected rush of emotions.

After all, she was nearly twenty and had never been in a relationship due to her dedication to cultivation. Girls her age, many of whom had even started families, often spoke of the sweetness of love. Now, she finally understood what they meant.

When Su Ming finally let go, she gasped for air, almost breathless from the intensity. Though the kiss had been thrilling, he had taken control so completely that she could hardly keep up.

Once she'd caught her breath, she looked at him with a playful glint in her eyes and a bit of exasperation. "You… how could you kiss me like that without my permission? You always said you'd never force anything on me and that you'd let things happen naturally."

Su Ming simply nodded, unfazed. "That's true; I did say that."

Ye Lingling gave a small huff, "Then why did you—"

Before she could finish, Su Ming teased, "But didn't you kiss me first? I'm not the type to let something like that slide, so I had to return the favor—tenfold!"

Ye Lingling was left speechless. She realized she'd fallen for his little trick; he'd taken advantage and still managed to make it sound justified. She glared at him, feeling an urge to bite him in retaliation.

Trying to recover, she explained, "I kissed you as a thank-you for the rare herb you gave me. It helped resolve the flaw in my martial soul, so it was just to show my gratitude. But you turned around and kissed me like that—isn't that a bit too much?"

Su Ming waved her words away. "How can it be too much? You kissed me first, so I figured we were already close enough for that. Unless… you don't actually want to be my girlfriend and just kissed me out of gratitude?"

Su Ming looked at her with open sincerity, hoping for a clear answer. While his approach was straightforward, he believed honesty was the ultimate charm.

"Girlfriend?" Ye Lingling stammered, shyly avoiding his gaze.

Seeing her reaction, Su Ming sensed her hesitation wasn't about him, so he took a deep breath and asked earnestly, "Lingling, will you be my girlfriend?"

After a pause, she asked hesitantly, "But, Su Ming, don't you already have Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong? Are you sure you can add one more?"

He shook his head, "Don't worry. I've spent almost every morning with you these past four months. They've noticed, though no one's said anything outright."

Ye Lingling pondered this, then nodded slightly, finally reaching a decision. Su Ming grinned, realizing she'd agreed, and couldn't help but lift her in his arms, spinning her around in excitement. "Haha, this is amazing!"

Ye Lingling smiled softly, a warm feeling spreading through her. Though she'd tried to take things slowly, Su Ming had completely won her over.

"Then tomorrow, let's head to the nearby Sunset Forest to find a spirit beast for your fourth ring," Su Ming offered. "There are plenty of suitable ones there, no need to go all the way to Star Dou Forest."

Ye Lingling nodded, happy to leave the details to him.

Hand in hand, they headed to the dining hall, meeting up with Xiao Wu and the others for lunch. As soon as the trio saw Su Ming and Ye Lingling's closeness, they quickly picked up on the change. It seemed even the reserved Ye Lingling had finally fallen for Su Ming's charm!

The three girls exchanged glances, unsure whether to feel happy for their taste in partners or slightly troubled.

Feeling embarrassed by their knowing looks, Ye Lingling slipped her hand free from Su Ming's grasp.

Su Ming broke the silence. "Alright, alright, you can stop staring. Yes, it's what you think—we've just made it official."

He started confidently but grew a bit sheepish towards the end.

"Ahem… Aren't you going to say something? It's a little unnerving to just sit here in silence, you know."

Xiao Wu spoke up first, "Su Ming, we already knew this day was coming. You've been spending every morning with her; it was obvious you had feelings for her. We've seen it all."

Ning Rongrong nodded, adding, "Honestly, we thought Lingling would hold out a bit longer, but I guess not! I mean, Lingling, you're usually so composed and reserved. How did you fall for him so quickly?"

Ye Lingling felt a wave of embarrassment; she wasn't aloof—it was just that she was quieter by nature! And as for falling for Su Ming, he'd simply managed to charm her in those subtle, surprising ways, and he'd even solved the flaw in her martial soul.

Given how much he'd done for her, she couldn't help but feel grateful, maybe even indebted in a way. Thinking this, she realized how much she felt like the heroines in those romantic tales she'd heard about.