Chapter 162: Reward

In his view, the situation was by no means as critical as Su Liluo made it out to be. Even though this was her boudoir, she could not stop him.

"What compensation? When did I ever say such a thing? Besides, those men in black came from unknown origins; I even suspect they were provoked by Prince Yi. I am merely the victim here." Su Liluo refused to yield. Having suffered losses at Yun Yanyi’s hands time and time again, expecting her to offer him compensation was nothing short of a daydream.

"Su Liluo, you can eat your words carelessly, but you must not speak so recklessly. If I had provoked them, why would they walk past that apothecary without entering? Is this how you speak to your savior?" Seeing that she possessed not an ounce of gratitude, Yun Yanyi said with some annoyance.

"I see nothing particularly formidable about the Prince. Perhaps those men simply didn't care to pursue further, not necessarily out of any respect for you. Don't go gilding your own lily." Su Liluo slandered him unceremoniously, sending Yun Yanyi flying into a rage. It seemed he had been far too gentle with her lately, leaving her completely ignorant of his true prowess. Today, he would let her witness it firsthand.

Su Liluo had expected him to fly into a temper, but instead, a seductive, wicked smile curled the corners of his lips. Before she could puzzle over his amusement, she was pinned down onto the table. Both of her wrists were seized, leaving her like meat on a chopping block—helpless and with nowhere to hide the moment he decided to strike.

"Prince Yi, what are you doing? Let me go at once!" Crushed beneath a heavy weight, Su Liluo felt as though she could scarcely breathe. She tried to struggle, but was no match for the strength in his palms, remaining firmly pinned beneath his restraint.

"Weren't you quite the chatterbox just a moment ago? Now that you see I'm not formidable, do you finally realize whether I have any real ability?" Yun Yanyi felt his heartbeat skip a beat as he watched her face flush a rosy hue from the struggle, a thin layer of perspiration glistening faintly across her brow.

"Prince Yi, bullying a frail maiden like this—are you even a man? Let me go quickly, or else I won't be polite!" With both legs pinned beneath him and her hands captured, the only part of Su Liluo's entire body capable of reasoning with Yun Yanyi was this mouth of hers.

"And how exactly will you not be polite? Right now, you are entirely at my mercy. As long as I refuse to let go, Su Liluo, you have no room for reversal. Such a stubborn mouth—it seems you haven't learned your lesson yet." With that, he lowered his head, his lips drawing closer and closer to Su Liluo's. Looking at the pale lips right before her, her mind plunged into utter chaos. Past caring whether she lost face before him, she immediately pleaded for mercy, "Prince Yi, it was my fault just now; I spoke wrongly. If the Prince desires compensation, Liluo will gladly give it. I only ask that the Prince release me first so we can properly discuss the matter of compensation."

"What if I let you go later and you refuse to acknowledge the debt? Better keep you pinned down. It makes me feel much more at ease." Having said this, Yun Yanyi drew even closer to Su Liluo, who could periodically feel his light, shallow breath brushing against her. Her face flared crimson instantly.

"Prince, how could Liluo refuse to acknowledge it? Since the Prince is so formidable, Liluo could never escape the palm of your hand. Since I've agreed to compensate the Prince, I will surely fulfill it. Besides, holding me like this must be tiring for the Prince..." Su Liluo attempted to find a high-sounding excuse to make Yun Yanyi release her, but he refused to fall for it.

"I am not tired. Speaking of compensation, you refused to acknowledge the silver I mentioned earlier, so now the amount must be doubled. Otherwise, where would my dignity as a Prince be?" Yun Yanyi demanded an exorbitant sum, causing Su Liluo's heart to ache profoundly. With this sudden counter-demand, she would have to shell out even more.

"Prince, how could this humble subject have so much silver? Aren't you simply bullying me? If that's the case, then I won't give you a single coin." Imagining all that pristine silver passing into Yun Yanyi's hands, Su Liluo instantly grew resentful. Disregarding the consequences, she stubbornly refused to budge.

"You truly won't give it?" Yun Yanyi narrowed his eyes and asked once more, a wicked little smile touching his lips as if he had thought of something delightful.

"Not giving it! You treacherous villain, taking advantage of a crisis..." *Mm-mph...*

Su Liluo's eyes widened in shock. The warm, soft sensation against her lips sent ripples of panic through her heart. As her lips parted slightly, Yun Yanyi instantly invaded, capturing her sweet tongue in a passionate dance.

Gradually, a dazed blur crept into Su Liluo's eyes, her entire body turning so limp and boneless she nearly collapsed onto the table. It was only because Yun Yanyi caught her swiftly and supported her that she was spared losing face yet again.

When her hand suddenly brushed against the cold porcelain on the table, a jolt of panic struck her heart. Realizing she had actually been intoxicated by a man's kiss, she began to struggle, desperately trying to escape. In response, Yun Yanyi only tightened his grip, pressing his lips down with even greater force.

Since Su Liluo's strength could not rival his, she simply gave up resisting. After all, Prince Yi couldn't possibly do anything drastic to her. Comforted by this thought, she relaxed entirely, letting her body go limp once more.

Noticing the shift in her demeanor, Yun Yanyi finally released her lips and asked with mild curiosity, "Weren't you just putting up a desperate defense? Why did you come around so quickly?"

"Everyone knows Prince Yi is impotent, so why should I waste my breath getting angry with you? Since you can only kiss and do nothing else, I'll just treat it as being bitten by a dog. Besides, I can't beat you anyway, so why waste the effort?" Su Liluo spoke with utter candor, but to Yun Yanyi's ears, it sounded infuriating. This woman truly possessed a formidable tongue.

Furious on the inside but wearing a smiling facade, he remarked, "Oh? Let's see if it's really true that there's nothing I can do to you. It just so happens I can test it on you today. What do you say?"

As Yun Yanyi made to untie her outer garments, Su Liluo no longer dared to docilely submit to his actions. Shivering with a cold dread, she burst into tears and begged for mercy, "Prince, it was my fault! I shouldn't have said those things..."

"You're cursing me in your heart, don't think I don't know. Today, I'm going to use you to prove once and for all whether I am truly impotent." Yun Yanyi showed not a shred of pity. Glancing at his immaculate attire and handsome, refined face, Su Liluo decided she had no choice but to gamble.

Letting tears stream freely down her face and letting her nose run without a care, she flung herself into Yun Yanyi's embrace and wailed softly, "If the Prince won't forgive me, I'll never let go! And these tears and snot..." Before she could finish her sentence, Yun Yanyi shoved her away. Nearly colliding with the teapot on the table, she caught herself with her hands and scrambled up.

Yun Yanyi stood to the side, looking at her with undisguised disgust. Su Liluo, completely unconcerned with her image, smiled through her tears—any method was acceptable as long as it saved her—and gently dabbed the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief.

"Hand over the silver." Yun Yanyi glanced down at the front of his robe, immensely grateful it hadn't been stained by that disgusting mucus, leaving him with the leisure to demand his compensation.

With a miserable expression, realizing he still hadn't let the matter go, the wretched scoundrel muttered, "I have no silver..."

"What did you say? Speak clearly and distinctly. If you have no silver, very well—then let us continue discussing the matter of my impotence." A cunning smile touched Yun Yanyi's face; he was entirely certain Su Liluo wouldn't dare push her luck further.

"No, no, I'll go get it right away. Please wait here for a moment, Prince." Preferring to lose her silver rather than her virtue, Su Liluo dragged her feet toward the inner chamber. Opening her vanity chest, she took out every single silver note, her hands trembling continuously as her eyes overflowed with reluctance.

From outside, Yun Yanyi urged impatiently, "Su Liluo, fetching some silver shouldn't take this long. Are you planning to run away with it?"

"No, no, I'm coming right now." Her eyes red and refusing to look at the notes lest her heart break further, Su Liluo marched out briskly and shoved the stack of bills into Yun Yanyi's hand without a glance. "This is my entire net worth! Even if you want more, there isn't any left."

Her voice was hoarse, teetering on the verge of tears. Su Liluo genuinely wanted to weep, but she choked it back, terrified he would mock her and leave her with zero dignity.

Yun Yanyi gave the bills a rough glance and made a mental tally before smiling contentedly. "Very well, I won't haggle with you. I don't need any extra—just this will do."

That arrogant expression made Su Liluo desperately want to plant a fist right on his face to vent the hatred in her heart.

"Even if the Prince wanted more, I wouldn't have any left to give." Su Liluo turned her head away, terrified Yun Yanyi might catch the resentment on her face; that was an offense she couldn't afford to commit.