Noah Duanmu dangled the mouse by its tail, holding it upside down as it struggled wildly. Muriel Murong watched the mouse get closer and closer to her, her eyes widening in horror, cold sweat breaking out on her forehead. In her heart, she cursed Noah Duanmu relentlessly—who else would be up in the middle of the night playing with a mouse? He must be a complete lunatic!
Seeing the mouse about to touch her face, Muriel squeezed her eyes shut, desperately trying to comfort herself: It's fine, getting bitten by a mouse probably doesn't hurt that much. But this grudge—she would definitely get even!
Noah Duanmu chuckled softly, reached out to wrap his arm around her waist, and lifted her into the room. He shut the door, then released her mute acupoint and asked, "Who are you?"
Muriel stubbornly looked away, refusing to say a word, but her gaze kept nervously darting toward the still-struggling mouse!
Noah Duanmu shook his head and sighed, "Such a beauty—why stoop to thievery?" As he spoke, he moved to place the mouse on her head.
"Noah Duanmu, you despicable scoundrel! Shameless! What kind of skill is it to scare someone with a mouse?" Heaven knows, mice were her greatest fear!
Noah Duanmu raised an eyebrow, pulled off her veil, and pinched her chin, turning her face this way and that as he examined her closely. "So, you're actually a beauty! But I haven't done anything—how am I shameless? And if scaring someone with a mouse isn't a skill, does being afraid of mice count as one?"
Muriel gritted her teeth and said, "A real man uses words, not force!" In her heart, she screamed for help—Guildmaster, save me! If no one came soon, this lunatic would ruin her! Boohoo...
Noah Duanmu watched her eyes darting around, scanning the room, and his gaze sharpened. "Do you have an accomplice?" But even if she did, there was no way anyone else could be in his room! Unless...
Muriel withdrew her gaze and snorted, "Why do you care if I have an accomplice or not!" Staring at his wickedly handsome face, she grew furious. How could she, Muriel Murong, fall into the hands of this notorious playboy? If only she'd chosen to investigate the Imperial Silver at the back hill instead! Her lifetime of brilliance—ruined!
Noah Duanmu looked at her puffed-up, angry face, his smile turning even more mischievous. With a flick of his hand, the white mouse appeared before Muriel Murong again. She squeezed her eyes shut, this time completely unprepared, and opened her mouth to scream—but no sound came out.
The soft touch on her lips made Muriel's eyes fly open. Staring into those nearby, laughing peach blossom eyes, she finally snapped back to her senses, ready to curse him—only for Noah to seize the back of her head.
Muriel's eyes widened in fury, but her muffled curses were completely unintelligible.
Only when she tasted the saltiness did Noah snap back to reality. He quickly let go, gently wiping the tears from her face with a tenderness that was hard to notice. Muriel still glared at him, her voice thick with a nasal whine as she accused, "You actually dared to kiss me?"
Noah Duanmu shrugged and said, "You were the one who said a real man uses words, not force!"
"I... you..." Muriel sniffled, tears streaming as she began to cry. Even while crying, she kept muttering, "Noah Duanmu, you jerk! Who told you to kiss me? Watch out, your lips will rot! You're not even human, scaring people with a mouse—you're a beast! And you even touched my face with the same hand that caught that mouse..."
Noah Duanmu's mouth twitched as he watched her cry and mumble. He was just about to comfort her when, suddenly, he couldn't move. Narrowing his eyes at her tear-stained but smiling face, he finally realized—she'd been stalling for time so she could break free of the acupoint!
In an instant, Noah's face returned to its usual roguish grin. "Is the beauty trying to throw herself into my arms?"
Muriel snorted coldly, grabbed his face, and kneaded it roughly. Through gritted teeth, she said, "Don't you know I hate mice the most? If you dare scare me with a mouse again, I'll make you swallow it!"
Noah Duanmu eyed her suspiciously and asked, "Would you really dare to grab a mouse?"
"I..." Muriel glanced at the two big mice—one black, one white—staring at her from the floor. She couldn't help but take a step back, which made Noah Duanmu burst out laughing.
Muriel snorted, her eyes scanning the room. She hadn't forgotten she had a mission here—revenge could wait!
Seeing this, Noah was sure she'd discovered something, but he wasn't worried. He let her wander freely, knocking here and touching there.
Muriel searched for a long time but found nothing. Frowning, she walked back to Noah and asked, "Where's the hidden mechanism? If you don't tell me, I'll scratch up your face!" Earlier, she'd heard the faint sound of something turning, which made her stop suddenly, but now she couldn't find anything.
Noah replied lazily, "That's a trick for threatening women!"
Muriel shot him a look and said, "Everyone knows the Second Young Master lives off his looks, flirting with proper women all day long. If your face gets ruined, no beauty will ever fancy you again!"
Noah looked at her gently and said, "That's fine, as long as you don't mind."
Muriel clenched her fist and punched him in the stomach. Then, with a provocative blow to her fist, she demanded, "Are you going to talk or not?"
Noah let out a howl, his face twisted in agony.
Someone outside, hearing the commotion, called out, "Second Young Master, are you all right?"
Muriel frowned, about to warn him, but Noah Duanmu spoke up first, "I'm fine!"
Hearing the footsteps outside fade away, Muriel checked the room again but still couldn't find the mechanism. In the end, she had to give up and turned to leave. The Grandmaster's Estate truly lived up to its reputation—she couldn't afford to stay too long!
But just as she turned, someone grabbed her from behind. Muriel's heart jumped. "You..." Had he broken free of the acupoint himself, or had he never been immobilized at all?
She knew exactly how strong her strike was. Either way, Noah Duanmu was clearly not the useless playboy the rumors made him out to be!
Noah Duanmu swiftly struck her acupoint and hoisted her onto the bed. Muriel, her face icy, demanded, "What are you planning to do?"