Reign of the Hunters

Men were indeed the stronger of both sexes. Despite Ye Ci taking the initiative, she quickly found herself being pinned down by Fleeting Time. She could feel the scorching heat of his lips on hers as he dueled with her using his tongue. 

She clung on tightly to Fleeting Time. The man could feel her hair on his face. They were soft and tickly, just like many tiny hands scratching against the same spot. 

Ye Ci could taste the faint scent of wine from Fleeting Time’s mouth. His warm breath made her already red face blush even more. Nobody wanted to end the kiss, until Ye Ci was finally out of breath. She pushed Fleeting Time away, but he did not seem to want to end their kiss. He continued pressing his lips against hers, bringing forth his warmth towards her once again. 

“That’s enough…” Ye Ci was barely able to squeeze out the words. She sounded like a purring cat. 

“Are you satisfied?” Fleeting Time said with a sultry voice. 

“What?” Ye Ci narrowed her eyes. 

“You were using me.” Despite what he said, Fleeting Time was not angry. 

Ye Ci chuckled at his words. Ahhh… So he noticed. “Humans are borned to be used. Besides, don’t you want to be used by me?” 

“Oh, if this is how you’re going to use me, I don’t mind at all.” Fleeting Time chuckled as he pinned Ye Ci against the wall again. But she was able to quickly block his advancing lips this time, “Not too fast. Once is enough. I don’t want to hurt your feelings.” 

Fleeting Time raised an eyebrow, and it gave Ye Ci the opportunity to wiggle herself out of his embrace. The air felt so cool once she was away from him. She grinned at Fleeting Time before heading to the room assigned to Conquering The Heavens. 

But a force tugged her back, followed by a whisper in her ears, “Don’t you know that karma will strike if you leave just like that after using someone?” 

She could see the fires in Fleeting Time’s eyes. “What do you want?” she bit her lips. 

Fleeting Time sighed and planted a deep and long kiss on her neck before pushing her away lightly, “Now scram.” 

Even Ye Ci did not realise that the weight on her chest had been lifted  by that gesture. She traced her fingers along her neck. The lingering warmth of Fleeting Time’s lips was still fresh. She stared at Fleeting Time as he left for Genesis’ room before she finally returned to her guildmates.   There was a smile on her lips. Will I relent if he continued the kiss? I don’t know… 

So this is the difference between the game and real life… 

Fruit Jelly’s eyes were immediately on Ye Ci the moment she walked in. Even as she continued singing, her eyes never left Ye Ci until she took her seat. She then handed the mic to someone else before snuggling close to Ye Ci. 

“What are you looking at? Is there something on my face?” Ye Ci rolled her eyes at her friend. 

“Oh yes.” Fruit Jelly nodded with a smirk, “Look at that silly smile of yours, it looks like spring is blooming.” 

Ye Ci immediately pinched Fruit Jelly on both her cheeks, “Oh yeah? Who's the one with the silly smile now?” 

“Someone should fetch you a mirror!” Fruit Jelly slapped her hands away, “Where have you been? You’re gone for a while… I wonder what you’ve been up to…” 

“Hey hey!” Ye Ci blushed, “Nothing happened, alright!” 

“Ohhhhhhhh…” Fruit Jelly eyes then rested on the red marks on Ye Ci’s neck. “Oho… Fleeting Time sure is impatient, isn’t he. He ate you up quite thoroughly.” she smiled as she traced her fingers along Ye Ci’s neck. 

Ye Ci was reminded of the kiss Fleeting Time planted on her neck. She did not expect it to leave a mark! Her hand immediately shot towards her neck in an attempt to cover the evidence of his ‘crime’. 

Fruit Jelly chuckled at her response, “Did you guys… Do it? But at a place like this…” 

Despite the worry in her voice, the intention to gossip was written all over her face.   

“No.” Ye Ci said through gritted teeth. 

“Really? The great Fleeting Time chose not to strike?” Fruit Jelly gasped in surprise. Had she not lowered her voice, she would’ve been choked to death by Ye Ci the very next moment, “I’m disappointed. He couldn’t do it in the end…” 

She continued despite the glare Ye Ci shot her way, leaning in closer to her friend while further lowering her voice, “Heh, Gongzi, have you thought that something might happen to him if you keep teasing him like that? Do you really want to end up a widow!” 

Ye Ci was finally pushed into action. She pinched Fruit Jelly on her waist and twisted hard, eliciting a squeal from her friend. As the guild members stared at the two, Ye Ci stealthily retracted her hand. 

“It’s nothing, I’m alright.” Fruit Jelly immediately explained. 

The incident was instantly put to the back of the minds of the guild members. “You’ll pay for this, Gongzi You.” Fruit Jelly grumbled under her breath. 

This was the second time Ye Ci was promised retribution in a single night. Will karma actually strike? Even Ye Ci couldn’t help but wonder at that prospect. She chuckled at that thought and leaned back against the couch, allowing her thoughts to wander as she stared at the lavishly decorated ceiling. 

She was pulled back into reality when Fang Susu patted her on the shoulders, “Sheesh, I’m amazed that you’re able to fall asleep with all the noise. Your little outing in the city must’ve tired you out.” 

“What’s the time now?” Ye Ci noticed the people ready to leave all around her. 

“It’s almost 1am.” Fang Susu yawned, “Let’s head back. I can’t believe you fell asleep. I’m dead tired. Come on!.” 

Her fatigue and a steady dose of alcohol had placed Ye Ci in a zombified state. She allowed Fang Susu to lead her back to the hotel. The pair ran into members from other guilds, but none of them were from Genesis. Did they leave early? Or are they still in there? Wondered Ye Ci. But she did not concern herself with the questions for long. She was extremely tired. 

She did not even shower as she plopped onto the bed and drifted off to sleep. 

Fang Susu was puzzled when she saw Ye Ci’s sleeping form when she stepped out of the bathroom. What’s with her? A mischievous grin appeared on her face when she noticed the red kissing mark on Ye Ci’s neck. Ahhh… So that’s what happened.  

Fang Susu ordered Ye Ci a brown sugar egg during breakfast the next morning, which earned her a confused look from her friend, “Is it your time of the month?” 

“Nope.” 

“Then why did you order that?” Ye Ci’s confusion grew as the waiter set the dessert in front of her.

“It’s for you.” 

“Well it’s not mine either.” 

“You must’ve lost a lot of blood and stamina last night. Even if your boyfriend is not worried about your health, I am.” Fang Susu looked innocently at Ye Ci, whose expression was rapidly darkening.  

“It’s just your imagination.” came the response. 

“Ahhh I see. I heard that it’s normal for one to not bleed during their first time. But you still used up a lot of strength last night. It’s good for you.” 

Ye Ci’s expression darkened even further, “We did nothing of that sort.” 

“Oh come on now! You don’t have to be shy! I’ll keep it a secret, I swear.” Fang Susu snickered. 

It was then that Ye Ci realized how futile any attempts at clearing her ‘good name’ would be. She lowered her head and decided instead to savor the dessert. But despite her best efforts, she could not bring herself to take even a single bite. She stood up, and ordered a bowl of noodles instead. 

The Fourth Anniversary Event turned out to be quite uneventful. 

The morning was spent reviewing the impactful moments that happened in the game, coupled with the game developer laying out their plans for the future of the game. The conference room was packed with at least two thousand attendees. 

Ye Ci was bored out of her mind. Nobody knew Fate better than she did. It did not take her long to drift into a deep sleep. 

Perhaps still troubled by the events that occurred the night before, Ye Ci steered well clear of Genesis members during lunch. She even made a point to avoid Fleeting Time. Fruit Jelly raised an eyebrow at Ye Ci’s behavior, but she had long since accepted the fact that how her friend did things never made sense to her. She took her usual seat by Ye Ci’s side when the event continued in the afternoon, “Oh my God! Would you look at that?! That’s amazing!” she exclaimed when the trailer for the new patch was displayed on the large screen on the stage. 

But Ye Ci did not share her friend’s excitement. It was something she had seen hundreds of times in her last life. She let out a yawn, and drifted once again into sleep.