Against the Algorithm

Chapter 43: Off-Script

Yao huffed. "Exactly."

He reached out, wrapped his fingers gently around her wrist, and tugged her back down onto the couch beside him, pulling her snugly into his side with practiced ease. "You know I like it when you get feisty," he murmured, brushing her platinum hair away from her face.

She scowled. "You're still in trouble."

He leaned in and kissed her temple. "I'm always in trouble."

Da Bing looked smug.

Xiao Cong purred.

And the rest of the room?

Was wisely silent.

As the chaos settled and the boys began to scatter—some heading for their rooms, others toward the kitchen in search of snacks they didn't need—Sicheng remained exactly where he was, calm and composed with one arm stretched along the back of the couch, the other curled loosely around the woman tucked snugly against his side. Yao, though flushed from her passionate outburst, had quieted in his hold, her chin lifted in dignified defiance even as her body had instinctively leaned into his warmth.

Da Bing had reclaimed his position at her feet, tail wrapped neatly around his paws like the stalwart defender he was, while Xiao Cong peeked sleepily from her hoodie with the bleary expression of someone who believed the battle had been won and it was time for well-deserved naps.

But Sicheng, with that slow, dangerous smirk playing at the corner of his lips and that glint in his amber eyes, was not finished.

Not yet.

Not when she had looked that fiery, that flushed, that breathtakingly indignant with her finger stabbing toward his chest and her voice vibrating with indignation.

He shifted just slightly, his arm drawing her in closer, and before she could register the movement, he darted down. His teeth closed gently around the curve of her ear—not harsh, not painful, but firm enough to make her freeze, eyes wide, spine locking in place with a gasp that didn't make it past her throat. He let his breath fan over her skin as his voice dropped low, husky, thick with amusement and something darker beneath. "I really do love it when you get feisty with me," he murmured, his lips brushing against the shell of her ear as he spoke. "It's... incredibly attractive."

The squeak she let out was a high-pitched, utterly betrayed noise that had Da Bing lifting his head in alarm and Xiao Cong making a squeaky chirp of confusion from within her hoodie.

Yao lurched up from the couch like she'd just been set on fire, nearly toppling sideways over the coffee table before catching herself. Her face was a deep crimson, her eyes wide as she pointed at him with shaky hands that had forgotten how to function properly. "I—You— Bed! I'm going to bed!"

Sicheng merely leaned back again, far too relaxed for someone who'd just caused the system-wide shutdown of ZGDX's most fearsome little analyst. "Goodnight, Xiǎo tùzǐ," he called smoothly, his tone lazy, teasing, smug. "Sleep well."

Yao whirled, her hoodie bouncing as she stomped her way to the stairs, muttering under her breath, " Shameless Captain—evil man—disrespectful ear-biting lunatic— "

Da Bing gave Sicheng a look of sheer judgment before chasing after her with purposeful strides, while Xiao Cong peeked out again, blinked once at Sicheng, then ducked back into the hoodie like he was refusing to be involved.