Tang Mi looked at Arthur’s face. His bold, expressive brows were furrowed tightly. His thick lashes lowered, as though trying to suppress something. Every taut muscle in his face revealed the pain buried deep in his heart.

There were no tears, but the weight he carried was heavier than tears—a man’s silent lament, so devastating that it froze even his sorrow. At that moment, Tang Mi finally realized how deeply she had hurt him.

As Richie had once said, “Love is not a one-person affair.” All this time, she had stubbornly built a sharp, unyielding wall between them with her so-called reason and strength. It had not only left her bleeding but also wounded him beyond measure. She had never considered his true feelings, his equally passionate longing for her.

“I’m sorry, Arthur!” Tang Mi threw her arms around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder, letting the tears she had held back for so long flow freely.

Neither painful partings nor grueling work, not even the deadly dangers of the Bering Sea, had ever brought her to tears. Yet one sentence from him could leave her sobbing uncontrollably, as helpless as a child.

“Silly girl, just promise me you won’t leave without a word again.” Arthur stroked her soft hair over and over. Her slender frame felt as delicate as the porcelain dolls on his mother’s vanity during his childhood—so exquisite, they seemed too fragile to hold.

The early loss of his mother and the absence of a father’s love had left Arthur with an almost twisted sense of possession over the things he cherished. But Tang Mi taught him that loving someone wasn’t just about possessing them.

Arthur reached into his coat and pulled out a photograph, placing it in Tang Mi’s hand. She wiped her tears, raising the photo to her eyes. It was a picture of the two of them, taken long ago at a small chapel of the Red Cross in Country Z…

Arthur took a photo from his coat and placed it in Tang Mi’s palm. She wiped her tears and lifted the photo. It was the instant photo they took together in a small chapel of the Red Cross in Country Z. The image was blurry and poor quality, but the happiness and somewhat goofy smiles on their faces lit up the screen and the sky.

Tang Mi rarely took photos of herself, but she had to admit that this was the best photo she had ever taken because no photographer had ever made her smile so sincerely.

“I once said, if you give me 35mm of love, I’ll give you the world. If this photo encapsulates our love, then please preserve that beautiful, innocent world for me. I will use every ounce of strength in my life to protect it.”

Arthur’s deep, magnetic voice lingered in her ears, and the precious vow carved itself firmly into her heart, making her feel both heavy and light, like soaring freely under the pressure of the air beneath a blue sky.

Tang Mi held the photo in her hand and pressed her lips to his forehead, her face breaking into an uncontrollable smile.

After a long while, she suddenly asked, “Are you planning to use this as our wedding photo?”

Arthur was momentarily stunned, but then, with a deep kiss on her lips, he chuckled and said, “Of course not. Where would you like to take wedding photos, hmm?”

“I’m not sure yet. I’ll tell you when I decide,” Tang Mi replied, her eyes narrowing into a sly smile, like a mischievous fox. Her soft tongue playfully slid over his lips and chin. When she heard his breath catch, she smiled with satisfaction, then bit down on his throat.

It was a punishment, a punishment for his earlier roughness. She had to make him understand that a man couldn’t treat his beloved woman as if she were an opponent to be dominated.

Arthur’s breath grew heavier, his pupils flaring with a spark of desire. His blood surged with unease and restlessness. He pulled her closer by the neck, and just as his lips were about to meet hers, she unexpectedly pushed him to the floor.

Tang Mi swiftly straddled his chest, pressing his restless hands down with her own. Mimicking his earlier teasing, she slowly and provocatively licked his ear, neck, and collarbone, leaving small bite marks on his strong chest.

When she saw the intense desire in his eyes, she quickly grabbed a towel lying nearby and tied his wrists, expertly knotting it into a sailor’s knot to prevent him from struggling. She even pulled the leg of the nightstand between his hands to keep him immobilized.

“What are you doing?” Arthur raised his brows in surprise.

“Don’t try to struggle. This is the most difficult knot to undo. Do you know what you did wrong?” Tang Mi got up from his body and sat down leisurely on the sofa across from him.

She knew her future husband wasn’t easy to control. If she didn’t teach him a lesson before marriage, she would likely be under his control forever.

“Yes,” Arthur said, looking at her proud and defiant face. He furrowed his brows and let out a helpless, bitter smile, but his eyes flickered with a calculating light.

“Where did I go wrong? Tell me,” Tang Mi asked, feeling particularly pleased by the rare submissiveness in his voice. Finally, I’ve won for once! she thought with a mischievous excitement, though she intentionally maintained a cold, aloof expression.

“You shouldn’t have been so rough with your future wife,” Arthur lowered his lashes, swallowing hard.

Her delicate, fair toes wiggled in front of him, glowing under the warm yellow light like the finest cheese, making him want to bite them.

“So?” Tang Mi tilted her ear slightly, raising her voice a little. It brought her unexpected satisfaction to dominate this strong, fierce man.

“God, my hands hurt! Could you at least loosen that damn towel first? I hurt my wrist saving you today,” Arthur said, a pained expression crossing his face. His lips were tightly pressed together, as though he were trying to endure the pain, but inside, he was secretly amused. Did this naïve little woman think she could really control him like this?

“No! Let me hear you say it first!” Tang Mi raised an eyebrow, unmoved.

“Okay, okay, I shouldn’t have been so rough with my future wife,” Arthur nodded in defeat, his voice weak. She just wanted to see him look weak, so he would give it to her.

Dealing with women often requires sweet words, not just constant dominance, and Arthur now fully understood this principle.

“So, what do you plan to do in the future? Hmm?” Tang Mi tapped his foot with her toes, feeling a little wicked, realizing that deep down, she might have a slight tendency toward sadism.

“The wife is the highest authority, and as your subordinate, I dare not disobey your orders. Is that acceptable? Darling, my hand really hurts, please let me go. I promise I will obey the orders.”

“I don’t believe you! Lying is your specialty!”

“If you don’t believe me, you can come over and take a look. My palm is already swollen,” Arthur said, pressing his lips together. The muscles on his face showed a strained, suppressed pain.

Tang Mi walked over, half-believing, but she didn’t get too close and stopped at his ankle. He was a man more cunning than a fox, and she couldn’t give him any chance to retaliate, or her plan to tame him would fail.

However, she underestimated her opponent’s strength. Suddenly, Arthur lifted his foot and gently swept across a pressure point on her knee. Her legs immediately grew weak, and she fell forward, landing on top of him.

His hands, which she thought were still trapped by the towel, had somehow freed themselves and were now firmly holding her body.

“You promised to obey the orders!” Tang Mi pinched Arthur’s shoulder angrily, her face full of frustration.

“Darling, but you Easterners also have a saying: ‘When a general is outside, military orders are not to be disobeyed,'” Arthur chuckled as he flipped her over, pinning her down. His white teeth gleamed coldly, reminding her of hungry carnivores.

After Arthur repeatedly took control of her, tearing down her defenses, Tang Mi weakly lay on the pillow, thinking: “Why was the sailor’s knot Captain Hansen taught me so easily undone?”

*The author has something to say*: “Ha ha, little Tang has always been suppressed by Arthur, but this time, let her try to fight back. But in the end, she still failed!”