Chapter 3 Are you inviting me?

“W-What’s wrong?” Song Youyou asked softly, her voice trembling a little.

Gu Xiao leaned in, eyes locked straight onto her delicate, porcelain-like face. Her half-dried hair hung loosely down her back and chest, a few strands playfully sticking to her smooth cheeks. With her current nervous and shy expression, the sight of her was utterly captivating.

Gu Xiao, already feeling hot and restless, only grew more so seeing her up close like this. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, and he asked in a husky voice, “Since you’ve already agreed to be with me, even though we haven’t gotten the marriage certificate yet, doesn’t that mean we’re basically dating now?”

“Um… yes.”
She followed the logic of his words and nodded obediently. That did seem to be the case.

“Then… I want to kiss you.”
His voice was low and rough, like a man stating a very reasonable desire as someone’s boyfriend.

Song Youyou’s mind exploded.

Before she could react, his next words came softly, close to her ear.
“Can I?”

His gaze was intense, dark and dangerous—like a predator on the hunt.

“I… I don’t know…” Song Youyou turned her head away in a fluster, feeling like even her cells were trembling.

“Then I’ll give you two seconds to think. If you don’t say no, I’ll take that as a yes.”

He leaned in even closer, his breath warm against her ear like a silent temptation.

Song Youyou’s heart thudded violently in her chest. Her mind went completely blank, unable to speak.

Seeing her stunned, her lips slightly parted in a daze, Gu Xiao’s own nerves eased a bit. Her eyes shimmered with moisture, like autumn water. Her cheeks were flushed with shyness, making her look even more alluring—beautiful without even trying.

“Close your eyes,” he rasped out the command.

Her eyes were too innocent, too pure—making him feel like a complete pervert taking advantage of her.

“…Okay.”
Her face was burning red, but she still followed obediently.

Gu Xiao’s dark eyes narrowed sharply. In the next second, his large hand cupped the back of her head, and he impatiently lowered his head to kiss her.

He pressed his lips to the ones he had dreamed about for so long, clumsily but instinctively licking and tasting. It took a long time before he finally let her go.

Then, he immediately pulled her waist forward and crushed her into his chest, burying his head in her hair and breathing hard to calm down.

But the girl in his arms was far too soft. Her thin shirt couldn’t block the heat of her body—instead, it made the contact between them feel even more tantalizing.

It was killing him.
There was no way he could calm down.

And right in that moment, the little thing in his arms started squirming restlessly.

Song Youyou’s lips were already numb and sore, and now her face was pressed against his solid chest, her whole body feeling strange. She couldn’t help but reach out to push him away.

But his chest was rock hard—she couldn’t budge him at all.

“Little troublemaker, don’t move!” he scolded her first, even though he was the one at fault.

Song Youyou gave a soft humph. “Then let me go…”

Right after she said that, Gu Xiao really did release her.

He turned and leaned against the wall, eyes shut, taking deep breaths.
After a long moment, he opened his eyes, pulled out a set of keys, and handed them to her.

“These are the keys to this apartment.”
Then, he took out a wallet and placed it in her hands.
“There’s some money and ration coupons in here.”

“The salary and allowance I’ve saved over the years in the army are all in the bankbook. There’s another account too. It’s at home—I’ll go back and get it for you later.”

“Ah… okay.”
Song Youyou was stunned by the sudden flood of arrangements, but she didn’t hesitate or pretend to decline. She accepted everything graciously.

Gu Xiao, seeing her take the things, felt a surge of secret joy and satisfaction.

“Gu Xiao, can I move into this place early?” Song Youyou asked.

They hadn’t gotten their marriage certificate yet. Since Gu Xiao was a soldier, military marriages required filing reports and getting approval from superiors. So their official status couldn’t be confirmed just yet.

Technically, it wasn’t appropriate for her to move in at this stage.

But she knew the Song family would cut ties with her in the coming days. She’d have nowhere to go…

Gu Xiao glanced at her. “What do you think?”

“You already have me, so everything I have is yours. You want to live here? Go ahead. You could even tear the place down if you wanted to.”

“…Thank you.”
Having a place to stay gave Song Youyou a deep sense of relief.

“What kind of relationship are we in now? Do you really need to thank me?”
Gu Xiao looked satisfied, and teased with a grin, “If you say thank you again, I’ll kiss you.”

Song Youyou: “…”

Not wanting to debate any more about kissing, she changed the topic.
“I want to go home in a bit to grab some stuff and bring it here.”

“I’ll carry your things for you.”

“No need, I just need to grab a few changes of clothes.”
Song Youyou shook her head, then added,
“Are you… coming over tonight?”

Hearing that, Gu Xiao’s heart gave a fierce jolt. His gaze darkened, flames of heat flickering in his eyes. He turned and looked at her intently.

“You were thinking about me?”

“Are you inviting me?”

“…Huh?”
Song Youyou tilted her head, confused, not understanding the implication in his words.

Looking into her deer-like, innocent eyes—it was clear she wasn’t making any seductive invitation. That’s when he realized: he’d misread the situation.

He turned away again, leaning back against the wall, breathing heavily, sulky and aggrieved.

“Then why did you ask if I was coming over tonight…”

“I was thinking—if you were coming, I’d cook more food for dinner.”

“…Oh. So you meant eating food.”

“Come here.”