Chapter 27

Home Inn near the hospital.

After taking the room card and entering, Fu Cheng immediately picked up Youyi and pressed her gently against the wall. He whispered, “Did you miss me?”

Last time he had said to endure and go home, and now, that endurance had lasted until now.

“Yes,” Youyi replied softly, lifting her face to kiss him, lightly nibbling his lips.

“I missed you,” she said, her voice incredibly tender.

“Do you want to stand here or go to the bed?” Fu Cheng asked in a hushed tone.

There was a floor-to-ceiling mirror in front of them, even larger than the one in her room.

She liked it a lot last time they were in front of the mirror.

Youyi noticed a faint smell of blood. Looking in the mirror, she saw a few shallow bloodstains on Fu Cheng’s back where he had removed his coat.

Youyi was stunned, grabbing his wrist, and asked, “Are you hurt?”

Fu Cheng held her legs with both hands and said, “It’s nothing serious.”

Youyi’s fingers went limp, but she slowly reached up to feel his back, careful not to touch the wounds. She furrowed her brow and asked softly, “Does it hurt a lot?”

“Have you treated it?”

Fu Cheng replied, “Not yet.”

Youyi’s heart sank. She said, “Fu Cheng, it’s easy to get infected this way.”

Fu Cheng said, “I bought iodine and bandages, but I left them at the office.”

He had been too rushed to come find her, and he had left the things he bought at the company.

“But—” Just as Youyi was about to speak, her waist was pinched, and her short shirt was lifted to her belly button. His fingers pressed directly on her bare skin.

Fu Cheng’s voice grew hoarse, “Are you worried about me?”

It was more than just worry.

Youyi was silent for a moment. She looked up at Fu Cheng, her eyes bright as she spoke, “Fu Cheng, let’s be in a relationship.”

Fu Cheng was taken aback.

He thought she was going to say something, but she said she wanted to be in a relationship with him.

Her words always seemed to be…unexpected.

Youyi was serious.

She said, “I thought about it a lot on the way here, and while waiting for you at the entrance, I also thought about it. I think…”

“I think I like you.”

She liked Fu Cheng.

Youyi didn’t know what it should feel like to like someone, nor did she know when she started liking Fu Cheng. Perhaps, as he said, love and desire are inherently connected.

Things that are closely linked should never be treated differently.

They are all equal.

At every moment when his heart raced, when he pressed her tightly and called her name, and every second of wanting him to stay by her side forever at night, she cherished them all.

She could feel the warmth at the tip of her heart and the fluttering emotions she experienced with him, all the joy and bittersweet feelings were signs of affection she hadn’t yet fully realized.

“I’m sorry,” Youyi said again.

She felt deeply guilty.

The apology was because, despite her unreasonable tantrums and childish behavior, no matter how absurd, he always chose to tolerate her.

He compromised with her temper.

Fu Cheng never spoke of it, but he clearly treated her exceptionally well.

It was the silent kindness hidden in every detail of his behavior.

Looking back, Fu Cheng had never lost his temper with her.

Even during their initial cold wars, he only silently endured her petulance.

Despite his usually strong-willed character, he never got angry with her.

Fu Cheng sat down by the bed, and she naturally settled into his arms. His tall figure was like a wall behind her. He clasped her hand, rubbing her fingertips, enveloping her entire hand in his palm.

His chest was hot, rising and falling sharply, and his usually calm voice was tinged with a hint of impatience.

“I’ve been waiting for you to say this for a long time.”

Before she could fully experience the ultimate love and desire, Fu Cheng had already thought this way. If they could be in sync in bed, the essence of her liking to be with him and liking him as a person was essentially the same.

He didn’t mind.

“Youyi, I’ve made many efforts during times you don’t know. As long as you can take the initiative to approach me, even if it’s just a little bit.”

He crossed the vast snowy mountains in the frontier and, at the white end of the snow-covered peaks, he saw the sunlight warming up and the vibrant scenery. That was the best view he had seen after crossing mountains and valleys.

He guided her desire for him step by step, trapping her, ensuring she couldn’t leave him.

After all, he always made her feel very comfortable.

Extremely and madly comfortable.

Fu Cheng pulled her into his arms.

He loved to hold her entirely in his embrace, ideally wrapping around her legs, making sure not a bit of her was outside his embrace. When he tightened his hold, he could lower his head and kiss her.

This way, even if she wanted to hide, she couldn’t.

Just like now.

Fu Cheng’s fingers were longer and stronger than usual. When he bent his wrist and fingers, the powerful grip was something she couldn’t resist.

Just the strength of his fingers.

It was already an absolute control.

He lowered his head to find her lips to kiss, and the perfectly synchronized rhythm had Youyi accustomed to his forceful intrusion. She held tightly to his arm, her fingertips pressing hard without sinking into his flesh; his muscles were even more engorged.

Youyi tried to catch her breath herself, and even when she couldn’t bear it, she didn’t hide, only murmuring his name.

“Fu Cheng.”

“Fu Cheng.”

Can he give her a break?

Even just for two seconds.

“Call me husband.” At this moment, he showed no signs of softness, his palm sliding through her long hair, pressing against the skin behind her ear, which was slightly cool after sweating, contrasting sharply with his hot palm.

Just like the huge contrasts in every aspect of their relationship.

Youyi was almost unable to hold onto his arm.

“Husband.”

She was too embarrassed to say it.

Yet Fu Cheng seemed determined to make her prove their relationship, not just their romantic relationship, but—

That he was her husband.

They were legally married, recognized by the law.

The overwhelming sense of suffocation came, her neck being pressed forward uncomfortably, causing Youyi to finally give in. She said, “Husband.”

Even after calling him, he didn’t stop, so Youyi could only call again, “Husband…”

Fu Cheng paused, kissed the corner of her mouth, then pinched her neck as if praising her for doing well.

Youyi’s face turned pale.

Fu Cheng had a bit of stubble on his chin, slightly rough, which brushed against Youyi’s cheek. She frowned slightly but didn’t move away, instead, she nuzzled closer to his chin.

She liked it.

“When I asked you before, why didn’t you tell me?” Youyi listened to his strong heartbeat, which made her feel both loved and reassured.

Initially, when she had a vague memory, she had asked Fu Cheng if they had met before.

Fu Cheng didn’t answer directly. He only said if she didn’t remember, it was fine.

So Youyi didn’t try to recall it deliberately.

Until just now, in his room, seeing the things in that box.

The originally vague memory became clear.

Because she recognized it, those were her scarf and gloves.

It was during the winter break of her senior year in high school. It was a snowy day below zero when she went to visit her grandfather. The enormous study pressure of senior year in high school and the round after round of mock exams made her feel breathless. Her only memory of that time was endless test papers and endless exams.

And the anxious anticipation while waiting for results.

She always carried a small notebook.

In the heavy snow, when she saw that thinly dressed brother under the tree on her way home, Youyi took off her scarf and gloves and gave them all to him.

In sub-zero weather, how could he wear only a thin shirt?

Eighteen-year-old Ding Youyi, more naive compared to now, with skin as white as snow in the heavy snowfall, smiled back and waved at him, her gentle eyes melting even the harsh winter ice.

When he finally closed the car door, he remembered her gentle eyes.

For a long time after that, he couldn’t help but recall how she looked at that moment. He had a selfish, strong desire to keep that kind of tenderness for himself.

The gloves and scarf were solemnly placed together with his military uniform.

One day, he heard from the old man that his comrade had fallen seriously ill, and the hospital had issued several critical condition notices. The old man mentioned that he and his granddaughter had been betrothed.

The comrade was a man he trusted with his life. In a way, the engagement was a form of contract, a reflection of the life-saving bond between them.

If it couldn’t be fulfilled, it should be formally dissolved.

Marriage.

After retiring from the military, people around him occasionally brought up the matter.

After all, at nearly thirty, it was time to settle down.

Amidst those voices that he had never paid attention to, he went to see her grandfather.

When he arrived at the hospital room, he immediately recognized her.

She was talking softly and gently to the nurse about her grandfather’s condition. He spoke briefly with the old man.

When he came out, she had just returned.

Across the long corridor, she curiously peeked at him. Fu Cheng paused for a moment, meeting her gaze.

She would agree.

He thought.

Youyi hadn’t heard Fu Cheng’s response yet.

She was lying on the bed, and a pair of large hands turned her over.

“Do it while you talk.”

The hotel mirror was larger and clearer, as expected, much better.

Fu Cheng said that the furniture in his room wasn’t bought yet. After moving in, the soft furnishings had been put aside, waiting for Youyi to choose her preferred decorations.

Now Fu Cheng thought he should order a full-length mirror for the living room.

It would be placed next to the bookshelf, just slightly lower than the bookshelf, with a spotlight above it. When the light was on, it would be bright and clear.

He would see what style Youyi liked. If she preferred a mirror with plush rabbit ears, that would be fine too.

“You haven’t answered me yet.” Youyi thought she could adapt to his intensity, but didn’t anticipate that things could get more intense. She could only bury her head in his embrace to catch her breath.

“What?” Fu Cheng’s voice was husky.

Youyi wanted to pinch him.

Did she need to say it again?

She asked if they should start dating.

Fu Cheng seemed to understand.

“Which step should we start with?” he asked, “Holding hands first?”

The normal steps in dating—holding hands, hugging, kissing—

They had already done all of these.

So where did she want to start from?

“Fu Cheng.” Youyi’s voice was soft enough to melt, and calling his name made him immensely pleased.

“You’re saying, because I’m Ding Youyi, so—”

So you like me?

“I said, as long as you’re willing to come into my arms, I will always be yours.”

Of course, he liked her. He had liked her long before she even knew his name.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead, saying, “Move out of the house in a few days and come live with me.”

They would start their relationship by living together.