Chapter 22

But he still held himself back, reluctantly letting go of her waist.

With deep eyes, he took her hand and led her to the backyard of the Four Seasons Warm Courtyard.

This was the first time Season Warm (Ji Nuannuan) had come to the backyard since her rebirth. Even in her past life, she rarely came here.

She remembered visiting once, but that one time… she destroyed everything here.

The garden used to be filled with Fu Jinghan’s love for her.

He had personally planted roses for her, built a swing with his own hands, even trimmed the lawn himself.

And her? She had destroyed it all out of spite.

Now returning to this place, only desolation remained. Looking at the overgrown garden, Ji Nuannuan was overwhelmed with guilt. Her voice trembled, almost crying:
“I’m sorry.”

“Silly girl, the past is in the past. Now, you’re mine.”
Fu Jinghan’s low voice soothed her as he looked at her lowered head.

Yes… now, they belonged to each other.

Ji Nuannuan hugged him tightly, whispering,
“You’re mine too.”

“I brought you here because I wanted to ask…” Fu Jinghan gently lifted her chin, staring intently into her eyes.
“Can I plant roses for you again?”

Her nose tingled with emotion. Standing on tiptoes, she kissed his Adam’s apple and replied softly,
“Let’s do it together.”

That small kiss sent heat surging through Fu Jinghan again, undoing all the restraint he’d just gathered.

“Okay. We’ll plant the roses together.” His voice had turned husky.

Then he added teasingly,
“Can I plant strawberries for you too?”

“Hmm? Can we grow strawberries ourselves? Do you know how, hubby?”

Ji Nuannuan looked at him with wide, innocent eyes, admiration on her face. Was her husband secretly some kind of farming expert?

It wasn’t that she didn’t understand what “planting strawberries” really meant—it was just that this man, who had been cold and abstinent until just recently, was switching topics way too fast!

Fu Jinghan smirked:
“Mm, there are strawberries I planted on you yesterday. I wonder if they’ve ripened yet today?”

Ji Nuannuan’s brain short-circuited. Suddenly, she understood.

This man! What on earth was he saying again?!

Why was he always teasing her?!

“N-not yet…” she stammered shyly.

“Perfect. I like them raw.”

With that, he scooped her up and headed toward the bedroom.

In his arms, Ji Nuannuan lay against his chest, murmuring sweetly:
“Hubby, am I heavy? Your breathing’s getting fast.”

“Don’t talk… unless you want me to take you right here?”

Although Ji Nuannuan sensibly shut her mouth, Fu Jinghan clearly had no intention of wasting a single second.

Mid-air, he adjusted her position—one hand supporting her butt, the other cradling the back of her head as he kissed her deeply.

Ji Nuannuan was left breathless, clinging to his neck. When she finally caught her breath and opened her eyes, they were already in the bathroom.

The bathtub was full.

Fu Jinghan stepped into the water, still holding her.

Seeing their current position, Ji Nuannuan blushed deeply and tried to get out—but Fu Jinghan held her firmly in place, refusing to let go.

Her nightdress floated in the rippling water, revealing flashes of soft pink underneath.

“Mmm… gentler…”

Water splashed everywhere.

Soft gasps echoed within the bathroom.

Time blurred.

By the end, Ji Nuannuan felt like every drop of moisture in her body had been drained.

Only then did Fu Jinghan finally carry her back to bed.

The next day – Fu Group Headquarters.

In the office, Fu Jinghan was clearly distracted after a whole morning without any messages from Ji Nuannuan.

Meanwhile, Assistant Ye Fan looked like he’d aged several years in just a few days.

He just couldn’t understand why their usually workaholic CEO had become so unmotivated lately.

Meetings would get abruptly cut short, and many had to be rescheduled—something completely unheard of before.

Fu Jinghan had always been known for his obsession with work—he could go days without sleep. No one could persuade him to slow down.

The Fu family matriarch had even tried hiring a hypnotist to force him to rest!

Even that didn’t work.

So what had changed?

At that moment, Fu Jinghan made his tenth phone call of the day to the house.

“She’s still not up yet?”

“No, sir. The young madam is still asleep,” Zhang Ma answered.

After hanging up, she didn’t bother walking away. Instead, she stayed near the phone, waiting for the next call.

Sure, someone else could take the messages—but what if they messed up and caused a misunderstanding between the young couple? That wouldn’t do.

Ji Nuannuan had slept so deeply she felt like her waist might snap when she woke. Everything hurt—especially down there.

It was her first time doing such things, and it had happened two nights in a row. Of course she couldn’t recover that quickly.

Even after sleeping so long, she still felt too exhausted to open her eyes.

She hadn’t eaten since the night before, and just as she was about to drift off again, her stomach protested loudly.

To avoid starving to death, Ji Nuannuan dragged herself out of bed.

She tossed on a robe and shuffled downstairs like a zombie—her legs barely cooperating.

“Young madam, you’re awake?” Zhang Ma sounded excited. Finally! Now she didn’t have to keep answering phone calls!

Trying her best to hide her soreness and walk normally, Ji Nuannuan replied:
“Mmhm. Zhang Ma, is there anything to eat? I’m starving.”

“Of course, I’ll bring it right away.”

As Zhang Ma hurried off, Ji Nuannuan sat at the dining table and prepared herself for a feast.

She suddenly remembered she had silenced her phone. When she checked it, she saw over ten missed calls—one from an unfamiliar number, the rest from Fu Jinghan.

Zhang Ma returned with porridge and, remembering her orders, added:
“Young madam, the young master asked that you call him as soon as you wake up.”

Ji Nuannuan rolled her eyes internally, though she kept her expression sweet:
“Okay, Zhang Ma.”

Hmph! He still had the nerve to ask her to call?

Let him wait. She wasn’t calling him back anytime soon!

Right now, her priority was filling her stomach and going back to sleep!

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, Zhang Ma heard the landline ring again. She hurried over to answer, muttering as she went:
“Who is it this time? I’m spending my whole day just answering this phone!”