Pei Chuan acquiesced to Bei Yao's request.
On a summer night in May, the evening breeze gently stirred the curtains. Bei Yao closed the bedroom window. Her hands felt slightly cold, and there was a faint ink stain from a ballpoint pen on her index finger. She went to wash her hands with warm water first before returning to the bedroom.
This season was neither too hot nor too cold, so there was no need to turn on the air conditioning in the room.
Pei Chuan sat on the small sofa in the bedroom. Bei Yao knelt before him. Before she even touched him, she could already sense the tension in the air.
Pei Chuan remained silent, as if accompanying her in a game that tormented him greatly.
Bei Yao knew it took immense courage for him to accept this. However, since they were going to spend their lives together, certain things had to be gradually embraced. She understood the need to take it slow, so her gaze was exceptionally gentle as she softly asked him, "The prosthetic leg needs to be removed, right?"
He rarely went back on promises he made to her.
Pei Chuan lowered his gaze, bent forward slightly, and reached for the area where the prosthetic leg met his severed limb. He was still wearing the trousers he had worn to work, and with what seemed like practiced ease, he removed the prosthetic leg. He placed it to the side, his eyes deliberately avoiding it. Though its color was realistic, it was stiff and ultimately not a real leg.
Bei Yao noticed that Pei Chuan had about three inches of his leg remaining below the knee. Once the prosthetic leg was removed, the trouser leg instantly hung empty.
She lifted her long lashes, allowing him to see the calm tenderness in her eyes. "I'll begin now. If it hurts, let me know."
He didn't respond, his lips pale.
Pei Chuan even regretted agreeing to this. The severed limb... was ultimately different.
Even with daily massages, the injury from childhood had caused significant atrophy in that part of the limb.
Bei Yao lowered her gaze and pressed her hand against it.
She had indeed studied the techniques carefully. Starting from his thigh, she gently kneaded, working her way downward.
The man's body was rigid; she could even feel the strong muscle lines of his thighs. Bei Yao knew the first step was the hardest, so for now, she had to set aside his inner turmoil.
Pei Chuan clenched his lips tightly. Her hands were gentle, and as someone long accustomed to illness, he recognized from the very first touch that Bei Yao had specifically learned how to do this.
Her technique wasn't skilled, but her movements were precise.
As her hands moved closer to his knee, he used every ounce of his strength not to retreat.
Pei Chuan gritted his teeth.
In the next moment, she would touch the completely different severed limb. He didn't dare look at her expression and turned his face away.
Bei Yao's hands moved past his knee, and just a little further down, they touched his severed limb.
Unlike the sturdy thigh, the severed limb tapered sharply, much smaller than the kneecap.
Touching it for the first time, it would be a lie to say she felt nothing.
The texture was distinctly different, yet it was still flesh and blood—how much difference could there truly be?
His body trembled slightly.
Bei Yao felt it. She didn't want to pretend nothing was wrong. She lifted her face, her eyes reflecting the light and his face, and said, "It really is different."
He pressed his lips together, and in the next moment, he braced his arms and silently moved backward.
His reaction was intense. Because he had kept his head lowered, Bei Yao couldn't see his gaze or expression.
But his fear, sorrow, and insecurity—she felt them all clearly. Yet, she hadn't finished what she wanted to say, and his reaction was too vehement.She grabbed the man's arm. "Pei Chuan, that's not what I meant," she said. "Don't be afraid, look into my eyes."
He tasted the metallic tang of blood in his mouth. He was afraid—that afternoon years ago, standing outside the room, he had heard his mother's collapse accusations with his own ears. Pei Chuan's childhood had once held warmth; Jiang Wenjuan had once treated him well too. He had held expectations, only to lose hope.
That was why he was so afraid to face his delicate wife.
He could calmly accept Jiang Wenjuan leaving, but Bei Yao? He couldn't bear it.
Bei Yao felt a bit annoyed. If she had known, she wouldn't have said those earlier words. She said, "Your body has recovered better than I imagined, Pei Chuan. I like you—every version of you. I'm happy about your health condition. You must have been exercising seriously before, right?"
He saw her eyes—shimmering like water, filled with gentle laughter.
No disgust, no surprise.
His voice was low and hoarse. "The massage is done, let's sleep."
She didn't speak. After a long while, she lowered her head and gently kissed his knee.
He froze completely.
Through his pants, he couldn't really feel much, yet the impact that reached his heart was like an electric current, making him feel the shock from his fingertips.
She took his hand and placed it against her cheek, gently nuzzling it. "Pei Chuan, let's face reality, not escape it. What's special about you is your soul, not your body. There are many healthy men in the world, but I don't like them. As long as you are you, I will like you for a lifetime."
She looked at him with utmost seriousness. "Before I married, my mother said I would have a hard life later, that I'd have to take care of you when we're old."
His lips moved, wanting to say he wouldn't burden her.
But she shook her head with a smile. "Staying together for a lifetime is inherently unfair. How can we make sense of it by calculating these things? Seeing you puts me at ease, Pei Chuan. There's no one else in this world who can give me that feeling. When you become an old man, I'll be an old woman too—no longer pretty, maybe even with a bad temper. You're smart and good at making money; by then, you might not want me."
His eyes stung, and his fingertips brushed her cheek. "I would never not want you."
She said, "Since you'll never not want me no matter what, then nothing else is a problem, right?"
He nodded.
Seeing his expression relax, she continued massaging him, moving from his thighs to his knees, then from his knees back to the tops of his thighs.
She was earnest and gentle. He raised his hand and softly touched the girl's soft hair.
As if remembering something, she pulled a light yellow ribbon from her pocket and handed it to him. "A reward for you. If you're nervous, you can use it to tie my hair."
After saying this, she went back to massaging.
Pei Chuan remained silent.
He set the ribbon aside and simply watched her quietly. Under the lamp, her long eyelashes cast shadows, her nose was small and elegantly straight, and her lips were cherry-red.
For convenience, she knelt between his legs.
Bei Yao kept her head down, looking cute and focused.
Pei Chuan said softly, "That's enough, Yaoyao."
Bei Yao said, "The book says it needs multiple cycles, at least half an hour."
His palm was warm as he gripped her small chin, forcing her to look up. "I said it's done, so it's done."
She blinked.
Wasn't everything fine just now? They had agreed! This bad man was going back on his word!
Indignant, she was about to say something.Pei Chuan grabbed a nearby cushion and placed it over his lap.
He let go, not daring to look at her any longer.
It was actually quite awkward.
He really shouldn’t have let her come after all.
Bei Yao knelt dumbly between his legs, her face flushing red after a long moment.
She asked softly, “Does it hurt a lot?”
He suppressed his voice: “Stand up first.”
“Oh.”
She stood up and sat beside him on the sofa, staring at him without blinking. Pei Chuan said, “Be good, bring my wheelchair over. Go wash up and get some sleep.”
Bei Yao asked, “So, was my massage good?” Her eager expression was utterly heart-melting.
Pei Chuan praised her: “Good.”
“Can I do it again tomorrow?” She thought for a moment, “Husb—”
Before she could finish calling him “husband,” Pei Chuan covered her mouth.
The man’s expression was stern as he gritted his teeth and said, “Go to sleep.”
After that night, Bei Yao still had to go to school during the day as usual. However, she noticed that Pei Chuan started coming home much earlier and was especially punctual.
Bei Yao and her classmates became extremely busy in their fourth year of university.
Studying medicine is a long process, and most students pursue a combined bachelor’s and master’s degree. Their undergraduate program lasted five years, and there was a lot to learn.
Since university knowledge wasn’t part of Bei Yao’s memories, she had to put in extra effort for every course.
Her university life was smooth and peaceful. Counting on her fingers, Bei Yao realized that Pei Chuan’s 23rd birthday was just a few days away.
What should she give him this year?
Pei Chuan had asked Zhao Zhilan and Bei Licai to temporarily move out of the old neighborhood with Bei Jun.
He was a man of deep thoughts and foresight. Although there was no immediate danger, Jiang Huaqiong had already begun targeting Huo Xu.
Back when Huo Ran and Jiang Huaqiong divorced, perhaps out of guilt over Huo Nanshan’s death, Huo Ran had conceded an additional ten percent of his shares. But aside from that ten percent, Jiang Huaqiong’s own family was a powerful clan—otherwise, the Huo family wouldn’t have chosen her for a business marriage.
This woman had a natural talent for business. She was relentlessly suppressing Huo Xu, and it wouldn’t take more than two months for him to buckle.
Moreover, like a lioness who had lost her cub, if business tactics failed, Jiang Huaqiong wouldn’t hesitate to use underhanded means to eliminate Huo Xu and Shao Yue.
By relocating Zhao Zhilan and the others to a safer place, Bei Jun could also focus on his studies.
If Huo Xu were ever driven to desperation in the future, this would at least provide an extra layer of security.
Pei Chuan never underestimated his enemies; he understood the saying that a centipede dies but never falls down.
His suspicions were correct—Huo Xu had been overwhelmed with troubles lately and had no energy to spare for Bei Yao, Zhao Zhilan, or the others.
Huo Xu’s heart sank. He knew his plan had been exposed.
Bei Yao was married now, and for Shao Yue’s safety, Huo Xu had no choice but to bring her to live with him.
The two resided in a villa in Xiangshan, City B. Shao Yue was now extremely anxious, constantly fearing retaliation from that madwoman Jiang Huaqiong. She was too terrified to even step outside.
She did love wealth and luxury, but with her life on the line, who cared about riches anymore?
Secretly, Shao Yue even resented Huo Xu for accidentally causing Huo Nanshan’s death—even though he had done it to save her.
In the end, she was the root cause, and Huo Xu was the one who carried it out. Neither of them could escape blame.
Still, living together made it convenient for them to meet without having to hide anymore.Shao Yue was no fool. She knew a man like Huo Xu, with his wealth and status, could easily have any woman he wanted. Being three years older than him, if she gave herself to him too easily, he would lose interest and it would be a losing game.
She did have feelings for Huo Xu, but not enough to throw caution to the wind—she always weighed the pros and cons.
So she kept him on a string, letting his feelings for her grow deeper.
The first time she slept with Huo Xu was on the night she came up with that terrible idea. True to his concern for her safety, Huo Xu went after Bei Yao.
And now, it seemed Jiang Huaqiong had suddenly pinned the blame for Huo Nanshan’s death squarely on the two of them.
Shao Yue panicked. To relieve the stress, she spent her nights entangled with Huo Xu in the villa, lost in passion.
Late one May night, the wind howled outside.
Shao Yue clung to the man, utterly consumed by desire.
At the peak of their shared ecstasy, Huo Xu gazed at the woman beneath him, her face flushed with passion, and quickened his pace. Unconsciously, a name escaped his lips.
Shao Yue’s rosy cheeks instantly turned pale.
She pushed Huo Xu away, sat up, and asked, trembling, “Whose name did you just call?”
The haze of lust hadn’t yet faded from Huo Xu’s eyes.
Only when he heard Shao Yue’s question did he snap out of his daze.
He… he had called out… Bei Yao.
Shao Yue was furious. If a man called another woman’s name at the height of his pleasure while holding her, it was proof enough of everything.
Tears streamed down her face. “I’ve loved you for so many years… so many years, Huo Xu! And this is how you treat me?”
Without bothering to dress, she stepped barefoot onto the windowsill. “Rather than wait for Jiang Huaqiong to come after me, I’d rather end it myself.”
Huo Xu panicked momentarily. “A-Yue, get down.”
Shao Yue shook her head. “Do you really love me? Prove it to me!”
Huo Xu’s mind was in turmoil, but the cool night breeze helped him regain his composure.
He rubbed his temples. “I’ve been under a lot of pressure lately, with too much on my mind. It was just a slip of the tongue. Get down.”
A slip of the tongue—what a ridiculous excuse!
Shao Yue was filled with regret. She never should have suggested that idea in the first place. Now, she had lost everything and gained nothing!
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