Her heart raced just like at their first meeting, pounding without end.
That night, Li Xia took her time admiring and savoring everything she wanted to see and everything she was allowed to touch—indiscriminately, without holding back.
Her hand slipped first under the hem of Fang Zeqing’s shirt, lifting it up.
Her fingertips brushed his abdomen, tapping lightly, feeling the magnified tremor that ran through him.
He was probably at the end of his endurance. Every time Li Xia touched him, he only cradled her face to kiss her, to vent his passion.
Yet he was generous with her, holding himself back so she could have her way.
“So this is what abs feel like,” Li Xia murmured in wonder. Her hand slid over the ridges and valleys, back and forth, as she said without restraint, “A bit slick, a bit soft. The texture is amazing.”
Fang Zeqing nearly laughed out loud. “Can’t you think about how I’m feeling for a second?”
A long while later, Li Xia finally settled down.
Fang Zeqing held her close and confirmed with her, “We’re dating now, right, Li Xia?”
Li Xia nodded and nuzzled against him.
The passion softened into a quiet attachment. In that moment of embracing each other as they drifted toward sleep, desire ebbed and flowed like the Tide between them, their deep and shallow kisses bubbling like the foam of a volcano.
It flowed quietly between them, each fully aware of the other.
True to his word, Fang Zeqing didn’t cross any lines.
Li Xia thought to herself that there were so many ways to express affection in this world—kisses, hugs, or even more intense and direct methods. But right then, with her forehead resting against his chin as they lay together, just glancing at him or listening to his breathing filled her with a profound mental pleasure.
She had tasted something of this world’s joy that night.
Li Xia lifted her head from the crook of his neck. The movement made Fang Zeqing open his eyes. He asked why she wasn’t asleep yet. They had to leave tomorrow, and he’d promised to go to bed early. He was still gently patting her back to help her sleep.
He had no idea that his patting wasn’t lulling her to sleep at all—it only made her more reluctant to let the moment end.
Li Xia gazed at his features, then burrowed back into his embrace.
She pressed her voice against the skin of his neck and whispered softly, “I like you so much.”
Neither of them spoke of parting or reluctance.
Fang Zeqing didn’t sleep much either; he wasn’t sleepy.
His eyes were heavy, but he wanted to keep looking at her.
In his heart, he marveled at how his happiness and unhappiness, his possession and loss, had all arrived at once, coexisting together.
He just hadn’t expected Li Xia to have a parting gift for him.
It was a bottle of perfume, elegantly shaped. “I made this myself,” she said proudly. “The main notes are mint and green leaves.” She spritzed some onto his clothes and leaned in to sniff. “It smells like you.”
“You have to wear it every day.”
“Okay.”
Fang Zeqing thanked her, then added, “I have a gift for you too.”
Li Xia was utterly surprised. She’d thought she’d put in so much effort already. Then a cool Multicolored Gem Bracelet draped over her wrist—clear and beautiful, its colors like a vibrant summer.
Fang Zeqing fastened it for her. Li Xia stared at it in a daze. “When did you buy this?”
“When we were in Florence,” he said.
“You really wanted to go there, didn’t you?”
Li Xia lowered her eyes to look at it, the colorful crystals reflecting light in her gaze. Fang Zeqing explained beside her, “I was going to get a necklace at first, but then I realized you couldn’t see it yourself once it was on.”
“So you chose a bracelet instead?”
“Yeah.” Fang Zeqing watched her. “I wanted you to think of me every time you lower your head or lift your hand.”
Li Xia smiled, her heart leaping with joy. “But we had just met back then. Were you so sure you’d get to give it to me?”
Fang Zeqing said, “I didn’t think that far ahead, actually.”
Even if he and Li Xia never met again, the gift was meant for her. He’d make sure it reached her hands, even if he had to ask Lin Hong for help.
“There’s one more gift. I’ll give it to you when we get to Beijing.”
“Another one?”
Fang Zeqing nodded.
Li Xia reached up to wrap her arms around his waist, pressing herself against him.
Fang Zeqing stroked her hair. “I’ll take you to the airport soon, and then I have to head out too.”
“Where are you going?”
“To the temple, to fulfill my vow.”
Li Xia tilted her head up. “What exactly did you wish for that day?”
Fang Zeqing looked into her bright, curious eyes and said slowly, “I hoped we’d have a good ending.”
So when he’d said his wish involved her, it was true.
Li Xia suddenly felt her nose sting.
“Truthfully, I could accept any outcome,” he continued. “I didn’t know if you’d choose me. Maybe we wouldn’t end up together at all, and I’d be fine with that. But deep down, I hoped for a good result between us.”
“And luckily, my wish came true.”
Li Xia reached up to caress his face, then stood on tiptoe to plant a quick kiss on his lips before dropping back down. “Was my liking for you not obvious? What do you mean, ‘choose you’? I chose you first from the start, okay?”
Just as she finished speaking, her phone alarm went off.
It was the latest time she’d set for departure.
Li Xia instinctively reached to turn it off. Her hand had just loosened from his waist and she’d started to turn when her arm was suddenly grabbed. She was yanked back in front of him.
When the sudden, chaotic kiss landed, Li Xia’s mind went blank. It was different from last night’s kisses. If her senses weren’t deceiving her, Fang Zeqing was pouring his greed into this one.
From the initial fierce tangle of lips and tongues, he boldly invaded without restraint. Li Xia didn’t even know how to respond; she could only passively accept the forceful, intense friction. Their lips clung desperately. He said nothing, but Li Xia understood.
The alarm urging their parting kept ringing.
Fang Zeqing lost control for a few seconds before his movements gradually softened. Yet the more they lingered, the wetter Li Xia’s eyes became.
Fang Zeqing finally kissed the corner of her eye. “Wait for me to come find you.”
Li Xia’s throat felt sour. “Huh?”
“I don’t want to do long-distance either, my girlfriend.”
Seeing that Li Xia still wasn’t smiling, Fang Zeqing leaned close to her ear and murmured ambiguously, “I’ll come find you soon, with my health check report in hand.”
–
As soon as Li Xia got home, she decided to tell the whole family about her new relationship.
She hadn’t told anyone her arrival time. After a circuitous journey home, dusk was falling. But when she dragged her luggage upstairs and opened the door, the house was dark and empty.
Li Xia found it strange again.
Remembering the oddities with Zhao Xiaolan and Li Dayong before, she immediately called them. Li Dayong said they’d be back soon, so Li Xia sat on the sofa, steeling herself to wait.
By eight o’clock, the whole family of five was gathered in the living room.
Even Li Chun had come along.
Li Xia held a Mugwort Hammer like a gavel, her expression grave and serious.
She laid out all the evidence she’d gathered recently, slamming the paper with the flowery description of the breed and age onto the coffee table.
“So, what exactly are you all hiding from me? Is there something I can’t know?”
Li Xia looked around at them.
“No, Xia Xia…”
Li Dayong started to speak, but Zhao Xiaolan nudged his arm, and he quickly shut up.
Li Xia glanced at Li Chun, whose face was conflicted.
Then at Qu Shuxin, whose eyes were red, as if she’d just been somewhere emotional.
Li Xia was getting angry. “You’re all in on this together, leaving me out. What does that mean?”
“Am I being isolated by my own family?”
“I’ve made it clear—I don’t like this feeling.”
She said it on purpose.
Li Xia sensed their anxiety; she guessed they were weighing their options.
After a long pause, Zhao Xiaolan finally spoke.
“Xia Xia, we were originally planning to surprise you. But now… we’re hesitating. We’re not sure if it’d be a surprise for you.”
Li Xia listened quietly.
“A while ago, your dad and I went to a dog breeder out of town and found a puppy that looks almost exactly like Bread. We thought about bringing it straight home, but Li Chun said we couldn’t do that—we had to see if you could accept it first before deciding.”
Li Xia listened in stunned silence, her mouth opening and closing. “A puppy… that looks just like Bread?”
Li Chun nodded. “Mom and Dad searched for over a month.”
So all that about breeds, ages, business trips, vacations—it was all to secretly find a dog for her?
She could hardly imagine how much effort it took to find one so identical.
She looked at the travel-worn Zhao Xiaolan and Li Dayong, then at Grandma. Their eyes were full of concern.
Li Xia’s eyes heated up, her voice choking. “Where… where is it now?”
“We left it at the pet shop for now. If you can accept it, we can pick it up right away.”
“Xia Xia, Mom and Dad didn’t mean to force you. We did search a long time, but if you’re not ready, we’ve arranged with them to return it safely and healthily.”
“We’ll go with whatever you decide.”
Adopt another puppy?
Li Xia had never considered it. Her mind was filled only with images of Bread.
If they got another dog, would Bread be sad?
Li Xia felt torn.
Her family had her best interests at heart, respecting her wishes. She felt so blessed.