Just moments after emerging from the bathroom, Lu Jin’an casually flicked off the room lights.
The curtains draped against the wall, and fog had begun to rise in the distance. Hazy moonlight spilled across the floor, blurring their outlines.
It was impossible to see clearly, yet everything was visible.
Two hearts pressed close, thumping in perfect sync—thump, thump.
In the tranquil space, time itself seemed to freeze. The only sound was the pounding of heartbeats in their ears, impossible to tell whose raced faster.
It was like a lake parched by endless drought, suddenly pelted by fat raindrops crashing into the cracked, dry bed.
Lu Jin’an’s shadow fell over her as he grasped her hand, pressing its back against the pillow and wiping away the fine sheen of sweat.
His strong, bony fingers slid slowly into the gaps between hers, one by one, until their ten fingers were tightly interlaced.
Their gazes locked, breaths warm and mingling.
In the embrace of this entwining night, there was nowhere to hide.
Lu Jin’an’s peach-blossom eyes—naturally brimming with deep affection—fixed intently on her, his desire and tenderness laid bare without restraint. Gu Nianyi shyly turned her face away.
“Feeling shy?” The man leaned in close to her ear, his clear voice threaded with amusement, sending electric tingles racing through her limbs.
Her hand was firmly caught in his grip. In a small voice, she pleaded, “Dr. Lu, please don’t talk.”
“Then let’s kiss.”
The tip of his straight nose brushed against her, and his lips covered hers, grinding down heavily.
He had been drinking, lost in a hazy half-dream, but she was fully sober.
She felt every single moment with crystal clarity.
The crisp woody scent mingled with the aroma of grapes, drawing Gu Nianyi swiftly into an endless abyss of surrender.
It began with the fierce tangle of lips and teeth as he pried open her mouth.
Dominant and forceful, with heavy licks and gentle nips—the kiss grew scorching hot.
Gu Nianyi tilted her head back, yielding to the full force of his overwhelming, tempestuous kiss.
His thin lips trailed slowly to her cheek, then to her ear, where he laved her soft earlobe before nipping lightly at her neck.
The two dark moles became his prey, shifting back and forth between his teeth in time with her pulsing vein.
Lu Jin’an held their clasped hands in an iron grip, leaving her utterly immobile.
Her heart felt swept by countless feathers, unbearably ticklish, yet she couldn’t pull him into an embrace.
“Mm~” A soft, seductive voice spilled from her throat.
It added a seductive melody to their prolonged romance.
Lu Jin’an shifted lower, releasing their clasped hands as he knelt on the bed.
“Relax, Baby.”
The man coaxed her gently.
Gu Nianyi’s hands clutched the sheets, wrinkling them into rumpled hills.
She wanted to stop him, but her fingers only found his hair—too short to grasp, the strands pricking her palms.
This was the second time.
The first had been under the influence of drugs, her mind foggy and sensations dulled.
This time was different. She was completely clear-headed, with only a shred of reason remaining.
Who knew a tongue could be so flexible and soft?
Didn’t he mind the hygiene?
Didn’t he have a germ phobia?
“Baby, no distractions.”
With those words, Lu Jin’an redoubled his efforts, leaving Gu Nianyi unable to think of anything else.
She plummeted into an endless chasm.
Lu Jin’an reached for the nightstand drawer. The plastic wrapper tore open with a rip, and he placed the transparent square in her palm.
With a low chuckle, he said, “Wife, help me out.”
Gu Nianyi’s fingertips trembled. She didn’t dare look at Lu Jin’an. “Is it expired, Dr. Lu?”
It burned hotter than her own flushed cheeks by a thousand degrees.
He guided her hand, patiently teaching her which side up and the proper way to roll it on.
She played the role of a serious student, utterly focused.
The dim light mercifully concealed the tips of her burning ears.
Gu Nianyi drew in a sharp breath. She could scarcely imagine it was possible.
After much fumbling trial and error, Lu Jin’an praised her. “Good girl, Baby.”
“Really not expired?”
She wasn’t ready for pregnancy yet, and she worried about the quality.
“No, it’s fine. Relax.”
Lu Jin’an had no patience for her buzzkill words. He silenced her with his mouth.
Even without it, there was no risk of pregnancy anyway.
It was both their first time—reality proved far clumsier than fantasy.
Lu Jin’an soothed her nerves with gentle kisses.
Gu Nianyi teetered between two extremes: one side warm and tender like spring sunshine, the other a blistering summer blaze.
So full.
Yet it fit perfectly.
Veins bulged on Lu Jin’an’s forehead as sweat dripped onto her collarbone.
Their breaths tangled in chaos, exchanged between heated lips.
The room’s temperature spiked, thick with swirling currents of intimacy.
It felt like the height of summer.
Her last thread of reason snapped. Gu Nianyi’s nails dug deep into Lu Jin’an’s back.
He spoke little.
He simply devoted himself to the task.
Their sweat mingled, breaths scorching.
His Adam’s apple bobbed heavily, low gasps echoing through the room.
In the final moment, Lu Jin’an’s pitch-black eyes bored into hers, even if details blurred.
Gu Nianyi felt herself shattering.
Lu Jin’an proved his prowess—their first time lasted an eternity. She emerged like she’d been pulled from water, utterly spent.
She would never doubt his capabilities again.
The warm water on the nightstand came in handy.
Lu Jin’an fed her sips, his voice hoarse. “Baby, anywhere sore?”
“You… you can’t talk.”
Gu Nianyi’s own voice cracked as she spoke, her ears burning even redder.
Hydration served a dual purpose—for recovery and for what came next.
Only a brief respite.
When Lu Jin’an kissed her again, Gu Nianyi’s reason fled to the heavens. Instinct took over.
With experience from the first round, things flowed much smoother afterward.
Yet at the peak of passion…
“Wife, don’t leave me.”
Somehow, Lu Jin’an had found a necktie and bound it around Gu Nianyi’s wrists.
“I won’t leave you. Untie me, please?”
Lu Jin’an hugged her tightly from behind, his arms like steel bands around her waist. In a heavy voice, he said, “No. You’d sneak off without a word.”
He was terrified—one leaving would drag the other down too.
Gu Nianyi’s eyes were blindfolded, robbing her even of faint light.
Deprived of sight, hands restrained, she could only rely on sound.
Gu Nianyi felt profoundly insecure. Physiological tears mingled with those of grievance, trailing down her cheeks.
She whimpered softly, “I want to hold you, Dr. Lu.”
“Okay.” Lu Jin’an untied the tie and drew her into his arms.
“No more crying. It’s my fault.”
It was as if he were suppressing some taut inner string. Gu Nianyi had no idea what he and Xie Yunting had discussed that night.
In the heat of passion, Lu Jin’an murmured seductively, “Wife, give me a child.”
Only then… would she stay.
His tone was ruthless, yet laced with desperate humility.
Lu Jin’an stroked her cheek. “But not yet. After your surgery, you have to wait over a year before trying for a baby.”
Even Ming Yue and Xie Yunting, so deeply in love, had parted ways. If she wanted to leave, it would be even simpler.
Blue Mountain Town held no joy for her.
Pregnancy was his most desperate plan to keep her.
Yet he had undergone a vasectomy. He wouldn’t risk any accidents.
His heart churned in agony and conflict. He had no idea how to hold onto her.
Gu Nianyi stroked his hair. “I never planned to leave.”
She lifted her head, wrapping her arms around Lu Jin’an’s neck and taking the initiative to kiss his lips.
She met him eagerly, accepting him fully.
There was another person starved for security.
One box lay empty; he tore open the next.
By the time Gu Nianyi drifted off, the sky had lightened to fish-belly white. All she remembered was Lu Jin’an’s plea: don’t leave him, give him a child.
“I won’t leave you, Dr. Lu.”
She murmured the words even in sleep.
She didn’t know how long she slept before struggling to open her heavy eyelids.
Her head throbbed like it might split open—worse than the hangover from an all-night bender.
What time was it? Through the curtain gap, was that sunrise or sunset?
Had she slept twelve hours… or twenty-four?
Gu Nianyi shifted her leg and felt like she might fall apart. She was a thousand times more exhausted than the worst days before her period.
He had done most of the work—why was she so wrecked?
Fresh sheets lay beneath her. He had even carried her to clean up.
Thinking of the man who had ravaged her body, her cheeks flamed anew.
Two empty boxes littered the floor.
They had gone a bit overboard.
Two boxes—six in total!
Who went six rounds on their first real time together?
Weren’t they afraid of wrecking their kidneys?
Lu Jin’an stretched out an arm and scooped her into his embrace. Smiling, he asked, “Wife, do I still need to see a doctor?”
“Ah.” Gu Nianyi buried her face against his chest and mumbled, “How did you know?”
The answer was obvious—he had seen her online consultation.
Lu Jin’an pressed the switch. The motorized curtains parted slowly to either side.
Outside, the sun dipped toward the horizon, orange sunset hues blanketing the sky.
Sunlight flooded the dim room.
Gu Nianyi glanced up, meeting Lu Jin’an’s laughing gaze. She yanked the blanket over her head.
She truly couldn’t face him—like a cute little quail hiding away.
Lu Jin’an drawled leisurely, “Aren’t you getting stuffy in there?”
It was getting hot, the air thin.
Gu Nianyi peeked out just her head. Lu Jin’an watched her, his nearby eyes lazy and relaxed.
Her face flushed crimson again. She pulled the blanket back up. “Dr. Lu, don’t you have a night shift?”
Her muffled voice buzzed from beneath the covers.
Last night was last night. Now, in broad daylight, her shyness had nowhere to hide.
A girl’s skin was thin; once awake, her ears and neck turned a delicate pink.
Lu Jin’an teased her on purpose. “Chasing me away? Aren’t you afraid I’ll get an earful from you?”
“I wouldn’t. When are you leaving?”
Her throat felt parched, and she swallowed hard before she could get the words out smoothly.
Right now, Gu Nianyi desperately wished he would vanish, sparing her the direct confrontation with the awkward atmosphere.
On top of that, he hadn’t dressed her, leaving them both naked beneath the covers. The embarrassment was multiplying by the second.
She had shifted just a little, and a fiery sting shot through her down there—too mortifying to mention aloud. She’d have to sneak out to buy some medicine later.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Lu Jin’an pulled back the blanket. “I checked earlier. It’s swollen down there. Let me put some ointment on it for you.”
How could he be so nonchalant, dressing right in front of her like that?
And delivering the line with such deadpan seriousness.
Gu Nianyi blurted out, “I’ll do it myself.”
She raised her voice, seizing the upper hand. She truly couldn’t face him in the light of day.
Even if it was only early evening.
“Be good. Listen to me.”
Lu Jin’an brushed her forehead and tugged a nightgown from the headboard.
Gu Nianyi caught sight of his lean, sculpted frame.
Defined abs and pecs, without a trace of excess fat. She’d felt them last night, brushing against them by accident.
If only they’d consummated things on their wedding night and savored it properly.
Ugh, now her mind was swimming with nothing but indecent thoughts.
Gu Nianyi peeked out from under the covers, her eyes round and sparkling. “Has Aunt Liu come by? Didn’t she wonder why we haven’t gotten up yet?”
Lu Jin’an headed to the bathroom to wash his hands. “I told her not to bother today.”
Thank goodness. She was in no condition to face anyone right now.
Not even Lu Jin’an.
He lifted the blanket again, and Gu Nianyi clutched the edge with white-knuckled fingers.
She shoved her shyness aside.
What was the point of playing coy now? They’d already done the deed.
Lu Jin’an dabbed ointment onto his fingertip and gently circled the tender spot, massaging it in with care.
The cool sensation soothed the swelling right away.
She had to admit, it felt incredibly good.
Not that she wanted it to feel so intimately sticky.
Neither of them acknowledged the obvious.
Gu Nianyi squirmed in agony before finally calling out to him. “Dr. Lu.”
Lu Jin’an glanced up. “What is it?”
“Hurry up.”
“We can’t rush this. The inside needs it too.”