Chapter 23

We are the best in the world

"..."

Hao Jingshi's words pounded into my ears, endlessly lingering, like demons baring their fangs and claws.

Lu Qin watched his lips move rapidly, opening and closing, and his face gradually turning red.

I don't want anyone else, I only want you... I'll marry you properly, you're mine in life and in death, and I'll bury you with me...

"Husband." Seeing his emotional state, Lu Qin whispered in a soft voice, "I will never leave you, I will never take you in. My heart belongs only to you, and from now on, you will only have me in your heart. We are the best of friends in the world."

"..." Hao Jingshi, who was firing off a string of questions, paused for a moment before realizing that he had fallen into her trap. In his anger, he blurted out his true feelings.

He coughed, his temper instantly gone. He released his grip on her chin, slowly withdrawing his hand, and said gently, "You rest, I'm going to the clinic now."

Lu Qin said regretfully, "Won't my husband spend more time with me?"

Hao Jingshi stood up: "We'll talk about it tonight."

"Will my husband be sleeping at home tonight?"

"……Um."

Hao Jingshi ran towards the door as if fleeing, then turned back as if to save face.

"Don't mention divorce again, or I'll make sure you can't get out of bed and have to stay in the Hao mansion. You won't be able to leave even if you want to."

"..."

What a convenient excuse for not being able to get out of bed.

Lu Qin's mind immediately went astray, and she felt embarrassed, so she couldn't help but tug at the blanket.

Looking again, Hao Jingshi had already left. Ling'er was bringing in the medicine that had been brewed. Seeing that her eyes were fixed on something, she thought that she had something on her mind, so she went over to comfort her.

Lu Qin, lost in thought, took the jade bowl handed to her by Ling'er and drank the medicine in one gulp, not even finding it bitter.

When Ling'er left, she touched the lingering warmth of the quilt, her ears flushing red.

Hao Jingshi said as long as she...

Even in death, we'll be buried together...

Don't mention divorce again...

And she'll be unable to get out of bed...

...

Lu Qin remained lost in her fantasies until nightfall.

A cool evening breeze was blowing, and the courtyard was peaceful. Listen carefully to the soft footsteps in the distance.

Lu Qin propped herself up with a pillow and leaned against the headboard, glancing around every now and then and tilting her head, waiting for Hao Jingshi to return.

But Hao Jingshi never came. As she waited, she got a headache and lay down to doze off.

As she drifted off to sleep, she suddenly felt a pair of large, cold hands slip into the blankets and wrap around her waist.

"Why did Madam go to sleep first? Didn't she say she would wait?"

A warm whisper brushed past my ear.

Lu Qin jolted awake, muttering, "Where did you go? Why did it take you so long to come back..."

"What?" Hao Jingshi asked hoarsely, then hugged her tightly. "I haven't gone anywhere. I've been by your side the whole time."

At this point, he couldn't wait to turn her over so they were lying face to face, and he covered her lips with his.

Before Lu Qin could react, Hao Jingshi's face flashed blurry before her eyes, looking very unreal.

At first, his kisses were gentle as spring, his fingers as nimble as a swimming fish, tucking her stray hairs behind her ears and letting them fall back down.

Then he became greedy, pressing her down beneath him and kissing her deeper and deeper, as dense and frantic as the heavy beat of a drum.

Lu Qin pressed her hands stiffly against his chest, unable to move. It took her a long time to come to her senses and respond to him.

Their lips were moist as they nestled together, like snowmelt in early winter seeping through the eaves. Heaven and earth seemed to merge into one, tightly binding the two of them together, while everything else became ethereal and indistinct.

Unlike the innocent tenderness of that stolen kiss that night, it was quite reckless.

But just as she wished, they kissed each other openly and honestly.

Lu Qin closed her eyes.

After a long and complicated struggle.

The silver thread is broken, but the breath still lingers.

She opened her eyes. Hao Jingshi pressed his forehead against hers, saying nothing, but his eyes were already slightly red, like a beast whose hunting desire had been aroused.

Under his intense gaze, Lu Qin blushed slightly, her chest heaving as she gasped for breath, "What's your rush..."

This time, Hao Jingshi wasn't blushing. He snorted nonchalantly and buried his face in her neck, breathing hot air as he spoke, his lips brushing against her skin, making her feel numb.

"What's the rush? I haven't been back to the manor for quite some time. Can't I be a little intimate with my wife?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Qin felt her whole body burning up, a wave of intense heat washing over her.

Seeing her shiver, Hao Jingshi chuckled and ran his fingers across her cheek.

He said bluntly, "Madam, there's no use being afraid. I like you, I have you in my heart, and I want you. Even if your feelings for me are fake, you have to accept it. You're the one who tricked me into having feelings for you, so you have to take responsibility."

"You want a divorce? Well, I'll make sure you can't leave the Hao family."

As they were talking, the fish slithered restlessly into the crevice, slowly slipping and sliding under the silk.

He kissed her again.

The darkness blurred her vision, and Lu Qin couldn't see Hao Jingshi's face clearly. She only felt that he seemed to be smiling mischievously with his lips curled up.

After leisurely circling once, the fish began to rush towards the long-awaited pool. It boldly broke through the mist and darted into the most hidden depths.

Lu Qin's breathing faltered.

Then she heard Hao Jingshi whisper in her ear, "Madam, I want to hear the truth. You have feelings for me too, right?"

Lu Qin closed her eyes and said, "Mmm."

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Hao Jingshi was overjoyed and pressed her nose against his, saying, "Then say it yourself, say that you like me, love me, and will never leave me in this life."

Lu Qin felt a chill run down her spine from his breath. This was so unlike Hao Jingshi. Hao Jingshi was usually so impatient. How could he be speaking like a succubus, with such a suggestive and ambiguous tone?

As she silently prepared herself, the fish beneath her seemed to have found water, becoming joyful and thrashing about even more vigorously.

But someone was even more eager than the fish: "Speak!"

Lu Qin tensed up, her thoughts snapped back to reality, and she shrank back shakily.

"I...I love you..."

"I will never... leave you in this lifetime..."

Seeing this, Hao Jingshi laughed and said, "Madam, what are you shy about? Aren't you usually quite good at being coquettish and arguing?"

Lu Qin's eyebrows twitched. Before she could speak, Hao Jingshi pulled his hand away, his wet fingers grabbing her clothes.

Then came the sound of tearing.

Hao Jingshi tore open her nightgown and embraced her.

The fair-skinned person in his arms instinctively curled up a little. At this moment, she looked like a ripe shrimp, her face flushed, her flesh soft and bouncy, and she looked delicious.

In the enchanting moment, Lu Qin subconsciously reached for the gauze curtain by the bed, but instead grabbed something else. Upon closer inspection, she saw it was Hao Jingshi's long hair, which had somehow come loose and was now hanging down to the side of the bed.

Hao Jingshi seemed to have noticed, and chuckled softly in her ear, making her feel both itchy and hot.

It's so hot, so hot, so hot, I can't take it anymore...

Just as Lu Qin felt her body temperature skyrocketing and she was about to burst open, she suddenly opened her eyes—

The sky was just beginning to lighten, shimmering with a hazy glow as night transitioned into day, and all around was as quiet as a rooster's crow.

The bedside was empty; Hao Jingshi was not beside her.

Lu Qin sat up abruptly, causing the bed curtains to sway slightly.

She was bewildered for a long time, then touched her burning face in surprise, and then touched her intact nightgown.

Was that just... a dream?

She...she dreamt about Hao Jingshi...?

Heavens above!

Lu Qin suddenly felt heat rising from her head, so she casually pulled open the bed curtains to let in some fresh air.

Ling'er was leaning against the foot of the bed watching over her, seemingly half asleep. Hearing the noise, she suddenly woke up and quickly turned around.

"Young Madam," she rubbed her eyes, "Why are you awake?"

Upon suddenly seeing Ling'er, Lu Qin felt guilty, as if Ling'er had witnessed her dream: "Uh...it's nothing, I just woke up from the heat..."

Ling'er tilted her head. The temperature had dropped sharply these past few days, and winter was almost here. How could the young mistress have woken up from the heat?

"Well, well..." Lu Qin tried to explain again, "I just had a nightmare... I was a little frightened."

"Oh." Ling'er smiled and said, "You're probably overthinking this. Just focus on recovering. The young master has already settled things at the clothing shop. This matter will definitely be resolved."

After hearing this, Lu Qin blinked and finally snapped out of her dream.

In fact, she didn't overthink things at all. She firmly believed that there was always a way to deal with anything. Besides, she hadn't done anything wrong, and there was still plenty of time; the truth would eventually come out.

But after Ling'er said that, she couldn't help but imagine Hao Jingshi "settling" the victims, and she became a little worried: "Did he go and get into a fight?"

"No, not at all." Ling'er was amused by her expression and explained the whole story to her, "Young Master went to cure the child with the rash, didn't charge any money, and even brought our family's clothes for the child to wear, saying that if the child felt unwell again, he would come to his door."

"Not two days later, that family came to apologize with many tonics. The big man said that the child felt fine after wearing our clothes. He knew that he had caused trouble and hurt you, and had also misunderstood the young master. He felt very guilty, so he wanted to be your little brother and work as a helper in our clothing shop to help you find the real culprit. These past two days, he has been busy leading people around looking for your brother."

"Little...little brother?" The burly man with the knife?

Lu Qin was both amused and exasperated; he was clearly old enough to be her father!

She rubbed her forehead: "Okay, okay... good that it's resolved... By the way, where's my husband? I haven't seen him since yesterday noon. Did he come over last night?"

“No, the young master was kept behind by the old lady after lunch yesterday, and then I didn’t pay attention to him anymore,” Ling’er said. “Recently he has been coming back to the manor often to watch over you, so it seems he’s not angry with you anymore. If you want to see him, I will go find him right away.”

As Ling'er was about to get up, Lu Qin quickly stopped her.

Just thinking about that passionate dream made her blush and her heart race; she couldn't possibly face Hao Jingshi directly.

"Alright, alright, don't call him anymore. He'll be here when it's time for breakfast." Lu Qin pulled her head back in and tugged at the corner of the blanket. "Go and find out quietly whether he went back to the manor last night and where he went."

"Yes." Ling'er smiled and left.