The man tightened his grip on the woman's waist, saying, "What could I say that you would find unacceptable? Let me prepare myself."

“For example…” Xu Wan pondered for a moment, “You were stranded on a deserted island after an accident, and a gentle fisherwoman rescued you and took you home. You lost your memory, lived with her for two years, and had two children. In that case, I definitely can’t accept you.”

Xu Wan had genuinely considered this kind of melodramatic scenario after meeting Jiang Tingzhou.

Moreover, it's not uncommon for men to disappear at sea.

"If that's the case, then I'm relieved." The man's lips curved into a smile as he leaned down and kissed the woman's forehead. "But you still need to pick up Xiaoxiao later, so I might not have enough time to talk to you now."

"Your story is so convoluted? An hour isn't enough for you to tell it?"

"not enough."

"Then... will you come with me to pick up Xiaoxiao?" Xu Wan asked earnestly. "She really wants to see you."

Although Xiaoxiao never expresses it, her longing for the role of father can be seen from some subtle details.

Xu Wan hopes that the father and daughter can meet soon.

The man shook his head slightly. "I'm sorry, not now. I'll be leaving China next week to have leg surgery. Whether the surgery is successful or not, I'll need a recovery period. I'll try to come back as soon as possible after that."

"Surgery? I'll go with you," Xu Wan offered. "I've already resigned from Tianyuan, and you ruined my new job in Nancheng. I'm unemployed now, so don't you have to take responsibility for me?"

They say that level 10 loneliness is like having surgery alone.

Xu Wan didn't want Jiang Tingzhou to experience this loneliness; she wanted to stay with him.

“No need.” Jiang Tingzhou looked at the woman in front of him with gentle eyes. “However… when I come back, even if the surgery fails, I will be confined to a wheelchair forever. I might selfishly keep you by my side forever. You need to be mentally prepared to spend the rest of your life with a disabled person…”

Do I need to say it again?

Xu Wan is no longer angry.

She knew Jiang Tingzhou's concerns, and she also knew that the man didn't really want to push her away.

It was just that I put myself in her shoes time and time again, preferring to hurt myself rather than hurt her.

“No need, because even if you don’t want to, it’s no use.” Jiang Tingzhou gently kissed the woman’s lips. “If my surgery fails, it’s hard to say whether my mindset will change. If you want to give up on me, I might not be able to accept it, so I’ll find a lock that no one can unlock and lock us together 24 hours a day, doing everything together…”

The two were so close that their lips were almost touching when the man spoke.

After listening to him finish speaking, Xu Wan sucked on the man's lower lip. "How about I look for it with you?"

This kiss reignited the emotions that had just subsided.

The man pushed the woman's back, pulling her towards him. His delicate kisses were filled with clear desire. He could no longer restrain himself and swallowed the last of her lipstick. Their bodies pressed tightly together.

Even through several layers of clothing, Xu Wan could still feel the man's gradually rising body temperature.

To prevent the fire from starting, before her reason was completely consumed by desire, Xu Wan called out, "No, we have to go pick up Xiaoxiao."

Jiang Tingzhou kissed the woman's earlobe, his hot breath filling her ear canal. "Hmm... let me hold you for a while."

When the man said he wanted to hug her for a while, he really stopped all actions that might arouse desire and just quietly held the woman in his arms.

A long, long time passed.

The man reluctantly let go, saying, "Let's go. You can take my car to pick up Xiaoxiao, and Lu Wei can come along."