Chapter 124 Deep Affection His heart was pounding fiercely, driving...

The moment their lips met, the last vestige of clarity in He Ming's mind vanished.

Before this, he had never kissed a girl.

Tonight's overstepping of boundaries made him realize for the first time that a girl's lips could be so soft and warm, like rose petals tinged with the scent of red wine, gently releasing their fragrance into his nostrils.

Her abruptly stopped crying felt more like a silent invitation to him. He Ming couldn't help but close his eyes, savoring the warmth of her lips.

The mere touch of their lips made his breathing gradually become unsteady.

But that doesn't seem to be enough.

His heart was pounding fiercely, driving him to seek out the deeper fragrance.

He tentatively moved his lips, and seeing that she didn't resist, he slowly sucked on her lips. Each light peck followed a gentle sip, the kiss lingering from the center of her lips to the corners. Although his movements were clumsy and awkward, they held an unprecedented tenderness.

He lingered on her lips for a long time, the salty taste spreading into his mouth—the taste of her tears when she cried and accused him. A faint, stabbing pain shot through his heart, and He Ming couldn't help but increase the pressure on his lips, lingering and caressing that fresh, soft spot.

"Hmm—"

Her head, which he had been holding captive, seemed unable to bear such tenderness. Her brows furrowed slightly, her red lips parted slightly, and a dissatisfied groan escaped from her throat.

Following the gap between her lips, He Ming slipped his tongue inside, trying to explore that unknown little world. Unfortunately, he couldn't find the right way, and his soft tongue was ultimately blocked by her tightly closed teeth.

He opened his eyes and reluctantly pulled away from her lips.

The woman before me had a flushed face, and her slightly parted lips glistened with tears. Her almond-shaped eyes, brimming with tears, had closed at some point.

Hearing her steady and even breathing, He Ming was momentarily at a loss for words, feeling both amused and exasperated.

She actually... just fell asleep like that.

Well then, tonight was the night he took advantage of the situation.

If Zhu Liushuang were fully conscious, it would be kind of her not to slap him; how could she tolerate him being so presumptuous and reckless?

He lowered his gaze, carefully placed her on the bed, and covered her with a thin blanket.

The woman, seemingly displeased with this, reached out and pulled the blanket away.

"Hot—" she murmured, her slender fingers unconsciously climbing up her collar. The alcohol had left a faint tinge of smoky pink on her fair neck.

He Ming watched her without changing his expression, his dark eyes filled with the comical sight of her struggling with the buttons.

Her red-stained fingertips impatiently unbuttoned the buttons, and the fabric flipped over as it was pulled, revealing a small patch of delicate skin underneath.

Beneath her clothes lay a tantalizing glimpse of spring, and as she was about to unbutton the second button, the person sitting by the bed dared not look any longer. He Ming abruptly turned his face away, got up, and quickly left the second bedroom.

It was late at night, and the clock on the wall had just passed midnight.

He poured himself a glass of warm water, leaned against the counter, and drank it all in one gulp. But he still felt thirsty, so he downed a second glass.

The image that wouldn't leave his mind was Zhu Liushuang's face, as beautiful as a peach blossom, and the open collar of her dress. With the rise and fall of her chest, the straps of her white lace bra were faintly visible beneath the fabric…

A fire suddenly ignited in his lower abdomen, burning so intensely that every pore on his body screamed for more. He Ming froze on the spot, his face tense, no longer allowing his thoughts to wander.

After rubbing his throbbing temples for a while, he strode over to the wall and turned down the underfloor heating a few degrees. As he turned around, his gaze fell upon the entryway cabinet, where the handbag he had brought home that evening remained.

The items in the handbag were things he had picked out at the jewelry store that afternoon, as a birthday gift for Zhu Liushuang.

He hesitated for a moment on the handbag, then walked to the entryway cabinet as if he had made up his mind, opened the bag and took out the jewelry box inside.

The lid was lifted, and a delicate rose gold bracelet shimmered brilliantly under the light.

The bracelet would look beautiful on her wrist. Thinking this, He Ming's expression softened. He closed the lid and glanced thoughtfully towards the second bedroom.

The living room lights went out, and the next second, a figure appeared in the dimly lit hallway.

A man holding a jewelry box appeared at the door of the second bedroom. He quietly pushed the door open and entered. He saw that the woman on the bed was sleeping soundly, so he took a few steps forward and knelt down in front of the bed.

He gently lifted the woman's slender, fair wrist, and in the dim light of the wall lamp, carefully fastened the exquisitely designed chain onto her wrist.

Just as he had imagined, the bracelet suited her perfectly.

His gaze lingered on her fair wrist, and He Ming gradually lost himself in thought.

He could roughly guess that Zhu Liushuang also had feelings for him.

Otherwise, she would never have sat at the dining table waiting in vain tonight, much less have gotten drunk and lost control, crying and cursing at him.

A sweet warmth enveloped the depths of my heart, followed by endless regret.

“I’m sorry…” He Ming murmured with a frown as he touched the back of Zhu Liushuang’s hand with his fingertips.

The woman in her sleep suddenly groaned and tugged restlessly at his sleeve.

"Don't go..."

He leaned closer and finally heard her mumbled murmurs in her sleep.

"I'm not leaving," He Ming muttered to himself.

His long legs slid down slowly, and he sat down on the floor. Then he propped himself up on one arm and quietly watched the woman's sleeping face.

These days, he has been caught in a dilemma, torn between the past and the present.

Until tonight, all his troubles have been resolved. He has once again chosen to follow his heart.

He loves Zhu Liushuang.

He loved her no matter whose daughter she was.

In a way, Zhu Liushuang was also a victim of that accident; they were kindred spirits. Fate brought them together, perhaps it was a divine revelation in itself.

In the vast sea of ​​people, it found another wandering soul for him, thus compensating for his bumpy and lonely life.

His eyes welled up with tears. He took out his phone from his pocket and solemnly replied to his father's message.

[Dad, Liu Shuang and I have already registered our marriage. You may think it's absurd, but Grandpa agreed to it. Whether you accept it or not, it won't affect my commitment to this marriage. If you still consider me your son, please keep this a secret for me, and keep what happened back then a secret. In my eyes, Liu Shuang and her father were both victims in that incident. Mom is so kind; she will understand me.]

Some torment is enough for him to bear alone.

After sending the message, He Ming checked the chat history from the past few days in the dialog box and pressed the delete button without hesitation.

————

When Zhu Liushuang woke up, her eyelids felt as heavy as lead. A dull, hammer-like pain shot through her temples, and she hissed involuntarily as the intense discomfort made her gasp.

"What time is it?" She closed her eyes and reached for the bedside table, groping around for a while but couldn't find her phone.

In an instant, my eyes snapped open. It was pitch black all around; the only light source in the room was completely blocked by the curtains.

“Last night… I think I was drinking alone…” She forced herself to sit up, and the more she thought about it, the more obvious the dull pain in her temples became.

My fingertips slid randomly across the wall switch, and the ceiling light instantly illuminated the entire room.

The blinding white light exacerbated her discomfort, forcing her to squint to take in her surroundings.

This is definitely her room, and everything inside is unchanged. So... she got drunk last night and sneaked into the room to sleep by herself?

wrong!

Her head suddenly jolted, and memories flew back into her mind like scattered fragments.

last night……

She seemed to have a very, very long dream; she dreamt that He Ming came home.

In her dream, she cried and cursed him as a "scumbag," accusing him of being hot and cold towards her.

She also...

Zhu Liushuang instinctively covered her mouth; she had actually dreamt that He Ming was kissing her!

How could that be?

She shook off his hand, revealing a bitter smile: Zhu Liushuang, Zhu Liushuang, he's already avoiding you like that, and you still dream of him kissing you first... It's just wishful thinking!

A sudden emotional fluctuation aggravated her headache, and her stomach began to churn.

Clutching the sheets to suppress the rising nausea, she decided to get out of bed to look for her phone.

Using her metacarpal bones for leverage on the mattress, she anxiously got up, but a dull ache throbbed in her wrist.

Zhu Liushuang involuntarily withdrew her hand and frowned, examining her right wrist in the white light overhead.

A unique bracelet encircled her wrist; the rose gold chain was adorned with several round, full pearls, and a diamond-encrusted butterfly was set in the center.

She raised her hand slightly above her head and gently fluttered the butterfly. The butterfly's wings spun in the air, emitting tiny glimmers of light.

The multicolored light dazzled Zhu Liushuang's eyes and disturbed her already unstable mind.

A bracelet appeared out of nowhere. Who else but He Ming could have entered this room?

But ironically, she had no recollection of it.

Pressing her fingers against her throbbing temples, she tried to search for any clues in her jumbled memories.

Could it be...?

Was last night's dream real?

Even with the bracelet on her wrist, Zhu Liushuang still couldn't believe it.

But she couldn't help but believe it, because the bracelet was truly on her right wrist and wouldn't suddenly disappear.

Before she could fully process the series of guesses in her mind, she jumped out of bed and stumbled out of the bedroom. She just wanted to go to the entrance to check if He Ming had really returned.

Barefoot on the wooden floor, warmth rose from beneath her feet. Her palms were damp with sweat, whether from nervousness or the heat, she couldn't tell.

"Awake? Liu Shuang, come and have breakfast."

As soon as he entered the living room, he was stopped by a slightly hoarse voice.

Zhu Liushuang turned her head hesitantly, and their eyes met in the air. The man's burning gaze made her heart skip a beat. She moved her lips, her voice hoarse: "Senior... good morning."

He Ming pointed to the water glass on the table and beckoned her over: "I made you some honey water..."

"Oh—" Her legs were stiff, and she slowly shuffled over step by step.

Seeing her moving so slowly, the man sitting in the dining chair simply stood up and went over to support her: "Are you feeling unwell? Do you have a headache? Does your stomach hurt?"

His worry and concern were written all over his face, but Zhu Liushuang felt a mix of emotions.

Has he finally come to his senses and is willing to face her?

Overnight, He Ming transformed back into the person who had been so caring and attentive to her. Yet, this sudden change in gentleness inexplicably instilled a sense of trepidation in her.

His kindness towards her was like sandpaper, constantly grinding against her heart.

She was both delighted and apprehensive, fearing that this unexpected tenderness was nothing but a fleeting dream, and that one day he might leave her without a word.

Despite her discomfort, Zhu Liushuang brushed He Ming's hand away.

She walked silently to the dining table, picked up her water glass, and took small sips.

Even though all her attention was on He Ming, she forced herself not to look at him.