Chapter 123: Light Seven

She embraced him tightly, kissing him. If it weren't for the clothes between them, it would have been almost sex. She had been distracted for a long time, but suddenly woke up at this moment and finally used her free hand to push his shoulder hard. When Xie Zeyi stopped all movement and slightly raised himself, she suddenly retreated.

Xie Zeyi grabbed her ankles with both hands, and easily, she couldn't move an inch.

"What are you hiding from?" he asked, approaching.

"No condom, condom..." She suddenly became incoherent.

"What?" He lowered his head and asked in a deep voice.

She was silent for a moment, even as she corrected herself, "There really isn't a condom...right?"

He tilted his head and thought carefully, then looked into her eyes and said, "Aren't you going to give birth to a baby for me?"

Her face flushed, "Not now!"

He frowned. "Why not now?"

"At least quit smoking for three months..."

"March?" he chuckled. "I haven't had a chance to smoke in four months."

He immediately lifted her neck and was about to kiss her. She turned her head away, so he kissed her ear instead. He decided to go with the flow, kissing gently along the cartilage behind her ear before biting her earlobe.

After a shudder, she had no strength left to try to push his hand away.

She closed her eyes, desperately and laboriously calculating: Has it been a year since she left the neutron lab? Until this year was over, she still felt that the radiation-mutated cells on her body had not been completely metabolized.

Xie Zeyi kissed her cheek again, and after placing a very light and affectionate kiss on her lips, he did not make any more unnecessary movements.

He then wrapped her whole body in his arms, hugged her tightly, and pressed his cheek against the top of her head.

Then he held her head toward the headboard and they fell onto the pillows. She closed her eyes in fear as she fell, only to find Xie Zeyi's arms and thighs cushioning her. It had to be said that Xie Zeyi's embrace was an extremely comfortable place. Just being rubbed into his embrace felt like she could block out all the insecurities in the world.

She seemed to have vowed not to be boiled like a frog in warm water, but she didn't know when this man's touch had silently invaded every one of her extremely fragile and sensitive nerve endings.

Just as she was feeling overwhelmed with emotion, she heard the culprit sighing against her hair, seemingly in great frustration.

His thing was pressing against her leg, and the fire she had aroused had not yet subsided. She reached out and hugged him, asking with a guilty conscience, "Mr. Xie, how about... I use my hand?"

“…”

Xie Zeyi was a bit amused and confused by her annoyance. After a moment of silence, he grabbed her cold hand and stuffed it back into his arms to warm it. "Don't move. Just let me hold you for a while."

She whispered into his chest, "I'm sorry."

He kissed the top of her head and whispered, "How can I blame you? It was me...I almost couldn't help myself."

The two of them lay quietly in each other's arms on the bed.

She rested her head against his neck and listened quietly for a while to the sound of the tram downstairs and the breathing above her head. Suddenly, she woke up from a dream and remembered something.

When he said he hadn't had a chance to smoke for four months, she vaguely remembered watching a documentary: many countries force confessions from suspected espionage crimes, and one of the most terrifying tactics is called "no external injuries" - as the name suggests, the injuries caused by the forced confession tactics are all within the subcutaneous tissue: internal organs, blood, nervous system, etc.

She thought of how tired he was when he got home, and how her skin and limbs, which were intact, healthy and smooth, were visible to her when she took off his coat while he was lying in the bathtub. She felt a sudden pang of pain in her heart for no reason.

Then he whispered again: "Mr. Xie?"

"What's wrong, Mrs. Xie?"

"You..." She considered her words carefully, "Have they kept you well fed and clothed in these four months? Have they given you any hardship?"

There was silence above her head for a moment, and then she heard Xie Zeyi say casually, "How could that be? I wonder if your husband has an unusually good reputation in the British Army? Initially in British Southeast Asia, no one dared to embarrass him."

"Um."

Seeing that she didn't quite believe it, he added, "Not only did you not lose weight, you actually gained half a pound."

"The food looks good."

"Only one thing. They don't allow me much sleep."

Her heart clenched, and she shifted uncomfortably in his embrace. She recalled scenes from movies: hostages strapped to an electric chair, their movements slowed, considered sleep, and instantly reawakened by a low-voltage current; or prolonged periods of solitude, high-intensity white light, and a soundproof, zero-decibel environment—her imagination was limited, but the many hostages she could imagine suffering mental breakdowns like this.

The shadow in his expression disappeared in an instant, and he smiled and said, "They invited dozens of charming women to take turns to keep your husband awake for dozens of days in a row."

He was still in the mood to joke at this time. She was so angry that she kicked him and said, "Do you think you are going for a health check?"

He easily clamped her calves and asked curiously, "What is big health care?"

She pulled the foot several times but couldn't get it out. She angrily said, "It's those dozens of charming women you mentioned that keep you awake at night!"

Xie Zeyi smiled lightly, scratched her nose, and asked, "Where did you hear all this? Even about condoms. Huh?"

She stuttered a little, "I read it in a book."

"Mrs. Xie really reads a lot of books," he said, letting go of her legs and holding her higher so that they could talk with their foreheads touching on the pillow. Then Xie Zeyi asked, "What else have you read?"

She kept muttering to herself in her mind: I have studied biology for so many years, and I have become so thick-skinned that I can chat with straight men about the details of the unique male anatomy without batting an eyelid. I even described in detail to a group of male college students how the internal stimulation of the corresponding human body structure might cause a full set of nerve reflexes, as well as the entire activation process of the endocrine system. I probably know a terrifying amount of physiological and health knowledge.

But she forgot that her practical experience was a blank sheet of paper, without even a single word on it.

Then she heard Xie Zeyi say nonchalantly, "So please don't worry. Mr. Xie is fully functional and in good working order."

She has always had a very big imagination.

As soon as he finished speaking, her face turned red to her ears.

Xie Zeyi found her adorable and couldn't help but kiss her cheek which immediately became hot when she was teased.

Then he said seriously and slowly with a deliberate smile, "It will grow in the future. I leave everything to Mrs. Xie to try one by one slowly. There's no rush."

——

Xie Zeyi smiled lightly, scratched her nose, and asked, "Where did you hear all this? Even about condoms. Huh?"

She stuttered a little, "I read it in a book."

"Mrs. Xie really reads a lot of books," he said, letting go of her legs and holding her higher so that they could talk with their foreheads touching on the pillow. Then Xie Zeyi asked, "What else have you read?"

She kept muttering to herself in her mind: I have studied biology for so many years, and I have become so thick-skinned that I can chat with straight men about the details of the unique male anatomy without batting an eyelid. I even described in detail to a group of male college students how the internal stimulation of the corresponding human body structure might cause a full set of nerve reflexes, as well as the entire activation process of the endocrine system. I probably know a terrifying amount of physiological and health knowledge.

But she forgot that her practical experience was a blank sheet of paper, without even a single word on it.

Then she heard Xie Zeyi say nonchalantly, "So please don't worry. Mr. Xie is fully functional and in good working order."

She has always had a very big imagination.

As soon as he finished speaking, her face turned red to her ears.

Xie Zeyi found her adorable and couldn't help but kiss her cheek which immediately became hot when she was teased.

Then he said seriously and slowly with a deliberate smile, "It will grow in the future. I leave everything to Mrs. Xie to try one by one slowly. There's no rush."

——

They talked slowly for a while, their heads resting on the pillows, and soon she fell asleep soundly in Xie Zeyi's arms, sucking her thumb with a very peaceful look on her face.

He suddenly froze.

There was a time in his life when he often dreamed.

When he returned to Hong Kong from England, his father, a devout Buddhist, asked someone to tell his fortune. Everyone else got a good fortune, but the one he got was "lonely until old age."

Xie Hong was immediately shocked.

He didn't believe it at first, but later on, for some reason, he often dreamed of the first time he met his lover.

He was already very old by then and had difficulty pushing his wheelchair into the nursery.

She seemed to be a premature baby, smaller than the babies around her, and her whole body was red, as if she was ripe.

She should have felt pain, having her organs left the mother's body before they were fully developed. But in his dream, he clearly saw her smiling and sucking her thumb contentedly.

What a tenacious life this must be, so small and fragile, anyone could end it here without any effort. But there was always something else in that smile, as if it would shake the world with its own strength.

At least he was shocked.

He stood there, using all his strength to wish her good health and long life.

Her life had not yet begun, and his time was running out.

Perhaps by then he was already a lonely ghost, never having married anyone in his life. He had no regrets in his life, and his only wish was to see her before he died, just once.

It was either a coincidence or a strange combination of circumstances, but many years ago he appeared in front of her window and heard her singing a very strange song.

He always wanted to ask her what the next sentence was, but he never had the chance, and later he forgot about it.

There is no rush to think about it now.

If you really have the patience to wait a lifetime, then why not ask again later?

He was very sleepy. It was the first time he'd shared a bed with her, and he couldn't seem to fall asleep again. The sky outside was already turning light, and the woman in his arms's stomach growled in her sleep, but she hadn't woken up yet.

Only then did Xie Zeyi realize that he had not eaten for more than ten hours.

The cafe that bakes bread at dawn every day, the first batch of bread is now out of the oven, and the aroma alarm immediately sounds within a mile radius. He remembers that she loves to eat it.

He gently tucked her into the quilt and covered her up. When he got up to go out, he suddenly saw a bowl of yellow and white unknown object on the gramophone, with a pair of chopsticks on it.

He took two bites, picked it up and put it in the kitchen.

On the windowsill, the aquatic plants grown in the bone china dish with clear water also wilted.

Xie Zeyi smiled. He returned to his room, put on his coat, kissed her sleeping face, and went out to buy breakfast and flowers.

——

When she woke up, it was already very lively outside.

A gentle and cheerful female voice urged, "Hurry up, go tell her to get up and put her clothes on!"

Another cheerful female voice asked softly, "Didn't your brother tell her to sleep a little longer and not disturb her?"

This one said, "Whatever he says is what it is. Mrs. Ge is already downstairs. If I don't go and call her, is she really going to see Linzy get up from my brother's bed?"

Another said, "Aren't they both married? Besides! How do you know she's definitely in your brother's bed?"

"You're so stupid! Mrs. Ge has such a sharp eye. When that Royal Navy officer, Chelslawton, saw you coming, she said something! She didn't say anything about you. 'Your two children will be prettier than Mia. It's a pity that such a handsome father has gone bald before the children grow up.'"

"Who wants to date that Englishman?" Zhenzhen was furious.

As she was speaking, Miya suddenly panicked, "Hey, why is the elevator coming up already? Hurry up and wake her up. I'll go hold Mrs. Ge back for a while!"

Two girls were running around barefoot outside, making a lot of noise, and the bedroom door was ajar.

She just sat up in a daze.

"You're really, really in this room!" Zhenzhen screamed and covered her eyes. "Hurry and put on your clothes!"

Zhenzhen had been a regular here for several weeks. While she was still asleep, she went next door and got a white long dress for her to change into.

After fiddling around in the dim room for a while, the two finally managed to change her clothes. Zhenzhen, holding a shirt with three buttons missing, exclaimed, "How ungentlemanly?!"

Chu Wang was in a complicated mood and couldn't argue.

There were voices outside.

Mrs. Ge asked, "Is Chu Wang awake yet? If so, tell her to come and have breakfast, and then go back to the Ge Mansion with me."

Miya smiled apologetically, "Why are you in such a hurry?"

Xie Zeyi also asked, "Go back immediately?"

Mrs. Ge's voice rose twice, "What else? Should I continue hanging out with you here?"

Miya said, "Now, all the newspapers are talking about Linzy and my family's marriage. They are a perfect match, and it's legitimate. Who dares to gossip?"

Ge Tai snorted and laughed: "What's your business? Stay away!"

Miya fell silent.

She then asked Xie Zeyi, "I asked you to take care of her. What did the telegram say?"

"Mrs. Ge said that if you lose a hair, you should blame me." Xie Zeyi said respectfully.

"You're the one who ended up in the hospital with her?" Mrs. Ge had already scolded him bitterly for this matter downstairs, and now she was still furious when she thought about it. "This matter is not over yet. We will discuss it in detail and settle the score with you later."

"It's my fault. I'll have to listen to what Mrs. Ge has to say." Xie Zeyi said with a smile.

Chu Wang had already put on his clothes and was walking out of the room hand in hand with Zhenzhen. He saw Mrs. Ge letting out all her anger and pointing at Xie Zeyi, scolding him, "My daughter married you to save you, otherwise I wouldn't be able to get through this. Do you and your son really think this is a formal marriage? Don't you see what you are now?"

Xie Zeyi, a tall and strong man, stood in the kitchen, listening carefully to the instructions and accepting them all with a smile: "Mrs. Ge is right."

Miya, standing behind Ge Tai, was the first to see Zhenzhen and Chu Wang come out. When she saw Chu Wang, she suddenly panicked, pointed at her neck, and said to the two in sign language, "Scarve her! Scarve!"

The two of them hadn't seen clearly in the darkness just now. As they approached the corridor, the light brightened a little, and they discovered that the neck and half of the shoulder exposed above the white dress were covered with pink kiss marks, which were particularly shocking on her extremely delicate skin.

Zhenzhen hurriedly took out her handkerchief and was about to put it to her neck to block it, but Mrs. Ge had already turned around.

A pair of charming eyes narrowed slightly, and the sharp gaze went straight to above her collar.

She was stunned for a while, still not knowing what was going on.

Miya and Zhenzhen were so scared that they turned around and held onto the wall, almost fainting.

Xie Zeyi had turned and walked into the kitchen, not knowing what was about to happen.

Mrs. Ge turned her head, smiled, and called out in a deep voice, "Xie Zeyi——!"

Xie Zeyi took two steps back and looked into the corridor, wondering, "Huh?"

Mrs. Ge suppressed her anger and asked, "Have you grown bolder, or are you tired of living now that you can fly with your wings grown strong?"