Chapter 98: Husband and Wife, Lovers
After leaving the study, Huo Nanchen and Lin Xili went to sit in the courtyard where Grandma Huo lived.
Grandma Huo held Lin Xili's hand and talked on and on about many things from Huo Nanchen's childhood.
Huo Nanchen sat to the side listening, occasionally refilling his grandmother's tea, his gaze falling on Lin Xili's smiling profile.
When his grandmother got tired of talking, he finally spoke up: "Grandma, Xili and I have discussed it and we want to go back to our small town to hold a wedding ceremony."
Grandma Huo was as happy as a child who had received candy, nodding repeatedly: "Great! It's really too unfair to Xili that it's just the three of us having a meal together for the first time."
“It’s quieter to do it in a small town. Everyone in the neighborhood knows you. Grandma will feel at ease knowing you’ve settled down there.”
She patted Lin Xili's hand again, "Once the date is set, be sure to tell Grandma as soon as possible, and Grandma will go back with you."
“Okay, I’ll definitely tell Grandma first,” Lin Xili replied gently.
It was already late at night when I left the Huo residence.
Once inside the car, Lin Xili leaned back in the passenger seat and turned her head to look at Huo Nanchen's profile as he focused on driving.
She recalled the stories Lu Qingshu had told her about the past, how this man had spent his entire life searching for the warmth left behind by his mother.
Little did they know that the warmth they felt was tinged with calculation and exploitation from the very beginning.
She decided to let the secret remain buried forever; some truths are better left unknown.
Lin Xili glanced at the time on the GPS, "It's still early, shall we go for a walk in the seaside park?"
"good."
As the car turned onto the coastal road, the salty sea breeze rushed in through the half-open car window.
The seaside park was deserted at night, with only the sound of waves crashing on the shore.
The two walked slowly along the concrete path by the coast.
Lin Xili suddenly saw a young couple kissing by the railing not far ahead.
The boy gently put his arm around the girl's waist, and the girl tiptoed slightly. The scene was so tender that it softened even the night.
A smile unconsciously crept onto her lips, and her usually cool and aloof eyes were filled with warmth.
Just then, Huo Nanchen suddenly released her hand and pulled her into his arms.
Before she could react, he lowered his head and kissed her lips.
Huo Nanchen's hands firmly supported the back of her neck, and his thin lips captured her red lips, mixed with the slightly salty smell of the sea and the unique scent of his ambergris.
Lin Xili's heart skipped a beat, then she closed her eyes, put her hands through his suit jacket, and wrapped them around his firm waist and abdomen through his shirt, responding to his kiss.
After a long while, he slowly released her, his forehead still gently touching hers.
Lin Xili, slightly out of breath, looked up into his deep, dark eyes and murmured, "Dr. Huo is getting bolder and bolder."
“Yes,” he replied in a slightly hoarse voice, “you like it.”
He paused, then said, "This feeling is wonderful."
The two continued walking forward, when Lin Xili suddenly stopped and turned to face the sea.
The sea breeze ruffled her hair. She looked at the lighthouse in the distance and said softly, "Nan Chen, let's buy a house."
Huo Nanchen stood beside her, not replying immediately, but just quietly looking at her.
"The Justice Bureau dormitory is too small, with only one bedroom."
"I want to build a real home with you, a spacious living room, a sunny balcony for you to grow flowers, a study that we can both use, and a room for Grandma."
She paused, turned to face him, and reached out through her thin suit jacket, placing her palm on his heart through his shirt.
"More importantly, I know there's a forbidden zone here that I can never enter."
"But I will always keep a light on for you to come home, outside that restricted area."
Huo Nanchen was startled.
His throat felt like it was blocked by something, and he couldn't say a word.
For the first time, this man, who never shed a tear, felt his eyes welling up with hot, wet tears uncontrollably.
He opened his arms and pulled her tightly into his embrace, his chin resting lightly on the top of her head.
His voice was terribly hoarse, “Thank you for embracing my darkness.”
After the two embraced for a long, long time, Huo Nanchen finally spoke in a hoarse voice: "Okay, I'll pay for it."
To break the somewhat heavy atmosphere, Lin Xili moved slightly away from his embrace, looked up, and teased him with a smile.
"Dr. Huo, is the salary from your small-town health center enough to cover the down payment for a house in Xiangjiang City? Housing prices aren't cheap these days."
“I have money,” he said, pulling her forward with his arms around her waist. “I’ve saved it up over the years and haven’t spent much of it.”
Huo Nanchen was telling the truth. He had very low material desires, and besides, the development of virus antibodies would bring huge profits to the country.
The state will not treat them unfairly either, and will provide them with special allowances through various means. The amount in their accounts is much more substantial than she imagined.
He never took it to heart and never used it.
Lin Xili suddenly recalled the past and smiled broadly, "When I first transferred five thousand yuan to you for household expenses, I don't know who it was, but they were so proud that they returned it on the spot and said they didn't have the habit of spending women's money."
Huo Nanchen rarely showed a hint of embarrassment, so he coughed lightly and changed the subject, "The Bureau of Justice should have a housing subsidy policy for its employees?"
“Yes,” Lin Xili nodded, “With a doctoral degree and intermediate professional title, plus dual-income subsidies, we can probably apply for around 800,000 yuan.”
“Eight hundred thousand,” Huo Nanchen estimated in his mind, “I’ll take care of the rest. We’ll also withdraw our housing provident fund, that should be enough.”
“Let’s look at the location first. I want it to be close to my workplace. You’re on time for your clinic hours, so you can drive to and from get off work. I’d like you to pick me up from get off work, just like before.”
"Okay, I'll listen to you," he replied gently.
The two continued walking for a while, and the sound of the waves grew louder.
Huo Nanchen suddenly stopped and turned to face her. "Xi Li."
His voice sounded particularly deep in the sea breeze, "There's one more thing, I'd like to accompany you back to the Lin family."
Lin Xili's smile faded slightly, but this time she didn't look away.
He gently held her shoulders with both hands, "I know that the neglect they caused you since you were a child has brought you far more hurt than warmth."
"They may not be qualified parents, but by blood and by law, they are still your biological parents. For such a major event as marriage, it is only right and proper to inform them."
“I also want to tell them in person that everything you, Lin Xili, have now—your forensic title, doctoral degree, and social respect—is something you earned through your own hard work.”
"It's not the path you almost took back then, the path of exchanging marriage and health for personal gain."
Lin Xili's nose tingled slightly, and she lowered her eyes. "Yes, I know. In the past two years, they haven't called to ask me to do things I don't like. I know what you did."
Lu Qingshu had told her that before he left, he had Huo Nanyu warn the Lin family and Xu Yanchi.
The interference she hadn't witnessed firsthand brought her two years of peace, allowing her to focus on moving forward.
"They are nothing more than products of the rules of wealthy families. Your father is greedy, your mother is concerned with face, your brother is blindly obedient, and your sister is domineering."
"You've always wanted to prove yourself and gain their attention since you were little, but they've always ignored you. Let them see your value now, which is much better than any reasoning."
"Most importantly, Xili, if you want to move up to a higher position of power, you can't get around them in the background checks, so you have to do some superficial formalities."
"This may feel unfair, but your future career development cannot be separated from background checks. Although we don't have to forgive things when they happen, we must strive to surpass our long-term personal value."
Lin Xili was taken aback. "You don't really think I want to be the director of the Justice Bureau, do you? I don't have that ability."
“You said that your brother and sister-in-law have always been your idols, and that her career goal is not to become the director of the Justice Bureau, and you don’t want to stay at the level of senior forensic analyst forever.”
Huo Nanchen looked at her intently and continued firmly, "You chose the path of forensics because you didn't receive fairness when you were young, so you want to protect fairness for more people."
"But if you want to protect more fairness, you have to climb to a higher position of power. Also, abilities can be accumulated through experience."
He released her shoulder and instead took her hand. "My brother will keep an eye on the Lin family and won't let your family do anything that would affect the background check. Besides, although your father is materialistic, he still has vision and foresight."
Lin Xili choked up, her mouth opened and closed, but she couldn't say a word. She could only nod vigorously.
“Thank you, Nan Chen.” She looked up at his profile. “You’re right. They are my parents after all, and the bond can never be broken. I will fulfill my obligations as a child to my parents, and it’s also for my own sake.”
"Just keep moving forward!" He squeezed her hand. "All the flowers and applause you never had growing up, I'll give you from now on!"
Lin Xili's nose tingled, her eyes reddened, and she buried her face in his chest, "Huo Nanchen, why are you so good to me!"
"We are husband and wife, and lovers, it's only right!"
Lin Xili tilted her head back, stood on tiptoe, and couldn't help but kiss his lips again.
She kissed him deeply but slowly.
Huo Nanchen gently stroked the back of her head with one hand and tightly wrapped his other arm around her waist in response.
They were intertwined and could no longer be separated.
"Let's go home," Huo Nanchen said softly after a long silence.
"good."
He took her hand, their fingers intertwined, and slowly walked back along the path they had come from, while also slowly walking forward.
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