Chapter 92 Welcome Home, Huo Nanchen
Huo Nanchen ignored her request to go to the bedroom, instead pulling her even tighter into his arms, and with a twist, pinning her down on the sofa where she often sat reading.
The sofa sank heavily under the weight of the two people.
He propped himself up, looked down at her, his expression filled with desire, but also with an intense, unyielding affection and reminiscence.
His fingertips brushed against the strands of hair that fell across her cheek, his voice hoarse and deep with emotion: "Right here."
He could imagine the countless nights in the past when she sat here, legs curled up, her lonely silhouette as she read by the light of that lamp.
"You look beautiful sitting here reading."
She reached out, hooked her arm around his neck, and pulled him towards her, acknowledging his advances with her actions and responding with an even more passionate kiss.
Huo Nanchen's kisses landed again, from her forehead, eyebrows, nose, lips, chin, neck, collarbone...
The journey downwards was incredibly passionate.
He removed the last restraints from her body.
The living room air conditioner wasn't on, but the early autumn breeze blew in from the balcony door, bringing with it the increasingly rich fragrance of the blue plumbago plant outside the window.
The scent of blue snowflakes drifted into the room on the breeze, mingling with ambergris and a light, delicate snow fragrance, creating a unique and intimate scent for the two of them.
It added even more charm to the already beautiful spring scenery in the room.
The sofa was too narrow, so the two people's bodies had to be pressed even closer together.
Every time the waves crash against the rocks, it is a fusion of the souls of the sea and the rocks, and the groans they emit are the shared heartbeats of theirs.
It is a kind of fulfillment and completeness in both the soul and the body.
Sweat mingled, breaths mingled, and fragrance lingered.
He breathed heavily in her ear, calling her name with intense longing, "Xili..."
She whimpered beneath him, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the scars on his back, leaving faint red marks.
The fragrance of flowers undulates and ripples in the wind, like waves of flowers intimately intertwined with sunlight.
When the hurricane passed and calm returned, Huo Nanchen still held her tightly against his lower abdomen, making her lie more securely on top of him.
Their sweaty, sticky bodies pressed together, and they could clearly feel each other's heartbeats gradually calming down.
Lin Xili nestled against his chest and gently kissed the scar closest to her lips, her voice choked with emotion, "Welcome home, Huo Nanchen."
Huo Nanchen tightened his arms around her, rested his chin on the top of her head, and took a deep breath.
“Yes,” he closed his eyes, “I’m back.”
After a while, Huo Nanchen straightened up and picked her up. "Let's go wash up, then you rest for a bit, and I'll make dinner!"
Lin Xili buried her face in the crook of his neck, her voice hoarse with the aftermath, "There's no food in the fridge, we eat at the bureau's canteen all the time, and I haven't learned to cook in the last two years."
"I know, with me here, you'll never have to learn!"
He knew that in the past two years, she had to endure the torment of missing him while also taking time out of her demanding work to complete her doctoral studies, leaving her with no time to take good care of herself.
Huo Nanchen tightened his arms around her buttocks with heartache, then carried her and turned to walk towards the bathroom.
The warm water washed away the sticky sweat, and he helped her rinse her long hair, gently massaging her scalp with his fingertips.
Lin Xili nestled obediently in his arms, letting him serve her.
After drying her off, he dressed her properly and brought her some home clothes to wear. He then wrapped her wet hair in a towel.
"I'll go downstairs and buy some groceries first." He put her on the living room sofa, then turned and walked to the entryway to change his shoes.
Lin Xili dried her hair, watching as he changed his shoes and picked up his keys.
A warmth spread from my palms to my heart, and my eyes welled up with tears.
"Huo Nanchen," she called out to him.
"Hmm!" Huo Nanchen turned to look at her.
"Come back quickly!"
He looked at the woman on the sofa who was staring at him expectantly, her expression still showing lingering fear that was heartbreaking.
"Okay, there'll be a fresh food market nearby downstairs soon."
The door closed gently.
Lin Xili looked at the certificate on the coffee table, Lan Xuehua, and then her gaze fell on the familiar black suitcase in the entryway that hadn't been unpacked yet.
She put down the towel in her hand, went forward and dragged the suitcase to the bedroom, opened it, and inside were the clothes Huo Nanchen had worn two years ago.
She took out the clothes one by one and carefully ironed them before hanging them in the closet, as if only then truly feeling that he had returned.
After dinner.
After washing up, the first night after their long separation was not suitable for reading; it was better to lie in bed together and enjoy the warmth of their long-awaited reunion.
Lin Xili buried her face in Huo Nanchen's bare chest, her cheek pressed against his left pectoral muscle.
“We’re divorced,” she said with a hint of mockery, “and you’re still doing this kind of thing, Dr. Huo. Where’s your traditional upbringing?”
Huo Nanchen's arm encircled her smooth back, his hand gently stroking her shoulder blades.
Hearing this, he chuckled softly, "Then let's get the marriage certificate tomorrow morning."
Lin Xili raised her head, resting her chin on his chest, "Our first marriage certificate was made by Grandma secretly slipping a red envelope and photoshopping our ID photos together. It looks weird."
“Mm,” he replied, brushing aside the damp strands of hair on her forehead with his fingers. “We’ll reshoot tomorrow, and make sure it looks good.”
Lin Xili's smile deepened.
She forced herself to get off him despite her aching body, lay down on her side next to him, and reached out to open the drawer of the bedside table.
She took out a familiar-looking small wooden box, the very one she had locked inside the blue snowflake pendant two years ago.
Press the clasp, the box opens, and the warm blue snowflake pendant lies quietly on the deep blue velvet cushion.
In the past two years, she would occasionally open it to take a look, but she never took it out or wore it.
It's as if, within the box, the past and the waiting that she forcibly sealed away can maintain a self-deceiving state of pause.
She picked up the pendant and handed it to Huo Nanchen, saying, "I've been waiting for you to come back, and I want you to put it back on for me personally."
Huo Nanchen did not take it immediately, but instead sat up and picked up the blue snowflake pendant from the bedside table.
He handed his own pendant to her as well, saying, "Okay, mine too, you can help me put it on."
Lin Xili sat up, and Huo Nanchen also sat up.
The two knelt facing each other on the bed. Lin Xili leaned forward, wrapped her arms around his neck, and carefully fastened the silver chain.
Huo Nanchen lowered his head, looking at the pendant on his chest that she had personally put on him, and his Adam's apple bobbed.
He then picked up hers and gestured for her to turn around.
Lin Xili obediently turned around, her back to him, and lifted her long hair, revealing her slender, snow-white nape and smooth back.
She could feel his warm breath brushing against the back of her neck, and she could feel his slender fingers wrapping the cool chain around her neck.
Then, a heavy kiss landed on the hollow of her spine at the back of her neck.
She trembled slightly.
The blue snowflake jade pendant fell, landing precisely below her collarbone, on the skin he had lingered and kissed countless times.
Lin Xili turned around, and both of them wore the blue snowflake symbolizing perseverance, waiting, and reunion around their necks.
Their gazes met and intertwined in the air, silently confirming the reality and possession of this moment.
Huo Nanchen reached out and gently lifted the pendant on her chest with his fingertips, his fingertips caressing the warm, smooth jade surface.
“Xi Li,” his voice was deep and solemn, “you are very brave.”
Lin Xili understood.
He was referring to her two years of solitary waiting and perseverance, and to her resolute choice after learning the truth.
It refers to how she, even now, facing a scarred man and an uncertain future, still accepts and embraces him without reservation.
She nodded, without feigning modesty, and readily accepted his words.
Then, she leaned forward, cupped his face in her hands, and looked down at his slightly bobbing, sexy Adam's apple.
She leaned in and kissed his Adam's apple.
When the soft lips touch the skin, you can feel the Adam's apple sliding beneath the skin.
She started from his Adam's apple, continued upwards, kissed his jawline, and finally stopped at his lips.
Her warm breath touched his lips. "Then I'll call you 'husband' in advance."
These two words caused Huo Nanchen's eyes to darken suddenly. He stretched out his arm, pulled her into his arms, and held her tightly.
After a long pause, he finally let out a low, satisfied murmur from deep in his throat: "Mmm."
He pushed her away slightly, looked into her eyes, and added the title: "Wife."
The way he uttered those two words carried a possessive and infinitely tender power.
“The wedding,” he continued, “how about we have it back in small town?”
There were no grand hotels, no elaborate ceremonies, and no guests from Hong Kong who required entertaining.
That's where their story truly began, and where they could temporarily shed all pretense and burdens.
Lin Xili answered without hesitation, "Okay."
Huo Nanchen lowered his head and kissed her upper lip, this time a slow, lingering kiss full of promise.
The kiss deepened, and their breathing became heavy again.
But this time, before losing control, Huo Nanchen stepped back slightly, his forehead touching hers, his breathing a little unsteady.
"Rest tonight, we need to get up early tomorrow."
He meant going to the Civil Affairs Bureau, and after receiving the certificate, everyone would have to go back to work.
Lin Xili smiled; he really hadn't changed at all.
Her fingertips traced irregularly along his muscular waist. "It's only 9:30 at night. Are you sure you can fall asleep?"
Huo Nanchen's breath hitched, and his eyes instantly darkened like night.
He looked into her eyes, which were filled with a crystalline light, and couldn't help but slip a hand under the back of her neck, pulling her into his embrace. His deep, dangerous voice rang out, "Hmm, it's still early."
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