Chapter 93 I Will Always Be Here
When Lin Xili woke up, she was still firmly held in Huo Nanchen's arms, his breath gently brushing against the back of her neck.
"Awake?" A deep voice came from behind, with the hoarseness characteristic of someone just waking up.
Lin Xili gave a soft "hmm" and did not turn around immediately.
She needed a few seconds to adjust to this long-lost intimacy, not the passionate fusion of yesterday, but the everyday embrace she had regained upon waking this morning.
Huo Nanchen tightened his grip on her arm. "Lie down for another five minutes."
Five minutes later, Lin Xili sat up first, the thin blanket slipped off her shoulders, revealing skin covered with ambiguous marks.
She still had a blush of embarrassment on her face and quickly grabbed her pajamas to cover herself.
After yesterday's passion subsided and they finished washing up, Lin Xili didn't let him put on pajamas for her.
She wanted to fall asleep naked in each other's arms, even if it was self-deception, she still wanted to use her delicate and soft skin to smooth out the bumpy scars on his body.
Huo Nanchen also sat up, revealing his upper body, and looked at her flustered movements with tender eyes.
After washing up, Lin Xili opened the wardrobe and took out a pair of light blue jeans and a white shirt.
The denim fabric was soft yet crisp, conforming to her slender waist as it tapered down, wrapping around her long legs. The slightly tapered cuffs accentuated her delicate and exquisite ankles.
She had unbuttoned one button at the collar of her white shirt, revealing her collarbone with red marks and a blue snowflake pendant.
Huo Nanchen was also dressed neatly, wearing a white shirt without a tie, with the top button undone, paired with dark suit trousers.
Her long, shapely legs were encased in crisp trousers, and even though she was wearing navy blue sandals that revealed a section of her clearly defined ankles, it did not diminish her innate noble and upright temperament, but rather added a touch of casual laziness.
Lin Xili was momentarily stunned. She stepped forward and stood in front of him, raising her hand to straighten his slightly open collar. "Dr. Huo, you're so handsome!"
Huo Nanchen's gaze shifted from her smiling eyes to her open neckline, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly and his brow furrowing.
He raised his hand, pinched the unbuttoned button on his shirt with his fingertips, and buttoned it up without hesitation.
His collar pulled up instantly, covering her collarbone, and the back of his fingers brushed against the skin on the side of her neck. "Be careful not to catch a cold."
Lin Xili couldn't help but chuckle. "Dr. Huo, shouldn't we be careful of heatstroke in this sweltering heat? When did our Dr. Huo become so domineering, hmm?"
Huo Nanchen lowered his head and kissed the corner of her lips, responding softly with a "Mmm".
He then pointed to the chair in front of the dressing table, "Sit down."
Lin Xili obediently sat down and watched him pick up a comb and awkwardly comb her slightly disheveled long hair that she had slept through the night, looking through the mirror.
"You can even comb hair?" Lin Xili couldn't help but ask.
"No," Huo Nanchen readily admitted, "but I can learn."
Lin Xili watched quietly through the mirror as he clumsily straightened her long hair, divided it into three sections, and tried to braid a simple braid.
The first time, her braids came undone loosely.
Huo Nanchen paused for a moment, then disassembled it and started over.
The second time it twisted and turned.
"Or maybe I should do it myself..." Lin Xili had just started to speak when he was gently interrupted.
"It's okay, I'll do it."
On the third attempt, his fingers finally found the knack, and the three strands of hair intertwined nimbly at his fingertips, forming a neat side braid.
Finally, he picked up a dark blue hair tie from the dressing table and carefully tied the ends of her hair.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Lin Xili noticed that although her hairstyle was a bit too simple, it made her look much more sunny and youthful.
"Wait a minute," Huo Nanchen suddenly said.
He turned around and rummaged through the bedside table drawer, and after a moment, he came out with an unopened lipstick.
"Applying lipstick makes you look more energetic."
He unpacked the product, twisted up the lipstick, and found it to be a very true bean paste color—understated yet enhancing his complexion.
Lin Xili looked at him in surprise: "You even prepared this?"
Huo Nanchen didn't answer. He simply leaned down, gently lifted her chin with one hand, and held the lipstick in the other, starting to apply it to her face with utmost care.
The distance was too close; close enough that she could see the curve of his eyelashes and feel the warmth of his breath.
His movements were still clumsy; he applied the lipstick rather slowly, and the edges needed careful touch-ups.
Lin Xili held her breath, looking at his focused profile in the mirror, her heart aching with tenderness.
After applying the color, Huo Nanchen examined it carefully for a few seconds, then gently wiped away a little excess color from the corner of his lips with his fingertip.
"I've never worn lipstick before, why did you buy this?"
Huo Nanchen closed the lipstick cap, placed it on the dressing table, put his hands on her shoulders, and looked at her in the mirror.
"When I first visited the Lin family, your room was full of professional books."
"On the desk, even on the bedside table, there were no dolls, no cosmetics or skincare products. Basically, apart from clothes, there was nothing that belonged to a girl."
Lin Xili listened quietly. It was a world she had deliberately created. From childhood to adulthood, Song Yuan always bought things for Lin Xuenuo but never for her. She always felt that Lin Xuenuo didn't need them, so Lin Xili pretended not to need them either.
But she was also a girl, and she also had a desire to own toys that belonged to girls.
He realized that she also wanted it, but they weren't familiar with each other at the beginning, and he was afraid of causing her trouble. Now he wanted to make up for it for her one by one.
He's always like that.
Lin Xili lowered her eyes, her voice choked with emotion, "If you give me all this, won't my aloof and distant persona be ruined?"
Huo Nanchen bent down and wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder.
In the mirror, their faces were very close. "No, you can be cute with me."
These words were so unlike anything Huo Nanchen would say, yet they came out of his mouth so naturally.
Lin Xili felt her ears burning. She turned her head and met his eyes, which were so close to hers.
"Dr. Huo, are you flirting with me?"
Huo Nanchen did not reply to her.
Lin Xili couldn't help but smile, her lipstick-covered lips curving into a beautiful arc, instantly making her face look even more radiant and gentle.
Huo Nanchen straightened up and extended his hand to her. "Let's go."
Lin Xili placed her hand in his palm, and he gently pulled her up.
The two checked the required documents one last time: ID cards and divorce certificates, for the purpose of remarrying.
Before leaving, Lin Xili glanced back at the room.
The bed was a mess from last night's passionate lovemaking, and the used lipstick sat on the dressing table; everything exuded the atmosphere of everyday life.
Huo Nanchen followed her gaze and squeezed her hand: "I'll clean up when I get off work tonight."
"Mm." Lin Xili nodded.
As the elevator descended, the two stood side by side, their reflections shimmering in the mirrored elevator doors.
Looking at the mauve lipstick on her lips in the mirror, Lin Xili suddenly praised, "You chose a good lipstick color."
"I've been studying it for a long time," Huo Nanchen said calmly, his eyes fixed ahead.
When was the research conducted?
"A long time ago."
Lin Xili immediately understood, "You realized your feelings for me before I did, but at that time you weren't sure if I was interested, and you were afraid of bothering me, so you didn't dare to give it to me. Later, when we confirmed our feelings, you wanted to give it to me, but then..."
Lin Xili couldn't continue speaking; her throat tightened and her nose stung.
Huo Nanchen gripped her hand tightly, "It's okay, we'll have a chance in the future!"
"Okay!" Lin Xili suppressed her bitterness and nodded vigorously.
The elevator arrived at the first floor, and the doors opened.
Huo Nanchen still held her hand, and the morning breeze ruffled the stray hairs on her cheeks, dispelling the last trace of unreality in her mind.
This is not a dream.
He really came back.
They really are going to start over.
Before getting into the car, Lin Xili suddenly grabbed Huo Nanchen's sleeve.
He turned to look at her; in the morning light, the color of her lipstick was both gentle and resolute.
“Thank you,” she said softly, “thank you for remembering.”
Thank you for remembering my unseen desires. Thank you for telling me that she, too, longed to be cared for, like Lin Xili.
Huo Nanchen didn't say anything, but simply leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead.
The car drove out of the residential area and merged into the morning traffic of Xiangjiang City.
While waiting at a red light, Huo Nanchen turned to look at her: "Nervous?"
Lin Xili nodded honestly: "A little."
It's not the marriage itself that's stressful, but the feeling of losing something and starting over.
The light turned green, and Huo Nanchen restarted the car, his voice steady, "Don't be nervous, I'll be here."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com