Chapter 440 Our meeting is inevitable
On the third morning on Xingyue Island, sunlight poured into the bedroom through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting mottled shadows on the teak floor.
Yun Zheng woke up in Fu Linghe's arms, his arms still around her waist, her breathing even and long.
She turned carefully, her fingertips gently tracing his sleeping outline.
"Have you seen enough?" Fu Linghe suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse from waking up in the morning.
He closed his eyes, accurately caught her restless fingers, placed them on his lips and bit them lightly.
Yun Zheng's ears felt hot. "You're pretending to be asleep!"
Fu Linghe opened his eyes, his eyes filled with smiles.
He turned over and pressed her under him, the morning light gilding him.
"It's not illegal for Mrs. Fu to peek at her husband." He bent down and kissed her. The kiss was long and gentle, with the scent of sea breeze.
Fu Linghe didn't let go until Yun Zheng was out of breath and pushed him away.
"I'm not going out today," he said, twirling his fingertips through her hair. "There's a hot spring in the backyard."
Yun Zheng's eyes lit up.
After getting up and having breakfast, the couple went to the hot spring together.
The open-air hot spring in the backyard of the villa is surrounded by lush tropical plants, and the steaming hot air looks like flowing silk in the morning light.
She lay by the pool, watching Fu Linghe's back as he adjusted the water temperature.
The water droplets slid down his tense back muscles, stayed briefly at his waist, and finally sank into the water.
"Come here." Fu Linghe turned around and opened his arms.
Yun Zheng slid into his arms like a fish, and the warm water wrapped around her limbs.
His palms were placed on her lower back, kneading it just right.
"Still sore?" He was referring to the muscle soreness she complained about while riding a horse the day before.
Yun Zheng shook her head, resting her forehead against his collarbone. "You're better than a masseur."
Fu Linghe chuckled softly, and the vibration of his chest was transmitted to her through the water surface.
He suddenly leaned close to her ear and asked, "Can you dive?"
"Hmm?" Yun Zheng raised her head and nuzzled his chin. "No."
"I'll teach you this afternoon." His fingertips tapped lightly on her spine, as if playing some kind of music. "The coral reefs here are beautiful."
In the afternoon sun, Fu Linghe was organizing his equipment in the diving preparation room of the villa.
Yun Zheng walked in and saw him carefully checking the regulator. His profile looked particularly focused under the professional lighting.
Noticing her gaze, Fu Linghe waved, "Let's learn the theory first."
For the next half hour, he explained in more detail than a professional coach.
From water pressure changes to ear pressure balance, from breathing techniques to gesture communication, even every possible unexpected situation is listed with a response plan.
Yun Zheng sat cross-legged in front of him, and suddenly remembered that he did the same thing when he taught her to ride a horse.
He shared all his experience with everyone, no matter how big or small the matter was.
"Remember, if you feel uncomfortable at any time, let me know immediately." Fu Linghe finally checked her mask, pressing his thumb against her cheekbone to ensure a tight seal. "I will always be within your reach."
Before going into the sea, Fu Linghe insisted on doing adaptive training in shallow waters.
He half-knelt in the water, his hands firmly supporting Yun Zheng's waist and abdomen. "Breathe slowly, yes, like this."
His voice was a little distorted through the mask, but the encouragement in his eyes was clearly audible.
When Yun Zheng successfully completed a full breathing cycle underwater for the first time, he gave a thumbs up, and the smile lines at the corners of his eyes looked particularly gentle in the rippling waves.
When they really dived into the deep sea, Yun Zheng held Fu Linghe's hand tightly and refused to let go.
The sunlight penetrated the sea surface to form swaying beams of light, and thousands of tropical fish passed by them like flowing silk.
Fu Linghe guided her to touch a piece of orange coral, and the rough touch made her open her eyes wide in surprise.
He drew a smiley face on the writing board and pushed it to her. Yun Zheng smiled and blew out a string of bubbles, and suddenly found that the fear had disappeared.
Where he is, even the deep sea becomes warm and safe.
When passing a patch of anemones on the way back, Fu Linghe suddenly signaled to stop.
He pointed to a purple anemone and saw several clownfish darting between its tentacles.
Yun Zheng was so fascinated by what she was watching that she didn't notice what Fu Linghe took out from the secret pocket of his diving suit.
It was not until he gently pulled her wrist that she turned around and saw a pearl ring lying in his palm, gleaming softly in the dark blue water.
Yun Zheng's breathing stopped.
Fu Linghe slowly and solemnly knelt on one knee on the sand, stirring up a fine cloud of dust.
He pointed to his heart, then to her, and finally made a heart shape with his hands.
This wordless proposal made Yun Zheng's eyes warm. She saw the light flashing in Fu Linghe's eyes that was brighter than any jewel.
She nodded vigorously, nearly knocking over her clipboard as she extended her finger.
Fu Linghe was a little clumsy when he put the ring on her finger.
When the pearl was finally slipped onto her ring finger, he pulled her into his arms.
The slight sound of the masks colliding was carried away by the current, but the kiss with the salty taste of sea water was forever imprinted in my memory.
It was dusk when we returned to the villa.
Yun Zheng curled up on the lounge chair on the terrace, turning the pearl ring on her ring finger from time to time.
This ring has a unique shape. Two South Sea white pearls of similar size overlap to form the symbol of ∞, symbolizing eternity.
"Why pearls?" she asked Fu Linghe who was pouring champagne.
He put down the bottle and gently stroked the ring with his fingertips. "Pearls need time to grow, just like our feelings."
The setting sun gilded his eyelashes with gold, "and they are not afraid of erosion by the sea water. The more they are polished, the brighter they become."
These words made Yun Zheng's heart tremble.
She thought of everything they had been through: misunderstandings, separations, life-and-death tests, all of which eventually became nutrients that nourished their love.
Fu Linghe handed over a champagne glass with finely crushed sea salt on the rim.
They clinked their glasses, and the bubbles rose and burst in the twilight, like those unexpressible throbbings.
As the night deepened, Fu Linghe lit a bonfire on the beach.
The firelight illuminated Yun Zheng's profile, and she suddenly said, "If I hadn't met you, where would I be now? Who would be by my side?"
Fu Linghe paused as he was fiddling with the fire.
Sparks crackled, illuminating his suddenly tense jawline.
"No ifs." His voice was low. "I will find you."
"just in case……"
"There's no such thing as a one-time event." Fu Linghe interrupted her, his eyes sharp as a sword. "The moment you rescued me in high school, I knew I was doomed to die in your hands."
He laughed self-deprecatingly and said, "When we met again at a cocktail party later, I recognized him at first sight."
Yun Zheng opened her eyes wide in shock.
The sound of the waves suddenly became distant, leaving only my own accelerated heartbeat in my ears. "So you were..."
"Did you deliberately knock over your champagne?" Fu Linghe took over her words, a sly smile on his face. "Of course. Otherwise, how would you have the chance to strike up a conversation?"
Yun Zheng buried her face in her palms, and the fragments of memory suddenly connected into a line.
He always showed up when she needed him, knew all her preferences, and even remembered the little habits she wasn't aware of. "Did you plan this a long time ago?"
Fu Linghe took her hand, and the pearls shone with iridescence in the firelight.
"From the day I saw you, my life was destined to cross your path."
He rubbed his thumb against the base of her finger. "It's just a matter of time."
These words were like a key, clicking open a locked box in Yun Zheng's heart.
When tears blurred her vision, she saw the endless starry sky behind Fu Linghe, and only her reflection was reflected in his eyes.
"So don't dwell on hypotheticals that haven't happened." He kissed away the tears from her eyes. "I promise, no matter which timeline it happens in, Fu Linghe will fall in love with Yun Zheng."
The waves gently hit the shore and the bonfire gradually dies down.
Yun Zheng leaned on his shoulder, listening to his steady and strong heartbeat.
The pearl ring shines brightly in the moonlight, just like their love that has gone through hardships but becomes more and more brilliant.
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