Chapter 180 Let’s Sleep Here Tonight

It was quiet at night, and there were quick and light footsteps on the wooden floor of the second floor. Shuang Xu trotted downstairs in her pajamas and ran quickly through the dark living room.

The light next to the sofa was suddenly turned on, and she was startled as she was about to run out. Only then did she realize Shen Yu was sitting there.

"Brother? Why aren't you asleep so late?"

"I was thinking about something and accidentally fell asleep." Shen Yu was still wearing a shirt and trousers, and his tie was not untied. He rubbed his tired brows and asked her, "Do you want to go out?"

Shuang Xu hummed, "Brother Tingzhou is outside. I'll go out and talk to him."

Shen Yu didn't know the time. He raised his wrist and looked at the moving pointer. He was silent for a few seconds and said, "Wait a moment."

He stood up and left the living room. Shuang Xu didn't know where he was going. He tiptoed towards the door, glanced at the late night outside, then turned back to look in the direction Shen Yu left.

She was like an impatient child, spinning her slippers around and around in the same place.

Although He Tingzhou had already been waiting outside for two hours, and a minute or two wouldn't make a difference, she was still a little anxious.

Soon Shen Yu came back. He took out a beige cashmere shawl and put it on Shuang Xu: "It's cold at night. Don't stay outside for too long."

Shuang Xu nodded, and the next moment he turned around and ran out impatiently.

The night wind does have a hint of autumn, blowing away the remaining heat from the summer, and the air is dry and slightly cool.

She quickly jumped down the stairs in her slippers. Outside the ironwork gate, an adult Doberman was waiting with his head cocked.

The electric door opened, and it first circled around Shuangxu's legs, then scurried to the front with its tail wagging, leading the way.

The parking spot was no more than a hundred meters away from the gate. On the dark road late at night, the fierce and majestic Doberman led her and ran towards He Tingzhou.

When they got closer, Shuang Xu saw that He Tingzhou was wearing pajamas.

He actually drove half an hour to come here in his pajamas.

Shuang Xu didn't know what to say to him: "Are you stupid? Why are you running here so late at night?"

He Tingzhou lowered his dark eyelashes, and the words "I miss you" made Shuang Xu's words stuck in his throat.

"Why didn't you call me to wake me up when you came? You're just waiting here. If I didn't wake up by myself, how long would you wait? Are you stupid?"

He Tingzhou used his fingertips to pry open the hair that was stuck to her lips and said lazily, "Who said I was waiting? If not, how did you wake up?"

Shuang Xu himself didn’t know why he woke up, maybe he really had a dream.

She touched He Tingzhou, and her silk pajamas became cool in the night wind.

"Are you cold?" She touched He Tingzhou's face and felt the same temperature as his body. "Don't you know to wait in the car?"

"I want to be closer to you."

Shuang Xu was about to be defeated by him.

She opened her shawl and wrapped his wind-chilled body around it.

The cashmere shawl was very warm, and her warm breath mixed with the clean and refreshing scent of white tea surrounded He Tingzhou.

He took advantage of the situation and put his arms around her, lowered his head, rested his chin on her shoulder, and leaned his 1.88-meter-tall body against her 1.66-meter-tall body.

Only by hugging her warm body would that disgusting, quiet darkness retreat and move away from him.

Shuang Xu hugged him tightly with his arms and supported his heavy weight with his thin shoulders.

Very comfortable, He Tingzhou hugged her and leaned against her, his body seemed to relax: "Song Shuangxu, did you do it?"

"You are made of stone," Shuangxu said. "So heavy."

He Tingzhou grabbed a piece of white flesh on her shoulder with his teeth and bit it.

It wasn't severe but there was a slight pain. Shuang Xu hissed softly: "Why did you bite me?"

He Tingzhou kissed it again, as if to make up for it: "I'm hungry."

“…”

It's not that Shuang Xu is unaware of his abnormal behavior today.

She was more sensitive than anyone else to He Tingzhou's emotional changes, even though his face, which Xiao Liao privately rated as the most handsome man in the world, never showed any distinct expressions.

She didn't know what was going on, but she felt that he needed her at this moment.

The private road was empty at night and no one was disturbing them. The two of them hugged each other in the wind.

I don’t know how long I held her like this, but He Tingzhou’s body slowly warmed up.

Shuang Xu suddenly asked, "Can you jump twice by yourself?"

He Tingzhou raised his eyebrows: "Why do you want to jump?"

"I can't hold you." Shuang Xu said, "Can you shake yourself?"

Shake off your tears and tell her what's hidden in your heart.

He Tingzhou didn't say anything. After a few seconds, or maybe longer, he slowly stood up from her shoulder.

Shuang Xu looked at him, her almond eyes filled with pure and serious concern.

"You always told me to tell you everything and express my thoughts, and not to keep them to myself. But I also want to understand you, to know what you are afraid of, and to know what is bothering you."

She asked him, "He Tingzhou, are you willing to tell me?"

The breeze blows past my ears, and the shadows of the trees rustle overhead.

The silence lasted for a long time between the two of them. He Tingzhou's eyes seemed to be eroded by ink, so dark that it was difficult to see clearly.

His voice was extremely gentle, but he said, "You can know everything about me except this one thing."

Shuang Xu's expectations were dashed, but his avoidance didn't seem to be surprising.

A gifted man like He Tingzhou was so powerful that he was hateful in the eyes of many people, and so rich that he was envied in the eyes of many people, but no one knew what he went through after he was kidnapped at the age of six.

That was He Qingwei's medal of honor, but also He Tingzhou's injury.

The glorious story is always sung by people, and everyone knows that his mother died in a drug bust at the border, but how did she die and what happened during that time are all unknown, like a rope being cut at the waist, and the rest of the rope disappears into thin air.

People who don't know the He family firmly believe that she was brutally murdered by drug dealers in revenge, while those who are familiar with the He family are more likely to talk about it.

Even Yue Zifeng didn't know the inside story of this matter.

He Tingzhou doesn't take anything seriously, but this matter is a minefield that cannot be touched.

Shuang Xu wanted to understand him, to understand the things buried deep in his heart, but she didn't dare to easily expose his scars, because she knew that the wounds underneath had never healed.

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it." Shuang Xu asked, "Are you happier now?"

He Tingzhou said, "I am so happy."

That's not the case. Shuang Xu coaxed: "It's late, you should go back quickly."

"Yeah." He Tingzhou responded, his hands still on her waist, not moving.

Shuang Xu touched his face like coaxing a child: "Be good. I'll be back tomorrow."

He Tingzhou slowly took off his shawl, wrapped it around her, and tied both of her arms inside, wrapping her up like a dumpling.

Then he held her shoulders and turned her 180 degrees so that she was facing the return path.

Just as Shuang Xu was about to lift his feet, his ears were suddenly covered by his hand.

All the sounds around disappeared. He Tingzhou said something, but the sound seemed to be blocked by a layer of protection, wrapped in the wind, muffled and unclear.

Shuang Xu's heart couldn't help beating wildly. A warm and tender kiss fell on the top of her head. He Tingzhou let go of her ears and gently pushed her forward.

"Okay. Let's go back."

Shuang Xu was pushed a few steps and looked back at him.

She didn't say anything, just looked at him straight with her eyes raised.

He Tingzhou knew she heard it.

He didn't want to say that too early. They started at different points, and the depth and length of their emotions were also different.

He didn't want to put pressure on her like the jade bracelet did, so he could wait for her pace and wait for her to slowly walk to the same position.

But tonight he wanted to talk.

Shuang Xu looked at him for a while, then turned and walked back home.

After walking a dozen meters, she turned back again.

He Tingzhou was still leaning on the car, Wansui squatted beside his legs, watching her go with him.

It was nearly three in the morning, and it would be daybreak soon. The night was already halfway over and would not be too long.

But she hesitated for a moment, and was still overcome by an impulse. She turned around and strode back, reaching out her hand from under her shawl and holding He Tingzhou's wrist.

"Come with me."

She took He Tingzhou's hand and walked towards the Shen family's house, passed the gate, and walked up the stairs into the courtyard.

He Tingzhou raised his eyebrows slightly: "Why did you bring me in? Are you planning to hide your beloved in a golden house?"

Shuang Xu said, "You can sleep here tonight. You won't be able to sleep if you go back anyway."

"I have no objection. I only recognize people, not beds." He Tingzhou said with a considerate attitude. "But how is your brother's blood pressure recently? Can he withstand the shock tomorrow morning?"

"...My brother's blood pressure is fine." The ones with high blood pressure are Shen Changyuan and Fu Yun.

It was certainly not right to bring a person of the opposite sex home in the middle of the night without the permission of the elders, but compared to the customary etiquette and the surprise and possible blame from Fu Yun and Shen Changyuan when they woke up the next morning, she was more reluctant to let He Tingzhou go back alone to face the darkness that he feared the most.

"Tomorrow morning I'll tell my godfather and godmother that you can come out first, to give them some time to prepare themselves."

The worst that can happen is a few scoldings.

"Is one morning enough for them to digest it? Or should I hide for a few more days?"

"You wish."

He Tingzhou curled his lips and his mood suddenly became very good.

Inexplicably happy.

He had been to the Shen family many times, and for the first time he noticed that the trees in the yard were well planted. The water in the swimming pool was sparkling. When he passed by, he stopped for a moment and looked at the light blue tiles in the water.

Then he was dragged away by Shuang Xu.

He followed her into the living room at a leisurely pace and up the spiral staircase to the second floor.

Shuang Xu walked very lightly and tiptoed as if she was doing something bad. She brought He Tingzhou to the door of her room.

Shen Yu was next door, so he should be asleep, right? She was afraid of waking him up, so she was very careful when she turned the door handle. She couldn't be more cautious when she broke into a bank vault to steal gold bars.

He Tingzhou stood behind her. As Shuang Xu just opened the door, he patted her shoulder.

"Turn around."

"Tsk...speak a little more quietly." Shuang Xu turned his head nervously, but suddenly froze halfway through his gaze.

Shen Yu hadn't slept yet. He hadn't changed his shirt yet. He stood at the bedroom door, looking at them calmly.

He Tingzhou showed no sign of being embarrassed by being caught by his girlfriend's parents at her home late at night. He calmly said to Shuang Xu, "Say hello to your brother."