Chapter 75 Before the End
The bathroom was filled with steam, and water droplets condensed on the glass slowly slid down.
Yan Shuang sat in front of the dressing table wrapped in a bath towel, her cheeks flushed from the steam, and water dripping from her hair.
Shangqiu Zhu stood behind her, holding a towel to dry her hair, his gaze falling on a red mark on her shoulder, his eyes darkening slightly.
"Gurgle..."
An untimely noise suddenly broke the silence of the bedroom.
Yan Shuang's body stiffened, and the tips of her ears turned red at a visible speed.
Shangqiu Zhu paused, then lowered his head and kissed the corner of her pursed lips: "Hungry?"
His voice was still hoarse from the affair, and he smiled knowingly as he asked the question.
She pretended not to hear and looked down at the skincare product bottle.
But he still wouldn't let her go.
"Did you expend too much energy?"
"Shangqiu Zhu!" Yan Shuang slapped his hand in embarrassment and annoyance, but he pulled her into his arms.
The towel slipped halfway down, and she hurriedly reached for it, only to hear a low, husky laugh from above her: "My fault."
He looked down and asked, "What would you like to eat?"
Yan Shuang buried her face in his chest and mumbled, "...instant noodles."
"no."
"Then I'll just go hungry."
Shangqiu Zhu sighed and picked the person up in his arms.
Yan Shuang exclaimed in surprise and wrapped her arms around his neck: "What are you doing?"
"Cook noodles." He carried her to the kitchen.
Yan Shuang sat barefoot on the dining table, watching Shang Qiuzhu's busy figure in front of the stove. Her bathrobe was loosely tied around her waist, revealing a large expanse of honey-colored back muscles.
She suddenly remembered a certain night.
It was a late night like this, after an affair.
But at that time, she was the one standing in the kitchen, while he was the one sitting at the dining table waiting.
At that time, Shangqiu Zhu sat at the dining table, his eyes frighteningly clear, and said, "Medium-rare is enough."
What was she thinking at that time?
They were probably counting down the days, each day feeling like a year.
Every second felt infinitely long back then.
She told herself every day to persevere, and that each day she persevered would bring her one day closer to freedom.
So she counted the minute hand moving across the clock face, counted the keystrokes at the office, and counted the frequency of his breathing in bed.
If she can just get through this, she can leave unscathed once he and his sister get married.
That's how I got through that nerve-wracking time.
But what about now?
Now she sits on his dining table, swinging her legs as she waits for him to cook noodles.
She stopped counting the days at some point.
Pairs of toothbrushes in the bathroom, clothes mixed together in the closet, every night she fell asleep in his arms.
These trivial daily occurrences, like sand flowing in an hourglass, accumulate silently, and by the time she comes to her senses, she is almost submerged.
She was not unaware of the changes in Shangqiu bamboo.
The out-of-print finance book she casually mentioned will soon appear in the most prominent position in the study.
When she was barefoot on the floor, he would frown, pick her up, and place her on his slippers.
She had menstrual cramps, and he kept his palm on her lower abdomen all night without moving it.
She would wake up from nightmares and always find herself staring into his already awake eyes, only to be pulled into his arms.
But she never dared to let herself indulge in it.
Having been neglected and treated coldly since childhood, she learned to lower her expectations to the minimum.
Sincerity is like the hair tie you used to tie your hair when you were a child. You clearly remember it being tied tightly to your braid, but as soon as you turn around, it comes loose and falls off without you even realizing it.
By the time she found it, her hair was already a mess, and the hair tie was gone forever.
She wouldn't ask him why.
I won't ask Shangqiu Zhu why you're so good to me.
She couldn't bring herself to ask that sentimental question.
She was like someone standing on the edge of a cliff catching snowflakes, both craving the glistening snowflakes in her palm and knowing full well that even the most beautiful snow would eventually melt.
Everything has an expiration date.
She already has far more than she expected.
She dared not, and could not, ask for any more.
When Shangqiu Zhu came out carrying a bowl of noodles, Yan Shuang had already composed herself and had a faint smile on her face.
Under the light, her eyes curved into crescents, as if her moment of distraction had never existed.
He placed the bowl on the table, put his arm around her waist from the counter, lifted her down with one hand, and placed her on the dining chair.
As soon as Yan Shuang sat down, she picked up her chopsticks to put them in her mouth, but Shang Qiuzhu grabbed her wrist.
"Hot." He frowned, then bent down and gently blew on the noodles. "What's the rush?"
Yan Shuang smiled and obediently waited for him to cool her down.
"By the way, the school project is almost finished, and we're in the final sprint now. I'd like to ask you for two weeks off, is that alright?"
Shangqiu Zhu didn't object, "Hmm, let..."
“I know, I know!” Yan Shuang interrupted him, “Let General Zhan, who has a distinguished military record, escort me.”
She deliberately dragged out her words, mimicking his usual serious tone, "Special forces retired, seven years of undercover experience, one against ten, right?"
She added the following words, and even waved her fist as she spoke.
Shangqiu Zhu pinched her cheek and said, "Remember to eat on time."
The two of them finished a bowl of noodles together, and the sky outside the window was already beginning to lighten.
She then belatedly realized that she had slept a wink last night, but Shangqiu Zhu hadn't slept at all.
He came home from work late last night. She vaguely remembered that he was sitting in front of the computer helping her modify the model, and then... he's been busy until now.
Her ears burned, and she secretly looked up at Shangqiu Zhu, who had already stood up and was clearing away the dishes.
Only then did she notice the bloodshot veins in his eyes.
“I’m sleepy,” Yan Shuang suddenly stood up and grabbed his bathrobe belt. “Sleep with me for a while.”
Shangqiu Zhu raised an eyebrow, but before she could speak, she was pulled towards the bedroom.
He followed behind her, letting her pull him along, a tender look spreading across his eyes.
"Slow down," he whispered a reminder.
Sunlight gradually filled the room, shining on the two people sleeping in each other's arms.
Yan Shuang quietly opened one eye, looked at his sleeping profile, and gently pecked his chin.
Then close your eyes and pretend nothing happened.
But they didn't see the subtle curve of the man's lips.
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