Chapter 33 (Part 2) How fortunate!
Their lips met, lingering and tender, soft and melodious. Immersed in the man's gentle embrace and kiss, Si Qiang trembled and whispered, "Thank...thank you..." Thank you for redeeming me...my faith, my god, my...love.
He heard a soft, whispered voice he'd never heard before, tinged with barely audible sobs. Xu Qi felt increasingly distressed, his throat tightening. He cupped the other's face in his hands, gazing intently at the tightly closed eyes and the trembling, damp eyelashes, like wet butterfly wings. He lowered his head and kissed the man's eyelashes, whispering, "Keep your eyes closed and don't move."
Then, he reached for the shampoo, squeezed it into his palm, and gently applied it to the man's smooth, long hair. He pressed his fingers against his scalp, massaging with moderate pressure, and as the lather increased, he patiently stroked the hair, which was much longer than his own, and said with a slight smile, "Your hair is even longer than before."
Si Qiang was stunned from the moment the man's hand, still wet with shampoo, touched his hair. He didn't wake up until he heard the man's voice. He instinctively tried to push the man away, but his hand was brushed off the moment he touched the man's wrist. Then, he heard the man's soft sigh.
"Let's be a little less hard on ourselves sometimes... Let me do it."
Is he very harsh on himself? A question instantly arose in Si Qiang's mind. Isn't Xu Qi himself the most harsh on himself? The responsibility to Long Ming, the responsibility to his family, and even the responsibility to any friend—this man always carries so many burdens and never lets himself go.
Si Qiang quietly let the man wash her hair, but the moment he applied shower gel to her shoulders, she abruptly pushed him away, turned her head away, and whispered, "I can do it myself..."
Xu Qi was startled. Seeing his ears burning red, he finally couldn't help but laugh: "Fine... wash them yourself." After saying that, he calmly stood up and stepped out.
So adorable. Entering the bedroom, Xu Qi couldn't help but glance back at the bathroom doorway, then slowly walked to the table. Looking at something on the table, and imagining the man's shy expression, her smile deepened. Such an adorable person deserved far more than those unbearable things… He deserved to be protected and cherished, to grow up happily like most children. Perhaps fate is just so unfair; the more adorable a person is, the more hardship they endure… just like A-Yi.
It's a real pity he couldn't have met Si Qiang sooner, to protect her like a younger brother, using all his strength to shield her from that pain. Although… even after adopting Si Qiang, he still felt he hadn't done nearly enough, from now on, he would do everything in his power to protect her. He wanted her to always, always be smiling happily.
Soon, Si Qiang emerged from the bathroom wearing a bathrobe. Xu Qi looked up at him and saw his long hair draped over his shoulders, dripping wetly, slowly sliding down his delicate collarbone, across his sexy chest, until it disappeared into the shadows lightly covered by the bathrobe.
"Qi..." Si Qiang seemed a little flustered, her cheeks, already flushed from the steam, turned even redder. Having recounted those dark past events, it seemed as if everything about her was exposed to Xu Qi. Si Qiang completely lost her usual imposing manner, becoming like a timid young boy, nervous and uneasy in front of the man she deeply loved, unsure of what to do with her hands and feet.
...Too cute, isn't it? Xu Qi's heart skipped a beat. She composed herself and waved the hairdryer in her hand at him: "Come here."
The sound of the hairdryer filled the room. The two people in the bedroom, one sitting and the other standing, remained silent. Feeling the warm air caressing her scalp and neck, and the man's long, slender fingers repeatedly stroking her hair, Si Qiang felt a surge of heat throughout her body, her heart pounding even harder. Once her hair was completely dry, she dared not look back at the man, simply sitting there stiffly.
What he didn't know was that Xu Qi was just as nervous, his palms holding the hairdryer were even sweaty—although the reasons for their nervousness were completely different.
"I have something I'd like you to see." Xu Qi put down the hairdryer, pressed down on Si Qiang's shoulder, and spoke as calmly as possible.
Before Si Qiang could react, the man reached out from behind, revealing two simple platinum rings in his palm. His mind went blank; he could only stare at the man's palm, unable to do anything else.
“It’s been nine years since we met. It’s such a shame I didn’t meet you sooner… Although, I’ve been terrible to you—whether as your adoptive father, your boss, or… your lover.” Xu Qi licked his lips nervously and continued, “But… from now on, we’ll have a lifetime to see you smile—right?”
His words were disjointed and even somewhat incoherent, making one wonder who was speaking. Was this still the same Xu Qi who remained calm and composed even in the face of adversity, unfazed by any cataclysmic event?
However, the only listener present understood his true meaning. After a few seconds of silence, Si Qiang reached out and took a ring—engraved with simple patterns, only upon close inspection could one discern the shape of a flower. He spoke softly, "Is this proof that you agree to let me tie you down for life?" He recognized it; this was Xu Qi's "engagement ring" that he had secretly hidden a year ago—the ring Xu Qi had used to make Merlin give up, and which had also haunted him for a long time. Later, he learned that Xu Qi didn't actually have an engagement, so he stopped paying attention to it. It turned out that this was a ring Xu Qi had prepared for him.
“Of course.” Xu Qi reached out and pinched the other ring, looking at the “Qi” character engraved on the inside, and curled the corners of his mouth. “For you, this is probably a bit too plain—but this is what proves that this belongs to me, isn’t it?” As he spoke, he slowly slipped the ring onto the man’s slender, fair ring finger and lowered his head to kiss it.
Si Qiang abruptly turned her head, staring intently at him, tears slowly welling up in her large, cat-like eyes. She strained to tilt her head back, desperately trying to keep the tears from spilling over. Through her blurred vision, the man's face was incomparably handsome. She had never imagined that he would be the one to propose "forever." This was... an overwhelming moment of happiness. She grasped the man's finger, her hands trembling as she tried to slip the ring on, but she couldn't manage it.
"Idiot." Xu Qi held his hand, aligned his ring finger with the ring, and gently slipped it through.
A single, clear tear welled up in her eye and slid quickly down her cheek. Si Qiang lowered her head and kissed the ring, her voice hoarse: "I love you."
end
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