Chapter 35 Ripples
His eyes were cold and sharp. He knew the risks hidden behind this miracle. Any leak of information could bring unpredictable trouble to Jiang Yining.
Everyone's expression tightened, and they immediately nodded solemnly. Xiao Xiao couldn't help but ask in a low voice, with a hint of fear and worry, "Ningning, what if you suddenly go back one day? Or disappear?" She didn't dare to say that word.
This question pierced Xie Shiyan's heart like an ice needle. He tightened his grip on Jiang Yining's hand, his knuckles turning white, and his gaze fixed intently on her.
Jiang Yining sensed his nervousness and tightened her grip on his hand. Looking at her friends' concerned gazes, she gave a firm and warm smile, her voice clear and resolute:
"No. The girl at the flower shop... she told me that she took that path for me. And I will take her place, and take my place, to live here well, forever and ever."
Xie Shiyan's tense body relaxed almost imperceptibly the moment he heard those words. A surge of joy and a sense of relief finally dispelled the gloom that had shrouded him for eight years.
"Alright," Xie Shiyan's voice returned to its usual calm, but upon closer listening, there was a hint of barely perceptible ease. "It's too late. Xiaoxiao, Nian'an, you two go back with Jingshen and Yanze first. See you at the wedding banquet tomorrow at noon."
Everyone understood that this was to give the two of them some alone time, and they all stood up. Xiao Xiao took out her phone: "Ningning, leave your number, add me on WeChat, and contact me anytime if needed."
“Okay!” Jiang Yining happily took out her brand new smartphone and skillfully opened WeChat to scan the QR code.
"Wow! Ningning, you can actually use a smartphone? And you're so skilled at it!" Xiao Xiao looked at her smooth operation in surprise.
Jiang Yining proudly waved her phone: "Of course! My brother is my 'smart living mentor,' isn't he? I learn super fast and I'm super smart!"
"Yes, yes, yes! Extremely intelligent." Xiao Xiao and Shen Nian'an echoed in unison with laughter.
After exchanging contact information and seeing their friends off, Xie Shiyan and Jiang Yining were finally left alone in the suite.
The noise subsided, leaving only silence. The only sounds in the room were their close breaths and heartbeats.
Xie Shiyan turned around and gazed deeply at the person before him. He reached out and, carefully, with an almost reverent tenderness, gently touched Jiang Yining's warm cheek. The sensation from his fingertips was so real that it brought tears to his eyes.
"Ningning..." he called out in a low, hoarse voice, his voice filled with a weight that a thousand words could not express.
Jiang Yining tilted her head back, her clear eyes reflecting the shimmering light outside the window and his affectionate reflection. She stood on tiptoe, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pressed her cheek against the warm crook of his neck.
"Brother Shiyan," her voice was muffled, with a hint of coquettish dependence, "I miss you so much."
These simple five words made Xie Shiyan tighten his arms and pull her into a closer embrace. "I miss you too..." His voice was low and hoarse, each word carrying a heavy longing. "Every day, every moment."
Xie Shiyan held her waist. His breath, carrying the scent of cedar, brushed against her earlobe: "Ningning, are you tired? Shall we wash up first?"
Before he finished speaking, he gently lifted her pajamas, his Adam's apple bobbing silently as his fingertips brushed against the fabric. Everyone knew he was usually composed, but at this moment he acted like a rash young man, even tossing his suit jacket haphazardly on the sofa floor.
Jiang Yining turned and hooked her arms around his neck, her skirt and suit jacket slipping down in the shoving. Her red dress fell to the ground like a blooming rose. He pressed her against the bathroom tile wall, his kisses pouring down like a torrential rain. Years of suppressed longing broke into whispers between his teeth: "Ningning... Ningning..." She responded, her voice soft and sweet as honey: "Brother Shiyan, I'm back, I'll never leave again."
In the misty steam, the bathrobe's belt came undone, and the touch of skin against skin sent shivers down his spine. His kisses traced a path from his collarbone to his heart, old scars becoming road signs on a map, guiding him to find his lost treasure. A red dress and snow-white fabric lay scattered beside the bed, moonlight filtering through the gauze curtains, casting overlapping shadows into an ambiguous amber hue…
The bedding was as soft as clouds. Jiang Yining curled up in the blankets, half-covering her body, her hair hanging messily beside her collarbone. Her eyebrows and eyes were still flushed, and she said coquettishly with her eyes closed, "Ayan, no more... We have to go to the wedding tomorrow morning, and we have to get up at four o'clock."
Her voice was soft and sweet, like it had been soaked in honey, but the end of her tone carried a hint of reproach. Xie Shiyan leaned down and pressed his nose against the strands of hair by her ear, his voice so deep and mellow it could drip wine: "This is the last time, I promise."
His palm traced the old scar on her shoulder, the sheets ruffled by their movements, the moonlight gilding the undulating shadows with a silver edge. Jiang Yining's sobs were silenced by his lips, turning into a soft moan as she half-heartedly resisted.
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