Chapter 72 Each Has His Own Freedom
Su Nian walked downstairs in a daze wrapped in her nightgown. The loose hem of her clothes swayed gently with her steps, and there were a few unruly strands of hair sticking up at the ends of her hair.
Although her brain was not fully awake, she subconsciously called out, "Ah Shen," relying on the habit etched into her bones.
"Shh--" A crisp whistle suddenly came from downstairs, like a thin needle piercing through the chaotic fog, making Su Nian wake up instantly.
He rubbed his eyes and looked down. The morning light slanted through the French windows into the living room, gilding Lucas as he leaned against the bar. The man was winking at him, the metal coffee spoon in his hand tapping lightly on the rim of the cup, making a small sound.
Ling Shen glared at Lucas with some dissatisfaction, and the hem of his dark grey robe rose up with the movement.
He walked quickly towards the stairs, his bony fingers gently brushing Su Nian's drooping hair, pulling up his wide-open collar, his fingertips inadvertently brushing the light pink marks on his collarbone, his movements gentle but with unquestionable strength.
"Awake? Hungry?" Ling Shen's voice was like the morning mist, low and gentle. He half-carried Su Nian downstairs, the warmth of his palm seeping into her skin through her thin nightgown.
Su Nian was too lazy to move, so she just hung on him like a boneless person, with the top of her head rubbing against the skin on Ling Shen's neck, causing a slight itch.
"I'm a little hungry and want to eat some bread." Su Nian, who had just woken up, had a hoarse yet soft voice, with an unconscious coquettish tone at the end of the tone.
Ling Shen's Adam's apple moved, and he lowered his eyes to look at the red eyes of the person in his arms. Suddenly, he had the urge to hold him in his arms.
Lucas sat aside, mechanically sipping his coffee. The porcelain cup made a crisp sound against the wooden tabletop. He watched his friend carefully tuck Su Nian's blanket in, and the originally fragrant coffee tasted bitter on his tongue.
In the morning light, Ling Shen's slender fingers pinched the edge of the blanket, folding it carefully layer by layer, fearing that a trace of cool wind would leak in.
Ling Shen settled Su Nian on the sofa and covered him with a blanket. His fingertips carelessly brushed against his cold ankles. "Sit down first. I'll bring you breakfast."
Su Nian nodded vaguely, tilting her head to watch Ling Shen turn and walk towards the kitchen, his back casting a long shadow in the morning light. He wrapped himself tightly in his blanket, staring blankly into space. The living room was filled with the aroma of coffee and burnt eggs, a warmth so warm that it made one want to indulge.
The morning light shines through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting mottled shadows on the light gray marble island.
Ling Shen deftly placed the fried sunny-side-up eggs on a porcelain plate with his fingertips. The aroma of sizzling bacon mixed with the richness of freshly ground coffee filled the entire open kitchen.
Lucas looked thoughtfully at Ling Shen who was busy at the island counter, and suddenly felt a little curious.
"Are two people really better than one?" Lucas's voice broke the silence. His fingertips unconsciously stroked the armrest of the sofa, and he looked at Su Nian with a bit of inquiry in his eyes.
Before Su Nian could answer, Ling Shen, who had returned with breakfast, picked up Lucas's words and said, "We don't know how you are doing, but for me, now is the best time."
Su Nian held the bread in his mouth and nodded vigorously, and bread crumbs accidentally stuck to the corners of his mouth.
Seeing this, Ling Shen naturally raised his hand and gently wiped away the debris with his fingertips. His movements were so gentle as if he was treating a rare treasure.
Lucas saw this scene and subconsciously touched his chin. His mind couldn't help but put himself in the situation - if he had to prepare breakfast for another person every day, he had to remember that the other person didn't eat coriander and liked to drink milk tea with three-tenths of sugar, and even had to pay attention to these trivial matters all the time. He couldn't help but shudder and frowned.
"Should I also have a relationship?" Lucas hesitated, his tone full of turmoil. "But, if I end up like Ling after a relationship, well, wouldn't that be bad?"
He watched Ling Shen add another spoonful of sugar to Su Nian's coffee. His "henpecked" look was completely different from the decisive President Ling in his impression.
Without waiting for Su Nian and Ling Shen to answer, Lucas shook his head, as if he had made up his mind.
He picked up the black coffee on the table, took a sip, and an intoxicated expression instantly appeared on his face: "Forget it, I really can't give up the whole forest for a tree." He put down the coffee cup, stretched, his eyes swept across the bright sunshine outside the window, his tone full of satisfaction.
"I'd better enjoy this wonderful time alone - go to the bar if I want to, stay up late to watch the game if I want to, it's so free."
Upon hearing this, Ling Shen just smiled helplessly and watched Su Nian swallow the egg in one gulp, but the tenderness in his eyes could not be hidden.
Su Nian raised her head and looked at Lucas's smug expression, and couldn't help laughing - perhaps there is no standard answer to love. Some people prefer the warm companionship of two people, while others enjoy the freedom of being alone. As long as it is the life you choose, it is the best time.
After staying in the manor for a few days, as the morning sun shone into the dining room through the carved window lattices, the butler was adjusting his crooked bow tie for the umpteenth time.
His fingers holding the silver tray trembled slightly, and his eyes swept across the end of the dining table - Ling Shen was carefully cutting the steak with a knife and fork. His movements were elegant but somewhat deliberately slow, and the small piece of meat was accurately delivered to Su Nian's mouth.
Su Nian leaned on the soft dining chair, her eyelashes trembling as she opened her mouth. The sauce on the corner of her mouth was gently wiped away by Ling Shen's thumb. The action was so intimate that the air was filled with sweetness.
The chef's complaints echoed from the kitchen, and the housekeeper pursed his lips in frustration. Since the young couple moved in, the roses in the garden had largely disappeared—Ling Shen would cut the dewy blossoms every morning and place them in a crystal vase in Su Nian's room. The kitchen trash can was overflowing with cilantro stems. Because Su Nian casually remarked, "Coriander looks like little green octopuses," Ling Shen had demanded that the manor no longer use the ingredient.
The butler took a deep breath and walked to the dining table on the thick Persian carpet. The silver tray gleamed coldly in the sunlight. "Sir, aren't you going on your honeymoon? How can you stay at home all day?"
His voice was filled with just the right amount of concern, but there was a barely perceptible hint of fatigue hidden in the corners of his eyes and eyebrows.
Hearing this, Ling Shen looked up at the butler who was smiling. With such sincerity on his face, he might have actually thought that the butler was being kind enough to let them go out and play. But Ling Shen knew that the butler really couldn't stand it anymore.
Su Nian looked up in confusion, "Um, going out to play? Where to?"
The housekeeper's smile froze instantly, his Adam's apple moving but no sound emanated. Ling Shen suddenly reached out to ruffle Su Nian's hair, his fingertips carelessly brushing against the tip of her burning ear. "I do have plans for the next step. Let's go to the amusement park today." His voice was deep and magnetic, yet the ending carried the gentleness of coaxing a child.
Su Nian's attention was drawn to Ling Shen's words. "Amusement park? Isn't that for children?"
Ling Shen's fingers slowly slid down the back of Su Nian's neck and gently pinched the other's waist: "Who says adults can't go? You will always be a child to me." The hot air he exhaled when he spoke hit Su Nian's red earlobe, causing her to tremble slightly.
The butler's hand holding the gold-rimmed glasses trembled slightly, and the eyes behind the lenses suddenly lit up as if he had discovered a new world.
His hunched back suddenly straightened, his heavy breath condensing into a layer of white mist on his glasses, and his trembling fingers unconsciously stroked his sleeves: "Amitabha, I'm finally leaving."
His Adam's apple rolled up and down twice, and he silently thought to himself that as soon as the young couple left, he would have to quickly change all the sheets and quilt covers in the master bedroom that were marinated with sweet words, and even the air in the living room that was filled with pink bubbles would have to be ventilated by opening the windows for three days and three nights.
The heart that had been hanging in her throat finally fell back into her chest. All the worries that Su Nian would be spoiled by Ling Shen and lose her sense of proportion turned into crow's feet at the corners of her eyes due to smiling.
He looked at the overlapping coffee cup marks on the dining table, and remembered that when they had breakfast these days, Ling Shen always gave the tenderest part of the fried egg to Su Nian, and Su Nian secretly stuffed bacon into Ling Shen's plate. This sweet interaction between them almost gave his old bones diabetes.
"Do you need a car prepared for you?" The butler smiled so hard that his mouth almost reached his ears, revealing a few filled molars, and even his crow's feet were filled with joy.
Ling Shen tapped the tabletop lightly with his fingertips, his obsidian eyes sweeping across the butler's face, which couldn't hide his smile. His tone was teasing yet knowing: "No need. I just happened to be taking Ah Nian somewhere else for a walk, and then we'll go straight back to China."
As soon as he finished speaking, the butler nearly dropped the silver coffee pot from his hand. He hurriedly steadied himself, but couldn't hide the arc of his lips that curled up wildly: "Really? Oh, why don't you stay a few more days?"
This insincere attempt to keep him seemed particularly funny, coupled with the glint of relief in his eyes.
Su Nian finished the last bite, stood up and stretched, "Aren't you annoying us? Hahaha."
The housekeeper looked at Su Nian's cunning smile and shook his head helplessly. He was originally worried that Su Nian would be spoiled by Ling Shen and would not pay attention to anything else. Now it seems that it is just a matter of mutual consent.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
