Chapter Sixty-Nine
He tilted his head and smiled indulgently, "Okay."
In the evening, after Xu Li finished taking in the last white shirt that had dried on the balcony, she turned around and was suddenly surrounded by Tan Yuze.
"Are you full?" He lowered his head, his voice low and husky, like the rim of a freshly wiped glass, carrying a slightly astringent lemon scent of dish soap.
"I'm full." Xu Li hugged her clothes to her chest and deliberately stepped aside. "Mr. Tan, please make way."
Tan Yuze wouldn't let her have it. Instead, he reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist, his palm touching the damp fabric of her pajamas after her bath, and gently squeezed it: "I regret it. I should have let you eat me first."
"Stop fooling around, it's only nine o'clock." Xu Li's ears turned red as she patted the back of his hand. "Go and finish reading your documents."
“I’ve finished reading it.” He turned his head and pointed to the laptop on the dining table. “The last period has been added. Now there’s only—” He dragged out the word, then suddenly bent down and picked her up in his arms, “…the task of sleeping with her.”
Suddenly suspended in mid-air, Xu Li gasped softly, her hands instinctively wrapping around his neck. Tan Yuze rested his chin on her forehead, his voice lowered, tinged with a childlike smugness: "Let me show you a man's charm."
Ten minutes later, only a small brass lamp was on by the bedside in the bedroom, its light flowing like honey onto the floor.
Tan Yuze placed Xu Li on the edge of the bed, squatted down, massaged her ankles, and then gently lifted her calf an inch. The warmth of his palms crept up her skin, like igniting a hidden fuse.
“The first rule of charm,” he said, looking up and speaking earnestly, “is to provide excellent service.”
Xu Li suppressed a laugh and deliberately kicked his knee: "What about the second one?"
He lowered her legs, placed his hands on either side of her body, and slowly moved closer until their noses touched: "Second rule, I only react to you."
As soon as he finished speaking, he lowered his head and kissed her. A deep and slow kiss, carrying the taste of blackcurrant from the red wine at dinner, their tongues entwined, as if he wanted to break down the words "goodnight" into syllables and feed them to her little by little.
Xu Li's breath trembled as she was kissed, her fingers running through his hair, her fingertips touching a little dampness—he had taken a quick shower while hugging her, and his hair was still half-dry. She subconsciously brushed it aside for him, but he grabbed her wrist, guided it to his lips, and gently bit her index finger knuckle.
“The third one,” he said in a low, hoarse voice, “is that it will bite, but only you.”
Xu Li laughed, her eyes sparkling like scattered stars. She deliberately shrank back, but he held her by the back of her neck and pulled her back into his arms. His kisses moved from the corner of her lips to her earlobe, then slid to the spot on her neck where her pulse was strongest, gently sucking on it.
The lamplight flickered, and the night breeze outside the window occasionally lifted a corner of the curtains, letting in the neon lights of the distant city, which fell on the overlapping shadows of the two people, like a silent firework display.
“The fourth rule,” he whispered into her ear, his voice deep and sticky, “is to hold you tight and never let go.”
Xu Li finally surrendered, wrapping her arms around his back and gently scratching his shoulder blades with her fingertips, like a cat retracting its claws. She whispered in response, "Then don't let go, for a lifetime."
Tan Yuze chuckled softly, reached out and turned off the bedside lamp, and darkness instantly and gently enveloped him.
In bed, he found her hand, their fingers intertwined, palms pressed together, exchanging warmth.
“One last thing,” he whispered in her ear, “I will love you even when I’m sleeping.”
Outside the window, the rain hadn't arrived yet, but the wind had already softened.
Indoors, breathing gradually evened out, and heartbeats slowly synchronized.
Under the covers, their feet inadvertently intertwined, like two rivers that had found each other and finally merged into a tranquil lake.
As night fell, the city's neon lights were blocked by the curtains, leaving only a faint blue light seeping in.
Tan Yuze's palms were still holding Xu Li's fingers, but his breathing, which had been calm, became hot again—the darkness amplified his heartbeat, each beat heavier than the last. He suddenly lifted her chin, stopping less than an inch away, as if confirming something, or perhaps restraining something.
"Can't sleep?" Xu Li asked softly, her voice hoarse with the sound of someone who was half asleep.
"Mmm," he responded softly, his lips almost touching hers. "The thought of you beside me makes it hard to fall asleep."
As he finished speaking, he rolled over, pulling her above him. The thin blanket slipped down, a cool sensation brushing against her skin. Xu Li instinctively curled her toes, but he seized her ankles and slowly straightened them. His kisses traveled from her brow down to the tip of her nose, to the corner of her lips, stopping there to gently bite her:
“The fifth charm,” he mumbled, “is that it keeps you awake at night, yet you can’t bear to blame me.”
Xu Li laughed, her voice as soft as water: "Then...give me some sleeping pills?"
“No.” He chuckled, his palm slipping under the hem of her pajamas, his fingertips brushing against her lower back, like lighting a hidden fuse. A tingling, electric sensation made Xu Li gasp, her knuckles unconsciously gripping his shoulders and back. Tan Yuze stopped at that moment, his forehead pressed against hers, his voice low and restrained: “Say you want me.”
In the darkness, his eyes shone with an astonishing light. Xu Li raised her hand, cupped his face, and gently stroked his slightly damp temples with her fingertips, her voice as soft as a breath: "I want you—only now, and never stop."
The next second, the ties of her pajamas were gently but firmly pulled open. The thin fabric slid down her shoulders, like moonlight retreating outside the window. Tan Yuze's kiss landed on the center of her collarbone, traveling down like a pilgrimage, or perhaps a declaration of love. Each breath was incredibly hot, yet deliberately slowed, as if to stretch every second into eternity.
Xu Li's eyes welled up with tears from the slow heat, and her fingertips brushed against his hair, gently tightening. He noticed her trembling, raised his hand to intertwine their fingers, pressed them against the side of the pillow, and said in a low, hoarse voice that seemed to roll out from the depths of his chest, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Outside the window, the wind finally brought the belated rain, pattering against the glass like countless tiny drumbeats. Inside, however, the temperature slowly rose—skin pressed against skin, heartbeats overlapped, sweat and breath mingled, forming an undercurrent.
At the crucial moment, Tan Yuze suddenly stopped, a vein throbbing on his forehead, but he leaned down to kiss her earlobe, his voice hoarse and trembling: "Lili, look at me." Xu Li opened her eyes and met his unfathomable gaze. He added softly, like a vow, like a sigh: "I love you, a lifetime is not enough."
The rain intensified suddenly, as if stamping that sentence. The world consisted only of each other's breaths and heartbeats, and that one sentence—
Permanent, permanent, permanent.
The rain gradually subsided at three in the morning, leaving only the occasional water droplets falling from the eaves, tapping on the air conditioner's outdoor unit, "tap-tap," like the drumbeats that lingered, unwilling to end.
In the bedroom, the air was damp and soft, with a lingering scent of white tea shower gel.
Tan Yuze wrapped Xu Li in a thin blanket, leaving only a corner of it around his waist, afraid that she would be too hot or too cold.
In the darkness, he reached for the thermos on the bedside table, poured a glass of warm water, took a sip to test the temperature, and then offered it to her lips.
Xu Li drank half a glass from his hand, her voice clearing up a bit, and lazily poked his collarbone: "Mr. Tan, not bad... I declare that your charm has passed the test."
Tan Yuze chuckled softly, his chest heaving slightly. He took her fingers and kissed them, saying, "Can we apply for after-sales service?"
"Um?"
“For example—” he rolled over, buried his face in the crook of her shoulder, his voice muffled and soft, “and held her all night without letting go.”
Xu Li chuckled, her fingertips gently combing along the hairline at the back of his neck: "Approved. One point will be deducted for every inch you loosen the rules."
What happens if points are deducted?
"If you lose a full ten points..." She leaned close to his ear and gave him a light bite, "the punishment is that you have to wear an apron and fry eggs for me next week, and you're not allowed to wear a belt."
Tan Yuze's Adam's apple bobbed. His temperature, which had just dropped, was starting to rise again, but he only pulled her closer to him, like a large dog finding its most comfortable position: "I'd be more than happy to."
Outside the window, the streetlights gleamed from the rain, their glow spreading across the floor like a calm lake.
Xu Li counted his heartbeats, her consciousness gradually fading. In her half-dreaming, half-awake state, she heard him say very softly, "Li Li, thank you for entrusting the rest of your life to me."
She didn't open her eyes, but snuggled closer to him, her voice as soft as cotton: "Thank you for staying."
Breathing gradually became even, and heartbeats synchronized.
The rain stopped, and the wind calmed down.
Moonlight peeked out from behind the clouds and fell on the backs of their clasped hands—on their ring fingers, a thin silver ring shimmered, like a tiny star added to the darkness.
As the moonlight moved away, the faint glow on the silver ring remained on the skin, like a tiny pulse, pushing the night deeper with each beat.
Just a second before Xu Li fell into a deep sleep, Tan Yuze gently pulled his arm out, stepped barefoot on the floor, and went to the living room to leave a crack in the sliding door to the balcony—the scent of earthy soil mixed with gardenias drifted in after the rain, and he took a deep breath, his chest filled with the smell of a June night.
Back on the bedside, he had just lain down when Xu Li rolled into his arms, drawn by the warmth, her forehead pressed against his shoulder, her voice muffled: "Where did you go..."
"Open the door and let some fresh air in." He kissed the top of her head, his palm stroking her back like petting a cat. "Go to sleep, I'm here."
She hummed in response, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible.
Tan Yuze didn't close his eyes immediately. By the dim light of the street lamp, he looked at the shadows cast by her eyelashes on her cheeks, the tiny beads of sweat on the tip of her nose, and the slightly upturned corners of her mouth that she herself didn't even notice.
My heartbeat slowed down at that moment, so slow that I could hear the sound of blood rushing against my eardrums—the noise of happiness.
He reached out and pulled open the bedside table drawer a crack, taking out a small, velvet ring box.
Inside is a pair of rings: the inner circle is engraved with "xl&tyz", and the outer circle is an irregular star trail hand-hammered, as if the shape of lightning from that day has been frozen in silver.
He took it out, slipped it onto the base of his ring finger, and gently twirled it. The moment the silver ring pressed against his skin, he chuckled softly.
"I'm stuck."
Xu Li seemed to sense something in his dream, and scratched his chest with her fingertips as if in response.
Tan Yuze closed the drawer, pulled her closer again, rested his chin on her hair, and finally let his eyelids droop.
...
When I opened my eyes again, it was already dawn.
Pale golden sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, and a faint scent of gardenia lingered in the air.
Xu Li woke up first and found herself lying on his chest with her legs wrapped around his waist, in a domineering posture like a mountain king.
She tried to move away quietly, but as soon as she moved, Tan Yuze tightened his arms around her, his voice hoarse from the early morning: "Where are you going?"
"Wash up." She pecked his chin. "I'll make you breakfast while I'm at it."
"No." He rolled over, pinning her back onto the bed, his nose brushing against her earlobe. "Sixth rule of charm: When my wife is tired, I'll take care of breakfast."
Xu Li chuckled and tapped his chest with her fingertip: "Then I want a sunny-side-up egg, with crispy edges and a runny yolk."
"Received." He gave a half-standard military salute, jumped off the bed barefoot, and his back muscles stretched out like a sketch in the morning light.
In the kitchen, the kettle was gurgling.
While frying eggs, Tan Yuze glanced back at the bedroom—Xu Li was still nestled in bed, only half her face showing, like a satisfied cat.
He lowered his head, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up in a smile.
The egg's edges curl up like a golden skirt, and the yolk sways gently in the center, like a heart that refuses to fall to the ground.
He served breakfast, poured a glass of warm milk, thought for a moment, then took a peony from the vase that he hadn't had time to trim and stuck it diagonally into the rim of the glass.
Sunlight filters through the petals and falls onto the porcelain plate, like a soft-focus filter on an ordinary morning.
“The seventh charm,” he said, carrying the tray back to the bedroom, bending down to kiss her forehead, “is to live each day like the best frame in our movie.”
Xu Li reached out, hooked her arm around his neck, and gave him her morning breath.
Outside the window, the freshly washed green leaves rustled in the wind, like gentle applause from the audience.
......
They were at the beach.
He said, "I have heard the sounds of many seas, but you are the only sea in my ears."
A teenager's heart is like the restless sea of adolescence.
End of text
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