Chapter 4
That evening, as darkness fell, the lights in the Hoshino family villa's dining room were turned on early.
The long table was covered with a silver-white embroidered tablecloth, and exquisite crystal glasses were lined up in a row, resembling the scene of a high-level diplomatic banquet.
Wearing a dark gray suit, with his red hair tied back, and a calm gaze, Minamino Shuichi sat on the right side of the long table, directly opposite—the chairman of the Genji Group, Genji Kazuya.
He was a man with extremely sharp eyes. Although he was over seventy years old and his hair was gray, his aura was as steady as a mountain. He sat upright and his gaze was as sharp as a blade.
“Nanye-kun,” he said, his voice deep and strong, “this meal is specially prepared for you.”
“I know.” Shuichi nodded calmly.
"I need to see my son-in-law in person."
"Please speak," Shuichi said calmly.
"The Yuan family is not a family that just anyone can marry."
“I don’t think marrying Xiaoying was ‘casual’.” He raised his eyes slightly, his tone unyielding. “She is the only woman I have ever been moved by in my life.”
“…Heh.” Kazuya Minamoto smirked. “Kid, you’re quite frank.”
But before the atmosphere could become more tense, Hoshino Sakura, who was sitting next to Genji, suddenly threw herself into her grandfather's arms with a pitiful expression, like a charming and spoiled kitten.
"Grandpa~"
"What's wrong?" Genichiro gently patted her back.
“My dad has been yelling at me lately! I’m pregnant, it’s not like I did anything wrong… He’s always yelling at me, saying I’m irresponsible, saying I shouldn’t have secretly moved out, and… he even cut off my allowance!”
"...You've run out of living expenses?" Minamoto Kazuya frowned.
“Yes, I earned my own money by performing abroad!” She hugged her grandfather’s arm. “I don’t rely on my family, I rely on myself! I didn’t stop working even after I got pregnant. I found my own place to live, took care of myself, bought my own desserts… I did it all by myself…”
"Dad is a tyrant, and Mom is biased towards him too!" she complained vehemently.
"...You brought back more than a dozen designer bags the day you came back from your performance in France, what's going on?" Hoshino Yuji protested in a low voice.
"Those were gifts from my fans! I didn't spend any money on them! I've already given them all away!"
"She even accepts bags from fans..."
"Shut up! Don't interrupt me while I'm talking to Grandpa!" Sakura glared at her dad, then turned and nuzzled against Minamoto Kazuya with a pitiful look. "Grandpa... I'm trying so hard... You have to be on my side, okay?"
Yuanhe was completely defeated by her coquettishness. Although her face remained serious, there was a clear hint of a smile in her eyes.
"...You're just like your mother when she was young."
"Oh, I'm much gentler than Mommy!" Sakura smiled and kissed her grandfather's cheek. "I'm Grandpa's most beloved granddaughter."
"Yes, that's right." Yuanhe's mood softened noticeably after being coaxed. "Then tell me... do you really like that man?"
Sakura tilted her head and glanced at Minamino Shuichi, but didn't answer immediately.
"I have no idea."
"...Huh?" The three of them exclaimed in unison.
Sakura bit her lip as she looked at Shuichi, while smiling alluringly:
"I'm not the kind of person who would tie a man down just because of a one-night stand."
“I don’t need him to take responsibility because I am capable of doing it myself.”
“I didn’t immediately accept his advances because… I really didn’t know if ‘marriage’ was the ultimate goal I wanted.”
"I'm afraid, and I hesitate."
"It's not his problem, it's my own problem."
The restaurant fell silent for a moment.
All eyes turned to Shuichi Minamino.
He showed no sign of panic. Instead, he stepped out of his seat, knelt down slowly in front of everyone, placed one hand on his chest, and looked directly at Hoshino Sakura.
“You’re right.” His voice was deep and clear. “That night was an accident.”
"But every second after that, I was sincere."
I already liked you before you got pregnant.
“I understand your rejection of me, your avoidance of me, and your distrust of me.”
“But I never thought that being responsible for you was an ‘obligation’.”
He slowly raised his head, a rare surge of emotion appearing deep within his green eyes:
"I don't love you because of the children."
"It's because you're pregnant with my child that I feel... it's fate."
"I don't care whether you want to get married in the future or not, I will continue to pursue you and protect you until the day you can entrust everything to me with peace of mind."
"Even if you don't marry me, I will spoil you and your child for the rest of my life."
Sakura Hoshino stared at him blankly, her heartbeat slightly erratic.
She wanted to mock him, to refute him, to tease him—but when she opened her lips, she couldn't utter a single word.
Shuichi's gaze was so earnest it almost suffocated her.
“Very good.” Kazuya finally spoke, his tone calm. “I’m satisfied.”
"Grandpa?!"
"There aren't many people who can say such things and remain so calm and composed." He nodded gently. "Even if Xiaoying doesn't marry you, I can rest assured that you will take care of her."
"I have no objection to your marriage."
Hoshino Yuuji: "...Huh??? Father-in-law, aren't you always the most picky one?"
Yuan He also took a sip of tea: "My granddaughter has gone to such lengths to play the victim and act cute. If I don't give her a proper title, I'm afraid she'll really put me on her list of enemies."
"..."
After the meal.
Sakura was gazing blankly at the night sky in the garden when Minamoto no Lily quietly approached her.
"Mom..." she said softly.
Lily didn't say anything, but gently reached out and brushed aside the golden hair that had been ruffled by the wind behind her ear, her movements incredibly tender.
"Sakura".
"Um?"
"Mom knows you're uneasy."
“You’re not really afraid that he won’t take responsibility; you’re afraid of marriage, afraid of being tied down by love.”
"You're afraid that marriage will take away the freedom you originally had, afraid that you'll be restricted by your role, and afraid that you'll lose your choices in the future."
But you need to know—
Lily gently stroked her hair:
"When someone is willing to respect all your choices, just silently watch over you, and wait for you to turn back no matter where you fly... then it is no longer a constraint, but home."
Sakura Hoshino's eyes reddened, but she didn't say anything.
She simply lowered her head silently, stroking her belly, and whispered:
"Did you hear that? Your father... said he would love me for the rest of his life."
"If he really could do it..."
"Then I will..."
She looked up at the starry sky and smiled.
"Perhaps I could consider... marrying him and give it a try."
That night, the Hoshino family's garden was warmly lit, and the moonlight shone on the girl's cheeks, causing her golden hair to flutter gently.
Her world quietly began to soften.
—And her future name may become "Minamino Sakura".
Night fell.
Sakura Hoshino finally officially agreed to go back with Shuichi Minamino to "live together and try out marriage".
She said, "I'm just moving to your place so it'll be easier for you to take care of me and the baby. It doesn't mean I'm forgiving you for taking advantage of me before."
Minamino Shuichi smiled like a fox and carried her directly into the entrance hall of the luxurious villa.
"Welcome home, my fiancée."
"...Who's your fiancée?!" She punched him lightly, her ears turning red.
He leaned close to her ear, his voice low and husky: "You're carrying my child, what else could you be but my fiancée?"
"Shut up!"
The villa was large, with an elegant and tranquil style. Xiu had prepared a private master bedroom for her long ago, with a floor-to-ceiling window covering an entire wall overlooking the rose garden. The bed was a custom-made European-style princess bed, with a gentle and dreamy pink and white tone.
Sakura Hoshino froze as soon as she stepped into the room: "This...you prepared all this in advance?"
"I just wanted to surprise you." Xiuyi put his arm around her waist. "Now it's come in handy, just in time."
On their first night living together, Sakura tried to politely take a shower and change her clothes by herself, but she accidentally slipped and fell.
"ah--!"
The next second, Minamino Shuichi rushed in and carried her up from the floor in a princess carry, his face full of black lines: "I only turned around for three minutes and you got into trouble."
"I...I just...lost my balance..." Sakura blushed and hugged his neck, her ear tips burning hot.
"From now on, you're not allowed to go into the bathroom alone." After he finished speaking, he picked her up and carried her into the bathtub.
"What are you going to do?!"
"I'll help you wash it."
"I can do it myself—hey! Where are you putting your hands?! Don't touch my leg!!!"
"I'm afraid you'll slip and fall; I'm doing this for your safety."
"Nonsense! You're totally taking advantage of me!!!"
The next morning.
As usual, Minamino Shuichi got up early. He planned to organize the clothes and personal items that Sakura had brought yesterday.
He opened the door of the pink wardrobe.
Then, he froze.
The first thing that catches the eye is a row of colorful clothes in various styles: from a charming low-cut velvet evening gown to a neutral and cool black leather jacket and skirt, to a one-shoulder, high-slit dress with cutouts, and several modified cheongsams that are obviously for stage plays... all of which outline her exquisite figure.
Then his hand slipped and he pulled open the lower drawer.
Several were lying quietly inside—
Black lace panties with silk trim.
And thongs.
There were also a few pieces that were practically just two thin strings... He wasn't even sure if they could be called "underwear".
The air was so quiet that the only sound was the birds chirping outside the window.
Minamino Shuichi's ears turned bright red instantly, his Adam's apple bobbed heavily, and his fingers almost cramped.
"..."
"She...she usually wears these...?"
The image unfolded uncontrollably in his mind: she smiled alluringly, wearing these almost transparent fabrics, turning her head away to say, "Don't look at me," while blushing and biting her lip, her expression one of feigned resistance—
"Gurgle..."
He covered his nose.
I really got a nosebleed.
He slumped onto the carpet, taking three deep breaths to steady himself, muttering to himself, "This is simply tempting one to commit a crime."
"Shuichi~ What are you doing?"
A familiar, sweet voice came from above. Hoshino Sakura walked over, yawning, wearing a soft white nightgown. The hem of the dress just covered her knees, and her slender waist was so small that it could be encircled by one hand.
"you……"
Before she even got close, she saw him sitting in front of the wardrobe, his expression stiff, with two tissues stuffed under his nose.
What are you doing now?
“I… just… collected the clothes…” His face was stiff.
She followed his gaze and looked down at the drawer, then blushed.
"Why...why did you open that drawer?! You pervert!"
"...You put it on the top shelf and I didn't see it before I opened it!!!"
"You nosebleed!! You lecherous vixen!!!"
"Am I out of control?! How come you have so many of these things in your closet?!"
"Th-that's what I keep for stage performances!!"
"...So you always wear this kind of outfit when you perform on stage?"
"Of course not! It's a stage costume designed to complement the lighting effects and formal attire. Don't you understand stage aesthetics?!"
She stomped her feet in embarrassment and tried to snatch the lingerie box to hide it, but he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, his eyes gleaming with a dark light.
"Sakura".
"What...what are you doing..." She bit her lip, not daring to look at him.
"I just realized how dangerous my house is."
"What...what do you mean..."
“You live right next to me every day, wearing a nightgown and collecting clothes like this—”
"I... I didn't wear this for you—"
“But you’re mine.” He leaned close to her ear, “so sooner or later I’ll see you wearing these—just for me.”
"Are you crazy?!"
"Yes, I've gone mad." He kissed the corner of her mouth and chuckled softly, "I was completely smitten the first day you came to my house."
"Waaaaah... Don't do this! I'm pregnant now, you can't be like this..."
"I will restrain myself." He held her tightly in his arms, "but you have to let me kiss you, hug you, and hold you while you sleep."
"You, you...you're just a hypocrite who's all talk and no action!"
"You're only a pervert to me."
Their sweet and shy cohabitation life officially began.
Hoshino Sakura wanted to spend her pregnancy in peace, but she found herself having to be wary of her "gentle yet lecherous fiancé" every day.
With a baby in her arms and having to dodge "husband-level harassment," she felt like she was walking a tightrope every day.
But whenever she woke up and saw him gently bringing her warm milk, whenever she was tired he would silently carry her back to the room and cover her with a blanket, whenever she shyly tried to run away he would say gently yet firmly, "I won't touch you, I just want to be close to you"—
Her heart quietly sank even deeper.
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