Chapter 25
The sky can bring unexpected storms.
Just moments ago the sky had been clear for miles, and suddenly a black cloud drifted in from who-knows-where. The rain came down hard. The three of them had just finished eating and were walking back when they were caught off guard. Pedestrians scattered to find shelter. Instinctively, Xia Shi folded Lu Xuan into her arms. Lu Tingchuan placed one hand over Xia Shi’s head; the two of them hurried with the child under the eaves at the side of the road.
Lu Xuan was snug in Xia Shi’s protection, wrapped in clothing, so he hadn’t been soaked. Xia Shi’s hair was drenched, strands sticking to her face.
A gust of wind blew; Xia Shi tilted her head away from the child in her arms and sneezed once.
Lu Tingchuan frowned slightly. Fortunately they’d picked matching family outfits — a three-piece set — so he could take off his own coat. He was tall and broad-shouldered; Xia Shi was tall but slender. When he wrapped his coat around them, both wife and child were bundled in tightly.
Lu Tingchuan reached in and pulled Xia Shi’s hair out from under the coat. Since they had a child with them, there was always a small towel in their bag.
“Your hair is all wet — be careful you don’t catch a cold.”
Xia Shi shook her head lightly; her long hair fluttered, the tips brushing Lu Tingchuan’s cheek and leaving drops of rain. He smiled, took the small towel, stood behind her, and gently rubbed strand by strand. Her dark hair slipped through his long fingers. A faint, barely-there fragrance reached his nose — like a feather skimming water, stirring gentle ripples in his heart.
Lu Tingchuan couldn’t help it; he wrapped his arms around his wife and child and planted a soft kiss on Xia Shi’s hair.
Lu Xuan, looking up from Xia Shi’s arms, blinked. “Daddy kissed Mommy again without telling me!” Then he pushed himself upright, planted an enthusiastic smack on Xia Shi’s face, and looked triumphantly at Lu Tingchuan, as if to say: See? You have to sneak kisses — I can kiss her openly!
Holy crap — provoked by his son. What to do?
Lu Tingchuan’s expression darkened. He turned and yanked Lu Xuan out of Xia Shi’s arms, moved closer step by step, and pushed Xia Shi back until she was against the wall. With one big hand he pressed the little boy’s head into his own chest, the other hand braced on the wall. He lowered his head and kissed Xia Shi — properly, on the lips.
The kid kicked and squirmed with hands and feet, trying to resist, but he couldn’t match his father’s strength. Xia Shi watched, bewildered, as Lu Tingchuan suddenly seemed to explode with possessive anger — forceful and domineering as he pried her mouth open, their lips and tongues entwining in a tangled, lingering kiss.
The rain came fast and left fast. The clouds dispersed; sunlight poured down, lighting half of Lu Tingchuan and Xia Shi’s faces in warm glow.
A young fan trailing behind them, Lan Lan, blushed so hard she thought her face might melt. Nothing could be more beautiful than this moment. When the two finally separated, she snapped back to herself and slapped her hand lightly: Damn it, I got too lost — how did I forget to snap a photo! It was the male idol’s sudden kiss that threw her; she’d just dodged the rain and hadn’t reacted at all!
“Male idol, can you do that again?”
But Lu Tingchuan, unaware of her plea, did not grant her wish.
Lu Xuan was rather put out. “Dad!”
Lu Tingchuan lowered his head and smiled with a corner of his mouth, looking smugly at the boy and even arching an eyebrow teasingly. He kept his thoughts hidden because of the child.
Lu Xuan pouted and reached for Xia Shi with open arms — only to be hoisted up by Lu Tingchuan and tucked into his embrace. “Daddy will carry you. You’re getting big now, too heavy. Mommy doesn’t have the strength to carry you!”
Lu Xuan wriggled and tried to slide down. “No!”
Too late — he barely reached the ground before Lu Tingchuan positioned himself between him and Xia Shi. “Then walk by yourself. You’re over five now, not two or three. Mommy’s tired. A real man can’t always cling to his mother!”
Xia Shi buried her face in her hands. Who could tell her this was really her husband? With such a pair of father and son, what was she supposed to do?
Lu Xuan looked up at Lu Tingchuan with his little face. Seeing no leniency, he bowed his head, grabbed Lu Tingchuan’s hand, and apologized: “Daddy, I won’t say you kissed Mommy secretly anymore!”
Lu Tingchuan smiled faintly and patted his head approvingly.
Lu Xuan sighed as he turned away. “Saying a man shouldn’t cling to his mother — but Daddy is a man too, and he’s older and he clings to Mommy more than I do! And he always competes with me for Mommy! Sigh.”
After two days at the theme park and trying some rides, the three of them went to a nine-hole family mini-golf course inside Disney.
Xia Shi had never been into sports like this — to her, golf was mostly for show. Lu Tingchuan was the opposite: not only did he know how to play, he was quite skilled. In his view, with his status and image, it was useful to have a couple of flashy skills. Xia Shi snorted at that.
Lu Xuan was enthusiastic. He grabbed a kid’s club early and stood at the side, watching and imitating intently. Lu Tingchuan taught patiently, demonstrating over and over, adjusting his posture by hand. When Lu Xuan took his first swing, the little boy let out a small cheer.
Xia Shi sat in the rest area nearby drinking a beverage, already half asleep.
Lu Tingchuan kept glancing over. After a thought, he bent down to Lu Xuan: “You’ve been playing quite a while. Aren’t you tired?”
Lu Xuan, oblivious, said, “Not tired!”
“But Mommy is so bored. How about you rest a while and let Mommy come play? Daddy will teach Mommy first. You’ve almost learned it — shouldn’t Daddy teach Mommy a bit?”
Lu Xuan glanced at Xia Shi, who was nearly asleep, and nodded. Lu Tingchuan’s eyes had a sly light. “Good boy!”
Xia Shi was dragged into the activity almost against her will — anyone half asleep woken up would be a bit cranky. “I don’t want to play. I’m not interested.”
“But Xuan Xuan likes it. He’s almost got it. I was thinking of buying him an indoor golf set so he can play at home. If you don’t learn, you can’t play with him, and he’d be sad.”
Lu Xuan is the trump card — as soon as it’s used, Xia Shi always caves. Lu Tingchuan knew this well, and it worked again.
So she stopped arguing and took the club willingly. “How do you play?”
“Your stance — feet a little wider, move forward a bit… left hand above, right hand below…”
As he spoke, Lu Tingchuan moved close from behind, his foot nudging hers to adjust her position. He took her hands in his, his chest pressed against her back, practically enveloping her in his embrace. “Like this… yes, like that…”
There was a look of triumph at the corner of his eyes; Xia Shi didn’t notice.
After the course, the trio went to the Disney mall. Orlando Disney was huge; the parks couldn’t be finished in two or three days. With the U.S. so far away, flights took over ten hours; that round trip consumed two days. They still needed to visit Xia Shi’s parents in Philadelphia, so they had to wrap up Disney early.
Fortunately, Lu Xuan wasn’t new to Disney; his excitement came from being with both parents together. He stayed cheerful and insisted on picking gifts for his little friends.
“Mo Jia’ang likes Star Wars — Dad, can we get him that Rogue One thing? He’ll be so happy.”
“Alice backpack for Sister Wanwan — she likes Alice.”
“Betty likes singing; get her a music box.”
“Oh, and this — the Lightning McQueen collector’s edition. Brother Fangfang loves it.”
“And for YuanYuan sister! Her birthday’s coming. Mom, let’s buy a princess dress for YuanYuan. She likes princess dresses and loves Elsa. Can we get her Elsa’s dress?”
Children don’t compare values when choosing gifts; he considered everyone’s likes carefully, not leaving anyone out — even Fangfang, who often argued with him over being the one who took the younger sister. He even remembered YuanYuan’s birthday. Xia Shi was surprised and delighted. “Okay! Let’s get YuanYuan a set — get the Elsa wand and shoes too. You can give it to her for her birthday.”
Lu Xuan nodded emphatically. Xia Shi bent to arrange the items he’d chosen and took out the McQueen toy. “This one won’t do, sweetie. Brother Fangfang is only six, not seven, and this says it’s for eight and up — there are small parts.”
Lu Xuan pursed his lips. “But Brother Fangfang’s wanted it for so long and Uncle Ye never bought it for him.”
“So why didn’t Uncle Ye buy it?”
Lu Xuan frowned, then realized. “Because he’s still little and can’t play with it, so Uncle Ye didn’t buy it.”
“Then do you still want it for him?”
He shook his head and said, “Let’s get the McQueen model set instead!”
Having picked the toys, the family bought the Elsa outfit. Shopping done! Xia Shi held Lu Xuan’s hand happily while Lu Tingchuan lagged behind carrying bags. They walked a bit and turned to find Lu Tingchuan missing — he was standing in the baby section, frozen.
Xia Shi walked over and saw him staring at a Princess-themed onesie sized for a six- or seven-month-old. She poked him. “What is it?”
He turned with a soft smile. “Let’s have another daughter. Look at how pretty these clothes and toys are!”
Because the clothes and toys were pretty, he wanted another daughter?
Xia Shi was stunned. Lu Xuan looked up with big hopeful eyes and shining face. “Mommy, are you having a baby sister?”
Lu Tingchuan crouched and started “tempting” their son. “Do you want a little sister?”
Lu Xuan grew up in the U.S., where families tended to have siblings; many of his friends had brothers or sisters. The Ye family, their close friends, had two children. This made Lu Xuan feel a bit lonely. Having seen other kids with siblings, he’d longed to be an older brother. His eyes lit up. “Yes!”
Lu Tingchuan repeated the trick: “See? Our son wants one too.”
Xia Shi was helpless. Was there a father who always hid behind his son like this?
Lu Xuan, seeing Xia Shi silent, grabbed Lu Tingchuan and asked, “Daddy, are you going to give Mommy a baby sister?”
“Daddy wants one too, but Mommy has to agree!” Lu Tingchuan smiled at Xia Shi and leaned close to her ear. “How about we try a little harder to fulfill our son’s wish?”
Xia Shi felt her face burn. Saying this in front of their son was bad enough, but that sultry tone and look in front of him — appropriate?
At that moment there was a thud. The three of them froze and looked toward the sound. A Chinese girl a short distance away had knocked into a mannequin stand; her face was flushed, and she kept sneaking glances at them, embarrassed yet reluctant to leave. No question as to why.
Her name was Weiwei. She was on holiday in the U.S. visiting relatives and had come with her sister and nephew. She hadn’t expected such luck — TIME (a celebrity) was her goddess, her favorite, her idol!
But now she’d been caught in the act — the scene was mortifying.
Weiwei smacked her forehead, utterly embarrassed. She’d been excited to see the idols from a distance and had planned to stay back. But she’d overheard talk about “a little sister” and, hearing they were in the baby section, curiosity propelled her closer to listen — and now she’d been discovered.
She wanted to crawl into a hole.
Caught eavesdropping on the male and female idols — what to do? Panic!
Xia Shi smiled. “Hi, hello!”
Weiwei was dumbstruck. The goddess actually greeted her? She looked around — there was nobody else — so the goddess was definitely speaking to her!
Seeing Weiwei frozen, Xia Shi asked tentatively, “Are you —?”
Weiwei snapped back into herself and answered in Chinese, “Yes, yes! Goddess, hello!”
Xia Shi tried: “Are you a fan of Tingchuan? Or…”
Though Lu Tingchuan had lots of fans, he wasn’t universally adored. And this was abroad; even though the girl looked like a starstruck fan, she might just be joining the crowd. Seeing Xia Shi’s friendliness, Weiwei mustered courage and stepped forward. “No no no, I’m your fan! Goddess, can I take a photo with you? If not, could you sign an autograph?”
Before Xia Shi could reply, the girl hurried on: “It’s okay if you can’t. Sorry to bother you!”
Nervous and excited to the point of stumbling over her words, Xia Shi smiled warmly. “Of course!”
Weiwei took out a Polaroid camera dangling around her neck, but didn’t know how to find someone to take the picture. Xia Shi took it and handed it to Lu Tingchuan. “Take a good one for us!”
Lu Tingchuan was dramatically ignored and then put into the role of photographer.
He cast a half-closed look at Weiwei and thought: don’t you know to get out of the way? I was flirting with my wife! The “little princess” matter was nearly settled and now this person pops up and won’t leave?
Xia Shi frowned. “What are you doing? Take our photo!”
Lu Tingchuan sighed and took the Polaroid, watching their little boy acting cute and squeezing into the frame from Xia Shi’s arms while he stood off to the side, a twinge of jealousy rising.
Holding the photo, Weiwei was ecstatic — her heart felt like it was flying. The goddess had not only taken a photo with her but signed it. And the little master had written his English name, “Dyna.” Best of all, the male idol had taken the photo himself! Although… she’d almost completely forgotten he was even there earlier.
Oh well — she didn’t care. She had to post it on Weibo.
She opened Weibo, and the male and female idols were trending again.
This time it started with an Instagram post by Philip, a well-known foreign street photographer. Instagram isn’t widely used domestically, but someone had screenshot and translated it onto Weibo.
Philip posted a photo: the male idol falling and catching the female idol. The caption read: Sometimes the most moving thing isn’t declarations of eternal love, but the moment you fall and someone turns to catch you.
The comments exploded.
[Little Master’s Mother-in-Law]: So does that mean the goddess almost fell and the male idol flung himself down to catch her?
[I’m a Lu Tingchuan superfan]: Aaaah, my idol is so manly and romantic!
[Life Like Summer Flowers]: The shot is gorgeous, especially framed by a pro photographer. Even a candid can be so beautiful.
[I am Lan Lan]: I knew it — they were at Disney Orlando! Let me show you something juicier: they kissed at an outdoor café, so romantic!
Weiwei’s hands trembled as she opened the video. It was— wow.
That video alone was a massive hit among fans. Comments flooded in.
“…Quit your current boyfriend immediately!”
“I feel like my life has been wasted…”
“Was the coffee sweet?”
“Damn, I want a white beard too!”
“My husband and I had coffee and it was nothing like that — why is there such a difference?”
“Little Master: Dad, your fingers are too far apart, I can see everything!”
“This really is the real dad! Please solve the baby’s psychological shadow area using a cubic quadratic equation!”
While fans gaped at the couple’s PDA, the Weibo user “I am Lan Lan” posted again: That’s nothing — you haven’t seen the wall-press in the rain! Too bad I was so excited I forgot to take photos!
[I’m the Obsessed Fan Account]: Wall-press in the rain? That sounds so sweet!
[Little Swoon Qiqi]: If you didn’t take a photo, you can write about it — words can express it too!
[Fan Name]: Is the blogger talking about this?
[I am Lan Lan]: Yes yes yes! This is it! You actually filmed it!
If the first video delivered ten thousand points of emotional impact, this second was a hundred thousand. Comments surged.
“Male idol: How dare you be provoked by your son! My woman is mine! Little rascal!”
“[laugh-cry] The male idol’s PDA is insanely heartless!”
“The little master’s psychological shadow area keeps expanding — even equations can’t solve it now!”
“My face is being slapped with cold PDA — my heart feels stabbed!”
“Everywhere is a wall-press now [Dog]”
“Rain: My heart hurts. Why does everyone show off love everywhere? Hey — exploiting my rain for your PDA but not paying me? Pay up first!”
“When I went out in the rain with my husband nothing happened… why do others get wall-presses and I get cold? Heartbroken [big cry].”
[Qingmei Qingmei]: Since everyone’s posting, I’ll post too. Disney’s nine-hole family golf course — you didn’t know family golf could be a couples’ thing. [picture]
“Whoa! First time seeing golf used like that!”
“+1 — so golf is not only for show, it can be for flirting!”
“Mama, I want to learn golf!”
“Since I learn golf, Mommy won’t worry about me not finding a girlfriend!”
Weiwei discovered, to her surprise, that due to the time difference these domestic posts had fermented overnight. The accounts “I am Lan Lan,” “Fan Name,” and “Qingmei Qingmei” had skyrocketed from a few dozen followers to ten thousand-plus overnight — an almost godlike speed — all because they posted about the male and female idols.
Weiwei gritted her teeth. As a diehard Xia Shi fan, she refused to lose. She had to post!
[Chang Xia Zhitou]: Ran into the goddess at Disney Mall — so beautiful and super nice! Took a photo with the little master — the goddess signed it. Small detail: the male idol personally took the photo! PS: shh — secretly, I heard them say a little sister, and they were in the baby section. You get it. [photo]
Weiwei smirked. She posted the paparazzi photo of the couple together and the signed photo, arranged in a nine-grid collage.
Humph — she was flaunting it on purpose. No one else had gotten a photo with the little master until now. She was the first — and the male idol took the photo personally!
“Damn, blogger, are you out to provoke hatred? This hatred level is MAX!”
“What’s going on these days — why are we getting hit with so much PDA?”
“I predict these days single people should avoid Weibo!”
“So, really having a little princess?”
“Well, even if she’s pregnant, how do you know it’s necessarily a girl?”
“I bet fifty cents it’s a little princess!”
“Please respond to the national two-child policy, be a pioneer!”
“Goodbye, I’m going to reincarnate, hope I’m in time!”
“Hi, I came from a time machine to say my wife is about to be born, mother-in-law is in the delivery room, father-in-law pacing outside!”
“Shameless upstairs!”
“Shameless +1”
“+2”
“+10086!”
“Wait! The male and female idols and little master are in Orlando Disney?”
“Why does the whole world always happen to encounter the idols showing off their love — can I still catch a flight to Orlando?”
Answer: of course… you can’t make it in time!
While fans at home were busy alternating between complaining and giddily consuming the PDA, and some North American fans planned whether they could go to Orlando to “run into” them, Xia Shi and Lu Tingchuan had already taken Lu Xuan to Philadelphia.
Xia Shi’s longtime home. Her parents lived there.
Xia’s father had worked at a foreign company in Haishi long ago; due to a transfer he was sent to the U.S. He’d originally planned to apply to return to China in a couple of years, but after Xia Shi ran into trouble back home the family relocated to the U.S. for good and settled there. Now Xia’s father was retired and ran a modest coffee shop in Philadelphia to pass the time.
Xia’s mother cooked wonderfully; Xia Shi had inherited most of her culinary skills. Xia’s mother was always busy in the kitchen — every few days she’d fuss with a new dish and cook a large spread that filled the house with aroma, drawing neighbors to drop by. The Xia household was hospitable; visitors often came.
Lu Tingchuan had seen this many times. He expected it when Xia’s mother sent Xia Shi out early that morning to buy groceries. What he didn’t expect was that when he returned, the guest in the living room would be Chu Xun.
Chu Xun: undisputed first king of pop in their country — together with Shen Hui, they supported half of the pop music world.
What made Lu Tingchuan grind his teeth wasn’t just that — it was Chu Xun’s close past with Xia Shi.
The Xia and Chu families were old acquaintances. Xia’s and Chu’s mothers had once worked together in a chorus in Haishi. The chorus wasn’t famous, but they had stage experience, so both Xia Shi and Chu Xun were influenced by music early on.
They’d played together as kids and studied singing together. In high school they were nicknamed the golden couple, then both got into the National Conservatory of Music and participated in “The Most Beautiful Voice” — one champion, one runner-up. From their debut, media had labeled them the “golden couple.”
Xia’s mom and Chu’s mom now chatted in the living room while Chu Xun played the piano with Lu Xuan beside him. Lu Tingchuan felt like his back teeth were itching; he called out, “Xuan Xuan, come here!”
Hearing his father’s voice, Lu Xuan slid off his little stool and ran over, taking Lu Tingchuan’s hand and Xia Shi’s. “Daddy, Mommy — you’re back!”
Seeing the peaceful family, Chu Xun paused half a second, then smiled. “You’re back? Auntie’s been waiting for the groceries to be prepared — she asked about them just now.”
Xia’s mother came forward, took the items from Xia Shi and Lu Tingchuan, and drew Chu’s mother and herself into the kitchen, clearing the living room.
Two old friends, finally meeting after many years, had endless things to talk about.
“Chu Xun has always been handsome since he was little. He was a pretty boy back then; now he’s even more handsome,” Xia’s mother said from the kitchen. Lu Tingchuan looked at Chu Xun across from him. Handsome? Hah — wasn’t that just a pretty face? Did he have the same chiselled features and striking looks?
“I heard Xia Xia said Chu Xun is now the country’s top pop king — super popular?” Lu Tingchuan squinted — the “top pop king”? He was an actor too! More popular? Counting Weibo followers, Lu Tingchuan thought he had a few million more than Chu Xun.
“Chu Xun’s not young anymore, is he? Has he found someone?” Chu’s mother sighed. “Not yet! I worry about it. He says he’s in the ascent of his career. People in entertainment marry late; many men marry at forty. If I had to wait until he’s forty, that’s over ten years; I’m anxious!”
Xia’s mother sympathized. “He’s right — entertainment people marry late. Chu Xun has money, looks and fans; he won’t have trouble finding someone. No rush. He’s a good person with a good temper; whoever marries him will be lucky.”
Lu Tingchuan’s mouth twitched inward. Good character? Good temper? Humph.
Chu’s mother, vexed, said: “Stop speaking for him. Xia Shi and Lu Tingchuan aren’t in the entertainment circle. How long have they been married? Their son is already running around doing errands!”
Lu Tingchuan forced a smile. Chu’s mother continued: “It’s fate’s irony. Back then Chu Xun and Xia Shi were so close — I thought they’d end up together.”
“Yes, a pity. They weren’t meant to.”
Lu Tingchuan’s smile fell. Across from him, Chu Xun sipped coffee calmly and chatted with Xia Shi as if the women in the kitchen weren’t discussing him — completely at ease.
Lu Tingchuan forced, “I heard you studied in the U.S.? Is your study finished? Come visit when you have time?”
Chu Xun blinked. Not offended, he answered courteously: “My studies are finished. My mom happened to come visit; since Auntie is also in the U.S., I came to see my aunt and uncle.”
Politeness and ease — his calm demeanor made Lu Tingchuan’s tone sound even more sour.
“So what’s next? Planning to return to record a new album?”
“A new album will come later. I’m filming a variety show, ‘I Am the Singing King,’ on Beijing TV. I know Xia Shi signed with the same company; maybe we’ll collaborate.”
Lu Tingchuan felt he’d dug a hole for himself; his jaw clenched. “Oh?” It came out like a grunt.
Xia Shi nudged him and whispered, “Can you not be so embarrassing?”
Lu Tingchuan opened his mouth but swallowed the retort, instead wrapping an arm around Xia Shi and whispering intimately: “Got it. I won’t embarrass you.”
Chu Xun saw this and gave a small smile, turning his head away to sip more coffee.
Xia’s mother and Chu’s mother—two old friends—worked fast; soon the food was on the table. They sat down with the honored guest. Xia’s mother enthusiastically told stories of their youth and kept feeding Chu Xun.
“Chu Xun, eat more — don’t be like those entertainment people always trying to lose weight. You’re a man, not a woman. Besides, you’re not thin. Have some more!”
Lu Tingchuan watched as a piece of sweet-and-sour pork ribs he had been reaching for was taken and offered to Chu Xun.
“Mom!”
Xia’s mother chided, puzzled at Lu Tingchuan’s reaction. “You’re grown — why get upset over a rib? You can eat Xia Xia’s cooking often. Chu Xun is visiting — he hasn’t had my food for years.”
Lu Tingchuan replied fast: “Xuan Xuan wants it!” and secretly nudged his son.
Lu Xuan chewed the rib and looked at Lu Tingchuan in confusion. Lu Tingchuan squinted and worked his eyebrows into a silent joke. The father and son had some tacit understanding. Lu Xuan cried out: “I want it! Grandma, I haven’t had your sweet-and-sour ribs in so long. Grandma makes the best!”
Xia’s mother beamed and set the whole plate in front of Lu Xuan. “Alright, all for you! What else do you want, and Grandma will serve it!”
“Thanks Grandma!”
“My dear baby is so good!”
Lu Tingchuan watched, lips twitching, and shot a triumphant look at Chu Xun — but the blow was like hitting cotton. Chu Xun kept his head down and drank his soup nonchalantly, seemingly unfazed.
Xia Shi covered her face in shame.
After the meal, the families chatted a little; night fell and Chu Xun and his mother returned to their hotel. Xia Shi went to the bathroom for a shower.
“Lu Tingchuan, I forgot the towel, bring it to me.”
Xia Shi opened the bathroom door and Lu Tingchuan not only handed in the towel, he slipped in like an eel. Xia Shi froze. “I’m showering — get out!”
Lu Tingchuan’s eyes burned. “Come shower together.”
She knew he was in a bad mood and tried to soften her voice. “Tingchuan, don’t mess. There’s nothing between Chu Xun and me. We grew up together, childhood sweethearts, but it was always just a joke our parents made — it couldn’t be anything else. If we were meant to be together, we’d already be together…”
He seized her wrist and pinned her to the wall. “Childhood sweethearts? Already together?” he spat.
Xia Shi felt wrist pain; something about him at that moment felt dangerous.
“Ti—” she tried to speak, but Lu Tingchuan didn’t give her the chance. The kiss he gave was sudden and fierce — more domineering than ever. His agile tongue pried open her teeth and stirred her lips with a conquering kiss that made her dizzy, not even giving her a chance to breathe.
Xia Shi tried to push him away, making a muffled sound, but the difference in male and female strength meant her efforts were futile. Lu Tingchuan grabbed one of her hands and hoisted it over her head, pinning it to the wall; his other hand slid down her waist, lifted her leg, and wrapped it around his hip with swift, intense motion.
Xia Shi felt like a small boat in a vast ocean, tossed by waves.
A fierce desire burned like fire in his chest. Xia Shi opened her mouth and gasped, “Slow down!”
Lu Tingchuan didn’t answer. Her heavy breaths sounded like a siren; they shook him to his core. Even so, seeing she was fatigued, he eased his actions.
The shower water rinsed over them, and they could no longer tell which was water and which was sweat. The cramped bathroom was thick with a sultry, carnal atmosphere.
After they finished, Xia Shi felt completely worn out. Half-conscious, Lu Tingchuan carried her to bed. She mumbled, frowning softly, “Lu Tingchuan, you forgot the condom.”
Thinking of that at a time like this? Lu Tingchuan’s mouth curved in a light smile. He carefully redressed her in sleepwear and pulled the covers up. Xia Shi rolled over and snuggled into his arms, finding a comfortable position and nuzzling her face against his chest.
Lu Tingchuan wrapped her in his arms with a doting smile at the corner of his eyes.
Author’s note: The childhood friend who just popped in is mainly there to push the main couple’s relationship forward. He won’t have any negative effect on their romance.
Why did I need a childhood friend? Because although he doesn’t affect the main couple’s relationship, he’s tied to a plot point I planted earlier, so his presence is necessary.
Mr. Lu is a perpetual jealous one.
The little master is always being tricked by his dad… he’s young and naive!
Two more things to tell everyone:
First: Tomorrow and the day after we’ll pack — first to Changsha, then fly to Nanjing. So for the next several days many chapters will be posted from the draft queue, still scheduled daily at 9 AM. I mentioned yesterday that the chapters won’t all be long — some are 3,000+ words, some 5–6,000. On average they won’t be too short. I’ll work hard to write more when I get back.
Second: About anti-theft chapters — tomorrow I plan to set the JJ system anti-theft rate at fifty percent, with a time setting of six or twelve hours.
