Chapter 26: Let’s Get Married

Cold water streamed from the faucet, splashing against Wen Qi’s palms and fingertips.

She stood in front of the sink without moving, letting the icy flow pound against her skin. It couldn’t even suppress the heat lingering on the surface.

That trace of scorching warmth from him still seemed embedded in her palm.

If she could, Wen Qi wished she were holding a block of ice.

It wasn’t just her hands, her entire body felt clamorous, overheated. She wanted to stand in the cold wind, soak in cold water, or at least drink a glass of iced tea, anything to cool down, to clear her head.

But there was none of that here.

There was only Wei Qingxuan’s desire-churned embrace.

The hardness, the heat, the pulse freed from the barrier of fabric, this was the first time Wen Qi had ever encountered something like it. The shock was indescribable. Even more overwhelming was the sound of Wei Qingxuan’s breathing against her ear.

Without deliberate restraint, those hoarse, low breaths slipped straight into her ears, like feathers brushing over the tip of her heart. Youthful hormones tangled restlessly between them.

When it came to attraction, Wen Qi had always been nearly ruthless with herself. Her feelings flared fast and faded just as quickly. One second she might be moved by some boy’s earnest confession; the next, she could lose all interest because of his terrible fashion sense.

Her aversion had peaked the day a boy, urged on by his friends, confessed to her in a grating, duck-like voice while nervously shaking his leg,  “Wen Qi, be with me.”

An awful voice.

A noisy environment.

An unattractive face.

A dull confession.

She even remembered that a month earlier, he had bragged about “definitely getting Wen Qi.”

Disgusting, she added silently.

She knew her standards were nearly impossible, she wanted someone who fit her ideals almost perfectly. It was like searching for a needle in the ocean. Deep down, Wen Qi suspected she might never truly fall for anyone.

Unless there was an exception.

Unless there was someone who satisfied her craving for intensity and thrill, yet still allowed her to remain in control. Someone presentable. Attractive. With a voice compelling enough to hold her.

A voice…

Her ears were still filled with Wei Qingxuan’s lingering breaths, occasionally laced with a desire-heavy “Qiqi.”

The nerves in her mind throbbed wildly. That voice felt like it was being engraved into her memory.

She had always been sensitive to sound. After discovering this, her parents, Li Yu and Wen Zhishen, had sent her to broadcasting classes she enjoyed. To her, a person’s voice left a deeper impression than their face ever could.

Just imagining that in the future, whenever she saw Wei Qingxuan, her mind might automatically replay his low, ragged breaths…

Her fingers clenched under the running water.

Droplets splashed onto both her face and his.

“Qiqi finally done washing her hands?”

She had been washing for ten minutes. Wei Qingxuan had held her from behind for the same ten minutes. The sensation at her lower back constantly reminded her, her earlier touch had been little more than a drop in the ocean to him.

She looked up at the mirror. A thin layer of sweat clung to his neck, too much reaction, too little release. In short, he was enduring.

His tone sounded almost innocent. “Why are you washing for so long?”

‘Why else?’

Wen Qi let out a cold laugh and didn’t answer.

He lowered his eyes in thought. Perhaps it was because it was her first time touching a man like that, of course she would be shocked.

A flicker of secret delight rose in his chest. She hadn’t touched that “dog.” Her startled experience belonged to him.

“Qiqi… have you only ever touched mine?”

The probing tone, the hidden anticipation, the restrained rasp in his voice made her ears tingle.

“Don’t talk to me in that voice.”

That invasive gentleness was something none of her past, careless flirtations had ever possessed. It was vivid, impossible to ignore.

“Why?” He rested his chin on her shoulder. “Do you hate my voice?”

“Mm.”

He looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her lashes fluttered, but she wasn’t frowning. Her tone wasn’t firm either.

‘‘Qiqi… Qiqi.’’

He laughed softly.

She tried to move aside, but his arm tightened around her waist. His chin brushed lightly against her shoulder again.

“Really? Then why are your ears red?”

She glanced at the mirror. The tips of her ears were flushed pink.

“It’s hot in here.”

“You’re only wearing a dress now,” he reminded her. “Need me to take it off for you?”

Her coat had long since been thrown somewhere during their struggle. Now she stood in the cool bathroom wearing only a thin dress, yet felt no chill at all.

“Take it off.”

He paused, cautious.

Sure enough, she was about to provoke him again.

Maybe he was used to her temper by now. Instead of anger, he simply stared at her.

She slowly looked away.

So adorable.

He chuckled, brushing a fingertip over her burning ear. “Wasn’t that what you said last time too? ‘I hate you, Wei Qingxuan.’”

At the mention of that memory, she instinctively tightened her legs.

He noticed.

Interesting. There were still so many reactions of hers he hadn’t discovered.

“Qiqi likes flirting with me like this?”

She flared instantly. “Don’t flatter yourself. Just wait until I get the chance- I’ll-”

She cut herself off.

“Get the chance to what?” He considered. “Me?”

She inhaled sharply and shoved him hard. She stumbled half a step herself.

Without looking back, she strode out of the bathroom, ears still faintly red, steps oddly stiff.

The bathroom door swung open. Cold hallway light fell across her, but it didn’t quell her fluster.

Behind her, Wei Qingxuan’s soft laughter followed, unhurried, like a cat toying with a mouse.

“Going somewhere? I’ll take it seriously.”

She watched his shadow on the wall, calculating the distance.

When he stepped closer again, she suddenly turned.

Before he could dodge, she grabbed his collar.

They stumbled backward onto the bed. She sat up first, hands clamped around his neck.

“Take what seriously? Say one more word and you’re dead.”

Her breathing was uneven. Her fingers tightened at his throat.

He smiled, completely relaxing, letting her press as hard as she wanted.

Her palm felt the furious beat of his heart beneath his skin.

Her breathing grew tight.

Yet his gaze never wavered from her, her furrowed brows, her pressed lips, her flushed, vivid beauty.

He loved this version of her. Fierce. Alive.

His soul felt branded with her name in that moment.

“Why are you smiling?” she demanded.

Her grip gradually loosened.

He didn’t care about the pressure at his throat. Instead, he watched her, her shift from ferocity to confusion, her disrupted breathing.

She thought she was strangling him.

But it felt like he was the one binding her, with nothing more than his gaze.

Air flowed back into his lungs. His breathing remained steady.

After a moment, he asked softly, “Qiqi… if I died, would you follow me?”

“No.”

He tugged lightly at the hair behind her neck. She lost balance and fell into his kiss.

“That’s good.”

“What’s good?”

“If I become a real ghost, I’ll stay far away. I won’t scare you.”

“And now?”

He kissed the corner of her lips.

“Now I’ll cling to you. Until the day I die.”

She bristled.

Before she could retort, he glanced down at her leg pressed against his waist.

“Next time you try to strangle me, be careful.”

“What?”

He didn’t answer. He squeezed her waist lightly and thrusted his hips slightly.

“What if next time I can’t control myself?”

She scrambled up and fled to the desk, gulping down cold water.

Then he said, in a tone far too serious to be a joke.

“Let’s get married. Overseas. I’ll have custom rings made.”

She sprayed water everywhere.

Without even turning around, she bolted for the door.

“If you run today,” his voice darkened behind her, “next time I find you, I really will lock you up. Qiqi. Don’t you want to finish college peacefully?”

She froze mid-step.

His tone softened. “Come here. Let’s talk.”

“Talk from there.”

He studied her stubborn back, then sat on the sofa.

“Afraid I’ll trap you?”

A pause.

“I won’t force marriage. But running won’t solve anything.”

“If you stop looking for me, everything’s solved.”

Silence.

Finally she asked, “So what do you want?”

He lifted his eyes. “Qiqi, I’m very easy to coax.”

“And?”

“As long as you coax me, I’ll obediently be your lover.”

“Didn’t you say-”

“Don’t mention him in front of me.”

She fell silent.

After a while, he asked, “Did you ever coax him?”

“…”

“Besides kissing, what else did you do?”

“…”

“Did he hold your waist like I do?”

His jealousy sharpened. “Is he really better at kissing than me?”

He pulled her back onto his lap.

“Did you sit on him? Say something, Wen Qi.”

“It’s none of your business. Lovers shouldn’t ask so much.”

The word lover stung him.

Why was that dead dog the boyfriend, and he the lover?

He gripped the back of her neck, voice urgent and fierce:

“Do you want to marry him?”