CHAPTER 155: CHAPTER 155; I PROMISE

The sound of the slap cracked through the sitting room like thunder, sharp enough to still even the faint murmur of voices from the forgotten laptop.

Fang Lin gasped softly, clutching the tray tighter against her chest, her friend had the guts to slap her Uncle? Jin Zhou’s jaw clenched, but he did not move, waiting for his master’s reaction.

Jin Shuren did not flinch. His head only turned slightly from the force, but when his gaze returned to Yueyao, there was no anger, no reproach, only a quiet sorrow that settled deep in his eyes.

Her hand trembled where it had struck him, her breath shallow and uneven. "How... how could you say such a thing to me? Are you mocking me? You do know very well I have never loved or liked that man, how can I even marry him! Jin Shuren, if you don’t love me, you can tell me but don’t push me to another man, he is the one who has been seducing me, seee... I have changed my ways!"

Jin Shuren was stamped silly, he just knew she had changed, but why did her memory suddenly have an overall change? Whatever he had just said was the truth and that was what he had actually done.

Jin Shuren’s fingers curled slowly against his thigh, the only sign of the storm brewing inside him, but his voice, when it came, was soft and achingly tender.

"Yaoyao... hush, don’t cry my dear," He reached for her trembling hand, not minding the sting that still lingered on his cheek. His palm was warm, steady, and coaxed. "I would never push you to another man. You belong here, with me. Only me."

Yueyao shook her head, tears welling up, her lips quivering with confusion, "But... why would you say that? Why would you say I was his wife? I would never... never!" Her voice cracked, the denial fierce, yet her fragile body trembled as if even she wasn’t sure of her own memories.

Jin Shuren brushed a strand of her hair back, his thumb lingering at the damp corner of her eye, "My mouth just slipped, I was wrong to scare you. Forgive me, hm? You don’t have to say anything. I trust you as much as you trust me."

Her wide eyes searched his face, torn between doubt and desperate hope. "Always...? Did I really?"

His lips curved into a faint, coaxing smile, one he reserved only for her. "Always my dear. You trusted me so much that you followed me here. You chose me, Yueyao. Over and over again." His voice lowered, brushing against her ears like velvet. "That hasn’t changed."

Her chest rose and fell rapidly, as though clinging to the lifeline in his words. "I... I chose you?"

"Yes." He cradled her hand against his chest, letting her feel the strong, steady beat beneath his ribs. "And I will never let you regret it. No rings, no portraits, none of that matters. You are my wife in every way that counts."

Fang Lin, forgotten by the side, bit her lip hard, her eyes darting between her Uncle’s unwavering gentleness and Yueyao’s fragile disbelief. Jin Zhou kept his gaze averted, but his fists were clenched tight at his sides.

Yueyao’s tears slowed, though her eyes remained glossy. She looked at the wall again, her voice small, almost childlike. "Then... then will you take a picture with me? Just one? To prove it?"

Jin Shuren’s heart gave a painful twist to her plea. He bent forward, pressing a reverent kiss to her trembling knuckles. "Not just one picture, we can take a thousand if you want. I will fill every wall with us."

Her lips parted, startled, as if she hadn’t expected him to yield so easily, and a faint, hesitant light flickered in her eyes.

But deep inside, Shuren knew, he would have to live in this dream with her; he loved and would do anything for her, and he didn’t care! What if one time she recalls the true memories, then he would do anything she wishes for.

The room seemed to exhale with her softening, as though the tension had cracked just enough to let hope slip through. Yueyao’s fingers lingered in his grasp, trembling still, but no longer pulling away.

"Pictures..." she softly whispered beneath her breath, almost as if tasting the word. "Yes. If there are pictures, then I’ll know it’s real. I will know you’re not lying to me."

Her eyes lifted, wide and searching, and for an instant, she looked like a girl lost, desperate for something solid to cling to.

Jin Shuren’s heart painfully twisted. He wanted to tell her everything, to lay bare the past he had stolen and the future he had rewritten just to keep her here. But he only smiled faintly, tender, coaxing, unwilling to shatter the fragile thread holding her to him.

"Then tomorrow," he said, his thumb caressing the back of her hand, "we will take as many as you like. And I will have them framed, hung, and kept in every corner until you are satisfied."

Her lips curved, the smallest ghost of a smile, though her lashes still shimmered with unshed tears. "You promise?"

"I promise." His voice carried the weight of an oath, steady and unyielding.

The silence that followed was heavy, almost sacred, broken only by Fang Lin’s uneven breath. She lowered her gaze quickly, ashamed to have borne witness to such intimacy. Jin Zhou remained rigid, but his eyes flickered once toward his master, as if silently questioning how long this illusion could last.

Yueyao finally exhaled, her body softening as she leaned the faintest bit closer, her forehead nearly brushing his chest. "Then... I will believe you. Just this once more."

Jin Shuren closed his eyes briefly, relief seeping into his bones, though he knew it was a fragile victory. He lowered his head, pressing his lips gently against her hair, sealing the moment with a tenderness no vow could rival.