CHAPTER 96: CHAPTER 95: ALWAYS WILLING TO BOW BEFORE HER

He Chen was taken aback, watching Ye Manman run back into the yard, showing him her little red hands, and he quickly realized he had made a mess of his own face.

He instinctively wanted to wipe his face with his hand, only to find that his palms were also completely red.

Ye Manman’s giggles were incredibly infectious. He Chen suddenly, and uncharacteristically, found the courage to chase after Ye Manman in the yard.

She fled, he pursued, she had nowhere to escape.

Finally, He Chen stretched out his long arm and pulled the laughing Ye Manman, who was nearly out of breath from laughing so hard, into his embrace.

He was unwilling to dirty her fair face with his hands, so he dipped his head and rubbed his forehead against hers, like a punishment.

"Caught you, being naughty, I’ve got you now."

The two were face to face, extremely close, and yet Ye Manman continued to laugh, her voice bright and lazy, soft as cotton clouds, making one’s heart itch.

It made He Chen’s breath become unsteady, he couldn’t take it at all.

He stared at Ye Manman’s long, dense eyelashes, watching the physiological moisture spill from her eyes that were like crystal grapes; He Chen was entranced, and the large muscles in his arms rose quickly, creating a beautiful arc, pulling her even closer.

"Man—"

Just as he said the first syllable, a pair of sweet, soft lips pressed against his.

Ye Manman stood on her tiptoes, tilting her head up, and because it was tiring, she wrapped her arms around his neck with gentle effort, making him obediently lower his head.

Whenever Ye Manman made a move, he was always willing to bow down for her.

The roles quickly reversed.

Ye Manman exerted a slight pressure downward with her hands, and He Chen obediently sat on a stool.

During this time, aside from their positions changing—He Chen looking up, Ye Manman bending down—their breaths remained entangled, never separating for a moment.

He Chen’s large hand hesitated to rest on Ye Manman’s back, not daring to move, as if afraid that moving would unleash a terrifying monster within him.

Displeased with his behavior, Ye Manman gently bit him with her teeth.

He Chen winced from the pain, yet the association of her bite quickly transformed the pain into a numbness, like an electric current flowing from head to toe, leaving him entirely numb.

If he weren’t sitting, he doubted he could remain standing.

"He Chen."

Ye Manman cupped his face, looking down into his deep eyes filled with her image, his face patchy red from her mark, causing her to giggle once more.

"You’re really so cute!"

Imitating him, she lowered her head and rubbed her forehead against his.

He Chen blushed and hunched, his gaze wandering, always looking aside.

The previous month had been busy with business; during the day, they rarely had moments like this. He Chen thought he could control himself well enough, at least during the day.

Now it seemed like that wasn’t truly self-control.

Because, during the past month, they hadn’t had intimate contact in the daytime; each was busy with their tasks.

Suddenly, this playful moment awakened the hidden emotions within his body, and every cell screamed to be closer, to absorb the slender, soft being before him into himself.

Ye Manman noticed his change, cleared her throat, and released her hold.

"He Chen, is there any wine in the house?"

He Chen was too timid.

Perhaps if he drank, he could blur his senses, maybe then his courage would grow.

At that time, she really wanted to see if she truly had no charm or if he had some issue.

"Yes, there’s rice wine. I’ll make egg-drop rice wine for you tonight?"

"No way, I want pure rice wine, with you drinking with me."

Ye Manman released her hold, yet He Chen still clung to her waist, afraid to let go.

She tried to break free from his arms, but He Chen did not want to let go; instead, he summoned the courage to lower his head, burying his face into her clothes.

"I want to hold you a little longer; I’ll listen to you and drink rice wine with you tonight."

His voice was a bit hoarse, sounding particularly intoxicating, and Ye Manman couldn’t fathom why in just a few short months, He Chen’s voice grew increasingly pleasing to her.

Especially in moments like this, his voice sounded incredibly sexy.

Inexplicably, Ye Manman recalled their first meeting when past memories hadn’t surfaced.

He stood in the field, his muscles rippling with labor, his skin nearly bronzed with sweat glistening under the scorching sun, radiating a deadly wild charm.

If he had spoken then, it would have been just as pleasing to the ear, wouldn’t it?

How did He Chen react when he first saw her?

She seemed to have never asked.

"He Chen, do you remember how I secretly went to see you once before we got married?"

He Chen, lost in enchanting thoughts, suddenly paused before lifting his head.

"I remember."

"Back then, I thought you had remembered me."

Ye Manman, lowering her head, cupped his face again, smiling as she asked.

"Haha, I didn’t remember at that time. What if I never remembered you later?"

"How would you treat me then?"

"Would you still be this good to me?"

Her triple-barreled question left He Chen momentarily dumbfounded.

He thought very seriously for several seconds.

"I should still be good to you. Regardless of whether you remember, I married you to treat you well; even if you never remember our past, I’d still want to treat you well."

"Not remembering isn’t your fault; I’d still respect and be good to you, until I fall ill, unable to move, or die. Then I might not be able to care for you anymore."

He Chen seemed apprehensive about such a scenario but inexplicably felt as if it had been experienced once, like a scene of growing old, lying solitary in a hospital waiting to die, flashed through his mind.

A sorrowful, aching inability to be close to another, a choking sensation on the brink of death, made him instinctively bury his face into her clothes again.

His voice was muffled, tinged with relief.

"Glad you can remember."

She touched his head, feeling a bit prickly, and then pinched his ear, tugging it upward.

"What a foolish man."

She didn’t expect He Chen to still be as foolish as in the books, foolish enough to stay by the side of a woman never feeling for him, giving until death without ever receiving genuine affection.

Ye Manman was both touched and exasperated by his foolishness.

Such a foolish, timid man—if she didn’t assist him, was he really planning to endure a lifetime without touching her?