CHAPTER 425: CHAPTER 425; HONEYMOON PHASE 3 (K)

"They’ll be back before you know it," Nanny Yun said warmly, patting his hand. "Now eat. I made your favorite, the pork is extra tender today."

Minghao let the subject drop, but her mind continued working as she ate the admittedly delicious lunch. Twilight’s answer had been smooth, too smooth. And the elaborate lunch setup, the personal pickup, the reassurances, it all felt orchestrated to keep her from worrying or asking more questions.

But she was Huo Minghao. She was too smart to be easily distracted.

Whatever her parents were really doing, wherever they actually were, it was clearly something they didn’t want her to know about. Something significant enough to require this level of careful management.

She thought back to her mother arriving home covered in "paint" that had looked an awful lot like blood. To the tension she’d sensed. To the sudden departure without proper goodbyes.

Something had happened. Something that required her parents to disappear to some unknown location.

But pushing now would accomplish nothing. Twilight was too well-trained to crack under a child’s questioning, and Nanny Yun would simply defer to whatever story they’d agreed upon.

So Minghao ate her lunch, participated in the light conversation, and filed away her questions and observations for later.

When her mother called tonight, if she called tonight, Minghao would have questions ready.

And she would be listening very carefully to the answers.

Because whatever was happening, whatever secrets her parents were keeping, Huo Minghao was determined to uncover the truth.

Eventually.

For now, she would be patient. She would observe. She would wait.

And when the time was right, she would find out exactly what her parents were hiding.

Even if she had to dig up the truth herself.

"This pork really is delicious, Nanny Yun," Qin Xinyu said enthusiastically, breaking her train of thought.

"I’m glad you like it, dear," Nanny Yun beamed. "I made extra for dinner tonight too."

"Will Qing Qing be able to eat with us?" Minghao asked, deliberately shifting to safer topics.

"Yes, she’s doing much better today. The doctor said she can start eating more normal foods," Nanny Yun confirmed.

The conversation flowed naturally after that, but Twilight caught Minghao’s eye in the rearview mirror once, and there was a flicker of something there, acknowledgment, perhaps, that Minghao wasn’t fooled.

But there was also a silent message: Trust us. Your parents are fine. And you are safe.

For now, Minghao decided, that would have to be enough.

But she would be ready when the time came to demand real answers.

— — — — — —

The Ocean Villa - Afternoon

By three o’clock in the afternoon, the sun had transformed the ocean into a dazzling expanse of liquid diamonds, each wave catching and fracturing the light into a thousand sparkling points.

Tang Fei had been dozing on and off throughout the late morning, safely wrapped in Huo Ting Cheng’s protective arms, but the building heat and the hypnotic sound of rhythmic waves had gradually awakened a restless energy within her.

"I want to swim," she announced suddenly, lifting her head from where it had been resting comfortably on his chest.

Huo Ting Cheng opened one eye with lazy amusement. "Swim?"

"Yes. The ocean is right there, practically calling my name. I can’t just lie here being lazy all day long." She sat up with determination, wincing only slightly at the lingering soreness but pushing through the discomfort. "Come on. We’re at this beautiful beach. We should actually use it."

He smiled, clearly amused by her sudden burst of energy after hours of contentment doing nothing. "Alright. But you’ll need appropriate swimwear."

"I didn’t bring any," she admitted, then looked at him with growing suspicion. "Unless you...?"

"I may have taken the liberty of having some things prepared in advance for you," he confessed, rising smoothly and walking to the spacious closet. From a drawer she hadn’t yet explored, he pulled out several swimsuits, all designer labels, all clearly expensive, all in colors chosen to complement her coloring.

He selected one in particular, an elegant yet decidedly revealing bikini in a deep emerald green that would complement her pale skin tone perfectly. The top was a classic triangle style connected with delicate gold chains, and the bottoms were Brazilian cut, clearly designed to showcase rather than conceal.

"This one," he said decisively, handing it to her.

Tang Fei accepted it, holding the minimal fabric up to examine it more closely and raising a skeptical eyebrow. "This is... extremely minimal."

"It’s a completely private beach, but your body is perfectly fit..." he replied with a slight smirk that suggested he’d chosen this particular suit very deliberately. "No one will see except me and the security team, who are all professionals who know better than to look directly at you for more than a second."

A proud man is the one ain’t bothered with what you wear, he enjoys everything about you.

She laughed at his matter-of-fact tone and carried the bikini to the bathroom to change.

She gazed at that image across the mirror... She looked perfect but still, there was evidence of what had transpired last night on her body. She wasn’t bothered by it. It’s not like she was doing it with someone else’s man.

When she emerged several minutes later, Huo Ting Cheng’s breath caught audibly. The emerald fabric created a stunning contrast against her flawlessly pale skin, and the carefully designed cut of the suit accentuated every natural curve of her body.

He felt particularly satisfied about having insisted on that comprehensive body grooming session at the exclusive spa last month, her skin was smooth perfection everywhere, including areas that this revealing suit would have otherwise exposed with less flattering results.

She looked like she’d stepped directly out of a high-fashion magazine photoshoot.

"You’re staring," she observed with amusement, though she clearly didn’t sound displeased by his obvious appreciation. He was her man. Her husband...

"I’m appreciating art," he corrected smoothly, pulling on his own swim shorts, simple black trunks that hung attractively low on his hips. You could see that V line that was leading down to her happiness.