Long Yubei chuckled softly, "How could they ever compare to you? You are the one who matters most."
Gu Lili curled her lips in disbelief. "I find that hard to believe."
"With them gone, I could easily recruit a new batch of employees, but without you, where on earth would I find another?"
Though his words were profoundly heartfelt, Gu Lili did not entertain even a shred of trust in the latter half.
"If I were truly absent, countless women would vie eagerly for your attention. If you really sought someone to satisfy your desires, it wouldn't be so difficult."
"But to stir within me such insatiable yearning, only you possess that power."
Long Yubei's lips descended upon hers, imperious and unyielding. His tongue entwined with hers, and Gu Lili's hands instinctively clasped his shoulders as her heartbeat thundered clearly in her ears.
When their passionate kiss concluded, she slipped off the bed. "Get up quickly; breakfast awaits."
Long Yubei rose decisively and made his way to the washbasin, where she had already prepared the toothpaste. Almost simultaneously, they brushed their teeth and washed their faces side by side.
Having just finished breakfast, Long Yubei noticed Gu Lili suddenly rising. Perceiving her discomfort, he inquired, "What's the matter?"
"I... I think my period has started. I'm going upstairs to check."
Clasping her legs tightly, she hurried to the upstairs bathroom, confirming her suspicions.
She changed clothes swiftly and placed a sanitary pad before hand-washing her underwear. A dull ache pulsed in her lower abdomen, prompting her to lie down immediately upon finishing.
When Long Yubei ascended to check on her and learned the news, he perched at the bedside, a tender smile gracing his lips. "For the next few days, I suppose I can't touch your little sweetheart. Shall I make some brown sugar water for you?"
"That sounds perfect."
A short while later, he returned carrying a steaming cup of brown sugar water, placing it gently on the table to cool.
Gu Lili reached for his hand. "Since you're not going to work today, stay and talk with me."
"What would you like to talk about?"
"Husband, the more time we spend together each day, the more I sense how much you've changed since we first met. You treat me so well. But what if one day I cling to you so tightly that when you grow weary of me, I refuse to leave?"
"That won't happen," he replied softly, gazing down at her with warmth. "I am kind to you because I choose to be. If I ever grow tired of you, naturally I would cease being kind. And if I stopped caring, wouldn't you want to leave me?"
"That's true," she conceded, tilting her head upward to regard the man beside her. His flawless features, so exquisitely handsome, belonged to a rare scion of heaven's own design—irresistible and intoxicating.
To share such a marriage with him filled her with happiness and peace. She fervently wished that this life might never end—that it might continue on eternally, just as it was.
The summer rains came frequently, falling every few days without warning.
Long Yu's mother encountered such an unexpected shower halfway up the mountain path to the temple.
Her bodyguard hurried down to fetch an umbrella while she quickened her pace upward.
Just then, someone called out to her.
"Madam Long."
She turned to see a young woman approaching. "Who are you?"
He Meiwei smiled faintly, holding her umbrella over Madam Long's head. "You may not know me, but I know you well. Let's talk as we walk—I, too, have come to pray. What a coincidence to meet you here."
"And whose daughter are you?"
"I am not from a wealthy family. I returned from abroad only a few months ago. I am Bei Bei... no, rather, Mr. Long's ex-girlfriend. That is why I know you, Madam. I once imagined that if I married him, you would be my mother-in-law, so I have always paid special attention to you."