(11) Let bygones be bygones

  Even if you guess a thousand times, it's still not as moving as hearing him say it himself.

  I listened calmly, doubting whether I didn't love him anymore, but when I clearly saw myself in his pupils, all those doubts dissipated.

  Maybe I like him more than before, otherwise how could it be that just looking at him like this makes me feel like I'm drowning, my heart is suffocating, and even my brain is gradually becoming muddled.

  His kiss came down and was imprinted on his lips, and his scorching heart couldn't stop trembling.

  Tears kept rolling out, I desperately dodged his lips, stuttering to ask him if he loved me...

  "Yes," he said, his tone firm and unwavering.

  Lips slid across my neck, lightly kissed the collarbone, nibbled and whispered: "Always loved you, only you... but you don't know, nor do you understand... only I'm enduring... fantasizing about kissing you like this..."

  His voice was like a gentle hum of intoxication, exuding some kind of magic. I gradually couldn't hear his voice clearly, my hands unconsciously wrapped around his neck, searching for his lips in an oxygen-deprived state...

  I want to kiss him and make up for all the kisses that have been suppressed over the years.

  He suddenly bit down hard on my collarbone, then licked it, raised his hand to lift my chin, and asked in a hoarse voice: "What do you want to do to me?"

  "I want to kiss you..." I replied dazedly.

  "It's not possible now." He said, but still actively kissed my lips, lingering on the jawline and nibbling on the earlobe: "Marry me...can kiss me...hug me...marry me, huh?"

  "Cheating... you... black heart..."

  I was teased and tempted by him, trembling so much that I couldn't say a complete sentence, unable to help but tense up my body, my blood still screaming his name.

  It's crazy!

  In a flash, he became the high-looking view, looking down at me, with both hands propped on either side. I only reacted to being placed on the desk.

  His eyes stared at me with a faint redness, his pupils deep and bottomless, gathering some kind of storm that I couldn't understand. His whole face was tense and expressionless, with a hint of endurance and a few parts of horror.

  I must have gone crazy, recklessly leaning in to kiss his chin, only to be met with his stormy suppression. The kiss was fierce, and he didn't stop sucking my lips and tongue, depriving me of air, my heart racing at an abnormal frequency, almost jumping out of my chest...

  A faint coolness at the waist, that one finger's cool intention slid up along my spine, I stiffened all over like a cat on high alert. He wouldn't let me go, his fingers even opened the clasp on the back of my dress, moving along the edge to the front, falling onto my chest... tracing the arc under my breasts... landing on the nipple, lightly swirling around it...

  I couldn't resist or bear his teasing, all I could do was tightly grab his shoulders, pat his back and beg him to let me off...

  He didn't budge, instead he pressed his body against me, squeezing between my legs, and a hard object poked out from the gap in his lower abdomen. I knew exactly what it was, and I struggled even harder...

  As I struggled, the feeling of being overwhelmed grew stronger, my body felt like it was burning up and couldn't dissipate the heat, my mouth was dry and my tongue was parched, I finally gave in to him and sank into his kiss.

  I don't know how long we kissed, until my sweater loosened and half of my shoulder was exposed to the air. He left my mouth, licked his lips, and smiled with a full score of evil charm: "So delicious."

  I was panting heavily, my arm still wrapped around his neck, when his hand slid down and landed on my lower abdomen. The heat penetrated through the fabric, and he whispered in my ear, "Is it very uncomfortable?"

  It's an unbearable and indescribable kind of suffering.

  I still remember the feeling of being at the entrance hall last time, and I couldn't help but bite my lip tightly.

  He then licked my earlobe and asked me: "Does it hurt? Marry me, huh? You just say yes, and I'll help you."

  "Su Hao..." A sweet and soft voice escaped, startling herself, she quickly bit her lip again, hating that she couldn't control herself.

  This son of a bitch is rotten to the bone...

  What a coincidence, the familiar ringtone sounded from my sweater pocket and instantly broke the brief stalemate. When I saw the name displayed on the screen, the sultry atmosphere was completely gone - it was Mom.

  I just felt a chill on my shoulders, gently pushed him away and answered the phone: "Mom..."

  "Hey girl, what's wrong with your voice? Caught a cold? Frozen again, huh?"

  I coughed a few times, glared at the person sitting back in their chair: "Just a cold, every winter has a cold, it's normal. But you and Dad, have you been busy lately? Not even a message, replies are hours apart..."

  She smiled: "Busy to the point of no return, just a bit more things, I heard from Chaoyang that you are with Zhang Su's kid? Are you still going back home for New Year? We've already told your grandma and them, we're all going to her new house to celebrate!"

  "My brother said that the 187 key is lost and I'm not allowed to go home, what does this have to do with me going back home for Chinese New Year...?" I muttered discontentedly, and continued: "Besides, grandma's house has been finished for several months now, and I haven't even gone once. It's a family gathering, how can it be lively without me?"

  Su Hao reached out and grabbed the phone, pressing the speaker button.

  Laughter came out: "Your brother is afraid that you will be left at home, giving you the opportunity, aren't you fond of sticking to Lao Su since childhood? Isn't it good to live in his house? The pavilion near the water can get it first!"

  I couldn't interrupt him, and this sentence was clearly and completely told to my mom.

  Then Su Hao put his phone to his ear and cancelled the hands-free mode, saying: "Auntie, I'm Su Hao."

  I guess my mom is especially happy.

  "Yes, she's fine... thank you, Auntie, for understanding and thank you, Uncle, for forgiving me. I don't have any confidence in promising to take care of her for a lifetime, but as long as I'm alive, I'll always love her, care for her, and protect her." He said this, reached out to touch my face, and smiled wryly: "Yes, I've asked, but she hasn't agreed yet... your call came just in time..."

  I always can't resist his deep feelings, holding back tears, and then I heard him mention something about proposing, but I don't know what my mom said. All I saw was Su Hao pursing his lips, smiling very happily: "Then thank you to Mom and Dad, the sooner the date the better, I'll make up for the certificate as soon as possible, after the New Year I'll arrange a meeting between our parents..."

  "Yes, I'll go tell her the good news right away. She's been anxious about this for a while now... Okay, thanks Mom..."

  He finally handed the phone back to me, raising an eyebrow to indicate that the lady on the other end had something to say. I took the phone while complaining about how quickly he changed his tone. My mom then shouted in a serious tone: "Girl, have you and Long Su cooked rice together?"

  Hiccup —— Cough cough cough, cough cough cough ——

  "Mom, don't say it so seriously, okay?"

  "Your father and I, as well as your brother, are all very satisfied with Su Hang's answer sheet. Although he is a bit precocious, what matters most is that his feelings run deep. Handing you over to such a mature and steady person, we can also rest assured."

  I suddenly didn't know what to say anymore.

  She sighed and said: "Your dad has something to say to you, let him take over!"

  Then I heard my father's voice, also calling out "daughter" first, before saying: "Don't listen to your mother acting on her own accord, no matter how good Su Hang is, marriage is a big deal that depends on you yourself!"

  He paused, then changed his tone to a softer one, somewhat apologetically saying: "There are some things I need to admit my mistake about, it's about Su Hang going abroad. He left in a hurry and there were factors on my part involved. When he was younger, I could still turn a blind eye, but later... you were just a little older then? And he already had eyes that shone like a wolf's? At that age, boys are most prone to making mistakes, and it was also to test him. Now looking back, this kid is sincere, I forgive him. The question is... can you forgive me?"

  My eyes were filled with tears, and I finally managed to shout out "Dad". But then I couldn't help but choke back another sob: "Dad didn't do anything wrong, what's there to forgive? If it wasn't for Dad stopping us back then, we wouldn't have made it this far. Who knows what would've happened? Maybe we would've gotten tired of each other..."

  Su Hao held me in his arms and gently patted my back to comfort me.

  My tears couldn't hold back anymore, the call ended and I was still crying, hugging him, comforting her just like he comforted me: "Su Hua... Su Hua..."

  "Ah, I'm here."

  "Su Hao..."

  "I'm here."

  "I'm sorry..." The tears she had been holding back fell again, and she felt a pang of guilt and self-reproach: "I resented you before you left, and I still resent you now... I'm sorry... I didn't know anything..."

  His hand paused, then patted lightly again.

  "Silly child."

  His voice was incredibly gentle, filled with a familiarity and nostalgia that was almost cloying.