144: Goodnight, meow!

As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Zhuohua put down his phone and focused his gaze on Yan Qinghe's face.

"Are you calling me out?"

That's right, he had almost forgotten that the person in his arms had hidden things from him twice, and had already been severely punished for it both times.

"No."

Yan Zhuohua didn't say anything, but his large eyes were filled with the words "I don't believe you."

"I just suddenly had a moment of inspiration..." Before he could finish, Yan Qinghe wanted to slap himself twice. Where did this "inspiration" come from? Wasn't the only example he'd encountered recently of being kept in the dark by a lover himself?? Damn, now it was even harder to explain.

Yan Qinghe looked down and, as expected, read the words "keep on making things up" from Yan Zhuohua's expressionless face.

"..."

"Tell me," Yan Zhuohua gave a brilliant smile, getting up to straddle Yan Qinghe's lap, his hands wrapping around his neck. "What kind of benefit are you looking for by bringing up old news?"

Yan Qinghe swallowed hard, his body betraying him, and managed to force out a few words.

"...I really didn't."

It seemed that really wasn't the case then. Yan Zhuohua understood in his heart, but then his playful side took over.

"Why don't you reconsider?" Yan Zhuohua lowered his head to hide a secret curl of his lips, then suddenly leaned close to Yan Qinghe's face, breathing softly against his ear. "Such a good opportunity... you really don't want a reward?"

Yan Qinghe felt as if he had been instantly set on fire. He suddenly wrapped his arms tightly around Yan Zhuohua's waist, and the two of them were instantly pressed together without a gap.

"Gentle, I can't breathe!" Yan Zhuohua suddenly felt like he had played too far. "You promised me, three days!"

Hearing this, Yan Qinghe's body stiffened for a moment. He took two deep breaths behind Yan Zhuohua's ear before gradually letting him go.

"You just love to bully me."

"Wasn't it you who started it?" Yan Zhuohua patted his chest as if he had just survived a disaster. He didn't dare sit on Yan Qinghe's lap anymore, so he rolled off and ran to the other side of the sofa. "Tell me, why did you bring all this up out of the blue?"

Yan Qinghe picked up the cold water on the table and took a large gulp, waiting a long time before answering the question.

"I've experienced it twice myself, so I can empathize. Being kept in the dark by a lover really is a bit upsetting. Even though I know you did it for my own good."

Next to him, Yan Zhuohua touched his nose a bit guiltily.

"So," Yan Qinghe turned to look at him, "I've just realized that I will never hide anything from you, whether it's good or bad."

Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you.

"...I..." Yan Zhuohua opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word. It wasn't that he was unwilling to give Yan Qinghe a promise; it was mainly because he was currently hiding the preparations for their anniversary gift, so he really couldn't speak up.

Fortunately, Yan Qinghe didn't notice his wandering eyes and conflicted expression.

"I answered a call on your phone today."

"Huh?" Yan Zhuohua's attention was diverted, and he looked at Yan Qinghe blankly.

"This call involves something that concerns both of us." Yan Qinghe didn't pause again, but finished cleanly. "However, I am very unwilling to let you know about or handle this matter, so I will resolve it by myself. I originally planned to handle it directly while keeping you in the dark, but after thinking about it, I felt that hiding things isn't a good thing. Therefore, I decided to tell you my plan."

Yan Zhuohua became even more confused. "What do you mean?" He didn't understand.

"That is to say, I'm planning to do something while keeping you in the dark about the details," Yan Qinghe explained considerately. "But I don't plan on letting you know exactly what it is. You just need to know that I've handled it. Don't be curious, and don't investigate."

Yan Zhuohua pondered for a moment before he understood what he meant. Basically, he was telling him that there was such a thing, but not telling him exactly what it was.

"Then can you tell me if it's a good thing or a bad thing? And if there's any danger?"

Yan Qinghe thought about it. "There's definitely no danger. It's hard to say if it's good or bad, but I can tell you that this matter won't really affect our lives. You can act as if you don't know anything."

"...Fine." Yan Zhuohua nodded and stopped asking. He trusted Yan Qinghe's judgment and methods, so there was no need to get to the bottom of it. As long as there was no danger, he could do as he pleased. Aside from matters involving life and death, Yan Qinghe could make all the decisions for the two of them.

Having said it out loud, Yan Qinghe felt much more relaxed, so he started acting up again.

"Seeing how honest I am with you, do you feel any moved or self-reflective?"

Yan Zhuohua: "?"

Yan Zhuohua: "What kind of nonsense are you up to now?"

"Don't you feel even a hint of guilt for your past behavior?"

"Stop acting, just tell me your goal."

"I also happened to buy a cat-themed outfit this morning. How about the night after tomorrow?"

"Get lost!"

—

No matter how reluctant Yan Zhuohua was, that outfit was still worn on his body on Tuesday night.

When it ended in the early morning, Yan Qinghe, still wanting more, suggested to the nearly collapsing person whether they should get a cat at home. The sound of meowing really made one's heart itch.

Then his wrist was bitten hard.

"What a sharp-toothed little kitty!" Yan Qinghe gasped in pain, yet remained unrepentant, continuing to tease his wife despite the burning anger in Yan Zhuohua's eyes. "So naughty. Have you ever seen a little Hajimi bite its owner? That's a total lack of cat morality!"

Flushed with anger, Yan Zhuohua gritted his teeth and squeezed a threat from his throat.

"Yan Qinghe, just wait until I have strength tomorrow. I'll beat you until you're meowing too!"

—

To prevent Yan Zhuohua from committing domestic violence when he woke up, Yan Qinghe packed his things and drove straight to the Ecological Flower City to pick flowers early the next morning before dawn, while Yan Zhuohua was still dreaming. When the alarm for work went off, all that was left for Yan Zhuohua, who had regained some strength and gotten out of bed, was a long note left by Yan Qinghe and a warm breakfast.

"I went to pick flowers for you; the morning flowers are fresher. Breakfast is ready and in the thermal container, you can eat it directly. No need to clean up after eating, wait for me to come back tonight. Don't drive yourself to work, let the bodyguards take you. I've also ordered lunch for you, go upstairs yourself at noon..."

The small note went on for nearly two hundred words. As Yan Zhuohua read it, the corners of his mouth unconsciously curled up.

"He sure runs fast!" Yan Zhuohua pressed the note into a notebook. "He's only out for a day, but he makes it sound like he's going away for months."

While Yan Zhuohua was slowly enjoying his breakfast, the early-rising Yan Qinghe had already reached his destination.

"Is everything arranged?"

Ji Yang, who had gotten out of another car, walked over in a few steps. "There are still some trivial matters, but they'll be done before noon."

"Good, go get busy. Just give me a call then." Yan Qinghe put on his gloves, nodded to Ji Yang, and turned to enter the boundless flower field to pick flowers.