47: Return

After a long while, Yan Qinghe's voice rang out again.

"Do you want to keep asking? For example, when I started liking you, why I fell for you..."

Yan Zhuohua hurriedly refused, "No, no! I won't ask anymore! Asking just this one today is enough."

Yan Qinghe obediently stopped his probing.

"Zhuohua, I can probably guess why you've never asked these questions, and I know you're slowly... so I haven't rushed you. I'm truly happy that you could ask a question today."

Yan Qinghe spoke gently, though his voice held a smile he couldn't hide.

"Perhaps my methods are working?" He joked in passing, "It seems I can continue to step up the intensity."

Yan Zhuohua buried himself in the quilt again. After a while, a muffled voice came from inside.

"You can't step it up any further!"

Yan Qinghe couldn't help but laugh.

Yan Zhuohua emerged from the quilt again in shame and annoyance. "What are you laughing at? You tease me every day! And you even want to step it up? That's too much."

To Yan Qinghe, Yan Zhuohua's complaints were like a fierce little kitten meowing at him, making him all the more endearing.

"I can't help it. My wife is so soft and blushes the moment I tease him. He has such a good temper too; one coaxing and he's fine." Just as he finished, he saw fire sparking in Yan Zhuohua's eyes and quickly changed his tune, "I won't step it up. I'll just keep things as they are, okay?"

Yan Zhuohua's anger dissipated. He nodded instinctively but then felt something was wrong. After thinking for a long time, he realized he had been played again.

Damn it, ever since they got married, his brain seemed to have a poor connection, going offline from time to time. Truly, a 'love brain' is harmful!

Yan Zhuohua sulked for another second.

Just as Yan Qinghe was about to coax him again, Yan Zhuohua spoke up.

"Qinghe, wait for me a little longer, okay? I'll be ready soon, very soon."

Yan Qinghe's eyes widened, and his breathing quickened. He struggled to keep his composure.

"Alright. No matter how long it takes, I will wait for you."

Ten days later, Yan Qinghe finally finished his business trip and flew back home.

Perhaps because that night's confession allowed both of them to understand each other's thoughts and provided enough security, Yan Zhuohua had spent the past few days feeling very at ease and relaxed, except for missing Yan Qinghe every day.

Yan Qinghe's flight landed on Saturday morning, so Yan Zhuohua packed his things early to pick him up at the airport, intending to head straight back to Mirror Lake Bright Forest. Although his mother was very reluctant to accept this decision, she considered that the two hadn't seen each other for nearly half a month and indeed needed some private space, so she generously let him go.

As soon as Yan Qinghe landed and turned on his phone, he received a message from Yan Zhuohua saying he was waiting in the parking lot. Consequently, he happily abandoned the subordinates who had traveled with him, letting them take taxis with double reimbursement.

Yan Qinghe followed the instructions in the message for a while before getting into the car. It couldn't be helped; Yan Zhuohua was something of a celebrity and couldn't just walk openly through the crowds.

Once he finished loading his luggage and got into the car, he was greeted by his lover's embrace.

It seemed that night's conversation hadn't just put Yan Zhuohua at ease; it had also made him stop restraining his emotions. Their current state was like being separated only by a layer of wafer paper—thin, transparent, and most importantly, easily broken with a single poke.

The moment Yan Zhuohua saw Yan Qinghe, he wanted to hug him, but after all, this was a public place with people passing by. It had taken a great deal of effort for him to hold back until the man got into the car.

The very second he was hugged, Yan Qinghe hugged back. With one hand around Yan Zhuohua's lean waist and the other stroking his back, he was certainly taking every advantage he could.

"Missed me that much?" Yan Qinghe asked.

He hadn't expected a reply, but to his surprise, Yan Zhuohua's muffled voice sounded in his ear.

"Mm."

Yan Qinghe instantly tightened his arms, holding Yan Zhuohua so tightly he could barely breathe.

They hugged for several minutes before reluctantly parting. At the end, Yan Qinghe stole a kiss on his face.

"We're going straight back to Mirror Lake Bright Forest. I've already told Mom."

Yan Qinghe stared fixedly at the wife he hadn't seen for over ten days, not forgetting to tease him.

"Didn't you say to wait for me to pick you up? Why is my wife in such a hurry?"

Yan Zhuohua threw caution to the wind. "Yes, I am in a hurry. I just don't know if you're too tired from your trip to have the strength to deal with me."

To deal with a shameless person, one had to be even more shameless.

Yan Qinghe never expected that his wife, who usually got red-faced from being teased, would now dare to provoke him.

He should give him a lesson, to let him know that a husband is not to be trifled with, and some things should not be said.

"Then baby had better wait and see exactly how your husband deals with you."

Yan Zhuohua felt a bit afraid, but on second thought, at worst he just wouldn't get out of bed for a day or two, so he calmed down again.

"I'm waiting. Don't you dare drop the ball."

Obviously, Yan Qinghe would never drop the ball.

Thanks to him sleeping from start to finish on the plane, he wasn't tired at all.

As soon as they got home, before even unpacking his luggage, he pulled Yan Zhuohua into the bedroom and pinned him down for a thorough lesson.

They didn't even have time for lunch. It wasn't until evening, under Yan Zhuohua's bitter pleading, that Yan Qinghe reluctantly called a one-hour truce to go downstairs and cook noodles to fill their stomachs.

Then came another round of intense conquest.

It wasn't until ten o'clock at night, after Yan Zhuohua had spent half an hour hoarsely admitting his mistakes and repeatedly promising "never to provoke husband again," that Yan Qinghe, still wanting more, reluctantly let him go.

In the end, he even praised his cousin's medical skills for being truly superb, saying that he had conditioned Yan Zhuohua so well that he lasted longer than before, suggesting he should come for another pulse reading.

Yan Zhuohua didn't have a shred of strength left to voice a rebuttal.

The tragic aftermath won't be detailed further; in short, Yan Zhuohua took this lesson deeply to heart and secretly vowed never to say such things that would provoke a strong reaction from Yan Qinghe, even if he were teased again.

Monday came again, and for the sake of his pride, Yan Zhuohua forced himself to go to work.

Having rested only one full day after the strenuous exercise, his whole body was still sore. Every movement sent pain through him, especially in certain areas.

Sitting in his chair to work was such a torture that he was filled with regret. Ultimately, he succumbed to the physical pain; after working for only an hour, he slunk upstairs and went into Yan Qinghe's lounge to sleep.

This was more embarrassing than not coming at all, Yan Zhuohua thought miserably, but then he couldn't resist the exhaustion and quickly fell asleep.

At noon, Yan Qinghe came in with a tray to wake him up, holding him in his arms and feeding him lunch spoonful by spoonful. Since no one else was there, Yan Zhuohua didn't refuse, contentedly accepting Yan Qinghe's meticulous service.

Yan Zhuohua's phone notification suddenly rang, and he signaled Yan Qinghe to open it for him. Both of their phones stored each other's biometric information, so Yan Qinghe unlocked it easily.

It was a message from the company's finance department; he had received two salary payments. One of them was shockingly high.

Yan Zhuohua looked at the text message blankly until Yan Qinghe spoke up to remind him of the source of this salary.