Chapter 131: “Wait a little longer”

That night was very sweet but also very... exhausting for Zhou Le Qi.

She finally agreed to Hou Zihao’s fourth proposal. The moment she nodded, she felt a sense of calm and resolution. Sweetness could hardly describe the feeling. She didn’t even know how much she liked and trusted him enough to sincerely want to walk into that legendary "walled city" together.

However, romance and innocence were not the only themes that night—at least, what he wanted was far beyond that. When he led her out of the party villa, his hand was already hot. She understood his hint, thinking that for such a precious night, agreeing a second time wouldn’t be too much to ask.

He took her back to Haoting International. Su Ruini wasn’t there, and it seemed he already knew this. As soon as the door closed, he pinned her against it and kissed her. She was captured by the wild passion, the world spinning before she could even catch her breath. He lifted her horizontally and pinned her on the bed, her whole body going soft, unable to hold his broad shoulders.

He was more forceful and aggressive than in his youth, a mature man fully dominating the night. Even her fingertips were numbed from the intensity. She actually didn’t like the feeling of being completely controlled, but in a few moments, she found herself addicted.

Addicted to his decisiveness, his loss of control, his intensity.

He finally let her sleep after tormenting her for a long time, but later in the night, he woke her again with passionate entanglement. He kissed her in the dark, his body temperature still high, dispelling the cold of the winter night.

She was dead tired and sleepy, pushing him away while mumbling in a muffled voice, “Hou Zihao… I want to sleep…”

But he didn’t respond at all, still unwilling to let go, kissing her even more passionately than the first time, clinging to her and saying, “Just a little longer… please, just a little longer…”

…What’s so good about that?

Nothing at all.

Zhou Leqi couldn’t take it anymore. She pushed him hard, then reached out in the dark to switch on the bedside lamp. The warm orange light drove away the darkness—and to some extent the passion—in the room, and made her see his bare, unwavering gaze locked onto her.

…Why is this guy like this?

Zhou Leqi’s face flushed all over. She tightened the blanket around herself and lightly hit him, demanding, “Can you please stop looking at me like that…”

An unreasonable request.

He was helpless. He actually wanted to hold himself back a bit, at least not look like a starving ghost. But in this matter, he was truly powerless, especially since although she was wrapped in the blanket, his kiss marks were still visible on her fair neck and beautiful shoulders, half-covered but still…

Damn, who could resist that?

Zhou Leqi heard Hou Zihao curse softly, then stared at her for a while longer. Finally, it seemed he persuaded himself to give up. He got up and put on his clothes, sitting back beside her but deliberately keeping some distance, probably to prevent himself from doing something irrational.

Zhou Leqi found the situation a little funny, which made her not so sleepy anymore. She snuggled in the blanket quietly laughing, but when he caught her, he complained in dissatisfaction, “You’re still laughing? If you weren’t so out of shape, would I even have to do this?”

He was flicking his tail again.

Zhou Leqi found it even funnier, but didn’t dare laugh out loud for fear of provoking more complaints. So she quickly changed the topic, trying to divert his overly focused attention on her.

“Why is no one home?” she asked awkwardly. “Where did Auntie go?”

Her awkward shift of topic was just like in school—clumsy and easy to see through. He immediately caught her little trick. But this time, he didn’t argue much. When she mentioned Su Ruini, his expression dimmed subtly and he was silent for a moment before answering, “My mom said she doesn’t want to live here anymore…”

“She said… she’s afraid it will remind her of my dad.”

His voice dropped softly, like dust drifting away, or a sigh faint and unclear.

Zhou Leqi was still hurt by it.

She had never seen how Su Ruini and Hou Feng got along, didn’t know how loving the couple had been, but she could imagine their feelings must have been very deep. Hou Feng was such a gentle and tolerant man, surely caring for every aspect of Su Ruini’s life meticulously.

She must have loved and depended on her husband very much… but now she had lost him. How painful that must be?

The pain was so intense that even a strong woman like her, used to hardships, couldn’t stop grieving. It was so painful that she didn’t dare return to that old home, and even after seven long years, she hadn’t been able to erase her memories of that man.

Zhou Leqi’s heart tightened. Probably because she had once lost Hou Zihao herself, she could especially empathize with Su Ruini’s current state. She almost wanted to cry, then couldn’t help but reach out to hug the man still beside her, pressing her cheek against his chest. Even hearing his steady heartbeat didn’t calm her nerves. She softly asked him, “…Is there anything we can do?”

She really wanted Su Ruini to get past this suffocating sorrow soon.

Hou Zihao sighed, wrapping his arms around her. His voice was low and deep as he said, “She’s been going to the cemetery to see my dad a lot lately, staying until very late every day… Maybe next time, we can go with her?”

That definitely had to happen.

Zhou Leqi had already thought about this, but since her relationship with Hou Zihao hadn’t been fully confirmed before, she didn’t think it was appropriate to bring it up herself. Now that she had accepted his proposal, she naturally had the standing to visit Uncle Hou together.

She nestled in his arms and nodded obediently. “Okay, let’s go together — when? How about tomorrow?”

He smiled, and the heaviness in his eyes seemed to lighten a bit. He kissed her gently on the forehead and then said, “No need to rush. Let’s wait until after the New Year… I think my mom still wants to spend some more time alone with Dad.”

He was always like this—appearing casual and carefree, but actually very attentive and understanding of others’ feelings. Zhou Leqi thought he was right and nodded again, answering, “Okay, then we’ll go in February.”

Talking about family matters was an unusually intimate act between them. Thinking back, they rarely did this before, especially about his family. Now that she felt close and warm with him, his mood gradually improved. He kissed her lightly again and brought up another important topic.

“Well…” his brow furrowed, “…when are you going to take me home to meet Auntie?”

Zhou Leqi was still immersed in their tender moment and didn’t react immediately. She just asked casually, “What?”

That simple question offended him. His brow immediately knit tighter, and he looked at her warily, asking, “Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about bringing me home yet.”

Only then did she realize his dissatisfaction and quickly reassured him, “Of course I have. Really, I have — maybe after the New Year? I’ll prepare my mom a little so it’ll be easier for you to talk to her.”

A reasonable and thoughtful reassurance, but it still didn’t ease Hou Zihao’s tight brow. He was silent for a long time before seriously asking, “Be honest with me… how much does Auntie really dislike me?”

He looked serious, but somehow also a little pitiful.

Zhou Leqi also knew he felt wronged, so she silently sighed in her heart and continued to comfort him: “It’s not that she hates you… My mom is a reasonable person. She still remembers the good things you did back then…”

Though this was a sincere attempt to console him, the words “back then” stabbed right at Hou Zihao’s heart, making him feel even more blocked inside. After forcing himself to heal for a moment, he asked again, “Then what do you think would happen if I went now? What kind of treatment would I get?”

Zhou Leqi pursed her lips and didn’t answer immediately.

Hou Zihao grew more anxious and started imagining wildly: “Would she shut the door on me? Throw me out? Then what’s the use of my ‘cheng men li xue’ (showing respect at the door)? Or maybe ‘closed-door self-reflection’?”

Zhou Leqi didn’t know why he suddenly thought of so many idioms related to doors and was speechless for a moment. At the same time, she couldn’t help but imagine: Her mom loves her most. Seven years ago when he suddenly disappeared, it caused her so much pain. Yu Qing (her mom) saw everything clearly and has always hoped she could move on from that relationship. But she probably can’t help having a bad impression of Hou Zihao.

Sigh… probably not being thrown out, but more likely she’d just shut the door on him. And whether it’s “cheng men li xue” or “closed-door self-reflection,” the effect is probably…

…quite limited.

Zhou Leqi sighed too, looked up at Hou Zihao, pursed her lips, and somewhat indirectly suggested: “How about… you wait a little longer? Another half a year. I’ll gradually talk to my mom. Maybe by then…”

But before she finished, Hou Zihao exploded.

What the hell? Wait another half a year? He’s already succeeded in proposing! Why wait? What if it gets ruined by waiting?

Ridiculous!

Zhou Leqi could feel the man beside her getting angry and flicking his tail wildly again. Before she could open her mouth to comfort him some more, she saw him suddenly sit up straight, and he was undoing the buttons of the clothes he had just put on.

She instinctively wrapped herself tighter in the blanket and cautiously asked, “… What are you doing?”

He didn’t even bother to answer, but directly reached over and switched off the bedside lamp, plunging the room back into darkness. Then he kissed her again.

Passionately, intimately, with a bit of anxiety and a hint of emotion.

“I really can’t stand any setbacks right now,” he said in the dark, holding her wrist tightly, full of control and possessiveness, yet sounding especially vulnerable and dependent. “If you have any complaints about me, you can fix me after we’re married. But at this critical moment, you can’t joke around. You have to be on my side…”

Zhou Leqi’s breath was chaotic from that kiss, and her thoughts were in a mess, but even so, she was pleased by him. Her beautiful eyes became adorable little crescents in the dark.

“What if I’m not?” she teased mischievously, bullying him with a teasing tone.

He couldn’t resist and could only beg her in the most intimate way: “Please… I’m begging you…”

Okay, fine.

Anything was fine.

Because in the increasingly tender and persistent kiss, she finally gave in. At the most passionate moment, she even heard a sigh deep in her heart:

Maybe… she could never reject him again in her life.