Time stood still.
Lin Xinyan stood there swaying, as if she would fall down in the next second.
Zong Jinghao looked at her near-desperate eyes, and said clearly, “It was me that night.”
She was so shocked at Zong Jinghao’s words that she was in a state of stupefaction as if she had gotten an electric shock.
She stood rooted to the spot like a stake.
“W-W-W-What did you say?” Suddenly, she covered her face, crying and laughing at the same time. “How could it be? How could it be? How could it be you?”
She couldn’t believe it, as she paced around in front of the bed. How could it be?
Her leg accidentally hit the edge of the bed, and she fell on the bed. She then tugged at her hair vigorously. “He Ruize did a check for me back then. He said, he said… that it was a local man that night. How could it be you?”
Zong Jinghao grabbed her hand that was scratching herself, and put his finger under her chin, forcing her to look at him. “What did you say? You did a check?”
Her eyes were still wet.
She looked at him apprehensively, and couldn’t speak for a long time, as if her mouth was filled with ice cubes. She withdrew her hand that was held by Zong Jinghao, brushed his cheek with her fingers, and slid down to his neck, his collar, and his shoulder. “I once found a bite mark on your shoulder… I suspected it, so I asked He Ruize to help me investigate. Later he told me… that he was a local man that night.”
Slowly, she calmed down. Could it be that my suspicion back then was true? He Ruize lied to me?
He Ruize had been taking care of her and helping her. He also often said that Xichen and Ruixi were pitiful without a father.
In fact, he has always known the truth and has been hiding it from me?
She looked up. “Did he lie to me?”
Her hand was cold. Zong Jinghao stretched out his hand to place it over her hand, and the hot palm tightly wrapped around her cold hand.
At this moment, no word could express his feelings, so he turned them into a kiss.
Lin Xinyan still felt like she was having a dream, as everything was so ethereal and unreal, like a bubble that would burst with a single poke.
The scorching heat from him that was close at hand was so real and hot.
“Have you investigated thoroughly?”
She didn’t know if this was a lie he made up just to make her feel at ease.
Looking down, Zong Jinghao put her hand on his palm, and gently caressed it. “No need to investigate. I know it’s you.”
It wasn’t until the moment he knew the truth that he finally knew why he had a sense of familiarity toward her.
It turned out that there was a reason for everything.
Lin Xinyan retracted her hand, and his palm suddenly became empty. He found it awkward, so he looked up at her.
Lin Xinyan stared at him deeply. “I want to make sure there’s no mistake.”
She calmed down. This was not a trivial matter. It was about the father of her children.
Zong Jinghao touched the corner of her eye. She had lost weight again, and her skin was ice-cold. He could imagine how much she had suffered out there.
“How do you think I knew about this?” Zong Jinghao sat down on the bed and took her into his arms. Rubbing his palms on her shoulders, he told her about the paternity test Zong Qifeng secretly did for him.
Therefore, Lin Xichen and Lin Ruixi were his children. There was no doubt about this.
Lin Xinyan slowly closed her eyes.
She still felt like she was dreaming.
“Pinch me.”
Zong Jinghao lowered his eyes, only to find that she had a scar on her forehead, which was not very obvious. With the cover of the foundation, it was difficult to notice. He gently touched it, and caressed it softly, as he trembled uncontrollably.
His eyes were bloodshot, which was the result of the heartache he felt over his failure to notice her disappearance and inability to protect her.
His heart ached for her. She had never seen such a vivid, deep, and concerned look on his face. He had been kind to her before, but he always had reservations. At this moment, there was a little gap in her heart that was always shut tight previously.
“Why are you here?” Zong Jinghao asked.
The news he got from Aunt Hua was that He Ruize was going to take her to Chuan Province.
Why would she appear here, and have something to do with Bai Yinning?
What exactly happened?
What did she go through?
Thinking of the days when she lived under He Ruize’s thumb, she couldn’t help but tremble. After several narrow escapes, she still had lingering fears at this moment.
He was stroking her slender back with his broad and hot palm slowly to comfort her.
It took a long time for Lin Xinyan to finally be able to calmly talk about her experience during that period. “I was brought here by He Ruize. Then I escaped. Bai Yinning saved me.”
She said nothing about the dangerous parts.
Zong Jinghao knew that she must have withheld something, as the place where she was trapped was so terrifying. He laid down with his arm around her slender waist on the bed, without the blanket. He pressed close to her, using his own body heat to warm her.
After a long time, Zong Jinghao actually fell asleep while holding her like that.
Lin Xinyan turned her head and looked at his sleeping face, only then did she realize that there was a dark circle under his eyes, which seemed to be due to not having a good rest.
She couldn’t help but stretch out her hand. As soon as her fingertips touched his skin, he held her hand without opening his eyes. He then brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. “Sleep with me for a while.”
During her absence, he hadn’t had a good night’s sleep, and now he was at ease while hugging her soft body in his arms.
“Okay.”
Lin Xinyan followed suit and closed her eyes.
Lin Xinyan had never rested very well during that period. At this moment of peace, she actually felt sleepy.
In the end, Lin Xinyan fell asleep. In her dreams, someone kissed her—her neck, hair, cheeks, nose, and lips—from time to time.
They stayed in the room for a day. With Shen Peichuan taking care of the things for them outside, no one came to disturb them.
When Lin Xinyan woke up, she found a pair of deep eyes looking at her intently.
She became more sober in an instant.
Zong Jinghao gently brushed the hair off her forehead, and asked, “You’re awake. Hungry?”
Lin Xinyan did feel hungry, so she nodded.
“Let’s go to another room. Xichen and Ruixi will be very happy to see you…”
“What?” Before Zong Jinghao finished speaking, she interrupted him excitedly. “Xichen and Ruixi are here too?”
“Yeah…”
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” She glanced at Zong Jinghao sadly. She missed her two children very much as she was unable to see them during that period.
Eager to see her son and daughter, she got out of bed quickly, and didn’t notice that the lacing of her dress was pinned by Zong Jinghao. With her action of getting up, the lacing was untied, and she felt a chill on her body. She exclaimed, and instinctively put her arms across her chest. When she turned around, only did she realize that the lacing on her dress was pinned.
Zong Jinghao looked over.
They were stunned when their eyes met.
Lin Xinyan was blushing. “Get up.”
Not listening to her, Zong Jinghao cast his gaze on the dress that was pulled open. Her abdomen was very flat, without any trace of excess fat. There was a faint hue of pink on her fair skin, and faint white stretch marks below her belly button that weren’t very profound. His eyes continued to look down…
His Adam’ apple bobbed up and down in his throat.
Lin Xinyan’s face was burning hot, as she pushed him away in shame. He grabbed her wrists and pulled. Losing her balance, she fell to the bed all at once, whereas Zong Jinghao turned over.
Her clothes were left open and she was pressed under his body.
The clothes of the man above her were neat except for some folds. His sturdy body was lying on top of her, while his eyes were nearly overflowing with a passion that was as strong as fire, but he was still restraining himself. “We are a legal couple.”
Logically speaking, it was true that they were indeed still legally husband and wife without applying for the divorce certificate.
His gaze was so glowing that it made her throat dry. “You said that you’ll wait for my consent.”
He pressed and rubbed his fingertips against her palms. “But I don’t want to wait anymore.”
He bowed his head and kissed her softly at the corner of her eye, saying in a deep and low voice, “I miss you.” His face was buried in her neck. “So much…”
Lin Xinyan tilted her head slightly. “Give me some time.”
I’m not ready yet.
Zong Jinghao moved her face so that it was facing him directly and kissed her lips. “How long?”
Lin Xinyan looked at the ceiling, the halo of the light floating about. “When I was young, I also dreamed of an intense relationship, but in reality, I haven’t even been in a relationship. I don’t know what it’s like—”
She looked at him. “Wait until I fall in love with you.”
