Zong Jinghao was confused by her sudden remark.
He lowered his head and gazed at her. “Huh?”
She looked up at his face that was so close to hers. She could feel their warm breath mingling together. At the same time, she reached out to his jaw and rubbed the stubbles on it. Surprisingly, it did not feel as prickly as expected.
“Do you think I should change my surname?” In fact, she did not feel like doing it.
Having listened to Zong Qifeng’s advice, she decided to forget all about Wen Qing, Wen Xian, and even Zhuang Ziyi.
She made up her mind to focus on leading a peaceful life with Zong Jinghao in the future.
Snuggling up to him, she pressed her cheeks against his chest to listen to his strong heartbeats.
“What’s inside you will remain the same no matter which surname you use.” He knew she would have already changed her surname long ago if she had the actual intention of doing so.
She was the biological child of Wen Xian and Zhuang Ziyi. No matter what surname she carried, it could not change the blood that ran in her.
Zong Jinghao drew her into a tight embrace. He didn’t want her to be bothered by all the disputes and dramas that had happened in the past.
Lin Xinyan understood what he meant. Indeed, she was still the same person no matter what surname she used. All of a sudden, she was freed from the quandary and was enlightened because of his advice.
Twining her slender arm around his waist, she confessed, “I was so sad when I had to leave you back then. I missed you terribly during our separation. I’ve been feeling guilty toward you, but I don’t want our relationship to be tainted by feelings other than love. So, I’ll get rid of the guilt from now on and focus on giving you all my love.”
They would lead a simple life free from all the grudges and feuds.
He lowered his head and planted a kiss on her forehead. Grazing his lips against her skin, he mumbled a response in agreement.
“Do you have a dream holiday destination?” His voice was barely audible.
However, it was loud enough to be heard by Lin Xinyan. “Why?”
“I’m thinking of going on a honeymoon trip after you give birth to the baby.” He fixed her a long gaze with his brooding eyes sparkling with charm. In a mellow voice, he whispered next to her ears, “I can’t wait to see you in a bridal gown because I know how stunning you will look in one.”
Tugging the collar of his shirt, she grumbled, “You didn’t take me to the Registry of Marriage, nor did you bring me to take a wedding photo.”
In fact, they did have a marriage certificate. Zong Jinghao somehow managed to get it by pulling some strings, but it was Guan Jing who had taken her to collect the certificate. The certificate did not look official because their wedding photo was not attached to it.
Zong Jinghao was left stumped.
If he could have foreseen the future at that time, he would not have hesitated to hold the grandest wedding ceremony of all time to make her his wife.
Just as he wanted to promise her that he would make it up to her, he was forced to swallow back his words when her phone rang.
She reached out for her bag, but her wrist was caught by him. “You aren’t going anywhere. You’re all mine today.”
She chuckled, thinking that he was acting like a child.
However, that was exactly why she could not make herself say no to him.
She let her phone ring all the way until it finally stopped. With a smile, she asked, “Are you happy now?”
Looking aloof, he wrapped the silk blanket around their entangled bodies without uttering a word. Meanwhile, he slipped his hand upward along her thighs beneath the dress she was wearing. Biting her lips, she muttered breathlessly, “It’s daytime now.”
“Yup.”
He was well aware of that, but he couldn’t help it. After all, it was perfectly normal for him to feel that way – he was a guy with a healthy body, after all.
He grabbed her hand and placed it on his belt buckle. “Help me remove the belt.”
With her cheeks burning and her breathing ragged, she gingerly fumbled with his belt. With a clack, the belt buckle opened. That simple movement instantly unleashed the unbridled passion in them.
Both of them desperately yearned for each other. Just as they were engaging in a passionate kiss, her phone rang again. The two paused for a second but quickly carried on their business.
However, the ringtone didn’t just stop on its own like how it did earlier. It kept on blaring out from the speaker of the phone. It was as if it was determined to get someone to pick up the call.
The romantic ambiance between them was completely ruined by the offending sound. Zong Jinghao got out of bed and reached out for her phone, intending to switch it off. However, when Lin Xinyan caught sight of Qin Ya’s name on the screen, she snatched it from him. “I’m sure there must be some emergency.”
“Just call her back later.” He stretched out his hand, trying to grab the phone away, but she dodged him just in time. “Stop fooling around.”
She picked up the call and placed the phone next to her ear. “Qin Ya?”
What she heard was not Qin Ya’s voice but a crazed cackle that belonged to a man.
Feeling uptight, she tried again, “Qin Ya, is that you?”
“Do you want to talk to her?” A man’s voice that sounded familiar to Lin Xinyan came from the other end, but she couldn’t pinpoint where she had heard it before. Furrowing her brows together, she asked, “Who are you? Why do you have her phone?”
“I have it because she’s with me at my place.”
Sensing something fishy with the man’s tone, Lin Xinyan turned to Zong Jinghao, who knew something was not right upon seeing the alarm in her eyes. Taking her phone from her, he confronted the person on the other end in a cold voice, “Who are you?”
The man paused for a second because of the different voices he heard. Then, he chuckled, “Hey, President Zong. It’s been a long time. Are you interested to meet me?”
“What are you trying to do?”
“Nothing. I just want an explanation from you, President Zong. Have I offended you before? I don’t care about your feud with Wen Qing, but you lied to me. You then made use of me and nearly got me implicated because of what you did to Wen Qing. Don’t you think you should do something to make it up to me?”
“Since this is a matter between you and I, you should come at me alone. Don’t you think it’s not right for you to kidnap Qin Ya?”
“I’ve always wanted to talk it out with you, but you’re regrettably always so busy. Let’s see… Why don’t we meet each other at the usual place? We can have a chat there. By the way, is the woman I kidnapped someone important to you? She’s quite a looker though…”
Zong Jinghao seethed, “Gu Bei!”
Gu Bei chortled, “Fine, I’ll wait for you at the usual place.” With that, he hung up his phone.
Lin Xinyan stared at him nervously. “Who’s Gu Bei? Why did he kidnap Qin Ya?”
Zong Jinghao gave her a succinct explanation on how the matter was related to Cheng Yuxiu’s car accident. Realizing how serious the matter was, Lin Xinyan said, “In that case, we have to go back to town right now.”
Zong Jinghao responded in agreement.
Knowing how unpredictable Gu Bei was, he had no idea what sort of horrid stuff he might do to Qin Ya if they delayed their return. At the same time, he kept Lin Xinyan’s phone in his trouser pocket just in case Gu Bei decided to call again.
He then put his belt back on and adjusted its buckle. “You pack up the luggage. I’ll go and inform Su Zhan about this,” he said to Lin Xinyan.
In an uptight voice, she asked, “Will anything bad happen to her?”
“I think she’s safe for the time being.” He reached out to adjust her collar and smooth the crease on her shirt. “Don’t worry.”
She mumbled her acknowledgment, but her worry was not a bit alleviated deep down inside.
She wondered why Qin Ya was kidnapped when it was a matter concerning Zong Jinghao.
In the meantime, Su Zhan was sitting on a chair in the living room. He was staring at the screen of his phone when he sensed movement from the door. Seeing that it was Zong Jinghao, he teased, “I understand how absence makes the heart grow fonder. Surprisingly, you’re tired of spending time with her so fast.”
