Quick Wear: Cousin, Come to the Bowl Quickly

Lin Xi was completely dumbfounded.

The impact of those words far exceeded her original expectations.

Knowing that this man was never one to speak without a purpose, she had long guessed that he was only going to confess his relationship with his parents after he had achieved success and fame and could put their minds at ease.

She waited most of the night and tied him up here, not because she really wanted him to make any promises right now, but because she was a little annoyed by his reaction at the dock and the dinner table today, and wanted to teach him a lesson.

Who would have thought that this person, who seemed like a taciturn person and couldn't utter a word for a long time, would suddenly deliver a huge surprise when he finally opened his mouth.

Not only did she confess her relationship with her father, but she even proposed marriage directly?!

Thinking of this, Lin Xi's body suddenly stiffened, her face went blank, and she remained stunned for several seconds before snapping back to her senses as if she had been burned.

A blush quickly spread across her face, from her ears to her neck. She stomped her foot hard, her tone distorted with embarrassment and anger.

"You... what nonsense are you talking about! Who... who said they were going to marry you?!" She glared at Shen Jingyuan, her voice filled with resentment, "I clearly told you to go and explain to Dad and Mom that we're... we're together now! Who told you to start by saying you wanted to..."

The word "marry" was on the tip of her tongue when Lin Xi swallowed it back. She unconsciously tugged at the hair ribbon in her hand, pulling it taut, her eyes darting around, avoiding eye contact with Shen Jingyuan.

"How can you do this? When I asked you to speak seriously, you pretended to be mute, but as soon as you opened your mouth... you started talking nonsense! What are we going to do now? What... what did Dad say? Is he angry? Will he... will he think that I'm being willful and unreasonable again, forcing you to speak?"

She became more and more anxious as she spoke, her eyes reddening, whether from anger or embarrassment, she stammered, at a loss, and seemed completely disoriented.

Seeing her flushed face, stammering, and helpless, Shen Jingyuan felt as if someone had gently pinched the softest part of his heart, making it both sore and swollen.

His bound hands suddenly moved, exerting a slight force and gently pulling in his direction.

Lin Xi, who was clutching the other end of the hairband, was flustered and caught off guard. When he pulled her like that, she immediately stumbled.

"ah!"

She let out a soft gasp and involuntarily lunged forward, heading straight for Shen Jingyuan, who was sitting in the chair.

In a moment of panic, she hurriedly loosened her hair tie, stretched out one hand to brace herself against the armrest of the chair, and instinctively grabbed the fabric in front of Shen Jingyuan's chest with her other hand, barely managing to steady herself and avoid falling awkwardly into his arms.

"Shen Jingyuan! What did you post..." Lin Xi was still in shock, both ashamed and angry. She raised her head to question the man.

But the word "mad" was swallowed back down before it could be uttered.

"Well--!"

The warm, dry touch on her lips made Lin Xi's eyes widen suddenly, and she could clearly see Shen Jingyuan's face so close to hers in her pupils.

Shen Jingyuan tilted his head back from the chair and kissed her in an almost reverent manner.

Lin Xi felt her mind go blank. She subconsciously held her breath, her body stiffened, and she felt as if her bones had been removed in an instant. Her legs went weak, and she was about to slide down the edge of the chair.

The silk ribbon that was originally tightly wrapped around Shen Jingyuan's wrist had quietly loosened and slowly slipped off and fell down.

Shen Jingyuan reached out and scooped up Lin Xi's limp waist with one hand, pulling her closer into his embrace.

His other hand gently stroked the back of her head, his fingertips running through her fluffy, cool hair, and pressed her against him.

After a brief, tentative touch of lips, the exploration progresses further.

Shen Jingyuan's tongue tentatively touched Lin Xiyin's slightly parted lips in surprise, and then, as if coaxing her, he slowly pried open her teeth, his hot tongue entwining with hers.

Lin Xi's eyelashes trembled suddenly. The overly intimate and intrusive feeling made her instinctively want to back away, and she subconsciously reached out and pressed her hand against Shen Jingyuan's chest.

However, in the next instant, he grabbed her wrist from behind, his large, calloused hand easily enveloping her slender wrist, pulling it tightly against his own heart.

"Dong, dong, dong——"

The rapid heartbeats, penetrating through the thin fabric, clearly struck Lin Xi's palms, gradually merging with the almost bursting heartbeats in her chest.

The initial tension and helplessness melted away little by little, like remnants of ice in spring, amidst the deafening heartbeat beneath my palm.

Lin Xi's fingers, which were originally pressed against his chest, unconsciously curled up and tightened on the fabric of his chest, creating messy wrinkles in the smooth cloth.

Her long eyelashes trembled a few times, like butterfly wings wet with raindrops, as if trying to struggle, but in the end they could not bear the weight and gradually gave up the resistance, slowly closing.

The room was extremely quiet, so quiet that you could hear each other's breathing, the soft slurring of lips and tongues, and the rustling of clothes.

Only the small nightlight by the bedside dutifully emitted a hazy, yellowish glow, casting the silhouettes of the two people embracing tightly, almost merging into one, onto the wall, weaving them into a silent yet intense silhouette.

The occasional rustling of leaves in the night wind or the chirping of unknown birds outside the window became distant background noise in this tranquil space, making the air feel thick and the temperature rise.

Lin Xi felt as if the air in her lungs had been almost completely drained, and a hazy dizziness began to spread before her eyes. Only then did she tighten her fingertips, gather the last of her strength, and push Shen Jingyuan beneath her.

Their lips parted, revealing a moist, ambiguous color. Shen Jingyuan lingered for a moment, then slowly released Lin Xi's lower lip.

His hand slowly slid down from behind Lin Xi's head, its heat pressing against her slender nape. His fingertips unconsciously caressed her delicate skin again and again, as if to soothe her or to linger.

Their foreheads touched, their noses almost touching, their hot breaths spraying onto each other's faces and necks without reservation, mingling together, indistinguishable from one another.

"Xixi..."

Shen Jingyuan's voice was low and husky, and his usually calm eyes were now surprisingly bright, surging with an unquenchable tide of emotion that almost drowned Lin Xi.

Lin Xi felt her heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to explode. She took a while to catch her breath and calm her racing heart.

She lowered her eyelids, her eyelashes fluttering, not daring to look up and meet Shen Jingyuan's gaze, and stammered, "Wh...what?"

Under the dim light, Shen Jingyuan's gaze slid slowly from her trembling eyelashes to the tip of her delicate nose, finally settling on her rosy lips, his eyes darkening slightly.

The hand that was resting on the back of Lin Xi's neck slowly moved up and landed on her face. Shen Jingyuan cupped her face and unconsciously stroked her glistening lips with his fingertips.

The gesture was full of implications, and Lin Xi subconsciously pursed her lips, her body, which had finally relaxed a little, immediately tensed up again.

However, the expected kiss did not fall again. Shen Jingyuan gently touched the tip of her nose, then cupped her face and slightly increased the distance between them.

"I'm sorry I didn't consult you about this matter."

Lin Xi raised her eyelids somewhat blankly, only to meet Shen Jingyuan's gaze directly. Her face flushed, and she quickly looked away, stubbornly muttering something.

"Hmph, you... it's good that you know."

Seeing her hypocritical expression, Shen Jingyuan couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile, but he quickly regained his usual solemn demeanor and said in a serious tone.

"But I don't regret it."

Lin Xi's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously turned her face to meet Shen Jingyuan's serious gaze.

“It was my fault for not responding to you immediately at the dock and at the dinner table.” He paused, as if choosing his words carefully. “I originally thought I would wait until everything was more secure, until I was absolutely certain that I could give you a future without any risks or worries, before formally proposing to the Commander and his wife.”

“But in the Commander’s study, I suddenly understood.” Shen Jingyuan looked at Lin Xi with focused and honest eyes. “With your status, appearance and family background, you don’t need my so-called ‘promises’ to add to your charm. What you want to hear has never been my excuses.”

At this point, his Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice grew deeper, yet each word was clear: "Xixi, I was originally an orphan, and everything I have now comes from the Commander and the Lin Mansion, so I have no right to promise you anything about wealth or status."

"But I am a soldier. Once I set my sights on a goal, I will stick to it to the end and never betray my country."

Shen Jingyuan raised his head and looked deeply into Lin Xi's eyes, his gaze like that of the most devout believer gazing at his god.

"The only thing I can offer you is my loyalty."

"So, Lin Xi."

He spoke gently and devoutly, calling her by her full name, his voice filled with boundless affection and a hint of barely perceptible nervousness.

"Would you... give me this chance?"

After the words were spoken, a brief silence fell over the room. Only the two of them, still breathing somewhat rapidly, mingled together.

Lin Xi stared at him blankly.

Looking into his eyes, which were always too composed but were now brimming with undisguised affection, and his face, which was usually expressionless but now had his jaw slightly taut with nervousness.

His words, with the stiffness and directness characteristic of a soldier, were completely different from the eloquent and erudite gentlemen who used to surround her, and even less so from Xu Yucheng, who had returned from studying abroad and whose conversations always carried a touch of exotic romance.

But it was precisely these simple, almost clumsy words that, like moths drawn to a flame, repeatedly struck the softest part of her heart.

Although he looked serious and his thin lips were slightly pursed, appearing no different from usual, she could feel that his palm, which was holding hers, was warm and damp, and trembling slightly.

He is nervous.

Shen Jingyuan, who was always calm and composed, seemingly unfazed even if the sky were to fall, was getting nervous because of her answer.

If it were Lin Xi in the past, she would definitely have ridiculed this person, raised her chin, made the person's heart jump around, and then made a reluctant appearance, nodding arrogantly in agreement.

But at this moment, looking at the man's earnest eyes under the dim light, she finally abandoned all pretense, said one thing but meant another, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and slowly nodded.

"Ah."

Lin Xi's voice was very soft, but it sounded like heavenly music to Shen Jingyuan's ears. His heart, which had been hanging in suspense, suddenly fell back to reality. He tightened his arms around Lin Xi's waist with such force that it felt like he was holding the whole world in his arms.

Lin Xi frowned subconsciously, but didn't say anything. Instead, she pinched his hand that was wrapped around her waist with some embarrassment and annoyance, buried her head in his chest with a flushed face, and muttered unhappily.

"Hmph, you got off easy..."

A moment later, feeling the hand around her waist slowly loosen, Lin Xi slowly raised her head, rubbed her slightly sore neck, glared at Shen Jingyuan, and prepared to get up, supporting herself on the armrest of the chair.

"Alright, it's so late, go back to your own room."

"Xixi, can I have another one?"

"What do you mean, 'want more'..." Lin Xi turned her head and asked instinctively.

"Well!"

Shen Jingyuan did not give her a chance to ask further questions.

In the room, only increasingly rapid breathing and the rustling of clothes could be heard.

The small nightlight by the bedside quietly emitted a hazy glow, casting the silhouettes of the two people embracing tightly onto the wall.

The shadows seemed to merge into one, becoming indistinguishable from each other.

The dark green silk ribbon had somehow fallen onto the carpet, and with the unconscious steps of the two, it twisted and tangled, eventually turning into a gentle, dark watermark in the dim light, quietly meandering around their feet.

Just as their love and destiny grew quietly, they became inextricably intertwined and could never be separated again.