An Ke was wearing her favorite casual clothes today, her black hair tied in a ponytail, her face still pale, with a red nose. She laughed softly: “The weather was fine just moments ago. How did it get so cold?” Perhaps deep down she didn’t want to come to this place. The day she firmly left, she never thought she’d step foot here again. Today, an inexplicable emotion swirled in her heart. Now that she was here, she wanted to escape, her feet too weak to move.
Pei Xuanyan pulled her up, seemingly understanding her thoughts: “Let’s go in. What’s meant to come will always come.”
In the large hall, Junhao never looked directly at An Ke. An Ke averted her gaze, looking at the wall painting, more precisely, afraid to look at Junhao. Pei Xuanyan faced Junhao, the three of them sitting in opposition.
After the servant brought tea, Junhao looked at Pei Xuanyan with a faint smile: “Yan, this is freshly arrived Pu’er tea, pure and fragrant, a rare delicacy once only found in the imperial palace. Try it.”
Pei Xuanyan cooperatively picked up the tea and slowly tasted it: “Indeed a rare treasure. An Ke, would you like to try?”
An Ke shifted her gaze to Pei Xuanyan, apologetically smiling: “I don’t understand tea. It would be a waste to give such good tea to me.” The room was much warmer than outside. With an extra jacket, An Ke stopped sneezing but started having a runny nose. Pei Xuanyan timely handed her a tissue.
Junhao smiled faintly, slowly sipping his tea, as if the two people before him didn’t exist.
An Ke sniffled, having prepared herself to face Junhao: “Junhao, we’re not here to taste tea. I don’t expect you to help with my father’s matter, I just hope you won’t interfere.”
“Yan, the most precious things in the world, I’m willing to share with you, except women. I really don’t have such a preference.” As if not hearing An Ke, Junhao continued to joke.
An Ke understood his implication and became angry: “You’re shameless.”
Pei Xuanyan gently held her back but didn’t explain further. He solemnly said: “Hao, what you did to Xuanzhi, I can’t pretend didn’t happen. After this tea, we’re strangers.” He finished the tea in one gulp. He cherished their past, but some things, once done, can never be undone.
Junhao also laughed and finished his tea. An Ke worriedly called: “Brother Xuan…”
The words “Brother Xuan” exploded like a bomb in Junhao’s mind. He laughed out loud. For the first time, An Ke felt his laughter was more sorrowful than crying, and it inexplicably made her sad. After laughing, Junhao calmly asked: “What did you just call him?”
This time, neither of them avoided the other’s gaze. They looked deeply at each other, wanting to see into each other’s hearts, but neither could.
An Ke, as if possessed: “I call him Brother Xuan.”
Pei Xuanyan protectively pulled An Ke behind him: “Hao, we’ve made things clear. Goodbye.” He pulled An Ke to leave. Perhaps some things had imperceptibly changed.
“Did I say she could go?” Junhao didn’t move, his meaning clear: “I never intended to let her go.”
……………………………………………..
031 Pregnancy
Pei Xuanyan turned back, his face as cold as ice: “You want to forcibly keep her?
An Can tugged at his clothes, softly saying: “Brother Xuan, don’t pay attention to him, let’s go.”
Jun Hao simply crossed his legs, looking confident: “An Can, I’ve told you, I will use any means to get what I want. I know the person you care most about is not yourself, but your loved ones.”
“Brother Xuan, you should go first,” An Can knew Jun Hao would do what he said, and Jun Hao had already figured out her weakness.
“An Can, don’t forget I care about you just like your family. If anything happens, remember to find me,” Pei Xuan Yan was reluctant but had to leave.
Only Jun Hao and An Can remained in the hall, neither willing to speak first.
After a long silence, Jun Hao spoke first: “Baby, you’re sick.” He strode closer, removing the suit jacket on her and putting his own on her. His long fingers gently traced her lips, then her forehead, finally holding her hands, with a voice soft as water: “I don’t want Pei Xuan Yan to touch these places again.” His right index finger lifted her chin, ignoring An Can’s wide eyes, again domineering: “In this lifetime, you won’t escape me. You are mine.”
“You just want to play with me, right? Want me to beg like a dog? Then I’ll beg you, please let me go. Or if you want me to sleep with you, I’m ready now if that’s what you like.” An Can’s hands trembled as she unbuttoned her clothes, trying to stay calm, not understanding why she lost all her carefully constructed strength whenever she encountered this man.
Jun Hao, I’m telling you, I’m not afraid of you… I’m not afraid of you…” An Ke threw off his hand, waving her arms wildly. In an instant, she calmed down: “Brother Xuan, you go first, I’ll come find you later.”
Jun Hao tucked her two hands into the quilt, his eyes emitting a sharp light: “An Ke, even in nightmares, I will be the only one in your dreams.” He lay down beside her, fully clothed.
Perhaps because her body was too cold, An Ke moved closer to the heat source, burying her head on Jun Hao’s chest and falling asleep peacefully. Jun Hao held her in his arms, gently patting her back: “An Ke, not just in this life, but in the next life, you will still be mine. From the first moment I saw you, I never intended to let you go.” He wanted to warm her body, but more importantly, he wanted to warm her heart. He now knew that he had unknowingly hurt her deeply, but he would absolutely never let her go.
This night was somewhat warm for Jun Hao. An Ke occasionally mumbled in her sleep, cursing him, but he was still grateful that he was the only one in her dreams. Her delicate features were clearly etched in his mind. She was not the type to be unforgettable at first glance, but definitely a sight that was pleasing to the eye. He had seen many beautiful women, with countless throwing themselves at him, but he was never moved by those women. Except for a woman named Leng Xiang, with whom he had a lover’s relationship, though he did not love her. He traced his hand along her back to her waist, finally resting on her flat stomach, as if he could feel the small life being nurtured inside. He watched her, feeling her body temperature return to normal. Resting his chin on her head, the corners of his mouth curved into a perfect arc. At this moment, his life contained only her and their child.
The first time he felt his heart move was for a girl named Xuan Ling. He first saw her on his eighteenth birthday when she was fourteen. They were going to the suburbs to celebrate, originally planning to go together, but Pei Xuan Yan was delayed by something. When Pei Xuan Yan arrived, he was accompanied by a young girl in a pure white princess dress, beautiful like a fairy tale princess. She attracted the attention of all the boys, but what caught Jun Hao’s eye was not her beautiful appearance. At the time, he thought she was like Lin Daiyu from “Dream of the Red Chamber,” like a wisp of blue smoke that couldn’t be grasped. She was not talkative; after greeting everyone, she didn’t say another word, just sitting far away watching them play. Jun Hao felt her gaze following him, and only later did he realize her gaze was actually following Pei Xuan Yan beside him. It was from that moment he decided to protect and cherish her. He had once only wanted to hold her carefully, as she was frail, sensitive, and seemed born into this world to be loved. He had hated her, hated her deception, hated that she used him as a smokescreen. When he heard her confessing to another man, he almost wanted to kill her. However, at this moment, that seemed less important. Past events had become like clouds, and he only wanted to cherish the person before him.
