"Be good and wear it." Yan Beicheng held her shoulders, keeping her from taking off the coat, and turned to open the car boot. 

Lin Chu looked as he hauled six bursts of fireworks from the car. They looked like cannons. Would they be as loud as one?

He fished out a lighter from his trouser pockets and lit the fuse quickly before running back to her and hugging her tightly. Lin Chu did not get to return the coat to him before the fireworks sounded six times consequently. They shot up into the sky in a row and exploded into dazzling blossoms.

It felt like it never ceased.

The fireworks seemed to be more magnificent than the ones she had seen before.

Dazzling streams of light shone on both of them as the fireworks blossomed. Lin Chu's eyes brightened up as her gaze fixated on the fireworks. She was enveloped in Yan Beicheng's arms, and the loud explosive sounds became music to her ears.

They did not know how long the explosions went on, only that the blasts had seemed to continue for a long time.

The last firework was lit up, and orange flames shot up into the sky like shooting stars in reverse. They bloomed into dandelion-like images and slowly vanished into the night.

Lin Chu glanced towards Yan Beicheng and noticed his serious expression. It had, in turn, made Lin Chu nervous too.

"I think that we should discuss this issue seriously, unlike the past few times when I've just mentioned it in pa.s.sing," Yan Beicheng said seriously.

Lin Chu was filled with doubt and surprise. She had no idea of anything that would put a frown on Yan Beicheng's face.

Yan Beicheng was only wearing a thin sweater, but he did not feel cold in the slightest, probably because he was consumed by nerves. 

 "Lin Chu, when I was in the Family Mansion, I saw Yan Huaian returned to his room with Yu Zi in his arms, and I thought of how nice it would be if you were with me. When I'm alone at home, lying on my bed, I always think of you at my side. Every morning when I wake up, I think of how amazing it would be if you're lying in my arms."

"When I woke up in your house that morning, the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was you. That felt absolutely amazing, to the extent that I think about that scene every day after that. When I look at my bed, I yearn for the wrinkles you'll make on my bedsheets. I want to see half of my closet filled with your clothes. I want to see your toothbrush and mug above the sink. I want to see your towel drying next to mine. I've brought in a dressing table into my bedroom, brand new, with nothing on it. I want to see all your makeup cluttering up that table."

"I want to see you leaving traces of your life and casually misplacing trinkets in every single corner of my home. I want my home to be the backdrop of your snapshots. I want to be able to discover things that you've misplaced somewhere with a pa.s.sing glance no matter where I am."

"Lin Chu, I'm asking you seriously. Are you still hesitating? Will you be willing to move in with me?" Yan Beicheng was still embracing Lin Chu in his arms. Although he could not afford to be affected by the cold, he s.h.i.+vered exaggeratingly, utilizing the advantageous cold weather to put up a show. 

He considered hamming it up out in the cold if Lin Chu still did not give her consent. If she did not agree, he would suffer in the cold instead of going indoors.

Lin Chu was visibly struggling. She wanted to say yes, but she was contemplating something or other.

Lin Chu grasped the hem of his jacket and put her forehead on his chest. "I won't refuse if we are to live together; I also want to experience everything you've said earlier. The longer I'm with you, the less willing I am to separate with you. But Moyan and I rented our house together and the lease will only expire in seven months. Barring the rent, I'll feel bad if I left Moyan alone and moved in with you."

"Moyan may be earning a little more than I do, but she's not that well off. After the lease expires, she'll have to look for an apartment alone and live with strangers, and she can't do that. If she rents a house alone, it won't be as cost-efficient as rooming together with me. I just feel bad because it feels like I'm tossing her away in a sudden," Lin Chu said.

She was like that. If someone were to bully her, she would make them pay. If someone else treated her with kindness, she would always think of them no matter what she did.

 "About that, I have an idea." Yan Beicheng had already considered it. "As you've already paid your rent, just let it be. Sometimes I'll go on business trips. If the trip is going to take long and you're bored staying in Ding City alone, you can go back and stay with Xu Moyan for the time being, but you have to come back when I return. Yan Hui has already developed some properties. You can let Xu Moyan pick one as she sees fit when your lease expires, and I'll just collect a symbolic sum from her. It won't make her feel bad as if she's leeching from you, and it would be a sum she could afford. How's that?"

His low, steady voice uttered the solutions to all her qualms one after another, and now she was rid of them.

"Why ask me when you've already thought of everything," said Lin Chu, her tone light. "Moyan's home for the New Year and will be back after six days. I'll talk to her."

"I'm going back to my family home tomorrow morning and visiting relatives with Yan Huaian. We're only visiting the other seven families, so everything should be done within half a day. I'll come in the afternoon to pack up your belongings with you and move them to my house," Yan Beicheng said.

Lin Chu blushed. She did not expect him to want her to move in immediately without a moment's delay.

"Isn't this a bit quick? You're so busy tomorrow." Lin Chu said. Seeing Yan Beicheng's brow raised in question, she elaborated in fear of misunderstanding. "I've already agreed, so I'm not stalling deliberately or anything. I only think that it's a bit too rushed, what with the visits we're making the next two days and with me going back to your family home with you the day after tomorrow. It'll be the same if I moved in three days later."

"I've been thinking of taking you home as soon as I can after you've finally agreed. I can't wait, not when I'm thinking of hugging you in the comfort of my bed. How can I wait patiently for three days?"

Lin Chu remembered him saying that he would only return to his family home tomorrow morning; he was obviously planning to stay here for the night. Lin Chu did not have the heart to send him back into the night, and so she did not play oblivious.

"Let's go inside. It's cold," Lin Chu said to Yan Beicheng, who still did not want to put on his coat.

Yan Beicheng grasped Lin Chu's hand and pulled her inside. Lin Chu locked the gates, and the two of them ran inside.

"Beicheng is here," The old princ.i.p.al's voice rang suddenly, startling Lin Chu.

She turned back and saw the old princ.i.p.al walking out with her gla.s.ses on and a shawl on her neck with. The princ.i.p.al smiled when she saw Yan Beicheng.

"Did we wake you up?" Lin Chu flushed with embarra.s.sment.

Yan Beicheng visiting her in the night is not something she should be proud of.

"No. I'm a light sleeper, I woke up when I heard the door opening. I feared that someone broke in, so I came out to take a look," The old princ.i.p.al replied jovially. "Now that I see that it was Beicheng, I'm relieved. There, there, you don't need to mind me. I'm going back to sleep."

The old princ.i.p.al did not mention preparing a room for Yan Beicheng, especially not when the man had arrived so late into the night. She was not that insensitive.

Lin Chu blushed. When the old princ.i.p.al retreated to her room, she glanced at Yan Beicheng and poked him shyly.

Yan Beicheng chuckled lightly as he grasped her slender finger. It felt soft, and it was still cool to the touch.

 "Awoooo…" A sound came from somewhere, and a black, tiny shadow akin to a rat's dashed between Lin Chu and Yan Beicheng. It shoved persistently at Yan Beicheng's legs with his skinny rear, as if it was trying to push him away.

Yan Beicheng lowered his gaze and looked down at the hairless, ugly lump on the floor. Lin Chu smiled, "I didn't get to tell you just now, but this here is Chu Xi. It was brought home by the children this afternoon after it was abandoned by its owner for contracting some skin disease. I brought it to the pet clinic this afternoon, got it injected with some vaccines and bought its medicine. No matter what's going to happen in the future, I'm not going to abandon it."

"During the New Year, there aren't many people in the orphanage. The old princ.i.p.al's already in her senior years, and she has to look after the kids too. I intended to bring it home and look after it for the time being when Moyan's not home and discuss with her on adopting the puppy. Now that I'm moving in with you, do you mind caring for a puppy? If you don't mind, I'm considering adopting it permanently, so that I don't have to look for a caretaker for it. It'll be hard when it has to change owners after being cared for by me for long."

 "How can I mind when you've said all that?" Yan Beicheng smiled, his gaze gentle. He was not unhappy. "I don't mind animals. You can adopt it if you like."

 "Mm." Lin Chu was relieved after dealing with Chu Xi's future home.

That tiny lump was unable to retaliate in any way, as sick as it was, and its future wholly depended on fate and the whims of humans. Lin Chu pitied it, its future depended on luck, and it could not control if it would encounter an owner who treated it well. 

Suddenly, Chu Xi yowled sharply. Its two front paws pounced on Yan Beicheng's legs before it retracted them hastily and ran away, tripping on the floor throughout. It might be because it understood their words, but it was most probably happy for no reason.

Yan Beicheng, on the other hand, felt as if he had been teased by a dog.

Lin Chu's gaze followed Chu Xi's retreating. Sensing Yan Beicheng's fervent gaze landing on her, she raised her head and stumbled directly into Yan Beicheng's burning hot gaze.

"Take me to your room." Yan Beicheng lowered his head, voice hoa.r.s.e.

Lin Chu's face was as red as a tomato. Her hands felt especially hot in his palms. She ducked her head and brought him upstairs to her room.

The room was still the one Yan Beicheng insisted on invading when he first visited.

Lin Chu had wanted to tell him her plans to go to a flower market and purchase a pot of flowers for the old man. She did not know much about flowers, but she had looked up some information from the Internet on the types of flowers that suited the New Year festive, and she wanted to ask for Yan Beicheng's opinion.

She had not managed to utter a word before he held her tightly and pressed his lips on hers.

Someone was still setting off fireworks outside. Emerald-green blasts of fireworks burst into life outside the window as if they were just next to them. Yan Beicheng held her up so that her gaze matched his. His thin, heated lips scalded her as he murmured into hers, "Kissing you with the fireworks outside illuminating us feels really good."

Lin Chu was speechless. She held Yan Beicheng tightly. Every year, she returned to the orphanage for the New Year without fail, but she had always had to sleep alone. This was the first time someone stayed close to her, warding away her loneliness. She had had qualms about the loud noises disturbing her sleep, but Cheng Ziming only cared about reuniting with his family. He did not give her a single call, and even the text messages he sent her were ma.s.s greeting.

Now that Yan Beicheng was with her, those annoying noises bothered her less than before.

Lin Chu's hands, which had enveloped his shoulders from below his arms, tightened when he entered, her fingers holding tight on the hard muscle of his shoulders.

Yan Beicheng lowered and kissed her lips in a plea for her to relax when he saw that she was restraining her m.o.a.ns by gritting her teeth. "The firecrackers outside are quite loud, so you can let it out."

 "…" Lin Chu grasped the meaning of his words after some thought. She bit his shoulder in exasperation and felt unfounded satisfaction suffuse her when she saw the teeth mark she left on him.

Lin Chu was tired out by Yan Beicheng. She had finished wrapping half of the dumplings and brought Chu Xi to the clinic in the day, returned to prepare the New Year's dinner, set off fireworks with the kids, and proceeded to cook the dumplings just after watching the Gala program on TV for a short while.

When they had finished eating, she had to tidy up the dishes and clean the dining table. She was mopping the floor when Yan Beicheng came.

Thinking of mopping, Lin Chu froze, and she tried to get up.

Her body felt limp, and she could not muster the energy before she was s.n.a.t.c.hed into Yan Beicheng's arms. They lay closer than before in this position; she had Yan Beicheng pinned underneath her.

"What are you doing?" Yan Beicheng's slightly hoa.r.s.e voice was suffused with satisfaction.

He lowered his gaze and met Lin Chu's misty eyes. Pearly tears hung on her long, curly eyelashes which fluttered anxiously. She looked adorably piteous, which made Yan Beicheng want to tease her more.

He was even more unwilling to let her go after seeing her like this.

He tightened his arms, confining her in his embrace as his hands caressed errantly on the smooth expanse of her back. He lowered his head to land a kiss on her eyes, getting a taste of the moisture on her eyelashes, which softened him to no end.

Lin Chu patted his chest. She was trembling from his kisses, completely enveloped by his presence.

She lay in his arms, pressed tightly against him, and every inhale was filled with his scent. Every inch of her body was peppered with his kisses.

"I've just remembered that I haven't finished my ch.o.r.es. I was mopping the floor when you visited," Lin Chu said.

"The floor looks pretty clean to me," Yan Beicheng replied, his lips caressing the tip of her nose.

"You're joking. What have you looked at when you first came in? And you claimed that it's clean," Lin Chu said exasperatedly and burst into laughter.

 "I was looking at you for the whole time," Yan Beicheng said with a smile, his low-throated chuckle oozing s.e.xiness.

The small room was warm. Although the lights were dimmed, it felt exceptionally bright to her eyes.

"I have to go downstairs and finish it. It's New Year tomorrow, and the house has to be clean." Lin Chu wanted to get up, but she discovered that she did not have much energy left.

"It's already the New Year today." Yan Beicheng said.

Lin Chu realized that that was true. She just did not realize it because it was still dark outside.

"That said, it's my habit to keep the house clean during New Year. This is an orphanage, but the old princ.i.p.al has a lot of friends who visit. The old woman living nearby brings food along sometimes: junk food for the children, homecooked ribs, vegetables, rice and noodles gifted to her by her relatives and everything else imaginable. Other people who celebrate the New Year also visit. I have to tidy the house up for the New Year," Lin Chu explained. She looked at the time; it was already past three in the morning.

"Don't move. I'll go downstairs." Yan Beicheng pressed her onto the sheets and asked, "Is mopping the floor the only ch.o.r.e left?"

Lin Chu froze. "You, mop the floor? Don't pull my leg. Sleep, I'll finish mopping it in a short time."

"I can't sleep if you're not here with me. Also, how will I feel at ease when I know you're down there working?" Yan Beicheng pressed her further onto the bed. "I only have to mop the floor downstairs, don't I?"

Lin Chu nodded. "And you haven't ever done this before."

"That's why I'll have to attempt it once today." Yan Beicheng kissed her. "Sleep first. I'll be back soon."

Lin Chu could not argue with him. In the end, he was already becoming stern in his insistence on her staying put. Lin Chu could only watch as he walked out the door.

Lin Chu felt unsettled by letting Yan Beicheng mop the floor downstairs. When had the man ever needed to do household ch.o.r.es? Don't even mention mopping the floor; has he ever held a mop in his hands before in his life?

Lin Chu had wanted to venture outside and watch him, but she was reluctant to move. Her bones felt as if they were disintegrated, and her arms and legs felt sore when she moved them. She could not fall asleep, though, thinking of Yan Beicheng.

She did not know how much time had pa.s.sed before Yan Beicheng opened the door and walked back in. He smiled when he saw her lying awake. "Were you waiting for me?"

"Mm." Lin Chu did not disagree. She extended her fair arms towards him from under the blankets.

Yan Beicheng stared at her bare shoulders that were uncovered by the blankets. They were fair and pretty, her exquisite collar bones as delicate as finely carved jade. He knew that she was n.a.k.e.d underneath, and although he did not have the heart to make love, his heart filled with warmth at the knowledge that she was waiting for him underneath the sheets.

The house was warm. Yan Beicheng had only worn a sweater and a pair of pants downstairs, but it could not compare to the body-warmed heat inside the sheets, so his skin felt cooler.

Yan Beicheng quickly took off his clothes, burrowed inside the blankets and latched on Lin Chu, making her shudder from the cold.

"You've never done this ch.o.r.e. Did everything go well?" Lin Chu asked with a smile on her face.

The two of them lay face to face on the narrow bed. His eyes were clear, but they were underlined with slight fatigue. It was hard to imagine him mopping the floor with a hunched back.

"My back hurts a little," said Yan Beicheng. "I'll get you a robot vacuum so that you won't have to hunch your back in the future. Even I can't stand doing this."

It was mostly his inexperience. Good robot vacuums were too expensive, and cheap ones were unreliable. Not only the old princ.i.p.al was reluctant to buy one, but even her and Xu Moyan were also unwilling to sh.e.l.l out money for it. Mopping around the house with a spongy mop was easy once they got used to it.

This man did those small ch.o.r.es for her when he, a straight-backed man with a steadfast bearing, had probably not done any of it all since young. Lin Chu regretted her decision; she should not have agreed with him and made him do this unseemly job.

Soft hands ma.s.saged his waist, attempting to drive the mild pain away. Yan Beicheng was made comfortable under her ministrations, and his palm rubbed on her waist playfully.

Lin Chu halted her actions and asked out of the blue, "Yan Beicheng, you're approaching your forties now, aren't you?"

 "…" Yan Beicheng froze in his actions and said moodily, "Who's approaching his forties? I'm only fresh out of thirty!"

He then turned around sulkily and did not look at her.

Lin Chu blinked. Women being sensitive about their age was another matter. Why did a man care so much about it?

She now knew of Yan Beicheng's quirks. She scooted over and coaxed him, "I didn't know. I'm quite forgetful, too. I've been together with you for so long, but I've never asked about your age."