— — — — — —
Mo Zhiqian came downstairs, and she was alone.
"He is fine and getting ready for the charity Gala. He seems to be okay now." She spoke up as she picked up the dirty dishes and took them into the kitchen while the maids cleaned the table.
"All right, Grandma... " They went upstairs to their bedrooms to dress up for the Gala. They were already late.
— — — — —
As the last touch of powder settled on Lu Wan Ruyi's skin, the soft amber glow of the room cast a halo around her. She turned slightly, checking her reflection, but Zhi Hao's gaze never left her for even a moment. Everyone else left the room for them to have their privacy.
"You are so beautiful, Mama, I'm happy I actually met you," he said quietly, admiring everything about her; he never got enough of her, not as a compliment, but as a truth. This woman was an epitome of what angels look like. No one would ever enter his eyes like she does.
She paused, surprised by the tone in his voice, full of adoration and admiration. This was something her ex-fiancé lacked; those eyes gazed at her like she was his world. "It's just light makeup." She blushed, turning away.
He stepped closer, his fingers brushing lightly against a stray lock of her hair. "It's not the makeup." His voice dropped, now coarse. "It's the way you breathe, the way your eyes watch the world, the way you always smooth my collar like it matters. Everything about you...." he stopped, a soft smile curling his lips, "....makes me forget how dangerous the world can be. Makes me forget everything else."
She stared at him for a long second, then smiled gently. "Dangerous or not, I would still choose this moment again and again." Yes, this man pulled her from a dark, deep hole she never thought she would ever get out of. Every single day, she appreciates that he had given her a chance at that time, and she appreciates that he had taken her away.
Zhi Hao looked into those eyes that made him forget everything; they were looking at her with adoration, and he offered his hand, stretching it to her. "Then dance with me. Just for a moment, it's been a while."
There was no music, only the quiet ticking of the clock and the hush of evening beyond the windows. But in his arms, she followed easily, stepping into his rhythm as though they had done this their whole lives.
His hand snaked around her back, drawing her just a breath closer. "We would always be like this," he murmured near her ear, "moments like this remind us of our first meeting. It's been a good journey." How could he forget how they had escaped? How could he forget how they met?
She laughed softly, the sound catching in her throat as his arms swept her off her feet. Her fingers clutched at his shoulders in surprise, but her gaze never left his. Yes, it's a good journey, and they have never regretted marrying each other; apart from being blissful, they were fulfilled.
Zhi Hao spun with her, slow and sure, like the world had fallen away and left only the two of them suspended in time. She giggled, gazing into his eyes like a little princess she had always been, while he smiled back at her.
Her hair brushed his cheek as he held her close, her warmth sinking into him, anchoring him in a way nothing else ever had.
He stopped, still holding her aloft, her face inches from his. "Eternity, me and you for eternity," he whispered, his voice low and rough, "I would give you that and more, every single day, I have never regretted anything."