Red candles were burning down beneath my palms, their flames flickering and popping into tiny wax blossoms.
I smiled and looked back. Red bed curtains and sheer window gauze filled the entire room with a festive glow.
This was the bridal chamber I had decorated with my own hands.
The door creaked open from the outside.
I turned around and saw Huo Jingchuan frozen in the doorway.
I walked slowly toward him. This radiant red bridal gown was custom-made by a designer over the past half-month while he was recovering from his injuries. It was breathtaking, and there would never be a second one like it in this world.
I could see the sheer awe in Huo Jingchuan's eyes. This was the first time I had ever dressed up for him.
"Nan Xing?" he murmured softly, walking toward me.
I stopped right in front of him, looking up into his eyes with a smile.
Eight years. This man had stayed by my side for eight years.
Eight years ago, betrayed by my ex-husband, framed by his mistress, and driven out of my family, I had reached the end of my rope. With nothing left to live for and six months pregnant, I had jumped into the sea.
He had pulled me out of the water, held a gun to the doctor's head, and demanded that they save me at any cost.
As I lost control of my emotions, hurting others and self-harming, he had stayed right by my side through it all.
He was my ex-husband's uncle—Huo Jingchuan.
Half a month ago, in order to save me, he had been injured and hospitalized once again. I had lost count of how many times this had happened over the past eight years.
Loving me had left him scarred and battered.
Yet my stony heart, steeped in his blood, was no longer cold and hard.
Now, he was standing right before me, loving me with his very life. If I still didn't know how to cherish this, I would truly be failing this precious second chance at life.
Huo Jingchuan's hand slowly, carefully cupped my face.
"Do I look good?" I asked him.
"You look wonderful," Huo Jingchuan answered softly, his gaze fixed intently on my face, looking somewhat foolish.
I smiled, a truly happy smile.
Huo Jingchuan, Young Master Huo, a man who commanded the winds and rains, whose mere stomp could make City M tremble three times over.
Legend had it that he was cold-faced and ruthless, a very Rakshasa, yet in front of me, he was always gentle, considerate, and endearingly clumsy.
I raised my hand, grasped his wrist, and pulled it toward me. His fingers were slender and fair, curling slightly with nervous anticipation.
"Jingchuan, Nan Xing has drifted alone for half a lifetime—what did I do to deserve meeting you? If your feelings haven't changed, would you still be willing to marry me?"
Huo Jingchuan's hand suddenly clenched into a fist. I could feel the muscles in his wrist tighten. "Nan Xing? You... say that again."
His voice was careful and soft, as if he were afraid of startling the very air between us.
I let go of his wrist, gently wrapped my arms around his firm waist, leaned against his chest, and looked up at him. "Huo Jingchuan, are you willing to marry me?"
Huo Jingchuan's hands abruptly landed on my waist, pulling me tight as he blurted out, "Of course I am."
I smiled. Looking into his ecstatic gaze, hot tears suddenly spilled from my eyes. "Huo Jingchuan, I'm sorry. I'm already such a battered and broken person. If there is an afterlife, I will surely save the very best of myself for you."
Huo Jingchuan pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly against his chest. "Nan Xing, it's my fault for letting you suffer so much. If there is an next life, I will rush to your side much earlier and never let you suffer even the slightest bit of hardship."
I stood on tiptoe, reached up to wrap my arms around his neck, pulled him down closer, and kissed his lips.
Huo Jingchuan trembled, his strong arms tightening around me.
The world spun around us, and I let out an involuntary gasp, instinctively wrapping my arms around Huo Jingchuan's neck.
Huo Jingchuan swept me up into his arms, using my gasp as an opportunity to part my teeth and eagerly claim every inch of territory.
I could feel the spark in his heart that I had ignited, burning through his entire being.
For eight years, no matter how out of control things got, he had always maintained his self-restraint and propriety, never crossing the line with me. He was a true gentleman.
But now, I could feel his surging, unrestrained desire.
With his remaining sliver of rationality, he gently laid me down on the bed. As he leaned over to cover me, he still gritted his teeth and asked, "Nan Xing, is this okay?"
I smiled, reaching out to stroke his handsome face, lifting myself up to kiss his earlobe, and whispered, "Jingchuan, I am yours!"
My gown shattered to pieces beneath his touch, and his large hands caressed my bare skin as my heart pounded with a trembling thrill.
...
"Nan Xing, I am going to marry you!" His rich, sincere voice sounded beside my ear.
"Mhm," I murmured in response.
My remaining shreds of sanity brought up that distant question: "What if your family doesn't agree?"
After all, I was his nephew's ex-wife.
"Our affairs require no one else's approval. You are my person." Huo Jingchuan's answer set my mind completely at ease.
I drifted off to sleep wrapped in supreme exhaustion and fulfillment, feeling Huo Jingchuan's light, lingering kisses falling gently across my skin. Being loved by the one you love is the greatest happiness in the world.
For eight years, I had never slept as peacefully as I did last night—a whole night without a single dream.
No, sweet flowers had already bloomed in my dreams.
I stretched lazily beneath the covers, my entire body aching!
It's all Huo Jingchuan's fault!
Crouched beneath the blankets, I smiled secretly. From now on, I would live every single day in happiness to repay Huo Jingchuan for these past eight years of standing by my side.
I pulled the duvet down a bit and reached out to embrace Huo Jingchuan.
My outstretched hand met with empty air. I froze. Where was Huo Jingchuan?
I opened my eyes.
What came into view was a simple, light-blue bedside lamp on the nightstand.
My breath hitched instantly.
This lamp was the exact one from my room before I got married, the one my older sister, Nan Yang, had discarded and handed down to me.
I bolted upright.
"Huo Jingchuan?" I called out in a panic.
No one answered.
Before my eyes were the familiar furnishings of my old room.
My heart hammered wildly, my breathing turning rapid as if all the air in my lungs was struggling to get in or out. I had to kneel on the bed, taking deep, desperate breaths in an attempt to calm my violently beating heart.
This was my room back at the Nan family estate—my boudoir!
Why was I here?
Ever since I got married eight years ago, I had never come back to sleep in this bed!
I hadn't even set foot in this room again, because a married daughter was like poured-out water, and this household no longer had any place for me.
Where was Huo Jingchuan?
Huo Jingchuan and I lived in the old Huo family residence, which was why I had decorated our bridal chamber in a classical style, even preparing arm-thick dragon-and-phoenix red candles inscribed with wishes for a lifelong union and growing old together!
Where were the red candles?
Last night, Huo Jingchuan had said with his own mouth that he wanted to marry me. Right before falling asleep, he had slipped a ring onto my finger, telling me it was a treasured heirloom of the Huo family.
I held out my hand. My pale fingers were completely bare.
My hand was trembling.
Panic consumed my heart.
Knock, knock, knock. Someone was at the door.
"Nan Xing, Nan Xing! Are you awake yet? What time is it? Why are you still sleeping?" The voice outside was gentle yet carried a sharp edge.
A chill gripped my heart. That familiar, anxious feeling washed over me, making me instinctively tense up. Without thinking, I jumped out of bed and yanked the door open.
Standing outside was someone I never wanted to see again in this lifetime—my older sister, Nan Yang.
Nan Yang's delicate eyebrows were knitted together in irritation, yet she forced herself to smooth them out, making her voice sound sweet and gentle. "Nan Xing, what is wrong with you? Did you stay up all night playing video games? People from both the Huo family and the Xiang family are going to be arriving soon! Hurry up and change your clothes and put on some makeup! Don't embarrass our Nan family!"
The sound of clashing metal rang in my ears, leaving me momentarily dazed and unable to process what was happening.
"Hey! Are you an idiot?" Nan Yang's voice turned sharp as she reached out and shoved me.
I stumbled back two steps, tripped over a book on the floor, and fell onto the carpet.
"Nan Xing, are you trying to extort me?" Nan Yang angrily kicked me in the shin.
The pain instantly cleared my head.
I scrambled up in a flash, dodging Nan Yang's second kick.
"Sister, I'll go get ready right now." Before she could speak again, I was already standing respectfully at attention.
Nan Yang glanced down at the book on the floor with utter disdain. "Were you pulling another all-nighter to study? Hah! With that brain of yours, you think you can get into M University? Don't dream! Today is Father's birthday and there are many guests coming. You keep your mouth shut, you hear me?"
Dropping the gentle lady act entirely, Nan Yang tossed her head high and strode out.