Chapter 138: How Old Are You, Anyway?

The suite was carpeted with thick rugs, and warm yellow wall lamps cast a soft glow.

Just as Lu Qingyue posted her question online, faint, muffled footsteps came from outside the door.

The door silently swung open, and a tall, slender figure entered without a word, climbing straight onto the bed.

Lu Qingyue was taken aback. Before she could react, he decisively pulled her into his arms.

His eyes were dark and clear in the night, emotions fathomless within their depths.

His arms were strong and firm, holding her tightly and warmly. He lowered his voice, yet the tenderness in it was unmistakable:

“Already upset?”

Lu Qingyue gazed at his handsome, deep-featured face, a flicker of unwillingness stirring in her heart. She bit her lip stubbornly and said,

“No!”

Cheng Xingye seemed to chuckle softly, holding her even tighter, pressing her whole body against his chest.

“If not, why is that little mouth pouting so high?”

His strength was naturally beyond that of any girl.

Lu Qingyue struggled in vain and could only snort indignantly,

“I was born with a naturally pouty lip!”

Cheng Xingye: “...”

He pressed his lips together, clearly trying to suppress a smile.

Lu Qingyue redoubled her efforts to break free in his embrace.

“Dot dot.”

Cheng Xingye’s eyes sharp, he quickly pinned her down.

His arms tightened around her, his stubbled chin resting on the hollow of her neck, almost molding her entire being into his own.

Lu Qingyue was restrained, unable to move, and could only tilt her face up to him, asking bitterly,

“Why can’t we?”

Why not...

Cheng Xingye swallowed hard, uncertain how to explain, but answered as patiently as he could,

“It’s not that we can’t. It’s that we shouldn’t. You’re still so young. What if later on...”

What if someday she met someone better than him, changed her mind, but he hadn’t left her an escape route?

Of course, Cheng Xingye was unwilling to admit defeat to anyone, unwilling to hand her over to another.

But he respected the girl he deeply loved. If someday her heart truly changed, letting go might be the only choice.

Yet Lu Qingyue did not share his thoughts.

She was young and impulsive, acting entirely on her feelings.

Blinking at his words, as if struck by a sudden thought, she pushed him away with surprise and asked incredulously,

“What do you mean ‘later on’? Do you think we’ll break up in the future?”

Cheng Xingye said nothing, only holding her tightly still.

Lu Qingyue immediately misunderstood.

She didn’t know how others fell in love, but for her, liking someone meant wholeheartedly, without reservation.

His silence seemed to confirm that his feelings were guarded, at least... he might still be planning for a breakup!

Lu Qingyue’s temper flared at once. She wrenched herself free and snapped,

“Cheng Xingye! If you’re going to be so cautious and hesitant about this relationship, maybe we shouldn’t have one at all!”

Cheng Xingye moved his jaw slightly, paused for a few seconds, then reached out to pull the flustered girl back into his arms, his voice low,

“I’m not being cautious. I just don’t want you to regret it.”

Lu Qingyue retorted, “Why would I regret? I’m already eighteen. If I regret it later, it’s no one else’s business but mine!”

Cheng Xingye was taken aback, his gaze dropping to meet hers.

The warm yellow light played across his features, his brows and eyes caught in the interplay of shadow and glow.

His eyes seemed warm, and though he said nothing, being silently held in his steady gaze soothed her little by little.

Lu Qingyue licked her lips awkwardly, suddenly feeling confused and helpless.

She didn’t know what had come over her today; her mind had been overwhelmed, and words spilled out recklessly.

Her thoughts were muddled, and though she had been fiery moments before, under his silent watch, her spirit deflated, turning into a lost bewilderment.

Unaware herself, the haze and dazed look in her eyes became, in Cheng Xingye’s eyes, a source of guilty restlessness he occasionally struggled to suppress.

He did have feelings for her, enduring every night’s struggle to lull her to sleep.

But what could he do?

She was only eighteen.

He flicked his eyes gently, then wrapped his arms tightly around the aggrieved girl, lowering his head to kiss her eyes.

His kiss was quiet and lingering.

First, a light, slow peck between her brows and eyes, then a few inches lower, a kiss on her nose, and finally, tilting his head, he pressed his lips deeply to hers.

Silver moonlight filtered through the sheer curtains, falling on her delicate, trembling lashes like a shimmering pool of spring water, silently flowing into the softest part of his heart.

Lu Qingyue’s temper melted under his kiss. She hummed softly, her small hand naturally slipping through the gap at his waist to wrap gently around him.

Cheng Xingye’s body stiffened, but this time he did not let go to go to the bathroom.

Instead, he held her even tighter, letting her clearly feel that it wasn’t just his heart—his body too stirred with uncontrollable desire and affection for her...

.....

On that first night wrapped in each other’s arms, Lu Qingyue slept deeply and peacefully.

Outside the window, waves washed over the shore, their rustling sound coming and going from afar.

When Lu Qingyue groggily opened her eyes, she was still firmly held in Cheng Xingye’s embrace.

The man’s body was warm and solid, like a harbor quietly waiting for her little boat to dock.

Lu Qingyue pursed her lips, recalling the long, passionate kiss before sleep, her cheeks flushing and heart racing.

Feeling proud and content, she nuzzled him slightly, then turned comfortably and reached under the pillow for her phone.

She hadn’t logged out of the app after posting last night; the screen still showed her account.

After a night’s wait, several answers had appeared beneath her question. Lu Qingyue tapped the one with the most likes and read—

“In this situation, either the ox has already been out working the fields and is exhausted, or the land at your place is poor, making the ox uninterested in plowing.”

It was impossible that the ox had been out already.

Lu Qingyue trusted her boyfriend enough for that.

So she quickly ruled out the first possibility and focused on the second—poor land.

In the past, Lu Qingyue would never have doubted herself.

She inherited her parents’ excellent genes and had always been recognized as a little beauty.

But what did Cheng Xingye say last night?

“How old are you?”

“You, how, old?”

Not a question, but an emphasis!

Lu Qingyue paused. She had thought he meant her age, but combined with this netizen’s answer, she suddenly understood there might be another, more subtle hint in Cheng Xingye’s words.