Ba-dump… Ba-dump….
Li Caiyi had been trying to calm her chaotic heartbeat for some time now, but no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't control it.
She was currently sitting on the edge of Shen Qiang's bedroom bed, looking extremely nervous, almost terrified.
The sound of the shower pouring from the bathroom didn't help ease her tension at all. She thought about various scenarios that might happen from here, and her face got even hotter.
Li Caiyi herself had taken a bath and put on the new shirt she bought at the department store earlier. She bought it on a whim, but she hadn't expected she would get a chance to wear it.
Clack.
The sound of the door opening startled her. Li Caiyi felt like she would die from a heart attack when Shen Qiang came into the bedroom while wearing a bathrobe. The lapel was pretty loose and let her take a glimpse of his well-toned chest and fair skin. She couldn't take her eyes off of him for some time, and she blushed when she realized how shameful her behavior was.
While Li Caiyi was distracted, Shen Qiang was wiping his hair using a towel and only noticed her presence when he looked up.
He smiled charmingly at her. "You waited for me so obediently. I'm delighted."
Li Caiyi couldn't bear his handsomeness, so she avoided direct eye contact, or else she would die faster than planned!
Shen Qiang threw the towel in his hand to a chair and walked over to her. He sat down beside her, creating a light quake on the bed. Li Caiyi unconsciously held on to her breath, but she dared not raise her face.
"Li Caiyi, look at me, please?" Shen Qiang softly whispered in her ear, and she shuddered slightly when she felt his warm breath on her earlobe.
Her heart couldn't take more pressure, so she unconsciously scurried her body away from him before she cautiously turned her head towards him.
He chuckled when he saw her being so vigilant yet vulnerable at the same time. "Don't be afraid. I won't suddenly press you down or anything. I just want to make sure both of us want to do this and not force ourselves."
It stunned Li Caiyi when she saw Shen Qiang's serious attitude. They had gone to this point; why would he ask this again?
However, when she noticed how uneasy he was, she realized that this man might not be as suave as he looked on the outside. Although he was a natural, he did say this was his first time, after all. No wonder he felt anxious and wanted to reassure himself.
Li Caiyi smiled softly. She reached out and held his stiff hand in hers. "Shen Qiang, if I don't want this, I won't follow you here even if you force me."
"But aren't you afraid? We barely know each other, yet you trust me so easily. If you only agreed on the spur of the moment, then we'd better stop now."
Li Caiyi finally understood why Shen Qiang felt uneasy. It was because Li Caiyi followed him without much resistance that he hesitated. He must have thought that she didn't think this through when she agreed, considering she was in a weak mental state then.
She heard that men often jumped on every chance they got when they found an opening, but it seemed Shen Qiang wasn't like that at all. He treated her like a precious treasure, even at times like this. It was bizarre, if you think about it, since they were strangers and about to die tomorrow anyway, so logically he had no reason to be so considerate of her.
Li Caiyi felt a surge of warmth in her heart, and the warmth spread throughout her body to her cold fingertips. She caressed the back of his hand with her thumb and told him, "It's not a spur of a moment. When you held me back from leaving and told me you wanted to protect me, I felt like I finally had room to breathe. When you said you're going to be there by my side, I felt like nothing else matters anymore."
She chuckled before she continued, "Funny, right? I was so ready to die, but my resolve is always wavering when I'm with you. Honestly, if I still have any reason to live, I might change my mind right there and then. Unfortunately, the current me had no place to return to anymore." Li Caiyi looked at him earnestly. "I'm this kind of woman who grew soft under your sweet temptation. I have no money or talent worthy of talking, and even my look is average. I should be the one asking you; are you fine, having a woman like me as your first and last?"
Shen Qiang's pupil shook violently before he collected her in his arms. With the gentlest tone she ever heard, he said to her. "I wouldn't have it any other way. Li Caiyi, I only want you." His voice trembled a little, and he held her as though she could break anytime.
Li Caiyi's guess was correct. This man was more vulnerable than he let on. He'd never told her anything, but she could tell he was also struggling with something and desperately clinging to the warmth she could offer, like a moth attracted to fire.
She felt heartache when she realized how selfish she had been all this time. Shen Qiang had always been the first to reach out to her, and she took his kindness for granted.
Li Caiyi embraced him tightly. She wanted to assure him she could also protect him from anything. "Shen Qiang, I don't know what happened to you, but I will always be on your side no matter what until death breaks us apart."
That line was like a marriage vow, and Li Caiyi got embarrassed after those words left her mouth. However, she didn't regret it. She even almost hoped that the one she exchanged that vow back then was Shen Qiang himself.
Shen Qiang jolted when he heard that. He gently released his hold on her and pressed her shoulder tightly. His face was a mixture of various emotions, but in the end, only pure happiness remained in his black orbs. "Thank you. You don't know how much that means to me."
When she looked at his expression, Li Caiyi was very sure that she had finally found where she belonged. She felt like if her whole life of hardship was meant for her to meet this man, then it might be worth it.
So what if this feeling was a short-lived one? She was happy and content at this moment, and that was all that mattered.
She couldn't remember who initiated it, but the next thing she remembered, they had shared a tender kiss. Shen Qiang gently pulled her closer to him, and Li Caiyi put her hand on his bare chest, feeling his erratic heartbeat similar to hers underneath his muscle.
The innocent and warm kiss quickly turned into a passionate and hot one. Their breath mingled together as Shen Qiang hungrily tangled his tongue with hers as though he were about to devour her.
Li Caiyi felt light-headed by the intense kiss. Shen Qiang brought her to him as close as possible, like he was trying to embed her into him. She could feel his desire for her, and most importantly, his love and affection for her, and that made butterflies fly in her stomach. No one ever wanted her so desperately like this.
Shen Qiang pulled out from the kiss, leaving a string of saliva between them falling on the corner of her mouth. He looked at her flushed and breathless face, and he felt like his heart was about to explode. He could barely hold himself from throwing this woman to his bed and had his way with her.
However, he held his instinct back. After all, even though she was married and more experienced than him, he wanted to treat her better than any man could ever do to her. He was a very competitive man, after all.
He smiled as she stroked her hair. Li Caiyi shuddered under his touch, and her drunk-like gaze made him lose his breath for a second. She was just breathtakingly gorgeous. How could a man bear to divorce a good woman like her?
Shen Qiang gulped before he determinedly pulled her to the bed. She followed him like a chick, and he laughed at how cute she was.
His heart was beating so fast when she lay down beneath him. Her hair sprawled on his pillow, his sheet like a halo around her head. He was so proud and happy when he could clearly see his reflection in those dreamy eyes of hers.
Before he knew it, he had whispered his deepest desire out loud. "Li Caiyi, please be mine."
Li Caiyi's eyes trembled when she heard that, but it later got teary as she nodded her head. "Yes."
Shen Qiang dipped on her luscious red lips again, and this time, Li Caiyi responded by sneaking her arms around his neck. They held each other tightly and didn't want to let each other go.
Under the cloudy night when the moon was hiding, two people were entangled in a night full of longing, anguish, and intimacy.
Both of them were lost with no place to return to before, but they finally found their rightful place beside each other that night.