*Mildly sensitive content*
"I met Han Lei at the orphanage when I was seventeen. He was eighteen then, and had just come to the orphanage to stay for a few months. It was love at first sight. My Mum—the orphanage director— didn't want us to date at first, but she was eventually convinced and approved of our relationship."
She continued, "We got married when I was in the third year of college. We just couldn't wait anymore. We wanted to start a family together as soon as possible."
"Marriage to Han Lei was blissful. I was so happy. He really took care of me, and we loved each other very much. When I gave birth to our son, our family was complete. Han Lei pampered us mother and son. He was very good to us." She downed her glass of wine in one gulp. The wine couldn't dilute the bitterness in her heart.
Her voice cracked as she continued, "Then disaster struck. When Lei was coming from work one evening, he was hit by a drunk driver. He was left on the road for almost two hours without help, before the ambulance arrived. The doctors said he had major intracranial hemorrhage. He went in and out of coma, and eventually died two weeks later, on the first day of winter."
"So there's true love, but it might not last either way. I thought I was lucky in love, but it was a love that didn't last. I don't regret it though, love is indeed a beautiful thing. I was happy to have loved so freely and happily, even though it was for a short while. Everyone deserves true love and you definitely do, too."
"Don't give up yet. It is not that you are not good enough, it's only that you haven't found the one who's good for you just yet."
Li Chuanmo felt like someone had just granted him amnesty, like he had been given cool water on a hot day. He looked at Pei Yueran gratefully. Her brown eyes looked even more beautiful from his angle.
He changed the positions of their hands and held her instead. She was such a strong person, enduring the death of a loved one and having to care for a child all alone at a young age, he thought, patting her hand to comfort her.
Pei Yueran was still feeling quite hot, and it was when they had said everything they wanted to say and had calmed down that she noticed something was wrong with her. She was sweating slightly, and unknown to her, her cheeks were flushed.
She shifted the neckline of her gown uncomfortably, and the slight movement caught Li Chuanmo's eyes. The mood changed subtly.
Li Chuanmo moved forward, and Pei Yueran was caught off guard as he reached for her. Immediately his lips touched hers, Pei Yueran's brain short-circuited.
Both of them kissed, slowly at first, but more intensely as the minutes passed. When Pei Yueran started feeling lightheaded, she opened her mouth slightly to let in more air, and Li Chuanmo slipped his tongue in.
Both of them were breathing heavily and had lost control. Pei Yueran was holding to Li Chuanmo's shirt with one hand while she was getting ravished. She couldn't keep herself steady. Her second hand roamed around his back, igniting fire.
She didn't know when her back touched the rug, but she came to her senses when she felt cold air on her bare skin. Li Chuanmo had raised her gown up to her waist and was going for her———
Pei Yueran gave a start, and the hand that was holding his shirt loosened and patted his chest instead. Li Chuanmo got the signal, and finally broke the kiss. He sat upright, gasping for air, while Pei Yueran hurriedly sat up and arranged her gown.
She felt very embarrassed. What was she doing with Li Chuanmo, her boss, here in his parents' house? She patted her cheeks in an effort to maintain her rationality that was almost slipping away.
"Yueran, I'm very sorry. I was just carried away. I didn't mean to disrespect you." Li Chuanmo said quietly. His voice was very hoarse, showing just how much effort it took to keep his passion in check.
"Chuanmo, I'm feeling very uncomfortable. I don't understand." Pei Yueran said, moving restlessly. Her movements were wreaking havoc on Li Chuanmo's senses. He tried to calm down and helped her adjust her gown. He then stood up and helped her stand as well.
He carried her to the bathroom, put her in the bathtub and turned on the shower. Cold water sluiced her skin and she calmed down almost immediately. The redness in her cheeks receded.
Li Chuanmo went out and checked his wardrobe for any of his old clothes she could wear. Thirty minutes later, when Pei Yueran came out in a towel, a set of clothes had been put on the edge of the bed. The bottles of wine had been cleared away from the rug and everything looked normal, but Pei Yueran could not look up.
She was terribly shy. She was standing before her boss in nothing but a short towel, and although she felt more or less fine, she could feel some residual heat in her body.
Li Chuanmo looked away immediately Pei Yueran came out of the bathroom, but he still glimpsed her long, straight legs underneath the towel. His throat felt dry. He stood up and walked quickly into the bathroom.
He needed a cold shower as well.
The clothes Li Chuanmo laid out were a pair of cotton pajamas. Pei Yueran wore it quickly and buttoned the top up to the last button. She then stood, wondering what to do next. She tried the door, but it was still locked. She called Zhang Heying's phone, but no one picked up. She also sent messages on WeChat, but there was no response.
She sighed. Did that mean she was going to sleep in this room tonight? With Li Chuanmo? Alone?
She was still standing near the door when she heard the sound of the bathroom door opening. Without thinking, she raced to the bed, jumped in and covered herself from head to toe with the blanket.
When Li Chuanmo came out in a towel, he only saw a lump on the bed. He smiled. She was so cute. He went into his closet and changed into another set of pajamas, before coming back to sit down at the edge of the bed.