Chapter 2.

Chen Yuzhou gently lifted me up and set me down on the edge of the bathtub.

His dark eyes were deep and still, yet held an intense, magnetic pull, as if he could swallow me whole at any second.

“Get cleaned up first,” he said quietly before turning toward the bedroom. He returned a moment later with a brand-new set of men’s white pajamas.

“These have never been worn. They’ll do for now. Make sure to bundle up when you’re done so you don’t catch a cold.”

Watching him fuss over me, I nodded obediently.

His bathroom was immaculate, devoid of a single trace of any other woman ever being there. The realization washed a strange sense of relief over me, followed by an unmistakable wave of joy.

Once I dried my hair, I stepped out and saw him sitting in his study with the door wide open. Catching my eye, Chen Yuzhou gave a gentle wave of his hand.

“Come here. Drink this.”

I took the mug of warm water and swallowed a big gulp, feeling the full weight of his care. He watched me with such patient, tender eyes that my heart skipped a beat.

How did I ever miss all the incredible things about him before?

Hesitant to interrupt his work, I turned to leave, but his low voice stopped me in my tracks.

“Are you sure about what you said?”

I froze, then turned back around. His dark eyes were completely unreadable, but I could sense the deep vulnerability hidden beneath the surface.

Stepping closer, I reached out and took his hand, looking straight into his eyes with absolute certainty.

“Everything I said today… I meant it. Chen Yuzhou, I want to marry you.”

His eyelashes fluttered softly. He bowed his head and let out a breathless, husky laugh. “Then prove it… Prove that you really want to marry me.”

I tilted my head, offering a soft smile. “How do you want me to prove it?”

His gaze locked onto mine, his breath hitching slightly. “Kiss me.”

Without a word, I closed the distance between us. I could see the fiercely possessive gleam in his eyes, shadowed by a quiet fear—a fear that I was just acting on a passing whim.

I leaned in and pressed my lips against his.

His lips were unbelievably soft, sending a rhythmic flutter through my heart. Chen Yuzhou’s eyes widened in surprise. He staggered back half a step, completely stunned.

I knitted my brows slightly at his reaction, but before I could think twice, he let out a soft sigh and pulled me flush against his chest, crashing his lips over mine in a fiery, demanding kiss.

Outside, the autumn wind blew chilly and crisp, but inside the room, our emotions raged like wildfire.

He lifted me effortlessly into his arms and carried me into the bedroom, step by step. His voice rasped against my ear, utterly intoxicating. “Tangtang, you still have a chance to back out.”

Instead of answering, I reached for his shirt and began unbuttoning it one by one, letting my actions speak for me: I’m not backing out.

The look in his eyes instantly turned scorching and wild. “Tangtang… I would die for you.”

Blushing, I buried my face in the crook of his neck, letting him wrap his arms tight around me.

That night, enveloped in tangled breaths and desperate embraces, I exhausted every ounce of my strength before falling asleep in his arms.

—

When I woke up the next morning, the space beside me was already cold. I got dressed and walked into the living room, where a hot breakfast was waiting on the table alongside a pink sticky note:

[Tangtang, make sure to eat breakfast when you wake up!]
[I have a critical meeting this morning. I’ll pick you up right after work, and we’ll go register our marriage.]

Seeing the words “register our marriage,” my face instantly flushed red.

Is he always this efficient?

Moving straight from a proposal to the marriage registry was so rushed it made me want to laugh, yet my chest throbbed with warmth.

I sat down and enjoyed the breakfast he made, a soft smile tugging at the corners of my lips.

That afternoon, holding my household registry and documents, I walked downstairs to find Chen Yuzhou already waiting in his car.

“I’ll have someone pack up all your things and move them to my place,” he said with an unmistakable authority as he reached over to fasten my seatbelt.

I simply nodded. A sly, charming smile played at the corners of his lips, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Are you ready to be… Mrs. Chen?”

My heart skipped a beat, then began hammering frantically against my ribs.

You rogue!

I bit my lip, leaned over, and planted a quick kiss right on his mouth.

His triumphant smile instantly froze, a sudden flush creeping up his handsome face. He cleared his throat twice and hurriedly turned back to face the steering wheel.

Ha! Looks like this seductive fox isn’t so hard to handle after all.

After completing all the paperwork at the registry, Chen Yuzhou squeezed my hand tight and called me “wife.” Every single time he said it, I answered him right back, making his eyes light up with pure, unadulterated bliss.

“Tangtang, you’re mine now. Do you have any idea how happy you’ve made me?”

I know.

After all those years of him standing quietly in the shadows, watching me cry, laugh, and chase after another man, I had finally turned around. Good riddance to the prince. I had found the knight who was truly meant for me.

Late that night, fresh out of the shower, I unlocked my phone to find dozens of missed calls, all from Xu Chen. A final text message popped up on the screen:

[Tangtang, are you hiding from me? Tell me where you are!]

Rubbing the bridge of my nose, I was about to text him back about my sudden marriage when I heard footsteps behind me. Before I could turn around, Chen Yuzhou scooped me up into his arms, sending my phone tumbling onto the mattress.

He looked down at me with a low, quiet chuckle. “Darling, it’s late. Time for bed.”

In the next second, his lips hovered over mine, crashing down with an unusual urgency. The phone kept ringing across the bed, but he completely ignored it, deepening the kiss even further.

I squirmed slightly, trying to reach for the phone, but he pinned my wrists firmly above my head.

“Tangtang… focus on us.”

The ringing stopped, then started all over again, relentless and unyielding. Chen Yuzhou’s brows furrowed. He leaned down, picked up the phone, and as the name Xu Chen flashed across the screen, his eyes darkened into a pitch-black storm.