Chapter 198 - 195: Li Xiu’s Sudden Outburst

Chapter 198: Chapter 195: Li Xiu’s Sudden Outburst

Just as the sun began to set, Sister Fang returned with Li Xianglin and Li Xiangrui. She looked at Li Xiu and Zhou Lian and sensed a subtle change in the atmosphere between them. With great tact, she headed straight to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Sister Fang wouldn’t know it, but there’s a modern term for the vibe they were giving off: "pink bubbles." It was purely an aftereffect of their afternoon stroll in the garden.

Zhou Lian and Li Xiu each checked their children’s homework. Professor Xiao had always been very dedicated to Zhou Lian—after all, Zhou Lian was her only Closed-door Disciple. But the moment she saw the siblings, Li Xianglin and Li Xiangrui, she was overcome with affection. She was even more attentive in teaching them than she had been with Zhou Lian. Li Xiu had observed this and mentioned to Zhou Lian that it was likely because Professor Xiao didn’t have any children. At her age, she probably doted on their two as if they were her own grandchildren.

After dinner, Sister Fang quickly whisked the two children away, leaving Zhou Lian utterly baffled. Li Xiu paused for a moment, then a thought seemed to strike him. He smiled, not thinking too much of it. Sister Fang was a smart and perceptive woman. She had worked in their home for several years, and they had always gotten along wonderfully. She was also genuinely devoted to the children, perhaps because she had none of her own. ’If all goes well, when Sister Fang gets old, we’ll let the children look after her.’

The children were very close to her—even closer than they were to their relatives back home. This was likely because they rarely visited their hometown and spent every day with Sister Fang, so their bond was naturally stronger. Even Zhou Lian hadn’t been back to her hometown much in recent years due to her busy schedule. Only Li Xiu returned three times a year like clockwork: on the anniversary of his master’s death, for the Mid-Autumn Festival, and just before the Spring Festival. He couldn’t let the incense at his master’s grave burn out.

"What’s going on? Why was Sister Fang acting so strange today?" Zhou Lian asked Li Xiu, confused. "Usually, she lets the children play with us for a while before taking them to their rooms. What’s gotten into her? She took the kids and left the second she put her chopsticks down, not even stopping to clear the table."

Li Xiu looked at Zhou Lian and raised an eyebrow. A smile played on his lips as he asked, "Does Bao’er *really* want to know what was up with Sister Fang today?"

Zhou Lian opened her mouth to speak, but then she saw the mischievous glint in his eyes and paused. ’Based on past experience,’ she thought, ’whenever he has that look, he’s definitely up to no good. Especially when he looks at me like that... it always means he’s about to tease me.’ A strong sense of self-preservation kicked in. "On second thought, I don’t want to know," she said. "You can finish cleaning up. I’m going to the study to read for a while!"

Seeing Zhou Lian rise to flee before the words were even fully out of her mouth, Li Xiu closed the distance in two swift steps. He pulled her into his embrace and whispered something in her ear. Zhou Lian’s eyes widened as she stared at him. ’This man never misses a single opportunity to tease me.’ Her face flushed crimson as she pushed him away with all her strength. "You can take your time cleaning up," she said. "I’m leaving now."

’I can’t engage with him. If I do, he’ll just get crazier.’ She hurried out of the dining room. The cool evening breeze gently brushed against her face, cooling the heat in her cheeks. She walked with a light step toward the study, a room converted from one of the side chambers. A sweet smile kept blooming on her face. Li Xiu’s sweet-talking skills were truly maxed out. He could make someone as composed and elegant as Zhou Lian smile like a young girl in the first throes of love, thinking of her sweetheart. His EQ was truly on another level.

After cleaning up the kitchen, Li Xiu stood quietly in the doorway, his gaze fixed adoringly on Zhou Lian as she sat at her desk. It had been nine years since he was reborn. Looking at his beautiful wife, he felt like he was living in a fantasy. His current life was a wonderful dream he would never have dared to imagine in his past life. People who knew him all said he doted on his wife endlessly, but none of them could understand the fear in his heart—the fear that this was all just a beautiful dream he had conjured up.

He, a man who had always lived by the free-spirited code of the Wei Jin era—"live for today, for there’s wine today"—had slowly started to believe in Buddhism these past few years. He believed in reincarnation and the cycle of rebirth, praying only to hold on to everything he had now: his brilliant and precocious daughter, his lively and adorable son, and his wife, the anchor of his heart and soul. He sometimes thought about it. He felt both love and guilt toward Zhou Lian, but across two lifetimes, he had simply lost his mind to her. It was an obsession that ran bone-deep, something that couldn’t be explained away by mere love and guilt. The memory of holding her cold, stiff body in his past life brought a world-shattering despair that still made his very soul tremble.

Sometimes, he feared Zhou Lian wouldn’t be able to bear his suffocating devotion. He would forcefully suppress it, terrified of scaring her. But her words from that afternoon, "My heart loves you dearly," made it almost impossible to restrain himself any longer. He desperately wanted to hold her, to tell her everything. Yet he was still afraid his all-consuming love would frighten her, make her fear him. His fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Li Xiu had no idea how terrifying he looked right now, with bloodshot eyes, a clenched jaw, and veins bulging on his forearms.

After being stared at by Li Xiu’s scorching gaze for what felt like an eternity, Zhou Lian sighed in exasperation. ’Does he think I’m dead or something, staring at me like that?’ Curious why he was just standing in the doorway instead of coming in, she gently lifted her head. Zhou Lian was startled by his appearance. Bathed in the soft moonlight from outside and the bright light from within the room, Li Xiu’s face looked almost savage. Her eyes met his blazing ones, and she snapped back to her senses. Cursing softly under her breath, she hurried toward the doorway.

He stared intently at Zhou Lian, watching her approach. A faint tremor ran through his body. ’She saw me.’

She reached for his hand but stopped when she saw his tightly clenched fists. A barely perceptible frown crossed her brow. Instead, she gently took his arm. Feeling how rigid and trembling it was, she said softly, "Jin Chen, why are you just standing here? Come inside. Aren’t you afraid of the mosquitoes?"

She gently guided him into the room. Li Xiu’s body was stiff, but he let her lead him. Zhou Lian sighed inwardly. ’Even in this state, he still can’t bear to let me worry, can he?’

She gently pushed Li Xiu down onto the sofa. Seeing the beads of sweat on his forehead, Zhou Lian didn’t hesitate. She settled onto his lap, mirroring the way he often held her. She wrapped one arm around his lean back and, with her other hand, picked up a tissue from the table to gently wipe the sweat from his face.

Li Xiu stared intently at Zhou Lian, not even daring to blink. His mind was a complete blank. He wasn’t thinking about anything; he didn’t dare to. He just sat there, stunned, letting Zhou Lian take care of him.

After wiping away the sweat, she gently kissed his forehead. Looking into his eyes, Zhou Lian asked tenderly, "Jin Chen, tell me what’s wrong. Please? Don’t make me worry."

Feeling Zhou Lian’s tenderness and care, Li Xiu blinked. Then, he suddenly threw his arms around her, pulling her into a crushing embrace. The force of it was so intense, it was as if he wanted to merge her into his very bones.

Zhou Lian could feel the sheer force of his hug. Yet even so, she could also feel his concern for her. He was holding her incredibly tight, but he was still careful not to hurt her. This instinct to protect her, even when he seemed to be losing control, sent a bittersweet pang through her heart. She knew Li Xiu cared for her deeply, that his devotion bordered on obsession. ’But have his feelings for me reached a level that even I can’t comprehend?’