Chapter 230: Can’t Hold Back Anymore

Su Zhaozhao was sleeping soundly. While not overly picky about beds, she was a little particular.

When Xie Huaizheng had first made the bed, he’d added two extra mattress pads to make it much softer.

Su Zhaozhao had slept for a while in her personal space, then returned to the bed in their room to keep sleeping.

Drifting in and out of sleep, Su Zhaozhao felt herself being lifted.

But his movements were incredibly gentle, and his embrace was warm and comfortable. The familiar scent put Su Zhaozhao at ease, and she went on sleeping.

Then, in the middle of her slumber, her lips were captured. The fierce, sudden kiss shocked Su Zhaozhao into a state of partial wakefulness.

She opened her eyes, only to remember she hadn’t taken off her sleep mask. All she could see was pitch-black darkness.

She instinctively reached up to remove the mask, but her wrist was caught. The next moment, she was pressed down onto the bed.

Though she couldn’t see, Su Zhaozhao could feel the man’s heated body covering hers.

"Zhaozhao, it feels like it’s been a long, long time since we’ve done anything... intimate."

The man’s voice was tinged with hoarseness, and a thick, amorous scent hung in the air.

"Hold on, let me take off my mask first," Su Zhaozhao cried out.

"No, leave it on," Xie Huaizheng chuckled, watching the flustered girl beneath him, her eyes hidden.

He found it utterly fascinating.

He couldn’t resist leaning forward, his kisses trailing from her lips, to her cheeks, to her neck, and down.

With her eyes covered, Su Zhaozhao’s other senses were magnified countless times. The experience was thrilling, almost heart-stopping.

Xie Huaizheng was stretched to his absolute limit, but he forced himself to hold back, savoring her as if she were a delicate pastry.

He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable.

But by the end, Su Zhaozhao was almost in tears.

Xie Huaizheng didn’t let her go until evening.

He carried her for a bath, after which Su Zhaozhao collapsed on the bed, completely drained of energy.

She pulled the covers over her face. "Get out. I’m going to sleep."

’I don’t want to see Xie Huaizheng right now. That man really devoured me whole.’

’This is the first time I’ve ever seen him so wild.’

’Is this what happens when someone’s been starved for too long?’

’It’s terrifying—even more intense than when we first got together. There were several moments I thought I was going to die right here.’

Hearing Su Zhaozhao’s words, Xie Huaizheng recalled what Li Jian Country had said and couldn’t help but sigh.

"Zhaozhao, I promised Uncle Li we’d have dinner at their place tonight. He knows we’re back and has prepared a whole feast for us."

Xie Huaizheng felt a pang of worry. He had, admittedly, gotten a bit carried away.

Seeing her in this state, his heart ached.

When Su Zhaozhao heard him, she couldn’t stop herself from grabbing a pillow and throwing it at his face.

"Why didn’t you say so earlier? After putting me through all that, you expect me to go to dinner?"

Su Zhaozhao was absolutely livid.

’Ugh, I’m so sore... can I even walk right now?’

Seeing her reaction, Xie Huaizheng frowned. "How about this, I’ll just go and cancel on them."

"No, you can’t do that. You just said they’ve already prepared everything. Besides, you didn’t turn them down in the first place, right?"

Su Zhaozhao sighed.

"Why don’t you just go by yourself?"

"I would never leave you behind," Xie Huaizheng’s expression grew cold.

With neither option working, Su Zhaozhao was out of ideas.

"Well then, I guess we should go. It’s not far, I can make it."

As she spoke, Su Zhaozhao got up and walked around a little. She could move, but she felt a bit sore. How to describe it? It was like she had just sprinted the 800-meter dash.

For someone like her, who rarely exercised, it was practically torture.

’I’m beat!’

"Zhaozhao, if you really can’t handle it, don’t force yourself," Xie Huaizheng said, looking at her with concern. He felt she was just putting on a brave face.

It was just one meal. In his eyes, even though it meant letting Li Jian Country down, Su Zhaozhao’s well-being was more important.

He had simply been overcome with passion. He’d originally planned to just kiss her, but who could have known it would escalate like that.

Not even Xie Huaizheng himself could have predicted it.

"No, let’s go." Su Zhaozhao had Xie Huaizheng pour her a glass of water, which was actually the spiritual spring water she’d prepared earlier.

After drinking the glass, she felt much better.

’It’s just... the marks on my body. I’ll have to cover them up.’

Luckily, there were no marks on her neck. She changed into a long-sleeved shirt and a long skirt. A safe and reliable combination.

It was modest and elegant, and it would also effectively hide any marks on her body.

Then, she applied some light makeup to conceal her tired expression.

Watching Su Zhaozhao go through all this effort, Xie Huaizheng stood beside her and pressed his lips together. "Zhaozhao, is there anything I can do to help?"

He gripped her shoulders, feeling utterly useless. He was the cause of her discomfort, yet there was nothing he could do to alleviate it.

"I’m fine now," Su Zhaozhao said.

After drinking a glass of the spiritual spring water, her body had indeed recovered remarkably quickly.

’Maybe it’s because I’m used to it now,’ she mused, ’but it feels like the spiritual spring water is healing my body even faster than before.’

She pulled Xie Huaizheng downstairs. The entire way, he remained worried about her condition.

When they arrived at Li Jian Country’s house and met with the family, they presented the local specialties Su Zhaozhao had brought from Jiang City, as well as some skincare products for Li Tiantian.

Li Tiantian was so excited that she lunged toward Su Zhaozhao, about to give her a massive bear hug.

"Zhaozhao! Zhaozhao! The whole time you were gone, I swear I came down with lovesickness! I was thinking about you every single day! Oh, thank goodness you’re back!"

She thought Su Zhaozhao was just the best—not only did she come back, but she brought so many gifts, including skincare products for her!

The packaging was all in English, making them look like fancy foreign imports. So high-end!

However, before she could wrap her arms around Su Zhaozhao, Xie Huaizheng pushed her away.

"You can talk, but keep your hands to yourself."

The man blocked Su Zhaozhao, staring at Li Tiantian with an icy gaze.

Li Tiantian was speechless. "...Seriously, can you not be so petty? I’m a girl! A girl! It’s not like I’m going to run off with your wife!"

The way Xie Huaizheng was acting so defensively, you’d think he was treating her like some kind of pervert!

Xie Huaizheng glanced at Li Tiantian’s short hair and boisterous personality. ’Aside from her technical gender,’ he thought, ’there’s nothing feminine about her.’

Besides, he didn’t want them to hug because he knew Li Tiantian could be rough. Su Zhaozhao was already unwell; the last thing she needed was for Li Tiantian’s boisterousness to make her feel worse.

Su Zhaozhao smiled and took Xie Huaizheng’s arm. "It’s okay. Tian Tian, you don’t need to get so worked up. We’ll have plenty of time to catch up."

Just then, Li Weichuan came down from upstairs, his gaze landing on Su Zhaozhao.