Chapter 635: Pay a Personal Visit to Formally Ask for Your Hand in Marriage
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The girl rolled around before having her back facing Li Yuan. She kept still and was without a word while Li Yuan gazed at her. He gently patted her head that was poking out in the cold air. “Goodnight.”
Shen Xi protested. “I want to be on that side.”
Under the sheets, Li Yuan smiled dotingly. “Can’t you roll or turn yourself over?”
She answered, “No. I don’t have hands.”
He chuckled. Instead of helping her, he repeated, “Goodnight.”
Unable to pick up on any activity behind her, Shen Xi could only catch the man’s steady breathing and the faint aroma of his body soap. She bought the rose fragrant soap. The scent was faint, refreshing, and stirred a flush in her core.
Outside, the wind was howling as the snow spattered against the window. Yet, the room was warm and quiet.
It took a while before she quietly turned around and opened her eyes to stare the man in the face. With the curtains leaving a gap, the illumination shone through and gave her a clear look at his face.
“Brother.” Shen Xi whispered, “Are you asleep?”
Without a word, Li Yuan maintained a paced breathing.
Sticking out her finger, Shen Xi gently prodded on his duvet and murmured, “Brother, I’m cold.”
Li Yuan’s luscious lashes fluttered as he opened his eyes to find the girl curled up in a ball. He reached out to feel her forehead with a frown. “Do you have a thermometer?”
Shen Xi shook her head. “Am I burning up?”
Li Yuan drew near and checked her temperature with his chin against her forehead. “Hm…” He threw off the sheets to find his phone. “You have a slight fever. I’ll get Kun Lun to send the medication.”
Shen Xi stopped him. Her wide eyes may be in a daze, but they were bright like the shiniest stars. “I have the medicine. Madam Yun packed me a lot.”
Kun Lun would curse her behind her back if they kept looking for him late at night.
Li Yuan asked where the medicine was and quickly brought over a small bowl of traditional Chinese medicine and a glass of honey water. He waited until she finished the medicine and hot glass of honey water before checking her temperature with the back of his hand. He solemnly said, “Get under the covers. You’d feel better when you start sweating.”
Shen Xi watched him and smiled. With a hoarse nasal voice, she reminded him, “Brother, I’m a doctor, you know.”
In fact, she did not have a fever. Her body temperature would naturally rise a little during her period, but she did catch a cold.
Regardless, Li Yuan bundled her up with the duvet and hugged her between the sheets before sighing. “Doctors don’t heal themselves.”
Despite wanting the covers off, Shen Xi was unable to pull them away. She bit her lip in disgruntlement. “Can I not use the duvet?”
Li Yuan put his foot down. “No.”
Shen Xi cried out, “Why not?”
Li Yuan’s profound eyes locked in on the girl’s wide eyes that spoke of grievance. It took him a while to find his gruff voice. “I’m scared I can’t hold it in.”
Shen Xi was caught in a moment before grasping the meaning behind his words. She showed understanding. “Don’t hold it in if you can’t. Who asked you to hold it in?”
Li Yuan seized her by the back of her head and nestled his chin on her hair. His voice bore a suppressive huskiness that was nothing but sultry. “Quit it. You’re still young.”
Shen Xi groaned, “I’m not young. It’s my birthday in two days.”
Her eighteenth birthday.
Li Yuan chuckled and tightened the embrace. Separated by the duvet, he could still feel the girl’s soft and supple body. “Are you going home for your birthday?”
Shen Xi replied, “Of course, I’m going home. Old Shen and Madam Yun would want to celebrate with me. My big brother and Lil’ Ye will be coming over too.”
If only Li Yuan could be there as well.
This was her most important birthday. It was her rite of passage into adulthood.
Li Yuan acknowledged with a nod.
Shen Xi sounded stuffy being folded in his arms. She asked, “Brother, how about I take you home that day?”
Li Yuan kept to himself as he fell into his thoughts for a moment. He then voiced his concern, “Aren’t you afraid your family won’t be happy to see me?”
Her eighteenth birthday should be a happy and important day. His fair lady would be upset if his presence killed the joy for the whole family.
“Our relationship will be made public sooner or later.” Shen Xi hesitated for a while. That made sense. With a temper like Old Shen’s, he would likely chase after Li Yuan with a knife. What if blood was spilled? Li Yuan’s legs had only gotten better.
“I’ll pick a date to pay a visit and formally ask for your hand in marriage after your birthday.” Li Yuan could not resist leaning forth and nuzzling up to her nose as the girl popped her head out from his embrace.
“I think my mom would be fine, but my dad, well, he doesn’t want me to get a boyfriend. He has a temper. Don’t take anything he says to you to heart.” Shen Xi was worried as the scenario of Old Shen flipping out came to mind.
Li Yuan bobbed his head. “I know.”
He had heard about Su Yi being chased with a knife when he came to look for Shen Xi. However, Li Yuan did not find himself that much of an eyesore.
“My dad will think you stole his daughter. He’s not going to be nice to you.” Shen Xi put it out there, just in case. They were going to make their relationship public, but there was no rush to pick a date. She had been patient for so long that she did not mind another day or two.
Her friends and family would be happily celebrating her birthday on that day, so introducing her boyfriend there and then would only hurt Old Shen and Madam Yun.
Li Yuan gleefully listened and made a mental note as she listed out what both Old Shen and Madam Yun liked and did not like. Shen Xi would usually nag but never as detailed as right now.
Outside, the wind was howling and snow was fluttering.
In the room, the girl softly relayed her family’s preference until her sleepiness drowned her out. Once she quieted down, she found a comfortable spot in his arms and dozed off.
With downcast eyes, Li Yuan observed the girl’s furry head snuggling against his neck. He lowered his head for a kiss on her forehead and uttered, “Goodnight.”
That night, the two cuddled to sleep with a sheet between them.
The next day, Li Yuan had breakfast ready bright early and took a glance at the bedroom. Since there was no movement coming from the lump under the sheets, he took strides to the huge floor-to-ceiling window and looked down.
The blankets of silver outdoors were picturesque. With the snow piled up, people were shoveling the snow while kids who were staying in the hotel played with snow and made snowmen.
His mind flew back to when the girl made a beautifully sculptured version of him in the snow on his doorstep last year. Kun Lun said to preserve it in the freezer.
In the end, they preserved it, but it only lasted for a month. Later, the snow was frozen into an ice lump. Perhaps they did not get the temperature right.
A warmth suddenly sneaked up from behind as the girl wrapped him with her soft body.
