novelraw Chapter 204 Rewards
Chapter 204 Rewards
Lu Xiran was stunned for a moment, then nodded and pressed her face against his chest again.
Gu Yanshen's voice came down from above, very soft and slow, like a quietly flowing river.
"The girl was sitting on a bench, wearing a white sweater and a dark gray long skirt. The wind was strong, and her hair was being blown around. She reached out to brush it back several times, but in the end, she gave up and let her hair flutter in the wind."
Lu Xiran closed her eyes. She seemed to see that afternoon, seeing herself sitting by the lake, knowing nothing, just quietly reading a book.
"She watched intently, occasionally jotting something down in her notebook. Sometimes she would stop, bite the pen cap, and stare blankly into the distance. He stood behind the tree, afraid to approach or leave. He was afraid that if he got too close, he would disturb her, and he was also afraid that if he went too far, he would lose sight of her."
Gu Yanshen's voice grew softer and softer.
He stood there for a long time. Long enough that the sun had moved from the east to its zenith, long enough that the light on the lake had turned from gold to white. He wanted to go over to her, to sit next to her, to ask her name. But he didn't dare.
"Why?" Lu Xiran's voice muffled in his chest.
"Because he knows who he is. He knows how much blood he has to do with his life, and how many people want him dead. He can't drag her down with him."
Lu Xiran's tears welled up again, silently seeping into his pajamas.
"But he didn't know," Gu Yanshen paused, "that girl later jumped into his water herself."
She looked up at him, her eyes blurry with tears.
"He didn't drag her into this. She herself, step by step, walked into his world."
He lowered his head and kissed her forehead.
"So, he wasn't saving her. She was saving him."
Lu Xiran's lips moved, as if she wanted to say something, but her throat felt blocked. She simply reached out, wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him down, and kissed him. The kiss was very light, like a petal falling on the water's surface, carrying the salty taste of tears.
He didn't deepen the kiss, but simply let her kiss him, gently cradling the back of her head with his palm and running his fingers through her hair.
She let go of him and pressed her face against his chest.
"Gu Yanshen."
"Um."
"From now on, you are not allowed to call me 'ex-wife' anymore."
His lips curled into a smile. "Okay."
"You are not allowed to say 'she is just an ex-wife' in front of others anymore."
"it is good."
"Don't push me onto other people again."
His arms tightened. "No more."
She closed her eyes and listened to his heartbeat. The sound was steady and deep, like a ship finally reaching shore, gently rocking in the waves.
She closed her eyes, listening to his heartbeat. The sound was steady and deep, like a ship finally reaching shore, gently rocking in the waves. She felt as if she were immersed in honey, even her breath was sweet. Moonlight streamed in through the curtains, falling between them like a silver river, flowing quietly.
She pressed herself against him, feeling his body temperature, feeling his heartbeat gradually change rhythm under her touch—not erratic, but heavy, each beat like a pumping force from a very deep place, warming her chest. Her fingers gently touched his chest, feeling the powerful throbbing, once, twice, three times. A smile curved her lips.
Then she moved down a little.
"Ranran?" His voice was low and questioning, as if he hadn't woken up yet, or as if he was unsure.
She didn't answer. She simply looked up at him. That glance was brief, as fleeting as a dragonfly skimming the water, but what it contained froze him completely—not desire, but love. It was the kind of love that had been hidden for so long, endured for so long, and finally, no longer wanted to be hidden, an overwhelming love.
She lowered her head.
Moonlight fell on her back, casting a soft glow on her silhouette. Her hair fell down, brushing against his skin, tickling him like feathers. Her hand rested gently on his waist, her fingertips slightly cool, trembling with hesitation. He could sense her nervousness. But she didn't stop.
She gave him an experience he had never had before.
It's not about skill, it's about intention.
It was every night she missed him during those three years, every lonely dusk by the Swiss lake, and those moments when she thought she would never see him again, yet still called out his name again and again in her dreams. She poured all the unspoken words into every movement, as if writing a very, very long letter, each word carved by her own hand.
Her fingers slid across his collarbone, like a drop of ink on rice paper, slowly spreading. He held his breath, afraid to move, lest any extra tremor interrupt this silent confession. Her lips pressed against his shoulder, warm and soft like a petal just fallen from a tree, slightly damp. He felt her eyelashes flutter against his skin, tickling him like butterfly wings.
The air was filled with her faint fragrance, not perfume, but a unique scent emanating from her body heat. He closed his eyes, letting the aroma fill his lungs. Her hand slid down his ribs, her fingertips gently pressing on every inch of his tense muscles, like playing a piano untouched for a long time, each note landing on the most vulnerable spot. He heard a very soft sigh escape his throat, not of satisfaction, but of the relief of finally being able to endure no more.
She looked up at him. At that moment, moonlight peeked through the clouds, falling into her eyes and illuminating the thin layer of moisture within. He suddenly remembered many years ago by the lake, when she had looked up at him in the same way—only then she didn't know he was there, but now she did. His fingers twitched, but he didn't reach out. He couldn't bear to interrupt this moment.
Gu Yanshen was immersed in a surge of passion. But what captivated him even more was the light in her eyes—a light not of desire, but of heartache, of compensation, of "You've waited so long for me, now it's my turn to come to you." He reached out, wanting to touch her face, but withdrew his hand halfway. He was afraid that if he touched her, she would stop. He didn't want her to stop. He wanted her to know how long he had waited for this day.
Lu Xiran didn't know when she fell asleep. She only vaguely remembered that someone covered her with the blanket and gently placed her hand under the covers, the movements slow, as if handling a fragile treasure. Someone placed a kiss on her forehead, very light, like a feather falling on water, creating ripples. Her lips curved into a smile, and she leaned closer to that warm source, sinking into a soft darkness.
The darkness wasn't cold, it was warm, like being enveloped by something, from head to toe, inside and out. She smiled in her dream. She didn't know what she was smiling about; perhaps she dreamed of him standing behind the tree, perhaps of the afternoon sunlight by the lake, perhaps she simply dreamed of his heartbeat, steady and heavy, like a boat finally reaching the shore.