The abandoned daughter of the Lu family turns around and marries a celibate tycoon.

Chapter 209 A Lifetime of Pampering

Before Lu Xiran could react, a person appeared on the screen.

is her.

Wearing that mermaid wedding dress, she stood in front of the mirror, looking at herself from left to right, nervously biting her lip, reaching out to pull the zipper at the back, but she couldn't reach it no matter what she did, and her face turned red with anxiety.

That was a surprise she secretly prepared for his birthday. She remembered that evening; before he came home, she slipped into the walk-in closet and took out the wedding dress she had hidden for so long from the deepest part of the wardrobe. She thought she had gotten away with it, that the memory only existed in her mind. But how could he have recorded it?

She looked at the date in the bottom right corner of the screen—three years ago. She looked at the densely packed marks on the playback progress bar, each mark a place he had visited. She watched herself turn around on the screen, and then he came in—he was wearing that familiar dark shirt, walking from the doorway, hugging her from behind, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

the phone is ringing.

Lu Xiran was pulled from her screen by the ringtone; the words "Gu Yanshen" were flashing on the screen. She answered, and his extremely anxious voice came from the other end, panting and trembling, as if he had just finished a marathon with no end in sight.

"Ranran! Where are you?"

He seemed to be struggling to breathe, his voice sounding as if it were being forced out from deep within his throat.

"I'm in the master bedroom," she said.

The other person fell silent. Only heavy breathing, each breath a labored confirmation that she was still alive, still within his reach. Then he uttered two words.

"wait for me."

Less than a minute later, he walked in. A gust of wind swept in as the door opened. He stood in the doorway, his shirt collar open, sweat beading on his forehead, his chest heaving as if he were giving it his all in the final moments of a 100-meter sprint. He looked at her, his eyes filled with fear, relief, and a disbelief that something had been lost and found.

Lu Xiran turned around and saw him standing behind her. "Gu Yanshen! How come there's this surveillance camera?"

The scene showed him hugging her from behind, his head resting on her neck. He pressed pause, and the image froze on that frame.

"Ranran." His voice was still a little breathless, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

Lu Xiran pretended to be angry, but she couldn't suppress the smile on her lips. "Gu Yanshen! You actually kept this hidden from me! So for the past three years, when you missed me, you could watch videos, while I could only imagine it—you're so unfair!"

Gu Yanshen looked at her, and his tense shoulders finally relaxed. He suddenly smiled, a smile that contained the relief of surviving a disaster, the embarrassment of being exposed by her, and the helplessness of "you always know how to soften my heart".

"I thought you would blame me for recording this video."

"Yeah." Lu Xiran tilted her head to look at him. "How did this video come about? When was the surveillance footage played?"

She thought for a moment, then glanced at the camera's angle, and suddenly it dawned on her. "That angle... it's pointing at the safe!"

Gu Yanshen smiled and kissed her, his lips brushing against her forehead, his voice muffled. "Yes. So I have to thank the safe."

He said, lifting her up and letting her sit on his lap, resting his chin on her shoulder, and pressing play. The scene started moving again. He was holding her, and she buried her face in his chest. Neither of them spoke; they just stood there quietly. Their reflection was in the mirror—she in her mermaid wedding dress, him in his dark shirt, like a painting.

Lu Xiran nestled in his arms, lowering her head in embarrassment, her ears turning bright red. His breath fell on her neck, warm and ticklish. She could feel his heartbeat against her back, rapid and powerful. Now she knew, he had been watching all along. From that day on, from that image, he had never looked away.

"Gu Yanshen," she said softly.

"Um."

"I love you."

Her voice was soft, as soft as a petal falling on water. He didn't speak. He simply tightened his arms, pulling her into his embrace, his chin resting on the top of her head. Sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains, falling on the two of them and casting their shadows on the floor, overlapping like a painting that would never fade.

Gu Yanshen picked up Lu Xiran gently, as if cradling a newly blossoming flower. His arm supported her back, while his other hand gently held her waist, his fingers lightly cupping her, as if afraid of crushing the tiny life growing inside. Her head rested on his shoulder, her hair brushing against his chin, tickling him. He didn't pull away; instead, he turned his head slightly to make her face more comfortable against his.

He gently placed her on the bed. The mattress sank slightly, and her body sank gently with that slight curve. His hand was still behind her back, not in a hurry to be withdrawn. He leaned over, very close to her, close enough to see the curve of her eyelashes, close enough to smell the faint, reassuring scent emanating from her.

"Ranran," he called her softly, as if afraid to disturb the silence of the room. He lowered his head and placed a kiss on her forehead. Not a fleeting touch, but a slow, gentle descent, his lips lingering on her skin, savoring its warmth, before slowly withdrawing. His lips moved to her brow, lingering there again, as if smoothing out some unseen wrinkle. Then to the tip of her nose, her cheek, and the corner of her mouth.

Each kiss was light, as light as a petal falling on water, creating invisible ripples. He didn't close his eyes; he looked at her, at her slightly trembling eyelashes, at her gradually blushing cheeks, at the barely concealed smile on her lips.

He straightened up, walked around to the other side of the bed, and lay down, lifting the covers. The bed was large, and he didn't get too close to her, leaving an arm's length between them, afraid that he might bump her stomach if he turned over. He reached out and gently took her hand, his fingers threading through hers, their fingers intertwined.

He turned to look at her.

"Gu Yanshen," she called to him.

"Um."

"What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking about the future," he said. "From now on, every morning when I wake up, you'll be by my side. From now on, every night before I go to sleep, I'll kiss you. From now on, when you're angry, I'll comfort you. From now on, when you're happy, I'll laugh with you."

Her eyes reddened. He lowered his head and kissed her eyes, wiping away the tears that were about to spill.

"Don't cry." His voice was a little hoarse. "If you cry, I don't know what to do."

She sniffed and buried her face in his chest. "Then you should comfort me."

"Okay." He rested his chin on the top of her head, his arms tightening slightly. "I'll coax you. I'll coax you for the rest of my life."