The days when the two of them ate and lived together without ever going out lasted for about ten days or so.
Because Chu Luyu’s interest class was scheduled to resume in mid-February, when the date arrived and she still hadn’t announced any opening news, her mother Chu Fanyin back home was the first to grow restless.
She was the first one to call Chu Luyu.
When the phone rang, Chu Luyu was being pressed against the kitchen stove by Jiang Hezhou, who was kissing her.
He had recently taken to buying her all sorts of bizarre clothes online when he was bored. A few days ago, he bought her a business suit. He personally tied her hair into a low ponytail and paired it with a pair of non-prescription glasses. Her figure was the type where she was slender where she should be slender, but full where she should be full, so when she put on that little blazer and pencil skirt, there was more than a hint of forbidden allure to it.
Chu Luyu could tell from the very first look in Jiang Hezhou’s eyes after she changed that his entire being was radiating danger. And as she had predicted, she barely slept that night, and the clothes she had on were all torn to shreds.
Ever since they had laid their cards on the table, Jiang Hezhou seemed to have completely shed his former self. In private, he no longer exercised any restraint. Before, when he flirted with her, she thought he only let out one or two embarrassing remarks during moments of intense intimacy and atmosphere. But now, he was utterly unbridled. Even when he woke up in the morning and held her in his arms, he might suddenly rasp in a husky voice: “Baby, I want to f*ck you.”
Chu Luyu found it quite jarring at first, but as it happened more and more, she gradually got used to it.
The reason they lost control in the kitchen today was entirely because Jiang Hezhou had bought her another sweet maid outfit. She changed into it and came out to find him. He had been chopping vegetables on the counter, preparing to make soup, but the moment he looked up, he decided to “make” her instead.
He lifted her onto the stove to sit, planted his hands on either side of her body, leaned his tall frame forward, and kissed her lips with urgent hunger.
He kissed her fiercely. Lately, he was like this almost every time—whenever they got intimate, he seemed to want to devour her whole. On a few occasions when he went too hard, he would even say things like that outright.
“Baby, I really want to grind you up and melt you into my bones and blood, so we’ll never have to part.”
Chu Luyu would be left completely disoriented by the intensity, barely able to think straight, but whenever she heard those words, she would snap back to clarity instantly.
When the ringtone sounded this time, Jiang Hezhou had no intention of answering it. But Chu Luyu made muffled sounds and kept pushing him away.
“Jiang Hezhou, it’s my… my phone.”
He used his large palm to cup the back of her head, not wanting her to get distracted, but Chu Luyu was insistent, her small hands pressed against his chest, pushing continuously.
“It might be my family calling. I haven’t been back for a long time, and I haven’t really contacted Mom or Xiaomian lately. Maybe they’re worried.”
Those words brought Jiang Hezhou back to his senses briefly. He steadied his breathing for two seconds, then turned and went to the living room first to get the phone.
The caller ID indeed showed the characters for “Mom.” Chu Luyu followed him over and, upon seeing it, snatched the phone from him.
Jiang Hezhou wouldn’t let her go elsewhere to take the call, so she had no choice but to stand beside him, answer it, and put it on speaker.
“Mom.”
“Xiaoyu, how come we haven’t heard from you lately? Your brother said you haven’t logged into your game account for ages, and when he messages you, your replies are all fragmented. What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
At those words, Chu Luyu instinctively glanced at Jiang Hezhou. Sure enough, his gaze bore down on her at that very moment, his dark eyes carrying a calm, oppressive weight.
She knew that if she blurted out her current situation to her mother on the other end, her family would come looking for her, and if it got serious, they might even call the police.
But—
She sensed that Jiang Hezhou’s aura seemed to grow a bit tense. She looked at him like that for a moment, then, with a hint of resignation, took the initiative to hold his hand.
“I’m fine, Mom. It’s just that Jiang Hezhou and I have been busy with some other things these past few days, so I haven’t had time to check my phone.”
Chu Fanyin on the other end seemed to breathe a slight sigh of relief, her tone lightening considerably. “That’s good, that’s good. So when are you and Hezhou coming back for another meal? And what about your interest class? Didn’t you say it was supposed to resume in mid-February? Yesterday, Xiaomian and I happened to walk past there, and we saw the ‘Closed’ sign still hanging on the big second-floor window!”
Jiang Hezhou took the initiative to respond to this topic on Chu Luyu’s behalf.
“Auntie, Xiaoyu and I are planning to get married. We’ll register our marriage in about two months, and then have the wedding right after. We’ve been preparing for the wedding these past few days. As for the interest class, she’s already communicated with the students’ parents. Most of the tuition fees have been refunded. For the few students who still want to continue, we told them they can wait until the class reopens.”
Chu Luyu looked over at him in surprise. When had they ever been preparing for a wedding?
Chu Fanyin on the other end was equally taken aback.
It seemed she paused for a moment to process, and after coming to her senses, she said, “Preparing for a wedding? This… you two, have you really decided to get married?”
“Yes.” Jiang Hezhou answered firmly, his tone leaving no room for hesitation.
Chu Fanyin fell silent for another moment on her end, then asked, “And what about Xiaoyu? What does she think?”
This time, Jiang Hezhou didn’t answer for her. He just looked at her quietly, as if waiting for her response as well.
Chu Luyu let out a heavy sigh inwardly, feeling somewhat resigned.
“Mom, we discussed this and made the decision together.”
“I see. That’s good, that’s good.” Chu Fanyin’s previously anxious heart seemed to finally settle completely. “Then if you need any help from me, I’m available anytime. If you two are busy and don’t have time to oversee the wedding details, I can help take care of things for you.”
Chu Luyu obediently said okay, chatted a little longer, and then hung up.
The house fell silent again, leaving only the two of them. Jiang Hezhou looked at her for a long moment and asked, “Why didn’t you tell Auntie the truth? If you said I was keeping you locked up, she would definitely come to rescue you.”
Chu Luyu furrowed her brows, as if she disapproved of his phrasing. “You haven’t actually hurt me. There’s no need to use the word ‘rescue.’”
Jiang Hezhou gazed at her deeply. He didn’t say anything more, just turned and walked back toward the kitchen.
“I’ll go make you lunch first.”
At that moment, the system also asked Chu Luyu curiously in her mind: [Baby, why didn’t you ask your mom for help just now? That was such a good opportunity. Normally, the male lead keeps a tight hold on your phone and has to watch you whenever you send messages or make calls. Given the situation today, if you had called out right away, he definitely wouldn’t have been able to stop you.]
Chu Luyu gazed at Jiang Hezhou’s figure as he returned to the kitchen and said to the system: [But if I did that, wouldn’t our relationship become even more strained? As things stand now, there’s no way he’ll let me go. Even if I briefly succeed in getting help from an elder, what follows might be even more severe control. I think the male lead isn’t inherently a control freak—he wasn’t this obsessive before. At least during the time we got along harmoniously, he could restrain whatever emotions he had. Now, the only thing I can do is keep doing things that give him a sense of security. Over time, I think he’ll change too. I don’t know if he can go back to the way he was before, but… there will definitely be a change!]
The system sounded a bit worried: [But looking at the male lead like this…]
Before it could finish, Jiang Hezhou’s phone rang as well. Chu Luyu was too far away to know who was on the other end; she could only hear him hum a few times in acknowledgment. After hanging up, he casually asked her: “Zhang Jiting and the others said they’re having hotpot tonight and invited us to join.”
Chu Luyu’s eyes lit up. “Okay! I’ll go, I’ll go!”
The system above her head saw this scene and wore an expression of utter shock: [So it really is true that different monkeys need different leashes… I thought the right way to handle your situation was to fight to the bitter end, in complete opposition.]
Chu Luyu smiled brightly: [See? The facts prove I’m right!]
—
When they went out in the evening, Chu Luyu stood there obediently, letting Jiang Hezhou help her put on her coat.
The weather in Jingzhou had been warming up recently, but the overall temperature was still below zero, so she still had to wear a down jacket outside.
After fastening her hat for her, Jiang Hezhou lifted her arm and pulled out the bracelet from her wrist—the one she had never taken off—and rubbed it a couple of times.
His cool, pale fingers rested on it, moving back and forth in a gesture that carried deep meaning.
“You should understand what it means for us to go out today, right? Chu Luyu, don’t disappoint me.”
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