Chapter 1154 [Bonus chapter] Disappointing Stomach
Xia Zhao looked away from where Ru stood and sighed as he muttered to himself, "I should be thankful at least this person is using the door today instead of scaling the walls all the time."
He pushed out the thought of this person from his head and focused on the work at hand. After he was done here, he looked at the time. It was already past 8 and it was considered a very late breakfast for Xia Zhao who usually at 6 am.
He went to check up on Mu Chenyan. As he opened the door, he stepped inside the dark room. He walked over and took the remote to open the curtains. Once the light poured into the room, he was able to see the figure on the bed who was sleeping with her limbs flying around.
Xia Zhao was amused to see her sleeping posture. She still slept the same way as years ago.
He walked over to her side and crouched down beside her. In this hushed stillness of the morning, soft rays of sunlight gently kissed the peaceful visage of Mu Chenyan. With an adoring gaze, he sat there, captivated by the person in front of his eyes. The rhythmic rise and fall of her chest, accompanied by the gentle melody of her breathing, filled him with a profound sense of contentment.
The tendrils of her tousled hair, delicately caressing her face, seemed like an ethereal frame for the slumbering masterpiece before him. He marveled at the way her lashes gracefully brushed against her cheeks, like the wings of a butterfly, hinting at the dreams that danced behind closed eyes.
He was very familiar with every curve, every contour of her features. He had watched every change that time brought in her. He was so familiar with everything about her and yet, at this moment, he couldn't help losing himself.
At that moment, a symphony of emotions swelled within him.
Most of all, he was grateful to see her here. He had missed so many years. How could he not be grateful to see her now?
With each passing moment, he found himself falling deeper into the realm of devotion. It was in these quiet moments, when the world seemed to pause just for them, that he was reminded of the immense privilege it was to witness her vulnerability, to be the one she trusted to guard her dreams.
How could Mu Chenyan be so careless sleeping in anyone else's place?
She was able to rest here with peace of mind because she knew this was his place. Whether she loved him or not, she trusted him for sure.
A soft sigh escaped his lips, a breath infused with both adoration and a profound sense of protectiveness. He couldn't help but reach out, tenderly tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, as if to ensure that not a single disturbance would disrupt her peaceful slumber.
He didn't want to disrupt this peace. But he couldn't allow her to sleep on an empty stomach too. So, he had to harden his heart and wake her up.
"Yanzi," he whispered her name so gently that it could tickle one's heart. "Wake up!"
Mu Chenyan slowly pried open her eyes ever so slightly to see who was disturbing her with his intoxicating voice and seeing that it was Xia Zhao, she let go and closed her eyes again.
"Yanzi, you need to get up now," he added.
Mu Chenyan tried to pull up the duvet to hide herself but she couldn't find it. She had to open her eyes and seeing that she had thrown the duvet a long time ago, she picked it up, covered her head, and continued to close her eyes.
Xia Zhao chuckled at her reaction which he found really adorable.
He sat beside her and tried to pull the duvet as he said, "Don't be like this."
"Can't you let me sleep?" came her muffled voice. "I'm so tired," she complained without any restraint which she usually didn't do at home. How could she? She was taking on the responsibility of everyone in the family. How could she show her vulnerability to anyone? She could cry before Raelle but she couldn't whine.
Xia Zhao patiently pulled off the duvet and looked into her eyes, "I'm not stopping you from sleeping. But you should eat something first. It's not good to sleep on an empty stomach for so long. Why don't you eat something and then go to sleep again?"
Mu Chenyan opened her eyes completely as she stared at him. Then she pushed him down making him lay down on the bed and went to hug him saying, "Are you coaxing a child here? I'm not so easily coaxed. I want to sleep. Don't wanna eat. You should stop disturbing me and just sleep with me too. Indulging in sleep once in a while is okay."
He helplessly caressed her hair as he said, "I'm just worried that you'd be hungry."
Mu Chenyan wanted to say that she wasn't hungry but her growling stomach didn't think so. What was wrong with this embarrassing stomach? Why was this stomach so disappointing in front of this man only? Why? Was her own stomach against her or the whole world was against her?
"Okay, you're not hungry," he said. "But I'm very hungry. Why don't you accompany me again?"
"You heard that. There is no need to pretend that you didn't," she retorted. "You always do this."
Xia Zhao laughed at that, "Okay. Okay. I heard that and I know you're hungry. Get up for a while, okay? I have prepared so many things for you. I'm sure you'd enjoy it."
Mu Chenyan rubbed her head against his chest making him stiffen up with her playing so recklessly. But he didn't push her away or stop her at all. He seemed to be in love seeing her doing this. It gave a tingling feeling in her heart and made his heart race which had always been stable.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel