Chapter 145: Lingering Affection

An Tong was sharp and quick-witted; she naturally understood what those three words implied.

She neither nodded nor refused, instead responding to Rong Shen with the simplest and most direct of actions. An Tong wrapped her arms around the man’s neck and pressed a light peck to his lips.

At this, Rong Shen’s chest heaved violently, and his deep, dark eyes grew even more intense and scorching. He picked An Tong up in his arms and walked with steady, deliberate steps up the stairs, entering the master bedroom where they had always slept.

The room was dim, and the two figures sank into the soft embrace of the large bed.

Rong Shen pressed against her cheek, his hot breath brushing against her ear as his hoarse, seductive voice slowly resonated, "An Tong, do you know what is going to happen next?"

An Tong kept her eyes tightly shut, burying her entire face into the hollow of his shoulder. She didn't speak, simply nodding in response.

"Are you truly willing?" The man’s voice was so raspy that its original rich timbre was almost unrecognizable.

An Tong felt a mixture of nerves and anticipation, her cheeks growing hotter as they pressed into Rong Shen’s chest. He was bare-chested, and at such close proximity, the man could clearly feel the softness of her lips against his skin.

Everything else needed no words.

What followed came as naturally as a stream finding its course. After so many days and nights spent in each other’s company, An Tong was already able to calmly accept the intimacy about to unfold.

Perhaps it shouldn't have progressed so suddenly or rapidly. But the small accident with the fireworks that evening had truly unsettled An Tong’s heart. It felt as though she had to do something to feel, with absolute certainty, that Rong Shen was still safe and sound by her side.

When their passion reached its peak, outside the floor-to-ceiling windows—which had been left uncurtained—several fireworks soared into the sky simultaneously. The vast display was dazzling and brilliant, and as the sudden light cascaded into the room, it illuminated the lingering tenderness within.

On the eve of the Lunar New Year, the day of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, An Tong gave herself completely to Rong Shen.

...

The next day, the first day of the Lunar New Year, just past five in the morning.

In the dim light of the master bedroom, An Tong opened her sore, heavy eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling. Beside her, the man’s breathing was steady, one arm still draped over her waist. Beneath the thin quilt, the two of them lay skin to skin, completely bare.

For a girl experiencing her first time and a man tasting it for the first time, one could imagine how chaotic and frenzied the previous night had been. An Tong only remembered Rong Shen carrying her to the shower afterward; she had no memory of what happened next. Her body ached, and the sensation was not particularly pleasant, yet it could not overcome the soft, aching sense of fulfillment in her heart.

She moved her legs and turned her head to look at her side, only to unexpectedly collide with a pair of eyes as deep as an ancient well.

An Tong blushed instantly and pulled the corner of the quilt to cover the lower half of her face; the vivid, blooming glow in her expression, so distinct from a young girl’s, was