Because I Cannot Hurt You

Zhu villa.

The car stopped, and Xiaosi stepped out of the driver's seat. He walked around and opened the passenger's seat and offered his hand. Caihong smiled and put her hand in his.

As they walked back, Caihong started to feel extra nervous. Her heart drummed and raced hard as if it had started a marathon. Xiaosi was talking to her, but she could hardly hear anything.

When they stepped inside, Xiaosi came to know that Chyou wasn't there.

"Chyou isn't back yet?" Xiaosi asked.

Just at that time, Caihong's phone buzzed, and she saw a message from Ah Cy.

'Chyou is staying the night with us. You have got the full house to you lovebirds. Enjoy~~ *wink*'

She softly coughed.

"Ah Cy just messaged me that Chyou is staying the night with them."

"Ah," he nodded. "That's fine then. She and Leina can spend time together that way. I just hope that Liang didn't suggest this. Sometimes, I feel that he wants to snatch my daughter away. No. All the daughters in this world."

"He might bring adoption papers tomorrow."

"Then throw him out. Also, let's bring Leina to our house to play from next time rather than sending Chyou over there."

"He won't allow it."

"Not everyone is a daughter maniac like him. I am still sane enough not to think of trying to snatch other people's cute angels."

Caihong burst into laughter.

But then the nervousness returned as they walked back to their room. He opened the door as soon as he stepped in, a pleasant, sweet fragrance wafted up to his nostrils. Then his sight fell on all the romantic decorations - the small candles and the lovely flowers that gave it a breathtaking view. For a moment, he felt as if he stepped into the wrong room.

He dazedly went inside, and his eyes traveled through every inch of the room. The bedsheet and curtains were also replaced with new sets that matched the romantic mood. It was all dark, but the flames from the candles illuminated the room that wasn't too bright or dim. It was just the perfect ambience.

He turned and almost bumped into Caihong, who had tightly clasped her hands together. 

"Do you like it?" Her voice was almost a whisper.

"You...You did all this?" He asked, spellbound.

She cleared her throat. "Yes."

Her eyelashes fluttered, and she finally took the courage to face him. "This is also a surprise for you. Apart from the tie-clip."

His eyes widened, and his face went pale as a thought struck him. "D-Don't tell me that today is our anniversary? Is that why you gifted me and did this?"

If today was their anniversary, then he felt extremely pathetic that the day passed by just like any other normal day. They had a date for sure, but to him, it was too less of a celebration for something as important as their marriage anniversary. And he hadn't prepared any gift either, so the guilt only worsened.

Xiaosi covered his face with his hands, feeling like a terrible husband. "Oh no! Why didn't you tell me before? How could I miss such an important day?"

Caihong was shocked. "No, no! It's not our anniversary."

"Don't lie to make me feel better."

"No, really. I am not lying. It's not our anniversary."

Xiaosi doubtfully looked at her. "Then is it my birthday?"

"No. It's not your birthday either."

He blinked his eyes. "So why...I mean, it's not like we should do this only on special occasions, but I just wondered…"

Caihong bit the corner of her lip and said, "Because this time, I want to do something for you."

"For me?"

Xiaosi widened his eyes, seeing tears wet her eyelids. He held her face and worriedly asked, "W-Why are you crying? Did I say something wrong?"

She shook her head. Slowly and gently, she wrapped her hands around him and buried her face in his chest. She tightly hugged him as she said, "You did nothing wrong. Yet, you have always suffered. For seven years, you have nothing but suffered…"

Xiaosi was totally confused. But it was something important to Caihong, so he silently listened to her.

"You have always selflessly given to me without expecting anything in return. You protected me, and you endured the hatred even if you had no choice yourself. I was always on the receiving end, be it your love, sacrifice, or protection. You never gave up on me. You never got tired of loving me."

Xiaosi pursed his lips. "Caihong, what are you saying? Why will I get tired of you?"

She didn't answer him.

"That's why this time, I want to do this for you. I was too blind to realize your love. In the end, you only got agony. But you never deserved this. Every time, it was you taking the step towards me. But now I want to walk towards you and make you feel special. You took a lot of effort for our marriage, but now I want to do all the hard work."

She lifted her head and stared into his irises that were mixed with worry and confusion.

"You don't remember anything now. But…" she hesitated, "our relationship wasn't like this for the last seven years. Our marriage wasn't a happy one."

He stared at her.

"But it was because of a huge misunderstanding that hurt you for a long time. I don't want to get into the details, but I just wanted you to know that those painful times are over. You have always, always been a good husband to me. This time...will you let me be a good wife to you?"

She stepped up on her toes and pressed her lips on his. Her delicate fingers traced his cheek and firmly cupped his face as she deepened their kiss.

Xiaosi shut his eyes and kissed her back. There were a lot of questions swirling in his mind, but nothing mattered in front of Caihong's sincerity and her feelings at this moment.

They parted, and Caihong said, "Apart from that one night when I conceived Chyou, we... hadn't slept together ever since. One misunderstanding had ruined a lot of things for us and made us lose a lot of time. So, Xiaosi. I don't want to wait any longer," she clenched his shirt as she whispered, " Will you....make love to me?"