Lines

Delun looked at her in surprise.

A moment later, it dawned on him how fast he is to react to those words.

They do not feel unfamiliar at all.

BingLan raised her eyebrows at him. She seemed to have come to a decision from his reaction.

"So, I can call you husband." She said, as if tasting the word on her lips.

Delun nodded, and sat down in the chair beside her.

His entire demeanor radiated the question 'Are you ok?'

Bing Lan's eyes did not move away from Delun.

"I am not okay." she blurted out all of a sudden.

"However, it is also not your fault." She said, arranging pillows for herself, and raising her bed.

They both sat there, in silence, looking at nothing.

It's Bing Lan who broke the silence first.

"We need to have rules." She told him.

"You are mine." Delun said, frowning.

'What rules? What I say goes. Isn't that how it is?' is the unwanted subtext.

"Ah. Indeed I am. So, are you going to lock me in a dungeon till the end of my life?" Bing Lan asked.

If not for the shock BaiMing's behavior gave her, she wouldn't be this brusque with Delun.

Delun's frown went deeper.

"We will have no secrets." Bing Lan said.

Delun had no movement.

"In the spirit of sharing, I will tell you. I died a month in the future." Bing Lan told him.

"In the past I lived with, your subordinate broke my hands. Bai Ming saved me. We broke up far more peacefully. He paid me a good amount of compensation.

But, I had no hope for the future. You see, it's my dream to be a surgeon, and my fingers are no longer capable of the dexterous movements required for the surgery.

I was told that even with rehabilitation, my hands wouldn't recover. During this time, you came to me. You see, it's you who organized my kidnapping. I just wanted you to pay, hells, I wanted any one to pay.

I wanted you to break your subordinate's hands, you actually did so. You paid me pretty good money as settlement.

The day after, I felt lost when I thought about my future options. I wondered if I would be better off dead.

I was never quite resolved to die, I just wanted to know, standing at the precipice of the abyss, if I would feel like jumping up, or stand strong.

I decided to live. I figured I must be out of my mind as a doctor to think I am useless just because I can't be a surgeon. Just as I was about to return, a strong wind hit me.

Then, I fell.

The next moment I woke up here. What about you?" BingLan asked.

"So did I." Delun answered.

He did see what she did there. She withheld only one piece of information, that he was there to save her. She probably hoped to catch him unaware with her last question.

Delun thought it was very cute of her.

He is a lawyer officially, and a mafia boss unofficially.

These tricks are pediatrics for him.

He gave in to her for now.

After all, he also lived that one month.

The chances are very low that any cosmic forces liked him enough to send him back in time like this.

Not even the occasionally needlessly kind goblin would help him.

Delun was sure on that point.

"You also .." Travelled back in time like me, didn't you - is what she was about to say, but now, there's no need.

BingLan swallowed the words she was about to say, and sat silently for a moment.

"Do you have an enmity with Bai Ming?" she asked him.

He didn't. That's what Delun found extremely surprising.

He had no kind of intersection with Bai Ming. It is not to say they do not know each other, after all, they moved in the same social circle, if not among the same friend circle.

Obviously, he knows of Bai Ming, and he expected Bai Ming knows of him.

However, save for miss Zhu, there are no intersections between them.

First of all, it's shocking that it is Miss Zhu who ordered the assault on BingLan, next, it is surprising Bai Ming knows his name.

Delun shook his head.

They both sat in silence.

BingLan actually wanted to ask many questions, but in the aftermath of the shock of knowing Delun also travelled back, most of those questions were useless.

They both just sat there, in silence, unwilling to talk about the bad blood between themselves, unwilling to leave the company of each other.

"Visiting hours will be over in five more minutes." Bing Lan reminded him.

"Are you kicking your husband out on the wedding night ?" Delun asked seriously.

Bing Lan is lost for words.

Is he joking? Or is he serious?

Delun's lips curved upwards imperceptibly at her expression.

"Let's check out. Your mother will be waiting for you." Delun told her.

BingLan breathed out a sigh of relief.

Thank the gods.

She really thought she would have to go through the wedding night, all the way through.

Her mother is a tailor. Her hours range between 'hectic enough to kill' to 'bored enough to die' depending on whether it is the beginning or ending of fashion season.

Thankfully, this is a hectic time.

So, when Bing Lan is dropped off at her house in a car, her mother is not around to see.

In time, the gossip will reach her, but by that time, BingLan could more than create a proper excuse.

She said good night, and was about to get out of the car.

'Wait!' Delun called.

Bing Lan sat back and closed the car window.

Delun closed the privacy window.

With just a little twitch of his arm, he pulled BingLan into his lap.

Then, he hugged her tightly, his hands around her tiny waist, her front flush against his own.

Both of them had different thoughts.

'This.. This is far softer than I expected' is Delun's thought.

'Is he made of rock?! Why is he so hard? Is the musculature between males and females this different?' is what Bing Lan is thinking.

Since he hugged her anyway, it's not bad to explore a little, she thought, as she moved her fingers and checked the elasticity of muscle in various locations.

Delun was more shocked, because each and every one of her touches sent a tingle up his spine.

Everywhere she touched, it's like a fire is burning.

Though Delun may be a virgin, he is not ignorant.

It would be too dangerous to keep holding her like this for too long.

He pushed her off as abruptly as he hugged her.

BingLan did not understand what happened to her for a moment. That's how fast she was separated from Delun.

"Remember this feeling. Think about it three times every day before sleeping. It's an order." he told her.

Then, without further ado, he opened the door, gestured for her to get off.

Bing Lan got off in that confused state.

The fruit phone is still in her hands.

The GPS Tracker is still on her neck.

She walked over to their apartment, entered the doors before many people could get to her.

The apartments could be incredibly chatty, and even more so, when the people are handsome.

Bing Lan took a shower, returned to her bed then leisurely reminisced about the day.

It's only then she figured it out.

Delun hugged her the exact same way Bai Ming did.

Hell, even the way he touched and where he touched is also the same as Bai Ming.

Was he trying to wash away the memory of Bai Ming touching her?

Nah!

She's probably thinking far too much.

He probably thought he ought to do some sort of physical gesture, as they were married to day.

Wait!

Had he wanted to kiss her good night like they see in dramas?

But, he would have had parents, even if he hadn't had parents, he would have seen other people's parents.

By this age, he should know such a thing is not real, correct?

Bing Lan thought for a moment.

That..

Probably not …

She herself has grown up in a single parent home, and she did think all couples kissed good night till she was in late teens.

Yes, she has to say late teens.

Nineteen is just two days ago, she would sound too old otherwise.

Delun returned home, but he could not sleep.

As he was showering, all he could think of was the softness in his hands.

He was too late to get into bed because of that.

Before sleeping, he just has to confirm only one little detail.

Did Bing Lan follow his orders?

He picked up his mobile.

Hmm..

To call?

Or not call?

Will he be too desperate if he calls?

He is not that desperate. It's just that he wanted to check whether she had followed his orders.

One can only be sure of Loyalty when it is tested again and again.

In the end, he called.

The call was picked up on the second ring.

"Hello..?" Delun called out doubtfully.

She didn't already sleep by any chance did she?

However, Bing Lan's voice did come through the phone.

"Husband." she called, her voice still a little husky from the sleep.

Delun was surprised she could recognize him by just his voice, and more than that, she would still think of him as husband when woken up from sleep.

"Good Night. Chu … Chu.." the phone hung up automatically after the second kissing sound.

Delun smiled fondly at his cell, before setting it aside and turning in for the night.