99 I Vow

Everything was polished more than usual and everyone was neatly lined outside for the Household's esteemed Master. It wasn't long before a black Rolls Royce arrived at the gate and parked in front of the house. Gu Man immediately opened the car door and took a polite bow at his long-time Master—Ji Li Zhao.

"Welcome back, Young Master."

Ji Li Zhao nodded his head before he walked out of his car and skimmed through the attendants of their house. He slowly strode inside and gave Gu Man who was beside him a side glance. "How are things while I was away, Uncle?"

"Regarding business or the Madame?" Gu Man asked with a smile. Before his Master got married he would immediately report the state of Tianshi Conglomerate during his absence. But now, he needs to ask what he wants to hear first.

Many things have indeed changed ever since Ji Li Zhao got married and they are happy that it was all good changes. In the past, their boss was a slave to his work but now he spends time relaxing with his wife.

"Both,"

"Nothing much happened in Tianshi." Gu Man answered truthfully. Usually, the other Ji relatives would create a ruckus when he was away but because Gu Man handled everything personally they couldn't dare make a move. After all, he is Ji Li Zhao's butler and he's no Saint when it comes to those who make enemies of their house.

"There are just additional papers waiting for your signature."

"Mn," he hummed before nodding his head. Gu Man smiled widely and interpreted his humming as a sign to proceed with the report regarding Hou Wei Yan.

"The Madame and her team successfully made their debut. Everything is doing good on their side." he proudly reported like an Uncle boasting about his niece. He felt relieved that their debut went without a hitch and they stunned everyone with their talent. Nothing could make him happier than seeing both Ji Li Zhao and Hou Wei Yan achieve great feats in their own fields. "Master Han also finished the recruitment process of the Foreign Employment Project. They will arrive next week."

Ji Li Zhao nodded his head. He had left everything regarding the project in the hands of Master Han so he was confident it would turn into a success. However, he is deeply concerned regarding his wife. Since they had debuted as a medical team, they most likely handled plenty of surgeries. Knowing his wife, she would most likely neglect her health for the sake of finishing her work.

"Is she eating well?"

"The madame eats 3 times a day. Often times she eats past the allotted time for a meal but Fang makes sure she eats nonetheless." Gu Man replied honestly to assure Ji Li Zhao that they are taking care of her with everything they got. "She didn't drink tea or asked for it during nighttime for this whole week."

"Mn," he hummed once more as they ascended the stairs. Gu Man continued following him until they reached their bedroom. "Prepare the car. I'll be leaving once I place down my gift."

Gu Man curiously looked at him. He thought he would stay until Hou Wei Yan returns. There are only a few hours left until her return. Why would he suddenly leave once more?

"Where are you going, Young Master?"

"Tianshi," he answered shortly before he took a glance at the box in his hands. He slowly smiled as he imagined Hou Wei Yan wearing the ring on her hand once more. But before that, he needs to settle everything in Tianshi and make sure he won't get interrupted later with abrupt calls of complaints and whatnot. "Finish everything early so I can come home immediately."

Gu Man immediately nodded his head and went down. "Understood."

Ji Li Zhao wasted no time and went inside their room. He sat on the bed and run his hand through the sheets, imagining his dear wife sleeping soundly on it. He missed her. He missed her so much that he nearly went insane without her.

They only spent a few nights together yet he was already accustomed to waking up with her in his arms. He was already accustomed to her sleeping habit and her scent after she takes a shower. He missed everything about her so he couldn't help but smile because he finally returned. He could finally sleep peacefully once more with her in his arms.

With her filling his mind, Ji Li Zhao left both the ring and necklace on the bed and wrote a note for his wife to ponder. Once he was done jotting down his thoughts, Ji Li Zhao immediately went down to where Gu Man awaited him. "Don't tell her that I've arrived."

"But---"

"She'll know by herself," Ji Li Zhao replied with a smile on his face. Gu Man couldn't help but raise his brows in question but before he could mutter anything more, his young master already boarded the car with a grim look on his face. He returned once more to the Emperor he was supposed to be. Dignified and fearsome as though he would gobble a person whole.

.....

"Welcome Back, Young Lady!" Gu Man greeted as soon as Hou Wei Yan stepped out of the black Maybach that Shin Wolter drives. "Would you like to have dinner in the garden?"

Hou Wei Yan smiled at the servants who greeted her as well before turning towards Gu Man and nodding her head, still donning a beautiful smile on her face. "That would be lovely."

The maids immediately scurried to work on her request while Gu Man continues to guide her back to her room. As soon as she entered the room, Song Ye Jin, the personal maid assigned to her immediately greeted her. She had a polite look on her face and even without smiling, Hou Wei Yan knew she was kind. "We already prepared your bath."

"Thank you," she replied kindly before gesturing to them that she would do it alone. They had already agreed that they would only bathe her when an occasion arose so everyone left her alone including the strict-looking Song Ye Jin.

After she placed down her coat, she immediately went towards the closet to find decent clothing to wear for the evening. While striding towards there, she passed by the bed and noticed something placed on it. "Hm?"

She made a detour and immediately picked up the note beside the red velvet boxes. Her eyes remained glued on the note and she carefully read the content. "I want to see you smile."

As though a spell has been cast, a smile was drawn on her face. She read the note once more before shaking her head and chuckling. "Silly."

She placed down the note and proceeded with checking the boxes. She opened up the big one and couldn't help but gasp once the necklace came into view.

Her hand was immediately drawn to the moonstone and she caressed it with all gentleness she can muster. The necklace marveled her greatly for the stone shone and its luster was enticing with every strike of the lights.

Now curious about the small-sized box, Hou Wei Yan turned her attention to it and was unable to hold back another gasp from coming out as soon as she saw the wedding ring her husband presented before. She slowly picked up the ring and carefully checked out the Benitoite gem.

The sight of it nearly brought tears to her eyes. She knew just how much it cost and by the luster of it, it was obviously rare and hard to obtain. The heraldry was still there but it was now beneath the Benitoite, as though protected by it.

She checked it out for a long time before she placed it back in the red velvet box. After a short while, she lingered her gaze around the room and chuckled out the balcony. She doesn't know whether her husband installed a camera in their room but she took a gamble and muttered what was inside her head.

"Should I wear this by myself?"

Hou Wei Yan then closed the red velvet box and returned it to the bed. She picked up a towel before mumbling once more. "I'll wait for you."

Ji Li Zhao smiled to himself after hearing what she said. It was already 8 in the evening so he closed his folder and immediately wore his outer coat. Right after going out of his office Huang Xun greeted him and followed behind them.

"Already leaving?" somebody suddenly blurted out when Ji Li Zhao passed by the long array of offices owned by his trusted subordinates. He stopped walking and took a glance at the man who just got out of his own office. It was Ao Zian who handles their real estate affairs.

"Mn," he answered while nodding his head. "Someone's waiting for me."

Ao Zian immediately raised his brows in confusion.

[ When did he have someone to wait for him? Did he get a girlfriend without my knowledge? ]

They are close friends and he was one of the few confidants that Ji Li Zhao trusts so he was itching to know if he had a girlfriend while he was in America.

"Who?"

Ji Li Zhao didn't answer him anymore and continued walking towards the elevator. Not receiving an answer is making little Ao Zian itch even more. [ His silence, does it mean he has a girlfriend or not? ]

Not liking the idea of being left in the dark, he turned towards Huang Xun and clung to his suit. "Bro Xun! Who's waiting for him?"

He sighed at his curiosity before patting his back. If he finds out that the cool Ji Li Zhao he idolizes becomes like a soft puppy and acts all lovey-dovey with his wife, he would only get a heart attack. He doesn't want to shatter his dream of becoming as cool as their boss. "It's better if you don't know. There's no turning back once I tell you."

"Eh?" he curiously asked once more, unsure what he meant. Huang Xun shook his head when he saw him tilting his head, trying his best to figure out what he implied. Without saying anything more, he left their junior with more questions in his head than earlier.

"Wait! Bro Xun! Don't leave me hanging!"

"Don't stay up too late, Xiao Zian!" he replied while waving his hands and entering the elevator with Ji Li Zhao.

"Who's waiting for him?" Ao Zian asked himself, trying to figure out who is behind Ji Li Zhao's strange behavior.

[ Are they that important that he would leave work early!? He's a workaholic! A Goddamn workaholic through the bones! ]

[ Who in the world managed to change Ji Li Zhao!? ]

Before he could think who his woman is, his thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the call of his other seniors. "Ao Zian! Come here!"

"Coming!" he replied back without hesitation before jogging inside the office beside his.

.....

Gu Man waited patiently outside Li Wei Mansion for the arrival of Ji Li Zhao. As soon as his Rolls Royce arrived, he immediately strode towards it and opened up the door with a bow. "Welcome back, Young Master"

"Where is she?" he asked without hesitation. A smile instantly drew on the old man's face when he saw the eagerness itched in his master's face.

"She's in the garden...we prepared tea as she requested"

"Mn," he hummed before scurrying towards the garden after putting on his mask. His hurried steps made everyone chuckle to themselves. The composure he always has outside is now gone and all that's left is his soft side only reserved for his wife.

They were already accustomed to his change, but if others were to see they would die of a heart attack.

"I'm home, wife." he gently whispered in her ears before placing one tender kiss on her forehead.

Hou Wei Yan had already expected his arrival but it never occurred to her that she would be greeted in such a way.

Although baffled by his sudden shower of affection, she still flashed him a smile. Not a second late, she stood up and placed a kiss on his mask.

"Welcome home." she greeted as he took a seat opposite her. Her gaze landed on his biceps and noticed that his figure remains the same as when he left. So she smiled thinking that he took care of his health as he promised. "Is everything okay now?"

"Yes," Ji Li Zhao answered while nodding his head. Everything is okay in HILL that is.

"How are you? I heard you had a fight." he suddenly inquired taking Hou Wei Yan by surprise.

She knew just how loyal Fang is to her husband. She initially thought he was busy doing his business so Fang wouldn't report such a trivial matter.

Noticing his worry, Hou Wei Yan was left chuckling to herself. That was a simple fight, so what is there to worry about? If anything, he should be worried about the men who went against her.

"I'm okay. I'm quite strong you know" Hou Wei Yan proudly stated making Ji Li Zhao chuckle.

[ Right. She is strong. ]

Back in High School, she would often fend off bullies and fight them head-on when they decided to go against her orders. She was one feisty woman and the number of people who went under her fist can no longer be counted by the hands. She always maintained a smile on her face and her aura was angelic, but beneath such a beautiful exterior lies a feisty fighting spirit no one can easily topple.

This is how he viewed Hou Wei Yan in the past and such adoration remains the same. "I know."

His acknowledgment made her smile even more. She thought he would reprimand her more and remind her that she was a woman. She had already thought of countless rebuttals if he ever asks her to stay put because she was a woman. Luckily, he didn't go down that path and viewed her as a stronger entity able to hold up against others.

After finishing their dinner, Hou Wei Yan immediately took out the red velvet box containing the ring. "Do you like it?"

"I love it!" she honestly stated before looking at him straight in the eye. As usual, his eyes were colored dark blue like when he presented himself during Liu Jiayi's birthday.

"Thank you for bringing it back...but I would love it more if you place it in my hands," she added before pushing the box where he could reach it. "As my husband."

Ji Li Zhao looked at Hou Wei Yan for a minute before he flashed her a killer smile.

He immediately stood up, took the ring, and kneeled before her. Hou Wei Yan gasped in surprise before she internally squealed when her husband gently held her hand. His hand was warm and his gentleness made her feel loved and protected.

She can't help but be captivated by his actions.

Unbeknownst to the two lovers, everyone monitoring at that time and who was able to see them from afar also squealed in delight. They looked so romantic in the garden filled with roses and their figure looked so picturesque. When they are with each other they looked like characters of a fantasy world.

Ji Li Zhao gently held her hands and kissed them. When his lips made contact with her porcelain skin, he was unable to control his swirling emotions of both adoration and love. They went through a lot of misfortunes before they reached this glorious moment. He had endured many years without her and here she is now, waiting for him to place a ring on her fingers. As her husband.

Her husband.

"I lack in many things as a husband, and failed a couple of times to do my duty as one, but I will continuously strive to become a better man worthy of a woman such as yourself. I will become the man worthy of holding your hand and placing a ring on your finger," he vowed before slowly slipping the ring onto her fingers.

"I will love you for as long as it takes and I will only belong to you. My heart and my soul, it all belongs to you and you alone. In this lifetime and far greater than eternity, I will love you, my most precious and loving wife." he confessed. He glanced up at his wife who was now getting tearful at his loving sweet tone. A smile made its way to his face before he kissed the ring's gem.

"I vow to be a loving husband to my wife, Hou Wei Yan."

The feeling of happiness her heart can take surpassed the maximum level. Hou Wei Yan allowed herself to cry a tear of joy before she pounced at her kneeling husband and engulf him in her embrace. No color could describe just how ripe her face is from blushing at her husband's words.

Ji Li Zhao hugged her back and after a few seconds, she released him from her grasp and looked him in the eye. "Do you have your ring as well?"

"Mn," he answered before handing her the ring he took out from the box earlier. He had it on his neck earlier because he didn't want his enemies to find out that he was happily married to someone.

Hou Wei Yan touched the ring before looking at him for permission. "May I?"

Her sweet enticing voice asking for permission is perhaps one of his weaknesses. He immediately gave in to her plea and nodded his head.

The design of his ring that perfectly matches hers brought indescribable emotions within her. She accepted him before as her husband and now...she loves him as her husband.

"I am not a perfect wife and I have a series of moments that may trouble my husband. But I will do my best to overcome each obstacle thrown my way and fulfill my duty as your wife. I will never betray you and my mind, my heart, and my soul solely belongs to you. I, Hou Wei Yan vow to continuously love my loving husband to eternity and beyond."

Once the ring was perfectly placed in his fingers, she kissed it the same way he did before glancing at him. He was flushed and what she did next made him ripen up even more.

Hou Wei Yan confidently cupped his face and drew her face closer to him.

"Love is a concept I rejected a couple of times because I reserved my heart for my future husband. I wasn't supposed to get swayed easily, but your kindness, your warmth, your care, your love, and the little things you did for me caused a tidal wave of emotions to flood my heart and I found myself drowning in it. I tried hard not to love you until I could fully trust you...but you made me fall for you." she confessed with confidence and pride. She was someone who loves wholeheartedly and she was someone who would never shy away from her feelings.

When she loves, she loves proudly.

The moment she fell for him despite not knowing his real identity made her confident. She loves him for who he is and not for what he looks.

"I love you...not only because you're my husband but because you made me feel like I'm the luckiest woman there is. You overflowed my heart with your love and this time, I will overflow yours with mine," she added before smiling widely at him.

"I love you, my husband"

She said it. Finally, after deliberating when is the right moment to confess, she successfully blurted out her deep feelings for him.

Hou Wei Yan expected her husband to react enthusiastically to her confession because he had told her countless times that he loves her. But contrary to her expectations, her husband remained mute. He looked at her agape making her bite her lower lip in anxiousness.

Did he perhaps not love her? Or did he find an even more lovable person when he went abroad?

"I love you," she confessed once more, but this time her voice sounded melancholic and desperate rather than joyful. "Did you not hear?"

[ Did he not hear? ]

Of course, he heard, but Ji Li Zhao is currently drowned in her confession. Her words repeatedly rang in his ears and it took her a couple of seconds before he could process what she said.

[ She loves me! ]

[ How many years did I wait for this? How many sleepless nights did I spend thinking about this moment? ]

[ The road was long and arduous but everything is worth it. Hearing her saying I love you to me makes my battle worth it! ]

He smiled in pure blissful happiness. When he saw her anxious look, he couldn't help but chuckle.

What's there to doubt? His love for his is limitless and she's the only woman occupying her heart so her doubt is unnecessary.

"I heard it loud and clear," he whispered in her ear making Hou Wei Yan smile.

She leaned forward as well and muttered a few inches away from his lips. "I'm glad."

A passionate kiss was shared between the two and their heart slowly intertwined under the bask of the Moonlight. Her ring shone brightly and everything looked majestic as they gazed into each other's eyes.

"I love you,"

"I love you, too," he said before embracing her ever so gently. He buried his head in her shoulders as he allowed himself to get lost in her swirling scent and warmth.

The night was beautiful and a singular thought rang in his head.

Mission: Capturing Hou Wei Yan's Heart

Phase One: Completed

Proceed to the next stage...