...
Liu Erlong looked at Xuan Hao, who was so close to her, and was speechless at his shameless yet self-righteous remarks.
She rolled her eyes at him, annoyed, and couldn't help but complain, "You know it in your heart, why do you have to say it out loud?
Do you expect me to applaud you or agree with you?"
"This isn't to force you to agree; I just want to give you a heads-up."
Xuan Hao smiled and sat back down on the steps.
"Sometimes I do like to fool people. I know that my current appearance and how I act are very deceptive, which will make many girls have some romantic and unrealistic associations, and they will even unconsciously add a filter to my mind, thinking of me as a perfect and good person."
"But I don't want to put on that fake persona in front of you. I'm just this realistic."
"Relationships that are too realistic are indeed boring.
Calculating every little detail about daily life can be a downer.
However, relationships that are shrouded in mystery and supported by a perfect filter are destined to be fragile.
As soon as the wind blows, the fog dissipates, the filter shatters, and the relationship ends."
"So, good and bad, all my strengths and weaknesses are real.
Just as life can't always be happy, there will also be sadness, anger and arguments."
He turned his head and looked at Liu Erlong's profile:
"I don't advocate any toxic 'love someone means accepting all their flaws' kind of advice.
I also know that when people are facing a relationship, they will subconsciously avoid the bad things.
But I can't deliberately hide it from you."
"You can choose not to take my shortcomings seriously, or you can choose to ignore them, but this must be a choice you make after you have seen everything clearly.
It is not something that I can obtain by deliberately hiding or hypocritically pretending.
These are two completely different things."
Xuan Hao looked up at the stars in the night sky:
"I am indeed someone who has always pursued 'living in the moment,' but that does not mean I don't care about the future.
I also yearn for beauty, and the kind of beauty that is lasting and can withstand the test of time, rather than the decadent indulgence of living for today and having no tomorrow."
"I just don't like to talk about my worries about the future or those boring plans. I prefer to arrange everything and then quietly lead everyone forward."
Liu Erlong listened quietly to these words, a chord in her heart seemingly being gently plucked.
She looked at Xuan Hao and asked hesitantly, "You're just stating these bloody realities so bluntly, aren't you worried... that the beautiful feelings you've cultivated in other people's hearts will be shattered because of this?"
"If the beauty I have created is so fragile, then it's not a bad thing if it breaks sooner rather than later, so that I won't fall harder later." Xuan Hao smiled freely, then changed the subject, his eyes revealing strong confidence, "But obviously, the beauty I have created, while not indestructible, is certainly not so fragile that it will collapse after hearing a few honest words."
As he spoke, Xuan Hao suddenly leaned closer, bent down, and once again lifted Liu Erlong up in his arms.
"What are you doing..." Liu Erlong exclaimed in surprise.
Xuan Hao didn't reply, but carried her across the courtyard to the swing covered in vines under the tree. He sat down on the swing and let Liu Erlong straddle his lap.
They were very close, their breaths mingling. Xuan Hao looked down at her and asked softly, "Now, do you still want to run away?"
Liu Erlong didn't speak. She buried her face in Xuan Hao's neck, wrapped her arms around his neck, and gave her answer with her actions—she hugged him even tighter.
The night was deep, and the only sound was the rustling of leaves in the breeze.
Time passed second by second.
Nestled in Xuan Hao's arms, enjoying the tranquility, Liu Erlong suddenly felt an indescribable sense of guilt and panic.
Because she could clearly feel something pressing against her from below.
Liu Erlong was no naive young girl.
Although she lacked practical experience, she had lived for over forty years, and in an instant, she realized what it was.
She was only wearing a thin, black silk nightgown, and the two were in this intimate position, their bodies almost completely pressed together.
For a young man like Xuan Hao, who is not yet twenty years old, full of vigor and lustful by nature, it would be strange if he didn't react when a soft, fragrant woman was in his arms.
While she could understand it, she was completely at a loss as to what to do.
She hadn't completely overcome the hurdle in her heart, and she couldn't truly bring herself to take that final step.
Right now, she was more attached to the sense of security and peace of mind that Xuan Hao provided.
However, clearly feeling the astonishing heat and pent-up energy beneath her, Liu Erlong felt that since the other person had come all this way to serve her wholeheartedly for most of the day, it would be inappropriate and too torturous for her to just sit there doing nothing.
But if she were to do something... what could she possibly do?
What if things accidentally escalated and went too far?
Just as Liu Erlong was stiff and at a loss, lost in her own thoughts, Xuan Hao seemed to notice her embarrassment.
He didn't say anything to expose her, but stood up again and steadily carried Liu Erlong back to the room inside the house.
After gently placing her on the soft bed, Xuan Hao lay down beside her.
This time, however, he didn't press down on her from the front, but instead came up from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into his embrace.
This action instantly made Liu Erlong extremely tense, her back taut.
This guy... could it be that he really can't hold back and is going to force himself on her?
Liu Erlong's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would jump out of her throat.
She had absolutely no idea how to refuse him.
If she forcefully pushed him away now, wouldn't she seem too dramatic, too heartless?
What if he was genuinely hurt or disappointed?
With her mind in complete chaos, Liu Erlong steeled herself, tightly closed her eyes, and her eyelashes trembled uncontrollably, like prey awaiting judgment.
However, the expected storm did not materialize.
Xuan Hao simply held her quietly from behind, showing no intention of taking it any further or actually barging in.
He just paced back and forth outside the door.
This torment of being neither here nor there was causing Liu Erlong's mental state to deteriorate further.
Every slight touch felt like a weak electric current coursing through her body, making her breath catch and her palms sweat.
What the hell is this bastard doing?!
Noticing the tension and slight trembling of the woman in his arms, Xuan Hao leaned close to her ear, his voice noticeably hoarse and teasing:
"I took good care of you all afternoon, and now that I'm feeling so unwell... you should at least think of a way to help me, right?"
Liu Erlong was utterly humiliated and indignant, her cheeks burning as if they could bleed. She gritted her teeth, her voice barely audible, yet trembling with a mixture of anger and embarrassment:
"But what exactly is this... this ambiguity?
Are you deliberately tormenting me?"
Upon hearing this complaint, Xuan Hao chuckled softly, the vibration of his chest clearly transmitted through the thin fabric.
"I'm not going because I'm considering that you haven't completely overcome that hurdle in your heart yet, and that's my way of respecting you; as for not getting off…" Xuan Hao paused, then retorted confidently, "Holding a warm and soft woman in my arms is a normal man's instinct, and it's my way of respecting myself."
He tightened his arm around Liu Erlong's waist slightly:
"Besides, we're a man and a woman alone together, and the atmosphere has already gotten this far.
If we just sit here under the covers and chat without doing anything, would that be a waste of this beautiful evening?"
Unable to endure the agonizing psychological torment of being slowly torn apart, Liu Erlong abruptly turned around.
Her chest heaved violently, and her watery eyes glared fiercely at Xuan Hao, who was standing inches away from her.
She demanded angrily, "Then what exactly do you want to do?! I... I don't know any of this nonsense!"
"It's okay if you don't know how, I can teach you. This kind of thing is actually not difficult at all."
Xuan Hao was not afraid of her harmless glare at all. Instead, he looked at her leisurely and said, "However, you have to cooperate with my instructions.
Otherwise... if this is not done properly, it can be very dangerous and can easily hurt your body."
Liu Erlong took a deep breath, as if she were about to go to the execution ground, and glared at him through gritted teeth:
"Enough nonsense, what exactly do we do?"
"You can use your imagination and try it out on your own first," Xuan Hao said with a smile.
"Or, you can do what I did for you this afternoon, and reciprocate by helping me relax a bit too."
As he spoke, Xuan Hao, as if by magic, gently placed the bottle of amber-colored special essential oil on the bedside table.
Then, he leaned back and lay flat on the soft bed, his hands casually behind his head.
"The tools are all prepared. Now, you are free to pick whatever you like."
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