Chapter 67: Agreement Countdown (Part II)

Yu Ling’s eyes grew hot and misty without warning. She hastily lowered her head to mask the sudden surge of emotion. She walked over to the dining table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. Inside the crystal glass, the deep red wine shimmered with an intoxicating luster under the candlelight.

"You..." She cleared her slightly choked throat, struggling to keep her voice steady, carrying a soft, smiling warmth that even she hadn't noticed, "You still remember this?"

Zhao Chen sat down opposite her. Hearing the softness in her tone, his tense shoulders seemed to relax slightly. He raised his head, his amber eyes shining startlingly bright in the candlelight, gazing at her intently. The flush on the tips of his ears had not completely faded, yet he raised a warm and slightly silly smile.

"Mmm. That day... you ate all the chicken pieces and most of the rice, much more than usual." His tone carried a hint of small pride, like a child presenting a successful treasure. "I thought to myself, I should cook this for you often."

Yu Ling’s heart was thoroughly melted into a pool of spring water by his words. She picked up the knife and fork, looking at the heart-shaped steak in the center of the plate, emitting an alluring aroma. She felt her throat block with some tender emotion, momentarily not knowing where to begin.

Zhao Chen, however, had already cut the steak on his own plate, and with utter naturalness, forked a piece of moderate size, perfect texture, and coated in rich sauce. Stretching his arm all the way across the dining table, he steadily delivered it to Yu Ling’s lips.

"Want to try?" His voice was low and gentle, carrying a seductive temptation. "I think the heat today was the best yet."

Yu Ling looked at the piece of beef offered to her lips, and at the unmasked expectation and pampering in Zhao Chen's eyes, and the last line of defense in her heart collapsed with a resounding crash. She leaned forward slightly, opened her mouth, and took the piece of beef into her mouth.

Her teeth bit down gently. The outer layer was charred, crispy, and fragrant, while the inside was unbelievably tender and juicy! The rich juices instantly burst forth in her mouth, mingling with the wondrous, intense fragrance of top-grade black truffle, the slight piquancy of black pepper, and the mellow, lingering sweetness of red wine. Her taste buds seemed to be instantly lifted to the clouds! Ultimate deliciousness brought ultimate happiness, coursing through her entire body like an electric current!

"Mmph..." Yu Ling couldn't help emitting a satisfied sigh, her eyes squinting happily. "Delicious! It's really... so delicious!"

Watching the unfeigned satisfaction and amazement on her face, the amusement in the depths of Zhao Chen's eyes rippled gently outward like a stone dropped into a lake. He withdrew the fork, cut another piece, and offered it to her lips once more.

"Eat more if you like it." His voice was soft, laced with endless indulgence.

The candlelight flickered; the red wine left them slightly tipsy. Separated by the dining table, the two of them engaged in a quiet rhythm of one feeding and the other eating. There were no superfluous words, only the occasional soft clink of cutlery against the rim of the plate, and the silent, sweet, warm current flowing through the air, louder than any speech. That plate of heart-shaped steak was like a sweet, isolated island, temporarily shielding them from the storms of the outside world and the cold crashing waves of the countdown.

Yu Ling indulged herself in this tenderness of ultimate pampering, the confusion and anxiety in her heart temporarily smoothed away. She even began to fantasize: perhaps the expiration of the agreement wasn't the end? Perhaps this "pretend play" had long since become an unspoken "reality" between them?

Late at night.

Room 1601 fell into deep silence. Only the sensor nightlight at the end of the hallway emitted a faint, soft halo.

Yu Ling was awakened by thirst and sleepily got up to pour a glass of water in the kitchen. As she passed the study, she unexpectedly noticed a thin sliver of light leaking from beneath the door seam.

Zhao Chen was still awake?

Holding her water glass, she lightened her footsteps and instinctively approached the study door. The door was not tightly shut, leaving a narrow crack.

Through the crack, she saw Zhao Chen sitting with his back to the door behind the large desk. The computer screen was lit, and its deep blue glow reflected the focused contours of his profile. He was facing the screen, seemingly reviewing a document carefully, his fingers occasionally sliding across the trackpad.

On the desk, the low-profile yet top-performance laser printer was making an extremely faint "hissing" operational sound, as a pristine sheet of A4 paper slowly emerged from the output slot.

Zhao Chen seemed very satisfied with the printed contents. He picked up the sheet of paper and lowered his head to read it closely.

Just then, Yu Ling’s gaze crossed over Zhao Chen’s shoulder and accidentally caught the title of the document on the computer screen—

The title was in a very large font, bolded, and exceptionally striking against the deep blue screen background:

[HORIZON HOLDINGS GROUP] Permanent Spousal Rights and Asset Confirmation Deed (Beneficiary: Yu Ling)

Boom—!

Yu Ling felt her breathing instantly stop! Her heart was grabbed fiercely by an invisible giant hand!

Permanent spousal rights? Asset confirmation deed? Beneficiary... Yu Ling?!

The agreement! That one-year agreement! He... he printed a new agreement? A permanent one?!

Enormous shock and an indescribable ecstasy swept over Yu Ling’s entire body like a tidal wave! Blood rushed frantically to her brain, making her momentarily dizzy! He... had he planned this all along? He never intended to let that agreement expire and end at all? What he wanted was... forever?!

This realization struck like a fierce lightning bolt, cleaving apart all the mist and confusion in her heart! The cold digits of the agreement's countdown shattered resoundingly at this moment! Replaced by a surging, almost overwhelming warm current and a tremendous sense of tranquil certainty as the dust finally settled.

Just as her fingertips trembled with excitement and she could almost no longer control herself from rushing in to demand an explanation—

Zhao Chen inside the study, as if he had eyes in the back of his head or sensed her momentarily disordered breathing, suddenly turned around!

His movement was fast as lightning! In the instant before Yu Ling could recover from the massive shock and react, his slender fingers struck a key on the keyboard with forceful precision!

Snap!

The computer screen instantly plunged into pitch darkness!

Simultaneously, the hand holding the newly printed sheet of A4 paper, still retaining the machine's residual warmth, instinctively and extremely swiftly flipped the paper face-down onto the desktop!

"Lingling?" Zhao Chen stood up, his face wearing a trace of startled surprise—just right in its measure—and a hint of hard-to-detect panic? He strode quickly toward the door, his tall figure blocking Yu Ling's line of sight to the desk.

"Why are you up? Thirsty?" His voice was gentle and laced with concern, his hand reaching out quite naturally to take the water glass that she was barely managing to hold steady.

Yu Ling's heart was still hammering wildly in her chest, her cheeks flushed slightly from excitement and her earlier held breath. She looked at Zhao Chen, trying hard to find a trace of a clue on his face, but he masked it too well. Aside from that almost negligible, fleeting flash of panic, there remained only total gentleness and inquiry.

"Mmm... a little thirsty." Yu Ling steadied herself, pointed at the darkened computer screen, and tried to make her voice sound casual, "Still busy this late? Something wrong at the company?"

Zhao Chen's gaze swept swiftly across the desktop where the paper was face-down behind him, and his Adam's apple seemed to bob imperceptibly. He wrapped an arm around Yu Ling's shoulder, guiding her toward the living room with a relaxed, natural tone carrying a touch of helpless grievance:

"Nothing major." He paused, lowering his voice with a deliberate air of "complaint," "Just the administrative department sent out a notice urging everyone to submit this year's medical checkup report. So annoying. Just printed it out, ready to fill it out tomorrow."

Medical checkup report? Notice?

Yu Ling was half-embraced as she walked forward, her footsteps somewhat floating. Her gaze, however, as if possessed of a will of its own, drifted back toward the direction of the study, landing precisely on that face-down sheet of A4 paper on the desktop.

At the edge of the paper, under the warm yellow halo of the desk lamp, a corner was clearly exposed.

On that corner, the dark blue, extraordinarily complex anti-counterfeiting watermark impression—a notary firm's official steel seal—was silently glowing with a cold and authoritative luster.

Does a medical checkup notice require a notary firm's official seal?

Yu Ling’s footsteps paused slightly.

Beside her, Zhao Chen’s body also seemed to stiffen for a fleeting second.

Yu Ling slowly raised her head to look at Zhao Chen. He was looking down at her, his amber eyes under the soft living room lights clear as crystal, brimming with concern and innocence, as though he were truly just annoyed by an ordinary medical checkup notice.

Their eyes met.

One second. Two seconds.

Yu Ling looked at his impeccably sincere and handsome face, and then looked at the tiny spark of intensely guarded tension deep within his eyes...

A massive wave of profound understanding, the sweet warmth of being deeply cherished, and a helpless, amused smile at his clumsy yet adorable concealment surged into Yu Ling's heart like boiling spring water!

She could hold it in no longer.

The corners of her mouth curled upward uncontrollably, higher and higher, finally blossoming into a brilliant, teasing, and utterly sweet smile. She lowered her head, burying her face into the warm nook of Zhao Chen's neck, her shoulders trembling slightly from suppressed laughter.

"Mmm..." Her muffled voice came from the crook of his neck, laden with deep mirth and an imperceptible sob, "Got it. The medical checkup is important, make sure you fill it out properly."

Zhao Chen’s body visibly relaxed. He tightened his arm, pulling his trembling, laughing little wife closer into his embrace, resting his chin gently atop her head, and letting out a long, silent sigh of relief.

Under the warm yellow light, their intertwined shadows were drawn out long and slender.

Yu Ling closed her eyes, feeling his steady, powerful heartbeat, her nose filled with the reassuring scent of him. That face-down "Permanent Spousal Rights Confirmation Deed" bearing the notary firm's steel seal sank silently into the deepest depths of her heart like the sweetest anchor of peace.

The agreement's countdown? To hell with it.

In her heart, she silently, sweetly, and grandly rolled her eyes.

What a pig-eating-tiger scumbag.