152. It Hurts
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“Has anyone ever touched you like this?” Lu Yichen murmured, placing his hand against her breast.
The thought of the life she had lived over the past eight years was a black hole to him, and his heart suddenly began to ache. If he wanted to know, he could easily find out. Yet he was afraid to touch that part of her life.
“…No…” Xia Yuwei was dazed, remembering only that she had answered him with the opposite of what she meant.
Though her reply was simple, it greatly soothed his troubled heart.
His heart began to leap. The confidence in her that he had lost for so long rose once more. All these years, he had been confident about everything—everything except her. Because she was too precious, he had become filled with fear and timidity. Whenever he faced her, her coldness and distance left him speechless…
No one had touched her. No one had touched her.
Did that mean she still belonged to him? Was she still waiting for him?
Yes. His Weiwei belonged only to him. She would always be his. Just as he was hers—even after losing his memory, he had been unable to touch another woman. In this lifetime, he had chosen only her. No one could ever replace her. She must feel the same way!
With that thought, his arms tightened around her, squeezing until she cried out in pain.
Held too tightly, Xia Yuwei struck him unhappily and pushed him away.
Lu Yichen loosened his embrace a little, then gently pinched her. She let out a soft, satisfied moan and moved closer to him, clinging tightly as though he were a pillow.
That sound was the finest invitation and encouragement a man could receive, effortlessly stirring his desire. His hand slid up along her thigh, pushing her loose nightclothes higher. Her graceful body was exposed beneath his touch, trembling as he caressed her.
Unable to restrain himself, he pressed her down beneath him…
Was he taking advantage of her? She was his woman, was she not? She responded to him—unless it was only because she was drunk…
Even with his blood surging, a trace of hesitation rose within him.
“It hurts…” she cried.
“…It hurts…” When he pressed down on her, she cried out again.
He had not even touched her. Why did she hurt?
Lu Yichen climbed off her and switched on the bedside lamp. He examined her from head to toe, then reached out to touch her, trying to determine what was wrong.
She merely shifted restlessly, without complaining of pain.
“Where does it hurt?” he asked.
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She did not answer. Instead, she turned over and lay facedown on the bed.
At once, he saw the large dark-purple bruises across her waist. Against her snow-white skin, they were horrifyingly stark.
His heart suddenly clenched. He rose, found the medicine box, and brought over the ointment he usually used for bruises and sprains.
She obediently lay on her stomach, her face buried in the pillow, as though waiting for him to care for her.
He opened the ointment and gently rubbed it over the injuries on her waist. The bruises had already turned dark purple, which meant they were probably several days old. Yet they still hurt her… She was so good at caring for others—but what about herself?
A moan escaped her throat, mingling pain and pleasure.
The scene felt strangely familiar. So very familiar.
…
“Weiwei, come help me apply this. I already did the front, but I can’t reach my back…” Lu Yichen turned over and lay facedown on the bed.
Xia Yuwei took the ointment, lifted one corner of the thin quilt, and gently rubbed it over his wounds.
“Ah…” Her touch filled his body with a pleasure he had never known before.
“What is it? Am I pressing too hard? Does it hurt?” Xia Yuwei stopped and asked. Her voice held both concern and reproach. “If I’d known being beaten would hurt this much, why did you keep going out looking for trouble? Didn’t it hurt when they hit you? Don’t fight with people anymore, understand? You’re grown now, a big man. Don’t act like a child.”
As she spoke, he suddenly turned over, caught her hand, and said impulsively, “Weiwei, let me hold you for a while!”
He pulled her down onto him. In the instant their eyes met, the two young people experiencing love for the first time found their minds going blank…
…
In that moment, Lu Yichen felt as though he had returned to the past. It was as if the years between them had never existed.
“Weiwei…” He stroked her injured skin, his eyes growing hot.
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“I’m sayin’ goodbye, bye, bye, Dallas, I can’t stay…”
Her phone suddenly rang without warning.
It was her phone.
“Your phone…” Her hand groped aimlessly through the air, just as it had many years ago, as though waiting for him to place the phone in her hand.
He turned on the bedside lamp and picked up the phone from the nightstand, placing it in her hand. But her hand fell limply, and she made no attempt to answer.
“I’m sayin’ goodbye, bye, bye, Dallas, I can’t stay…”
Goodbye. I can’t stay. What kind of ringtone was that?
As the line rang again and again, Lu Yichen could bear it no longer. He took the phone from her hand and pressed the answer button.
“Hello, Yuwei. Yufan says he misses you and wants to say something to you.” A man’s voice came from the other end, warm and pleasant. “Yufan—”
A cheerful child’s voice followed.
“Mommy! I’m having so much fun in Vienna, and I miss you so much! We’ll be coming home next month…” Xia Yufan chattered excitedly for quite some time, only to realize that no one was answering.
“Mommy? Mommy?”
Puzzled, he handed the phone to Lin Chenxi.
“Yuwei?” Lin Chenxi called Xia Yuwei’s name, her tone warm and familiar.
“…She’s asleep.” Lu Yichen finally spoke.
There was a brief silence on the other end.
Then, almost simultaneously, they both hung up.
~~~~~~~
P.S. Someone’s period arrived, along with terrible cramps. I’m taking a little rest, so the update is late. Please be understanding, everyone. There are still two more chapters to come.
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