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Chapter 199: Chapter 199: Token of Affection
Chu Yin, after seeing the person inside the room, turned back towards Zhan Lan and stuck out her tongue, "Why is it him?"
Zhan Lan’s eyes curved into a smile, looking at Chu Yin with her reddened face and whispered in her ear, "My brother is almost sick with longing. Have a chat; I’ll go look after the two treasures!"
Zhan Hui pulled Chu Yin’s hand, gave Zhan Lan a slight smile, and closed the door from the inside.
Earlier on the street, when Zhan Lan saw Chu Yin, she had someone notify Zhan Hui to quietly come to her residence.
After all, it was difficult for the two of them to meet just once; they had to guard against being seen by the Chu Family people and against gossipy folks as well.
In the room with only the two of them, their eyes met, and Zhan Hui wrapped his arms around Chu Yin.
Chu Yin punched his sturdy chest with her fist, "Why haven’t you come to see me for so long!"
Zhan Hui clasped her hand and whispered in her ear, "I miss you."
The warm breath sprayed in Chu Yin’s ear, tickling her. She shyly pushed him away, lowered her head, and grabbed Zhan Hui’s hand but was surprised to find more calluses on Zhan Hui’s hands.
"What happened to your hands?" Chu Yin asked with concern.
Zhan Hui pressed his lips into a smile, wrapped his arms around her waist, and looked into Chu Yin’s watery big eyes, "I’ve been practicing spearmanship with grandpa recently."
"Oh!" Chu Yin obediently rubbed the calluses on the palm of Zhan Hui’s hand with her fingers.
"Yin’er, don’t blame me for only visiting you once every half a month. A man should improve his abilities; how else will I be able to protect you in the future?" Zhan Hui’s eyes shone intensely.
Chu Yin nodded, "Mmm, you also have to take care of your body, don’t tire yourself out..." 𝑛𝘰𝑣𝑝𝑢𝑏.𝘤𝑜𝘮
Zhan Hui lowered his head and gently kissed Chu Yin’s forehead, "Thank you, Yin’er, for being willing to wait for me."
Chu Yin, kissed by Zhan Hui, shyly looked down at her hands. Then, as if she had made a big decision, she tiptoed up, moved closer to Zhan Hui, and quickly planted a kiss on his lips.
Zhan Hui stood there stunned, his ears instantly turning red, his heartbeat accelerating - Chu Yin had kissed him.
They had been together for quite some time, but had never crossed that boundary.
Chu Yin kept her head down, unable to look at Zhan Hui, her whole body tense.
Zhan Hui’s lips were cool and soft.
She pursed her lips, suddenly feeling Zhan Hui’s hand cradle the back of her head, and his kiss - as powerful as a torrential wave - fervently descended upon her tender lips.
Chu Yin’s head spun dizzyingly, feeling short of breath, and after a long moment, Zhan Hui, with a flushed face, released her.
He held Chu Yin, who was still dazed, tightly in his arms, and whispered in her ear, "Yin’er, in this life I, Zhan Hui, will only love you, and I will take responsibility for you."
Chu Yin’s eyes brimmed with tears from his kiss, she wrapped her arms around his sturdy back and gave him a couple light punches.
"Annoying! My lips seem to have swollen, and my rouge is smudged; how am I going to face people later!"
Zhan Hui looked at her anxious expression and the corners of his mouth gently lifted, "Then let’s not go out."
Chu Yin blushed; they were a man and a woman alone in a room in broad daylight, and if they didn’t go out, what would Zhan Lan think.
She refused, "No, you need to escort me out and slip away quietly..."
Zhan Hui smiled helplessly, "If you go out now, what will the maid and the Protector from your house think if they see you?"
Chu Yin: "..." That’s true!
Zhan Hui rested his chin in the crook of Chu Yin’s shoulder, smiling and saying, "It will be okay in a bit. Just wait, let me hold you."
It was then that Chu Yin settled down in Zhan Hui’s arms; they had just kissed, and that tingling sensation made her whole body shiver, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into.
Zhan Hui, looking at the small and delicate Chu Yin in his arms, gently stroked her hair, thinking that he shouldn’t let Chu Yin wait too long.
Grandfather’s words echoed in his ears—the man above, Emperor Xuanwu, intended to deal with the Zhan Family, and he couldn’t let his aged grandfather fight alone.
Even Zhan Lan was working harder than him, so he must not slack off. If there comes a day when the Zhan Family needs his protection, when Chu Yin needs his protection, he would sacrifice himself to protect them.
Chu Yin felt Zhan Hui’s arm tighten around her, pulling her firmly into his embrace as if afraid of losing her.
The young girl was happy inside; previously, Zhan Hui was Zhan Lan’s elder brother, with whom she would argue whenever they met, but now they had become each other’s beloved.
This feeling was extraordinary, like the neighbor’s brother turning into her lover.
As they talked, Chu Yin’s hand was held by Zhan Hui, the cool touch sliding over her wrist, as Zhan Hui put an emerald bracelet on her.
Chu Yin lifted her wrist and shook the bracelet, asking, "Did you buy this?"
She smiled, her dimples sinking deeply, looking extremely adorable. Zhan Hui, with a doting smile, shook his head, "This was left by my birth grandmother, who said it was to be passed on to my future wife."
Chu Yin’s cheeks flushed, "Is this a token of engagement?"
Zhan Hui smiled and stroked her soft hair, "Yes."
"What if I haven’t prepared anything for you?" Chu Yin looked up at Zhan Hui with an apologetic face.
Zhan Hui pulled her into his arms, "Having you is enough."
Chu Yin buried her face in Zhan Hui’s chest.
The two held each other tightly, unsure when they would meet again.
...
Zhan Hui quietly left through the back door of Zhan Lan’s residence, and Chu Yin pretended to casually go to play with Zhan Lan, not leaving until the sun had set.
At night, after dinner, Zhan Lan and his younger siblings played with spinning tops in the house.
Yu Yan stood opposite Zhan Lan’s home, seeing the shadows under the candlelight in her room, three figures, high and low—were there children in Zhan Lan’s house?
Could they be the two little ones from the Zhan Family?
He stood a bit straighter; the three of them jumped up and squatted down, clearly enjoying their play. From time to time, vague laughter could be heard, generating a rare touch of warmth in his heart.
A snow-white dog was lying by the window, looking over as it heard Yu Yan’s voice.
"Woof, woof, woof!" The dog’s hind legs joyously sprung up, tumbling back and forth as if it really enjoyed this game.
Yu Yan watched it paw at the window and pointed to the opposite house commanding, "Little White, it’s your showtime!"
"Little White!" Mu Yan’s voice grew louder as he called out again.
He had named the dog, but Little White hadn’t yet gotten used to it, needing to be called twice each time.
Little White finally caught on and immediately stuck out its pink tongue at Mu Yan, making a coquettish sound.
Little White was an extremely bright dog that could read human expressions.
It was a bit reserved at first when it came to Mu Yan’s home, but after sensing the strength of its new family, it became excited.
It was given milk to drink, chicken legs to eat, and a big house to romp around in, so Little White tried very hard to please its master.
In Little White’s view, the master’s gaze towards the house opposite didn’t contain indifference; it was filled with warmth.
This meant that the master liked the family across the way.
"Woof, woof, woof!" Little White called out childishly to the other side again.
Suddenly, from Zhan Lan’s room across the way, two small hands pushed the window open, and three little heads peeped out in unison.
