“Don’t cry.” He Ling kissed him tenderly, heart aching, calling his name and telling him, “I never loved anyone else. How could I possibly love someone else? I only love you. In this life—no, in every life, I will only ever love you.”
He Ling was nearly driven mad with guilt. “It’s my fault. I was an idiot, saying things like that. How could I ever divorce you? It’s impossible. Even if you broke my legs and threw me out, I’d still crawl back to you—”
He didn’t get to finish, because Gong Qin kissed him hard.
It was the first time Gong Qin had ever kissed him first, out in the open.
He Ling tasted his tears, felt his lips trembling with fear, and sensed the despair and collapse in his heart.
He’d never seen Gong Qin lose control like this.
He swore to himself he never wanted to see Gong Qin like this again.
He Ling hugged him tightly, kissing him back with all the gentleness he had.
“I love you, I love you, I love you…”
Those three words, repeated over and over, worked like a miracle, soothing Gong Qin as if they were a calming balm.
They went back inside, and the moment the door closed, Gong Qin kissed him again.
He Ling melted, his heart turning to mush. “Let me run a hot bath for you. You’ll catch a cold like this.”
But Gong Qin clung to him, refusing to let go, his voice hoarse as he pressed close to He Ling’s ear and whispered, “Right here…I want you…”
Just those few words set He Ling’s whole body on fire, burning away all reason.
The next day, neither of them went to work.
Gong Qin slept until the afternoon. When he woke up and found himself alone, he sat up abruptly, eyes full of anxiety—until he caught the scent of that ginseng soup he hated.
He instantly relaxed, though his nose stung a little.
He Ling came in, carefully blowing on a bone china bowl of soup. “I know you don’t like it, but you were out in the cold so long last night… Come on, just drink a little, okay? I spent all morning making it.”
Gong Qin looked at him, hesitated a moment.
He Ling sat on the edge of the bed. “Come here, let your husband feed you.”
“I…you…” Gong Qin turned away, embarrassed.
He Ling froze.
Gong Qin bit his lower lip, his face flushing bright red, his voice stiff and awkward, but he forced himself to say it anyway: “I…I love you.”
With a clatter, the soup bowl slipped from He Ling’s hands, spilling all over the carpet.
Gong Qin’s eyes widened as he stared at his favorite handmade rug, now soaked with the ginseng soup he hated most!
He Ling couldn’t care less about that. He scrambled onto the bed and hugged Gong Qin tightly. “Say it again.”
Gong Qin: “…”
He Ling quickly added, “No, you don’t have to! Once a day is enough! I’m putting in my reservation for tomorrow’s—and for the rest of our lives!”
After seven years of marriage, Gong Qin and He Ling finally had an honest conversation.
Gong Qin asked He Ling why he’d suddenly grown distant.
He Ling told him about overhearing that conversation, and asked, “Why did you say it didn’t matter?”
Gong Qin paused, then said, “What difference would it make? If you stopped loving me, I…” He didn’t know what else he could do.
“It doesn’t matter” was actually the most helpless answer of all.
He Ling hugged him and said, “I was wrong, I was wrong. I’m the world’s biggest fool!”
Gong Qin asked, “Did you really think I never loved you?”
He Ling’s face grew hot. “You never said it.”
Gong Qin replied, “I did. When we got married, in our vows, I meant every single word I said to you.”
He Ling was stunned.
Wedding vows are solemn, but they’re also the easiest thing to overlook.
From the moment they married, Gong Qin had given him a lifelong promise.
That was the weightiest vow of all—far heavier than saying “I love you” every day.
Because he’d given He Ling his whole life, his love, his entire being.
But He Ling had missed it.
Gong Qin continued, “From now on, don’t kiss me in the morning, and don’t come find me at lunch.”
He Ling’s heart sank. If this was his punishment for being a fool, it was almost too much to bear.
Gong Qin went on, “In the morning, I’ll kiss you. Then, before you leave, you can kiss me. At lunch, I’ll come find you. And at night…well, if you’re free in the afternoon, you can come find me.”
He Ling: “!”
The emotional whiplash was almost too much for his heart to take.
Gong Qin had never said things like this before, so he stumbled over his words: “I was wrong before. You were always the one taking the initiative. I…”
He Ling hugged him tightly, not wanting to hear another word—if he did, he’d float away with happiness.
“You don’t have to take the initiative,” He Ling finally understood. “It wasn’t that you didn’t want to—it’s just that I never gave you the chance.”
He Ling held him close and said, “Because from now on, I still won’t give you the chance.”
- Get link
- X
- Other Apps
- Get link
- X
- Other Apps