He didn’t care either way, but Ye Qisheng was a young woman after all. If she ever met someone she truly cared about in the future and wanted to unbind herself from him, it might not be that easy.
Unaware of the many thoughts racing through his mind, Ye Qisheng laid out all her ideas completely and looked at him with an expectant face, hoping he could give her a satisfying answer.
Facing her sparkling eyes, Raphael truly couldn’t bear to disappoint her, yet he didn’t want her to regret it later either. After hesitating for a long while, he said softly, “I understand what you mean. But what if you meet someone you like in the future, and your reputation has been ruined because of me? Wouldn’t that be harming you?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it—I can’t care so much right now!” Ye Qisheng waved her hand with an indifferent air. “Let’s take it one step at a time and focus on living well in the present moment first.”
Raphael fell silent, sitting there quietly with a complex expression, as if contemplating something unknown.
Ye Qisheng carefully observed his expression. Thinking he was unwilling to pretend to be husband and wife with her, she asked with a touch of disappointment, “Do you dislike me because I’m ugly, fearing that I’ll scare you in the future? Even though half of my face is disfigured right now, Physician Xu said I will recover. I don’t think he would lie to me. Maybe before long, I’ll be able to restore my original appearance.”
Realizing she had misunderstood, Raphael shook his head and secretly clenched the hands resting on his knees. As if having finally made up his mind, he asked solemnly once more, “I don’t care about appearances, and an ominous person like me has no right to be picky… I’m only worried that you’ll regret today’s decision in the future.”
Ye Qisheng immediately raised her fingers, swearing with absolute gravity, “No matter what happens in the future, I will never regret the decision I made today! Moreover, I believe that as long as the two of us don’t give up, our days ahead will definitely get better and better!”
Her expression was firm and her tone bore an unyielding decisiveness. Raphael’s heart throbbed violently, rendering him completely unable to utter any words of refusal.
He nodded vigorously and said earnestly, “Alright. As long as you don’t regret it, I will always protect you until the day you no longer need me.”
Ye Qisheng broke into a wide smile, her tone cheerful: “Then you better prepare yourself mentally to be bothered by me for a lifetime! Because I have a hunch that I will never see the day where I don’t need you!”
Raphael’s nose grew sore, and the tears that had just receded welled up once more, moistening his long eyelashes.
Although he had lost his memory, in a faint, implicit way, he knew he had never experienced being needed and relied upon like this before.
Ye Qisheng’s frankness and directness were like a warm current, instantly thawing his long-lonely heart.
He was finally no longer alone.
Since cohabitation was decided, the next task was naturally helping Raphael move his belongings.
Ye Qisheng originally wanted to go along and help pack things up, but Raphael said the mountain paths were difficult to navigate and bringing her along would lower efficiency. He asked her to stay home obediently while he went out to attend to it.
Ye Qisheng saw him off outside the courtyard. Watching him take a breath and leap into the air, flying straight up into the sky, her eyes widened so hard they nearly popped out!
Only after shouting several expletives out loud did she finally manage to calm down.
Who would have thought!
Raphael looked delicate, pure, and harmless, but who would have guessed he was actually a martial arts master, vanishing into thin air in just a few flashes!
To possess such incredible light-body skills at such a young age—this was unquestionably a martial genius, and one in a million at that!
No wonder he could live in a mountain forest filled with poisonous snakes and fierce beasts. Aside from having top-tier survival skills, his physical prowess was formidable too.
Thinking this, Ye Qisheng admired her good fortune once again!
Heaven truly couldn’t bear to see her suffer, arranging for her to encounter an all-around powerhouse like Raphael. With such an expert by her side, she wouldn’t have to fear being bullied by anyone in the future!
Just as she was envisioning a bright future, Liu Shiting’s tall and sturdy figure suddenly appeared at the far end of the path. Walking at a swift pace, he quickly halted right before her.
Without beating around the bush, he handed her several roasted sweet potatoes he was holding. “You just moved here today, and many things aren’t fully prepared. I brought you some food—just make do with it for now.”
Ye Qisheng was already full and satisfied by now, but considering this was his genuine goodwill, she accepted them and said gratefully, “Thank you, Brother Liu. However, there’s no need to send me things in the future—I can take good care of myself.”
Liu Shiting nodded and cast a glance at the house behind her. Noticing that the broken window on the kitchen had already been fixed, he looked at her with a touch of surprise. “Did you fix that window yourself?”
Ye Qisheng followed his gaze toward the window and shook her head. “No, my husband fixed it.”
Liu Shiting froze for a moment. Thinking his ears were playing tricks on him, he inspected her in astonishment and hesitated, “…Do you know what you just said?”
“Of course I do!” Ye Qisheng blinked her eyes, repeating her previous statement with an innocent, harmless face. “I said this window was fixed by my husband. Is there a problem?”
…There was a huge problem, alright?!
Liu Shiting was momentarily rendered speechless, slightly suspecting if Ye Qisheng had been so infuriated by his mother and biological sister that her cognition had shattered, causing her to talk complete nonsense.
As an outsider who had only drifted into their village two days ago, even if she had a shotgun wedding with a local bachelor, it wouldn’t happen just hours after he left, would it?
Taking in the shifts in his expression, Ye Qisheng quietly organized her phrasing. Suddenly assuming a look of sudden enlightenment, she laughed with belated realization, “Look at my head—I was far too overjoyed earlier that I forgot to share the good news with you!”
“Good news?” Liu Shiting sized her up, asking strangely, “…What good news?”
Ye Qisheng immediately launched into her performance, pulling out the script she and Raphael had agreed upon earlier. Wiping away the tears she forcibly squeezed out from the corners of her eyes, she wept with joy, saying, “Two years ago when I heard he went missing, I was utterly devastated and fell gravely ill, nearly failing to pull through! Fortunately I survived, or I wouldn’t have lived to see today’s reunion! Heaven is merciful after all—though it forced me to leave my hometown and drift to this place, it also allowed me to reclaim my beloved…”
Liu Shiting didn’t utter a word from beginning to end, merely staring at her intently. His resolute face remained as solemn and stern as ever, making it impossible to see through his inner thoughts at this moment.
Seeing that he didn’t state his stance for a long time, Ye Qisheng wasn’t in a hurry either. She had already pulled out the acting performance of her lifetime. Whether he believed it or not was up to him—either way, she would live on with Raphael from now on!
She had even secretly made the best preparation: if this village truly couldn’t accommodate the two of them, the worst-case scenario was moving up to the mountains to live with Raphael. They surely couldn’t forbid them from living in the mountains too, could they?
After an unknown amount of time, Liu Shiting finally responded. Fixating his gaze on her eyes, he asked in a deep voice, “You just said you met your husband. Who is your husband? …It wouldn’t happen to be that demon-race person Physician Xu saved over a year ago, would it?”