A breeze carrying the heat of summer slipped through the open doorway and into the foyer, blowing the strands of hair covering Qiao Anran’s neck backward and revealing a vivid, ambiguous kiss mark.
Not a single patch of skin on her snow-white neck was untouched. It was covered in red marks of varying shades, making it obvious how thoroughly the man before her had possessed her the previous night.
Yet her hazy memories told her that she had been the one to initiate everything, touching him from head to toe.
As she recalled those fragmented memories, her words suddenly caught in her throat. She could not bring herself to accuse him of forcing himself on her, and a trace of embarrassment flashed through her clear eyes.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed that she was wearing a man’s vintage long robe. Her pretty little face grew redder and redder, and even her ears began to burn slightly. The clothes she was wearing had been taken from his wardrobe, and she had completely forgotten to change after coming here.
Seeing her hesitate with her cheeks flushed, Li Cangchen knew that she had remembered those fragments. A faint smile slowly surfaced in the depths of his eyes, which had been frozen in coldness for years.
He stepped forward, forcing her back one step at a time.
“Remembered?”
Qiao Anran felt somewhat guilty and avoided his gaze, continuing to retreat as her words became somewhat halting.
“I… Last night, I was the one who took advantage of you, so what kind of compensation do you want? Money? How much?”
Seeing that he was so extraordinarily handsome, she assumed he was a top-level escort in some profession and wanted to dismiss him with money.
But honestly, if the apocalypse were not about to arrive, she would really have wanted to keep him for herself. He was the first man who had ever made her lose her composure.
Ever since she was born, she had never seen anyone with such stunning looks. He was even more beautiful than a woman, yet despite his long hair, he did not look feminine at all. Instead, he possessed the innate nobility of an ancient royal.
There was also the intimidating aura around him that made people’s legs tremble. If she ignored that bewitchingly handsome face, she would only want to stay as far away from him as possible.
She did not understand what was wrong with her. Not only was she not afraid of him, she actually wanted to tease him and find out where his limits lay. She had truly been bewitched by his divine looks, so she quickly moved her gaze away from his face and dared not look at him anymore.
Yet the more she tried not to look, the stronger the scent of sandalwood drifting beneath her nose became. Her waist had already pressed against the back of the sofa, leaving her nowhere to retreat.
This time, he did not allow her to dodge. He directly twisted both her hands behind her back and restrained them with one hand to prevent her from struggling, then used his other hand to hold her chin. Bending down, he met her alluring eyes and spoke each word slowly.
“Little Jiu’er, what do you take me for? Hmm? A gigolo?”
His scorching breath brushed against her flushed cheeks, making the red on them even more vivid. Her face felt as though it were burning, and even the air she exhaled carried a heated warmth.
She tilted her head up and looked at his deep, perfectly sculpted features from such a close distance. Her mouth suddenly felt dry, and she instinctively extended the tip of her rosy tongue to moisten her lips.
That seemingly teasing gesture nearly made Li Cangchen lose control and kiss her without restraint, claiming her entirely.
His gaze instantly became even more possessive, openly revealing the powerful desire he felt for her, while his prominent Adam’s apple moved up and down.
Pressed against his body, Qiao Anran could feel the sudden rise in his body temperature. Nervously turning her head away from his lips as he leaned in to kiss her, she suppressed her embarrassment and quickly spoke, breaking the ambiguous atmosphere between them.
“My name isn’t Little Jiu’er. My name is Qiao Anran, and besides… you’re not that kind of person?”
She gently moved her face away from his lips and turned her head in confusion toward his cold, handsome profile, which was only two centimeters away from her.
At such a close distance, she could not help wanting to kiss his flawless cheek. Realizing this, she quickly bit the tip of her tongue to suppress the dangerous thought and pull her drifting sanity back.
Just then, an intimate, teasing whisper sounded softly beside her ear.
“You are my Little Jiu’er. I only do it for you.”
“!”
His warm, moist breath repeatedly brushed against her ear, and the powerful scent of his hormones suddenly enveloped her. The sandalwood lingering beneath her nose seemed to transform into an aphrodisiac, making her body gradually grow hotter.
Even her heart began beating faster against her will, pounding harder and harder.
Just as she seemed bewitched and was about to kiss him, a rough voice sounded from outside the door.
“Hello, your delivery is here.”
Her mind, which had nearly succumbed to his beauty, immediately returned to reality. She forcefully freed her hands from behind her back and pushed him away with all her strength, intending to run out and collect the delivery.
Before she could take a step, however, he grabbed her little hand firmly.
“Wait here. I’ll get it.”
His gaze fell toward her chest, his eyes darkening. He quickly released her and turned toward the foyer.
Qiao Anran was puzzled by the inexplicable glance at her chest. She lowered her head to check, and the moment she looked, she nearly died of embarrassment.
She immediately crossed both arms over her chest, covering her full breasts, her face turning bright red.
She wasn’t wearing a bra!
She had been in such a hurry when she left that she had simply thrown on his long robe and run here. Once she arrived, the villa was so empty, and she had no clothes to change into, so she had completely forgotten about it.
Just as she stood there at a loss, the sound of the front door locking reached her through the air, accompanied by the sound of his approaching footsteps.
Each step seemed to land directly on her heart, making her inexplicably nervous.
He entered the living room carrying an exquisite ancient-style food box in his left hand. When he looked up and saw her adorable appearance with both arms wrapped around her chest, the corners of his lips curved upward into an almost imperceptible, perfect smile.
“Why cover yourself so tightly? Is there anywhere on your body that I haven’t seen or tasted?”
His teasing words immediately made Qiao Anran’s face flush again.
When she thought about how they had already done everything they should and should not have done, there was indeed no need to be so coy. She immediately lowered her hands, walked around to the front of the sofa, and sat down, trying to calm her breath, which felt hot enough to smoke.
Li Cangchen carried the food box over and sat beside her. He placed it on the coffee table and slowly opened it, taking out the delicious dishes one by one and arranging them neatly.
The rich aroma of the food instantly awakened Qiao Anran’s appetite, and she could not help exclaiming, “Have food deliveries reached the level of a five-star chef nowadays?”
Hearing this, a strange glint flashed through Li Cangchen’s deep eyes before they quickly returned to normal. He said nothing, simply picking up the bowl and chopsticks and serving food for her.
Already so hungry that she barely had any strength left, Qiao Anran’s entire attention was focused on the delicious food. She did not find anything strange about him serving her, and instead felt a sense of warmth she had not experienced in a long time.
With him feeding and serving her, she was exceptionally satisfied with the lunch. Every dish seemed tailor-made for her appetite, and every bite made her marvel at how delicious it was.
She had never cooked before, but she immediately decided to order dinner from the same restaurant that evening. If the restaurant could turn such delicious dishes into ready-made meals packed in containers, that would be perfect.
Then she could order them in large quantities, freeze them in the refrigerator, and simply heat them up whenever she was hungry, without having to worry about going hungry during the apocalypse.
What she did not know was that the deliveryman who had left not long ago was walking out of the villa complex with the bag of food, muttering under his breath.
“Rich people really are different. They gave me several hundred yuan worth of food and told me to eat it, and I didn’t even have to return the money.”
As the deliveryman left, the picturesque villa complex once again fell silent.
The sunlight gradually rose higher. As noon approached, the heat became oppressive, and the outdoor temperature had already reached 43°C. For Jiangcheng, a city that was warm like spring all year round, this was unprecedented.
All the news reports that day were covering the fact that this was the hottest day in Jiangcheng’s history. Dozens of people had already suffered heatstroke, and citizens were being advised to stay indoors and avoid going outside whenever possible.
Qiao Anran had not yet had the chance to see the news after eating her fill. At that moment, she was being pinned against the sofa by Li Cangchen.
It was simply because she had said, “You should leave now.”
His expression instantly turned frighteningly cold. He turned around and pushed her down onto the sofa, preventing her from getting up. His long hair, hanging down behind him, spilled across her chest.
She blinked her lively, beautiful eyes as she admired his smooth, glossy black hair.
“Your hair is so beautiful. It’s so long, yet there isn’t a single split end.”
“Little Jiu’er, are you trying to change the subject?” Li Cangchen leaned over her and lowered his body a little further.
The woman whose skin was warmed by his breath moved her hands, which he had pinned above her head with one hand. Seeing that she could not move, she could only give up and raise her head to meet his focused gaze.
“I’m not. I already said that what happened last night was my fault, and I’m willing to compensate you. Just tell me what you want. As long as it’s not too unreasonable, I’ll agree.”
The moment she finished speaking, he answered, “Marry me.”
“!”
Qiao Anran’s eyes widened in shock.
“I don’t even know who you are, and you already want to marry me?”
“Besides, with looks as breathtaking as yours, there should be enough people who want to marry you to circle half the earth.”
She truly could not understand why he wanted to marry her. Was it simply because of their one-night stand? Did he feel that he had lost his virginity and wanted her to take responsibility? Then why had none of this happened in her previous life?
The doubt in her clear eyes was seen plainly by Li Cangchen.
Last time, after that night, he had actually gone looking for her. However, after she entered the Qiao family’s secret passage, her whereabouts seemed to have been deliberately concealed.
He had wanted to use his mental supernatural abilities, but his old illness had happened to flare up, weakening his power and preventing him from sensing her aura. He could only rely on people to search for her.
By the time he finally found her, a month had already passed, and he happened to see her surrounded by zombies.
Because he had spent all that time searching for her without treating his hidden illness, his power had been restricted. He could only use his space-distortion supernatural ability to send her back to before the apocalypse broke out.
Afterward, he entered the spiritual plant space he had obtained by chance a thousand years ago to recover.
Li Cangchen concealed the coldness in his eyes and looked at the woman beneath him, answering her earlier question gently.
“Li Cangchen. That’s my name. Now that you know it, does Little Jiu’er want to marry me?”
The deep affection in his eyes was like an endless ocean, nearly drowning her in it.
At that moment, the surroundings were completely quiet, with only their breathing and the increasingly rapid beating of their hearts breaking the silence.
Without a doubt, she was genuinely beginning to fall for him.
Who would have thought that the stranger she had accidentally slept with at the hotel would become her husband?
Was this what people meant by a handsome man falling from the heavens, only for her to be lucky enough to pick him up?
But the world would undergo a tremendous change tomorrow. She knew her own limitations. She had no supernatural abilities and no means of protecting herself, so she would only become someone else’s burden and liability.
She did not want to drag him down.
“I don’t…”
The moment she uttered the word “don’t,” his lips suddenly pressed down over hers, silencing her completely.
The forceful, irresistible pressure emanating from his body filled her mouth and nose. Her mind seemed to have been covered in fog, turning completely blank and bringing her thoughts to a halt.
The frenzied possession from the previous night suddenly surged into her mind, and the memories that should have remained blurry gradually became clear.
She remembered what he had whispered into her ear.
“Little Jiu’er, go get our marriage certificate with me tomorrow.”
So he had already decided that he would register their marriage with her. She was the one who had stood him up.
The kiss, wrapped in scorching heat, stirred her heart, while the increasingly rapid pounding of her heart rang clearly and vividly in her ears.
When he finally released her, the corners of her reddened eyes glistened with tiny tears, and her disordered, breathless exhalations brushed against his neck.
He buried his head in the curve of her neck and asked hoarsely once more, “Little Jiu’er, do you want to marry me?”
Her delicate white hands, which he had been restraining, had already loosened when his kiss left her powerless to resist.
She raised a hand and touched his dark hair. After taking a few seconds to steady herself, she replied softly, “Then do you know what you have to give up for marrying me?”
Li Cangchen raised his head and answered without the slightest hesitation.
“Tell me. As long as you say it, I’ll do it.”
Seeing that he was serious, Qiao Anran did not beat around the bush and solemnly stated her conditions.
“First, if you marry me, there can only be me in your heart and in your eyes.”
“Second, no matter when it is, you must always put me first. You cannot place me behind anything else.”
“Third, you must listen to everything I say. Even if I really am the one who is wrong, you cannot scold me, and you certainly cannot give me the cold shoulder. You have to patiently coax me.”
“Fourth, apart from me, whether they’re a three-year-old child or an eighty-year-old grandmother, you are not allowed to say a single word to them.”
“Fifth, you have to learn how to cook and prepare delicious meals for me every day.”
“Sixth, you absolutely cannot flirt with other women!”
“That’s all for now. I’ll add more if I think of anything else. If you can do all of this, I’ll go register our marriage with you right now.”
The words she had spoken a thousand years ago once again came vividly into his surging heart. Just as he had done back then, he agreed without hesitation.
“Okay.”
The next second, he turned over and sat up, lifted her horizontally into his arms, and walked out of the villa before getting into the car and heading to the Civil Affairs Bureau.
When Qiao Anran received the red marriage certificate, her heart remained unable to settle down. She had actually gotten married, and it was on the day before the apocalypse.
Sitting in the back seat of the car, she stared at the stunning photograph of the two of them on the marriage certificate, still feeling as though she were dreaming. She had actually married her one-night stand in a flash marriage!
She was twenty years old, while he was twenty-six.
When she saw the age listed on his household registration booklet, she asked in surprise, “You’re actually twenty-six? I thought you were around twenty-two.”
He chuckled softly beside her ear.
“Age is just a number.”
If she knew his true age, she would probably be frightened, so he had used his power to change his age to one that matched hers.
The afternoon sun remained scorching, making people sweat all over. The temperature showed no sign of falling and was continuing to rise, already reaching 46°C. As the tires rolled over the blazing, scorching road, a layer of white smoke even rose from the asphalt.
The newlywed couple sat in the back seat discussing where they would live.
Qiao Anran put away the red marriage certificate and turned to look at her new husband, who had been watching her all along.
“I want to go back to Shengshi Haoting.”
The things she had purchased were scheduled to be delivered at six that evening, and she needed to return to receive them.
“Okay.”