He looked at her in surprise. "You'll try to love me?"
She leaned in and planted a swift kiss on his cheek, catching him off guard. "Yes, my love. I will do my best to love you. I no longer have any family—now, you and yours are my family."
Long Yubei gazed at her, a rare tenderness softening his eyes. His hand rose instinctively to caress her head. "I will treat you well."
Those six simple words struck a chord deep in her heart, stirring a quiet warmth.
When Long Fengxi opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Shen Congmo's sleeping face.
With her hands tucked beneath her cheek, she lay on her side, silently studying him.
The vivid heat of last night still lingered in her memory. She had never imagined that after all these years, they would once again lie so exposed, so vulnerable, in the same bed.
They had been each other's first love.
Back then, their romance had stirred the whole school. On the sports field, he had claimed her without hesitation: "She—Long Fengxi—is my girl!"
It felt like a distant dream, yet also like it had happened just yesterday.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked, his eyes opening, as deep and still as a midnight lake.
Flushing, she sat up and pulled the blanket over herself. "No," she muttered, breath caught in her throat.
"Come now, with all that pleasure, how can you say that? Doesn't your conscience ache, saying such a thing?"
"I have no conscience," she snapped, eyes flashing with defiance.
She made to leave the bed, but he caught her and pulled her back into his arms. Their bodies pressed tightly together, and within moments, his once-placid body responded with startling urgency.
The speed of it stunned her.
With her cheeks flushed, she hissed, "Let me go."
"What's this? Crawling out of bed and suddenly pretending we're strangers?"
"Shen Congmo…"
He leaned close, his teeth grazing her earlobe. "Fengxi, after all these years, are you still not done being angry?"
"Do you think forgiveness comes so easily?" she shot back. Even now, the memory of it still made her chest burn.
"I've only ever loved you," he murmured, pinning one of her legs beneath his, drawing even closer. "After all this time, surely you can see how sincere I am. I've been waiting for you."
She bit her lip. His words still had the power to shake her. Hearing him say he loved only her made her heart beat wildly, no matter how she tried to remain indifferent.
"Why so silent?"
"I don't want to talk to you."
Shen Congmo chuckled. "Then who do you want to talk to—this guy?" he teased, guiding her hand to the hard truth of his desire.
"Bastard! Let go!"
He rolled on top of her. "Do you know what it's been like, carrying the weight of missing you all these years?"
"Don't lie. Who knows how many foreign girls you've entertained?"
"I swear to the heavens—I haven't." He lowered his head and kissed her skin, whispering between each breath. "Fengxi… let's be together again."
"Who wants to be with you again?" she scoffed. "Get off me."
"I won't."
"Get. Off."
…
When Long Fengxi finally rose and dressed, two full hours had passed.
Shen Congmo fastened the last button of his shirt, utterly content. "Fengxi, from this moment on, you're my girlfriend again. From childhood until now, I've only ever had one girlfriend—it's always been you, only you."
"I am not," she replied coolly, slipping into her shoes. "No one agreed to be your girlfriend."
"If I say you are, then you are," he declared, brooking no argument.
Long Fengxi turned and walked away without looking back.
But her heart bloomed with secret joy.
It hadn't stopped racing since dawn.
When she returned to the Long household, Long Tianjiao immediately confronted her. "Sis, where did you sleep last night?"
"I had a class reunion," she answered as she headed to her room. "We were all in high spirits. A few of us girls stayed up all night catching up."
Tianjiao trailed after her. "You haven't seen them in years—were you really that close with your old classmates?"