Su Yan sat in his wheelchair, watering the flowers in the garden.
The warm early winter sun fell on Su Yan, as if he were gilded with a layer of golden light.
Su Qi paused, pursed her lips, and swallowed the words she had been about to say.
She walked forward silently, stopping behind the man. Her shadow fell on Su Yan. As if sensing something, the watering can in Su Yan's hand dropped to the ground. Su Qi picked it up for Su Yan and handed it to him, "Brother!"
"Mm!"
Su Yan took the watering can and sprayed the flowers and plants evenly. Even though it was early winter, these delicate plants were still well cared for by Su Yan, lush and vibrant, looking so fresh and dewy that they instantly lifted one's spirits.
"You're here."
"Brother, how have you been feeling recently?"
Su Qi pushed Su Yan's wheelchair back indoors, got a thin blanket, and covered Su Yan's legs.
Su Yan coughed and shook his head, "I'm fine. It's just that Mom hasn't been home these past few days. Has something happened?"
"Mom is in the hospital. She might be discharged in a while."
Su Qi blurted out, telling a lie, a white lie.
She took out a document bag from behind and held it out to Su Yan.
"Good news, guess what?"
"What is it? I can't guess."
Su Yan blinked and took the folder from Su Qi.
"Open it and see!"
After Su Qi spoke, Su Yan slowly opened the document bag and saw the contents. It was company registration documents. Su Yan was stunned, then looked directly at Su Qi, "Xiao Su? What is this?"
"This is your dream."
Su Qi opened the company registration documents. "We have a company now, Brother."
"Really?" Su Yan thought Su Qi was joking with him and couldn't believe his eyes. He held the company registration documents in his hand and stared blankly for a long time.
"When has Xiao Xi ever lied to you? Brother, you will be the chairman of the company from now on. You need to go out more. I hope you can be strong and look forward, but if you don't want to, I won't force you..."
Before Su Qi could finish, Su Yan leaned forward and hugged her, his embrace so strong that Su Qi could barely breathe, her small face turning red.
Leaving the Su family, Su Qi felt warm inside. She drove back to Shallow Bay, humming a tune. As soon as she entered the entrance hall, she saw the man sitting on the living room sofa.
Seeing Su Qi return, Huo Tingyun stubbed out his cigarette and patted the seat beside him. "Come here."
The man simply sat there. The evening light streamed in from the balcony, falling on the man, carving his chiseled handsome face in half-light and half-shadow. His broad, imposing frame and long legs were casually crossed on the sofa. He was wearing slippers, and the sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up halfway, revealing a section of his muscular arm.
Su Qi took a deep breath and slowly walked towards the man. "You're getting off work early today."
She sat beside Huo Tingyun, or rather, at the far end of the sofa, a full meter away from him.
Huo Tingyun's eyes darkened. He directly extended his long arm and pulled her towards him. Su Qi let out a soft cry, and she was instantly pulled into the man's embrace, directly seated on his lap. Sister Wu was cooking in the kitchen, and Su Qi felt a little flustered, her hands resting on Huo Tingyun's shoulders. "Don't do this, Sister Wu is here."
The man remained silent, only kissing her. Soon, he began to lift her skirt.
Su Qi let out a soft cry, "Don't!"
"Hmm? I consulted with someone, and they said as long as we're careful, it's fine. I'll just... nudge..."
The man's tone held a hint of playfulness, and he became more and more presumptuous. Su Qi bit her lip tightly, and soon she heard a rustling sound. He didn't take off her skirt but lifted it, letting it cover his legs, and then unzipped his own pants.
Feeling it, Su Qi's body tensed. The man whispered to coax her.
"Don't be nervous, I can't get in."
"Huo Tingyun..."
For the first time, she realized how hungry this man was.
He still entered.
Su Qi let out a soft moan.
The man's breath sprayed into her ear. "So tight."
Su Qi's cheeks flushed a dark red. "Sister Wu is here, Huo Tingyun, you're crazy!"
Couldn't they go upstairs to finish?
"Mm? Just a moment, don't move."
The man's voice had become hoarse and deep. Su Qi was filled with shame and anger, her waist held by the man's two hands, forcing her to cooperate.
"Miss, you're back." Sister Wu came out of the kitchen with dishes and saw the scene in the living room. "Oh my, the young couple is so sweet. They're already hugging as soon as they got back."
Su Qi felt extremely embarrassed. She bit her lower lip and nodded at Sister Wu. "Sister Wu, after you finish cooking... you can go home!"
"Alright!"
Sister Wu agreed, placed the dishes on the table, tidied up the kitchen, and seeing the couple still embracing, said nothing more. Not wanting to be a third wheel, she wisely left.
As soon as the door closed, Su Qi exhaled.
The man also let out a deep breath. She knew he was finished.
Su Qi wanted to get up, but the man didn't let go. "Huo Tingyun, you..."
He had eaten everything and was not letting go of the bones. Was he planning to suck out the bones too?
"Let me feel for a while," the man said hoarsely. He raised a hand and placed it on Su Qi's cheek. She wasn't wearing makeup, and her skin was fair, delicate, and felt wonderful to the touch, like fine silk, smooth and soft, cool to the touch. Just a touch made one want to linger, unable to move their hand.
Su Qi turned her face away, dodging the man's fingers.
Huo Tingyun suddenly seemed enraged. He grabbed her chin, forcefully turned her face back, and kissed her fiercely.
Half an hour later, Su Qi finally got to eat dinner, but because she had swallowed so much, she couldn't eat much. She ate a few mouthfuls of vegetables and went upstairs.
With a bang, she locked the bedroom door.
Su Qi went into the bathroom and took a hot shower.
After washing, she stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself.
Her limbs were still slender, but her abdomen had already protruded. However, it wasn't very large, and there were no stretch marks on her belly. It was probably because she was still in the early stages.
Although she hadn't been prone to scarring since childhood, when she fell from a tree and split her forehead open, it hadn't left any scars. Even the time she was slapped by Xu Ruyun, there was a blood mark, and after a month of recovery, there were barely any visible traces.
Su Qi remembered the essential oil Sister Wu had prepared for her. She opened the bathroom drawer and found it.