Chapter 35: You belong to me

“Idiot, the door’s open.”

I nudged Jiang Lulan’s skin with my shoulder.

Still immersed in her sense of defeat, she quickly scrambled off me and turned toward the door.

“Sister Lulan, didn’t you say… you were handling… company business?”

An Zhi stood frozen at the door.

Her dark eyes held a poignant beauty, and her face was thinner than before, though her slightly flushed, delicate skin still looked as pure and clean as ever.

“Ah! I just finished. Can you go back to the lounge first? I’m changing, ahahaha—”

Jiang Lulan forced a smile, her exposed body blocking me from view.

So An Zhi didn’t know I was here.

Everything Jiang Lulan said earlier was a lie.

This meant An Zhi might still trust me.

“An Zhi…”

‘I’m right here. I finally get to see you!’

Joy overwhelmed everything else, but the current situation wasn’t exactly suitable for expressing how much I missed her.

An Zhi seemed momentarily blinded by the white light of the ceiling lamp, but her gaze soon shifted to me, her eyes gradually widening.

“Mingshan… Mingshan? Sister Lulan, you lied to me… You told me he wouldn’t come…”

An Zhi took a small step inside.

Jiang Lulan stepped forward to block her, her gray tube top hanging precariously, making her look quite disheveled.

“Wait, you promised me you’d leave today. The tickets are already booked. If you don’t go now, you won’t make it, and you’ll be in breach of contract. Besides, this man… he actually felt something for me just now. He… he’s a scumbag!”

‘What… this woman is twisting the truth! She has no shame!’

“You…”

“Get dressed… Hurry up and get dressed! Go to the side… Move.”

Before I could speak, An Zhi took a step forward.

Biting her lower lip, she forcefully pushed Jiang Lulan aside, a single transparent tear silently rolling down from the corner of her eye.

“An Zhi!?”

Jiang Lulan was pushed against the wall.

Her hand remained suspended in mid-air, clearly caught off guard by the outburst.

“An Zhi? Listen to me…”

“Mingshan!”

I wanted to explain the scene, but An Zhi suddenly rushed toward me and leaped into my arms.

A fragrant scent filled my nose—a pleasant, light aroma like spring blossoms.

It was a scent unique to An Zhi.

I felt the soft touch of her small hands as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders.

I could never forget that soft, pillowy feeling from the first time I held her hand.

‘An Zhi is hugging me!? Is she really hugging me?’

My brain short-circuited for a moment, unable to believe the reality before me, before being flooded by waves of joy.

It felt like I was flying.

My body struggled instinctively, wanting to get as close to her as possible, greedily soaking in the presence of my long-lost lover.

“Mingshan, Mingshan… *sob*, I missed you so much… *sob*—”

She couldn’t stop crying.

Her long hair brushed against my skin, and she trembled with excitement.

‘These must be tears of joy this time, right?’

“An Zhi, you’ve worked hard.”

I had so many things to say—apologies, thanks, explanations, and confessions—thousands of words organized in my mind, but only those few could squeeze out.

“Yes! I’ve been working so hard… I kept thinking about… when I’d see you. Just like I wrote in the letter… I wanted a hug…”

Her voice was slightly hoarse as she spoke.

She sat astride my lap, hugging me tightly.

I desperately wanted to hold her back, but my hands and feet were still tied.

I could only press my cheek against hers, feeling the warmth of her tears.

“I… I missed you too.”

Despite everything that had happened and the shifts in my emotions, this one thing had never changed.

“Mm-hmm…”

She rubbed her face against mine, pressing her body even closer.

“I’m still here, you know… Hey…”

Jiang Lulan’s weak voice drifted over as she padded behind me barefoot.

A few seconds later, the restraints on my wrists loosened.

I could finally wrap my arms around An Zhi’s back and hold her in my embrace.

As the peak of joy passed, I suddenly became acutely aware of the sensation of her body—the softness against my chest, the smooth muscle lines of her abdomen, and the slight pressure on my thighs…

‘This is bad. I might lose control…’

“Huh? Mingshan… is something…”

Her cheeks instantly flushed a deep red as she buried her face in my chest.

“…It’s nothing, don’t mind it,” I said awkwardly.

“Aren’t you… impotent? I… you…!”

I heard Jiang Lulan’s indignant and frustrated voice from behind.

“I get it! You win this time!”

‘Wait, is there supposed to be a next time!?’

Then, my ankles were freed, and I felt my feet hit the solid floor.

“An Zhi, you have ten minutes at most. The high-speed train leaves at 9:30 PM. You only have ten minutes.”

Leaving those words behind, Jiang Lulan straightened her clothes and prepared to leave.

Just as she reached the door, An Zhi spoke firmly.

“Li Mingshan belongs to me… He’s mine!”

“Whatever. This day was a total failure. Sigh—”

Jiang Lulan sighed and slammed the door behind her as she left.

Silence returned to the room.

We hugged tightly, as if trying to make up for all the time we had lost.

“……”

“……”

But I knew that was impossible.

All we could reclaim were these brief ten minutes.

Even though I got my wish to hold her, I couldn’t hinder her career.

She would never give up dancing.

I also wanted her to keep dancing, to fly even higher than she was now.

Physical and spiritual contact was more efficient than words.

I focused on feeling her presence, digesting the longing that had built up in my heart for so long.

She seemed to enjoy the contact as well, breathing quietly and accepting the warmth I was radiating.

Time waits for no one…

If I didn’t explain now, it would be too late.

“An Zhi, I have so many things to say.”

“……”

She nodded.

“I want to tell you everything that happened to me recently.”

“……”

Right now, she seemed to have returned to her school days, quietly and obediently listening to my story.

Starting from meeting Su Xixia again, I explained everything as simply as possible:

The loneliness I felt when I thought I had lost her; The twisted relationship with Su Xixia; The origin of that recording; And the resolve and determination I had found now.

Her body would occasionally tremble or stiffen.

Her hands were interlaced as she held me, her nails grazing my skin.

I had hurt her.

I had betrayed the affection she had always shown me.

I was the cause of all this, so I had to bear all the responsibility.

“I’m sorry, An Zhi. I don’t deserve your love. I know you love dancing the most. You look so perfect and happy when you’re streaming… The ten minutes are almost up. You should go back and keep dancing.”

“……”

She shook her head violently.

I didn’t know what that meant.

Was she disagreeing with me?

That had to be it; there was no way she hated dancing.

If she stayed with me even after this…

That was impossible!

I was the one who made mistakes—what was I even hoping for?

Did I have no shame?

“Your clothes are soaked from crying. You’ll look bad going out like this. You’re so beautiful…”

I said.

“…Wait for me,” she finally spoke.

“Hm?”

“The contract has one year left… After one year, I can come back. You have to wait for me, Mingshan.”

!!?

She didn’t mention Su Xixia at all; she only told me to wait for her.

I knew she couldn’t possibly be indifferent to the mistakes I’d made.

She was just hiding all her emotions in her heart, unwilling to blame me, hit me, or even ignore me…

“But I…”

“If you’re lonely… come watch my stream more often. I shouldn’t have told you not to watch before… I was just afraid you’d see the fake version of me. I didn’t realize it would make you lonely…”

After hearing everything I said, was she still blaming herself?

‘Idiot, don’t take the blame on yourself.’

“I have been watching, secretly. But I still…”

“It’s me… I haven’t had the courage to sneak back and see you… but you’ve desperately broken in twice to find me. You did what I couldn’t do… I was too cowardly.”

“But before that, I was still tempted by that woman…”

“It’s because I was away for too long and didn’t watch over you…”

This was going to go on forever!

Since when had An Zhi become so stubborn, constantly contradicting me?

How was I supposed to send her back to her company with a smile like this?

Honestly, I wanted her to stay.

‘Let me be in the wrong… just a little bit. Only then can I sincerely convince you to leave.’

“Time’s up.”

A soft knock came from the door.

Our brief time together had come to an end.

“An Zhi… go. I’ll wait. This time, I’ll keep my distance from other women. I’ll only wait for you to come back!”

“Mm… I’ll miss you too. Come to the stream often… I’ll dance my best for you.”

She said this, but her body didn’t move an inch.

“Go on.”

She nodded and pulled back slightly to look into my eyes.

Her eyes were bloodshot from crying, but the light in them sparkled with anticipation.

“An Zhi?”

“…It’s not fair.”

“Eh?”

Seeing her pursed pink lips and the way she tried to pout—was she hinting at something?

“I haven’t kissed you… This is my first time, so it’s not fair… so kiss me.”

Her cheeks flushed red again.

How could I resist satisfying her when she was acting so spoiled?

We looked at each other and slowly drew closer.

My somewhat dry lips met those moist, pink lips that were as sweet as gummy candy—

We shared our first kiss at the moment of our impending separation.

*Click.*

The door opened slightly.

“An Zhi, time’s up. Oh, I’ve walked into quite a shameful scene! Should I take a photo for a souvenir? Of An Zhi acting so spoiled?”

Jiang Lulan’s voice rang out.

At the same time, An Zhi reluctantly pulled away from me and climbed off my lap, smoothing out her pure white dress.

“I’ll also—”

I started to stand.

“Not you. There are people sent by the company outside, and security is there too. Do you want to suffer some more?”

Jiang Lulan glared at me.

She was right. It was naive of me to think I could see her off at the train station.

The moment she stepped out of this dressing room, she would become that incredibly popular female streamer again, no longer just my girlfriend.

“It’s a promise…”

An Zhi turned her head, smiling sweetly.

“Yeah…”

“Then… goodbye.”

“Goodbye.”

Her legs were trembling as she stepped away from me, one step at a time.

Before she stepped through that door—

“I’ll wait for you! I love you, An Zhi!”

Hearing my confession, her legs seemed to go weak for a moment.

She paused for a beat before finally stepping out the door.

“I… love you too.”

She looked back one last time.

It was the most endearing smile I had ever seen since we started dating.

I carved this scene deep into my mind, intending to recall it every time I felt lonely over the next year.

She left, and the small space suddenly felt much colder.

It was time to go.

I wanted to walk out, but her lingering scent held me back, keeping me there until it finally vanished completely.

She hadn’t changed.

She was still that gentle, obedient, and reserved An Zhi.