CHAPTER 13

Hu Anxue woke up in warm embrace. The owner of the embrace was still asleep, but she quickly became fully awake. She moved cautiously, and the other person unconsciously released her, granting her freedom. A faint light seeped through the curtains, allowing her to easily find her phone next to the pillow. It was still early, only 6:30 am, so she returned to bed, admiring Hang Ying's beautiful sleeping face while reminiscing about last night's passion. But as she dwelled on those thoughts, things became a bit difficult to control. Her mind was filled with ambiguous images, and it was too early in the morning to continue thinking like that. Hu Anxue managed to put a stop to her thoughts in time and decided to get up and make breakfast.

Due to her parents' demands, Hu Anxue had learned to cook at a young age and was familiar with the kitchen. After entering the kitchen, she glanced at the ingredients in the refrigerator and already had an idea for today's breakfast. She put slices of bread into the toaster, opened the package of ham and sliced it, fried eggs, made sandwiches, and poured hot milk. It was a perfect meal, now she just had to wait for Hang Ying to wake up.

When Hang Ying woke up, she found herself alone. However, she vaguely remembered that Hu Anxue had gotten up. Without freshening up, she walked out of the bedroom and saw Hu Anxue in a ponytail, wearing an apron, scrubbing the pots in the kitchen.

Hu Anxue quickly noticed her and greeted her with a warm smile. "Do you want breakfast now?"

Hang Ying asked, "What did you make?"

Hu Anxue replied, "Sandwiches and milk."

Hang Ying stood at the kitchen door, looking at the beautifully made sandwich on the plate and said, "It looks delicious. I'll freshen up and be right there."

Hang Ying graciously finished all the food that Hu Anxue served her. As soon as Hang Ying finished eating, Hu Anxue stood up, collected her plate, and walked away. Hang Ying wanted to tell her there was no rush, and they could wait until the housekeeper arrived to clean up, but Hu Anxue was too quick. In the blink of an eye, she disappeared into the kitchen.

Hang Ying checked the time and realized it was almost time for Hu Anxue to leave for work. She got up and went back to the bedroom to change her clothes. Today, she wanted to accompany Hu Anxue to work.

Crash...

Just as Hang Ying finished changing and came out, she heard a crisp sound of glass shattering in the kitchen. She immediately rushed into the kitchen and asked, "What happened?"

"Sorry, I slipped and dropped the milk glass." Hu Anxue remained crouched on the floor, not looking up. She apologized while hurriedly picking up the broken glass from the floor.

Hang Ying stopped her, "Don't move, don't use your hands. It's too dangerous. I'll go get some tools."

Before Hang Ying could finish speaking, Hu Anxue's hand was already cut by the glass.

Hang Ying held Hu Anxue's injured hand and examined it closely. "Luckily, the wound isn't deep. Don't worry about this, go sit on the couch. I'll get the first aid kit."

"No need, I'm fine." Hu Anxue said, watching Hang Ying's retreating figure.

When Hang Ying came out, Hu Anxue sat obediently on the couch, head lowered, looking like a wilted eggplant. Hang Ying sat next to her, replaced the tissue in her hand with gauze, pressed it onto the wound, and waited for the bleeding to stop. Gently, Hang Ying disinfected the wound with iodine and then wrapped it with the gauze.

Throughout the process, Hu Anxue didn't utter a word, maintaining a serious expression. Hang Ying felt heartbroken. She continued to hold Hu Anxue's injured hand and looked at the calluses on her fingertips. Softly, she said, "Does it hurt? From now on, don't pick up things from the floor with your hands, okay?"

Hu Anxue nodded, and a hint of sobbing could be heard in her simple response. As Hang Ying lifted her head, Hu Anxue lifted her other hand, quickly wiping away her tears with the back of her hand.

Hang Ying tucked the strands of hair falling on Hu Anxue's forehead behind her ear and carefully examined her face. "Why are you crying? Did I hurt you?"

Hu Anxue shook her head. "No."

Hang Ying asked, "Then what's wrong?"

Hu Anxue replied, "I'm sorry, I can't do anything right."

Hang Ying said, "No, that's not true. The breakfast you made was delicious."

Hu Anxue didn't want to cry, she didn't want to leave the impression of being someone who cried easily on Hang Ying, but she couldn't help it. Tears fell uncontrollably.

"It's just a glass, it's okay." Hang Ying quickly pulled out a tissue to wipe Hu Anxue's tears.

"Aren't you angry with me? I made breakfast, and then I broke the glass." Hu Anxue looked at Hang Ying with evident caution in her eyes.

Hang Ying smiled. "There's nothing to be angry about, it's just a glass, not an antique."

Hu Anxue said, "Whenever I break something at home, my parents scold me and say I'm useless. So, I'm scared. I'm afraid you'll think I'm stupid."

Hang Ying immediately understood the problem. She gently embraced Hu Anxue, stroking her back. "You don't need to be afraid anymore. Big sister can afford to buy many glasses, and I will never think you're stupid or scold you. Don't be scared, stop crying, be good~"

Hang Ying's embrace was too warm, her words too gentle. Hu Anxue closed her eyes and indulged in the warmth for a while before pulling away. "Are you going out?"

She noticed that Hang Ying had changed her clothes, but instead of a suit, she was wearing a dress.

Hang Ying replied, "Yes, I'll drive you to work."

Hu Anxue: "No need, I'll take the subway."

Hang Ying: "The subway station is still two kilometers away, and it's inconvenient to take a taxi or ride a bike. You'll also have to transfer on the subway . Let me drive you. I checked, the traffic isn't bad."

Hu Anxue glanced at the time. "Then let me pack my things."

Hu Anxue's company was not in the city center, so the road was relatively smooth. After parking, Hang Ying couldn't help but caution, "Make sure your hand doesn't touch water, be careful in everything you do, and avoid touching it."

Hu Anxue nodded. "Yes, I know. Thank you for driving me here."

As Hu Anxue was about to unbuckle her seatbelt, Hang Ying grabbed her arm. "Don't rush to leave."

"What's wrong, Sister Hang?" Hu Anxue was a bit puzzled.

Hang Ying smirked and lowered her gaze to Hu Anxue's lips. "Don't I deserve a reward from my considerate girlfriend?"

Hu Anxue immediately understood Hang Ying's intention, pursed her lips, and then leaned in to lightly kiss Hang Ying's cheek.

Hang Ying asked, "Anything else?"

Hu Anxue carefully planted another gentle kiss on Hang Ying's lips. Hang Ying wasn't wearing makeup, but Hu Anxue had applied lip gloss, so now there was a thin layer of color on Hang Ying's lips.

Hang Ying asked, "How long is your lunch break?"

Hu Anxue replied, "One hour."

Hang Ying said, "Then we won't have enough time to go home for dinner."

Hu Anxue responded, "No need, there are many restaurants near the office."

Hang Ying agreed, "Alright, then I'll pick you up in the evening."

Hu Anxue instinctively refused, "No need, I'll take the subway."

Hang Ying squinted her eyes at Hu Anxue. "Hmm?"

Hu Anxue quickly changed her mind. "Okay, I'll try not to work overtime, and I'll let you know in advance if I do."

Hang Ying patted Hu Anxue's head. "Good, go ahead."

Fortunately, the injury was on Hu Anxue's left hand, so it didn't affect her ability to paint. However, her productivity in the first hour today was low because she was still immersed in the sweetness of the past few days. But in order to go home on time in the evening, she had to concentrate and work hard.

Recently, she had been very lucky, and each day went smoothly. When she finished work on time in the evening, she walked downstairs and saw Hang Ying's car. She quickly walked up to the car, opened the door, and got in. Hang Ying looked stunning, with a bright makeup, and smiled at her. "Let's go, we're going to have dinner."

Hang Ying took Hu Anxue to a nice Western restaurant for dinner. The atmosphere between them was great all evening, but they hadn't found a chance to kiss until they arrived at the doorstep of their home.

"Mmm..."

"Mhmm..."

Both of them were passionate, unable to let go of each other while kissing. They didn't even remember to open the door when they reached home.

Clatter! Somehow, the door suddenly opened from the inside.

"You two..."

Startled by the noise, Hu Anxue immediately pulled away from Hang Ying's embrace and fixed her hair. When she saw that it was Hu Anfeng who opened the door, she felt a bit scared. She was afraid he would tell their parents, and she also regretted her earlier panic. Yes, she shouldn't have panicked. Hang Ying wasn't her real spouse, after all. She was kissing her own girlfriend, not his wife.

Hang Ying looked at Hu Anfeng displeasedly. "Why are you back so early?"

Hu Anfeng felt a bit embarrassed. "My parents are coming tonight."

Hang Ying frowned. "Why didn't you tell me in advance?"

Hu Anfeng stepped back and made way for Hang Ying. "I just found out not long ago. I messaged you as soon as I knew."

Hang Ying and Hu Anxue entered the house together. Hang Ying asked, "Did they say why they're coming?"

Hu Anfeng replied, "They're bringing some local specialties and they want to go to the hospital for a check-up tomorrow. It was arranged by our relatives."

Upon hearing that her parents were coming, Hu Anxue suddenly lost her good mood. She hated seeing her parents, and the thought of meeting them made her feel annoyed. She also feared that Hu Anfeng would tell their parents about her and Hang Ying, although he probably wouldn't do that since it wouldn't benefit him. But she couldn't completely rule out the possibility because he had always enjoyed tattling on her since they were kids.

Every time Hu Anxue's parents came, they brought bags full of things. Sometimes it was fruits and milk, other times it was local specialties. Some of the local specialties from their hometown were quite famous.

When her parents arrived, Hu Anxue stood by the door and obediently greeted them. But her father still seemed displeased with her.

Hu's Father: "Hu Anxue, why are you just standing there? Help your brother carry the stuff."

Hu Anxue immediately followed behind Hu Anfeng to help him arrange the items. When she returned, Hu's Mother spoke up, "Hu Anxue, go wash the cherries and let your sister-in-law taste them. We grew them in our backyard, and they're really sweet."

"Oh, okay." Hu Anxue, who had just sat down, immediately got up to go to the kitchen.

"No need, Xiaoxue. Don't bother. I don't want to eat." Hang Ying pulled Hu Anxue's arm.

Hu's Father: "Then, Hu Anxue, go slice the braised pork for your sister-in-law to eat."

Frowning, Hang Ying said, "Dad, I don't eat that. Don't make Xiaoxue do things for me."

"Xiaoxue." Hang Ying held Hu Anxue's hand and stood up. "Come with me to my room for a while."

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