"......" Lu Lingchuan stared at her, his jet-black eyes like a boundless night sky, devoid of twinkling stars, dim and devoid of light.
After a long while, he finally continued, his voice raspier than before.
"If you choose to end things with me......"
A hint of evasion and gloom flickered in his eyes, but ultimately he resigned himself.
He went on, "I will respect your choice, and once the agreement ends, I will let you go and welcome your new life."
Lu Lingchuan gazed at her and asked, "So, wanna bet?"
"This is your only chance to leave me."
"You know I've never let you go, and if you choose not to bet with me, I won't let you leave either."
Although the two had been entangled for years, after so many years of love, Lu Lingchuan used their most loving year as capital to strike a betting agreement with Shen Nian.
If they still loved each other, then they would let go of everything and start anew.
If... in the end, they chose to part ways, these final 100 days would at least give each other some beautiful memories.
Their six-year-long relationship may not have been perfect, but it had to come to an end, and then...
they would embrace new love.
One had to admit, Lu Lingchuan was born to be a businessman - he knew too well what his partner wanted, so the temptation he offered was hard to refuse.
The final 100 days, let go of all grudges, love each other again like they once did at their most loving time.
"Okay." Shen Nian nodded. "I accept."
"But I have one request," Shen Nian said.
Lu Lingchuan nodded, "Go ahead."
"Since you're giving me the choice, then I'll give you the chance to regret. During these 100 days, if you ever want to end it, anytime, anywhere, I'll respect your choice. Is that okay?" Shen Nian asked.
Lu Lingchuan fell silent for two seconds, then nodded, "Okay."
After agreeing, he picked up the ointment beside him to help her apply it. Shen Nian tried to withdraw her hand, but Lu Lingchuan was rather insistent.
"You need to apply the ointment."
Not giving her a chance to refuse, he said, "The betting agreement starts now, so we'll resume our former boyfriend-girlfriend relationship."
With those words, the somewhat solemn atmosphere was instantly alleviated. Shen Nian curved her lips, a hint of a faint smile in her eyes.
"Don't try to brainwash me. You said it starts tomorrow, not today," she said.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Well, sorry, but as a businessman, it's not my style to not profit myself." Lu Lingchuan said.
Pausing, he continued, "Consider these last few hours a gift from you."
Clearing his throat, he added, "A trial period."
Shen Nian laughed wryly, "Only members get trial periods." Since when did such a thing exist?
"Exactly." Lu Lingchuan said with a straight face. "Even if I sign up for a membership, I get a few days of free trial. Why shouldn't you give me one?"
"......" A businessman was indeed a businessman - no matter how strange the logic, it somehow made sense.
But it was only a few hours anyway, so she'd just give in.
Shen Nian stopped resisting and let Lu Lingchuan help apply the ointment.
After applying the ointment, Shen Nian got up. "I'll go draw you a bath. You can take a shower."
"Okay."
"Your black pajama set, I washed it clean a few days ago and put it in the wardrobe. Wear that one?" Shen Nian said as she walked away.
"Okay."
It felt like his voice was getting farther and farther away, as if he hadn't followed her.
Shen Nian turned around to see Lu Lingchuan still in the same kneeling position, though she was no longer on the couch. He was kneeling, staring at... the couch?
"......" Shen Nian was amused by his rigid posture. "What are you doing?"
Lu Lingchuan's body was stiff. "I'm pondering a problem."
"???" Shen Nian asked, "What problem?"
Lu Lingchuan said seriously, "How to alleviate the discomfort caused by poor blood circulation and insufficient oxygen supply to the cells due to my leg position."
Shen Nian carefully considered every word he said, and after understanding, she curved her lips. "So your leg fell asleep, right?"
His leg fell asleep, yet he described it so professionally.
"Yes," the man admitted readily.
From the moment he came in until now, he had been kneeling the whole time, so how could his leg not fall asleep?
Hearing the matter-of-fact tone in his voice, Shen Nian found Lu Lingchuan adorable for the first time.
Yes, adorable.
She tentatively asked, "Do you need me to help you up?"
Lu Lingchuan replied, "Aren't you going to come over quickly?"
Their brief exchange had lightened the atmosphere considerably.
Shen Nian turned around and helped Lu Lingchuan up.
Lu Lingchuan's leg had indeed fallen asleep, and quite badly too.
With Shen Nian's help, he slowly stood up, planning to sit on the couch to recover.
After helping him to the couch, Shen Nian said, "Let me go draw your bath."
As she turned to leave, she didn't notice her standing position, and her right leg was against the coffee table. So when she turned right, her shin hit the coffee table directly.
The coffee table pushed back a bit, and Shen Nian stumbled back two steps.
Coincidentally, she stepped on Lu Lingchuan's shoe and fell right onto his lap, squarely sitting on his numb leg.
Seeing Shen Nian stumble back, Lu Lingchuan immediately reached out to catch her. When Shen Nian fell onto his lap, his hand touched her lower back.
And then.
The whole world fell silent.
Lu Lingchuan: "......"
............
A commotion that could also be considered a rare heartwarming moment.
Lu Lingchuan went to take a shower, while Shen Nian sat leaning against the bed.
Thinking of something, she bent down and opened the drawer under the bedside cabinet.
Over the years, although the two often quarreled over trivial matters, Lu Lingchuan's best quality was that he never rummaged through her belongings.
The bedside cabinet on Shen Nian's side was where she kept things she needed at night, and Lu Lingchuan knew this, so he never put his things in her territory.
She opened the bottom drawer, which was messy, filled with boxes and bottles of medicine, almost jammed with so many items.
Shen Nian rummaged around until she finally found the key.
She closed the drawer, locked it with the key, then opened the top drawer and tossed the key inside.
When Lu Lingchuan came out, Shen Nian was browsing her phone.
Drying his short hair with a towel, he wore the black pajama set, which had a faint floral scent, the same as Shen Nian's.
It was September now, still hot during the day, but with a cool breeze at night.
Lu Lingchuan lifted the thin blanket and got into bed, catching a glimpse of Shen Nian flipping through photos in his peripheral vision.
"What are you looking at?" Lu Lingchuan asked.
"Just browsing." Shen Nian replied to Lu Lingchuan while flipping through photos.
"The October long vacation is coming up soon. I've seen many bloggers recommending travel guides, and I've already scrolled through many of them."
She then showed her phone screen to Lu Lingchuan, displaying incredibly beautiful natural scenery and picturesque landscapes from within the country.
Lu Lingchuan caught a glimpse of the longing in her eyes. "Want to go traveling?"
[Yes, there has been a reversal again~~ So is it he or be after all~~ We'll find out later.
By the way, I had surgery yesterday and took leave from my neck scarf. From now on, I'll notify you guys of anything on there. Those who haven't followed me yet, quickly go follow @ErchaodeQiao]
