Chapter 624: I’ll Shoulder It For You

There was aphrodisiac between each of their breaths. The moment the fuse of desire caught fire, there was no turning back. Rolling over, Yan Huan laid on her back and plucked at Lu Yi’s buttons playfully.

Lu Yi put a hand on her shoulder.

“Is your arm alright now?”

“Yep,” answered Yan Huan. “Since a long time ago. You were the one insisting that I was a cripple. Even a cripple would have recovered by now.”

“Let me take a look,” said Lu Yi as he carefully touched her arm. “Does it hurt here?”

Yan Huan shook her head. His hand moved up and gave a squeeze. “How about here?” Yan Huan shook her head again.

His arm was at Yan Huan’s shoulder by now. Spontaneously, he reached inside the blankets.

Yan Huan’s eyelashes twitched as her eyes grew hazy.

Then they had sex—the wonderful physical intertwining of a male and a female, a pleasure most addictive.

It belonged to him as much as her.

At length, a hand reached out from inside the blanket and found the phone at the edge of the bed. Following that, a head popped out.

Only one month left, thought Yan Huan as she flipped through the calendar. Should I really stay silent? She hadn’t made up her mind yet. Such thoughts were the only things that occupied her mind these days.

Should she pretend to be callous or oblivious and let nature take its course?

Will she come to regret that decision someday?

She did not have the answer to it. Neither did anyone else.

In the silent, windless night, most of the lights in households had gone out. It was as though there was no sound at all. In this residential area, the silence was welcomed.

Yan Huan sprang up, her forehead covered in a sheen of sweat. Her breathing was out of rhythm, and she was about to cry.

Lu Yi sat up beside her and turned on the light. His heart sank at the sight of Yan Huan’s state. His hand reached for Yan Huan’s forehead and found a layer of sweat.

“Was it a nightmare?”

Yan Huan wrapped her arms around his neck and huddled up close to him.

One of her hands grasped a button on his pajamas as she kept on shivering. Was she cold? Was she scared?

Lu Yi pulled her closer and soothed her by patting her shoulders.

“It’s just a nightmare, baby. Everything’s fine now that you are awake.”

Yan Huan’s fingers suddenly pulled so hard they nearly ripped his button off.

“Next month...” she began.

“Don’t say it, Yan Huan,” warned Lu Yi, darkening and seizing her firmly by the shoulders.

Yan Huan took a sniff and lifted up her face. She was scared. But she had to say it.

“A heavy rain will befall Sea City next month.”

“I said don’t say it!” Lu Yi covered her mouth with his hand. He had a scary, disconsolate look on his face. He told her not to say it. What part of that did she not understand?

But Yan Huan peeled his hand away and bit it hard. Lu Yi felt the pain but made no effort to shrink.

“The rain will last for nearly a month,” she continued. She could feel his heartbeat and body temperature increasing, but his face was eerily icy.

Yan Huan’s eyes looked out to the scenery outside the window. “There will be a massive flood along Sea River, leaving countless farms demolished and numerous lives lost.”

Yan Huan pressed her head against his shoulders to feel his warmth. That way she wouldn’t feel cold. She was scared of the cold and the dark, and even more scared of saying things that might court divine punishment. Yet she had to do what she could to save a few more lives. Otherwise, what was the point of her rebirth? How could she say and do nothing when lives were at stake?

She wasn’t a good person or a saint, but she couldn’t bear to see so many people losing their lives when she could prevent it. She was a soldier. She had been there and saved lives during the Serene City earthquake. Everything that happened then was still fresh in her memories.

At that time, all she wanted was to save more people, and not stand idle and helpless.

“And by the way,” she laughed wistfully. “The people who are going to die aren’t regular folks. Among them are soldiers, soldiers that had served just like us. Soldiers who are our comrades and siblings.”

“Do you have the heart to watch them die?” she asked. “Do I?”

“And...” she pressed herself against Lu Yi tightly. “We don’t know for certain that I would get punished. Perhaps that man was only making things up, or perhaps my good deeds will offset my misdoings. We can’t lose out on the opportunity to save so many lives just because we are afraid.”

Lu Yi pulled his arm back and her closer.

“Why do these tragedies and disasters always follow you?”

Yan Huan bit her lips. She didn’t know either. It was as though she had been given a second life to deal with these disasters. Mudflows and earthquakes and floods weren’t common occurrences, yet they were coming one after the other.

She was never concerned with these during her previous life because none of them had anything to do with her.

In this life, however, she was connected to all of them in one way or another.

First it was Lu Yi, then Lu Jin. Who knows who it might be this time. That’s why she had to say it.

“Do you think something terrible would happen to me, hubby?” she asked. Her fear had not faded away, afraid that the fortune teller was telling the truth. She wasn’t one to believe in supernatural occurrences, but how else could her rebirth be explained?

Like her, Lu Yi was a materialist. Yet he balked at the idea of letting Yan Huan tell the future. Deep down, he had also chosen to believe in karma and retributions.

“Nothing will happen to you,” he said, gripping her shoulder and pressing his forehead against hers. “If divine retribution exists, let it befall me. I am your husband. I’ll shoulder any sins for you. Any.”

“Nothing would happen to me?” she asked, feeling terrible. She needed his affirmation.

“Yes, I promise,” Lu Yi laid her down and hugged her tightly. He would be there for her no matter what happens.

Yan Huan closed her eyes. She was sleepy, but she dared not sleep in fear of nightmares.

There was no turning back. Rolling over, Yan Huan laid on her back and plucked at Lu Yi’s buttons playfully.

Lu Yi put a hand on her shoulder.

“Is your arm alright now?”

“Yep,” answered Yan Huan. “since a long time ago. You were the one insisting that I was a cripple. Even a cripple would have recovered by now.”

“Let me take a look,” said Lu Yi as he carefully touched her arm. “Does it hurt here?”

Yan Huan shook her head. His hand moved up and gave a squeeze. “How about here?” Yan Huan shook her head again.

His arm was at Yan Huan’s shoulder by now. Spontaneously, he reached inside the blankets.

Yan Huan’s eyelashes twitched as her eyes grew hazy.

Then they had sex—the wonderful physical intertwining of a male and a female, a pleasure most addictive.

It belonged to him as much as her.

historical

At length, a hand reached out from inside the blanket and found the phone at the edge of the bed. Following that, a head popped out.

Only one month left, thought Yan Huan as she flipped through the calendar. Should I really stay silent? She hadn’t made up her mind yet. Such thoughts were the only things that occupied her mind these days.

Should she pretend to be callous or oblivious and let nature take its course?

Will she come to regret that decision someday?

She did not have the answer to it. Neither did anyone else.

In the silent, windless night, most of the lights in households had gone out. It was as though there was no sound at all. In this residential area, the silence was welcomed.

Yan Huan sprang up, her forehead covered in a sheen of sweat. Her breathing was out of rhythm, and she was about to cry.

Lu Yi sat up beside her and turned on the light. His heart sank at the sight of Yan Huan’s state. His hand reached for Yan Huan’s forehead and found a layer of sweat.

“Was it a nightmare?”

Yan Huan wrapped her arms around his neck and huddled up close to him.

One of her hands grasped a button on his pajamas as she kept on shivering. Was she cold? Was she scared?

Lu Yi pulled her closer and soothed her by patting her shoulders.

“It’s just a nightmare, baby. Everything’s fine now that you are awake.”

Yan Huan’s fingers suddenly pulled so hard they nearly ripped his button off.

“Next month...” she began.

“Don’t say it, Yan Huan,” warned Lu Yi, darkening and seizing her firmly by the shoulders.

Yan Huan took a sniff and lifted up her face. She was scared. But she had to say it.

“A heavy rain will befall Sea City next month.”

“I said don’t say it!” Lu Yi covered her mouth with his hand. He had a scary, disconsolate look on his face. He told her not to say it. What part of that did she not understand?

But Yan Huan peeled his hand away and bit it hard. Lu Yi felt the pain but made no effort to shrink.

“The rain will last for nearly a month,” she continued. She could feel his heartbeat and body temperature increasing, but his face was eerily icy.

Yan Huan’s eyes looked out to the scenery outside the window. “There will be a massive flood along Sea River, leaving countless farms demolished and numerous lives lost.”

Yan Huan pressed her head against his shoulders to feel his warmth. That way she wouldn’t feel cold. She was scared of the cold and the dark, and even more scared of saying things that might court divine punishment. Yet she had to do what she could to save a few more lives. Otherwise, what was the point of her rebirth? How could she say and do nothing when lives were at stake?

She wasn’t a good person or a saint, but she couldn’t bear to see so many people losing their lives when she could prevent it. She was a soldier. She had been there and saved lives during the Serene City earthquake. Everything that happened then was still fresh in her memories.

At that time, all she wanted was to save more people, and not stand idle and helpless.

“And by the way,” she laughed wistfully. “The people who are going to die aren’t regular folks. Among them are soldiers, soldiers that had served just like us. Soldiers who are our comrades and siblings.”

“Do you have the heart to watch them die?” she asked. “Do I?”

“And...” she pressed herself against Lu Yi tightly. “We don’t know for certain that I would get punished. Perhaps that man was only making things up, or perhaps my good deeds will offset my misdoings. We can’t lose out on the opportunity to save so many lives just because we are afraid.”

Lu Yi pulled his arm back and her closer.

“Why do these tragedies and disasters always follow you?”

Yan Huan bit her lips. She didn’t know either. It was as though she had been given a second life to deal with these disasters. Mudflows and earthquakes and floods weren’t common occurrences, yet they were coming one after the other.

She was never concerned with these during her previous life because none of them had anything to do with her.

In this life, however, she was connected to all of them in one way or another.

First it was Lu Yi, then Lu Jin. Who knows who it might be this time. That’s why she had to say it.

“Do you think something terrible would happen to me, hubby?” she asked. Her fear had not faded away, afraid that the fortune teller was telling the truth. She wasn’t one to believe in supernatural occurrences, but how else could her rebirth be explained?

Like her, Lu Yi was a materialist. Yet he balked at the idea of letting Yan Huan tell the future. Deep down, he had also chosen to believe in karma and retributions.

“Nothing will happen to you,” he said, gripping her shoulder and pressing his forehead against hers. “If divine retribution exists, let it befall me. I am your husband. I’ll shoulder any sins for you. Any.”

“Nothing would happen to me?” she asked, feeling terrible. She needed his affirmation.

“Yes, I promise,” Lu Yi laid her down and hugged her tightly. He would be there for her no matter what happens.

Yan Huan closed her eyes. She was sleepy, but she dared not sleep in fear of nightmares.