Nether King Orchid Heart.

After a long and passionate kiss, Chen Hao and Ye Yuqiao finally separated.

After separating, Ye Yuqiao, with her face slightly blushing, nestled into Chen Hao's embrace, hugging him tightly.

"Chen Hao, I was just worried that you would forget that today is our one-year anniversary," Ye Yuqiao said, "but fortunately, you came, and much earlier than I expected. So I forgive you, but no matter what happens, you can't ignore me like this for so long next time. Actually,"

Ye Yuqiao's voice choked up, and after a long pause, she continued, "Actually, I'm quite sensitive!"

"Silly girl," Chen Hao's lips landed on Ye Yuqiao's forehead, "we've been dating for a year, don't you think I understand you? Don't worry, from now on, I won't go so long without contacting you, and you can be as sensitive and fragile as you want, I will always take care and treasure you."

"Really?"

"Mhm!" Chen Hao's tone was very firm, and so was his gaze, even though Ye Yuqiao couldn't see his eyes at the moment. "Besides, how could I forget such an important day?"

"I was just worried you'd forget!" Ye Yuqiao spoke in a coquettish tone.

Chen Hao smiled and quietly enjoyed the feeling of Ye Yuqiao acting spoiled in his arms.

"Yuqiao, I suddenly want to go to a place right now."

"I really want to go to a place too."

"Oh? Could it be the same place we're both thinking of? Let's count to three and say it together, one, two, three!"

"Home!" they said in unison.

The home they spoke of was Chen Hao's dilapidated house in Y City. The place where he was born and raised, a place filled with memories of his childhood and growth, and where he and Ye Yuqiao had once lived together.

It was a cozy house, a deep-seated sense of belonging especially for Chen Hao.

Before long, Ye Yuqiao brought Chen Hao back home.

As they turned on the living room light, they saw dust covering everything, but the oldness didn't make them feel dirty.

Chen Hao held Ye Yuqiao's hand and walked in front of his grandfather Chen Che's portrait to each offer three sticks of incense.

"Grandpa, we're home!" Chen Hao said absentmindedly as he gazed at Chen Che's picture, realizing that speaking the word 'home' while being there felt so solid.

Only then did he feel the weight of what 'home' meant and its importance deep within his heart.

"Yuqiao, you take a seat first, I'm going to clean the house a little," Chen Hao said to Ye Yuqiao.

"Why not clean it together?" Ye Yuqiao questioned, "Is it just your home, Chen Hao?"

Chen Hao shook his head: "Of course not, this is your home too."

"Since it's also my home, then we should clean it together," Ye Yuqiao linked her arm with Chen Hao's, "So our first anniversary celebration activity is house cleaning, yay."

"Yeah!" Chen Hao nodded with a smile, feeling somewhat moved. Just a few months ago, Ye Yuqiao was a queen high above him in his mind; but now, she no longer gave off that vibe, seeming more like a girlfriend who was mutually reliant in life and shared joys and sorrows with him.

This feeling was so real and no longer seemed like an unattainable fantasy.

Afterward, the two of them, men and women working together, spent a long time cleaning the house. By the time they finished, it was nearly three in the morning.

After taking a bath, they lay in the bed with freshly changed covers and sheets.

"I'm so tired!" Ye Yuqiao sighed, her eyes roaming around the neat and tidy room, a sense of satisfaction and achievement welling up inside her.

"How does it feel to be home?" Chen Hao asked, with memories of everything he had experienced in the room from his childhood on playing through his mind.

"Very good!" Ye Yuqiao said with a squinting smile.

"Look at this!" Chen Hao said, lifting his left hand and pointing to the wall beside them. On this wall, there was a two-meter ruler painted, though it had become somewhat blurred with the passage of time.

Ye Yuqiao shifted her gaze to where Chen Hao was pointing.

"This is a ruler Grandpa painted," Chen Hao explained, "Every night before going to sleep, I would measure myself against it to see if I got taller. Whenever I grew even one centimeter, I'd feel so proud that I'd run out of my room to tell Grandpa about it. Then Grandpa would take a pen and a notebook, and record the date and my height."

As he spoke, tears were already shimmering in Chen Hao's eyes.

"Chen Hao, if you ever grow another centimeter, tell me, and I'll keep the record for Grandpa," Ye Yuqiao said seriously, and very emotionally.

Chen Hao turned to Ye Yuqiao, pinched her cheek with his right hand, and said with a smile, "Naughty! I'm past the age of growing, I can't get any taller."

"I just want you to know that the things Grandpa used to do with you, I, Yuqiao, will continue to do with you. That includes giving you a beating just like Grandpa would when you don't listen."

Chen Hao laughed, then drew closer to Ye Yuqiao, his hand gently roaming over her body.

"Yuqiao, today you haven't been calling me boyfriend or jerk, you've just been calling me by my name."

"Silly," Ye Yuqiao said with a blushing face and her eyes closed, her breath growing heavier, "It's the same reason you don't call me girlfriend, but just Yuqiao."

Chen Hao suddenly understood and smiled contentedly, then gently removed Ye Yuqiao's clothes.

It was a night of complete abandonment, warmth, and consideration.

Morning came.

Chen Hao quietly got out of bed, opened the window of the room, and let the morning breeze and the tender, warm yellow sunlight stream into the room through the gaps in the curtains.

He had always loved breathing in the fresh air of the morning since he was little;

But now he preferred hiding under the covers, smelling the unique scent emanating from Ye Yuqiao.

Soon after, the morning light peeking through the gap fell on Ye Yuqiao's face as the sun rose.

"Chen Hao, are you awake?" Ye Yuqiao asked softly, her voice as delicate as the sunlight.

"Mhm!" Chen Hao responded, then pulled Ye Yuqiao into his embrace.

The warmth inside the covers immediately rose with their bodies pressing closely together.

After a short silence, Ye Yuqiao suddenly let out a sigh.

"What's wrong?"

"The Ghost King is going to finish his retreat in a couple of days," Ye Yuqiao explained, "To be honest, I'm a bit afraid."

"If you're afraid, then hold me tight," Chen Hao said calmly, his eyes alight with determination.

Ye Yuqiao hugged Chen Hao tightly, as he had instructed.

"Still afraid?"

Ye Yuqiao shook her head, her curved eyelashes carrying a trace of a smile.

"Chen Hao, you haven't reported to the Queen about the results of your cultivation these past twenty-something days."

"I've cultivated the Return to Yang Spell up to Chapter Forty-Five, learned a few powerful exorcism spells from 'The Yin-Yang Evil Treating Spell,' and, I can feel the Nether King Orchid Heart is about to erupt."

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