"Lin Hai, I want to ask you something." Tao Xia lay in Lin Hai's arms, the two of them now in a quiet, peaceful little teahouse, with no one to disturb them and no noisy sounds.

"Go ahead, Taotao, ask away. I'm an open book." Lin Hai said, smiling as he enjoyed the faint warmth of her body.

At this moment, the last concern in his heart had disappeared, and he could face Tao Xia with peace of mind.

What he needed to do now was to chat with her, to soothe the resentment and longing that had built up inside him over the past seven years.

"Over these years, what exactly have you been doing outside? After you left, I forced Grandpa to send people to look for you; it was as if you had vanished without a trace. No matter the cost, I couldn't find even a tiny bit of information about you." Tao Xia lay in Lin Hai's embrace, tilting her head up to gaze at the man she had yearned for day and night.

"Me? I was just working overseas." Lin Hai hid his identity as King Yan. Su Wanjing knew because her background was different.

Although Tao Xia had a grandfather who once commanded the Military District, he had retired, and the family was in decline, without any strong successors. Knowing too much about certain things could easily lead to missteps.

Lin Hai had his own judgments. Though it might not be perfect, he was trying his best to maintain a balance within his ability.

"Taotao, have you really not married all these years??" Lin Hai asked with a hint of curiosity, genuinely concerned about this matter.

Tao Xia glared at Lin Hai playfully and murmured, "Since you disappeared seven years ago, I've just been like this. Sigh, waiting all these years for an unfaithful man like you."

Lin Hai was slightly moved. A woman willing to stay chaste and wait for him for seven years – that loyalty alone was enough to make Lin Hai go through fire and water for her safety.

His heart stirred slightly, and with affection, Lin Hai gently stroked Tao Xia's silk-like hair.

"Lin Hai, I've waited for you for seven years. How do you plan to treat me?" Tao Xia looked at him expectantly.

Lin Hai smiled. Even if a woman is deeply in love, a man should not be too serious. This isn't about being heartless, but a way to maintain the relationship properly.

"How do you want me to treat you?" Lin Hai asked in return.

After thinking for a bit, with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, Tao Xia said, "Humph, since you made me wait for seven years, from now on you should work like an ox and a horse for me, take good care of me."

"Take good care of you? Hehe, and how should I go about doing that?" Lin Hai blinked his eyes.

"Just take good care of me."

"Work like an ox and a horse, to compensate for the spiritual and physiological loss of my seven wasted years." Tao Xia huffed, her little hand wrapping around Lin Hai as if afraid he might disappear in the next moment.

Lin Hai chuckled, knowing Tao Xia was half-joking. With her personality, how could she actually want to see him reduced to servitude?

"Working like an ox and a horse? That's also possible," Lin Hai said with a dragged-out tone.

"Really?" Tao Xia asked earnestly.

Lin Hai chuckled, shifting the topic: "However, if you want me to work like an ox and a horse, then you must feed me grass every day."

"Otherwise, if you make the horse run without feeding it grass, the horse will die of exhaustion."

With that, her pretty face turned as red as a ripe crab.

"You're terrible. Seven years without seeing you, and you're still that vulgar, no wonder your brothers adore you to the skies." Tao Xia said, bashfully blushing.

As Lin Hai heard the word "brothers," his smile abruptly ceased, replaced by silence.

Tao Xia also suddenly realized she had misspoken. The comrades who had fought alongside Lin Hai had almost all sacrificed their lives in the final battle, a constant, deep pain in Lin Hai's heart.

With a gentle touch on Lin Hai's resolute face, Tao Xia's tone softened with an apology and comfort, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have touched upon your pain."

Lin Hai took a deep breath, calming the complex emotions within him, and shook his head to her, "It's okay. The debts of the past will eventually be repaid someday."

"Lin Hai, I know that your cynicism and slacker demeanor are just there to cover up the pain beneath your strong exterior. Promise me, from now on, you will take care of yourself. I don't want to see you get into any more trouble." At that moment, Tao Xia was like a gentle and virtuous wife patiently advising her husband.

Lin Hai nodded, managing a forced smile.

"Did you really like me back then?" Tao Xia suddenly asked, knowing she was changing the subject.

"Actually, back then, I also barely... barely liked you," Lin Hai said with a frivolous laugh, as though the previous sadness had been nothing but fleeting clouds.

Pretending to be offended, Tao Xia grumbled, "Hmph, talking as if it was such a burden. Did I force you to chase after me?"

"Cough cough, Mayor Tao, me chasing you has nothing to do with whether you forced me or not."

Their bodies continued to touch, and their breaths grew heavier.

Lin Hai had no intention of taking advantage of her. The joke earlier was just to ease the awkwardness of the previous moment, and he hadn't expected Tao Xia to be so forward.

"Mayor Tao, please, don't do this!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.