Chapter 435: Chapter 435 - 429: With My Remaining Years

How could it be him—her first time with Jing Jihan was actually with him...

No wonder when she was in his office, he specifically mentioned that... uh... position.

What kind of feelings did Jing Jihan have after that night seven years ago?

Did he really mean to skin her alive?

Shi Su sat on the edge of the bathtub, laughing so hard she almost couldn’t control her laughter echoing in the bathroom.

She laughed until Jing Jihan heard her and knocked on the bathroom door, unsure whether he was worried about her having an accident or that she might laugh so hard she dislocates her jaw.

Shi Su forced herself to suppress the laughter bubbling up inside her. The weightless feeling in her heart was like flying, under heavy burdens that didn’t exist. She had to stabilize her elation; otherwise, she’d walk out grinning at Jing Jihan like a fool—what would that look like?

After calming down for quite a while in the bathroom, Shi Su got up to wash her face again. When the redness on her face and around her eyes wasn’t so noticeable, she wiped her face and quickly went out.

The bed in the guest room of Mrs. Jing’s house was clearly unused, with new pillows and sheets, and the comforter still in the closet.

Jing Jihan had taken the comforter out and placed it on the bed. Shi Su appeared with a face that had regained its composure, walked to the bed, and saw Mr. Jing naturally making the bed at midnight, her eyes suddenly flickering to the window.

It was almost midnight. They were already married; it was only right for a legally married couple to share a bed.

Thinking of what Jing Jihan said today about the missed new wedding night...

Shi Su kept patting her face without changing her expression, turned around, and silently increased the distance between herself and the bed. The blush and warmth that had receded surged back to her face once more.

Making the bed seemed to stir too many emotions, even though everything in this guest room was new and the situation was compelling.

After moving a bit further away, Shi Su suddenly asked, out of nowhere, "Aren’t you going to take Mianmian for a DNA test?"

The man had already finished making the bed. Rising, he undid a few buttons on his shirt, glanced at her, his brows slightly moving: "Is there a need?"

Shi Su awkwardly cleared her throat: "What if... what if there was a mistake..."

The man seemed to let out a chuckle from his chest, his gaze almost teasing, with a hint of warning: "Have you been with another man?"

Shi Su: "...No."

By now, the man had already walked over to her. He seemed to notice for the first time how far she had quietly distanced herself. As he continued toward her, he nonchalantly unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt, approaching until he stood over her, looking down at the woman whose expression seemed slightly stiff as she tried to make conversation but only succeeded in embarrassing herself.

He glanced at her meaningfully, then at the bed he had just made, before looking back at her with a heavy smile: "Why are you standing so far away?"

Shi Su: "I wasn’t avoiding... I was looking for something."

She quickly picked up her bag from the cabinet by the door, rummaged through it, and then randomly pulled out a tissue to wipe her face, which was actually already dry, then proceeded to dab the water remnants from her hairline.

The man’s gaze was clear yet slightly amused as he watched her. After a moment, he spoke quietly: "The DNA test isn’t important, but formally adding her to the Jing household registry will necessitate a verification process. Mianmian is my daughter; it’s not simply a shallow and outdated process of recognizing one’s roots, but acknowledging her identity, bringing her home, and providing her with a complete family with both parents and relatives is indeed necessary."

Return to the Jing family?

Shi Su inexplicably thought of what Mr. Jing’s expression would be upon learning of these matters...

What kind of expression would that be?

"Including you, Mrs. Jing." The man suddenly leaned forward while Shi Su was in a daze, pinning her against the cabinet, gazing down at her: "The doors of the Jing family are open for you. There are no obstacles you imagined, only a wide path welcoming you to enter openly. We’re married; you’re my wife, Mianmian is my daughter, and no one can change that."

The man’s voice was gentle yet firm. Shi Su lifted her eyes to meet the man’s close, dark gaze.

She relaxed completely, allowing him to pin her there, looking up at him, and asked: "Did you plan all this? Claiming to visit the set when you had secretly laid out a plan for Mianmian’s and my future, just waiting for me to fall into your trap and have me back beside you?"

The man chuckled lightly, looked at her, and slowly asked: "So, are you willing to come back, Shi Su?"

Shi Su raised an eyebrow: "Whether I am willing or not makes no difference. You got me drunk and tricked me into saying everything, then escorted me to get the marriage certificate, leaving me no room for hesitation. How could I anticipate the depths of your scheming alongside such terrifyingly swift actions..."

"I’ve missed too much; every additional day I miss is further loss. My daughter and the mother of my daughter, two people I should have cherished and protected by my side all along, have faced the world alone for too long." Jing Jihan’s warm gaze held a hidden storm, as if winds had swept through or rain engulfed it—the depths of his eyes heavy as he looked into hers: "Upon realizing everything, I wished I could have brought you back the very next second; every extra minute was torment."

This was perhaps the most romantic thing Shi Su had ever heard Jing Jihan say, though it hardly sounded like a love confession—every word was his genuine sentiment.

Though seen as untouchable by others, in front of her, he was someone desperate to make amends for the years he’d missed with her and Mianmian... a man with open hands cradling his heart and enveloping her with immense, tender affection.

Shi Su smiled with a tingling nose, nodding: "Thank you for tricking me into your world and always keeping me and Mianmian in your heart... Than..."

The man’s gaze was unreservedly fixed on her, leaning in to kiss her lips, embracing her in his arms, softly speaking against her lips: "The proposal and wedding I owe you, I’ll make up for at the right opportunity. Anything others have, you won’t lack. For what I’ve missed, I’ll compensate a hundred or a thousand times over. Mrs. Jing, please give me a chance to fulfill my roles as a husband and father, to repay you for seven years, with my lifetime, can I?"

If this doesn’t count as a proposal, what does?

Must it involve rings, flowers, cake, and the background music and atmosphere of a romantic setting?

Standing before her, even someone as elevated as Jing Jihan, carefully asking "Can I?"—Shi Su’s entire heart melted into a puddle, unable to utter a single word, only nodding, nodding again, and nodding without hesitation.