"Are we sleeping over there?" Long Jinjing asked.
Lu Zihao replied, "Maybe."
"Oh." She thought for a moment before nodding. Then her eyes began to shine with excitement. "I want to go. I want to spend some time with my sister, Dom, Sis Ying Yue, and of course, Little Jun and the cats. I miss the kids so much. I'm going to buy some treats for them before we go there."
He raised an eyebrow. "I didn't ask you to come with me to have a girls' night out with your friends. We're going to spend the night together in my bedroom there."
"Oh." Her face and neck turned crimson. "I…uhm…"
"Remember that our time is limited. The days are passing by so quickly. I want to spend more time with you as much as possible."
His reminder sobered her mind in an instant and prevented it from plunging to amoeba-level IQ even further. "Right."
"I need to talk to my sister and Jin Liwei…Third Brother." He said the last part slowly, sounding like he wasn't used to saying it.
"My talk with the two is extremely important and might take a long time, so you can hang out with your friends and the kids during that time," he told her. "Just remember that you'll be sleeping with me in my bedroom at night."
"Okay," she replied in a shy tone. Then she remembered something. "Uhm…Nikolai…."
"Hm?"
She cleared her throat. "You see…uhm."
"Spit it out, Jinjing."
"Little Sister Xiulan and my friends already know that we're, uh, in a relationship," she said before covering her face with her hands.
"I know."
She lowered her hands and looked at him in surprise. "What? How did you know? Did my sister tell you?"
"Something like that," he said in a vague manner.
(Actually, Bacon told him when his AI nephew visited him last night. The black cat revealed that his gossip-loving older sister saw him, Lu Zihao, and their Auntie Jinjing kissing each other inside his car in front of Orchidia Beauty. Given how talkative the white cat was, she immediately shared her findings to her mother.)
"It's not only Little Sister Xiulan who knows," she said in a hesitant tone. "Xiao Fei knows. Dom, too. And you know Dom. I'm sure that he already told our other friends about our relationship."
"You don't…mind?" she asked.
He looked at her. "Why would I mind?"
"Because others now know that we're together."
He raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that the point of this relationship? You want the title and status as my official girlfriend and I agreed. I told my subordinates, so they know to give you respect or they'll answer to me. And now my sister and your friends know. What's the big deal? Are they against our relationship?"
"N-no, they're not. They're just…curious."
"Understandable." Then he asked next, "Are they teasing you?"
She nodded.
He chuckled. "They're just envious that you're getting laid regularly. Don't mind them."
She hit him with a throw pillow. "Don't say that! So embarrassing!"
He caught the pillow and threw it on the floor. Then he shrugged. "Well, I'm not sure if they're envious or not. But the part about you getting laid on a regular basis is true. Don't deny it, Jinjing. I know that you like fucking me as much as I like fucking you."
Yes, it was true but he didn't need to say it like that! If embarrassment could kill, then he would've murdered her many times over already.
"My point is that there's no need to keep our relationship a secret," he said.
She looked at him and felt something flutter in her chest. She didn't realize that her mouth was already smiling. "Yes, I guess so."
"Then it's decided that you'll come along with me when I return to Dragon Palace. I'm not sure when yet. I'll have to check all our schedules first. But it might be in a couple of days or so. I'll tell you when everything is arranged. In the meantime, you can start buying some treats for the kids and pack an overnight bag."
"Alright. I'll do that."
He stood up all of a sudden. She looked up at him, confused.
"Time to fuck, Jinjing," he announced.
Her entire body heated up. She allowed him to carry her to the bedroom. When the door closed behind them, lewd sounds began coming out of the bedroom in no time. And it went on until the wee hours.
###
The alarm clock woke up Long Jinjing. She reached for her phone on her bedside table but couldn't move because of the great weight pressing down on her waist and legs. Turning her head, she saw a sleeping Lu Zihao hugging her tightly.
She was immediately distracted by the sight. This was the first time that she woke up with him still sleeping beside her. She lifted her hand and traced the ragged scar on his handsome face.
"If you don't turn off that damn alarm, I'll throw your phone out of the window," he suddenly threatened with his eyes still closed, startling her and causing her to poke his cheek a little too hard with her finger.
His eyes opened. Although they still looked sleepy, his gaze was already razor-sharp.
"I…can't move," she croaked. Her voice was a little dry from sleep. "Let me g-go and I'll turn off the alarm."
He released her and she immediately reached for her phone. When the annoying sound was gone, she saw him shifting position to lie on his back before going back to sleep.
She smiled, feeling happy that he was actually sleeping on her bed. Glancing at the time, she sighed and moved to get ready for work.