Chapter 163: Jogging

What is love? 

Lyca couldn't help but wonder as she turned to look at Shen Qui. For a few seconds, she feared that she would see something else in his eyes.

"You know it."

"You— " she squinted. Was that a confession?

He gave her a cheeky smile in response. 

"Was that a confession?" she asked. Some men find it really hard to confess what they really feel inside but she knew he was different.

"And if it was?"

"You sure it's not some Stockholm syndrome?"

Her words made him burst into a puddle of laughter. "Why would you even think that?"

"I kidnapped you." She smiled, making the tense situation instantly lighter. "And held you captive for years now."

"That wasn't against my will."

"Of course, that what's you thought. You are already in love with the person who kidnapped you away from your friends."

He shook his head, helplessness flashed in his eyes before he erased the distance between them. His lips landed on her temple. "I don't believe in love at first sight."

"Please don't tell me I am the only exception." She knew that would be a lie.

He laughed at that. How could she be this calm? Shen Qui was trying to calm his raging heart and Lyca's cheekiness was not helping him. He felt more… nervous. "No. You are not an exception. I never liked you when I saw you."

"Really?" she lifted an eyebrow as she met his eyes. He was already staring at her, so she folded her arm around his neck.

"Really. I think… you were a bit naughty."

"Is that so?" she remembered herself holding his hands and not letting go the first time they met. "Oh! Did you really think I chose you because you were a bit good looking?"

"That's not the case?"

"Of course not. I chose you because it's big."

"Huh?"

"Your hands, silly. What were you thinking?" she giggled and tiptoed as she gave him a light kiss. Seeing how his mood eased, she immediately asked. "So? Are you going to confess?"

"Yes. I was about to. Then you started talking about my hands." Lyca only beamed in response.

"Then… continue."

"Well… you already ruined the mood. I am not confessing now."

"Really?" she frowned. "Do you want me to beg?"

"Why do I think that every word that comes out of your mouth was always naughty?"

She held back her laughter. "Probably because you are naughty."

He leaned and kiss her forehead. "I think I never thought you are anything special when I met you. Aside from being a little bit pretty."

"A little?"

"And you are incredibly lazy."

"That is a fact."

"You like to sleep, and eat without exercising."

She nodded. Indeed, that was her hobby.

"But I started to like that side of you."

"And?" her eyes gleam with excitement. She remembered that Xu Ke didn't really confess to her. It was like both of them agreed that they were already in a relationship. Lyca wondered how would it feel if someone would sincerely tell her that they love her. Would her heart flutter in response? Would she feel butterflies in her stomach?

Unfortunately for her, before Shen Qui could say anything, a few people wearing casual clothing ran towards them and bowed in front of Shen Qui.

"Boss Q… you have arrived."

"…"

"…" Lyca felt as if a cold bucket of water drenched her soul. She glared at the man, her eyes silently sending daggers, hoping that it would make the man die right in front of them so Shen Qui would continue talking. 

Of course, this did not happen. Instead, another five men arrived and bowed at him.

How could these people be so good at ruining moments?

"Hmmm." Shen Qui calmly nodded at the people in front of them before he held Lyca's hand and pulled her towards the two-story house. Then he started talking about the house. Right now, the house still looked like a wooden cabin. "If you want we can do some renovations. Make it look more modern. Right now, I thought it would fit right into the Ranch. What's important is the underground structure of the house."

Lyca only nodded, saying nothing as she examined the current interior of the house. Then she followed him towards the bedroom where the access to the underground was located. Using her fingerprint and eyes as a part of the security requirement for the elevator to move, Shen Qui and Lyca finally entered.

"This is too tiring," Lyca uttered. She honestly would not want to go out and go in with all these security protocols. Though she knew this was useful, she was too lazy to do all this every time. "When are we moving to this place?"

"Tomorrow. We just need to pack out clothes and were good to go. This is a complete facility." He said as a hint of pride laced his voice.

"Good!" Lyca nodded. Seeing her sudden enthusiasm, Shen Qui led her towards the room then into the other parts of the underground facility. 

"Everything on that luggage of yours was inside. No one else knows about this aside from me." Shen Qui said as they left the lab.

"Hmmm. Thank you." The fewer people knew about her secrets, the better it is. Lyca never thought that she would one day want to stay in a place like this. It wasn't just because it was really quiet and cozy but because of the amount of attention that Shen Qui gave in building the facility.

The man actually decided to follow the cozy vibe of the Huang Mansion where she grew up. The muted paints, the arrangement of the furniture, and even the type of chandelier that hung on the ceiling. Shen Qui made sure that everything was to her liking. Even the master's bedroom where they will be staying was almost identical to her room at the mansion. It even had the hanging egg seat that she loved so much. Even her books were the same!

Of course, she already knew that Shen Qui was this observant, but she didn't think that he would actually observe every little detail about her. She looked at his side profile as he happily held her hand. "I love it." She uttered, smiling.

"I know you would love it."

"So?" she lifted an eyebrow as she sat next to her on the couch, he immediately wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him. 

"Let's go somewhere else later." He said.

"Why are you being so sweet?" she asked, wondering if he would finally continue his confession. Wouldn't it be nice if Shen Qui would tell her that it was because he loved her so much? Lyca felt butterflies swirling in her stomach as she beamed at him, eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Because… I miss you."

"Oh." Hiding the disappointment in her eyes, Lyca smiled. Of course, she wouldn't force him to confess. It was enough that she heard him say it once.

Alright… who was she kidding?

Lyca actually wanted to hear it again. However, she was too shy to ask him. So, she leaned forward and kissed him instead. "I'm tired. I think we should just go to the room and rest, no?"

He chuckled and kissed her forehead. "Nope. I am taking you to the training area."

"Excuse me?" As expected, Lyca's face changed. "I don't need any training."

"Your body needed some exercise."

"So… the date that you are talking about— "

"Let's jog in a park with cotton candies."

"Nope." She shook her head as if her life depended on it. "Not happening." However, Shen Qui wasn't planning to hear another one of her silly reasons, he stood and scooped her up, carrying her like a princess as he strode out of the living room and went to the elevator. 

"I can't jog and wear my boots," she added. "I don't have any clothes for jogging, with no shoes either. You know running shoes are necessary to exercise! I can't do it with other shoes or I will— "

"I already prepared everything for you."

"Well… I can't wear any other shoe brand aside from— "

"Yep, bought it." Amusement flashed in his eyes.

"I only wear black shoes. I think they are more comfortable than other colors."

"I know… my little wife. I saw your shoes in your wardrobe before. The brand, size, even the color, and the shoelaces that you love so much. I included your specific water bottle, the towel that you use, and the outfit."

"…" Speechless, Lyca pouted. Again, Shen Qui's attentiveness was just— Was this because he loves her? A cheeky grin escaped her lips. Is this the reason why she was treating her too well? She wrapped her hands around Shen Qui's neck and waited for him to let her down. Of course, he only did it so she could go inside the car.

Smiling, Shen Qui drove her to a park that was near the training center of their new security company. Again, Lyca tried to reason out and told him that her body was still numb from the previous night's activities. However, Shen Qui only told her that she was already an expert in circulating her internal energy which would easily remove all the pain that she had in her muscles. With this, Lyca finally shut up.

"Hundred percent remember?" she heard him say. She pouted and just looked at the people in the park as she crossed her arms around her chest. Then, her gaze landed on the woman wearing tight shorts and a bra that should be two times smaller than her size.

Who else could it be other than the woman named Hu Lan?