I was criticized on a dating reality show, but I retaliated and became an internet sensation.

Shu Zi leaned on his shoulder and said in a muffled voice, "You."

Gu Yan chuckled softly, his hand slowly sliding down her back, stopping at her waist, his voice softening slightly:

"Then I was wrong."

He stepped back slightly, looking down at her. "What will it take for you to forgive me?"

Shu Zi raised her head, her eyes red as she looked at him:

"You went abroad because of my dad, why didn't you tell me?"

Gu Yan looked at her reddened eyes and gently brushed his fingertip across the corner of her eye:

"I cried because of this."

Shu Zi didn't flinch; she just stared straight at him, waiting for his answer.

Gu Yan was at a loss under her gaze. His fingertip slid down from the corner of her eye and gently pinched her earlobe.

"You really want to hear it?"

Shu Zi nodded.

Gu Yan was silent for a moment before speaking, "My uncle came looking for me back then."

He spoke calmly and deliberately, repeating almost every word Shu Baizhou had said that afternoon—

-

"Xiao Gu, I know you and our family are a good match, and I know what kind of person you are. But my daughter is someone I've cherished since she was little. I've never let her suffer the slightest grievance, and I never will."

"I don't object to you two being together, but I have one condition: you must go abroad for two years, and during that time you are not allowed to contact her."

"This isn't about breaking you up. It's about giving you time to grow, and also giving me time to see if your feelings for her are just a passing fancy or if they can withstand the test."

"Nuonuo is still young, and so are you. If you're really sure about her, then use these two years to prove that you're worth her waiting for."

"If you come back in two years and your mind is still the same, then I won't stop you anymore."

-

After listening, Shu Zi remained silent for a moment: "That's all he said?"

Gu Yan patted her head, a smile appearing in his eyes:

"He ended by saying, 'Kid, my daughter deserves the best. You'd better prove to me that you are the best.'"

Shu Zi looked at him: "So you went?"

Gu Yan nodded: "Mm."

Shu-Tzu: "So you really didn't think about contacting me secretly?"

Gu Yan: "I've thought about it, I think about it every day."

"Then why not contact them?"

He paused for a moment, then lowered his voice: "Because my uncle said I'm not allowed to contact him."

He lowered his eyes and looked at her: "If I contacted him secretly, wouldn't that be telling him I can't even wait two years?"

Shu Zi didn't say anything, but buried her face in his shoulder again and lay there quietly for a while.

After a long silence, she finally spoke in a muffled voice: "...So, have you finished proving it now?"

Gu Yan looked down at her, a hint of amusement in his voice: "I don't think it's enough."

Shu Zi raised her head and looked at him earnestly: "But I think that's enough."

Gu Yan was slightly taken aback, and looked at her without saying anything.

Shu Zi wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled.

"Dear candidate, I have decided to award you the final point. Congratulations, you have passed the exam!"

She paused, met his gaze, and said, "So, Gu Yan, let's be together."

Without waiting for his reply, she tilted her head back and kissed him.

The moment her lips touched his, Gu Yan's body visibly paused.

He was stunned for a moment before he reacted, then reached out and grabbed her waist, pulled her into his arms, and lowered his head to kiss her back.

His kisses were initially restrained and careful, as if afraid of hurting her, only gently rubbing against her lips.

Shu Zi didn't back down; instead, she pressed herself even closer, her tongue tentatively touching his lower lip.

Gu Yan's breathing suddenly became heavy, his fingers tightened around her waist, and the force of his kiss intensified.

He took her lower lip into his mouth, sucked on it gently, and then pried open her teeth with his tongue, probing inside.

Shu Zi leaned back slightly from his kiss, her hands unconsciously gripping the shirt on his shoulder.

He gave her no room to back down, supporting the back of her head with one hand and slowly sliding the other hand down her back, his palm against her waist, holding her firmly in his arms.

When he finally released her, both of them were breathing heavily.

Gu Yan didn't back away; his forehead pressed against hers, his nose brushing against hers, his voice low and husky, still carrying the breath of someone who hadn't recovered.

"Baby, from now on, I belong to you."

Shu Zi's eyelashes trembled slightly, and before she could speak, he added, "I love you, Nuonuo."

After saying that, without waiting for her response, he lowered his head again and kissed her.

This time it was even harder than before, with a possessiveness that could finally be justified.

His kiss moved from her lips to the corner of her mouth, then slowly down to her earlobe, and then he held it in his mouth.

The warm breath sprayed onto her skin, sending a tingling sensation through her.

The moment his lips touched her earlobe, Shu Zi's body visibly tensed, her fingers clenched tighter, and her breath caught in her throat.

Gu Yan didn't rush to continue, but just held it in his mouth, his tongue lightly brushing against that soft skin, feeling her slight trembling in his arms.

He slowly released his grip, his lips moving down along the edge of her earlobe until they landed on the thin skin behind her ear.

His pulse was pounding fast and rapid there. He paused, as if sensing her heartbeat, then lowered his head and placed a light kiss on her.

Shu Zi's breathing became completely disordered. Her fingers slid from his shoulder to the back of his neck, her fingertips digging into the ends of his hair and gently tugging at them.

Gu Yan's Adam's apple bobbed at her little gesture, but he didn't rush to take things further.

His lips moved slowly along her chin, each inch touched with an almost reverent patience.

His breath fell on the skin of her neck, warm, damp, and slightly rapid.

Shu Zi tilted her head slightly, revealing a longer section of her neck, as if she were acquiescing or surrendering.

Gu Yan's gaze lingered on that skin for two seconds, then he lowered his head and pressed his lips to it.

Shu Zi's fingers slid from the back of his neck to his hair and gently scratched it.

Gu Yan's breathing suddenly became heavy, and his hands around her waist tightened, pressing her even closer to him.

His lips moved away from her neck and slowly slid along the contours of her collarbone, leaving a moist, warm touch wherever they went.

Shu Zi tilted her head back, her gaze fixed on the ceiling, but her eyes had no focus.

Her fingers ran through his hair, responding without reservation, letting his kisses conquer inch by inch the territory that had never been touched before.

……