Xu Yuanjia's lips slid down her collarbone, and Shi Luyu's fingers gripped his hair tightly, unsure whether to push him away or hold him down.

His breath fell on her skin, scalding every inch and leaving a trail of hot, damp marks.

She tilted her head back, her eyes half-closed, her eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

"Ding-dong—ding-dong ding-dong—"

Shi Luyu suddenly opened her eyes and pushed his shoulder. "Brother, someone's here..." Xu Yuanjia didn't look up, and mumbled an "Mmm," his lips continuing to move downwards.

The doorbell rang again, this time held down, its shrill sound echoing throughout the house. Shi Luyu pushed him away forcefully, slid off the desk, her legs went weak, and she steadied herself by holding onto the edge of the desk. She straightened her clothes, which he had crumpled, and ran to the entryway.

The monitor screen was lit up, and a man and a woman were standing outside the door.

Cheng Ye was wearing a dark gray sports jacket, his shoulders were as broad as a clothes hanger, his short hair was neat, and his features were handsome and strong.

Yu Baoying was holding his arm, wearing a black trench coat with a belt that accentuated her slender waist. Her long hair was draped over her shoulders, her makeup was exquisite, and she exuded a cool and elegant aura. The way she stood at the door looked like she was shooting a magazine spread.

Shi Luyu's eyes lit up, and she reached out to open the door.

The moment her fingers touched the doorknob, a hand reached out from behind, grabbed the back of her hand, and pinned it in place. Xu Yuanjia pressed against her from behind, his chin resting on her shoulder, his voice tinged with impatience at being interrupted:

"Dogs are not allowed to be brought into the house."

"Brother, how can you talk like that?" Shi Luyu nudged him with her elbow, but it didn't budge.

Xu Yuanjia didn't let go, glanced at the monitor screen, and said in a nonchalant tone, "Tell me first, what's the matter?"

In the surveillance footage, Yu Baoying rolled her eyes, her voice coming through the speaker, crisp and bright: "Xu Yuanjia, open the door first. What kind of manners are you to talk in the doorway? We've come to find Lulu to go out and play. The water park has a new extreme obstacle course, a couples' special, wanna come?"

Shi Luyu turned to look at Xu Yuanjia, her voice filled with obvious excitement: "Brother, they've come to play with us! Let's go out together quickly!"

Xu Yuanjia looked down at her, but did not let go.

"No." His tone was as flat as if he were rejecting an unreasonable request. "Have you forgotten how coldly you ignored me last time you were with her?"

"I have to guard against women after men. Goodness, how many rivals are you going to create for your brother, huh?"

In the surveillance footage, Yu Baoying's voice rang out again, filled with obvious dissatisfaction: "You can't even keep your wife, and you blame others. Xu Yuanjia, you're not going to restrict Lulu's personal freedom too, are you?"

Xu Yuanjia didn't even lift his eyelids, and said calmly to the surveillance camera, "Did I talk to you? I was talking to my wife." After saying that, he pressed a button, and the screen went black.

The room quieted down.

Shi Luyu stood in the entryway, her face as red as a boiled shrimp.

Wife—he just said wife.

Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest, making her fingers tremble.

"Brother, what are you saying?" Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible. "I'm not your wife."

Xu Yuanjia leaned against the wall, arms crossed, tilting his head to look at her. The corners of his mouth slowly curved into a wicked smile, making Shi Luyu's back tense.

"No?" he repeated slowly, "No, then you're not allowed to go out and play with them."

"We'll stay home today until you become my wife."

He reached out, pinched her chin, and lifted her face. His thumb pressed against her lower lip, gently peeling it away to reveal a row of neat, pearly teeth.

"Say something, let me hear it." He softened his voice, trying to coax him.

Shi Luyu bit her lip, her face turning bright red.

Her gaze darted around, avoiding his eyes. His fingers slid from her chin to her earlobe and pinched it.

"Not calling?" His tone was tinged with amusement as his fingers slid from her earlobe to the side of her neck, his fingertips slowly tracing the line along her collarbone.

"Then I won't open the door. Let them wait outside. How long they wait is up to you."

Shi Luyu gripped his clothes tightly, her lips opening and closing repeatedly before finally managing to squeeze out a barely audible whisper: "...Husband."

Xu Yuanjia tilted his head and brought his ear close to her lips. "I can't hear you. Speak louder."

"Husband." Shi Luyu's voice was a little louder, but still muffled, as if it were being squeezed out from between her teeth.

Xu Yuanjia leaned his ear closer, his expression excessively innocent: "Still can't hear you. Goodness, are you calling for your brother or a mosquito?"

Shi Luyu took a deep breath, closed her eyes, stood on tiptoe, and pressed her lips to his earlobe, her voice urgent and soft: "Husband, please!"

Her last syllable was swallowed by his mouth. He tilted his head and kissed her, not deeply, just lips touching lips, lingering for two seconds, then pulled away.

There was a glimmer in his eyes, bright as if a lamp had suddenly lit up in the darkness.

"That felt good," he said, opening the door casually.

Outside the door, Yu Baoying was about to kick it when it suddenly opened. She missed and was caught by Cheng Ye from behind. Once she steadied herself, she glared at Xu Yuanjia, then her gaze shifted to Shi Luyu's face. Seeing her bright red earlobes and slightly swollen lips, she immediately understood what was happening.

She sneered and took Shi Luyu's arm.

"Come on, Lulu. Let's go play."

……

Four people in two cars drove to a newly opened water park on the outskirts of the city. The extreme obstacle course was set on an artificial lake, with an inflatable track floating on the water. It included climbing walls, a log bridge, trampolines, slides, and a giant inflatable arch at the end.

The rules are simple: couples team up, one person carries the other through all the levels, and the team that takes the shortest time wins.

Yu Baoying glanced at the track, then at Cheng Ye, and said in a tone that left no room for negotiation: "You carry me on your back."

Cheng Ye nodded and bent down. Yu Baoying climbed on top of him, he bounced a little, and then stood up steadily.

Xu Yuanjia squatted down and patted his shoulder: "Come on up."

Shi Luyu hesitated for a moment, then leaned over. His hands went under her knees and bounced her up a little. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and her face pressed against the back of his neck.

The whistle blew.

Cheng Ye rushed out, his steps long and fast. Yu Baoying was clinging to his back, her hair flying back in the wind, a rare blush of excitement appearing on her usually cold and beautiful face.

Xu Yuanjia followed behind at a leisurely pace, while Shi Luyu anxiously patted his shoulder:

"Brother, hurry up! They'll win if they keep going like this."

Xu Yuanjia did not accelerate.

When he crossed the log bridge, his steps were as steady as if he were walking on flat ground, while Cheng Ye swayed in front of him and almost fell off. Xu Yuanjia, carrying Shi Luyu, slowly passed by.

Climbing the wall requires carrying someone on your back. Cheng Ye gripped the inflatable protrusion with his hands, his arm muscles tense, and he moved upwards, panting heavily.

Xu Yuanjia gripped the protrusion with one hand and supported Shi Luyu's leg with the other, lifting his body upwards and flipping her up.

The movements were as fluid as doing pull-ups, and the breathing didn't falter at all.

Shi Luyu lay on his back, feeling as if she were sitting in a smooth car with very little bumps and a fast speed.

The wind whistled past her ears, and water splashed up, hitting her calves with a cool sensation.

When Xu Yuanjia carried Shi Luyu across the finish line, the timer showed forty-seven seconds.

Cheng Ye and Yu Baoying were nearly ten seconds behind.

Xu Yuanjia put her down, turned around and glanced at Cheng Ye, who was still on the track, and smiled without saying a word.

The host handed over the prize: a pair of custom-made couple bracelets with the word "Champion" engraved on the silver chain.

Xu Yuanjia took them, fastened one to his own wrist, and the other to Shi Luyu's wrist.

Yu Baoying jumped off Cheng Ye's back, her face extremely pale: "You only got second place? You're so useless! I'll carry you next time."

Cheng Ye was panting heavily: "Grandma, even Superman couldn't carry you if you ran into Xu Yuanjia."

Seeing that Yu Baoying was unhappy, Shi Luyu looked down at the bracelet on her wrist, hesitated for a moment, then took off the bracelet, walked up to Yu Baoying, and handed it to her.

"Sister, this is for you. The color of your dress matches the silver perfectly."

This is not yet the same as Baoying's answer.

A hand reached out from behind Shi Luyu, grabbed her wrist, and held her hand and the bracelet together.

Xu Yuanjia's voice was filled with gritted teeth and a sinister tone:

"Stone, dew, jade."

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