Ye Qiu returned to Bai Lan's villa.

As he pushed the door open and entered the living room, he saw Bai Lan lying sideways on the sofa, watching an advertisement on the TV screen.

It seemed that her mind wasn't really on the TV.

In fact, that was indeed the case.

The moment Ye Qiu saw Bai Lan, he immediately caught the scent of delicious food.

The dining table on the other side had already been set with a scrumptious dinner.

A full five dishes and one soup.

Each dish was carefully crafted, at least looking quite appealing on the surface.

"You're back." Suddenly, Bai Lan's gentle voice reached Ye Qiu's ears as she stood up and looked at him with a hint of exhaustion, "It's quite late already; let's eat first."

Saying this, she walked up to Ye Qiu and took his hand to lead him to the dining table.

Ye Qiu was momentarily taken aback.

A warm stream flowed through his heart.

He never imagined that after bustling outside for so long, he would come home to find Bai Lan had already prepared a hot meal.

Of course, what touched Ye Qiu wasn't just this fact.

The key thing was Bai Lan's expression, seeming somewhat tired.

Evidently, the day's work had been exhausting.

Perhaps she was hungry when she got off work.

Yet, she still prepared dinner as soon as she got home, waiting for Ye Qiu's return.

Even before seeing Ye Qiu, no matter how hungry she was, she hadn't touched the food at all.

Facing such a considerate woman, how could Ye Qiu possibly remain untouched?

"Thank you." Ye Qiu smiled as he sat down close to Bai Lan at the dining table.

"Try how it tastes?" Bai Lan picked up a bite of food and placed it at Ye Qiu's lips.

Ye Qiu opened his mouth to eat it, then nodded with a smile, "Not bad, really good, your cooking is even better than those five-star chefs."

"You're just saying that."

Bai Lan rolled her eyes at Ye Qiu, then couldn't help but laugh. She was a goddess in everyone's hearts, a dignified president, how could someone of her status and position usually cook on her own?

So, she naturally knew what her cooking tasted like, though it wasn't bad, it was just ordinary home cooking.

"I'm being serious, it's really good." Ye Qiu gazed deeply at Bai Lan.

Then, he lowered his head and started eating on his own.

The smile vanished from his face.

Not because the food wasn't good, but because, unknowingly, he started thinking about Phoenix again.

"Perhaps, encountering a woman like Bai Lan, Phoenix would feel relieved too in the heavens..." Ye Qiu murmured inwardly.

Seeing his expression change, Bai Lan opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it again.

Ultimately, in silence, they finished the dinner.

After cleaning up, they watched some TV, moved around a bit, and Bai Lan suddenly turned to Ye Qiu with a gentle smile, "I'm a bit tired, thinking of lying down on the bed, would you like to join?"

Ye Qiu nodded slightly, agreeing, and then went to the bedroom with Bai Lan.

The two didn't engage in any passionate activity upon reaching the bedroom as they usually would.

Instead, they donned pajamas and leaned against each other, lying on the bed.

Still wordless.

Silent.

After a few minutes, Bai Lan finally took a deep breath, breaking the silence first, "You've been absent-minded today, are you thinking of her again?"

Being together with Ye Qiu for a long time, she was well aware that those so-called troubles wouldn't cause Ye Qiu to be in such a state.

Only that woman could...

Ye Qiu nodded slightly without speaking.

Seeing his response, Bai Lan's heart tightened with some heartache.

She was a woman, an ordinary woman, who had given everything to Ye Qiu, naturally hoping deep down that she would be the only one for Ye Qiu.

But, she also knew, it couldn't be.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't replace Phoenix in Ye Qiu's heart.

So, Bai Lan could only accept and embrace this situation.

A few seconds later, Bai Lan looked deeply at Ye Qiu, probing, "It seems she's remarkable, actually... actually I just want to hear your past stories."

Her words were somewhat muddled.

"My story with her..." Ye Qiu sighed heavily, gazing at the ceiling as if lost in past memories.

The space became quiet again.

Time passed by.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Ye Qiu's lips curled into a faint smile as he started to speak, "It was a mission, I was surrounded by enemies, many experts, all around.

But, at that time, all my attention was focused on their leader, even if you don't know how to fight, you should understand that such a thing is a big taboo in combat."

"The enemies thought the same, giving me a fatal blow, and sneering at me, saying I left my back open to the enemy."

"But, they suffered greatly in the end because my back was never left open to the enemy, only to Phoenix; she would handle all the troubles behind."

"There was another time..."

Finishing one story, Ye Qiu immediately began another.

With a smile, he continued to speak happily.

Speaking without stopping.

Giving no chance for interruption.

However, Bai Lan didn't mind, merely listening quietly, looking affectionately at Ye Qiu.

Time passed by.

The night grew darker.

Ye Qiu kept telling stories, immersed wholly in past memories.

After a long time, his voice suddenly softened considerably.

Then, it grew quieter and quieter.

Finally, he stopped, no longer telling stories.

"Why did you stop?" Bai Lan slightly raised her head, blinking at Ye Qiu, asking curiously.

Logically, given her relationship with Ye Qiu, she naturally wouldn't want or like him to talk about another woman this way, but Ye Qiu and Phoenix's past stories truly intrigued her.

They made her understand fully why, regardless of how hard she tried, she couldn't replace Phoenix's position.

Phoenix seemed destined by heaven to be with Ye Qiu.

Yet, it also seemed like heaven played quite a cruel prank on them.

Letting Phoenix leave just when they loved each other deeply...

Actually, Ye Qiu also wanted to continue, past memories were sorrowful, yet there were many beautiful memories, but he knew deep down, he couldn't keep going.

The situation was already unfair to Bai Lan.

Phoenix was gone and wouldn't come back, why couldn't he cherish the present?

Couldn't he give Bai Lan an explanation?

Couldn't he let Bai Lan wait in grievance because of someone who was gone?

No!

After telling so many past stories, Ye Qiu also understood.

He looked deeply at Bai Lan, then resolutely said, "Bai Lan, I want to marry you."

The next second, Bai Lan's delicate frame trembled sharply.

She froze...

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.