A'Jiu nodded and looked up at him.

"How are the preparations coming along? Is everything set?"

Chu Lan smiled and caressed her cheeks.

"You don't need to worry about that, it's not good to know too much. I want you to remain safe. Alright, let's stop talking about that. I have truly missed you to the point of madness, my love. Did you think about me?"

"Son of a bitch! Damn it! Why did you stop? What the fuck are the both of you cooking?" He muttered, barely restraining himself from kicking the nearby branch.

Anthony felt very mad and frustrated. He was so close to finding out what the conspiracy and plan was only for his plans to be foiled by the stupid pair of horny youths who would rather talk about irrelevant nonsense than give him the important information which he needed.

He sighed and adjusted his position taking care not to make noise to avoid alerting the duo.

"It's alright, I'm sure once they're done, they will mention it while casually discussing." Anthony muttered, consoling himself.

The two hugged for a while with Chu Lan rubbing her back and occasionally sniffing her hair, whispering about how much he missed her.

"A'Jiu, don't you feel tired standing up, let's find somewhere to relax." Chu Lan whispered, holding her waist.

"It's finally here, all that pep talk and caresses were to rub her into compliance. Chu Lan is indeed a master at enchanting women with sweet words and fake promises. Okay, maybe it's real and he truly loves her. He should do whatever fast and say it. I'm sure he's a member of the gang I saw sneaking around." Anthony muttered, carefully watching them.

Chu Lan unlocked his belt and removed his outer long sleeved robe, and then the second layer, leaving him in his white pair of inner trousers and shirt, alongside a blue jacket which was untied, making it easier to see his body through the clothes. A'Jiu blushed and looked away, making Anthony sneer at her pretentious act. His actions were so familiar and normal, without hesitation. It was definitely not the first time he removed his outer robe before her. What was she acting all shy for?

Chu Lan spread his outer robe on the slightly elevated part behind the rock and folded the second robe, placing it at the edge. He then turned to A'Jiu who was facing away from him, playing with her fingers and smiled lovingly at her.

"He seems to truly like her. She's not looking at him but he's smiling so happily and contentedly at her, the smile ain't fake. This Jiu girl seems to have him good."

Even till now, Anthony didn't know her full name or that of the other girls, except Xinglan. He only heard people address them by their aliases, even Chu Lan addressed her as A'Jiu, making him unable to find out the complete version of her name.

"My dear." Chu Lan whispered, going to hug her from behind. She gasped slightly and tilted her neck to the side to make space for his neck which he placed on her shoulders. He took a deep breath of her neck and smiled, simply standing there, his arms encircled around her waist as they looked at the stars.

"A'Jiu."

"Mmm."

"Do you remember the first time we met? The moon was full, just like tonight with millions of stars. Like an angel, you appeared to me where I was hiding in the thicket, at the point of death after our caravan was attacked by Shuangshu armed escort company disguised as bandits. I was the only survivor and thought I would lose my life alongside the goods and silver being transported. However, an angel came to pick herbs to heal children who got infected with pox and stumbled upon me. I thought it an assasin at first and immediately drew my weapon."

A'Jiu laughed at the memory.

"You had quickly thrown a dagger at me and I barely avoided it. However, you collapsed on me immediately I helped you to the cave."

"Your sacrifices of bringing me food, water and drugs, while diverting the assasins searching for my trail to make certain I was gone, all made me realize what a strong woman my angel is. At first it was gratitude, but the more I watch you, the more enchanted I am, till it became this crazy feeling in my heart. I… I… I…"

Chu Lan suddenly began to stutter towards the end, as if trying to force out a word. He bit his lips and shut his eyes in pain.

"Chu Lan, it's okay. You don't have to say it. I know your heart." She whispered, smiling as she watched the moon.

"A'Jiu, I'm so sorry. I know how badly you want to hear it. But I'm terrified of saying it out. It feels as if the universe trying to frustrate us will meddle again once the wind carries my words. A'Jiu, I promise, once I'm confident of being able to take responsibility for those words once I'm confident that I would be able to protect you and not let those sacred words become a burden to you, I will definitely sing to you all day about it. I may not say it out but I chant it in my heart, lots of times."

The scene made Anthony feel nostalgic and he shut his eyes in pain. He couldn't help but feel pity for them. Soon, his act of investigation began to feel wrong to him.

"Why am I feeling as if I'm intruding on their sacred moment? This feels wrong and I can't help but feel like a bad person. But what if I leave and they end up making plans that can hurt others? People in love sometimes act mad. They might formulate a crazy plan just to escape from their uncoperative parents. And leaving needs a lot of money which might be sourced illegally since he seems to still work under his clan without his own personal business. It would be okay if it were to be some minor mischief like running away with their parents' money. But if it involves a bigger scheme where people get hurt and lives taken, then I must not sit idly by."

Anthony's curiosity won out and he decided to stay back.

After a while, Chu Lan kissed her neck, making her gasp.

"Don't do that."

"Why?" He whispered, gently sucking her earlobes, then moved back to her neck, smiling mischievously.

"Why don't you want me to kiss your neck? Your neck is so beautiful and smells so nice. I can't just resist the temptation to suck it, and I never leave a mark on your body because I know how much you value reputation. So why do you still not want me to lick it?" He asked innocently, despite already knowing the answer.

"It makes me shiver, and… and…" She stuttered, playing nervously with her fingers once more. Chu Lan smiled wickedly and did it again.

"He's ruthless and manipulative. He discovered her neck is a pressure point and is using it to tease her into giving it to him without getting the official rites done." Anthony muttered, but didn't make a move to intervene. After all, it was her choice to be there and she seemed to enjoy it a lot.

Without warning Chu Lan swept her off her feet and she gasped. He made his way to the spot where he spread his robe and gently laid her down, carefully placing her in the middle. He laid down beside her, his body nearly touching the sand because he let her have most of the cloth.

Their eyes met and she gasped, quickly turning her back to him. He smiled and leaned up, using his elbow to support his head. Chu Lan carefully tucked the stray strands of her hair behind her ear and leaned over awkwardly, lightly kissing her.

Her breath quickened and she looked at him with desire laced eyes as they briefly separated. Chu Lan watched her expression with a mixture of fear, desire and hesitation on his face, as if silently begging her not to get angry. She didn't say anything so he sucked in her lips, deepening it. This time it was not a light chaste kiss, it was deep and sexually charged. A'Jiu looked clueless but Chu Lan was a bit more experienced.

He began to breathe heavily as his hands ran up and down her thighs. Soon he began to caress her boobs through the fabric. A'Jiu was already shaking her body in a needy way. However, the moment his hand went under her gown, she froze and immediately stopped him. Shaking her head frantically. He smiled and nodded.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. Our plans are almost done, we will get married soon. And on the night we hold the wedding, forget about sleeping, I'm barely holding back." He whispered and lay back. He carefully placed the folded cloth before his groin, protecting her from his bulging erection, and encircled his arm around her waist, lying beside her.

Suddenly, a commotion arose from the clan, and the music stopped playing. People were screaming loudly and crying on top of their voices, making Anthony anxious.

"What's going on?"

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.