Chapter 416: I Am Your Woman

The two bought some gifts—cigarettes, alcohol, health supplements, and electronic products and the like; the electronic products were for the kids.

Once everything was ready, they drove toward Donghu Villa District, where Liu Tianxian's family home was.

In the car, Fang Hong noticed Liu Tianxian gazing out the window at the scenery, hesitated a moment, then said, "Feifei."

"Mm?" Liu Tianxian turned her head to look at him.

"Let's sleep together tonight." Fang Hong kept his eyes on the road, his voice gentle.

It just so happened that no one else was around—just the two of them, and they were out of town anyway, so it was the perfect chance to sleep together and do what adults ought to do.

Hearing this, Liu Tianxian's heart gave a sudden thump, and her cheeks flushed slightly.

Seeing she said nothing, Fang Hong added, "If you don't want to, just pretend I never said it."

"I didn't say anything, and you're already saying I don't want to?" Liu Tianxian was speechless—couldn't he press the advantage? If he'd asked twice more, pushed a little, she might have given in.

"So that means you're willing?" Fang Hong said.

"You—I never said I was willing." Liu Tianxian paused mid-sentence, looking rather vexed—asking so bluntly, how was she supposed to answer?

Was she supposed to say, go ahead and sleep with me, I'll let you sleep with me? That would be giving herself away, and she wasn't cheap.

"So are you willing or not?"

"I think you, sometimes you're especially clever, able to scheme against anyone, and sometimes you're stupid to death." Liu Tianxian said.

"What did I do now?" Fang Hong was baffled.

"Figure it out yourself, and if you can't, forget it." Liu Tianxian waved a hand.

Fang Hong said nothing, and for a moment the car fell silent.

The car soon arrived at Donghu Villa District, and her grandparents had long known they were coming; the whole family, seeing a car pull into the villa, was already waiting at the door.

Seeing Liu Tianxian step out of the car, the grandmother hunched over and shuffled forward, supported by someone at her side: "Oh, my good granddaughter, it's been so long since you came to see grandma."

The others followed suit and came forward as well.

"Grandma, Grandpa." Liu Tianxian beamed and hurried to greet them.

Fang Hong, gifts in hand, followed behind her.

The family was quite a large one; An Shaokang was there too, along with his wife and daughter—Liu Tianxian's half-sister from the same father.

There was also a young boy, not very old, presumably a younger brother, and they all watched with curiosity.

After greeting her grandparents, Liu Tianxian turned to the younger brother and sister and said warmly, "Hi there, how are you? Have you been studying hard?"

Her last sentence was directed at the little boy.

"Of course I have—I'm number one at school." The boy held up one finger, looking very cocky.

"Oh wow, that's amazing, good job!" Liu Tianxian cooed.

"Sister Tianxian, did you bring me a gift?" the boy asked.

"I did, I'll give it to you in a bit." Liu Tianxian played it coy.

She got along very well with this side of the family.

Liu Tianxian looped her arm through Fang Hong's and introduced him: "Grandpa, Grandma, this is my boyfriend, Fang Hong—I brought him specially for you to meet."

"Hello, Grandpa. Hello, Grandma." Fang Hong bowed.

Liu Tianxian then introduced the others, and Fang Hong greeted each of them in turn.

"Good, good, come inside, it's cold out here." The grandmother gestured for everyone to go in.

The whole family poured into the house; the villa was decorated in a fairly classical style, not overly lavish, and the sofa area was already laid out with fruits, nuts, and snacks.

Fang Hong sat ramrod-straight, eyes forward, squarely facing the scrutiny of the elders of the family.

Liu Tianxian, by contrast, looked completely at ease; she tore open a package and took out a tablet computer inside, handing it to the little boy: "This is for you. Do you like it?"

"I love it, thank you, Sister Tianxian." The boy was delighted and ran off clutching the brand-new tablet.

"Don't play too long, you'll ruin your eyes," An Shaokang's wife called after him.

Liu Tianxian took out another gift, a piece of jewelry, and handed it to her younger sister: "This is for you."

"Thank you, Sister." The girl was a little older.

"Coming is enough, why bring so many gifts? You're spoiling them rotten," An Shaokang's wife said.

She was quite a virtuous woman, with none of the wicked stepmother vibe.

"It's nothing, it's a happy occasion." Liu Tianxian smiled.

The other gifts didn't need to be handed out; after the kids left, the elders would open them themselves.

Once the children were dealt with, it was time for the interrogation segment; the grandmother asked, "Young man, what do you do for a living?"

"I'm in business, Grandma." Fang Hong replied.

"Doing business is good—no worries about food or clothing." The grandmother praised him.

Grandpa nodded—whatever you say is right.

"Relax, we're all family here." An Shaokang signaled Fang Hong not to be so stiff.

There wasn't really much to find out; Fang Hong had already reported his family background to Liu Tianxian's family many times—the usual questions about how many people in the household, what they did, and so on.

Fang Hong just answered them one by one in order, without hiding anything, telling it straight.

The elders were just sizing him up; there was no real question of satisfied or not—you couldn't tell anything from one or two meetings. As long as the boy had no bad habits, had a proper job, and the granddaughter was happy, that was enough.

Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian chatted along sporadically; it was mostly Liu Tianxian talking, keeping the atmosphere lively.

Time slipped by quietly, and soon it was time for the afternoon meal; they stayed and ate together. Fang Hong ate very slowly and methodically, nothing like his usual casual self.

In someone else's home, one had to observe some propriety and manners.

After the meal, the two prepared to take their leave.

"Grandma, Grandpa, we'll head off first, we'll come see you again next time." Liu Tianxian held the grandmother's hand.

"It's not easy for you to come all this way—don't leave today, stay the night, let me look at you both a little longer." The grandmother couldn't bear to part.

"That doesn't seem right," said Liu Tianxian.

"Child, what nonsense are you talking? This is your home too—what's wrong with staying here?" Grandma scolded.

"Stay one night, leave tomorrow," Grandpa also urged.

Liu Tianxian turned to look at Fang Hong, giving him a helpless expression, and added, "We were supposed to sleep together tonight—no way."

Fang Hong fell silent. One night was fine—he wasn't disappointed; if he'd been eager, he'd have acted long ago. "Alright then, we'll stay one night," Liu Tianxian agreed.

So they settled in, of course in separate rooms, both of which had been cleaned for them.

That evening, Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian spent some time with her grandparents; once the two elders went to sleep, Fang Hong retired as well.

Liu Tianxian was still awake, chatting with her father.

"Before you know it, you've grown up. Next time you visit someone else's home, be more virtuous—don't be like your mother," An Shaokang stroked his daughter's head.

He probably still harbored resentment toward Liu Xiaoli—they'd had a bitter fight back then, and she'd threatened suicide to take their daughter away from him.

That was likely why they'd never seen each other since.

"I will," Liu Tianxian replied meekly.

"Go to sleep now. We'll need to rise early tomorrow," An Shaokang signaled.

Liu Tianxian rose but took only two steps before turning back: "Dad, we'll come back to see you often."

"Go on!" An Shaokang waved her off.

Watching his daughter's figure vanish, he didn't rush to bed—he sat alone quietly for a while.

It felt like he was recalling the past, those days when the three of them were together; thinking of it made him a little sad.

The next day, after eating, the whole family saw Liu Tianxian and Fang Hong off at the door.

"Be careful on the road!" Grandma warned.

"Auntie Tianxian, you have to come visit me again," the boy said.

"I will. I'll come back," Liu Tianxian said, looking at the family, waving as she opened the car door and got in.

Watching the car drive away, everyone went back inside.

"Before we know it, Xixi will be getting married. Thinking back, she was just this small," Grandma sighed.

"."

This time, heading to their hometown, Fang Hong continued driving.

Liu Tianxian was applying makeup in front of the dashboard glass—she figured she'd need to meet her uncles and cousins soon; as she painted, she asked, "How long till we get there?"

"Three or four hours," Fang Hong said.

"Still early," Liu Tianxian put away her makeup kit, deciding to apply more when they neared their destination.

Fang Hong asked, "Aren't we going to your uncle's house?"

"We'll go after we return. We'll pass through Wuhan anyway on the way back," Liu Tianxian said.

Fang Hong had no objections and kept driving, eyes on the road ahead.

"Wake me when we get there—I'm going to sleep," Liu Tianxian curled up, lowered her seat, and lay back to rest.

Fang Hong fell silent, as if lost in thought; after a while, he said, "Feifei, are you asleep?"

"Not yet. Go ahead," Liu Tianxian kept her eyes closed.

"Let's get married. I'm serious," Fang Hong said, his expression solemn.

"Do you think getting married means you can sleep with me now?" Liu Tianxian opened her eyes, turning to face him.

Fang Hong had certainly thought that too.

"Fine, I agree," Liu Tianxian said bluntly. The man had asked so many times already—she didn't want to dampen his spirits.

Truthfully, sleeping together had nothing to do with marriage—if he'd just taken initiative, been a little forceful, she'd have given in long ago. Stop asking.

Like last time in the bathroom—he'd just leaned in and kissed her, licking, sucking, nibbling—and she hadn't objected.

Hearing her affirmative reply, Fang Hong beamed; his driving posture grew cheerful.

Liu Tianxian smiled at how childishly happy he looked, then doused his joy: "But I won't agree unless you show something first."

"What kind of show?" Fang Hong frowned.

"You know," Liu Tianxian lifted her slender left hand, examining it carefully—her meaning was clear.

She'd hinted several times already; this time she'd spelled it out. There was no choice—without spelling it out, he'd never act. This man's intelligence had limits.

Fang Hong glanced over, understood her meaning, and sharply yanked the steering wheel right—"Squeal!"—the car lurched to a sudden stop beside the road, startling Liu Tianxian.

"Are you trying to kill us? Don't you know that's dangerous?" Liu Tianxian gasped, still shaken.

Fang Hong said nothing, frantically patting his body, then searching the car—nothing. The car was a rental, completely bare.

Seeing nothing, he opened the door and searched the snowy ground outside.

"What are you looking for?" Liu Tianxian leaned out the window and called.

Fang Hong still said nothing. He pried open the snow along the roadside greenery, pulled out a clump of dead grass—it snapped instantly.

He scratched his head, looking frustrated.

"What are you doing? Get back in—it's cold out there!" Liu Tianxian cracked the window, utterly baffled by his actions.

Fang Hong looked up, spotted a store by the roadside, said "Wait," and sprinted toward it.

Liu Tianxian stared, bewildered, as he headed straight for a small shop.

When he returned, he held a Red Bull in his hand!

Fang Hong walked to the window, yanked open the pull-tab of the Red Bull can, then tilted his head and gulped down several swallows; he tossed the can aside and wiped his mouth.

He opened the passenger door, dropped to one knee, and held the pull-tab high above his head, offering it to Liu Tianxian.

"I was careless—I didn't buy you a ring ahead of time. I'll use this for now, and later I'll get you something better."

Fang Hong spoke with earnest sincerity, his face filled with reverence.

Liu Tianxian watched the man kneel on one knee in the cold snow, kneeling before her, covering her mouth, her eyes couldn't help but moisten a little — this might be the most proactive he had ever been.

She took the pull-tab, then grabbed Fang Hong in one embrace and pulled him into the car.

"You're really silly, do you know how cold it is outside?" she said, heart aching.

"I know it's cold, but I can't let you down, can't let you feel I'm not passionate enough." Fang Hong lay on top of her, speaking with emotion.

The car door was already closed, and it was warm inside the car.

"You're passionate enough, and you've never let me down."

Liu Tianxian was moved to the heart, and put that pull-tab on the ring finger of her left hand: "I'm your woman now."

(End of Chapter)