Chapter 310: with translation of chapter title

"... ah?"

After hearing that answer, Xia Xi's expression went blank; two seconds later, she turned to shock, a hundred times more shocked than when she had just seen that tooth mark.

She would rather guess that the mark was drawn with a pen than think of it as a tattoo, because Xu Yanfeng's whole demeanor, from head to toe, was far from the idea of a tattoo.

To confirm his words, Xia Xi pointed to the spot of the tooth mark: "Let me have another look."

Just moments ago so open and forthright, he suddenly changed his attitude: "No."

Xia Xi: "……"

He's like a child, changing his mind one moment and his face the next.

"You think I'm joking with you?" Xu Yanfeng asked softly.

Xia Xi licked her lip, defending herself: "I didn't think that, I just……" She scratched her face, then continued, "It's hard to imagine someone with your temperament getting a tattoo."

Xu Yanfeng curled his lips, a bit curious: "What kind of personality do I have in your heart?"

Xia Xi didn't need to think long; his image was already deeply etched in her mind: "law-abiding, self-disciplined, steady and solemn."

The smile on Xu Yanfeng's lips deepened.

Xia Xi poked his abdomen, signaling him to stop laughing: "Why on earth did you get a tattoo?" It just felt off no matter how she thought about it.

"Hiss." Xu Yanfeng slightly furrowed his brows, his large, warm hand clasping her restless one, adding a warning: "Don't touch randomly."

Xia Xi frowned, glanced at that spot, and indeed it was a bit sensitive.

Seeing her become more honest, Xu Yanfeng let out a light breath and answered the question she had pondered for ages: "You yourself said you wanted me to belong to you forever; this is the seal."

Since it's a seal, how could he allow it to fade?

His constitution differed from Xia Xi's; that mark grew fainter with time, almost blending into his original skin tone. He didn't want to watch it disappear; he wanted it to last forever, so he had to use this method.

Xia Xi's mind went blank for a few seconds; she had said those words. She opened her mouth, not knowing what to say, and after a long while she finally spoke: "Why are you being so literal? I just said it offhand."

She sighed, at times thinking he seemed shrewd yet also foolish, at times feeling guilty, moved, and pained; in short, a tangle of emotions, extremely complex.

Xia Xi muttered, "Does it hurt a lot?"

The skin there is so thin you can see the purplish veins; getting a tattoo there is definitely painful.

Xu Yanfeng pulled her up from the chair, pressing the pad of his thumb against a spot on her abdomen, his eyelashes drooping: "Compared to the knife wound you suffered, the pain is negligible."

That night in Londun when they reconciled, as they were intimate on the hotel bed, he stroked Xia Xi's body and felt a mark unlike the surrounding smooth skin; he didn't react at first, froze entirely, and in a hoarse voice asked her how she got it.

At that time her hair was damp with sweat at her temples, her head pressed against his chest, she said nonchalantly: "When I gave birth to Zi Heng, it was a cesarean."

Late at night, she was already exhausted and asleep, while he couldn't sleep; he deliberately turned on the bright light, lifted her clothing to examine the surgical scar left by the operation, his fingertips lightly tracing it, and unbidden an image flashed in his mind of her alone abroad, lying on a cold operating table giving birth. The pang of heartache left him breathless, nearly choking.

Even now, bringing it up, Xia Xi still acted indifferent: "I'm almost forgetting it."

Xu Yanfeng pinched her cheek and tugged: "Lying. Giving birth hurts that much—how could you forget? Tell me."

"Nothing much to say."

"I want to hear it."

Xu Yanfeng suddenly hoisted her up in a vertical embrace. Xia Xi, unprepared, cried out, her arms locking around his neck, her legs wrapping around his waist like an octopus to keep from falling.

Xu Yanfeng carried her toward the big bed.

Xia Xi's gaze flicked to the lit computer screen: "My computer!"

Xu Yanfeng paused, stepped back, supported her butt with one hand, freed the other to close the computer. Seeing this, Xia Xi protested: "I'm still waiting for their reply."

Xu Yanfeng said, "Labor holidays are meant for you to balance work and rest, not to work yourself to death. If you don't rest, others need to rest too."

Xia Xi eyed his handsome face up close: "That doesn't sound like something a capitalist would say."

Xu Yanfeng: "I'm your man now, not your boss."

Xia Xi chuckled, silently cursing him for being shameless.

"What does that expression mean?" Xu Yanfeng's steps halted at the bedside, he lowered his eyes to observe her; after a moment, his brows knotted: "Am I wrong? You accepted my proposal this afternoon; to be precise, I'm now your fiancé."

Xia Xi felt she might be ill, because hearing him say such things made her want to laugh.

Xu Yanfeng laid her on the bed, took her hand, intending to say you're wearing my ring, but upon looking down he saw her fingers bare, the ring gone: "Where's the ring?"

Xia Xi said, "It's too heavy, inconvenient to wear, so I put it away."

Xu Yanfeng went along with her, adjusted to a comfortable position on the bed, and pulled her into his arms: "Go on."

Xia Xi: "What about?"

Xu Yanfeng's hand moved to her abdomen and gently rubbed.

Xia Xi felt there was nothing much to say about giving birth, but seeing him like this, she guessed he'd been holding it in for a long time and wanted a chance to hear her talk; after thinking a while, she decided to oblige him.

"I had hired a nanny at home, made all the preparations; originally my mother was supposed to come take care of me, but I didn't let her, because Xiao Xuan couldn't be left alone. Zhou Du knew my due date and planned to come to Londun three or four days early, saying that childbirth is a life-or-death matter and one needs someone familiar nearby, so I didn't refuse. Actually he was busy with work then, having just signed with the company, so he wasn't that free. Who would have thought that Zi Heng this guy couldn't wait to meet me, showing up more than a week before my due date..."

Late at night, she noticed her water broke, woke the nanny, and they took a taxi to the hospital.

Her physical condition had always been good; all prenatal checks went smoothly with no issues. That midnight, she lay on the operating table in the delivery room, missing Xu Yanfeng more than ever before; though she had endured many tough moments alone, this time she couldn't get through it. She had no strength left; the midwife wiped her sweat and tears, urging her to push harder.

She cried nonstop, feeling only pain in her body. The delay was too long; the doctor worried about fetal asphyxiation risk, consulted her wishes, then performed an emergency cesarean, cutting her once, and finally delivered the baby safely.

While Xia Xi spoke calmly, as if recounting someone else's story, after she finished there was a long silence from Xu Yanfeng; she slightly lifted her neck to look at him, but before she could see his face clearly, he covered her eyes with his hand.

She didn't struggle; after a while she felt him lower his head.

'"Xu Yanfeng?" Xia Xi softly laughed as she called his name, paused, then said, "You wouldn't be... crying from fright, would you?"'

Xu Yanfeng still ignored her, burying his face deep in her hair, his exhaled breath scorching hot, the skin on her neck about to be burned.

Xia Xi couldn't see anything; she fumbled with her fingers until they touched Xu Yanfeng's head, rubbing it twice: "It's been so long—am I not doing fine now?"

Xu Yanfeng struggled to stay calm, seeking a topic: "Zhou Du couldn't make it over?"

'"Of course, with the due date moved up that many days, he couldn't make it." Xia Xi found it a bit funny; after saying all that, why did he bring up Zhou Du? "You're not still jealous of him, are you?"'

Xu Yanfeng said lightly: "No."

Xia Xi curled her lips; perhaps because her eyes were covered, her hearing was unusually sharp, and she detected in Xu Yanfeng's tone that it wasn't just a lack of jealousy.

'"He really doesn't have that intention toward me," Xia Xi said.'

Xu Yanfeng's complexion had returned to normal, and he lifted the hand covering her eyes. Xia Xi immediately looked at his face; he dodged, and in the next second, his face was held in place by Xia Xi's both hands.

Xia Xi gazed into his eyes, where a faint red ring shimmered; she was astonished—no way, had he really cried?

Xu Yanfeng continued to steer the conversation: "What about Zhou Du?"

Xia Xi didn't mention his red-eyed matter at all, opening her lips to say: "Zhou Du does indeed have something special toward me, but it's absolutely not a romantic feeling. As for the rest, I can't tell you for now—it concerns his secret. Anyway, you just need to know that he treats me like a real younger sister. If one day he himself is willing to tell someone, I'll let you know."

Zhou Du helped her keep the secret; she naturally had to do the same for him, not even telling the closest people.