The Man She's Been Waiting For
Chu Fei spoke again, his voice flat and even. He was talking about Su Rui's future, but it sounded more like an order.
"Boss, she... will she agree? To hire us, she..."
"I'm her only man. What do you think?"
Chu Fei suddenly let out a sigh, and in that moment, everything clicked into place in his mind. Yeah, Duan Lin was treating him like her man now. Otherwise, why would she have wrapped her own towel around his body that morning? Why clean up the mess from yesterday?
That's why she'd said last time that a real man never needed to apologize... Because in her eyes, her man stood tall and proud—always right, no exceptions.
"Wh-what?"
Su Rui's face was a picture of pure comedy gold right then.
"Let's go!"
Chu Fei cut the chatter short. He clenched his fist and charged. Su Rui reacted on instinct, grabbing hold of him...
Bam!
Bam!
Chu Fei hit the ground for the Nth time. Good thing this was the training field, paved with bouncy plastic bricks—otherwise, his bones would've been jelly ages ago. Even so, it hurt like hell. And that's when Su Rui finally saw it: this guy she'd thought was some invincible powerhouse was just a regular young dude. Sure, he was young and looked pretty fit, but his foundation wasn't any better than the average Joe's.
But watching Chu Fei—who she'd thrown down countless times—never whine once, just dragging himself back up for more... Su Rui felt a sting at the corner of her eyes. That kind of stubborn grit. If only she'd stuck with it back then...
"That's enough. We're done for today."
Duan Lin had appeared at the edge of the training field without anyone noticing, flanked by her two female security guards. They eyed the pair in the center with total confusion. What the hell was going on today? Why was the captain beating this kid black and blue?
With Duan Lin calling it, Su Rui didn't dare keep going. She hesitated, then reached down and hauled the bruised-and-battered Chu Fei to his feet. Duan Lin shot her a glance, then turned and headed back. "Su Rui, piggyback him and follow me upstairs."
"Yes..."
"No need. I can walk."
Chu Fei wanted to prove he wasn't some fragile flower—he was a man, after all. But Duan Lin just ignored him, and Su Rui didn't bother arguing. She crouched low and hoisted him right onto her back.
"Put him in here..."
Duan Lin led Su Rui—still carrying Chu Fei—up to the second floor and unlocked a door. Inside was a sauna room, meant for guests to steam out the effects of a massage.
Once Su Rui and the others had cleared out, Duan Lin came back. She'd gone up to the rooftop for her med kit. Standing beside Chu Fei, she lectured him while mixing up a pale blue medicinal liquid. Then she stripped him buck naked, grabbed her little brush, and started painting it onto his body...
"Itchy as hell!"
At first, the stuff felt bone-chillingly cool on his skin. Then it turned to fire, and right after that—like bugs burrowing inside him—unbearable itching. If he didn't know Duan Lin would never hurt him, he'd swear she was getting revenge. He was seconds from tapping his powers to devour the medicine when suddenly, a soft, slick naked body eased down onto his.
"Don't move..."
It was Duan Lin.
Somehow, she'd stripped down too and climbed onto his back, wrapping around him in a still, silent hug...
But damn if it didn't work wonders. The itching vanished just like that. All he could feel now was the softness of her body pressed against his back—he could even hear her heartbeat.
"Why?"
Chu Fei finally broke the silence after a long beat. Just three words, but he knew she got it.
"You're the one I've been waiting for."
Duan Lin let out a soft breath. "You might not believe it, but I've waited years for you to show up."
"I believe you. But I never planned on marrying you."
Chu Fei sighed too. "I'm grateful you think so highly of me, but Duan Lin... it's not gonna happen between us."
"Don't rush to decide."
Duan Lin brushed off his words like dust. She reached out, trailing a light touch over his chest. "We've got plenty of time ahead. You'll get it someday."
"..."
Get it, my ass, Chu Fei thought with a silent sigh. "Does this medicine need to stay on like this the whole time?"
"Yeah. Want me to give you a massage? You don't need to learn this technique—you won't ever need it."