A Cozy and Tense Evening for Two

Aemeath rested her chin on Lu Yan's shoulder, her slender arms tightly wrapped around his neck.

Her chest pressed against Lu Yan's warm chest as she breathed rapidly with excitement.

That softness and amazing elasticity, mixed with her unique sweet scent, instantly filled all of Lu Yan's senses.

Lu Yan's breathing became heavier involuntarily, and he tightened his grip on his soft, frail fiancée, holding her even closer.

"Have you been waiting long?"

"Soon."

Aemeath buried her face deep in the crook of his neck, nuzzling him, her voice muffled yet filled with undisguised sweetness, "But without A-Yan holding me, watching TV isn't fun anymore. And I'm hungry..."

The two of them stood quietly in the entryway, bathed in the warm yellow glow of the motion-sensor light, embracing for a long while.

Okay, that's enough hugging!

After a moment, Aemeath reluctantly withdrew from his embrace.

She tilted her head back, a sly glint in her golden eyes.

She didn't search Lu Yan's pockets or ask any questions. She simply took Lu Yan's hand naturally and led him straight to the dining table.

"Hurry up and come here! I made a super delicious dinner, it'll get cold if you don't come back soon!"

Lu Yan let her lead him, his gaze following her movements until it landed on the dining table not far away.

After just one glance, Lu Yan abruptly stopped in his tracks.

The solid wood dining table was now densely packed with all sorts of plates, so many that there was hardly enough room to put them all.

In the very center, there was a pot of rich chicken soup, still bubbling and steaming. The soup was golden in color, clearly having been simmered for a very long time.

Next to it was a dish of sweet and sour pork ribs, with a bright red color and perfectly caramelized sugar.

Next to it, there was golden claypot rice, perfectly cooked scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and several of Lu Yan's favorite home-style dishes.

There is no fish he won't eat, and every dish is made precisely to his liking.

Moreover, two exquisitely designed scented candles were even lit in the center of the table, and several fresh forget-me-not petals were used as decorations.

Lu Yan stared blankly at the large table of dishes, then turned to look at Aemeath standing beside him, proudly awaiting praise. He was utterly shocked.

This is no ordinary dinner; this setup is practically on par with a Chinese New Year's Eve dinner.

She really did know everything.

Not only did she use her high intelligence and keen intuition to guess what he had gone out to do under the scorching sun, but she also spent half a day at home preparing a perfect dinner to welcome him back.

She didn't ask or urge him; instead, she used the utmost gentleness and tacit understanding to pave the way for him, waiting for him to tell her everything.

The two of them tacitly devoured most of the lavish dinner, which was almost extravagant.

The pot of golden chicken soup, which had been simmering for hours, was eventually devoured by the two of them, along with the plate of bright red sweet and sour pork ribs.

This sumptuous dinner, comparable to a New Year's Eve feast, came to a close in a wonderfully unspoken yet subtly tense atmosphere.

Lu Yan couldn't even remember how many times he had asked for more rice. He only knew that every time he took a bite, Aemeath's golden eyes, which were sitting across from him, would sparkle with a light more brilliant than starlight.

Most of the time, Aemeath simply rested her chin on her hands and quietly watched Lu Yan devour his meal.

In this world, there is probably nothing that brings a greater sense of accomplishment than watching the person you love eat the food you cooked yourself completely.

"Phew~ I really can't eat anymore." Lu Yan put down his chopsticks and leaned back in his chair with a satisfied look.

His gaze fell on the empty plates and leftover food on the table, then he looked up at Aemeath. "Aemeath, your cooking skills have truly reached the point where you could be the head chef of a grand hotel."

"I don't want to open a chef's shop or anything like that." Aemeath gave a soft snort, a hint of arrogance in her tone, but she couldn't hide the smile on her face. "These hands of mine used to be for wielding weapons. Now..."

"I'll only cook for you. If you get tired of the same old recipes, I'll learn new ones."

"I'll never get tired of it." Lu Yan's voice was very soft.

The two smiled at each other, the air filled with the faint, calming scent of scented candles, mixed with the lingering warmth of the food, creating a romantic atmosphere in the room.

After dinner, the two of them, like on countless ordinary days, cleaned up together, taking all the empty plates from the table into the kitchen.

Lu Yan stood up, carefully gathered the stacks of dishes, and carried them to the sink in the open kitchen.

Aemeath immediately sprang up from her chair and followed him, clattering along.

She even rummaged through the locker and pulled out a small apron with a Snowy Fluff Leopard print, tied it over her sexy silk slip dress, and insisted on helping Lu Yan wash the dishes.

Under the warm orange light of the kitchen, warm water flowed from the faucet, rinsing the white porcelain dishes with a splashing sound.

Lu Yan was wearing a large cotton T-shirt with the cuffs rolled up high, and he was carefully wiping the oil stains off the bowl with a sponge.

Aemeath stood beside him, holding a dry towel. She took the dishes he had washed, carefully dried them, and then neatly placed them in the drainer above.

This is an ordinary scene, but today, the air in the kitchen seems much thicker than usual.

Because the two were standing side by side, Lu Yan's elbow would often brush against Aemeath's exposed, rounded shoulder.

Each gentle touch of their skin felt like a faint yet deadly static electricity, rapidly coursing through their entire bodies from the point of contact.

Lu Yan was noticeably slower than usual when washing the dishes.

Standing beside him, Aemeath was obediently wiping the plates, but her bright golden eyes kept sneaking glances at Lu Yan's right trouser pocket.

With her heightened senses, even if Lu Yan placed that Frequency close to his body, how could she not notice that his Frequency was slightly off?

But she didn't say anything.

Aemeath pressed her lower lip tightly together, trying hard to suppress the smile that was about to spill from her lips; the little deer in her heart was about to burst out of her chest.

"All done washing~!" Aemeath took off her apron, stretched out a big yawn, and her perfect body curves were revealed under her thin pajamas.

She turned her head, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Lu Yan, a hint of barely perceptible expectation hidden deep within them. "A-Yan, shall we watch some TV?"

"Okay." Lu Yan nodded, his voice slightly tense with nervousness.

The two walked out of the kitchen one after the other and came into the living room.

The air conditioner is steadily delivering cool air in silent mode, maintaining the room temperature at the most comfortable 26 degrees Celsius.

Outside the window, the cicadas of summer nights continue their tireless chirping, but the heavy French windows and curtains keep them out.

The two of them walked silently to the double sofa, which was jokingly called the Yan Catcher, and sat down.

Normally, as soon as she sits down, Aemeath will definitely throw herself into Lu Yan's arms, put her long legs on his lap, or bury her face in his neck and act coquettishly, or she will cling to him and ask for kisses.

Lu Yan would naturally put his arm around her waist and play with her soft, long hair.

But today, the situation is completely different.

Aemeath simply sat close to him, holding the little pink cat that Lu Yan had originally bought for her in her hands, pressing it against her chest, her eyes fixed on the LCD TV in front of her.

Lu Yan sat there upright, his hands resting somewhat awkwardly on his knees, his gaze also fixed on the television screen.

The two sat silently on the sofa, their eyes seemingly fixed on the television screen, but in reality, neither of them was paying attention to a single image.

The sofa was still so small that whenever the two of them sat down, their thighs and shoulders would inevitably be pressed tightly together.

Aemeath's left leg was pressed tightly against Lu Yan's right leg.

Even through a thin layer of black stockings, Lu Yan could clearly feel the heat and elasticity emanating from her thighs.

Neither side spoke first, nor did they take any further action.

The air in the living room seemed to thicken at that moment, and an ambiguous feeling grew and spread wildly between the two of them. Even their breathing was amplified infinitely in the quiet environment.

The television was currently showing an anime.

The screen flickered with colorful lights, reflecting alternately on the two people's seemingly calm but actually turbulent faces.

The air conditioner in the living room was still steadily delivering 26 degrees Celsius in silent mode, but at this moment, no matter how strong the air conditioning was, it could not dispel the increasingly intense, almost tangible, ambiguous and hot atmosphere surrounding the two of them.

Neither of them spoke first to break the silence.

Time seemed to slow down countless times in this small living room.

The second hand ticked away on the wall clock, each tick feeling like a blow to their taut nerves.

Lu Yan's heart was going through a rollercoaster ride.

He was wondering how to bring it up.

This was the first and perhaps only marriage proposal he had ever made in his life.

On the ride home, he had already mentally rehearsed his lines countless times, even rehearsing in his mind how to pause and how to coordinate every sentence and every glance, just like drawing a storyboard.

He had originally planned to kneel down on one knee and give her a stunning surprise as soon as he entered the house, while the afterglow of the setting sun was still there, or to take the ring out of the dessert while they were having that sumptuous dinner, under the flickering candlelight.

As an artist who pours all his emotions into his brushstrokes, he suddenly found himself at a loss for words when faced with this situation.

'Aemeath, I bought you something.'

No, that sounds like something you'd just grab at a roadside popsicle.

'Aemeath, let's get married, here's the ring.'

It was so abrupt! It sounded like a command being given.

Lu Yan's Adam's apple bobbed up and down. The velvet box in his pocket felt like a red-hot iron, so hot that his heart felt like it was about to jump out of his chest.

His left hand was clenched into a fist, his palm covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.

He kept searching his mind for movie plots he had seen and romance novels he had read, only to sadly discover that...

Those so-called classic lines are simply unworthy of sitting next to him, the man who once bore the weight of the world's fate and is now willing to do anything for him.

He wanted to tell her that the ring carried the Frequency he had infused into it, and that every single moment of their future together would be witnessed by the purest metal in the world.

But when the words reached his lips, it was as if they were blocked by a wad of cotton, and he couldn't get them out.

He was scared.

It wasn't that he was afraid Aemeath would reject him; he knew better than anyone the depth of Aemeath for him.

What he fears is that he is not perfect enough.

This was the first and only time he ever proposed to someone.

He hoped that this moment would become the most shining scene in Aemeath's long life.

Is the light too bright now?

Is the TV a bit too loud? Should we make an excuse to turn it off?

He was afraid that his clumsy words would ruin this perfect evening, afraid that his voice would tremble with nervousness once he opened his mouth.

'Calm down, Lu Yan, calm down...' he frantically shouted to himself in his mind, 'You've already overcome the shackles of saving Aemeath and the shackles of lifespan, are you really going to fail at the hurdle of proposing marriage?'

At this very moment, Aemeath, sitting beside him, was experiencing just as much inner turmoil as he was.

For the first ten minutes, she was filled with joy and anticipation.

She sat beside her like a well-behaved young wife, clutching a corner of a cushion in her hand.

She is waiting.

Lu Yan suddenly turned around and looked at her with a deep, possessive gaze.

He pulled out the "little thing" from the pocket she couldn't ignore—the one he'd spent days measuring her ring finger before buying it.

She even mentally rehearsed the subtle facial expressions she would make when she accepted the ring.

Don't laugh too loudly; your eyes should be slightly red, with a hint of spoiled coquettishness, then you should throw yourself into his arms and rightfully call him "husband."

To welcome this most sacred moment of her life, she even prepared such a lavish dinner, lit scented candles, and washed the dishes in the sink as quickly as possible.

She had laid herself bare before him, completely open and ready to receive the ring.

Before leaving home this afternoon, A-Yan measured Mingming's ring finger and said he was going to buy something "very small" that should have been prepared a long time ago.

She was so excited at home that she secretly practiced her facial expressions for the proposal in front of the mirror more than ten times!

But now, the meal is finished, the dishes are washed, and the cartoon on TV has been played almost eight hundred times, why isn't A-Yan moving?