An Eye for an Eye

The third and decisive game has officially begun.

Both sides gave it their all in this game.

On the screen, the two characters fought back and forth, locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle.

The skills flashed and danced with light and shadow, and the sound of the controller buttons clicked so densely it was like a storm.

"Take this!" Aemeath found an opening and struck decisively.

"Not so easy!" Lu Yan quickly defended and then counterattacked.

Both players' health was decreasing at a steady rate, until they were both left with only a sliver of health, a true moment of certain death.

"Hahaha... A-Yan, I'm going to win!" Aemeath shouted excitedly, her fingers about to unleash her ultimate move.

Just then, Lu Yan suddenly turned his head, not looking at the screen, but staring intently at Aemeath.

"Aemeath," he said suddenly, his voice low and gentle.

"What? Don't try to distract me!" Aemeath didn't turn her head, her eyes fixed on the screen.

"You look beautiful today," Lu Yan said softly.

"Huh?" Aemeath was stunned for a moment. In that fraction of a second of hesitation, she turned her head and met Lu Yan's deep and affectionate eyes.

Just as she turned her head, Lu Yan suddenly leaned forward and gently placed a kiss on her lips.

Aemeath's hand loosened, and the handle almost fell to the ground.

At the same time, a "KO" sound effect appeared on the screen. Lu Yan blindly pressed a light punch, precisely reaping Chun-Li's last bit of health.

The game is over; Lu Yan.

"Lu Yan!!!" Aemeath finally realized she'd been tricked, and angrily threw the controller on the carpet, then pounced on Lu Yan. "You cheated! You cheated! You broke the rules!"

Lu Yan leaned back and lay on the soft carpet, catching Aemeath pounced on him in his arms. He couldn't help but burst into laughter, his chest heaving violently.

"How did I cheat?" Lu Yan wrapped his arms around her slender waist, looking at Aemeath was lying on his chest, huffing and puffing, and couldn't hide the smile in his eyes. "I was just telling the truth. Is it wrong to praise my wife's beauty?"

"You did it on purpose! That kiss you just gave me... it was totally to distract me!" Aemeath, and punched his chest twice with her little fist. "This round doesn't count, let's start over!"

"No, no, someone used that trick on me just now."

"A bet's a bet, right? Someone just said they couldn't refuse any request I made." Lu Yan grabbed her fidgeting little hand and kissed it. "What's wrong, a Street Fighter master like you can't handle losing?"

"You... you won unfairly!" Although Aemeath was still protesting verbally, her body betrayed her, and she lay on his chest.

In truth, winning or losing, betting or anything else, none of that matters at this moment.

Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing them in its warmth. The aroma of potato chips and a subtle woody scent created a serene and beautiful atmosphere.

Lu Yan tightened his arms around her, rested his chin on the top of her head, and took a deep breath of the familiar scent emanating from her hair.

"Stop fooling around." Lu Yan's voice became incredibly gentle, filled with endless tenderness. "Didn't we agree to spend some time together like this?"

Aemeath didn't speak, but silently buried her face in the crook of his neck, nuzzling him like a docile kitten.

Lu Yan gently ran his long fingers through her hair. "Are your hands sore from playing games? Do you want your husband to give you a massage?"

"Not only are my hands sore, but my shoulders are too," Aemeath's muffled voice came from his arms. "You have to take responsibility to the end."

"Okay, I'll take full responsibility." Lu Yan agreed with a light laugh. "Well... I just won, can I make my request now?"

Aemeath stiffened slightly, looked up at him, and said, "Tell me first, what's your request? If it's too much, I have the right to refuse!"

"Don't worry, it's absolutely not going too far." Lu Yan rolled over, pressing her down onto the soft carpet, his deep gaze locked onto her eyes. His nose almost touched hers, their warm breaths mingling.

"My request is..." Lu Yan's voice became hoarse and deep, "... that the current time spent being so lovey-dovey is going on indefinitely, and you're not allowed to call it a stop."

Aemeath's cheeks flushed instantly. She glared at him, but instead of pushing him away, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Hmph... we'll see how you do," she muttered under her breath.

The Street Fighter match had just ended, and the game screen on the TV had already reverted to the idle animation due to prolonged inactivity.

The air conditioning in the living room was on full blast, but the spot where the two were tightly embracing radiated warmth from their bodies.

Aemeath lay limply on Lu Yan's broad chest, her long hair casually spread across Lu Yan pure white shirt.

"Okay, okay, stop fooling around..." Aemeath breathed softly. The battle of wits and the subsequent playfulness had made her already rosy cheeks even more like ripe apples.

She stretched out her finger and weakly poked Lu Yan's chest. "Master Lu, you have such a strong grip. Not only are my fingers sore from pressing the handle, but my back is aching too."

Lu Yan chuckled softly, then stretched out his long, strong hands and wrapped them around her slender waist, kneading it with just the right amount of force.

"How can you blame me? Who was it that resorted to using their beauty to win a game?" Lu Yan lowered his head slightly, gently rubbing his chin against the top of Aemeath's head, his tone full of indulgent pleasure, as if he had gotten the better deal.

"However, since my wife has spoken, let's not play fighting games anymore. You won half the round last time, so how about we switch to a more peaceful game? How about It Takes Two?"

"Mmm..." Aemeath squinted comfortably, enjoying Lu Yan's attentive massage, letting out a satisfied hum. "It's better to be peaceful, otherwise I'm afraid I won't be able to resist using underhanded tactics on you again."

"However, in cooperative games, I'll have to really exploit you as my labor force, to get revenge for how you seduced me earlier!"

"Okay, whatever my wife says goes." Lu Yan chuckled and shook his head, then reached for another game controller on the coffee table.

Just then, the phone next to the sofa cushion suddenly vibrated twice. Immediately afterward, the screen lit up, and the notification sound of a WeChat message sounded particularly abrupt in the quiet living room.

Aemeath lazily lifted her eyelids, glanced at her phone less than half a meter away, then buried her head back into Lu Yan's neck, rubbing against him playfully. "A-Yan, can you get my phone for me? I'm such a lazy bum right now, I don't even want to turn over."

Looking at her clingy appearance, Lu Yan smiled helplessly and easily retrieved the phone.

"Let me see who's so inconsiderate as to disturb my cute little pink cat's afternoon nap."

As Lu Yan spoke, he handed his phone to Aemeath. The lock screen displayed an unread message from WeChat, and the sender's contact name was Shuyao.

"Huh? It's Shuyao." Upon seeing this name, Aemeath's sleepy eyes instantly brightened.