Old Times

The door to Lu Yan's bedroom was gently closed. The main lights were not on in the room; only the last rays of the setting sun, a dark orange glow, shone through the window, casting two slanted shadows on the floor.

Aemeath turned around, before she could even say anything, Lu Yan grabbed her wrist.

With a slight effort, Aemeath lost her balance and fell into his broad, warm embrace.

The two of them then fell onto the soft single bed.

"What are you doing?" Aemeath's voice was a little soft, her golden eyes shimmering with watery light in the dim light.

"Didn't we agree to settle the reward?" Lu Yan rested one hand on her ear as he looked at her.

He Aemeath no chance to object and immediately kissed her soft lips.

Aemeath's eyelashes trembled slightly, and her hands unconsciously climbed onto Lu Yan's broad back before she slowly closed her eyes.

In this small room, the two freely exchanged their breaths.

Time seemed to stretch out infinitely. The setting sun sank below the horizon, plunging the room into darkness, before Lu Yan reluctantly let go.

He buried his head in the crook of Aemeath's neck, calming his slightly rapid breathing. His warm breath occasionally brushed against the delicate skin of her neck, causing Aemeath to tremble slightly.

Aemeath gently nudged his shoulder. "A-Yan ~ It's getting dark, time to go downstairs for dinner."

Lu Yan chuckled softly, his voice especially gentle from the kiss. "Okay."

When the two came downstairs, the table in the main room was already set with a sumptuous dinner. Although it was not as grand as the lunch, it was still a classic home-cooked meal.

The evening news was playing on the television, and the clear, resonant voices of the two anchors echoed in the hall. Accompanied by Grandpa's occasional comments on the international situation, the room was filled with a sense of tranquility.

The family enjoyed a happy dinner together.

After dinner, Lu Yan was called to the yard to help repair the old wall lamp with a bad connection, while Lu Shuyao was forced by her aunt to go to the kitchen to wash the dishes.

The main room fell silent immediately.

"Little Aemeath Ai, come and sit with Grandma." Grandma, who had been sitting on the sofa with a smile, waved to Aemeath and patted the empty seat next to her.

Aemeath obediently walked over and sat down next to the old man.

Grandma carefully took out a heavy notebook wrapped in cloth from the bottom of an old, locked mahogany cabinet.

Unwrapping the cloth revealed an old-fashioned photo album with worn edges.

"Xiao Yan has never been a talkative child, nor has he liked taking pictures. These are all photos I've collected for him, bit by bit." Grandma said, putting on her reading glasses and gently turning to the back pages of the album.

Aemeath's curiosity was instantly piqued.

She leaned closer, her gaze falling on the photograph.

It was a little boy who looked only six or seven years old.

Wearing a striped t-shirt with a slightly large neckline, he sat alone on the cement steps of the yard.

The little boy's features were already showing their outlines, but his dark eyes were somewhat vacant, and his expression was blank.

Aemeath couldn't help but chuckle, her fingertip lightly touching the adorable little dumpling in the photo. "Is this A-Yan as a child? So cute and innocent."

"Yes, he was quite naive as a child." Grandma smiled, but her smile held a touch of elder's tenderness. "Don't let his current appearance fool you; he seems capable of anything."

"When he was little, he was like a quiet gourd; he would do whatever you asked him to do." Grandma flipped through a few pages, and the photos showed Lu Yan gradually growing up until he reached elementary school age.

But in those group photos or solo shots, he always stood at the very edge, rarely looking directly at the camera, exuding a detachment that didn't match his age.

"Back then, while other kids were running around outside, he preferred to hide in the house alone, or sit in the yard drawing."

"He could draw for an entire day, but couldn't come up with a single sentence even after half a day."

Grandma gently stroked the cheek of young Lu Yan in the photo. "I was so worried back then. This child was too thoughtful, keeping everything bottled up inside. How was he going to find a wife in the future?"

Aemeath listened quietly to her grandmother, her eyes fixed on the photo of Little Lu Yan.

"But..." Grandma's tone shifted, her somewhat cloudy but gentle eyes looking at Aemeath, "Seeing you two together today, and seeing the way he looks at you, has finally put my heart, which has been hanging in suspense for so many years, at ease."

Aemeath was slightly taken aback. "Grandma?"

Grandma took Aemeath's hand and held it tightly in her rough palm, saying earnestly, "Little Aemeath, although Grandma is old and her eyesight is failing, her mind is as clear as a mirror."

"I can tell that Xiao Yan has his whole heart set on you. He's spoken more and laughed more today than he has in a whole month."

"You're like a little sun, warming up that cold, hard stone of his."

As the old woman spoke, her eyes reddened slightly. She gently patted Aemeath's hand, her tone carrying an almost solemn entrustment. "Little Aemeath, Grandma is getting old. From now on, we're entrusting our Xiao Yan to you."

"If he does anything wrong, please be understanding. As long as you're by his side, Grandma has nothing to worry about."

This weighty entrustment, like a warm current, instantly warmed Aemeath's heart.

Does this mean I've been accepted?

Aemeath immediately smiled broadly, grasped her grandmother's hand firmly, nodded vigorously, and said in a resolute tone, "Grandma, don't worry. I will always be with him, and I will never leave."

After chatting with her grandmother for a while, Aemeath got up and took a glass of warm water upstairs to the second floor.

The image of the dazed little boy in the photo album kept flashing through her mind, along with her grandmother's words of entrustment.

She gently pushed open the bedroom door, and a warm yellow table lamp was already lit in the room.

Lu Yan had just finished showering and was wearing a loose-fitting light gray loungewear.

He was standing by the window with his back to the door, casually wiping his still-dripping black hair with a towel.

Hearing the door open, Lu Yan turned around. The warm yellow light shone on his handsome and well-defined features. Because he had just taken a shower, there was still a trace of moisture between his eyebrows and eyes.

His deep black eyes softened the moment he saw Aemeath.

You're back?

Lu Yan casually draped a towel over his shoulder, looked at Aemeath standing motionless at the door, and smiled gently, "What are you doing standing there at the door?"

Aemeath didn't speak, but simply gazed silently at the man in front of her who was about the same height as her.

In that instant, the mature and composed Lu Yan before her, whose eyes were filled with her, suddenly overlapped with the aloof, adorable little boy in the photo holding a paintbrush.

That was his past, and it was also a part of him.

And now, this complete version of him belongs to me without reservation.

Aemeath closed the door behind her, put down her water glass, and strode forward. Before Lu Yan could react, she wrapped her arms around him and pressed her cheek tightly against the crook of his neck.

Aemeath slowly closed her eyes and softly called out, "A-Yan ~"

"Hmm, what's wrong? Did Grandma say something to you?" Lu Yan noticed her emotional fluctuations, gently stroking her back with his large hand, tracing the back of her spine.

"Nothing..."

Aemeath squirmed in his arms, her voice filled with an unprecedented sense of peace and contentment, "From now on, please take good care of me, my little dummy."

Lu Yan paused for a moment upon hearing the strange address, then chuckled helplessly.

He tightened his arms, pulling her closer into his embrace, and whispered in response, "Okay~ Please guide me for the rest of my life."