A Belated Reckoning

The exhilarating feeling of being pushed back by the high-speed train completely erased the memories of the small town.

After a few hours' drive, the scenery outside the window gradually changed from rolling green hills and clear waters, to vast fields of golden rapeseed flowers, to the neon lights of S City.

This modern coastal city, with its unique prosperity and bustle, has once again welcomed back returning travelers.

By the time the taxi came to a smooth stop at the entrance of the alley where they lived, night had completely fallen.

Lu Yan took the suitcase out of the trunk, which was filled with his grandmother's lovingly made beef sauce and various local specialties that his aunt insisted on giving him.

Aemeath followed behind him, stepping on the familiar bluestone path in the alley.

Listening to the clattering sound of her suitcase wheels against the ground, and breathing in the evening breeze carrying the moist scent of the river, Aemeath's steps became lighter.

Lu Yan used the key to open the familiar iron gate.

With a soft scraping sound as the courtyard gate opened, they finally returned to their own world.

The courtyard was quiet. The ground lamp in the corner of the courtyard sensed the footsteps and automatically lit up with a halo, illuminating the path leading to the living room.

As soon as I pushed open the living room door...

"Phew~" Aemeath exhaled softly. Without even changing her slippers, she kicked off her leather shoes, her white silk-clad feet stepping onto the warm wooden floor, and quickly rushed to the soft sofa in the center of the living room.

She rolled comfortably onto the sofa, buried her face in the cushions, and let out a satisfied sigh, "Finally back--!"

Lu Yan closed the door behind him, completely shutting out the noise from the outside world.

He looked at Aemeath sprawled out on the sofa, her delicate feet dangling about, and smiled helplessly.

He pushed his suitcase to the corner, changed into slippers, then walked to the sofa and reached out to pinch her exposed cheek.

"What, you've been staying in your hometown for a few days and you're feeling wronged?" he asked, knowing full well what was going on.

Aemeath rolled over, looking up at the light on the ceiling, her eyes sparkling.

"I'm not upset at all. My grandma and aunt are so good to me, they cook delicious food for me every day, I'm so happy. It's just..."

Aemeath paused for a moment, then stretched her slender hands upwards as if to embrace the entire room.

"But no matter how good our hometown is, it's still our elders' home. But here..." Her gaze slowly moved down, finally meeting Lu Yan's deep eyes, and the smile on her face was so sweet it could drown someone.

"This is our own little courtyard, a home that belongs only to the two of us. It feels different."

Back in her hometown, she was a pampered prospective granddaughter-in-law, and was expected to remain obedient and polite.

But in this small courtyard, she can roll around without restraint, run around without slippers, and be her most authentic and relaxed self.

Lu Yan felt as if a feather had gently brushed against his heart, a tingling, itchy sensation spreading from his chest to every part of his body.

'Our home, just the two of us.' He murmured those words to himself.

His usually deep eyes were now incredibly gentle.

He slowly leaned down, placing his hands on the edges of the sofa on either side of Aemeath's face, enveloping her in his shadow, and whispered in response, "Yes, our home."

Aemeath gazed at the face so close to hers, her breath catching in her throat.

She suddenly reached out and wrapped her arms around Lu Yan's neck, pulling them even closer together.

"And..." Aemeath's fingertips restlessly stroked the back of Lu Yan's neck, causing his Adam's apple to bob involuntarily.

Aemeath's eyes narrowed slightly, her voice deliberately lowered, carrying a seductive undertone. "Back home those few days, although the 1.2-meter single bed kept us very close, the soundproofing there wasn't very good."

"An elder lives downstairs, Yaoyao sleeps next door..."

She paused, her pink lips parted slightly, her breath carrying a faint, sweet fragrance. "Many things are really, really 'inconvenient'."

The words she had spoken back in her hometown were now being unabashedly brought up again by Aemeath in this absolutely private space that belonged only to the two of them.

Lu Yan's breathing instantly became heavier.

He knew Aemeath all too well.

Back in her hometown, with her elders present, she toned down her sharp edges and acted as a docile future daughter-in-law.

But once she returns to this territory that belongs to her, her playful side is unleashed again.

Lu Yan raised an eyebrow and deliberately asked in a low voice, "Oh? So, what do you consider convenient?"

"What do you think?" Aemeath scoffed.

She didn't back down; instead, using the strength of her arms around his neck, she suddenly flipped over.

To avoid crushing her, Lu Yan let her pull him halfway against the back of the sofa.

Aemeath nimbly straddled his lap, looking down at him.

Her slender hands grabbed Lu Yan's shirt collar, pulling him closer to her, her eyes gradually igniting with fire.

"Mr. Lu, back in our hometown, did you take advantage of my quiet demeanor and deliberately rub my breasts in bed?"

"And then you whispered weird things in my ear and licked my earlobe, bullying me like that?" Aemeath's words were full of the implication of settling scores.

But paired with her stunningly beautiful face, it made her seem less intimidating and more like a sexy invitation.

Aemeath lowered her head slightly, their noses almost touching, preventing him from speaking. "Now that we're back on my turf, shouldn't I settle this score tonight?"

Lu Yan chuckled softly as he looked at her fierce yet alluring appearance.

He completely relaxed, his hands casually resting on her waist, his eyes full of anticipation. "Okay. How you want to settle things, I'll cooperate fully."

Aemeath didn't hesitate to bite Lu Yan's lower lip.

Unlike the previous tender and lingering attempts, this kiss carried a clear sense of aggression and dominance.

Like a queen, she forcefully pried open his teeth, plunging in and greedily seizing his essence.

Lu Yan let out a muffled groan as she bit him, cooperating with her rhythm as she conquered his lips and teeth.

After a fierce struggle, Aemeath released him, slightly out of breath.

Aemeath immediately picked up Lu Yan in a princess carry and turned to walk towards the bedroom, just like a bandit leader who had just kidnapped his wife.

Pushing open the bedroom door, the first thing you see is the double bed.

At this moment, this familiar bedroom, this bed she personally chose, the bed that held their intimate nights, is quietly waiting for them.

Aemeath reached the bedside, she gently placed Lu Yan on the soft mattress.

Lu Yan lay down smoothly, his handsome face displaying a fatal allure under the warm yellow light of the bedroom wall lamp.

He didn't get up, but simply rested one arm behind his head, loosened the collar that Aemeath had ruffled with his other hand, and stared at the girl standing by the bed, waiting for her next move.

Aemeath knelt on the bed and slowly approached him.

Her slender hands moved along the collar of Lu Yan's shirt, unbuttoning it one button at a time.

With each unraveling of a pearl, her warm fingertips would intentionally or unintentionally trace across his firm chest, stirring a strange flutter in her heart.

"A-Yan, do you know..." Aemeath's voice became unusually gentle, carrying a captivating magic.

She unbuttoned the last button, placed her hands on his burning chest, and felt the strong, rapid beating of his heart for her.

"Do you know what?" Lu Yan's breathing was already a little erratic, his gaze fixed on Aemeath's face.

"Do you know how much I love this yard...?" Aemeath leaned down, her pink hair falling onto Lu Yan's cheek, "Because this is the nest I built for you with my own hands in this world."

"Here, I don't have to act obedient in front of anyone; I just need to be your lover."

The moment she finished speaking, she immediately lowered her head and completely sealed off any remaining breath he could take.

Just as Aemeath had foreseen, on this bed with its limited space, there was no way to retreat even if they wanted to. They could only press themselves together tightly, feeling each other's rising body temperature and their losing rationality.

The city's night breeze blew into the bedroom through the half-open French windows, fluttering the thin curtains.

Outside, the lights of countless homes never go out, and the traffic flows endlessly.

Inside the house, in this small space, there was only their passionate love and tenderness.

"Hmm..."

In the quiet room, a few suppressed gasps and soft murmurs occasionally escaped, weaving together to form a most moving nocturne.

The tranquility and serenity of their hometown are certainly wonderful, but for them, only when they return to this little nest filled with each other's presence, only on this bed that Aemeath specially chose, can their souls truly be in harmony.

Time is still long. And this reckoning, spearheaded by Aemeath, has only just begun.