“H-How-”, Song Liuli stuttered as she tried to form her thoughts together. She certainly didn’t expect that she’ll have a surprise visit from her boyfriend right now. In fact, she had long accepted the fact that Bai Minglan may never set foot in this house on his own accord. “How come you are here?”

At her words, Bai Minglan’s brows knotted. Song Liuli thought that he was displeased with his words. She opened her mouth once again to clarify herself.

“I mean, aren’t you supposed to be in Country M for a business trip?”, Song Liuli said as she put down her work and walked closer to Bai Minglan. “Gu Baicheng said that you’ll only be coming back home the day after tomorrow. I didn’t expect that you’d come home this early.”

“Plans changed.”, Bai Minglan replied as he shifted his weight off the door jamb. He walked closer to Song Liuli and stretched out his hands. “The negotiations were done today so we flew back home.”

Once he had a grip of Song Liuli’s wrist, he gently pulled her into his embrace, much to Song Liuli’s surprise. Of course, she would be surprised! After all, it is extremely, extremely, extremely rare for Bai Minglan to initiate intimate acts! Important things should be said thrice!

Song Liuli’s surprise escaped Bai Minglan’s notice as he was more focused on feeling Song Liuli’s body wrapped within his arms. The feeling of peace that he had long forgotten once again flooded his inner being. Her warmth brought him calm.

As Song Liuli was only up to Bai Minglan’s neck, he comfortably rested his chin on top of her hair. Unconsciously, he was rocking them back in forth in a slow dance as he closed his eyes, happy that he is finally able to hug her after being left alone for so long in his past life.

“Are you okay?”, Song Liuli’s muffled voice sounded from Bai Minglan’s chest. He can actually hear a hint of confusion in her voice, making him be filled with mirth. Indeed, she will be confused at this time if he acts so different from how she normally sees him. “Is something wrong?”

“I’m okay. Nothing’s wrong.”, he replied with a soft voice. “I just missed you.”

Complete silence reigned over the two of them. In fact, Song Liuli was just too flabbergasted that she made the opportunity to respond slip right through her fingers. On the other hand, Bai Minglan was just savoring the moment that his woman is snugly in his embrace.

After a while, Bai Minglan then thought that something was wrong as he wasn’t able to hear anything from the woman in his arms. He separated their bodies for a bit so he can look at her face. The corner of his lips lifted up slightly when he saw her in a daze.

“Hey, what are you in a daze for?”

Hearing him back to his normal tone, Song Liuli finally snapped back to her senses.

“D-did-”, she proceeded to swallow her saliva to clear her throat. “Did you just say you missed me?”

“Yes, I did.”, Bai Minglan looked straight into her eyes, not hiding the hint of mirth in his. “I just said I missed you. Shouldn’t you say you missed me too? You didn’t miss me?”

With slightly parted lips, Song Liuli continued to stare at him as if she had seen something weird.

“Well?”

“I missed you too.” Despite her confusion, Song Liuli still opened her mouth to say the truth. She had indeed missed this man.

Happy with her response, Bai Minglan pulled her into his embrace once again. Slightly lifting her up, he pulled the woman into the sofa to sit down. He made sure that Song Liuli felt comfortable sitting on his lap before he rested his cheek on top her forehead.

“Let me rest for a bit.”, Bai Minglan softly said. “We rushed to the airport after the negotiations ended so I’m a little tired.”

Indeed, Bai Minglan is tired. Of course, it is true that it is due to rushing everything. However, his exhaustion from his past life may also have contributed to him feeling tired at this time. Regardless of the reason, Bai Minglan felt that he can rest well as long as he is hugging Song Liuli all the while.

“If you are tired, you should rest on the bed.”, Song Liuli said with worry, forgetting that she is in an awkward position. She can definitely see the haggard look on Bai Minglan’s face. “You can sleep better that way.”

She led Bai Minglan to the guest bedroom. The bed didn't need any cleaning since she had always made sure that this room is clean for the unexpected event that Bai Minglan will stay in her house. It seems that she made the right choice in doing so since Bai Minglan can now have a place to rest his fatigued body.

Bai Minglan took off his shoes before lying on the bed. After that, he patted the space by his side, gesturing for Song Liuli to rest with him. Even though she was confused with Bai Minglan's weird action, she nevertheless went close and lied on the bed as well.

"Was work really that busy?"

"Not really," he replied. "It's just the accumulated fatigue from all the business trips. I haven't rested well for a long time."

Song Liuli felt pity upon hearing that.

"You should sleep now. I'll go ahead and cook something for you so that you can eat as soon as you wake up."

She was about to stand up but Bai Minglan didn’t allow her to. Thus, she had no choice but to look at the man with a questioning look.

“No need. Let’s stay like this for a while.”

Song Liuli had no choice but to oblige since Bai Minglan had such a strong hold over her. Although confused, she stayed still, leaning on his chest and hearing his heartbeat. It may be strange but she somehow feels a bit happy with the situation, considering that this is the first time Bai Minglan is doing something that could touch one’s heart. On the other hand, she is also worried as she feels that Bai Minglan is acting weird.

Bai Minglan felt at peace with hugging Song Liuli. In the past, he would always stare ahead in a daze, that even when he is tired, he is unable to sleep without the help of alcohol. After all, his thoughts would always be filled with Song Liuli. Now that he is given another lease in life, he feels satisfied knowing that the warmth he feels now comes from the real person. It isn’t an illusion. It isn’t a dream that will burst like a bubble when he touches it.

Song Liuli is here.

Slowly, his breathing evened out. Bai Minglan fell into a deep sleep, with a smile on his face, now that he had another chance to correct his mistakes and be with Song Liuli again.