Long Rui pointed to his cheek and said, "I want you to kiss me, just one kiss." The nearly six-foot-tall man was acting spoiled.
Shu Bei chuckled and rolled her eyes, "Long Rui, I think you're asking for a beating!"
"Scram, I'm going to my uncle's for dinner."
Unfazed by the rejection, Long Rui wouldn't have been surprised if she had agreed.
He grabbed her hand and refused to let go, grinning, "Xiao Bei, haven't you eaten? Come to my place, I'll cook for you~"
Shu Bei looked at him suspiciously, "You can cook?"
No male could tolerate such a look from a female. He immediately puffed out his chest, "Xiao Bei, just you wait and see!"
Then Shu Bei was pulled back to Long Rui's home and ate a bowl of Long Rui's special steamed egg. To her surprise, it tasted really good.
"How is it, delicious?" Long Rui sat beside her, propping his elbow on his chin and looking at her, like a big dog seeking praise.
Shu Bei laughed at her own thought and patted him on the head, "It's good, your sister is proud of you~"
Long Rui let her pat him. As she prepared to withdraw her hand, he quickly grabbed it and kissed her palm, saying with genuine affection, "Xiao Bei, I want to cook for you for the rest of my life."
"...!" Shu Bei was flustered by his sudden action, especially the warmth on her palm, which made her heart skip a beat!
She pushed him away in a panic, stood up, and said angrily, "Long Rui!"
She let out a breath, "Don't say such things to me again!"
After yelling, Shu Bei ran away in a fluster, her heart pounding. Where did this kid learn these tricks!
Long Rui chased after her, following from a distance until he saw her return home before leaving with a sense of relief.
On the way back, his face was beaming. Xiao Bei's reaction was too adorable~
Shu Bei didn't know that she had unintentionally unlocked a new side of Long Rui. Perhaps in the days to come...
...
In the afternoon, as soon as Wen Te heard that An An was back, he rushed to the city gates. Then he saw his precious daughter holding hands with an unlikable male...
Hei Ting stood in the living room like a student who had made a mistake, allowing the Shu An family to scrutinize him.
Wen Te forcefully pushed his daughter onto the sofa, next to Yue Yue, and then scanned Hei Ting with a critical gaze, "Since you want to live in Warrior City, you must abide by its rules. If I find out you've attacked tribesmen maliciously, I'll immediately kick you out!"
Hei Ting nodded, indicating he understood.
Wen Te snorted, "This is just the most basic point. Don't think that coming to Warrior City means you can be with An An. An An is not yet an adult, and whether you can be my son-in-law depends on your performance!"
He then presented a multitude of reasonable and unreasonable demands.
For example, he wouldn't accept an illiterate person as a son-in-law. Hei Ting had to learn cultural knowledge, either with help or on his own within a year, build his own house, learn to cook, and other miscellaneous things.
Finally, there were a few more conditions: he couldn't approach Shu An without Wen Te's permission, not even holding hands or kissing!
Shu Yue couldn't listen any further and secretly glared at her partner. Some demands were reasonable, but others were clearly meant to make things difficult!
Hei Ting didn't utter a single word of protest, agreeing to everything with an excellent attitude, which made Wen Te feel like he was punching cotton, leaving him feeling disgruntled.
He gritted his teeth, thinking this kid was deliberately trying to take his precious flower away!
Shu An volunteered, "Dad, can I teach him?"
Wen Te immediately refused, "No, you stay home and don't sneak out to see this boy!"
Shu An pouted, "Oh, okay."
Hei Ting's gaze was fixed on her. Seeing her playful expression, he felt a tickle of desire to kiss her, but his face remained impassive.
No matter what demands An An's father made, he agreed, but only he knew whether he would actually comply.
Hei Ting settled down in Warrior City, living in the cave that Wen Te had previously occupied, and began his long journey of learning.
He went hunting in the mornings and attended classes in the afternoons.
Shu An was also a bit of a leak. As long as Wen Te wasn't paying attention, she would sneak out to date Hei Ting. They didn't do anything inappropriate; they just studied together. Shu An read books, and Hei Ting practiced writing.
Love is a mysterious force; it can make people reckless and forget themselves, or it can be a driving force for progress. Hei Ting belonged to the latter.
His learning speed was incredibly fast, far surpassing Wen Te's past progress. In just over half a year, he had saved enough money to build a house, and he had truly restrained himself, never attacking any tribesmen, not even in sparring.
Not only was Ya impressed, but Hei Ting himself found it incredible.
When he was in the West Sea, there was always a subtle aura of aggression around him, and he couldn't help but want to destroy everything. After moving to the East Sea, this feeling lessened considerably. Even if he felt some frustration due to studies or other matters, as soon as he saw An An's smiling face, all negative emotions disappeared~
An An was his healing medicine, but she also tormented him at times. It was too painful to see and touch but not be able to consume!
Fortunately, An An's coming-of-age ceremony was just a few days away.
Old father Wen Te was clearly a bit anxious. Shu Yue looked at her partner with amusement, "What, isn't Hei Ting's performance satisfactory enough for you?"
Wen Te shook his head, "It's not about that. An An is about to come of age, and I'm afraid that kid won't be able to wait until the marriage ceremony!"
When Shu Yue heard this, she retorted irritably, "Darling, don't be so double-standard. You demand Hei Ting wait until the marriage ceremony, but how did you behave back then?"
She, a maiden, hadn't given him a title back then either, had she?
Wen Te stammered, "The situation was different..."
Shu Yue scoffed, "Males are all the same!"
Wen Te: "..." His partner understood him best.
Regardless, he had repeatedly warned An An at home not to let Hei Ting take advantage of her. After the coming-of-age ceremony, Wen Te guarded Hei Ting like a thief.
However, even tigers have their moments of slumber. Hei Ting managed to sneak her out without paying attention~
Warrior City was good in every way, but there were too many eyes, too many people disturbing their good times. The wilderness was much more romantic!
Shu An blushed and resisted, "Hei Ting, this is not good. Dad will beat you if he finds out."
Hei Ting's hand remained, holding a mysterious object, his reason teetering on the edge of disappearance, "An An, do you know how crazy I've been missing you every day?"
"My emotions have been suppressed for a long time, and only with you can I find release..."
Shu An's face turned even redder as those rough hands moved. Her heart had already surrendered, but a sliver of reason remained, "I'll go back and tell Dad that we'll get married in a while, okay?"
Hei Ting let out a dissatisfied hum, "I proposed this matter long ago, but my father-in-law kept making excuses. So my suggestions are useless. It might be better to let his little grandson suggest it to him..."
He had recently learned a new term: shotgun wedding.
He thought it was quite good and could be experimented with~
Shu An playfully hit him upon hearing this, "You're too much~"
~~~
The autumn wind rustled; it was a season of harvest, but Hei Ting was just beginning to sow... However, as long as the seed was good, why worry about the crops not growing in fertile land?