There's this significant s.p.a.ce they were keeping in between them.

"Jinxu, may I ask, have you not regretted marrying me?" Chen Linyun asked, bracing himself for the answer. He was brave enough to ask, therefore he should be brave enough too, to hear the answer.

"Never."

The lady smiled her sweet signature smile. Her almond eyes were smiling with her.

"How about you?" There was a slight knot on her forehead.

"Never." Chen Linyun mirrored the lady's answer. His face slowly revealed a smirk. He inched a little bit closer.

"Chen Linyun…" The lady warned knowingly.

"I know."

Regardless, he still pulled the lady for a cuddle. She didn't complain at all.

"Remember the time when you said we were eloping?" Chen Linyun started reminiscing. "It was the first time we went on camping."

The lady laughed heartily. "Yeah. I was so foolish, too reactive. I was so mad at that time. I just thought of a workaround. I failed to consider your feelings back then." The lady's statement started off happy, but ended with such traces of sadness.

"Have I been too cruel to you?" Xue Jinxu asked out of concern. "I might not be considerate enough. Perhaps I've been too insensitive towards you, and you seemed fine with it so I always got away with it."

"But then, in retrospect, it's so wicked." She buried her head on his chest further.

"Honey, moving forward, can you tap my back or knock my head slightly and tell me straight that I'm going overboard already? I lack discernment, honestly." She shook her head. Consequently, her nose rubbed Chen Linyun's chest.

Chen Linyun, on the other hand, was experiencing his own ordeal. Xue Jinxu's actions triggered something in him.

Chen Linyun closed his eyes and prayed. How could he endure this temptation? He wanted to pin the lady down and pounce at her hungrily. He had been deprived for too long.

He took several deep breaths.

"Chen Linyun, dear, are you asleep?" Xue Jinxu distanced herself only to scrutinize his face.

"Trying hard to sleep, Jinxu. You're too noisy." Chen Linyun answered crankily.

"Hmph. Fine! Good night, dear." Xue Jinxu turned on her other side, back facing her husband.

Chen Linyun heaved a sigh of relief. That was too close.

Even at a distance, he wanted to grab her and pull her close. He clenched his fists tightly, and lied on his back. Eyes closed, he pinched the s.p.a.ce between his brows while still taking deep breaths.

'How can I sleep in this situation?' He said in his mind. 'Is this a good idea at all? Maybe I shouldn't have convinced her to stay for the night.'

'The night is just starting.'

He started his countdown in his mind. There were a few more hours before the sunrise.

Chen Linyun sat up and moved at a corner. He watched Xue Jinxu sleep so soundly. He was tracing her body, her curves with his eyes. Suddenly he felt triggered again.

'Oh come on. Seriously?! I'm only looking at her!' He was getting annoyed at his own body's reaction. 'Grrr.' He closed his eyes again and repeated the whole calming procedure. In the end, he was able to sleep sitting down, his head bowed down, and nested by his arms on his knees.

At five in the morning, their alarms reverberated in the air.

Chen Linyun rubbed his haggard countenance. At most he slept for two to three hours only.

He lied down again beside the sleeping beauty and fake-slept for a short while.

Soon after, the lady woke up on her own. She stretched her arms and legs, turned to the other side facing Chen Linyun. Without reservations, she clung her arms to him.

The fake-sleeping man turned rigid. 'Oh, G.o.d.' It seemed that his ordeal wasn't done yet.

He was lying on his left side, and his back was turned against Xue Jinxu. In that sense, Xue Jinxu was back-hugging him. Chen Linyun fetched with his right hand the lady's right forearm that was embracing his waist, pulling her closer. He could sense on his back the lady's plump bosom. His senses heightened even more. He turned around and faced the wife who had no idea what he had been going through.

"Jinxu.." He started off whispering. "Have you slept well?" He said while trying to plant a kiss on her jawline.

The lady's eyes shot wide. Before answering, she tried to gently push him.

"Y-Yeah. You?" She answered nervously. "Chen Linyun!"

The husband was already on his way to her neck. He started from the jawline down. "It's only five… in the morning…" He murmured in between kisses. "The… sunrise today… is at quarter past five…"

"Can we?" Chen Linyun gazed intensely at the wife who was so helpless in his hold.

Xue Jinxu's face was burning red. "We talked about it, didn't we?" She retorted softly, feeling weak herself.

"I brought protection… condoms… in case you…" Chen Linyun "you still don't want to… get pregnant again…" He said in between kisses. He didn't even want to pause what he was doing.

"Jinxu… I need you…" Chen Linyun stared her down intensely. He couldn't control anymore. "Can we? Only if you allow it, Jinxu…"

With wide eyes, she stared back at Chen Linyun. She was taken aback, nervous, and even scared. Her mind was getting cloudy. All she could remember was giving out a slight nod.

For Chen Linyun that slight nod was enough. Instantly he was fired up. His kissing became more urgent, and just a while longer they were already almost naked, and both of them were panting heavily.

"Don't forget the condom." Jinxu reminded.

"En."

And so at five in the morning, two heated bodies merged as one as they were caught in their throes of pa.s.sion and love, and this time, it was rather really pa.s.sionate and intense as they twisted and turned in their lovely little tent.

They finished, both satisfied, just before the sunrise, as promised by the husband. Both feeling rejuvenated, they dressed up again. Draped further in blankets, and while enjoying a nice warm cup of hot chocolate, they watched as the sun rose from the east.