LU MANSION IN THE STATES– AFTERNOON GARDEN...
The late afternoon sun bathed the sprawling garden in warm golden light, illuminating rows of blooming roses, hydrangeas, and delicate white daisies swaying gently in the breeze.
Birdsong drifted softly through the air, mingling with the rustling of leaves and the faint trickle of water from a stone fountain nearby. The fragrance of newly bloomed gardenias wrapped the garden in a calming sweetness.
Lu Wan Ruyi giggled softly as she bent down to pick a dainty pink rosebud, careful not to prick her slender fingers on the hidden thorns. Her long hair fell over her shoulders in silky waves, framing her glowing smile as the light caught the golden flecks in her eyes.
"Careful," Lu Zhi Hao murmured beside her, leaning down to brush a stray strand behind her ear. His deep voice carried gentle amusement, edged with subtle protectiveness, "If you prick yourself again, I will have to carry you back inside."
She raised her eyes to meet his, her cheeks flushed as she whispered teasingly, "Then maybe I should prick myself… just so you can carry me. It's a privilege right?"
A low chuckle rumbled from his chest as he leaned in to press a soft kiss onto her cheek, "You little fox, even if you don't prick yourself, I can still carry you" he whispered endearingly, his warm breath tickling her ear. His eyes softened as he watched her tuck the rosebud delicately into her hair.
She was looking better and better with each passing day and couldn't help but congratulate himself for marrying her back then. Her eyes no longer carried the shadows that haunted her when they first met. Her skin glowed with quiet health, and her laughter flowed like clear spring water, unrestrained, sincere, and beautiful.
Her heart fluttered wildly as he tilted her chin up and captured her lips in a slow, lingering kiss that made her knees weak. She clung to his shirt, feeling the solid warmth of his chest beneath her trembling fingertips, her entire world narrowing down to his taste, his scent, his breath mingling with hers.
When they pulled away, slightly breathless, she buried her flushed face against his collarbone, inhaling the clean cedar scent of his body. "Zhi Hao… let's go on a vacation… just the two of us… somewhere with the ocean… I want to feel the sand under my feet."
His dark eyes softened as he cradled her face in his palms, his thumb stroking her cheek gently, "Mn," he murmured, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead, "Anywhere you want to go, we will go. The Maldives… Tahiti… even if you say you want to see the North Pole, I will take you there."
She laughed softly at his earnestness, tears pricking the corners of her eyes at how effortlessly he gave her the world, "I don't need the North Pole… I just need you. You are enough!"
He tightened his embrace, his heart aching with a love so profound it scared him sometimes. Gazing down at her with a rare smile that transformed his usually stern features into something achingly beautiful, he whispered, "And you have me."
She leaned up to kiss him again, her lips warm and sweet against his. The kiss deepened slowly, unhurried and tender, as if they had all the time in the world.
The scent of blooming gardenias drifted around them while butterflies fluttered lazily between the bushes. Sunlight streamed through the canopy above, dancing in speckled patterns across their entwined forms, as if even the heavens were blessing their fleeting moment of perfect peace.