"Zhou Yuxi," Mu Yunchen said immediately, his voice rough but certain. "Zhou Yuxi. My Zhou Yuxi."
She kissed him again at the sound of her name, shorter this time but no less intense, then pulled back just enough to look at him properly. Her hands moved to his neck, fingers seeking his pulse point and pressing there with desperate need.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
Strong. Steady. Alive.
"Your heart," she whispered, her fingers trembling against his skin. "I can feel it beating."
She stayed like that, counting his heartbeats, needing the physical confirmation that blood was flowing, that he was living, that this wasn't some cruel dream. Her thumb stroked the pulse point over and over, a compulsive gesture she couldn't stop.
After a long moment, she shifted her hand to press flat against his chest, feeling the rise and fall of his breathing, the warmth of him beneath her palm.
