Chapter 54: From an Old Obsession… to an Eternal Choice
She slowly lifted her head toward me.
In her eyes… something had changed.
The old hesitation was gone.
So was that deeply rooted pain.
What remained was… resolve.
She spoke in a firm voice, a voice filled with a decision made after a long struggle:
"Yes."
She paused, taking a deep breath.
"I truly… no longer want to love Bibi."
I saw tears glimmering in her eyes, held back, not yet falling.
"And yet… I can't get rid of this obsession on my own. I tried, Ji Lin… I tried so many times, but I can't."
She lowered her gaze slightly, then continued in a calmer voice:
"And the last time… you promised you would help me meet my family again."
She raised her head and looked straight at me.
"I've thought about this a lot, Ji Lin. A lot."
She smiled—a shy, sad, yet beautiful smile.
"Honestly… there is nothing shameful about becoming your wife."
Her cheeks flushed slightly.
"Especially since I think… I've truly fallen in love with you."
A brief silence settled between us, heavy with meaning.
Then she continued, her voice carrying a sincere plea:
"And so… I want my dowry to be…"
She paused, gathering her courage.
"That you help me meet my family again in this life."
She looked into my eyes deeply, all the hope she had shining within them.
"You told me you can travel through time, so…"
Her voice trembled slightly.
"Please, help me save them."
I looked at her deeply.
At those sorrowful eyes, filled with desperate hope.
At that girl who had suffered so much, who had lost so much, who only wanted one chance to correct the past.
I took a deep breath.
Then I spoke in a serious tone, a voice carrying a hint of sadness:
"Zhang Lixuan…"
I paused, choosing my words carefully.
"Yes, I can."
I saw her eyes widen with hope.
"But…"
"Not in this timeline."
I saw the hope fade a little from her eyes.
"In a parallel timeline instead."
I looked at her directly, wanting her to fully understand.
"They will be your family, yes… but they will not be the same people you lost. Do you understand?"
But she did not hesitate for even a moment.
She replied in a steady voice, a voice radiating unshakable resolve:
"Ji Lin, I truly want that."
She smiled, a sad yet determined smile.
"Even if it means they are from another timeline… I still want to do it."
She looked into my eyes deeply.
"I just want… to see them again. To protect them this time. To be with them."
I sighed softly.
I looked at that brave girl, who had chosen to free herself from her past and begin anew.
Then I smiled faintly.
A warm smile, filled with tenderness.
And I whispered:
"Alright…"
I leaned toward her slowly.
I saw her eyes widen slightly, her breathing quicken.
Closer… and closer…
Until only a single breath remained between us.
Then…
I placed a gentle kiss upon her lips.
A long, quiet kiss, filled with silent promises.
A kiss that said everything words could not.
I pulled back slightly, but remained close.
I leaned in again, my lips near her ear.
And I whispered in a warm voice, a voice dripping with tenderness and promise:
"Zhang Lixuan…"
I felt her body tremble at my whisper.
"From this night on… you are my beloved wife."
Zhang Lixuan's face turned red.
So red it was like a rose in early spring.
A beautiful shyness washed over her features, making her even more enchanting.
She answered in a soft voice, trembling, barely audible:
"H-… hmm…"
She could not say anything more.
Just that soft sound, carrying all her agreement, all her shyness, all her happiness.
Silence followed.
A long, deep silence, but not an empty one.
In the room, there was only…
The beating of my heart.
And the beating of hers.
Intertwined.
Entangled.
In that deep stillness, as if they were speaking in a language only hearts could understand.
Thump… thump… thump…
One rhythm.
One pulse.
Two souls… becoming one.
Soft light in the room cast gentle shadows over our faces.
And the long night… had only just begun.
I could hear her breathing.
Clearly.
Very clearly.
As if it were dancing on the edge of the night, like a hidden melody only my heart could hear.
And my awareness of her… that deep awareness of her nearness…
made time itself come to a halt.
Zhang Lixuan was before me.
Close.
Close enough for me to see every tiny detail of her beautiful face.
I saw the shy tremble of her lips, that faint quiver that betrayed her feelings no matter how much she tried to hide them.
And I saw that look.
That look that held both modesty and certainty, fear and courage, the past and the future.
I slowly raised my hand.
Very slowly, as though afraid the moment would shatter if I hurried.
I touched her cheek gently, softly, like the touch of a feather.
As if I were touching something sacred, something precious that deserved all the respect in the world.
And I felt the warm heat of her skin beneath my fingers—
that warmth that melted the distance between us, melted every barrier, every doubt, every painful memory.
I whispered in a soft voice, one that was barely audible yet carried the weight of the world:
"From this night…"
I paused, looking straight into her eyes.
"You will no longer be alone."
Like a promise that could never be broken, a vow carved into time itself.
Her breath trembled.
I heard her draw in a shaky, deep breath, as if trying to absorb the meaning of my words.
Then…
She moved closer.
Closer, until every boundary between us vanished completely.
Until we were so near that I could no longer tell where my breath ended and hers began.
As if the entire world had disappeared, evaporated, dissolved into the air…
and only the two of us remained.
Just us.
In this eternal moment.
Her gaze held a childlike shyness, a beautiful innocence that made my heart tighten.
And a deep longing—a longing to be loved, to be wanted, to be important to someone.
And yet…
There was something else within it.
Contentment.
Reassurance.
An inner peace.
The peace of a woman who had given her heart to the one she truly chose, and who would never regret that choice.
The lights slowly dimmed.
Slowly, as though the night itself wished to grant us the privacy of this moment.
Nothing remained in the room but silver strands of moonlight slipping through the window.
Those gentle strands that softly illuminated our faces with a warm, silken glow.
That night…
That night was the beginning of a new era between us.
The night Zhang Lixuan became my wife.
Truly.
In every sense of the word.
It was not a fleeting moment of attachment, nor a shallow romance.
It was a vow.
An eternal vow.
A vow sealed beneath the witnessing moon…
that from now on, we would walk this path together.
No matter how time changed.
No matter how the timelines shifted.
No matter what storms we faced.
We would be together.
Always.
The next morning…
I woke to a gentle whisper.
A soft murmur, like the breeze of dawn brushing lightly against my ear.
"Darling…"
The voice paused, as if savoring the sweetness of the word.
"It's time to wake up."
Her voice was warm.
So warm.
Carrying a sense of peace unlike anything I had ever known before.
As if life itself were calling to me through her lips.
As if happiness had gained a voice, a face, and a name.
And that name… was Zhang Lixuan.
I slowly opened my eyes.
The first thing I saw was her face.
That beautiful, radiant, smiling face.
A shy smile, yet a happy one.
A smile that said everything.
She was leaning slightly over me, her long hair falling down beside her face like a curtain of silk.
And in her eyes…
I saw everything I needed to see.
Happiness.
Love.
Belonging.
I smiled, still half asleep, half awake.
I reached out and gently touched her cheek.
And I whispered, my voice rough with sleep:
"Good morning… my wife."
Her face instantly turned red.
That lovely blush I would never grow tired of.
She hid her face slightly, yet did not pull away from my touch.
Instead, she whispered shyly:
"Good morning… my husband."
And in that simple moment, that small moment in an ordinary morning…
I felt an indescribable happiness.
A quiet, deep, true happiness.
The happiness of waking up beside the one you love.
And knowing that they love you just as much.
In that moment, I realized something profound.
I realized that what I had awakened to was not merely a fleeting sound pulling me from sleep.
It was the whisper of life itself.
A warm, gentle whisper, filled with promises.
A whisper that came from the lips of my virtuous wife, Zhang Lixuan.
I looked at her for a long time.
A very long time, as if trying to engrave every detail of this moment into my memory.
Then I spoke softly, in a voice that felt like a dream:
"If all my mornings began with your voice…"
I smiled warmly.
"I would never want to sleep again."
She smiled too, a smile that blended shyness with happiness.
And she replied gently, her tone mixing tenderness with playful reproach:
"Then don't be late anymore…"
She looked at me with a mischievous gaze.
"The world outside is waiting for you, you lazy husband."
I laughed softly, a laugh filled with warmth and simple happiness.
Then I slowly sat up on the bed, facing a new morning.
A morning that began with her gentle whisper.
And would end with a new promise—a promise of a life we would share together, forever.
The Scent of Morning
I smiled as I reached my hand toward the small table beside the bed.
And for the first time, I noticed—
the scent of food.
It filled the room, flowing through the air like a warm wave that embraced the senses.
A beautiful blend of the aroma of warm tea, its steam rising gently.
And freshly baked bread, still warm.
With a light touch of natural herbs she always loved to add—
that special touch that belonged only to her.
Zhang Lixuan spoke in a gentle tone, like the morning breeze:
"Alright, my dear…"
She looked at me with eyes full of love.
"I've prepared breakfast for you."
I sat there slowly, absorbing her words as my heart filled with a strange, comforting warmth.
I watched her move with natural grace as she carefully placed the dishes in front of me.
Fresh fruit slices, arranged beautifully like a work of art.
Golden toasted bread, still warm, releasing the rich scent of wheat.
And a light soup, soft steam rising from it, carrying the refreshing aroma of ginger.
Every movement of hers…
Every small gesture…
Carried a different kind of warmth.
The warmth of a woman who knew her place in the heart, even when that heart held others.
The warmth of a wife who wished to express her love through the simplest things—and the deepest.
I looked at her with a smile, something within my heart melting with tenderness.
I said in a calm voice filled with warmth:
"Zhang Lixuan… do you believe it?"
I paused, looking at the breakfast, then back at her.
"This is the first breakfast I've ever eaten that was prepared by my wife."
I saw her eyes widen slightly in surprise, a sparkle of happiness in her gaze.
I continued honestly:
"Usually… I'm the one who prepares breakfast for my wives."
I smiled broadly.
"But you… are the first who has done this for me."
She laughed shyly, a soft, beautiful laugh that filled the room with warmth.
Then she replied, lifting her gaze to me, her eyes blending modesty with deep tenderness:
"Then remember it well…"
She smiled confidently, filled with quiet pride.
"Because this morning… is our new beginning."
She paused, then continued in a slightly firmer voice, though still gentle:
"From today onward… I will be the one who prepares breakfast for you. Not the other way around."
In her eyes was a small spark of challenge—
beautiful, loving.
A silent promise she would never retreat from.
A Moment of Meaningful Silence
In that moment…
I looked at her for a long time.
At that sincere smile that blended pride with longing.
Strength with gentleness.
A painful past with a radiant future.
And I felt something deep within my chest.
I felt the house fill with life.
That this simple room, on this ordinary morning, had become the warmest place in the entire world.
It was a simple morning.
Nothing extraordinary on the surface.
An ordinary breakfast. A simple conversation. Shy smiles.
Yet it carried a profound meaning—
a meaning that would remain carved into my heart forever.
The morning of the first day after Zhang Lixuan became one of my women.
One of the souls who shared this complicated life with me.
One of the true reasons for my happiness.
And in that moment, as I looked at her smiling face, at the breakfast she had prepared with love…
I knew one thing with absolute certainty:
That this simple morning…
was the beginning of a new chapter in our life together.
A chapter filled with promises, with hope, with genuine, true love.