For that brief instant, Li Yihua did not respond and her mind struggling to catch up with what was happening.
It had been too long.
Too many years had passed since she had allowed anyone this close.
But Lin Feng did not pull away.
His presence remained steady, his actions calm yet assured, as if giving her the space to decide yet not allowing her to retreat into hesitation again.
And slowly… she yielded.
The stiffness in her body eased, her initial shock melting into something softer.
The warmth she had long suppressed began to resurface, spreading through her chest and into her limbs.
Her fingers, which had been gripping the edge of the bed, loosened.
She began to respond.
At first, it was hesitant, uncertain… like someone stepping into unfamiliar waters after a long time.
But that hesitation did not last.
Years of restraint, of quiet loneliness and buried longing, began to break free.
