[Hello guys, I have completely corrected the previous Chapters and made huge changes. Please read again from Chapter 67 to get a better idea of the Chapters.]

[Ohh by the way, there will be a total of 6 extra Chapters. They are my favorite and I loved writing them, do enjoy them and the latest Chapter following the original story just dropped today. If you want to read it ahead of time, please buy the privilege Chapters.]

The morning light came soft and pale through the bedroom curtains, laying a warm line across the quilt. Bai Li woke first, as she often did, because her body still held the habits of long years of work and alertness. For a moment she stayed still and listened to the quiet of the room. The house was calm. No alarms, no noise, no rush. Beside her, Yan Cijin was still asleep, her face relaxed and her hair spread a little across the pillow. Bai Li turned her head and looked at her wife with the same feeling she had every morning, a quiet kind of wonder that had never gone away. Even after marriage, even after years together, Yan Cijin could still make her heart feel tender and full with one sleepy breath.

Bai Li lifted a hand and gently brushed a few strands of hair away from Yan Cijin’s cheek. Yan Cijin made a small sound in her sleep, then slowly opened her eyes. At once her face softened into a smile. "You are awake again so early," she murmured, her voice still rough with sleep. Bai Li leaned in and kissed her forehead. "I was waiting for you to wake up," she said. Yan Cijin’s eyes warmed at once, and she stretched her arms under the blanket before wrapping them around Bai Li’s waist. "Then wait a little closer," she said, half joking, half serious. Bai Li laughed softly and let herself be pulled in. They stayed like that for a while, forehead to forehead, sharing the same quiet air, before the day asked them to get up and begin.

The kitchen was small but bright, and it always felt more alive when both of them were inside it together. Bai Li was making breakfast, while Yan Cijin leaned against the counter in a loose shirt, still sleepy and barefoot. Bai Li cracked eggs into the pan with smooth, practiced movements. Yan Cijin watched her with obvious affection, her eyes following every small motion as if Bai Li were the most interesting thing in the world. "You are staring again," Bai Li said without looking up. Yan Cijin smiled. "I am your wife. Looking at you is allowed." Bai Li gave her a small side glance. "You make breakfast harder when you keep distracting me." Yan Cijin stepped closer and rested her chin on Bai Li’s shoulder. "Then I will be useful instead of distracting." She reached for the plates, put out the bread, and opened the fruit box, moving with sleepy care. Bai Li’s mouth curved. "That is better." Yan Cijin kissed the side of her neck, light and quick, then slipped away before Bai Li could catch her. Bai Li only shook her head, but her ears were a little red.

They ate breakfast at the small table by the window. Outside, the street was already busy, but inside, the space felt slow and private. Yan Cijin drank her milk and used her foot to brush Bai Li’s ankle under the table. Bai Li looked up. "What?" Yan Cijin smiled with perfect calm. "Nothing. I just like touching you." Bai Li almost choked on her tea, then lowered her cup and stared at her wife for a second before sighing. "You say things like that so early in the morning." Yan Cijin’s smile widened. "Because I love you so early in the morning." Bai Li gave up arguing after that. She could never win against Yan Cijin when Yan Cijin had that kind of soft, bright expression on her face. The truth was simple anyway. Bai Li liked being loved so openly. She liked the way Yan Cijin never hid it, never made her guess. A look, a touch, a little smile. That was enough to make Bai Li feel full for the whole day.

After breakfast they parted for work. Bai Li worked at a security company that handled high level private events and building checks. Her job was careful, serious work, the kind that asked her to notice small details and stay calm even when others were upset. Yan Cijin worked at a hospital, where her days were often long and tiring, full of patients, charts, meetings, and sudden problems. Their work lives were very different, but they had learned how to fit into each other’s world. Bai Li kept her phone quiet during the day, but she always checked it at lunch. Yan Cijin usually sent her a message with one or two words only, because she was often too busy to write more. Still, those tiny messages had become part of the shape of Bai Li’s day.

At noon, Bai Li was sitting in her car outside a building site, eating the lunch box she had bought nearby. Her phone lit up. Yan Cijin had sent a picture of a cup of coffee and a line under it that said, "Very tired, missing wife." Bai Li stared at the message for a second, then laughed despite herself. She typed back, "Eat something proper." Yan Cijin replied almost at once, "I am eating. Also I want a kiss." Bai Li looked around, then typed, "Save it for tonight." The answer came a moment later. "Then kiss me a lot tonight." Bai Li pressed her lips together, trying to hide her smile even though no one was watching. She put the phone down, then picked it up again and sent a small heart. The reply she got was a heart back, followed by, "Work hard, wife." Bai Li sat there for a while after that, her lunch gone cold in front of her, but her chest warm and easy.

The afternoon passed in the usual rush. Bai Li checked doors, stairs, locks, and camera lines. She talked to people, handled small complaints, and signed forms with neat, steady handwriting. By the time she finally got off work, the sky had already begun to turn orange at the edges. She felt tired in her body, but not in her heart. When she reached the hospital, Yan Cijin was still on shift, moving from one room to another with a serious face and a pen tucked behind her ear. Bai Li leaned in the hall and watched for a moment. Yan Cijin was so focused that she did not see her at first. Then she looked up, and the change on her face was immediate. Her tiredness did not disappear, but her eyes softened in a way only Bai Li ever saw. Bai Li lifted one hand in a small wave. Yan Cijin’s lips curved. She finished what she was doing, then came out to the hall with a look that was trying very hard to seem calm, though the warmth in her eyes gave her away.

"You came to pick me up," Yan Cijin said. Bai Li nodded. "I said I would." Yan Cijin reached for her hand and held it, just for a second, before letting go. "I still have one last chart to check." Bai Li’s hand twitched as if wanting to hold on longer. "I will wait." Yan Cijin smiled, then leaned in and kissed Bai Li’s cheek right there in the hospital corridor, quick and light, like a secret she was not trying very hard to keep. Bai Li blinked, and a nurse passing by cleared her throat very loudly. Yan Cijin did not even look ashamed. Bai Li’s ears went red, but she still let Yan Cijin go back inside. She waited at the end of the hall, leaning against the wall, feeling absurdly patient and absurdly happy.

That night they went out for a date, because Yan Cijin had said all day that she wanted one. She had chosen a small restaurant by the river, one with warm lights and quiet music and simple food that tasted better than it should have. Bai Li had changed clothes before coming, wearing a dark coat and a soft sweater that made her look less severe than she did at work. Yan Cijin noticed at once. "You dressed for me," she said, pleased. Bai Li sat down across from her. "Of course I did." Yan Cijin rested her chin on one hand and looked at her with open delight. "You are always so honest when you want to make me happy." Bai Li reached across the table and touched the back of her fingers. "You make it easy."

They shared a bowl of soup, a plate of fish, and a dish of vegetables that Yan Cijin said was too salty, then stole more of anyway. Bai Li watched her eat with a steady, fond look. Yan Cijin caught her staring and laughed. "What?" "Nothing," Bai Li said. "You are cute when you are hungry." Yan Cijin narrowed her eyes. "Only when I am hungry?" Bai Li thought about it, then answered with complete calm, "Also when you are annoyed, sleepy, proud, serious, and trying to look cold." Yan Cijin paused, then leaned back and laughed so hard she had to cover her mouth. Bai Li’s eyes softened at the sound. She liked that laugh. It made the world seem easier to live in. When dinner was done, they walked home slowly along the river path. The water was dark and smooth below the lights, and the air carried a cold bite that made them stand a little closer together. Bai Li slipped her hand into Yan Cijin’s coat pocket and held her hand there. Yan Cijin looked down at their joined hands and smiled to herself. "You know," she said, "we have been married for years now, and you still hold my hand like we are newly in love." Bai Li looked ahead, but her voice was quiet and sure. "We are still newly in love. It just lasted longer than we expected." Yan Cijin turned to look at her, then leaned her head against Bai Li’s shoulder for a few steps as they walked. "That is a very good answer," she said.

When they got home, the apartment was warm and dim, with the living room lamp casting a soft circle of light over the sofa. Bai Li took off her coat and set her keys down. Yan Cijin kicked off her shoes and went straight to the couch, then sat with a tired sigh. "My whole body hurts." Bai Li came over at once and knelt in front of her. "Which part?" Yan Cijin looked down at her and smiled lazily. "Every part." Bai Li studied her face for a moment, then reached up and began to massage her shoulders. Yan Cijin let out a low sigh and leaned forward, resting her forehead against Bai Li’s chest. Bai Li’s fingers moved slowly, careful and warm, and Yan Cijin’s whole body seemed to soften under her touch. "You work too hard," Bai Li said. "You say that like you don’t." "I do," Bai Li admitted. "But you still work too hard." Yan Cijin hummed in agreement, eyes half closed. "Then take care of me," she whispered. Bai Li’s hand paused for just a second before she kissed the top of Yan Cijin’s head. "I always do." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Later, after a shower, they crawled into bed together with the room dark except for the small lamp on the table. Yan Cijin lay on her side and watched Bai Li come out in loose sleep clothes, her hair still a little damp at the ends. Bai Li noticed the look and gave a small, helpless smile. "What?" Yan Cijin patted the space beside her. "Come here." Bai Li got into bed, and Yan Cijin moved at once, fitting herself close as if that was the most natural place in the world. Bai Li put one arm around her waist and the other under the pillow, and Yan Cijin tucked her face into Bai Li’s neck with a soft little sigh. They stayed quiet for a while, listening to each other breathe. There was no need to speak then. The day had already said enough. Bai Li kissed Yan Cijin’s temple, then her cheek, then the corner of her mouth. Yan Cijin answered by lifting her head and kissing her back with slow, sleepy sweetness. The kiss deepened a little, not rushed, not loud, just full of the same long held love that had been with them all day. Bai Li touched Yan Cijin’s face and felt the warm skin there, the softness of it, the trust in it. Yan Cijin’s fingers slipped into her hair and held her there for one more kiss, then another.

When they finally pulled apart, Yan Cijin smiled with sleepy eyes. "You always look at me like that before bed." Bai Li brushed her thumb over Yan Cijin’s lip. "Like what?" "Like I am home." Bai Li went still for a moment, then leaned in and kissed her forehead. "You are home," she said. Yan Cijin’s eyes shone a little in the low light, and she shifted closer until there was no space left between them. Bai Li held her tighter, one hand at her back, one at her waist, and the two of them sank into the bed like they had been made for that exact shape. The night outside was quiet. The room was warm. Yan Cijin’s breath slowed as sleep began to take her, but just before she drifted off she whispered, "Tomorrow, have dinner with me again." Bai Li answered at once, "Of course." Yan Cijin smiled against her skin. "And after dinner?" Bai Li kissed her once more, slow and gentle. "After dinner, I will still come home to you." Yan Cijin gave a small, happy sound, already half asleep. Bai Li watched her for a while longer, her heart calm and full. Then she closed her eyes too, holding her wife close through the dark, both of them wrapped in the quiet love they had built together, day by day, kiss by kiss, until it had become the safest place either of them knew.

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To be continued.