Yurong agreeing did not surprise or delight Li Yan; given their emotional state now, he was quite confident. If he reached out directly, she'd likely struggle a bit, but as long as he didn't go overboard, she shouldn't resist much. He simply didn't want to scare her.

At this moment, what he felt for Yurong wasn't a desire of the body; he just wanted to hold her, to feel a comforting warmth. With her permission, Li Yan moved closer and gently embraced her.

There was no further action in this embrace. Li Yan could faintly hear Yurong's breathing, and it seemed he could feel her heartbeat, both faster than usual. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

He patted her lightly, comforting her, "Don't worry, I won't take advantage of you. You coming with me to my home is already very gracious of you. I'm... very grateful!"

Hearing this, Yurong felt a pang in her heart. As a wife, accompanying her husband back to his family should be the norm, right? Yet here he was, talking about giving face and being grateful!

"I'm not doing this for your face, nor do I want your gratitude!" she softly rejected the gratitude.

Li Yan was slightly stunned, then understood. Talking about giving face and gratitude meant treating her like an outsider, not as his wife!

He leaned closer, heads touching on the pillow, and said softly, "I spoke wrongly… In my heart, you are my wife. No need to give face, no need for gratitude! As for now… this is normal, I don't mean I don't want you, just that I want to wait until you're fully ready."

"…" These words made Yurong feel better. If he truly treated her with such excessive propriety, asking for permission to hold hands or hug, it would surely mean he saw her as distant!

Speaking, Li Yan noticed her breathing and heartbeat calmed considerably.

"Can you sleep?"

Yurong shook her head, then remembered he couldn't see in the dark, adding, "New environment, new bed, and differing routine; I just can't sleep yet." She hesitated internally, hoping he wasn't suggesting they 'exercise' since she couldn't sleep.

"Then… let me tell you a story!"

"…" Tell a story! Like I'm a child! Yurong didn't voice this sarcastically, as she truly felt a bit anticipative. Maybe, when a man deeply loves a woman, he'll treat her like a child to be pampered? "Alright."

"In your past life, you were a fairy who cultivated for a hundred years…"

Just the beginning made Yurong laugh and cry, gently patting him: "You're the fairy here!"

"Fine, maybe I was a fairy who cultivated for a hundred years in my past life, so that's why we have the chance to sleep together."

Yurong paused, then recalled a lyric: "Ten years to share a boat, a hundred years to sleep together." She was inexplicably moved in the dark; was sleeping next to him truly a fate cultivated over a hundred years?

To cultivate for a century, to exchange it for sleeping together, then to love for a lifetime—is that truly a thousand years of blessing?

"And then?" she asked softly.

"Then my past self continued cultivating, for at least 900 years more! Or perhaps through many lifetimes."

Li Yan's answer helped Yurong understand his meaning, bringing solace to her heart but also reminding her of Yu Xiaodi, dimming her spirits. Sweet nothings, after all, how could there be a past life, or cultivation over centuries or millennia? If that were true, how could one cultivate a millennium for one person? A year together was already so tough…

"Is there something you want to ask me?" Li Yan suddenly inquired.

"Ah? No, nothing!" Yurong quickly shook her head, thinking he guessed her thoughts about Yu Xiaodi, feeling slightly embarrassed. Two sleeping together, shouldn't it be a rare, enchanting moment? Thinking of Yu Xiaodi would ruin the mood, surely. She certainly wouldn't express these thoughts, to avoid letting the atmosphere become tense.

"Heh, no need to force it; I know you really want to ask."

"…" Yurong frowned secretly; was it truly unavoidable? Could he really sense the difference just from me imagining her?

"How about this, I guess you don't know where to start asking, so I'll choose to talk about something myself."

"Okay." Yurong agreed, truly not knowing what to say.

"I've talked to you about my high school days, haven't I?"

Yurong paused: "You mentioned it when telling the story of your first love, Qiao Huanxuan."

"Yes, then you should know I left home after that; everyone thought it was because being rejected by Qiao Huanxuan hurt me, but that wasn't the reason." Li Yan slowly began, "In high school, one night after evening self-study returning home—not staying in the dorm—a stranger stopped me, saying I was no ordinary person, shouldn't follow the usual path of college entrance exams, and wanted to take me to another world."

Yurong was dumbfounded, realizing Li Yan wasn't talking about Yu Xiaodi, but his own past!

This was something she hadn't considered before, only recently curious and more aware. Now, in this special environment, Li Yan was keen to share his story, making her pulse with excitement, finally able to know him more, straight from his mouth!