Chapter 524: Chapter 524: If you leave, I won’t live alone
 

Her fingers gently caressed his cheek, a gesture so affectionate that Shen Chi felt unexpectedly cherished.

In the past, when she touched him, he would resist. Five years after his return, her initiative had lessened considerably—most of the time, it was he who took the initiative.

He thought that if he hadn’t been more proactive after five years, she might have left him long ago…

He wasn’t naturally proactive, but for her, he had become very proactive.

Latter on, he reflected that if two people loved each other, there was no need to be overly precise about such things.

He loved her and thus, no matter what she asked of him, he was willing.

Her soft, boneless hands stroked his face, inexplicably quickening the beat of his heart.

He swallowed, his deep gaze fixed on her.

“I often wonder, if… five years ago, I hadn’t survived, what would you be like now?”

Her tone was serious as she stroked his face, tracing the contours of his features with her fingers.

The seriousness in her always made him uncomfortable. He held her hand, his gaze profound and quiet.

“If you were to leave, I wouldn’t live alone,” he said, very carefully.

Xu Chaomu’s hand froze, for a very long time.

She had thought of it many times, imagined countless answers, but she had never considered this one.

A warm current seemed to flow slowly through her heart, her nose tingled, and her eyes reddened.

If you were to leave, I wouldn’t live alone.

She admitted that at this moment, her heart was brimming with countless emotions. This was the most beautiful declaration of love she had ever heard.

She tried hard to mask the emotions in her heart, but even the smallest ripple was noticed by him.

This time, he was the one gently caressing her face.

He tucked the stray lock of hair behind her ear, his warm palm grazing her fair cheeks.

“Sounds pretty convincing,” Xu Chaomu murmured after a long time, in an attempt to lighten the mood with a playful chastisement.

“Hmm, just teasing you, don’t take it seriously,” Shen Chi said with a smile.

He remembered how, five years ago, when he had learned she was missing, he had pointed a gun at his own head. At that moment, he truly hadn’t thought of surviving.

The atmosphere grew subtly tense, and Xu Chaomu’s heart experienced slight shifts.

She changed the subject, looked down, and noticed his arm.

In fact, when she first saw that his arm was injured, she felt heartache, but if this man couldn’t even spit out ivory from a dog’s mouth, she certainly would have bandaged it for him.

“Does your wound hurt?” Xu Chaomu casually asked.

“It doesn’t hurt,” he smiled, pleasantly surprised by her concern, “Why don’t you rebandage it for me?”

He extended his hand, bringing the injured arm before her eyes.

Xu Chaomu glanced at him, her reply lukewarm: “Didn’t you say it’s better left unbandaged than having me do it?”

“Being so particular with your husband?”

“Of course, you’re not a three-year-old child. You’re supposed to take responsibility for your own words,” Xu Chaomu insisted earnestly.

“What about you, then? Will you take responsibility for the words you’ve spoken?”

“Of course!”

“Then I remember, more than once you’ve said your husband is inept, even in a public place like Weiyang.”

Shen Chi looked at her with a playful smile, his eyes filled with mischief.

“…” Xu Chaomu’s mouth twitched, and it was her turn to fall silent.

Damn it, this man had such a good memory.

Back then in Weiyang, to escape from a tight spot, she had spread rumors about his impotence, and later he said that his entire social circle knew he was impotent.

“How do you plan to take responsibility?” Shen Chi asked leisurely, watching her.

Take responsibility? How was she to take responsibility when she hadn’t even made him do so yet!

If he were inept, how many times could he have… in one night at the Paris Grand Hotel?

At that thought, her cheeks flushed a bright red, like a ripe apple.

If he truly were inept, she wouldn’t be carrying this little bun in her belly.

She was still young, she still wanted to have fun, but… in a few months, she would become a mother. She still felt aggrieved; she still wanted him to take responsibility!

“Shall I prove it to you?” Shen Chi asked with a devilish grin, reverting back to his shameless ways.

“I’m going up to sleep now; you can entertain yourself,” she said.

As soon as she finished speaking, Xu Chaomu’s face turned red. Without another word, she stood up from the sofa, took a large gulp of boiled water to calm her nerves, and headed upstairs without looking back.

“There are pajamas in the wardrobe!” Shen Chi called out with a hoarse voice, addressing her retreating figure.

“Oh!” Xu Chaomu responded without turning around.

This time, Shen Chi didn’t follow her; he watched as her silhouette slowly disappeared up the staircase.

Turning a corner, Xu Chaomu entered her room.

She was familiar with this room; Shen Chi had mentioned that it was prepared especially for her.

The interior decoration was personally designed by him, all tailored to her preferences.

When she opened the door to this beautiful room once again after five years, it was like a burst of spring breeze touched her heart.

Her tastes from five years ago hadn’t changed much. All of this still pleased her.

She closed the door and first opened the wardrobe.

Unexpectedly, the wardrobe was filled with clothes of various kinds.

White, pink, blue, lemon yellow…

Sundresses, chiffon blouses, cocktail dresses, T-shirts…

Conservative, sexy, traditional, fashionable…

Xu Chaomu was astonished, her eyes dazzled by the beautiful array of clothes.

Her closet was large, and it was packed with clothes. She was surprised and her eyes opened wide.

All of these clothes were brand new.

Having studied fashion design in Paris for five years, she was astounded to see these garments.

She randomly flipped through a few pieces; the tags were still on, and a single glance left her speechless.

Every piece was priced with five digits or more, and she knew all these international luxury brands by name.

These were only the summer clothes.

She squatted down and pulled open another cabinet, only to find more surprises!

The cabinet was filled with shoes—flats, wedges, heels, a variety of shoes, predominantly leather.

Many pairs of high heels, she guessed, must have been the preparations made by Shen Chi before. At that time, he probably didn’t know she was pregnant.

Manolo Blahnik heels, Christian Louboutin’s red-soled shoes, Jimmy Choo’s classic four-inch heels…

Looking at the cabinet full of shoes, Xu Chaomu was genuinely delighted.

She recognized the brands of these high heels, but she couldn’t afford them while in Paris.

The money she earned from half a year of part-time work wasn’t enough to buy a single pair. Nie Chenglang often wanted to take her to the luxury stores to buy shoes, but she had never accepted.

Nie Chenglang had already been so good to her, and she had yet to repay his kindness.

She especially loved the shoes before her; Shen Chi must have prepared them all for her.

Running her fingers across pair after pair of shoes, she picked out a pair of white eight-inch high heels.

With a light pick, the shoes came out of the cabinet.