Amid the rose bushes, Tsukiyuki Rio’s fingertips gently traced across Gao Sijin’s skin, leaving a trail of coolness.
If she slept outside with the person she liked, it wouldn’t be a big deal; the grass and rose bushes in the basement had been sterilized, and the temperature was just right. But after forcing Gao Sijin to swallow a sleeping drug through a kiss, Tsukiyuki Rio brought him back to the bedroom.
First, she washed his body clean, then dried him off and settled him on the bed.
As a young miss, her caregiving was not inferior to a maid’s, and even surpassed it.
Now that Yu Qingxue was dead, from now on, she would largely have to take care of Gao-kun’s daily life herself.
“Have a good dream, Gao-kun. For you, the dreams at night can never be a mirage; they are the most real dreams. Sink comfortably into my body heat, and forget everything else.”
After a light kiss, she covered Gao Sijin with the quilt.
Propping her chin on her hand, she couldn’t resist poking his cheek with her finger; it was soft.
Someday in the future, she didn’t want to use drugs anymore, but for now she still had to use them to keep Gao-kun obedient.
Whether it was Uzuki or the Gu Family hiding behind the scenes, they were enemies that could not be ignored.
“As long as you’re alive, I’m content.”
A healthy Gao-kun was lying right beside her. In the past, just listening to Gao Sijin’s breathing had been an extravagant wish. Actually, Tsukiyuki Rio had initially been very worried that after capturing him, because she had been craving him for so long, she might accidentally devour him all at once and quickly lose interest. But every time they merged together, it made her happier than ever before.
He was like a drug.
Before meeting him, she had been able to endure loneliness. But after the first time, she could never return to the state of silently watching over him from afar.
“It’s all your fault, always putting on such a cute appearance—you’re tempting me to commit crimes. Just being alive is a sin for you; you can only atone by merging with me, Gao-kun.”
She giggled infatuatedly and once again wrapped her arms tightly around him, pulling him into her embrace.
Although it was just an ordinary night, Tsukiyuki Rio couldn’t help but feel an irrepressible restlessness in her heart, and a premonition of misfortune grew stronger.
Today, Uzuki had called her, wanting to meet her.
Tsukiyuki Rio hadn’t wanted to go. In her view, it was a foregone conclusion that Uzuki would lose to her.
Although she was a traitor, she was still a simple person, not worth worrying about.
But she said she knew the rules hidden beneath the surface world. Tsukiyuki Rio had been reborn many times and had tried to study supernatural phenomena, but she had never been able to touch the threshold.
With her experiences, Tsukiyuki Rio had reached the pinnacle in wealth, power, and knowledge, but unfortunately, no matter how hard she tried, Gao Sijin would always be strangled by fate. Strength could indeed be infinitely powerful, but a person’s life was exceptionally fragile.
Tsukiyuki Rio wanted to find out what exactly caused Gao-kun to die again and again.
If she knew the truth, she would definitely be able to protect her beloved completely in this life, and they could be happily entwined forever through the immortality drug.
In order to learn more, to protect him more thoroughly from all angles, Tsukiyuki Rio chose to go.
Her thoughts pulled her back to reality.
“Gao-kun, in the next while, I might not be able to stay with you for more than ten hours. Actually, I don’t want to be apart from you for even a second longer than necessary, but there’s no other way. For a better outcome, I must endure some hardship.”
At 6 a.m., Tsukiyuki Rio got up on time, changed into a kimono, and went to the kitchen. With practiced skill, she prepared a whole day’s meals for Gao Sijin, placing each into lunch boxes.
Before leaving, she also left a note with a rose pattern, telling him which lunch box contained breakfast, which contained lunch, and which contained dinner.
The refrigerator was also stocked with a week’s worth of food.
Tsukiyuki Rio knew that Gao Sijin could cook, but she was still a little worried he might go hungry. She bit her lip as she paced in the kitchen. Every time she parted from Gao Sijin, she felt anxious.
She walked back to the room.
The drug would make Gao Sijin sleep until eight o’clock. Once he woke up, Tsukiyuki Rio feared she wouldn’t be able to leave anymore; she would stay in Gao Sijin’s arms and act spoiled endlessly.
“I’ll come back as soon as possible, Gao-kun. Wait for me…”
At last, Tsukiyuki Rio made up her mind and left the basement, deciding to go find Uzuki.
It would be fine. This basement had three security mechanisms. In this world, no one except herself could break in. Gao Sijin would stay quietly at home.
This was an absolutely safe place.
She walked to the elevator entrance and looked back once more.
The Victorian-style house, the rose garden, the gentle sunlight hanging high in the pale blue sky.
So beautiful.
If circumstances allowed, she really wanted to stay underground with Gao Sijin forever.
She pressed the button for the first floor, returning from the basement to the Japanese Residence. Outside was the Cherry Blossom Garden. Back in April, the two of them had exchanged a vow kiss here, amidst the scattered cherry blossoms. A gentle breeze blew through her hair, making Tsukiyuki Rio recall their conversation at that time.
She had told Gao Sijin that the color pink was classified into nine types, and that sakura was the palest shade of pink.
Now there were no more cherry blossoms. The blooming period of this flower was always very short, fleeting like fireworks. Tsukiyuki Rio had once loved cherry blossoms, but the more times she was reborn, the more she disliked them.
A long-lasting beauty was still better.
“Young Miss, you’re not with Lord Sijin today?” Morgana was somewhat surprised to see Tsukiyuki Rio appear in the Cherry Blossom Garden after she’d been in the basement for several days.
“I have other matters today.” Tsukiyuki Rio said expressionlessly. “At 6 p.m. tonight, I’m going to meet Uzuki.”
“I’ll go prepare right away.”
“You don’t need to go with me.” Tsukiyuki Rio looked back at the Japanese Residence that concealed the basement. “You stay here.”
“But Young Miss, the person you’re meeting is Uzuki! If she tries to harm you, it would be far too passive if I’m not by your side. Although my strength isn’t equal to Qingxue’s, I am the current Head Maid after all. Protecting your safety is my duty. At the very least, I can take a bullet for you…”
“Morgana, it’s not that I look down on your strength, but there is a more important task for you.” Tsukiyuki Rio’s gaze grew somewhat serious. “The reason I’m not letting you follow me is so you can stay and guard Gao-kun. Although the basement’s security measures are already perfect, I still feel a bit uneasy. After I leave, you must absolutely guard this place.”
“Don’t worry, Young Miss!”
Morgana bowed deeply to Tsukiyuki Rio, declaring that she would absolutely protect the Young Miss’s private property. Moreover, there were a full three mechanisms: they would need to pass fingerprint verification, retinal unlocking, and a numeric password in sequence.
Such measures could only be described as unbreakable.
