63. Do You Like Babies?

She struggled intensely, but that kind of strength, to him, was like a mayfly trying to shake a giant tree.

"Tara."

He called her name helplessly, then carried her back to the bedroom, holding her tightly in his arms to offer an explanation for the incident two days ago that had caused her so much heartbreak and sorrow:

"Mancy and I are just colleagues. It’s not the kind of relationship you think it is."

Hearing this, Tara, who had been struggling violently, indeed ceased her movements. She lifted her little face, her eyes glistening and wet as she stared at him. "But I clearly saw you and her kissing!"

He explained patiently, "There was no kissing. Her hair got caught on my brooch, and I was merely untangling her hair at the time."

After speaking, he simply opened his phone and placed the surveillance footage copied from that day right before her eyes.

It was an angle completely different from the one she had seen that day.

It was indeed exactly as he had described—Mancy’s hair was tangled in his brooch, causing her to grimace in pain, while he maintained a cold, expressionless face the entire time, ruthlessly untangling the troublesome strands that had ensnared him.

Tara blinked her little rabbit-like crimson eyes and muttered, "So that's how it was..."

Killian reached out helplessly and scraped the tip of her cute, delicate nose. "Yes."

After being angry for so long, it turned out to be just a misunderstanding.

Tara felt both happy and embarrassed deep down. "Oh, then I misunderstood you. I'm sorry."

"No, I am the one who is sorry to you for losing you for so many years." His high brow bone rubbed against hers, his naturally magnetic and aloof voice laced with a trace of hoarseness. "Tara, I missed you, so, so much."

Every day and night, every minute and second, he missed her so much he was driven near madness, even wishing he could just die to search for her in the underworld.

But whenever he recalled the words she spoke before leaving, and thought of everything the West family had done to her, hatred grew frantically, supporting him to keep living.

But now, with the familiar and yearned-for warm, soft jade in his embrace, this was the world he had lost and found again.

From this day forward, he would never let her suffer the slightest grievance, nor would he give her any opportunity to flee from his side again.

The tight embrace made Tara feel a bit of difficulty breathing.

Those suppressed longings also came surging back like a rushing tide at this moment.

"Then I take back what I said before," her eyes gradually grew moist, though this time it was no longer from sorrow, but from joy, "I don't hate you anymore."

Like an attached kitten, she rubbed her cheek against his warm, firm chest, murmuring muffledly, "I missed you too, so, so much."

The longing and love suppressed for seven years grew wildly and found its release on this night.

That pale pink begonia flower was crushed over and over, stained with an even deeper color.

There were no such necessary items in the room, but by the time they realized it, it was already too late.

"Do you like cute little babies?"

Amidst the haze, he held her sweat-drenched little face, laughing in a deep, hoarse voice, seemingly capable of stealing away all of a person's sanity.

This was merely the playful talk when passion reached its peak, but—

"Yes."

Without any hesitation, amidst her broken breaths, she held him tightly.

This was an unexpected reaction, so he didn't have time to withdraw.

Thus, he left behind the things he initially hadn't intended to give.

It was just like the erupting rain of Yun City's midsummer—abundant, massive in volume, and warm to the point of being nearly scalding.

……

The next day, the waters of the massive bath rippled.

The girl was held by a firm and lean physique, her fair, soft legs resting weakly and defenselessly against another pair of long, well-defined legs.

Rings of shimmering ripples originated from a certain central point, continuously wavering and dispersing.

That fair, handsome large hand possessed long, even knuckles and distinct veins, yet right now, it made one not dare to lower their head to look at it for even a fraction.

"Killian, I want to go home to see Mom and Dad, and I also want to see Jo and Qiaoqiao... Will you come with me, please?"

She leaned tiredly against his chest, on the verge of falling asleep yet forcing herself to stay awake, her long, mist-enshrouded eyelashes blinking, looking exceptionally endearing.

He lowered his head, and in a neck-entwined posture, dropped a kiss upon her soft, pale ear tip. "Alright."

Then, his long fingertips continued their movements, using the warm water flow to completely wash away everything he had given her last night.

She gently rubbed her head and cheek against him, whispering in a small murmur, "I'm already twenty-six, I can be a mother."

If she could nurture Killian's baby, she would also be very happy. Over these years, she had also fantasized countless times about how wonderful it would have been if, during the year she was nineteen, she had carried his cub away with her.

In that case, when she completely lost all connection with him, it wouldn't have been so hard to endure.

Killian let out a low chuckle, his deep, magnetic voice vibrating out from his well-defined chest, like a tiny feather, making one's ears itch from the vibration.

He was very happy.

However, the white and soft little rabbit possessed a pure and innocent personality; time had not left any traces upon her body, and she still retained that ignorant, green maiden appearance from back then.

She herself was still a baby who required someone to pamper and love her, so why should he forcefully make her evolve into a mother, to endure the suffering of childbirth?

Yesterday's words were merely a playful interlude when passion ran deep.

Of course, it also stopped right there.

Taking advantage of the few days she was still lucid, Tara brought Killian home, met with the elders, and made up for the regrets of those years.

Naturally, along the way, she also smoothed over the lie Leo had spun to cover for her.

Fortunately, during these past three years, she had cut off contact with everyone, yet explicitly had not cut off contact with her family, so the elders didn't suspect her.

It was just that regarding her former friends, contact had indeed been truly severed.

So when she met with Sue Jo and Rachel Chen again, and learned that both of them were already married, she actually felt an surreal sense of a lifetime having passed.

"You're married? Why isn't the groom my brother?"

Tara looked at Sue Jo, her tone exceptionally regretful. "Didn't you say you wanted to be my sister-in-law?"

Sue Jo let out a bitter laugh. "This... it’s a long story."

Seeing this, Rachel Chen sneered from the side, "Don't even mention it. Your brother is such an oblivious, straight man; even if Daji, who bewildered King Zhou back then, showed up, it would be useless!"

"Back then, Jo chased him for so many years. She didn't manage to make his heart race, but she did manage to make him feel guilty. So he turned around and introduced his friend, Eric Song, to Jo."

Eric Song—the current controller of the Song Group. He possessed excellent character, was immensely talented, young, and promising; he could be considered a rare, fine catch.

Looking at it this way, her brother was indeed completely unawakened regarding his own romantic feelings, but he was quite adept at matchmaking.

"Then how did you end up marrying Ethan Qin?"

Tara looked at Rachel Chen in confusion. "Didn't you want to find a younger guy? But Ethan Qin is six years older than you?"

Ethan Qin—the crown prince of the Qin family, one of the four great wealthy clans of Yun City. However, rumors always claimed he believed in Buddhism and kept his distance from women.

The moment Tara spoke these words, Sue Jo turned around to help explain on Rachel Chen's behalf: "Your brother set that up too."

She didn't know whether to laugh or cry as she said, "He felt annoyed because Rachel was always helping me come up with wicked ideas to chase him, so he had that gentleman from the Qin family use some male seduction tactics to reel her in."

Tara: "..."

Excellent. As expected of her brother—a very familiar style.

Rachel Chen grew angry. "Hey, can you watch your words? What do you mean 'reeled in'? I was letting him have his wish fulfilled; he was the one who chased me first, okay?!"

Just like during their university days, the two began bickering the moment they disagreed, just as they always had.

Tara watched with a smile, missing it immensely.

It was great; since they were all married within Yun City, she could look them up to hang out more often in the future.

Her brother really was something; he might as well change his name to Matchmaker Shen from now on!