Zhao Lifei was shocked to see the armed forces standing behind Yang Feng and the sheer amount of manpower he had. It was insane and felt like a high-budget action movie.

It was a risk to transport so many men using helicopters to cause a large ruckus like this. She was touched by his actions but wanted to scold him afterward. What if the media caught wind of this and the officials were angered? Even so, she couldn’t remain angry at him for long, for her rosy lips stretched into the brightest smile Jiang Zihui had ever seen.

"Come here." Yang Feng demanded, his eyes burning the second he saw her. His blood was boiling when he saw her thinned figure and slightly hollow cheeks. She had lost weight. Were the Jiangs so poor they couldn’t afford to feed her right?

She pressed her lips together, not liking his tone. His eyes narrowed in warning. He did not look pleased.

Finally, he relented to his stubborn woman. "Don’t make me repeat myself." His voice was still rough and hard, but this time, it was just a tiny bit softer.

Zhao Lifei shook her head at her little brute but couldn’t suppress her smile. "The least you can do is ask politely." Even with the heavy air lingering around her with the promise of multiple deaths, she still had the time to joke and lessen the tension in the atmosphere.

Jiang Zihui knew he could never possess her. He knew she was not his property, nor could he force her to become his. He could have his men fire shots, but he cared about his people as well. What was the point of diving into a meaningless fight when the victor was already declared? He could grab her and force her into an underground dungeon, but then he would only have her shell. Her heart was long in the clutches of another man who had no plans of letting it go.

When Zhao Lifei didn’t make any intentions of walking toward Yang Feng, his face darkened menacingly as he slowly raised his hand to scare her. He made it seem like he was going to have his men fire shots, and she didn’t want to be caught in a crossfire or have one in the first place. Her eyes widened and she dashed to him, colliding against his body whilst wrapping her arms around him.

"I missed you."

These were the three words he needed to hear for all of his angst and frustration to melt away as if it never existed. His entire world pieced itself back together, his arms automatically circling around her.

"Very, very much." She let out a content sigh, snuggling deeper into his comforting body. It was exactly like how she remembered it to be. Her body melted against him, loving the way he seemed to perfectly fit against her body. Her arms were securely resting behind his back, her hands entwined. Nothing could pry her away from him and no one was stupid enough to do that, too — not when there’s an angry demon king ready to bite their the heads off.

"Who told you to stall then?" Yang Feng growled, hugging her tighter and placing a hand behind her head so that she was completely squashed against him. His desolate heart was whole again and the beast slowly retreated into the shadows. She was safe and in his arms. This was all that mattered to him.

"I wanted to play another push-and-pull game..."

"There will be consequences."

Zhao Lifei bit her bottom lip to prevent herself from laughing at his words. She wanted to tease him right now. All she had to do was say, "Punish me in bed," and he would toss her into the helicopter without looking back.

"Where are we going?" She asked when he turned her body towards a helicopter that was purposely smaller than the rest.

"Home."

Zhao Lifei blinked, her heart warming up at the idea. Home. It had finally become a word she loved to hear... Her face softened, "Yes. Let’s go home." She snuggled into his side, but not before turning her head to glance at Jiang Zihui for the final time. His eyes never left her, ever since she fell onto the bushes from sliding down a make-shift rope using the blankets. When he caught her stare, the edges of his lips curved into a strained, defeated smile.

Then she turned her head and directed it back to Yang Feng.

"Young Master, are you sure about this?" Butler Sima’s gentle voice erased any suggestions of ill-intent in his question. He watched his Young Master clear his throat and look away from the woman disappearing into the helicopter.

"Her happiness is all that matters." Jiang Zihui muttered, turning around and heading back into his house.

Butler Sima’s face became kinder. He was reminded of the quote, ’If you love someone, let them go. If it was meant to be, they will return.’

"Understood." Butler Sima responded, bowing his head towards Jiang Zihui’s disappearing figure. Even though his Young Master’s back was turned, he continued the bow.

- - - - -

Exhausted from crafting the rope from blankets, Zhao Lifei fell asleep in Yang Feng’s arms. She didn’t bother to marvel at the view from the helicopter. Instead, she was slumped beside him, her chest steadily rising and falling. As always, his fingers were playing with some part of her hair.

"Idiot. How can you fall asleep so carelessly?" He murmured in a voice as soft as possible. He was careful to not wake her up. She hummed in reply, nuzzling her head against his arms. He couldn’t resist her anymore and pulled her onto his lap, where she comfortably laid her head on his shoulders and he leaned the side of his face on top of her head.

There was no one else in this helicopter except for the couple and Hu Wei, who was behaving as the pilot.

Finally, after the longest time, a gruff voice said, "I missed you too." His lips gently brushed against her forehead. Unbeknownst to him, a silly little smile spread across her face.

The ride back to Shenbei wasn’t long and they were home in the blink of an eye. The helicopter landed on the helipad behind the house. He strolled into the house with her in his arms, hoisted a bit high as usual, but she didn’t seem to mind. He wasn’t sure if she was truly asleep or just pretending to do so for he could feel something soft fiddling the back of his hair. She seemed to be absentmindedly playing with his hair, tugging at the ends.

"Are you asleep?" He asked her while slowly placing her onto the bed. Her eyes were still shut and her facial features didn’t move.

"You woke me up when you placed me down..." Zhao Lifei hummed, eyes shut and snuggling into the bed. "I’m tired." She complained when he began to take off her pants, earning a laugh from him.

"I’m helping you get dressed for bed. What did you think I was going to do?"

"I was simply voicing my current state of mind." Her eyes opened, "What did you think I was implying?" She retorted, using his words against her, her lips tilting up, then back down. He looked exhausted. Beyond exhausted. She didn’t realize it before, but he was sporting a major case of eye-bags.

"When was the last time you slept?" She asked, sitting up to see him disappear into the closet and emerge back out with his shirt and one of her pajama shorts.

"I slept." Was the only thing he told her before helping her take off her top, slipping his shirt over her head, and handing her shorts to which she also slipped on.

"How long?" She pressed on, grabbing his arms so that he couldn’t avoid the question.

"An hour or two every night." Yang Feng tenderly placed a hand behind the back of her head, his fingers entwining themselves into her hair while he brought her face to his. She wanted an actual kiss, but he tiredly pressed his lips to her forehead.

"That’s not good." Zhao Lifei frowned, her fingers reaching over to him and unbuttoning his shirt, yanking it off before moving to his belt, her hands accidentally brushing against his crotch.

"My love, if you do things like this, I will make love to you endlessly tonight." His voice was hoarse while he grabbed her prying hands. Great. Now he had to take a cold shower.

"I just wanted you to undress faster..."

That’s it.

Yang Feng was going to push her onto the bed and have his way with her, but she wrapped her arms around his bicep and said, "You have to sleep tonight. I mean it."

"Then what are you going to do about my tent?" He groaned, grabbing her small chin with his fingers. He leaned in to kiss her lips, but decided against it at the last minute and kissed the corner of her mouth instead.

"Deal with it...?" She squeaked out, watching him take off his pants where his excited friend was very visible.

"You’re going to be the death of me one day." He shook his head and disappeared into the closet, returning freshly changed. She let out a sigh of relief upon seeing he was prepared to sleep.

"I’d rather have you die by my hands than die from exhaustion." Zhao Lifei slipped under the blankets and patted the spot beside her. He didn’t need to be told twice and effortlessly entered the bed, where he remained a safe distance from her.

She frowned at this and asked, "We’re not going to cuddle...?" Her voice seemed so meek and disappointed that he forced himself to bear with the torture. He originally wanted to big-spoon her to death, but that wouldn’t do his friend any good. Seeing her like this, he made up his mind to endure it for her sake.

Wordlessly, he yanked her to him, so that she was laying her head on his chest and her body was pressed to his side. "Don’t, my love." He hissed when her leg was slung over his body, too close to his tent for comfort.

"S-sorry..." She sheepishly said before resting her ear at the exact spot where his rapidly beating heart could be heard.

"I swear, you’re going to kill me one day with this teasing." Yang Feng warned. Nonetheless, he allowed her leg to rest on his body. She hugged him as one would do to their pillow and if it made her happy, he was all for it. Besides, the only way he could peacefully sleep was by having skin-to-skin contact with her.