Huo Tianhao got the two kids washed up and put them to bed, then took a shower.
When he returned to the room, the woman, who had been sitting dazedly on the edge of the bed, had somehow found the box, opened it, and was now giggling as she blew up a balloon...
Gazing at her small, crimson lips, Huo Tianhao’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He suppressed his urges, closed the door and windows, and pulled the woman into his arms. Taking the balloon from her, he said in a husky voice, "Honey, that’s not how you use this balloon. How about I show you the right way?"
Xia Zhaoyun’s eyes widened. She hmphed proudly. "I’m not stupid. I can read the foreign text. It’s just a condom, isn’t it? They gave me a whole box when we registered our marriage."
Her eyes curved into crescents as she continued to stare at him. Her hands, following her inner desires, climbed up his arms and onto his chest. She squeezed, kneaded, and poked at his powerful muscles, as curious as a child. "Ooh, it’s still moving..."
Even though he knew his wife became a different person after drinking, she was being so brazenly flirtatious. ’If I can still hold back after all this, I’m no man!’
Xia Zhaoyun had a very exhausting dream. She dreamt she was eating barbecue, but instead, she was the one being roasted like meat.
She was enjoying the rare chance to sleep in, snuggling contentedly into the warm blankets, only to be pounced on again.
Xia Zhaoyun groggily opened her eyes, only to be met with an overwhelming torrent of kisses.
Her sluggish mind slowly began to clear, only to be plunged into another kind of haze.
If not for the sound of the children talking in the next room, the man would have surely roasted her over the fire a few more times.
As the events of last night belatedly dawned on her, Xia Zhaoyun dove under the covers, too mortified to show her face.
But to her dismay, the man just tugged amusedly at the blanket while asking, "Honey, still feel like blowing up balloons?"
Fragmented, embarrassing memories flooded her mind. Xia Zhaoyun wailed silently. She shot her head out from under the covers. "Comrade Huo Tianhao, don’t you dare play innocent after you’ve had your fill!"
"Go make breakfast and get the kids ready for school!"
With her messy hair and a face still showing traces of fatigue from lack of sleep, her bossy act was simply endearing.
Huo Tianhao smiled dotingly and ruffled her hair, whispering in her ear, "As you command... Will my lady require her humble servant to assist with her morning ablutions?"
Xia Zhaoyun shot him a glare before shrinking back under the thin blanket.
Xia Zhaoyun pressed her lips together and shook her head. "You’ll make me worry every day. It’s over an hour one-way to the city from here. I don’t want you exhausting yourself like that."
"I miss you too, but this short separation is for a much longer reunion."
’Although she could probably get into the Central Political Department by recommending herself with her current qualifications, there was a huge difference between doing that and joining after winning widespread acclaim at the municipal arts gala.’
’Besides, Teacher Su would be there with her then, so she wouldn’t be isolated or find every step a struggle at the Central Political Department.’
’Everything had to be done step by step!’
The young couple didn’t go anywhere, just holed up together talking and getting to know each other better. Of course, this involved plenty of intimate touches along the way.
’If he weren’t afraid of tiring his wife out too much, and if he wasn’t mindful that they might have guests during the day, he probably wouldn’t have let her out of bed at all.’
Their day together was painfully short. The moment he left, it felt like all of Xia Zhaoyun’s energy went with him.
Even though his absence was the norm, it always took her a long time to adjust. However, she soon threw herself into preparations for the August arts gala.

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