Chapter 54

She doesn’t think for herself, so I’ll think for her.

I’ve already decided—sooner or later, she’ll be mine.

No matter what, she’s mine.

—Zhang Lu Rang

—

As night gradually descended, more and more people filled the streets.

The two of them walked along the lakeside, following the cobbled stone path.

Su Zai Zai glanced at Zhang Lu Rang, who had been quiet for a while, and suggested, “Should we head back?”

Hearing this, Zhang Lu Rang swept his gaze around and asked, “Are you hungry?”

Su Zai Zai touched her stomach and shook her head. “Not hungry.”

“Then let’s go back,” Zhang Lu Rang said after a moment. Then he added, “If you get hungry later, I’ll come out and buy you something.”

She nodded and smiled cheerfully. “Okay.”

Zhang Lu Rang held her hand as they walked to the roadside, flagged down a taxi, and gave the driver the name of their hotel.

Inside the car, Zhang Lu Rang remained mostly silent, his gaze fixed outside the window, his expression calm.

Su Zai Zai leaned closer and poked his cheek with her finger. When he turned to look at her, she playfully kissed the spot she had just poked.

Zhang Lu Rang’s dark eyes gleamed, something indescribable flickering in their depths.

He reached out, gently pinching her fingers, and finally spoke—his voice low and hoarse, tinged with a solemn weight.

“Su Zai Zai.”

She instinctively responded, her gaze falling on their intertwined hands.

After a long pause, she lifted her eyes to look at him.

“If there’s anything I’m not doing well, you have to tell me,” Zhang Lu Rang said, his gaze unwavering as he met her eyes. “I’ll change.”

He would improve, little by little, until he became the best version of himself for her.

Outside, a soft, lingering love song played in the taxi.

The driver, waiting for the red light, tapped his index finger rhythmically against the steering wheel.

Soon, the light turned green, and the car moved forward.

The scenery outside blurred, rushing past in streaks of light and motion.

But Su Zai Zai’s entire focus was on his words and the warmth of his broad palm.

After a long while, she squeezed his hand in return and smiled, her eyes curving.

“I can’t think of anything.”

Zhang Lu Rang didn’t have any shortcomings that she could think of.

Su Zai Zai had said—she couldn’t think of a single flaw.

—

Upon arriving at the hotel, the two of them approached the front desk to check in.

Zhang Lu Rang provided his name to the staff and handed over both his and Su Zai Zai’s ID cards.

After paying the deposit, he took the room card and led Su Zai Zai toward the elevator.

As they waited, Su Zai Zai watched the changing numbers on the display and suddenly asked, “Did you book a standard twin room?”

Zhang Lu Rang was about to nod when he suddenly recalled the words “be more proactive.”

After a brief hesitation, he rubbed his neck and replied, “Only the twin rooms were left.”

Not expecting him to lie, Su Zai Zai stared at him for a few seconds.

Only when his expression started to turn unnatural did she leisurely withdraw her gaze, lowering her head to hide a laugh.

They arrived at their room.

Zhang Lu Rang swiped the key card, pushed open the door, and inserted the card into the power switch.

After placing his belongings on the table, he headed to the bathroom.

Once he adjusted the shower temperature, he came back out.

Su Zai Zai sat on one of the beds, pulling out her change of clothes.

Standing beside her, Zhang Lu Rang finally spoke after a moment of silence.

“Go take a shower.”

Hearing this, Su Zai Zai glanced at him before quickly looking away.

“You go first.”

Zhang Lu Rang had no objections. He walked over to his luggage, retrieved his change of clothes and toiletries, and entered the bathroom.

The small hotel room was now left with only Su Zai Zai.

The bathroom door was frosted glass, faintly revealing the silhouette of the person inside.

Su Zai Zai couldn’t resist taking a quick peek before quickly sitting back down.

Listening to the sound of the water running inside, she swallowed hard.

Her gaze drifted to the bed she was sitting on, where her backpack still rested.

She thought carefully, confirmed her plan, then pulled out a small box from her bag.

Taking out one item from it, she walked over to the other bed and tucked it under the pillow.

After ensuring the placement was discreet yet easily accessible, she returned to her bed, satisfied, and started playing on her phone.

Ten minutes later, Zhang Lu Rang emerged from the bathroom.

He was drying his hair with a towel, droplets of water clinging to his eyelashes. Under the warm light, his skin appeared strikingly fair.

He wore a short-sleeved shirt and shorts. Perhaps because he hadn’t completely dried off before putting on his clothes, the faint contours of his muscles were still visible beneath the fabric.

Su Zai Zai’s vision blurred for a second, her ears instantly burning.

Her earlier boldness evaporated like smoke.

Feeling flustered, she grabbed her clothes and hurried toward the bathroom. “I’ll go shower now.”

Zhang Lu Rang remained silent, lowering his gaze as he continued drying his hair.

Half an hour later, Su Zai Zai finished showering and dried her hair. Taking a deep breath, she turned the doorknob.

She hesitated at the threshold before stepping down from the bathroom platform, then turned her head—

Only to see Zhang Lu Rang sitting on the bed, legs crossed, leaning against the headboard while playing on his phone.

On her bed. The one she had left her backpack on.

Su Zai Zai blinked.

After confirming she hadn’t misseen, she dazedly walked over and turned off the main lights.

Worried she might trip in the dark, Zhang Lu Rang leaned over and switched on the bedside lamp.

Having been used for a long time, the lamp’s light was dim, casting soft, blurry shadows across the room.

Half of his face was obscured in the darkness, making his expression difficult to read.

Su Zai Zai stood barefoot in place.

Her original confidence about conquering him had vanished without a trace.

She hesitated, unsure of what to do next.

The next second, Zhang Lu Rang spoke, his voice lazy and deep.

“Come here.”

Hearing that, Su Zai Zai licked her lips and climbed onto the bed.

Then, she reached over and tossed her backpack onto the other bed.

Seeing her obediently settle in, Zhang Lu Rang turned off the bedside lamp and said softly, “Go to sleep.”

—

His gaze returned to his phone, though it was unclear what he was looking at. The pale light flickered across his face, highlighting his sharp features.

A surge of unwillingness rose in Su Zai Zai’s heart.

She turned over, wrapped her arms around his waist, and playfully bit at his firm abdomen through his shirt.

Zhang Lu Rang let out a muffled hum, his body tensing. His voice grew husky as he emphasized, “Go to sleep.”

Su Zai Zai pretended not to hear him. She lifted his shirt and playfully bit him again, her tongue tracing small circles.

Satisfied with her mischief, she yawned and responded lazily, “Alright, I’ll sleep now.”

Just as she was about to reach for the blanket at the foot of the bed, Zhang Lu Rang suddenly moved.

He tossed his phone onto the bedside table with a loud “thud.”

Before Su Zai Zai could react, he was already leaning over her, his arms braced on either side of her head.

In the darkness of the room, she couldn’t see his expression clearly—only the sound of his increasingly heavy breathing reached her ears.

Scorching and restrained.

After a long pause, Zhang Lu Rang lowered himself slightly and asked in a husky voice, “Are you scared?”

Su Zai Zai reached up, looping her arms around his neck. She licked his earlobe and boldly declared, “I’m just afraid you won’t do anything.”

That single sentence shattered his restraint. Zhang Lu Rang lowered his head and captured her lips, exploring every inch, deepening the kiss with intensity.

His hands moved downward, tracing over her body, igniting warmth inch by inch.

His lips wandered, nibbling along the curve of her ear, over and over again.

Soft, lingering kisses rained down, inexperienced yet filled with tenderness.

Zhang Lu Rang slowly pushed up her shirt, slipping it off.

In a sudden motion, Su Zai Zai flipped over, pressing him down instead.

The moonlight filtered through the thin curtains, casting a silver glow on her fair skin.

Zhang Lu Rang’s breath grew ragged, the last traces of his usual composure slipping away.

Su Zai Zai straddled him, clearly feeling the heat beneath her. She tucked her hair behind her ear with one hand and leaned down to press a kiss against his throat.

As she continued downward—

Zhang Lu Rang clenched his fists and, unable to hold back any longer, grasped her waist and reversed their positions, pinning her beneath him again.

He kissed her deeply once more, voice muffled as he murmured, “Enough.”

Hearing that, Su Zai Zai blinked, breathless, and protested, “No—it’s fine, I read about this… I can teach you…”

Zhang Lu Rang froze for a moment, then knelt slightly above her, stripping off his own clothes one by one.

Dazed by the moment, Su Zai Zai instinctively tried to follow his actions.

Before she could, Zhang Lu Rang grabbed her ankle, pulling her back toward him. He pressed a light bite against her calf, leaving faint traces as he trailed upward.

His movements slowed as he let out a low, husky exhale, laced with undeniable longing.

“Stop trying to take charge of everything,” he muttered.

She barely had time to respond before his kisses silenced all her words.

Zhang Lu Rang’s hands moved carefully, testing, exploring, learning.

Su Zai Zai bit her lip, her fingers digging into his back, hints of pleasure in her touch.

His lips traced over her body, each press of his fingertips leaving a burning imprint on her senses.

Then, all at once, he stopped.

For a long moment, neither of them moved.

Impatient, Su Zai Zai hooked a leg around his waist, calling softly, “Lu Rang…”

He remained motionless, his muscles tense as stone.

Still half-dazed, Su Zai Zai suddenly recalled something and pointed toward the other side of the bed. “Under the pillow… I put one there.”

Zhang Lu Rang: “…”

Bracing himself against the bedside table with one arm, he reached over and retrieved it.

The brief pause allowed some of his composure to return.

His cheeks were flushed, beads of sweat dripping from his hair. Even so, the tension in his body remained, unwavering.

Steadying his breathing, Zhang Lu Rang looked down at her and asked seriously, “Are you sure?”

His hesitation made Su Zai Zai frustrated enough to snap, “Hurry up already!”

His dark eyes, deep as ink, roiled with emotion, barely held back.

He grasped her leg, resting it over his shoulder, and pressed a reverent kiss to her forehead, murmuring hoarsely, “You’re mine.”

Then, he moved.

A sharp gasp escaped Su Zai Zai’s lips, tears instantly welling in her eyes.

Zhang Lu Rang bit down on his own lip, leaning in to kiss away her tears, his breath heavy as he moved slowly, giving her time.

Her quiet whimpers only spurred him on, unraveling the last threads of his control.

In the small room, shadows danced, the air filled with the rhythm of their movements.

The night stretched long, tangled in heat and whispers.

—

Much later, when silence finally settled again, Su Zai Zai lay sprawled atop Zhang Lu Rang’s chest, completely spent.

She felt his chest vibrate slightly, as though he was saying something.

But sleep had already claimed her, leaving her unable to catch his words.

“…Zai Zai, after I graduate, I’ll marry you… You’re the only one I want.”

“So you have to want only me too, okay?”