Chapter 1004 More Beautiful
Lu Zihao inwardly swore at his AI nephew but his fists still loosened before he melted deeper into the shadows. It wasn't like he gave a damn about innocent people but Bacon's warning about the possibility of upsetting Long Jinjing made him change his usual modus operandi. It wasn't a big deal anyway. He could just hide and wait it out to avoid direct contact with the building cleaner.
The cleaner finally arrived in front of the emergency door before opening it. This time, the emergency lights automatically turned on. Then the cleaner began sweeping some candy wrappers and a couple of cigarette butts from the floor. Fortunately, he left after checking that there weren't any messes on the stairs.
When the lights automatically turned off, a large figure noiselessly jumped down from a ledge on the wall hidden by the next flight of stairs.
"The cleaner is now gone, Uncle Zihao," Bacon said through the earpiece. "The coast is clear. There's nobody in the hallway."
Lu Zihao left the dark place and quickly walked along the hallway before stopping in front of Long Jinjing's door.
Finally.
For a moment, he glared at the door in front of him after remembering Shun and Robin's report that Long Jinjing immediately changed the lock and revoked his access in the electronic security system the day after they broke up. The woman was quite thorough in wanting to cut all ties with him.
Then the electronic security lock blinked thanks to Bacon. Lu Zihao opened the door and slipped inside without making any sound.
The familiar entryway directly leading to the cozy living room greeted him. He could see everything clearly even in the darkness. A sense of comfort filled him, causing his whole body to relax without his notice. He inhaled deeply and smiled at the familiar scent—her scent.
He walked inside and scanned the entire place. Nothing had changed much. Everything was in its place. Then his eyes caught something. He stopped in his tracks and blinked a few times. He approached the display cabinet by the window. On top were several vases with dried and wilted flowers.
"You're still keeping them," he whispered while touching a dried rose. It felt rough to his fingertips. A couple of brown petals fell down.
These flowers were the ones he had given her during the last three days before their agreed breakup. He didn't notice that the corners of his lips hooked up.
"Uncle Zihao, how long are you planning to stay inside Aunt Jinjing's place?" Bacon's question interrupted him. "It will be Bacon's curfew soon. There are no surveillance cameras inside Aunt Jinjing's unit so I'm unable to see you."
"Go home, kid. I'll slip out by myself later."
"Understood, Uncle Zihao. Bacon will go home now. Good night!"
There was only silence coming from Lu Zihao's earpiece. The little rascal must have left already. He sighed in relief as he headed to Long Jinjing's bedroom. There was light flowing out from the gap between the door and the floor. He crept closer and pressed his ear against the door. After a few seconds, he registered the sound of regular, deep breathing coming from inside the room. Then he opened the door and finally entered.
His breath caught in his throat as soon as he saw the woman sleeping on the bed.
His woman.
He stepped closer until he was standing beside her bed. She was hugging the cheap teddy bear he had bought for her in a rush before their breakup. He leaned down and reached for her face, lightly caressing her soft cheek before stopping on her mouth. He gently rubbed her lips with his fingertips and felt his mouth go dry.
The desire to kiss her filled him.
However, he didn't act on the urge. Not for now, at least.
His eyes caught the lily pendant necklace that he had given her around her neck. He smiled. Although he already knew that she wore the necklace because he frequently checked her location via the micro-tracker he had installed inside the pendant, it still greatly pleased him seeing the jewelry around her neck with his own eyes.
Her breath brushed against his hand, somehow tickling him, even though he wasn't a ticklish person. In fact, the inside of his chest felt ticklish. He didn't understand the feeling nor did he want to think about it too much. For now, all he wanted was to watch her sleep and confirm that she was alright.
He continued observing her. Then he frowned.
'It has only been a few days since we broke up, but she already lost a lot weight.'
Long Jinjing was already a slim, petite woman. Now that she lost weight, she looked even smaller. Her cheekbones and collarbones became more prominent. Her chin was sharper. Her wrists were thinner and more delicate, looking as if they would break if he exerted even just a tiny amount of force on them.
Perhaps he should call his sister and let Evelinka instruct Orchidia Beauty's cafeteria to give more nutritious food to Long Jinjing. As soon as the thought entered his mind, however, he dismissed it.
'No, I shouldn't disturb Evelinka while she's pregnant. She doesn't need to worry about other people's matters. If something happens to her, I'm sure that her AI son, the little scoundrel, would torment me even more. Not to mention that the kid's equally annoying father would support him completely just to punish me.'
Sighing, he squatted down beside the bed so that he was at eye level with the sleeping Long Jinjing. The bed was the one he especially custom-ordered to fit both of them inside her small bedroom. Although Long Jinjing was now sleeping alone, she still slept on her side of the bed and left his side filled with extra pillows instead.
He stroked her hair, staring at her face.
How come she looked even more beautiful now than when they were together?
Despite her obvious weight loss, dark circles and bags under her eyes, he still thought that she had become prettier.
He removed his baseball cap, leaned closer, and then pressed his mouth against hers, rubbing their lips together gently, and enjoying the feeling of kissing her again.
Long Jinjing frowned and stirred before opening her eyes.
He froze.
"Nikolai?"