After some time, the delicious aroma of home-cooked food filled the air as the dishes were ready and served on the table.
Among them were flavored the sixties, braised prawns in oil, celery and cashew nuts, sliced meat soup, and a vegetable, which were all beautifully presented and had a pleasing aroma that hinted at their delicious taste.
"Brother, come over for dinner," Liu Lan called out, and Liu Yong quickly put down his cell phone and grabbed a bottle of red wine before heading over.
As he arrived and saw the dishes on the table, he couldn't help but compliment them. "It looks good. This doesn't look like Liu Lan's craftsmanship," he said.
Liu Lan quickly clarified, "I'm just playing around. My sister-in-law is in charge. Brother, how about you taste it?"
Liu Yong happily obliged, using a pair of chopsticks to try every dish. After tasting them all, he gave a thumbs up and praised, "Mm, not bad. It's really delicious."
After the compliment, Liu Yong added, "Lele, I didn't expect your cooking to be so good. I'll definitely come back for more in the future." Li Changle was elated to hear this.
Liu Lan chimed in, "Brother, sister-in-law is a treasure. She's great in both the living room and the kitchen."
Li Changle humbly responded, "Where, how can I be so good?"
"Your sister-in-law is really nice. She gave me a big surprise today," Liu Yong said. "Sit down, let's start eating."
As they settled in and ate, they chatted and drank red wine.
They raised their glasses occasionally, clinking them lightly as they enjoyed the meal and each other's company.
The food was delicious, brought the family together, and created memories that would last a lifetime.
After enjoying their meal, the trio took a stroll and wandered before returning. Upon returning, they all sat on the living room sofa to watch TV.
As the night progressed, Liu Lan excused herself to shower and retire to bed. Meanwhile, Liu Yong wore a frown and suggested to Li Changle,
"Lele, why don't we go take a bath too?"
Their villa had three floors, with the primary bedroom on the second floor boasting a spacious bathroom. Liu Lan, on the other hand, resided on the first floor and used the bathroom located there.
Li Changle blushed, coying at Liu Yong, "I don't want to bathe with you. I'll go freshen up alone first."
Liu Yong chuckled knowingly, aware Li Changle was self-conscious about sharing a bath.
Seeing Li Changle proceed upstairs to use the bathroom, Liu Yong offered, "Come, let me show you the way to the bedroom."
Leading Li Changle upstairs, Liu Yong grabbed some fresh towels and other essentials, leaving the toiletries for Li Changle to find in the bathroom.
"You go ahead. I'll wait outside," he said as he escorted her to the bathroom.
Li Changle gently nudged Liu Yong out of the bathroom, closing the glass door behind him.
This bathroom mirrored the one in the main bedroom. After being shut out, Liu Yong perched on the massive bed in the main bedroom and caught a glimpse of Li Changle's blurred figure through the frosted glass.
His heart racing at the thought of Li Changle bathing inside, Liu Yong found himself growing increasingly impatient. He had the urge to barge in and join her in the bath.
Unable to resist the temptation any longer, he shed his clothes and donned only his briefs.
Finally, he flung open the door and crept into the bathroom, causing Li Changle to let out a shy cry.
The sudden intrusion made Li Changle uneasy, but she said nothing. Liu Yong's strong arms circled her waist from behind as he whispered into her ear, "I couldn't resist any longer, I had to be with you."
Li Changle felt her heart flutter at Liu Yong's words. She turned around to face him, feeling nervous and excited. The warm water poured over them as Liu Yong hugged her tightly, relishing the sensation of her wet skin against his.
They stood there momentarily, silently taking in each other's presence. Liu Yong's hands trailed down her back, making her shiver with anticipation.
His touch was electric, and she could feel their chemistry growing with every passing moment.
As their intimacy deepened, Li Changle felt herself giving into the moment, allowing her desire for Liu Yong to take over. Their bodies intertwined, and the steamy bathroom became a haven for their passion.
After an eternity, they finally emerged from the bathroom, their bodies slick with water. Liu Yong wrapped a fresh towel around Li Changle and led her back to the bedroom, where they collapsed onto the bed in blissful exhaustion.
As they lay there, wrapped in each other's arms, Li Changle couldn't help but think that this was the happiest she had been in a long time.
She had found someone who truly cared for her and made her feel alive. And as she drifted off to sleep, she knew she had found her soulmate.
The following day, Liu Yong and Li Changle woke up very late, both feeling the fatigue from their previous night's escapades.
Liu Yong checked his watch and saw that it was already past ten o'clock in the morning.
He gazed at Li Changle in his arms and reminisced about their intimate moments from the previous night.
He thought driving thrice in one night was exhausting, particularly with a new car requiring various adjustments.
Despite the exhaustion, he enjoyed the experience, especially with such a stunning woman in his arms. He realized that Li Changle was his future wife, and as a responsible man, he needed to be committed to the end.
"Liu Yong, wake up," Li Changle said as she stirred.
Liu Yong asked, "Are you tired? Would you like to sleep some more?"
Li Changle noticed it was already past ten and quickly responded, "I can't sleep anymore; otherwise, Liu Lan will mock us."
Liu Yong scoffed, "She is just a little girl; she wouldn't dare."
The two of them got up and noticed that Liu Lan was not home.
Liu Yong checked his WeChat messages and found a message from her, which read, "Brother, I'm going back to school. Please be gentle with my sister-in-law."
Liu Yong chuckled at the message and thought, "This little girl is a riot."
He turned to Li Changle and said, "Liu Lan has gone back to school, and now it's just the two of us. I'm starving."
Li Changle volunteered, "Let me feed you. How about that?"
Liu Yong grinned wickedly at the suggestive statement. Li Changle realized that her statement was ambiguous and quickly blushed. "Brother Yong, you are so naughty."
"Do you like it?" Liu Yong whispered in Li Changle's ear.
Li Changle's cheeks reddened even more, and she stammered, "I'll order the noodles. You sit here."
Liu Yong playfully said, "Let me do it."
As it was still early morning, no breakfast shops were open, so Liu Yong prepared two bowls of delicious shredded pork noodles for them.
They enjoyed their breakfast and then spent the rest of the day in each other's company, occasionally going out for a stroll and having dinner outside. By ten o'clock, they returned home, happy and content.
Throughout the weekend, Li Changle and Liu Yong spent their time together and even lived together on Saturday and Sunday nights.
On Monday morning, Liu Yong personally drove Li Changle to school.
When they arrived, Li Changle was reluctant to leave. Unusually, she took the initiative to kiss Liu Yong before getting out of the car.
"Lele, contact me on WeChat," Liu Yong said.
"Okay, Yong."
"Lele, I'll pick you up after school."
"Yong, I'll be waiting for you at school."
Li Changle exited the car and took three steps before turning her head.
On Friday, after their last moment of intimacy, Liu Yong sensed that Li Changle was becoming increasingly attached to him.
As Liu Yong watched his girlfriend enter the campus, he couldn't help but think about the various tasks that awaited him at the office.
He decided to drive there and tackle them head-on. Once he arrived, Qiu Yang, his employee, knocked on his door and entered.
He had come to report on the progress of various projects, one of which was a formal agreement signed with Qidong Shipyard to construct ships they had ordered.
Pleased with the news, Liu Yong nodded in approval as Qiu Yang continued his report. He mentioned that two 200,000-ton ocean-going oil tankers would soon enter the acceptance stage and belong to their company.
This report lasted about half an hour, after which Qiu Yang left the office, carefully closing the door behind him.
Liu Yong was left alone in his office and decided to make himself a cup of tea while glancing through some recent documents and reports on his desk.
As he did so, his thoughts drifted to Bawang, and he decided to check in on his pet via the pet panel.
It had been a few days since he had last checked on Bawang, and he was pleased to see that his pet had grown significantly in size and attributes.
Weighing almost 60 tons and measuring over 25 meters in length, including the head and tail, Bawang had caught a big fish weighing hundreds of catties and was happily munching on it.
Seeing his pet doing well and thriving made Liu Yong feel relieved.
After observing him, he did not disturb Bawang from his meal and closed the pet panel. However, 20 to 30 minutes later, Bawang contacted Liu Yong, surprising him with his initiative.
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