Chapter 232: Very Embarrassed
After Lin Yifan mentioned it, An Qi remembered the matter. Now, she was someone betrothed under a contract, precisely a person restricted by a marriage contract. Although the marital transaction stipulated in the contract was not legally recognized, she still had to pay back the five billion borrowed from the Zhao Family, or else her family would have to sell their assets to cover the debt; and if they still couldn't pay it off, she might end up in jail. She wouldn't mind going to jail, but her sick father and elderly mother needed care; hence she couldn't abandon them; that's why she had never dared to confess to Lin Yifan, fearing that her eventual refusal would hurt him.
However, secrets can't be hidden forever; each rescue, each touch, each spark of emotion deepened her love for Lin Yifan, until this time she couldn't hold back anymore. Even if they couldn't be together in the future, she wanted to love passionately at least once without any regrets.
"Yifan, what would you do if we can't be together in the future?" An Qi tentatively asked.
"I will always pursue you, until I win you over," Lin Yifan answered.
His talk of pursuing wasn't just literal but had a deeper meaning to clear all the obstacles along the way that hindered his pursuit.
"With those words from you, I'm content," An Qi said peacefully. At that moment, all she wanted was to lean against Lin Yifan and enjoy his meticulous care a bit longer.
Seeing An Qi's worried expression, Lin Yifan curiously asked, "Baby, do you think I'm incapable of helping you repay this debt of fifty billion?"
An Qi had never brought this up, obviously thinking that his earlier remarks were merely to cheer her up, just empty words.
"It's not that I don't believe in you, but given your current status and financial condition, fifty billion is truly an astronomical number for you," An Qi voiced her true feelings, clearing the air.
Then, Lin Yifan turned her body around and solemnly declared, "Look into my eyes, believe in me, I will definitely help you repay this fifty billion."
Staring into Lin Yifan's determined eyes, An Qi felt a force urging her to trust him. Yet, thinking about the reality, she couldn't bring herself to believe those two words; thus she said, "Yifan, thank you! I know you love me and want to help me; but sometimes facts are just that, facts; you can't change your current situation, nor can you change mine; so let me handle the repayment. You just need to be my solid support in the background."
"Why don't you believe me? Is your man that bad?" Lin Yifan was speechless.
He really wanted to reveal his true identity, but thinking about Su Qingqing's presence, he refrained. An Qi was only comfortable with her closest friend, Zhou Jiajia, and may not accept the unfamiliar Mr. Su; so it was better to resolve the matter gradually.
"My man is amazing, he is the god of my heart, I love him deeply!" An Qi stared into Lin Yifan's eyes, emphatically and adoringly said.
"But why can't you believe in me?" Lin Yifan wondered.
"I believe you! I believe you can definitely help me repay the fifty billion in debts," An Qi, after rejecting him so many times, felt embarrassed to dishearten Lin Yifan again, hence could only say that. Perhaps, just maybe, Lin Yifan could indeed help her repay the fifty billion.
"That's settled then! Remember, you are mine now, your matters are my matters, I won't allow you to bear them silently anymore, understand?" Lin Yifan said sternly.
"Understood!"
Seeing Lin Yifan so earnest and dominant, An Qi felt endearingly sweet; then she plunged into Lin Yifan's arms, moved, saying, "Yifan, it's great to have you!"
Feeling An Qi's sensuous and fiery body against his own, Lin Yifan couldn't suppress the excitement in his body anymore, and immediately held An Qi tightly in his arms, slowly savoring the touch of her beautiful body and the heat emanating from her.
In this manner, the two hugged each other silently.
For a long while, until Lin Yifan's stomach started growling, they finally separated.
"Yifan, let's open a coconut to eat," An Qi suggested. She didn't want Lin Yifan to starve himself, nor did she want him to eat those disgusting things.
"The coconut can only solve the hunger at hand, not the issue of food and clothing for the upcoming time; so let's eat the bee pupae instead," Lin Yifan responded.
He knew what An Qi meant; but with such good food available here, why waste it?
"No! I don't want you to eat those disgusting things," An Qi disagreed.
She was really afraid that she might never be able to kiss Lin Yifan again. She had only just become addicted to kissing him and didn't want to miss out on it in the future.
"The stuff isn't disgusting, it actually tastes good," Lin Yifan explained.
"I don't believe it! I don't believe it! I don't believe it!" An Qi said 'I don't believe it' three times in succession, truly frustrated. She couldn't even bear to think of Lin Yifan eating maggots.
"So, do you want to starve your man to death to feel relieved?" Lin Yifan asked with a stern face.
"No, I'm just really afraid that I might never be able to kiss again," An Qi pouted, her face full of grievance.
"Pfft!"
Lin Yifan laughed out loud at her reasoning; then, after calming himself down, he seriously explained, "Bee pupae taste different when roasted compared to when eaten raw. The proteins inside the roasted pupae become harder, and they have a texture when you bite into them; it's like eating a quail egg with a thin shell, crunchy on the outside, solid on the inside."
"Really?" An Qi was skeptical, still feeling as though Lin Yifan might be fooling her.
"I'm not lying to you, you'll see in a moment," he said and then turned to gather the remains of the beehive.
However, just as he had turned around, An Qi sneezed twice in succession.
"Achoo! Achoo!"
Then, he quickly went to the clothesline; after feeling the clothes on it and finding them dry, he said to An Qi, "Baby! The clothes are dry! Go change them, don't catch a cold."
"Change clothes? Here... here?" An Qi was trembling slightly, feeling a bit nervous.
Although she had set her heart on Lin Yifan, the idea of stripping naked in front of him was something she couldn't do yet; it was a psychological barrier. She could only do such things with someone she was completely comfortable with; just as she could bathe with Zhou Jiajia in front of Chi Luo without feeling shy at all.
"Is there something wrong?" Lin Yifan asked without understanding.
"Nonsense, of course, there's something wrong; how can I, a lady of a good family, casually strip in front of a man?" An Qi shyly lowered her head, not daring to look at Lin Yifan, clearly very embarrassed by the idea.