Chapter 7 Another Secret to Tell You

“Mhm!” Li Beichen nodded.

“Sorry for directly announcing to everyone that you’re my fiancée.”

He paused for a moment before continuing, “Given our current situation, I think describing our relationship as engaged is most appropriate.”

“What do you think?”

Hearing this, Shen Yi’an’s expression immediately became complicated, “I can understand your explanation… after all, you meant well.”

“But don’t you need to discuss this with your family?”

“Although we, uh, did that, I don’t expect you to take responsibility.”

“After all, it was my fault for barging into your private room. You shouldn’t bind yourself to me for life out of obligation – that wouldn’t be fair to you.”

Hearing this, the aura around Li Beichen instantly solidified, “If I hadn’t been willing, do you think someone of your small stature could have pinned me down?”

“Have you forgotten who I am?”

Only then did Shen Yi’an understand what he meant.

He was right!

The man standing before her was a soldier, and what’s more, a highly valued fighter pilot.

Forget about the rigorous daily training he underwent – even a man’s basic strength would be enough to easily subdue her.

With her small frame, even if she used all her strength, she probably couldn’t have pinned down the man before her.

With this realization, Shen Yi’an dropped her embarrassed expression, “Alright then, as long as you don’t feel like you’re at a disadvantage.”

Hearing this, Li Beichen unconsciously raised an eyebrow, “Shouldn’t An An be the one at a disadvantage?”

“After all, as a man, these things don’t really affect me.”

In response, Shen Yi’an remained silent.

Of course she was at a disadvantage, but she didn’t have solid ground to stand on.

She was the one who had barged into the private room while not in her right mind, and she was the one who had initiated pinning him down.

Although she had no memory during the incident itself, afterwards all those memories came flooding back into her mind.

Things like ‘Can I touch your eight-pack abs!’

Or ‘Get away from me, don’t come closer!’

And ‘Slow down, I can’t take it anymore!’

Every time she remembered these things, she wanted to dump all the dirty thoughts out of her head.

But she couldn’t.

So facing the man’s counter-question, she could only keep her mouth tightly shut.

Seeing this, the corners of Li Beichen’s lips curved upward as he leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Let me tell you another secret – before meeting you, I was a virgin!”

‘Boom!’

At these words, Shen Yi’an felt as if flames were burning all around her.

What nonsense!

This man… how could he say such embarrassing things with a straight face!

It made her seem like the scumbag – no, scumbag woman – that would become popular decades later.

For a moment, she didn’t know what to say, and could only lower her head to her chest, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into.

Seeing this, Li Beichen shook his head in amusement.

The young woman still couldn’t handle being teased – it seemed he needed to train her more in the future.

With such a long life ahead, a dull existence wouldn’t do.

Remembering the clues he had discovered earlier at the scene, he reached out and ruffled her still-lowered head, “Alright, I’ll stop teasing you. Let’s talk about serious matters now.”

Hearing this, Shen Yi’an finally raised her flushed face, “What is it?”

“About what happened in the private room.” Bringing up this topic, Li Beichen pointed to the dance hall behind them.

“When I checked on the person in the private room earlier, I found white residue in the drink under him.”

“If my guess is correct, you were affected because you breathed in the air containing evaporated residue from the white substance before leaving the private room.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Yi’an’s pupils suddenly dilated. “That kind of thing can evaporate?”

“Then… then earlier, all my classmates went into the private room, and the dance hall owner also went in. Could they be affected like me?”

“No!” Li Beichen gave a definitive answer.

“White powder mixed with alcohol can evaporate, but the evaporation doesn’t last long.”

“You left the private room over an hour ago. By the time others went in, the evaporated scent would have long dissipated.”

Hearing this explanation, Shen Yi’an finally breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good.”

“If everyone who went in was affected, I can’t even imagine what would happen next.”

Upon hearing this, Li Beichen, who had been standing upright, bent down again and leaned close to her face. “An An, something like this won’t happen again in the future. I promise you.”

“Even after I return to the military, I’ll have the ability to ensure your safety.”

“So don’t be afraid, okay?”

Hearing the man’s gentle reassurance, Shen Yi’an’s eyes suddenly reddened.

Several hours had passed since the incident, and even she had been deliberately avoiding the series of negative reactions brought on by it.

Not just from this lifetime, but also from the previous one, which she hardly dared to recall.

She was afraid that if she thought too much, she wouldn’t be able to control the hatred in her heart and might suddenly lose control.

Now, suddenly, someone stood before her, saying “don’t be afraid” and “even after I return to the military, I’ll have the ability to ensure your safety.” An indescribable sense of grievance welled up inside her.

Tears streamed down her face, accompanied by sobs. “Li Beichen, why did you take so long to come? Do you know how scared I was at the time?”

Then, with tears still in her eyes, she raised her face with a smile. “Luckily, you were nearby. Otherwise, I can’t imagine what I would have gone through.”

Though her words were somewhat disjointed, Li Beichen understood their meaning.

He stretched out his arms and pulled her into his embrace, resting his chin on her head and gently rubbing it. “It’s all my fault!”

“If I had been more alert and approached you to ask about the situation as soon as I saw you, you wouldn’t have had to go through that dangerous ordeal earlier.”

“I’m sorry, it’s my fault. Can you forgive me, An An?”

Hearing the man’s deep voice and feeling the steady thumping of his heartbeat in his chest, Shen Yi’an wiped her tears against his chest before replying in a choked voice, “Yes, I can forgive you!”

After saying this, she quickly added, “But I also want to thank you.”

Thank you for saving me, even though it cost you the life you were meant to have, which should have been filled with different scenery.

Upon hearing this, Li Beichen’s voice drifted down from above, striking her heart with force. “It’s I who should thank you!”

“If you hadn’t appeared, I had planned to dedicate my entire life to the azure skies of our motherland.”

“Thankfully, you appeared!”

Otherwise, he would have surely remained single for the rest of his life.

Hearing this, Shen Yi’an raised her face with a bright smile.

Tears still shimmered in her eyes, but they no longer carried the sadness from before. Instead, they now held a different, vibrant hue.

Time always flies during intimate moments.

It felt like they hadn’t even had time to say much, yet in the blink of an eye, it was already past ten-thirty.

Considering the intense physical activity not long ago, Li Beichen borrowed a bicycle from the dance hall’s security personnel.

Under the bright moonlight and twinkling stars, he personally drove Shen Yi’an to the gate of Jingshi Normal University.

As the car stopped, he gently smoothed her wind-tousled hair and carefully instructed, “Get a good rest after returning tonight. I’ll come pick you up tomorrow morning.”

“The awkward bride must eventually meet her in-laws.”

“You’re the awkward bride!” Shen Yi’an retorted discontentedly.

After a moment, her tone grew hesitant. “Do we really have to go to your home?”

“But I’m not prepared yet. I don’t know what to say when meeting your family.”

“Can you give me more time to think about it?”

He had been talking about this throughout their return journey.

About taking her home to meet his parents, and about letting everyone in the compound know he had a fiancée.

Yet she felt completely unprepared, afraid of making a fool of herself when the moment came.

Sensing her nervousness, Li Beichen leaned forward, cupped her head in his hands, and met her gaze.