She laughed too, her laughter like that of a little girl on Christmas opening the gift box to find the present she most desired, and as she laughed, tears unconsciously streamed down her face.
The man’s lips landed on the corner of her eye, kissing away her tears.
"From today on, I forbid you to cry, this is the last time, no exceptions."
Tears trickled from the corner of her eyes, falling on the corner of her lips, quickly kissed away by him, and then the kiss naturally moved over to her lips.
The two said nothing more, just held each other close and kissed one another.
Steam rose in the bathroom, enveloping the two embracing figures.
He reached out his hand to lift her clothes, to unhook her troublesome bra, but the shirt was soaked and clung to her back.
He lost patience, steadied her shoulders, and turned her around.
Her shirt stuck to her waist, revealing half of her slender waist, and at her tailbone, a fiery red was faintly visible.
Moving his fingers, he carefully undid her jeans’ button, gently pushing down her waistband.
He saw the Red Spider Lily, blazing like a flame, bloom on her lower back, and he spoke with a hoarse throat.
"I remember it, that night, I saw it."
The man slowly ran his fingers over her tattoo, lifted his hand to remove her shirt, unclasped her bra, and planted kisses down from her shoulder, imprinting on the fiery red petals.
"When did you get it?"
"I’m going to kill him."
How could someone lay a hand on an eight-year-old girl?
"The person who gave you the tattoo."
But the man’s hand had already moved from her waist, enclosing her from behind, gently kissing the side of her ear, as he spoke dominantly.
"Don’t let anyone else see it, apart from me!"
The tattoo was made with a special medication, imperceptible in color even while being inked; only when the heart rate exceeded a certain level would it become visible.
"Later, when you’ve grown up, I want to see what this tattoo has turned into."
So said Moses when he inked her.
But, he never got his wish to see it; aside from herself, only Huangfu Jue had truly seen her tattoo.
The voice was just a fleeting whisper by her ear, soon replaced by Huangfu Jue’s voice.
"Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle, Xiaotang won’t hear."
"Gan Yuan... Ayuan... Yuan..."
This was a name she had given herself—it was a homonym for Gaia but had another meaning as well.
For him, she was willingly prepared to give up everything, to start anew, no matter how bitter or difficult, she embraced it with relish.
Continuing to ask for votes, thank you all