Long Mansion Part 1

"Sigh. Finally peace. Brother Li, I admire you for having the patience to tolerate these women." Long Hongwu tiredly pulled on his tie.

He was a man of steel and action. Word games and schemes weren't his forte. Just from the brief clash of words, he felt as drained as if he'd exchanged blows with a formidable opponent.

"Brother Long, they are my brothers' wives. I have no choice but to tolerate them." Li Chen smiled awkwardly, a little embarrassed at the mention of the earlier farce.

"Let's not mention them anymore. Brother Li, from now on, we're in-laws, haha! I want to share this news with Madam. She'll need to prepare to welcome her new daughter-in-law." With another loud chuckle, Great Commander Long left the room.

Li Chen looked at the newly married couple and felt gratified.

He was satisfied with Long Tian as his son-in-law. The young man and his daughter had been engaged from childhood. The fact that he was the one to bring Qing Yue to the hospital only strengthened his resolve.

Wanting to give the two some space, Li Chen made a random excuse and fled the room.

By the time Long Tian and Qing Yue realized what was going on, it was too late.

"Ahem!" Long Tian awkwardly cleared his throat and moved to the bedside. He looked at the bundled girl and felt his heart ache for her.

"The bandages will come off soon. But at that time..." His voice cut off. He didn't know how to tell her not to feel sad when she saw her face.

Even though she said she wouldn't allow others' comments to dishearten her, with the burns and scars left behind by the accident, she'd probably not want to see herself again.

Qing Yue understood what he wanted to say and smiled unconcernedly.

She couldn't tell him she had a way to recover her appearance. He wouldn't believe her. This was a matter that even the doctors felt hopeless about, so how would he believe a girl just a few days over 18 could do what they couldn't accomplish?

But she had confidence in herself, believed in Li Feng and her newly gained skills. Once she recovered a bit and closely examined her reports, there should be a way for her to recover her appearance.

"I still haven't gotten your name." She innocently blinked.

Dark lines covered Long Tian's forehead as he frowned in displeasure.

Hadn't he already given her his name? It was even on the marriage certificate that she'd just signed!

"It was on the marriage certificate."

"Oh...I didn't look at it."

"I said it earlier as well."

"I was thinking about something else."

"Your Dad and my Father said it as well."

"Ah...I was distracted. It's the medications..."

The two ended up in a stalemate and stared at each other in still silence for over a minute.

Just when Qing Yue thought she'd angered him, the man's cool voice resounded in the room.

"It's Long Tian."

"Huh?" She blankly stared at him.

Long Tian's lips quirked up and down, not knowing whether to cry or laugh. In his entire life, this was the first time he'd ever repeated his name from his own mouth.

Usually, that was the job of the females that persistently chased him.

"My name...is Long Tian."

This time, he purposely paused to make sure she didn't miss it.

Qing Yue smiled and her eyes lit up as she focused on his dark-blue eyes. "Ah, so it's Brother Tian. Brother Tian, I'm Qing Yue, but Dad calls me Yue'er, while the others call me Qing Qing."

She paused a second and scanned him with a thoughtful expression. Thinking of his determined blue-eyes as he squeezed under the burning hover, her heart softened.

"Brother Tian, since you're now my husband, you can call me Yue'er like Dad."

The man had risked his life to save her, so she was indebted to him. Sadly, she had nothing to repay him.

In the future, once she fully recovered, she had to put in her best effort and repay this debt.

"Um! You can call me Brother Tian." Long Tian's expression softened and he gently nodded his head. The word 'husband' made him feel strange.

But the feeling wasn't unpleasant.

"Yue'er, why did you risk your life to save that kid?" This baffled Long Tian.

After all, in the present time, who would be selfless enough to sacrifice their own life to save another?

That too, a stranger that wasn't even related to them by blood.

"You mean Little Ran? He's a good kid that lost his parents in an accident. There wasn't any other reason. The hover was about to crash on him, so I acted by instinct and threw him out of the way. Besides, he's only five. It would be too sad if he died before even learning to live."

Long Tian deeply stared at her and didn't know what to say.

In such situations, wasn't a normal person's first instinct to run and save themselves?

"Do you visit the City Orphanage often?"

"I visit once or twice a week when I get the chance. Other times, I'd usually be at the hospice, disability center, or Families In Need Foundation."

Qing Yue had a fond smile on her face as she talked about the organizations she supported.

There, everyone listened to her attentively and didn't force her to do things she felt uncomfortable doing, like close dancing and drinking. She could be herself and didn't feel left out.

Long Tian patiently listened as she enthusiastically chattered about the elders, kids, and families she met and all the things they did together.

"At times, when I didn't feel too shy, I would sing for everyone."

"Sing? Can you even sing?" He looked dubiously at her, not convinced she had any skill in the field.

"Hmph! Just because my voice sounds horrible right now, it doesn't mean it always used to be like this. I'll sing for you once I fully recover. I want to see if you'll still have that disdainful expression on your face then."

Was he that obvious?

Shaking his head, he regained his composer and smirked.

"We'll see then. I want to hear what you sound like after you recover. If you manage to stun me, I promise to obey your every command." He jokingly said.

However, Qing Yue's eyes immediately brightened.

"You promise? If I manage to shock you with my singing, you'll obey my every command. As a Long, you can't go back on your word."

Long Tian paused.

The fiery light in the girl's violet eyes made his heart thump in his chest.

This was a first.