Deliberately Approaching-Chapter 578 - 540: Overcoming Jet Lag

"Be careful, don’t fall!"

Leng Lingxiao hurriedly turned on the light.

As the light came on, many oil paintings of the same size suddenly appeared in front of Tang Xiaowan.

"Is that me? All of these are me!"

"Not bad, huh?"

"Yeah," Tang Xiaowan vigorously nodded, exclaiming, "We could hold an exhibition now. After adding the ones I saw before, these are very well done!"

She knew there would be surprises, but she never imagined it would be a series of oil paintings.

In contrast to other scenes, these were all frontal views where Tang Xiaowan’s features were clearly visible, and each painting had a date noted below.

From elementary school to university, every meaningful phase of her life was captured in these highlights.

She alternately looked at and touched the paintings, tears blurring her vision, wondering why she hadn’t come to see them earlier.

"What if I had come earlier... would that have been..."

"I wouldn’t have let you know so soon."

"Why not?"

"I was mainly afraid you would think... I had ulterior motives." Leng Lingxiao gently caressed the image of Tang Xiaowan in the painting, visibly a bit anxious.

Seeing the dates, Tang Xiaowan burst out laughing.

Yes, she was quite capricious at that time, but the seeds of love had already begun to sprout.

Curiosity and fondness, nerves and shyness — these indescribable complex emotions would erupt inexplicably the moment she saw Leng Lingxiao.

"I think you did have ulterior motives, pretending to be my dad, claiming the sports rep distracted me from studying."

"I specifically instructed your homeroom teacher..."

"I overheard."

The day he went to meet the homeroom teacher, the twenty-something Leng Lingxiao disguised himself as a forty-year-old and even wore silver-rimmed glasses.

Still, she discovered him.

"You should thank me; if I hadn’t been supervising you both overtly and covertly, could you have gotten into the best high school in Qingcheng, the best university, perhaps..."

"Yeah, yeah, thanks to your guarding."

"Hey, you’re still not convinced? During school, you weren’t supposed to date; you were supposed to study hard."

"People in Country E can marry at 14."

"You’re not from Country E!"

Leng Lingxiao frowned, stubbornly arguing like an old father behind Tang Xiaowan, but his eyes betrayed a hint of anxiety.

"You didn’t really like that brat, did you?"

"Don’t block the light." Tang Xiaowan blissfully admired her grace in the oil paintings.

"Tell me; I want to know."

"Of course not, I was just teasing you."

"Teasing me?"

"Who made you not come earlier..."

"Little rascal!" Leng Lingxiao stretched out his long arm and pulled Tang Xiaowan directly into his embrace.

Before she could react, a kiss fell, turbulent and urgent, carrying the man’s strong possessiveness and a posture declaring his sovereignty.

Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling...

"It’s Old Zhao done with his work?" Tang Xiaowan asked breathlessly, with some anticipation, "Quick, answer it, it must be Old Zhao."

Had it not been for seeing her eagerly waiting, Leng Lingxiao would not have wanted to stop.

So, he slowly let her go.

It was unclear what Zhao Renjie discussed on the phone, but Leng Lingxiao’s face gradually relaxed from its irritability.

Tang Xiaowan bit her lip, watching him pace, feeling slightly excited.

After hanging up the phone, Leng Lingxiao walked toward her.

"How did it go? Has Old Zhao finished preparing, when do we set off?"

"No, he’s checking the equipment."

"Oh, okay, I thought..."

Tang Xiaowan hadn’t finished her sentence when she suddenly yawned. Despite the smile that remained on her face, it was clear that she was somewhat tired.

At this moment, it was nine o’clock in the evening in Huang City.

Even if Leng Lingxiao was in a hurry, he had to hold back as he knew his Little Wife needed time to acclimate.

"Sleep for a bit, adjust to the time difference."

"No, I still need to go... Never mind, I’ll sleep a bit first, remember to wake me up when it’s time to leave."

"Okay, don’t worry, I won’t forget."

Having said that, Leng Lingxiao then picked up Tang Xiaowan horizontally, went straight to his own private rest room, and helped her take off her shoes and arrange the pillow.

"Huahua, remember to urge Old Zhao."

"Mhm, got it, go to sleep."

Although the bed in the rest room was not as spacious as the one at home, it was still soft and comfortable.

Tang Xiaowan quickly fell asleep.

Time trickled by, and Leng Lingxiao stayed by the bed, holding Tang Xiaowan’s delicate hand, silently watching her, keeping her company.

At four in the afternoon, Tang Xiaowan was gently awoken by Leng Lingxiao, telling her it was time to set off.

...

After an hour of flight, the helicopter smoothly entered the sea area around Tunyun Island, and Tang Xiaowan’s eyes sparkled with uncontrollable excitement and curiosity.

She almost unfastened her seatbelt the moment the helicopter touched down.

"Dear Ms. Tang Xiaowan, welcome to Tunyun Island," Leng Lingxiao shouted, stretching out his hand to gently support her, then walked out of the cabin.

The sea breeze, with its slightly salty smell, hit their faces, mixed with the freshness of flowers and grass.

Tang Xiaowan was drawn to the lush greenery of the island, and the sound of the nearby waves was much more interesting than staring at pictures on her phone.

"I really like this place, it’s beautiful!" Tang Xiaowan exclaimed, with a touch of disbelief.

"Indeed, it’s a nice place."

At this moment, six security personnel in black camouflage were already waiting nearby.

One of the security guards stepped forward respectfully and said softly, "Miss, Mr. Leng, it has been a long journey, please follow me."

"Okay." Leng Lingxiao smiled and gestured.

They passed through a path paved with bluestone, then a lush bamboo grove, and soon reached a meticulously maintained small garden.

In front of them stood a four-story villa, ancient in its simplicity, yet elegant.

Tang Xiaowan and Leng Lingxiao exchanged a smile.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled shadows, which made her slow her pace.

"This place is really nice, the air is fresh!"

"Yes, away from the noise of the city, surrounded by lush greenery. If you like, we can stay longer, we have plenty of time."

Tang Xiaowan nodded vigorously.

As they spoke, they reached the main building of the villa, where the security personnel respectfully opened the door for them.

The interior was decorated simply yet grandly, especially the four abstract oil paintings on the living room wall, which added an artistic touch to the space.

Under the guidance and introduction of the security personnel, they toured the villa from bottom to top.

When they returned to the living room, dinner was ready.

Looking at the dishes and fruits on the table, Tang Xiaowan felt overwhelmed, picking up the chopsticks gently and then setting them down slowly.

She was not hungry at all, suspecting it was due to jet lag, as it would be two in the morning back home.

"Still not hungry?" Leng Lingxiao asked with concern, bringing a plate of blueberries to Tang Xiaowan, "Have some blueberries, they’re good for your throat."

Tang Xiaowan nodded obediently.

"Would you like to go for a walk outside?" Leng Lingxiao suddenly stood up, pointing outside the window where a black SUV was parked in the backyard.

"Wow, someone has a sharp eye!"

"Shall we go?"

"Well, I’ve already slept for four hours, but you..." Tang Xiaowan paused, looking worriedly at Leng Lingxiao, "Don’t you need to adjust to the time difference?"

"No need, I’m full of energy."

Having said that, Leng Lingxiao took Tang Xiaowan’s hand and headed straight for the villa’s back door.