Chapter 19 Chapter Nineteen

Lao Ge glared at Alex, as if he wanted to measure how threatening he was; "Bobo" was stirring uneasily in the cage, roaring in a low voice, and the imminent violence in the air infected its perception.However, the restless commotion of the beast was far worse than the weird and frightening roar that came out of Alex's mouth when he rushed towards the man who was pressing Lily.In an instant, the punishing weight on her body was gone, and Lily gasped in relief, putting a hand on her aching rib, trying to make sense of what was happening before her. The two men wrestled and moved several yards away, so fast that Lily could tell which was Alex only by the shiny blond hair.He let out a murderous roar, punched Lao Ge's fat face, his fingers pinched his fat neck, and strangled his windpipe.

Lao Ge's face was flushed and bulging, he reached out to grab Alex's collar, and kicked violently with both feet.Old Ge threw Alex over his head, and he fell to the ground with a thud, Lily screamed and tried to crawl over.But before she could get there, Alex was on his feet, and another swinging fist hit Old Gor with such force that it sent him flying toward a pile of crates.The wood snapped at the sound and was pressed down by him. Lily was dumbfounded, staring at Alex in a daze. "My God!" she gasped, barely recognizing him.She expected him to unleash a little civilized boxing, some accusing words, or brandish a pistol, but instead he turned into a bloodthirsty stranger bent on tearing his opponent apart with his bare hands.She never expected him to have such a violent side.

Lao Ge got up staggeringly, and rushed towards Alex again.He stepped back sideways, twisted, and punched Gogo in the ribs, another solid hit in the back that ended the scene.Lao Ge groaned in pain and fell to the ground, spit out a mouthful of bloody sleep foam, tried to get up again, fell down again with a groan, and surrendered. Alex slowly let go of his fist and turned to look at Lily, who took a step back.The savage light in his eyes made her a little scared, and then his stern face seemed to soften, and she ran towards him without thinking, opened her arms around his neck, trembled all over, and laughed hysterically.

"Alex, Alex—" He hugged her to comfort her. "Take a deep breath and breathe again." "You got there just in time." She gasped. "I said I'd take care of you," he muttered. "No matter how difficult your situation is." He pressed her close to his large, sheltering body, whispering curses and affection against her hair.His hands moved under the muddy cloak, touching the tense muscles of her back, rubbing her stiff spine.Lily had never been so nervous, and laughed more hysterically. "Relax," he said, afraid she would collapse in his arms. "Relax."

"How do you know? How did you find me?" "Mrs. Nan is not at home. I went to Ke Shi's club and found that the carriage and the coachman were there, but you disappeared without a trace. Wuss admitted that you left alone without any entourage." He nodded towards the entrance of the alley. The horse is there waiting. "Ge Shi and I searched all the streets looking for you," He held her face in his hands, staring at her with piercing silver gray eyes. "You didn't keep your promise, Lily." "I have. I took two squires and—and a coachman to the club, as you wish."

"We don't play semantic games," he said darkly. "You know what I mean." "But Alex—" "Hush!" Alex glared at the two men who had just come out of the dog ring from above her head.They looked at him first, and then at Old Ge who was lying motionless on the ground. "What the hell..." one exclaimed; another scratched his hair in confusion. "Go catch the bear—the dogs have almost finished the raccoon." "No!" Lily yelled, turning sharply to face them, with Alex's arms in front of her. "No, you cruel butchers! Why don't you bait yourselves? I'm sure the dogs stand no chance!" She turned to Alex, grabbing his shirt. "I—I bought the bear, and it's mine! That poor thing is so deserving of pity, I can't bear it, don't let them take it, it'll be torn to shreds—"

"Lily," he cupped her lids tenderly. "Calm down, listen to me, this happens all the time." "Cruel and savage!" "I agree. But if we manage to save this one, they'll just replace it with another." Her eyes began to fill with tears. "It's called [Bobo]." She said thickly, knowing that her behavior was very irrational. She had never been so emotional before, clutching the man for comfort and help. But the shock of seeing her daughter just now, and the series of events in the past confuse her, and she seems to have temporarily lost her reason.

"I don't care, they can't grab it." She grabbed him desperately. "I want it as a wedding present, Alex." "Wedding gift?" He stared blankly at the wagon, the old bear with its nose pressed against the rail, looking like it didn't have long to live, bait or not. "Please." Lily whispered. Alex cursed lowly and pushed Lily aside. "Go to Ge Shi and get on the horse immediately," he muttered. "It's up to me to handle it here." "But--" "Go!" He said decisively, there was no room for turning around.

Lily avoided his resolute, uncompromising gaze, resigned, and walked slowly towards the corner. Alex walked towards the two men. "This bear is ours," he said calmly. One of them took a step forward, straightening his chest. "We need it as bait." "You have to find another bear, my wife wants this one." He smiled, his eyes cold and dangerous. "Do you want to argue?" The other party looked anxiously at Lao Ge's prone body, and then at Alex's threatening posture. Obviously, neither of them wanted to experience the same tragic fate as their partner.

"Then what the hell are we going to give the dogs?" one of them asked pitifully. "I have several suggestions—" Alex replied, staring steadily at them. "But none of them you'll like." Facing his menacing gaze, they backed away uneasily. "I think we can use mice and cats again," one of them said to the other. Another frowned disapprovingly. "But we promise to fight bears and dogs—" Alex didn't care about their plight, and motioned for Ge Shi to come over. The coachman came quickly. "Yes, my lord?" "I want you to drive home in the buggy," Alex said matter-of-factly. "Mrs. Ray and I will ride back."

Ge Shi was not very happy at the thought of taking this bear as a passenger back to Swan Village.But there was no protest. "Yes, my lord," he said obediently. Ge Shi cautiously approached the ornately decorated carriage, unfolded a handkerchief exaggeratedly, spread it on the wooden seat, and sat down carefully to avoid soiling his clothes, "Bobo" watched all this with a little interest.Alex held back his smile and strode towards the corner where Lily was waiting for him. Her face puckered together in concern. "Alex, do you think we can make an enclosure or a cage for him in Thunderwind Garden? Or release him in the forest—" "It's too tame to be released. I have a friend who specializes in raising rare animals." Alex looked at the bear, and he sighed tensely as he looked at the bear. "With luck, I might be able to convince him to give 'Baby' a home." "It's [Bobo]." He mounts himself. "Do you have any other specials scheduled for tomorrow night?" he asked. "Or can we have a quiet evening at home?" Lily lowered her head submissively and did not answer... Although she really wanted to point out that she had warned him long ago that she would not be an ordinary type of wife.Glancing sideways at his dark and disheveled appearance, she tried to suppress the uneasiness that swept through her heart, eager to thank him for everything he had done, but she was weirdly speechless. "Let's go," he said succinctly. She paused, biting her lip. "Alex, I think you must have started to regret marrying me." There was a trace of uneasiness and anxiety in her tone. "I just regret that you broke your promise to me and put yourself in danger." At any other time, the notion of a submissive wife was the subject of her fiery debate, yet the fact that he came to his rescue in time was but a blink of an eye, and she responded with uncharacteristically submissive demeanor. "That was inevitable, and I had to sort it out myself." "You don't owe Kirik money," he said bluntly. "You gave five thousand pounds to someone else." Seeing her nodding slightly, his mouth tightened. "What are you involved with, Lily?" "I wish you didn't ask," she whispered mournfully. "I don't want to lie to you." He gritted his teeth. "Why don't you tell me everything you've been hiding?" She grabbed the reins and looked away. Holding the brandy bottle in one hand, Alex stared blankly at the semi-dark study.Lily was upstairs washing and getting ready for bed.She was clearly afraid of something, and no amount of time or patience could bring her to reveal the secret.He didn't know how to make her trust him, and every time he looked into her eyes, he felt an imminent danger pulling her deeply into the enigmatic chaos, and he couldn't break free. He knew money wasn't the issue, he'd made it clear she could use all his resources, but that didn't help.He foolishly hoped that the constant panic in her eyes would miraculously disappear after he settled her debt.Yet it remained, and what had happened tonight was not some glamorous interlude—it was wild rebellion against something that was pulling her down like a boulder.He recognized the signs of trying to escape grief because he'd been doing the same thing for two years. He put down the bottle without spilling a drop, and rubbed his eyes with his hand. He didn't move for a moment, knowing that she was in the room, and his senses immediately detected her presence.And she whispered his name softly between her lips, which made his body harden even more. He turned to face her.She was wearing a thin white linen pajamas, and her hair was in unmanageable curls.She looked petite and indecisive, which was fascinating. Her deep eyes flicked to the wine bottle beside him. "Are you drinking?" "No." He scratched his hair, his voice full of tired impatience. "what are you going to do?" She held her breath. "This is our wedding night." The words distracted him, drove away all thoughts except the need to have her again.He knew her curves under the fine linen, the feeling of her delicate body, warm and soft.Excitement began to travel down his nerve endings.But he forced himself to stand there with a blank expression on his face.He wanted to hear her talk, to make her admit why she had come to him. "So what?" he said flatly. Embarrassed, she raised one hand to play with the curls around her neck, and there was something maddeningly innocent about that gesture. "Are you tired, my lord?" "No." She persevered bravely, though her voice betrayed the growing embarrassment in her heart. "Will you rest soon?" He got up and approached her. "Do you want me to rest?" She lowered her eyes. "I don't mind if you—" "Do you want me to sleep with you?" He took her hand. Lily felt herself blushing. "yes." She just finished.His mouth has been pressed down.With a soft cry, she relaxed her body against him and locked his waist with her arms.The surrender of her body ignited his lust; he wanted to hold her tight, tight, until he crushed her.Instead, he carried her upstairs, undressed her carefully, and let her undress himself at the same time.Lily, who was unfamiliar with men's clothes, could hardly find the hidden buttons in his trousers, and he showed her gently.He forgot to breathe when the back of her hand brushed against him intimately. He pressed her back on the bed, kissed her body with soft honey kisses and hot kisses, rubbed his face on her soft skin, loving the snow-white softness of her waist, belly, and chest.Lily was more dissolute than the previous nights, her hands moved more freely on his body, her limbs were entangled with him, her cool fingertips ran through his hair, lazily playing with the golden hair, and stroking the nape of his neck. The petite body arched under him, making his heart tremble and moan.He took a deep breath and sealed hers with his mouth, becoming one with her tenderly and eagerly. Lily groaned helplessly and pressed closer, and he kissed her neck and shoulders. "Open your eyes," he whispered furiously. "look at me." She lifted her dark eyelashes and looked directly at his intense gaze. He deliberately pushed forward, and the heavy and stimulating force made her eyes go blank.He grabbed her hips, moving in a steady rhythm, Lily stroking his smooth back, her fingers digging into his strong muscles as her pleasure built up.At that moment, she heard him murmuring, as if he could no longer suppress the emotions in his heart-intermittently telling how beautiful she was, how much he longed for her...and loved her. Lily was puzzled and didn't believe it, but her body already felt the intense joy exploding in her body, and she fell into a feeling that words couldn't describe.He took a deep breath and held it for the moment of orgasm, his body tensed and trembling against her. Then came the most frightening silence she experienced, Lily still had her eyes closed, but there were countless questions in her mind.I love you... It's impossible for him to really say this, she thought to herself, even if she did, it wasn't out of sincerity.Her Aunt Sally warned her at one point not to pay attention to what men said in the middle of passion.At the time, she didn't understand the importance of this advice. A minute later, she felt Alex move slightly, as if he wanted to turn over and leave.She pretended to be asleep, her arms wrapped around his neck, and her limbs were entangled with him.When he tried to pull away, she murmured sleepily and held him tighter.He stopped moving, and her chest rose and fell rapidly under her head, to her relief.But in his heart he was wondering why his breathing was not smooth, he must know what he just said and must be regretting it. But God...she hoped that was true. The thought set her on alert, but she relaxed reluctantly and leaned against him.He deserved a better woman than her, a pure, innocent, untainted woman.Even if he really cared, it was because he didn't know her real side yet.Once Alex knew that she had an illegitimate daughter, he would definitely abandon her. If she allowed herself to show her true affection to him, then her heart would be shattered into thousands of pieces. "You don't need me to tell you how hopeless and low-level this mess is." Mrs. Nan said sternly, as if a female teacher caught her student kissing a tenant farmer in a dark corner, sternly Look at the couple in front of you. Mrs. Nan is Alex's aunt, dressed elegantly, with shiny silver-white hair and straightforward blue eyes.With a straight frame and no rickets, she must have been a great beauty when she was young. Alex shrugged apologetically. "But Auntie, it's actually—" "Don't try to tell me the truth, you brash boy! I've heard the rumors enough." "Yes, Aunt Miriam," Alex humbly replied for the tenth time, casting a sideways glance at his wife. They came to Lord Southampton's front room in Brook Street, where Lily sat in a nearby chair, staring at her folded hands.Alex tried his best to suppress his smile, because he had never seen Lily so restrained and introverted.He had warned her of the possibility, and the predictions had been true, and the elder aunt had lectured them haughtily for at least half an hour. "Gambling, nudity, promiscuity, and God knows what else," Mrs. Nan continued to count mercilessly. "It's all in public, and it puts you in a position where you can't be saved. I hold you as responsible as your wife, Alex, and your part is to blame. In fact, it's more than that, how dare you Trample your personal and family reputations so recklessly?" She shook her head, looking at them sternly. "The only smart move is to come to me for help, although I can't help but think that it's too late to pull you out of the mud of ruin. But getting you back into the social circle is a great challenge to myself." "We have absolute confidence in you, Aunt Miri." Alex said remorsefully. "If anyone can do it, it's you." "Indeed." Mrs. Nan replied angrily. Lily put her hand to her lips to hide the smile on her lips, and she couldn't help but find it amused to see her husband being scolded like a naughty schoolboy.However, although the old woman scolded mercilessly, the fact that she loved Alex was obvious. Mrs. Nan looked at her suspiciously. "I really don't understand why my nephew married you," she declared. "He should marry your well-behaved sister and take you as his mistress." "I couldn't agree more." Lily spoke for the first time. "I'm more than happy to be his mistress. This arrangement is much more reasonable." She smiled sweetly at Alex, ignoring his mocking eyes. "I believe he forced me to marry him out of some wrong idea that he could reform me." She rolled her eyes dramatically. "God knows how he would have such an idea." Madam Nan looked at her curiously with brand new eyes. "Well, now I'm starting to understand the pull, sweet girl, I'm sure you're witty, but still—" "Thank you." Lily pretended to be dignified, and interrupted her first, so as not to start another round of preaching. "Mrs. Nan, I am very grateful that you are willing to exert your influence for us, but let us enter a well-respected social circle..." She shook her head resolutely. "impossible." "Really?" said the old woman icily. "Then let me tell you, Miss Reckless, that this can and can be done, as long as you refrain from any scandalous display or conduct!" "She won't," said Alex hastily. "Me neither, Aunt Miri." "Very good," Mrs. Nan signaled the maid to come over with a clipboard. "Start my referral program now," she said, as if General Wellington planned the Battle of Waterloo. "And of course you must obey my instructions." Alex strode over to kiss her frown. "I knew I could rely on you, Aunt Mirui." "What an exaggeration!" she replied rudely, motioning Lily forward. "You can kiss me, kid." Lily kissed her old face obediently. "Now I have looked at you carefully," Mrs. Nan continued. "I'm sure all the rumors about you can't be true. A dissolute and decadent life has always left marks on your face, and you don't look so depraved." She narrowed her eyes. "With the right clothes, I think you can become a pretty lady." Lily saluted slightly. "Thank you," she said with almost comic humility. "But your eyes are a bit troublesome," Mrs. Nan pointed out disapprovingly. "Dark, wild, naughty and mischievous, maybe you can find some way to keep your eyes off!" Alex interrupted her in protest, and put his arms around Lily's waist. "Don't talk about her eyes, Auntie, they're the most beautiful thing about her," he said, looking down at Lily lovingly. "I'm rather partial to the look in her eyes." When his eyes locked hers, Lily's original interest immediately faded away, and she felt a strange warmth blooming in her heart, making her feverish, trembling, and her heart beating faster.In an instant, the support of his arms seemed to be the strength she relied on to stand.Lily noticed Mrs. Nan's interested eyes and tried to look away, but she was powerless to do nothing except wait helplessly for him to let go of her.Finally, he finally squeezed her waist and let her go. Mrs. Nan spoke, her tone was no longer as sharp as before. "Let's have a chat alone, Alex." He frowned. "Auntie, I'm afraid we don't have time to talk anymore." "Don't worry," Mrs. Nan said sarcastically. "This tiger aunt won't bite your bride's bones, I just want to give her some advice. Come here, child." She patted the empty seat beside her, and Lily walked over and sat down without looking at her husband. Alex gave his aunt a warning look and left the living room. Mrs. Nan seemed to find her nephew's frowning amused. "Apparently he can't stand any criticism of you." "Unless the one who criticizes is himself." Lily was surprised that the tiger aunt softened her attitude. This sentence made Mrs. Nan smile. "You see, he is my most beloved nephew and the best role model in the family, far more worthy of praise than my charming, useless and spoiled son Rose. You are very lucky to marry Alex And luck, how you do it is a mystery to me." "It's the same for me." Lily agreed. "It doesn't matter, you have induced considerable changes in him." Mrs. Nan paused thoughtfully. "Since his childhood, after the death of his parents, I have never seen him so carefree." Lily chuckled for no reason, and lowered her head to hide the reaction caused by the old woman's words. "But when he is with Bai Luolin, he must—" "Let me tell you something about the American woman," the old woman interrupted impatiently. "She's a beautiful, carefree thing; romantic and silly, she's certainly good enough to be Alex's wife, but Miss White won't understand the depths of Alex and doesn't care." Mrs. Nan's eyes became soft, thoughtful, almost sad. "She will never appreciate the kind of affection he can give. Men from the Lei family are extremely unique in love." She paused and continued. "They give great power to their women, and their love tends to obsession. My brother Charlie - who was Alex's father - died of depression after his wife's death, followed her to the bottom of his heart, and could not stand without Her life. Do you know these things?" "No, ma'am." Lily was extremely surprised. "And so does Alex. Losing a woman he loves, whether through death or betrayal, has the same effect on him." Lily opened her eyes wide. "Mrs. Nan, I think you are exaggerating too much. His feelings for me don't tend to be that way, that is to say, he doesn't—" "Son, if you don't know that he loves you, then you are not as smart as I thought." Lily fell into gloom and some deeper, confusing feelings, and looked at Mrs. Nan in amazement and silence. "Young people today are more confused than we were then." Mrs. Nan said tensely. "Shut up, boy, or the flies will fly in." Mrs. Nan's sharp tone reminded Lily of Aunt Sally, although Sally was more eccentric than this lady. "Ma'am, you said you wanted to give me some advice?" "Oh, yes." Mrs. Nan stared at Lily meaningfully. "I've heard all the rumors about you being wild. In fact, you remind me of myself when I was young. I was beautiful, slim, lively, and left a trail of broken hearts before marriage. The list is long. It was enough to make my mother very proud. At that time, I didn't think it was necessary to accept any man as a husband, after all, people all over London fell under my pomegranate skirt, flowers, love poems, stealing kisses..." she recalled. "I was so happy. I naturally thought that it would be terrible to sacrifice all this for the sake of marriage. But when I married Sir Nan, I found one thing-the love of a good man is worth your sacrifice." Lily hadn't talked so frankly with any woman since Aunt Sally's death, and she couldn't help but vent a little bit of herself. "Mrs. Nan, I have no intention of marrying anyone. After all, I have been independent for too long. Alex and I will often want to strangle each other. After all, we are both too self-aware. This is a typical 'incomparable' marriage." Mrs. Nan seemed to understand her fear. "Think about it this way...Alex's desire for you is strong enough to make him willing to abandon himself and be exposed to the criticism and ridicule of his peers. For a man with full self-esteem, this is a great concession and compromise : And you've done worse things than marrying a man who's willing to be a fool for you." Lily frowned. "He's not going to be laughed at for being stupid," she emphasizes. "I would never do anything to humiliate him." As soon as she finished speaking, she couldn't help blushing at the thought of causing a dispute over a bear in Irving Square.Less than a day after they got married, she couldn't wait to get into trouble. "Damn it!" she blurted out before she could stop herself. Surprisingly, Mrs. Nan smiled. "It's not easy for you, of course. There will be a struggle in the future. But it's worth it. I believe many people will be very interested and keep their eyes wide open waiting to see the good show."