363: Chapter 363 Another Pair

She looked down at her hands, clenched her fingers into a fist, then released them.

The next day, Qin Lin came again.

This time he brought a bouquet of flowers, chinese roses clipped from Li Ran's Flower Garden, red, pink, yellow, and white, tied into a bundle with a silk ribbon.

Murong Wan was stunned when she saw the bouquet.

"They were blooming in the Flower Garden, so I clipped a few branches." Qin Lin handed the flowers to her.

Murong Wan took the flowers and lowered her head to smell them.

"They smell so good."

Qin Lin sat down beside her: "No check-up today, let's just chat."

Murong Wan looked at him, the corners of her mouth curling up.

"Chat about what?"

"Chat about you."

"What is there to chat about regarding me?"

Qin Lin thought for a moment: "Let's talk about your younger days. Murong Xue said you were the number one beauty of the Central Region when you were young."

Murong Wan's face flushed slightly.

"She's talking nonsense."

"What she said is true, otherwise you wouldn't have given birth to such a beautiful daughter."

Murong Wan looked at him, not knowing what to say.

She lowered her head, her fingers gently rubbing against the bedsheet.

"Qin Lin, what exactly do you want?"

Qin Lin looked at her profile; her nose Bridge was high, her eyelashes were long, and her lips were thin and rosy.

Her skin gleamed faintly under the light, and the fine lines at the corners of her eyes did not make her look old, but rather gave her a kind of mature charm.

"I want to understand you."

Murong Wan was silent for a long time, then sighed.

"You, why are you so clingy?"

"Since you've already agreed, don't worry about whether I'm clingy or not."

...

The day Murong Wan agreed was an ordinary night.

The Ark was passing through a thin nebula, and the pale purple light filtered in from outside the window, dyeing the entire corridor purple.

Qin Lin came out of the Bridge, ready to go to the kitchen for water, and when he passed Murong Wan's room, the door was open.

Murong Wan was sitting on the edge of the bed, wearing a white nightgown, her hair loose, holding a book in her hand.

She saw Qin Lin and put down the book.

"Come in."

Qin Lin walked in and sat down beside her.

Murong Wan looked at him, was silent for a while, and then spoke.

"I've made up my mind."

Qin Lin looked at her, his heartbeat accelerating.

Murong Wan lowered her head, looking at her own hands.

Murong Wan raised her head to look at him; there was a kind of light in her eyes, not impulsive, but calm.

Qin Lin reached out and cupped her face.

Murong Wan looked into his eyes; he had her in his eyes.

She closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling.

Qin Lin lowered his head and kissed her; her lips were cool, soft, and carried a hint of the taste of tea.

Her hands rested on his shoulders, her fingers exerting a slight force.

Qin Lin laid her down on the bed; her hair spread out on the white pillow, as black as ink.

She looked at Qin Lin, her expression calm. Qin Lin reached out and turned off the light.

The room darkened, leaving only the dim yellow light leaking in from the corridor.

That night, Qin Lin did not leave Murong Wan's room.

Her body was different from Murong Xue's.

Murong Xue's body was firm, elastic, like a drawn bow.

Murong Wan's body was soft, warm, like a beach that had been sun-baked.

Her skin was not as firm as Murong Xue's, but it was much better than he had imagined.

She had been nourished by Heaven And Earth Treasure for most of her life, so her skin was better than that of a woman in her twenties.

She had fine lines at the corners of her eyes, but those fine lines looked beautiful when she smiled.

Qin Lin's fingers wandered over her body, feeling that temperature, that texture, that mark left by the years.

Murong Wan did not cry, did not laugh, and did not speak.

She just lay there quietly, feeling Qin Lin's hands wandering over her body, occasionally closing her eyes, occasionally opening them to look at him.

Her eyes were very bright in the darkness, like two stars.

Qin Lin held her, and she fell asleep in his arms, her hand still clutching his shirt corner, clutching it very tightly.

The next morning, when Qin Lin woke up, Murong Wan was no longer on the bed.

...

In the following days, the relationship between Qin Lin and Murong Wan developed in secret.

In front of Murong Xue, they were mother-in-law and son-in-law; in front of others on The Ark, they were passengers and captain.

Only when no one was around were they man and woman.

Murong Wan began to take the initiative to find Qin Lin.

Not every day, but every few days.

She would go to the Bridge, sit in the chair next to him, watch him handle The Ark's affairs, and sometimes help him with ideas.

She was the matron of the Murong Family, having managed a Family of thousands, so these matters on The Ark were too simple for her.

Qin Lin asked her: "When you were in the Murong Family before, were you this busy every day?"

Murong Wan thought for a moment: "Much busier than now. I would get up before dawn every day to handle Family affairs, Cultivate, and meet guests, staying busy until late at night. I felt tired back then, but thinking about it now, it was actually quite fulfilling."

Qin Lin looked at her; her profile was very soft in the light of the screen.

He reached out and held her hand.

Murong Wan did not pull away, but her fingers moved slightly in his palm.

"Qin Lin."

"Hmm."

"Tell me, where will The Ark go in the future?"

Qin Lin pulled up the star map on the holographic screen.

"I don't know. Maybe to another star system, maybe to another Universe, but no matter where we go, you will be on The Ark."

Murong Wan looked at him, was silent for a while, and then smiled.

"I suppose I've boarded your pirate ship."

Qin Lin also smiled.

Murong Xue did not know about the affair between her mother and Qin Lin.

She spent her days Cultivating and chatting with her mother, and her life was very fulfilling.

Sometimes she would see Qin Lin coming out of her mother's room and ask him, "Did you go to check on my mother's body again?"

Qin Lin nodded and said, "Han Qing asked me to."

Murong Xue did not suspect anything because she trusted Qin Lin, trusted Han Qing, and trusted Murong Wan even more.

Murong Wan acted very normal in front of her daughter.

She chatted with Murong Xue about Cultivating and life on The Ark.

She would occasionally mention Qin Lin, saying, "Qin Lin is a good person," "He saved our lives," and "You should be nicer to him."

Murong Xue nodded and said, "I know."

Mother and daughter sat together, neither knowing the other's relationship with Qin Lin.

One day, Murong Wan met Han Qing in the corridor.

Han Qing had just come out of the Medical Room, holding a stack of medical records.

She saw Murong Wan and slowed her pace.

"How is your health lately?"

"Very good, thank you."

Han Qing looked at her, was silent for a while, and said, "I won't ask or talk about you and Qin Lin. But take care of your health, don't overexert yourself."

Murong Wan was stunned for a moment, then smiled.

"Okay."

Han Qing left.

Murong Wan stood in the corridor, watching Han Qing's back, and remembered what happened last night.

Qin Lin had stayed in her room until very late, and when he left, her legs were weak.

The light in Room No. 15 was getting brighter and brighter.

Han Qing said the woman inside might wake up at any time.

Qin Lin would go to the room every day to sit for a while, carrying that white crystal stone.

The crystal stone was glowing, the light flickering in a rhythm consistent with the breathing of the woman in the room.

Qin Lin placed the crystal stone by her pillow and sat on the chair beside the bed watching her.

Murong Wan passed by once, saw the door open, and walked in.

She stood beside Qin Lin and looked at the woman on the bed.

The woman's face was very white, very delicate, and beautiful to the point of being unreal.

"Who is she?" Murong Wan asked.