Married Off to My Childhood Enigma | Chapter 62 | The Leopard's Retreat | Novela.app

As it turned out, this charming Omega was truly dangerous. Watching her sleeping face that night, a thought couldn't help but surface in Gou Feifei’s mind. She was like a leopard that had let down its guard. Yes, a leopard. She insisted on holding the initiative; she enjoyed standing on high ground, looking down at everything with a disdainful gaze. Yet, time and again, she delivered herself into the hands of an Enigma, seemingly never considering that she might be in peril. This was an Enigma, after all—not an Alpha, and certainly not a Beta. If an Enigma so desired, he had the power to make an Omega surrender and weep beneath him in a single second, even to the point of begging him to bestow his most precious mark upon them. He could dominantly discard all protection and easily pierce that soft gland, leaving the fragile Omega thoroughly branded as his own. Wasn't that how it was written in so many novels? The trope they called "coercion." Yet this Omega clearly knew he was an Enigma, yet she harbored no fear of him. She was so utterly devoid of wariness that she simply sprawled out beside him, fast asleep. Gou Feifei’s brows knit slightly at the thought, a touch of irritation rising within him. He was frustrated that this beautiful, soft Red Water Lily didn't know how to protect herself—unaware that he was the only one who would ever perceive her as "soft." With a soft sigh, he leaned over and stole a kiss from the corner of her lips. It was a kiss devoid of any lingering lust following their intimacy, pure and untainted. Then, he put on his coat and left. Before departing, he settled the bill for the room and ordered breakfast for the morning. The moment the door clicked shut, the person lying on the bed slowly opened her eyes. There was no sleepiness in them. She replayed Gou Feifei’s actions before his departure in her mind, and as if possessed, she raised a hand to touch the corner of her mouth. A cryptic smile played on her lips—playful, yet laced with a tenderness that rarely escaped her gaze. After that night, the two of them tacitly refrained from contacting each other. But only two days passed before the Enigma’s phone buzzed again. A text message from Julia lit up the screen. In his contacts, her name was followed by a bright red heart—one Gou Feifei had added himself because he thought it was cute. He knew the Red Water Lily’s name was Julia, and he knew she worked as an assistant to a famous movie star. It was no wonder she always carried herself with the air of someone who had seen it all; one does not survive the thorns of the entertainment industry alongside a top actor by being a fragile little rabbit. But he happened to like leopards, and he wanted to tame this one. The night they reconnected was like dry tinder meeting a blazing fire, both seeking to burn each other to ashes. The difference was that after that night, the Red Water Lily’s attitude seemed to shift. And it shifted for the better. She began to send him occasional messages. They weren't just invitations for "late-night snacks"; she would share tidbits about her work. She would even joke and complain about her movie star boss and the awkward childhood-friend drama he had with his senior, Jin Yan. It was a small world, indeed; he hadn't expected their social circles to be so tangled. The two of them began to interact like a couple, though neither ever spoke aloud to break the seal on this harmonious relationship. Gou Feifei contentedly played the role of the boyfriend. He was meticulous and attentive, offering warmth and concern in just the right measure—never enough to be annoying, but always enough to be missed. His lightheartedness and humor never failed to make Julia laugh, which brought Gou Feifei a deep sense of satisfaction. Every time they met, aside from going to bed, they would hold each other intimately and kiss. No mere one-night stand partners could reach such a level of closeness. Besides, Gou Feifei thought, this was far more than just one night; it had been many, many nights. Without realizing when it started, they moved their "dates" from hotels to their homes. They visited each other’s private apartments, leaving behind daily necessities. Gou Feifei even ran into the legendary movie star once; the two "couples" had even exchanged greetings in front of a pet hospital. Julia would also occasionally share stories about her family. She said she had a very interesting father who was a psychologist, and that her mother had passed away early. Fortunately, she hadn't been raised poorly by her father; instead, she had inherited her mother’s youthful elegance and charm. When she mentioned being "charming in a thousand ways," Gou Feifei burst into laughter and chimed in, saying her self-awareness was remarkably profound. Gou Feifei’s praise was so fervent and sincere that Julia felt momentarily scorched by the intensity of his gaze. Her heart skipped a beat, racing several degrees faster. Gou Feifei had no way of knowing that the "kiss" he offered out of genuine affection had become the alarm bell that woke the sleeping leopard. One must understand that the law of harmony in all things is the maintenance of balance. Once that balance is tipped, the beautiful illusion shatters into pieces. From that moment on, Julia suddenly snapped awake. All the tenderness of the man before her was a lethal poison. Everyone in the world who wanted an Omega was the same; they only sought to conquer, to manifest that ridiculous, forceful desire for possession and dominance. When the time was right, they would bare their teeth and tear the fragile Omega apart, bone and all. How could she have forgotten? The man before her was an Enigma. If his preferred tactic was a trap of tenderness, then wasn't she walking herself into a dead end step by step? "Goofy, let's not see each other anymore." Julia wore her sunglasses, a smile fixed on her lips as she looked at the man sitting across from her. Goofy was Gou Feifei’s English name; they always addressed each other by their English names. Julia’s legal name was Zhu Lili, but she disliked it when people called her that, finding it rustic. Gou Feifei knew this, so he always called her Julia. He had always respected her and wanted to do his best to protect her, because he often saw an endless weave of loneliness and isolation within those beautiful, sparkling eyes. He tried not to let the light in those eyes go out, but today, the owner of those eyes wore sunglasses, leaving him with no way to discern the emotions hidden beneath. Gou Feifei’s personality was gentle and mild; he was a chatterbox who could get along with anyone. But only he knew that these were merely the shells he used to disguise his true nature. And so, today, he remained draped in that shell, asking with a smile, "What’s wrong? Was last night’s dinner not to your taste?" Hearing this, Zhu Lili’s brow furrowed slightly. Beneath the table, her fist clenched and then relaxed. "No, the food last night was delicious." It was as delicious as it always was. As she spoke, a sense of irritability rose in her heart—inexplicable and completely without a source. Zhu Lili had originally thought that after she said those words, the man across from her would be persistent and clingy. After all, men who only shared a physical connection with her usually pestered her relentlessly, let alone someone she had been in a stable relationship with for several months. But it was strange when she thought about it; she never saw anyone a second time, yet this man had broken through her psychological defenses time and again. It was truly detestable. Just as she was seething inwardly, she heard a low, soft chuckle from the sofa opposite her. Zhu Lili looked up, meeting a pair of eyes whose expression was difficult to read. "What are you laughing at?" Zhu Lili tilted her head, genuinely wanting to know the answer. Her voice was devoid of emotion; Gou Feifei couldn't guess her mental state. "Nothing." Gou Feifei pointed outside. "Let’s go. I’ll take you home." But Zhu Lili became relentless, her lips curling in a cold, feigned indifference. "I am going, but before I do, I just want to know—what were you laughing at?" Gou Feifei froze for a moment, but his expression immediately returned to normal—the way an Enigma ought to be, naturally inscrutable. "What was I laughing at..." Gou Feifei seemed to be speaking to himself. He stood up, picked up his coat, and draped it over his shoulders. He turned to look at the person sitting on the sofa, his tone carrying a hint of a smile. "I was just laughing at myself, for seemingly having grown used to facing goodbyes." Having said that, he picked up Julia’s coat, handed it over, and said softly, "Shall we?" But those words were like a grenade tossed in front of Zhu Lili, blowing all the emotions in the depths of her heart to the surface. She had to admit, this seemingly casual, carefree, and heartless Enigma appeared to be a master at controlling emotions. On the surface, he didn't seem to care about anything, as if anything was fine, but in reality, he held a shrewd scale within his heart. Like a hunter who had already laid out an inescapable net, he waited quietly for the prey to take the bait. Even the fiercest beast would fall into the web he had woven. Irritated, Zhu Lili traded a few more sharp words with Gou Feifei. Gou Feifei handled them all with composure, as if whether they met or not was entirely up to her, and he didn't mind either way. Consequently, that night, Zhu Lili lost her composure in a rare display. "Fine, then you'd better not dare to pester me." She tilted her head, her smile incredibly bewitching—a Red Water Lily blooming on a precipice. "Gou Feifei, if you ever dare to contact me again, just you wait." Having spat out those harsh words, the Red Water Lily departed. The Red Maple Leaf did not watch her back as she left. Perhaps it was for the best. A goodbye like this was fine. One belonged to the water, the other to the land; perhaps they were never meant to love each other properly after all. *** Glossary: