Chapter 35: One Misunderstanding After Another (Second Update—Please Add It to Your Collection)

It turned out that even a dilapidated basement could withstand a bombardment, provided the bombs did not land directly overhead.

When the all-clear sounded, Li Yian stepped out of the basement and breathed in the choking smell of gunpowder. A building in the distance was ablaze. People ran through the streets, while others called out the names of their loved ones. The sirens of ambulances and fire engines rang without pause.

There was little difference between this and what he had seen a month earlier, when he had first arrived in Britain. What, then, was the only difference?

When he had first come to England, Li Yian had been not only lost and bewildered after crossing into this world, but had also brought along one of the traditional Chinese traits: poverty.

But now?

He was no longer lost. He was filled with ambition for the future—and he had money… an enormous amount of money!

Standing by the roadside and gazing at the scene before him, which resembled the end of the world, Li Yian took a cigarette from his case, tapped it a few times against the gold metal, and lit it. He drew in a mouthful.

A cigarette mingled with the smell of gunpowder… What a thrill.

The British could die for all he cared!

Of course, there were good people among the British—Stana, for instance.

Although there had been some misunderstandings between him and that woman at first, things were quite good now.

Thinking of her, Li Yian suddenly realized that he had not gone to see Stana even once since returning from America. The moment she came to mind, he pictured those long legs, nearly five feet nine inches in length, and his heart stirred.

He immediately turned around and headed for her house.

After taking out his key and opening the door, Li Yian caught the aroma drifting from the kitchen: the rich scent of steak. Seeing the bottle of red wine already open on the table, he lifted the corners of his lips and thought, This woman certainly knows how to enjoy herself.

The steak and wine were both gifts he had brought her from America the last time. Since they had been kept in his storage space, he had not needed to worry about the beef spoiling.

He quietly approached the kitchen. The first thing he saw was a woman in silk pajamas. The hem of the dress barely concealed her exaggerated curves. Captivated by her alluring figure, Li Yian walked straight over, wrapped his arms around her from behind, and kissed her neck. Naturally, his hands did not remain idle either.

“Darling, did you miss me?”

The woman’s body stiffened. She seemed not to have reacted yet, simply standing there in a daze. With his eyes closed, Li Yian continued kissing her neck and collarbone. As his hands moved up and down, he could not help feeling slightly puzzled.

“Darling, it’s only been a few days, but you seem a little different…”

She seemed shorter as well. Something was definitely wrong.

“Ah!”

A sudden scream made Li Yian open his eyes. Only then did he see clearly that the woman in his arms was not Stana, but another woman—an extremely beautiful one, at that.

He had grabbed the wrong person.

The two of them asked almost simultaneously:

“Who are you…?”

Along with the woman’s question came a soft moan. Li Yian hurriedly pulled his hand away from where it absolutely should not have been.

As he looked at the disheveled woman, his eyes traveled over her figure. Who was she? How had she ended up here?

Damn it… Had he entered the wrong house?

“Darling, is the steak ready?”

At that moment, the voice from behind made Jilly hurriedly straighten her clothes. She tied the sash around her waist, which only made her figure appear even more striking. Feeling the man’s gaze upon her, Jilly could not help feeling a surge of anger.

Who was this man?

How could he behave like this? How had he gotten inside?

While question after question rose in her mind, a fragrant breeze suddenly swept past. Stana threw herself into Li Yian’s arms.

“Darling, you’re back from America…”

It was him!

He was Chinese!

And he was incredibly handsome.

His complexion looked wonderfully healthy, completely unlike the deathly pallor of British people, as though they all had tuberculosis.

Jilly’s gaze moved repeatedly between Stana and her lover. Heaven alone knew how complicated her feelings were at that moment.

It was not merely because this man had just run his hands all over her, touching her until she had nearly lost control. More importantly… he really was handsome.

Jilly looked at the two of them before forcing herself to shift her attention to the steak. It was tender and juicy, just as delicious as he looked.

Good Lord!

What was she thinking?

How long had it been since she had seen a man? It was not that she never saw men—she saw them every day. But it had been a very long time since she had seen one so young and handsome.

Drawing a deep breath, Jilly looked at Stana.

“So Li is the spy you mentioned?”

“It was only a misunderstanding…”

Her friend’s question brought a flush to Stana’s cheeks. She was just about to explain when Li Yian spoke first.

“A beautiful misunderstanding. If it weren’t for that misunderstanding, how could I have met Stana?”

With that, he looked at the woman beside him. What harm was there in an old misunderstanding? She had already learned her lesson—and more than once.

A man had to be magnanimous.

“Darling…”

His words made Stana’s eyes light up at once. If Jilly had not been there, she would probably have leaped onto him already, eager to receive further instruction.

Seeing the way her best friend looked as though she could hardly wait to pounce on the man, Jilly felt a little envious. But when she noticed Stana’s flushed face and rapid breathing, she immediately gathered up the plates.

“I’ll go wash the dishes. You two can talk.”

After saying that, she began clearing the table. Almost the instant Jilly entered the kitchen, Stana sat directly on Li Yian’s lap and said breathlessly:

“Darling, kiss me.”

“Where…?”

Faced with the woman’s ardor, Li Yian tipped his chin toward the kitchen.

“Someone’s there.”

“Don’t mind her. The Germans bombed her house, so she’ll be staying here for a while. If we let that stop us… we’ll both regret it.”

With that, Stana wound herself around Li Yian like a beautiful serpent.

Her heated breathing and coquettish gasps carried clearly into Jilly’s ears.

“I never would have thought she could be so…”

As Jilly muttered inwardly, she listened to the sounds coming from outside and immediately regretted her decision.

Why had she come into the kitchen?

In fact, she spent the entire night drowning in regret. The night seemed to stretch on like a German bombardment, never once coming to an end.

They even talked about her.

Good Lord!

Unfortunately, God seemed not to hear her prayers. It was not until dawn that the noise finally ceased.