0099: Love

"Please rest well, both of you. Your luggage is being delivered from the airport, and I will have someone bring it up to your room shortly."

"Yes, thank you for your trouble."

"What would you like for dinner? Chinese, French, or Egyptian cuisine?"

"Just prepare whatever you think is best," Hou Rui replied casually.

"No, I want to try Egyptian food," Jin Shanshan suddenly interrupted, interjecting willfully.

"Of course, madam. Your wish is my command. I wish you a pleasant stay in Cairo." With that, Moody the butler bowed, stepped back, and closed the door to the presidential suite.

"Monkey, do you think I'm dreaming? I read about this hotel and this suite online. They say it's the best, most luxurious one in the Cairo area, costing five thousand dollars a night! And yet, here we are, just staying in it?" Once Moody left, Jin Shanshan completely dropped her ladylike facade. She kicked off her sandals, rushed to Hou Rui's side, and grabbed his arm, shaking it excitedly.

"It seems real enough. Didn't that old guy from the airline say they'd cover our room and board? If you like it, we can stay a few more days—stay until it hurts his wallet, stay until he goes bankrupt!" Before Hou Rui could finish, Jin Shanshan grabbed his collar, cornering him with a serious expression. "You damn monkey, I almost forgot because of all this excitement. Spill it—where did you learn to fly a plane? Consider yourself warned: no fooling me, and no lies."

"Well, that's a long story." Hou Rui's eyes darted around. He scanned the room out of the corner of his eye, looking for anything that could distract her.

"If it's long, start from the beginning. Don't think you can wriggle out of it this time!" But Jin Shanshan was no fool. She held onto Hou Rui tightly, determined not to fall for his tricks again.

"Wife, have a grape first." Hou Rui launched a sudden attack, scooping her up in his arms. Before she could even scream, he had already laid her down across the wide, plush white sofa. Then, plucking a grape from the fruit bowl on the coffee table, he deftly popped it into her small mouth.

"Mmph... you damn monkey, how dare you sneak up on me! You're asking for it." Jin Shanshan spat out the grape seed, and the little policewoman bounded off the sofa like a baby tiger, chasing Hou Rui around the circular swimming pool.

"Hahaha, you want to catch me with those short legs? Honey, just accept reality!" Hou Rui ran around the pool, cleverly pacing himself. He made sure she couldn't catch him, yet kept close enough so she wouldn't lose heart and give up.

"Stop running, you damn monkey! I promise I won't beat you to death!" Jin Shanshan huffed as she chased him. She didn't expect that Hou Rui, who had been running ahead, would actually stop dead in his tracks. Unable to brake in time, she crashed headfirst right into his chest.

"Ow! My nose! You damn monkey, why did you stop so suddenly?" Jin Shanshan protested, rubbing her sore nose.

"I'm innocent, honey! Didn't you just tell me to stop?" Hou Rui teased, using her own words against her.

"You dare talk back? You're still getting beaten!" Flustered and exasperated, Jin Shanshan rained a rapid succession of soft punches down on his chest. "Take this! Infinite punch combo!"

"Block, block, block!"

"Ah! Why are you biting?!" As they wrestled and played, Jin Shanshan, unable to match Hou Rui's long limbs, suddenly bit down on his arm. With a dramatic cry that was thirty percent real pain and seventy percent acting, Hou Rui lost his balance, and they both tumbled screaming into the circular swimming pool.

*Splash! Bubble, bubble...*

A few seconds later, Hou Rui finally pulled Jin Shanshan up to break the surface. Shaking the water from his hair, he treaded water vigorously while supporting her slender waist so she could have her hands free to tidy her messy hair.

"You damn monkey, are you happy now? Everything is soaked!" Jin Shanshan complained, brushing the wet hair away from her face.

"Hehehe, I'm satisfied. Pretty satisfied. Though it would be even better if they were a bit bigger." As he said this, Hou Rui's eyes were glued to her chest. The wet fabric had clung to her skin, revealing what should have been hidden beneath her clothes, teasing his eyes from inches away.

"What did you say? Ah! You damn monkey, you pervert!" Jin Shanshan finally followed his gaze and realized she was exposed. But just as she raised her fists to pummel him, Hou Rui leaned forward dominantly. Wrapping his arms tightly around her, he captured her protesting lips in a deep kiss.

After a dozen seconds, feeling starved of oxygen, Jin Shanshan pushed hard against his chest. But Hou Rui only let her go for a brief second to catch her breath before hungrily claiming her lips again. Eventually, their closely entwined bodies slowly sank beneath the water...

The romantic night passed quickly.

The next morning, a thoroughly satisfied Hou Rui slept in until he woke up naturally. But when he opened his eyes, he found the large bed beside him empty. Last night, the two inexperienced novices had kept at it for most of the night, and it was a wonder Jin Shanshan could get up so early this morning.

"Wife?" Reminiscing about her lovely expressions last night and her satin-smooth skin, Hou Rui felt a wave of secret satisfaction. He got out of bed, threw on a bathrobe while calling out for her, and walked down the stairs to the circular pool on the first floor.

The night before, Hou Rui had stripped her bare before they left the pool. The sight of her delicate underwear floating in the water had left a deep impression on him. Now, however, those delicate garments had been cleared away, leaving only the still, empty water.

"Honey, where are you?" Hou Rui looked toward the living room. He grinned, finally spotting Jin Shanshan, who looked bashful but was trying her best to maintain a serious expression.

"What are you shouting for so early in the morning? I'm sorting through documents." Jin Shanshan had already changed into formal wear. A pile of identification papers and other documents lay before her, likely the paperwork required by the Cairo government to claim her inheritance.

"Heh, I recall you were the one doing most of the shouting last night," Hou Rui said with a mischievous grin as he sat down opposite her.

*Pfft!* Jin Shanshan, who was pretending to sip her juice, choked instantly, spraying a mouthful of freshly squeezed orange juice all over Hou Rui's smirking face.

"Cough, cough! You jerk, what nonsense are you talking about? You got what you wanted and now you're gloating!" Once she finally caught her breath, she began whacking him over the head with the papers. And so, repeating last night's scene, they started running laps around the circular pool again.

Two hours later, Hou Rui and Jin Shanshan were riding in a car provided by the hotel—a brand-new Cadillac—heading straight toward the embassy in the city center. Based on the research and inquiries she had made before leaving the country, Jin Shanshan knew that to successfully claim the inheritance, she would need the coordination of lawyers and embassy officials.

Sitting in the cabin of the luxury sedan, while Jin Shanshan was fully focused on reviewing the documents, Hou Rui, despite the smile on his face, was filled with inner dread.

If everything went smoothly, it would take Jin Shanshan about a week to complete all the procedures and paperwork before she could receive the two hundred thousand dollars. But Hou Rui did not have that kind of time. According to the Organization's mission requirements, he had to head to Somalia, the land of pirates, immediately. Otherwise, once the biochip activated, he would be in deep trouble—and Jin Shanshan would go from a young bride to a young widow in an instant!

But looking at the current situation, could he really just walk away? He had just fully claimed the little policewoman last night, and now he was going to pat his butt and leave? If he did that, he probably wouldn't even have to wait for the chip to activate; Jin Shanshan would kill him herself, saving the Organization the trouble!

*No, I have to come up with a flawless excuse to leave.* Just as Hou Rui was swearing this to himself, Jin Shanshan suddenly put down her documents and asked curiously, "What are you thinking about? You're so quiet."

"Thinking about you, wife," Hou Rui replied without a second thought.

"Look at that smug face. I must have been blind—no, the heat must have gotten to my head for me to let you have your way!" Jin Shanshan rolled her eyes prettily. The look almost stole Hou Rui's soul away. But just as he stretched out a mischievous hand toward her thigh, the car uncooperatively slowed down and pulled up in front of the embassy, which flew the red flag.

What followed was sheer exhaustion as Jin Shanshan ran him ragged. He had to run up and down the embassy, track down staff members, answer questions, and then accompany her to the Cairo City Hall to wait in line, collect forms, fill them out, get them stamped, and submit applications. It was an endless, tedious pile of chores.

By the time the clock in the Cairo City Hall struck five in the afternoon, the chubby clerk gave Hou Rui a bright smile and turned to leave for the day without a second thought. He wouldn't even stretch out his hand to take the last few documents Hou Rui was trying to hand him. Hou Rui was so frustrated he nearly climbed over the counter to strangle him.

"Forget it, we'll come back tomorrow." Jin Shanshan was naturally exhausted too, but she still tried her best to comfort him.

*Damn it! I really don't have time!* Hou Rui looked at the clerk's retreating back in frustration. He had only wanted to help Jin Shanshan get through as many of these tedious procedures as possible before he had to leave, but... In the end, he was dragged out of the Cairo City Hall by Jin Shanshan.

As the gentle breeze outside hit him, Hou Rui's overheated brain finally cooled down a bit. He and Jin Shanshan got back into the luxury car and headed back to the hotel.