Outside, the thunderstorm continued to rage, yet the warmth of home filled the living room!

After a simple dinner, An Kexin and Lin Miao lounged on the sofa, chatting off and on.

At this moment, Lin Jie brought over three wine glasses, saying, "Kexin, please! Miaomiao, have a taste as well!"

An Kexin lifted her glass and sniffed lightly, somewhat dazed as she asked, "Lin Jie, did you open that bottle?"

Lin Jie also picked up his glass, inhaled its scent with intoxication, and nodded, "Yes, it's the one you brought. It's been decanting for an hour and twenty minutes, which should be when it tastes the richest. Try it!"

"You asked me for a bottle of fine wine just to drink it yourself, and not to gift to someone important?" An Kexin was a little incredulous; after all, that bottle was worth about sixty thousand yuan.

With the An Family's wealth, they could certainly afford it. But such a premium wine is limited in annual market supply and isn't easy to buy even if you have money.

Even An Weize himself would refrain from drinking such fine wine unless it was a special occasion.

Lin Jie was still lost in the aroma of the wine and softly said, "Of course, it's for ourselves to enjoy. Giving it away would truly be a waste."

"Besides, with my constitution, I can only drink one glass at a time, so I certainly shouldn't deprive myself!"

This strong reasoning left An Kexin speechless and made Lin Jie seem more mysterious to her.

After explaining, Lin Jie took a gentle sip, closed his eyes, and savored it: "The texture is silky, with a long aftertaste and delicate, rich aromas. It has the scent of black currant, mint, blackberry, truffle, milk, and oak. Truly a masterpiece from the Petrus Vineyard."

"It even surpasses the one I had at Du Feixue's house. This is indeed fine wine!"

After relishing it, Lin Jie opened his eyes only to see Lin Miao holding her glass, taking a small sip first, then downing it in one go. He immediately called out in distress, "Miaomiao, you don't drink this wine like that!"

Lin Miao frowned and said, "Brother, this wine is so astringent; it's not as delicious as you said!"

An Kexin also took a sip, emerging from the aftertaste of satisfaction, and laughed, "Miaomiao, never mind whether the wine is tasty or not, but your glass was worth several thousand yuan!"

"Ah..."

Lin Miao was shocked and asked in disbelief, "Really? Did I just drink my month's salary in one gulp?"

With that, she leaned back on the sofa, exclaiming, "A wine this expensive—no way, I'm going to faint, I'm really going to faint."

Seeing no reaction from Lin Jie and An Kexin, Lin Miao cried out plaintively, "Brother, Kexin, I'm really fainting!"

Lin Jie immediately placed his wine glass on the coffee table and helped Lin Miao up.

Seeing her face turn ruddy and her eyes blurry, he let her lean against him and chuckled softly, "Miaomiao, it's okay, you're just drunk. It seems you, like me, have an alcohol-sensitive constitution and can't drink."

Lin Jie gently patted Lin Miao's shoulder, comforting her, "In a way, it's good. You always have trouble sleeping during thunderstorms, but now you might drift into a good sleep like this."

Lin Miao clung to Lin Jie's arm like a little dog that had just opened its eyes, mumbling, "You have to stay just like before, waiting for me to fall asleep before you can go back to sleep!"

"Yeah, just like before, you can sleep easy!"

Seeing this heartwarming scene, a soft spot in An Kexin's heart was touched. Those years, Kemeng also used to rely on her like this; it felt like just yesterday.

With the help of the wine, it wasn't long before Lin Miao's breathing became light and rhythmic, her long lashes shielding her eyes, her little nose twitching slightly... Lin Miao was asleep.

Seeing this, Lin Jie lifted her up with a princess hug and headed to the bedroom.

With three months of continuous exercise, Lin Jie had made some progress.

While his muscles weren't as defined as an athlete's, he no longer appeared frail or skinny, and lifting Lin Miao, who weighed about 100 pounds, was relatively easy.

A few minutes later, Lin Jie returned to the living room, accepting the wine glass An Kexin handed him, "Thank you! Fortunately, I can only drink one glass at a time. Otherwise, I truly couldn't afford wine this expensive."

"When you're unrestrained and can fully apply your medical skills, you'll be able to afford even more expensive wines."

An Kexin gently clinked her glass with Lin Jie's and continued, "I believe such days won't take long to come."

Lin Jie took a sip of wine, and with some bitterness, said, "Time! Time for me is the most precious thing."

Seeing Lin Jie seemed a bit down, An Kexin couldn't help but comfort him, "Lin Jie, your medical knowledge is a hundred or a thousand times richer than mine. You know that your condition should allow you to last ten or twenty years without issue."

"In another ten or twenty years, medical advancements might exceed our wildest expectations."

Lin Jie understood this reasoning too.

But for a long time, he had lived a cautious life, lacking a sense of security.

After his heart transplant and surviving close death, the joy didn't last long before the shadow of an uncertain life expectancy loomed over him like a cloud.

Furthermore, regarding Shen Lanruo's presence, in the short-term, it seemed harmless, but what about the long-term?

Lin Jie felt like a Damocles sword hung over him, never knowing when it might fall.

Sometimes he even considered just living like there's no tomorrow, enjoying life to the fullest. But when he saw Lin Miao's vacant eyes, a sense of responsibility compelled him not to.

Previously, Lin Jie had no choice but to live day by day, but now that he had the ability to choose, he needed to work hard to create a better living environment for Lin Miao.

This living environment includes both material and spiritual aspects!

The primary spiritual requirement is not letting Lin Miao worry about him anymore.

Lin Jie's agreement to taste wine with Shen Lanruo wasn't without his own thoughts. The hazy, carefree state that came with it, free from worry, held some allure for him!

Noticing the heaviness of their conversation, An Kexin took a sip of wine and said with a playful smile, "Feixue told me you actually reacted to her teasing?"

Lin Jie instantly blushed and asked, "She actually told you about that?"

"We're best friends; we talk about everything."

Lin Jie's embarrassed expression looked cute to An Kexin, prompting her to observe him closely.

One couldn't deny that Lin Jie's features were quite noteworthy.

His obsidian-like eyes, long eyebrows, high nose bridge, and tense lips combined to form a handsome and intriguing face.

For a moment, An Kexin felt her lips dry and throat tight, and she quickly took a large sip of wine.

Lin Jie also finished his glass in one gulp, as if drinking away his displeasure with Du Feixue.

At that moment, a bolt of lightning tore through the sky, followed by the lights going out, plunging the entire complex into darkness.

An Kexin suddenly cried out, tossed her wine glass, and lunged forward, hugging Lin Jie tightly!

At this moment, An Kexin had made up her mind.

Women often remember their first man, and men also have special feelings for their first woman.

She also knew that some things Du Feixue could both say and do.

For the sake of future cooperation, and to get ahead of Du Feixue, tonight presented a perfect opportunity.

Lin Jie initially didn't know what to do, but when he came to his senses, he gently embraced An Kexin and comforted, "Don't be afraid, it's probably just lightning hitting the wires or transformer..."

At this moment, he felt the warmth in his arms rising, and her body beginning to move!

"Lin Jie, do you remember what I said? As a mature woman, I have needs! I... don't need you to be responsible..."

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