Chapter 243

Chapter 243
Lily's POV
William gently stroked my hair. "I know you're worried about my father, but you're exhausted, Lily. You're constantly planning for this and that. I think you should plan something for yourself for once."
"What do you mean?" I was confused by his sudden concern.
William pulled me into his arms, resting his chin on my forehead. "I mean our sweet time together, just the two of us. Don't you agree, Lily baby?"
I felt my entire body heat up like a boiled lobster.
"William, you act so cold on the surface, but secretly, are you 'quietly eccentric'?" I blurted out, then immediately realized he might not understand this term.
Sure enough, William paused and asked, "What does that mean?"
I helplessly covered my face. "Um, forget I said anything."
"Tell me." William caught my wrist, holding it firmly. "What does it mean?"
I could tell from his expression that he knew it wasn't exactly a compliment.
His eyes showed determination, clearly not intending to let this topic go easily.
I felt embarrassed, shaking my head with a flushed face. "I don't know, I was just guessing."
The next second, William took out his phone and searched for it.
William read aloud, word by word: "Quietly eccentric means appearing calm on the outside but having unusual thoughts or behaviors. These people don't easily express their emotions, but in certain situations, they often behave unexpectedly."
After reading, he looked at me with amusement. "So, you think I'm 'internally passionate' and behave 'unexpectedly'?"
My face reddened further. "That's not what I meant..."
"Lily, are you suggesting we do something else?" William's tone made me freeze, not understanding his implication.
His Adam's apple moved slightly as he swallowed, the sound making my imagination run wild. "How about this—let's put everything aside for now. Tomorrow, I'll take you to Germany."
"Why Germany? Are we going to watch them filming again?" I mentioned the place with displeasure, as it held too many unpleasant memories.
William lightly tapped my forehead. "Of course not. Germany isn't just known for its film industry; tourism is quite good too. I want to take you there to enjoy yourself."
I confessed my fear of traveling to William. "You don't know, but when I was little, I went to the beach with my father and got stung by a jellyfish. In the forest, I almost got caught in a trap. On a cable car, it malfunctioned due to poor maintenance, and I nearly died..."
William could barely contain his laughter. "Stop. So basically, you have terrible luck when traveling, right?"
I nodded repeatedly. "Yes, that's why I don't like traveling at all. If you insist on taking me traveling, you might as well kill me."
"Don't worry, the place I'm taking you is absolutely safe."
"I hope so." I could only pray my bad luck wouldn't strike again.
The anticipation and certainty in his eyes made it impossible for me to refuse.
William smiled, his eyes gleaming with something I couldn't quite read. "Thank you for your cooperation, Lily baby."
"There he goes again! This nickname is driving me crazy."
Back home that evening, I started packing, filled with curiosity and slight anxiety about tomorrow's trip.
What exactly did William want to do in Germany? This question kept circling in my mind.
The next day, I met William with huge dark circles under my eyes.
My curiosity had kept me awake all night.
When William saw me, his expression was both sympathetic and amused. "Just sleep well on the plane. I'll wake you when we arrive."
After boarding the private jet, I comfortably leaned back in my seat and quickly entered a half-asleep state.
I dozed off against his shoulder but felt him gently kiss my forehead.
"He's kissing me while I'm 'asleep'?"
My fingers twitched nervously, but I didn't dare open my eyes. That gentle kiss felt like a feather, warm and cherishing.
Soon we arrived in Germany, where distant mountain ranges stretched across the horizon—truly a beautiful landscape.
After disembarking, William took me to our hotel.
At the reception desk, the staff informed us that only one room was available.
"I'm sorry, sir, we only have one luxury suite left," the receptionist said with a smile.
I suggested changing hotels, but William unhesitatingly replied, "No need, we'll take it."
"Wait, is he serious?"
Faced with this sudden shared accommodation arrangement, I felt nervous. "William, I don't think it's appropriate for us to sleep together before marriage..."
"But we're a couple. Two people sharing a room shouldn't be a problem, right?"
I saw a hint of craftiness on William's face, making me realize that while he was still William, the cold dignity in his core had disappeared. The man before me was just a big bad wolf in a proper business suit.
Anxiously, I made a request to William. "William, could we sleep separately? I'm really not ready for this."
In truth, rather than not being ready, I hadn't prepared at all.
William looked at the panic flickering across my face, not even raising an eyelid as his smile grew. "It's okay. Everyone has a first time."
In the hotel room, I curled up on the bed, trembling, not knowing how to handle this situation.
William leaned down, putting his hand beside me, but only to take away one of the blankets from the bed.
To my surprise, the usually dignified William simply lay down on the sofa still wearing his suit, leaving the entire bed for me, with just a brief "Sleep."
I hadn't expected this. Just moments ago, I thought he might force himself on me, but now I was moved to tears. "William, you're such a gentleman." His image instantly grew taller in my eyes.
William closed his eyes, his voice neither warm nor cold. "I'm not. If you say one more word, I'll get in bed right now."
Frightened, I quickly closed my eyes. "Don't get in bed. I'm going to sleep right now."
After a while, I listened to his steady breathing beside me with disbelief—how did he fall asleep in a second?
I softly called out "William," and his breathing immediately stopped, followed by a slightly hoarse, just-awakened voice: "What's wrong? Had a nightmare?"
I admitted I couldn't sleep, probably because his presence in the room made me restless, but I didn't dare say it directly, fearing the man on the sofa would get angry.
William asked what I wanted to do, and I had a sudden inspiration: "How about you tell me a story?"
William flatly refused. "I don't know how to tell stories."
"When I was little and couldn't sleep, my father would tell me stories to help me fall asleep." Thinking about my childhood, I felt a sudden nostalgia.
William reluctantly agreed. "Sterling Group's construction plan for this year is as follows, with specific implementation starting from..."
I immediately interrupted him. "Stop! William, I asked for a story, not a corporate disaster!"
I stared at him in disbelief, wondering how someone's emotional intelligence could be this low.