Master's Untamed Wife

5:45 AM...

Shui Xian usually woke up at 6:45 AM but today, his wife had dragged him off the bed at precisely 5:30 AM. And currently, he was out in the chilly morning breeze running with her. He already knew that Raelle woke up earlier than him since whenever he woke up, he didn't find her on the bed. But only today, he learned just how early her day actually started.

Clad in a white tracksuit, she ran in front of him as he closely followed behind her. There was a track built for running within this residential area. There was even a beautiful man-made lake that looked stunning. And quite a few residents from around here could be seen at this time of the morning. Some were exercising, some were walking, some were having a chat, some were walking their dogs around.

Shui Xian found it odd knowing that this place was so lively so early in the morning.

Raelle turned around to look at him as she asked, "Hubby, why are you so slow?"

"I'm not slow," he responded. "You're just too fast."

"Oh..." she responded before she slowed down her pace to match his.

Shui Xian was surprised when suddenly her steps matched with his and her figure came right beside his. She looked at his surprised face and said, "What? I am just making sure you're able to catch up. Wouldn't wanna lose you."

Shui Xian's heart jumped and he pursed his lips not knowing what reply he could give her at this moment. How could someone be so cluelessly adorable? And he also wondered how could she flirt without even realizing it? Or maybe she knew it and was purposely playing with him? But then he looked at her face and dropped the last idea. There was no way she knew what she was doing to his heart!

"Have you been coming for a run daily?" he asked after a moment of silence. Raelle nodded her head in reply. Shui Xian really wanted to smack his own head. He didn't even realize that she had been out and about like this while he was still rolling in the dreamland. "I didn't think you'd care so much about your health."

"It's not about health," she replied. "It has more to do with the environment I grew up in." Shui Xian showed his interest as she went on, "Opa might have discharged from the army but he hasn't forgotten his conduct. In fact, Yanyan said it has been kind of a tradition in the Xiang family. Everyone must wake up at 5:30 in the morning without exception. No matter how much I mean to Opa, he won't make me an exception in certain things."

Shui Xian nodded his head to show that he understood what she meant. And he indeed did understand. Since she had been waking up so early from a young age, it wasn't a surprise that she didn't look tired at all. She must have never indulged in excessive sleep in her life and that's why she really didn't know the beauty of lazing around in her bed. All of this had just become a part of her life now.

Both of them stopped near a wooden bench as Shui Xian sat down to rest and Raelle placed her hands on the cold metal railing to look at the lake in a distance. Shui Xian drank a mouthful of water and breathed harshly. He did go to the gym every other week but because he had become used to spending excessive time cooped up in his office, the morning run really seemed tiring.

Suddenly, a Siberian Husky with a ball in his mouth came near the bench where Shui Xian was resting. Shui Xian smiled at the dog as his hands touched the dog saying, "Hey, buddy! Where did you come from?"

Hearing his voice, Raelle turned her head to look at him. Shui Xian was currently immersed in scratching the dog all over. He seemed to be really enjoying it. Raelle turned her body around as she leaned her back on the railing with her attention on the scene before her eyes.

Shui Xian had pulled out the ball from the dog's mouth and asked, "Do you want me to throw it for you?" Seeing the dog's excited and eager eyes, he laughed out and asked, "First, let me find out your name." Saying that he checked the dog collar and sure enough, he found the name. "Coco... Oh, so you're a girl."

Raelle's eyes didn't move away from Shui Xian's enthusiastic expressions as he continued to interact with the dog. She watched him tease the dog with the ball in his hand and the dog even jumped up and down before running in circles excitedly. From this interaction, Raelle could deduce that Shui Xian was quite good with dogs.

Shui Xian expected the dog's owner to be around there so he did as the dog asked. He threw the ball and let the dog chased it. Watching the dog run after the ball, he laughed out again. When he turned his head, he was met with Raelle's intriguing gaze that was stuck on his face.

Had he ever mentioned that the way his wife's obsidian eyes admired him, really was unnerving? It wasn't intimidating, rather... It felt like when she looked at his face, she couldn't see anyone else. As if he was the only one before her eyes and he was the only one she was willing to look at. How strange!

"You like dogs." Raelle's red lips opened slightly as she stated. It was definitely a statement and not a question. "Why don't you raise a dog then?"

Shui Xian's smile stiffened a little as he said, "I used to have a dog."

"Where is it now?" she inquired since she hadn't seen or heard about that dog in the house.

Shui Xian waited for a while before saying, "Died."

Raelle could see that way his face muscles were tense. She stepped up and raised her hand. Shui Xian noticed her action as her hand stiffly patted his head once... Twice... And there was a third time as well.

Why did he feel like a dog all of a sudden?

Shui Xian was amused by her actions as he asked, "Wifey, what are you doing?"

Raelle cleared her throat as she took a step back and stated, "Yanyan said, whenever the word 'death' is mentioned, I'm supposed to console the person for their loss. Rather than saying that..."

Shui Xian's brows lifted up slightly as he urged her to continue, "Saying what?"

"Rather than saying that death is also a part of life. There is no need to feel sorry for it."