Li Weiyi was pulled upstairs by Zhang Jingchan holding her hand. He remained silent the whole way. Li Weiyi stole a glance—his brows and eyes were calm, his expression peaceful, showing no emotional fluctuation whatsoever, as if it were just an ordinary day, holding hands on the way home.

So Li Weiyi also lowered her head and said nothing. Too much had happened in this one day; she didn’t know what to say to him.

Once inside, Zhang Jingchan released her hand and said, “There are still a few hours. Rest well, we’ll go through the tunnel tonight.”

Li Weiyi: “Did you see who that person was?” She remembered in the previous timeline, the gas station surveillance footage they’d seen showing the hit-and-run driver—that was today.

Zhang Jingchan changed into slippers, took off his jacket and tossed it on the sofa, answering: “I saw him. It was Cheng Chuan.”

Li Weiyi sighed: “Just as expected.”

Zhang Jingchan sat down on the sofa, arms resting on the armrests, head tilted back, slowly exhaling. He looked very tired, yet his dark, handsome eyes kept fixed on her.

Li Weiyi felt flustered under his gaze—it was always like this, though she didn’t know why. She said, “I’ll go take a shower and change clothes.”

“Go ahead.”

She turned to leave, then suddenly remembered something and walked to his side, saying: “I’m taking a shower not because… I wasn’t violated by him in any way.”

Zhang Jingchan said nothing, but picked up her hand and kissed it.

Li Weiyi took a thoroughly satisfying shower. Feeling much more refreshed and invigorated, she emerged from the bathroom to find Zhang Jingchan had already ordered takeout and even set out chopsticks for her. After being tossed around for half the day, she was hungry too, so she sat down without a word and started eating.

Only after she finished did she notice that Zhang Jingchan had eaten a lot today—a whole large container of rice, plus he’d finished all the remaining dishes. She knew his usual appetite well; today he’d eaten at least twice as much.

Watching him calmly clean up the takeout containers, Li Weiyi asked, “How long have you been hungry?”

Zhang Jingchan stood up and carried the trash toward the door, saying, “What makes you think I’ve been going hungry?”

Li Weiyi looked at his retreating figure and lowered her head to text Li Yunmo: “Has he been eating properly these past two days?”

Li Yunmo replied instantly: “Ah, now that you mention it, I hadn’t noticed, but the past two days I’ve been finishing all the food myself, feeling so stuffed every meal. Brother Chan ate very little!”

Another message came: “And he didn’t sleep at all last night!”

When Zhang Jingchan came back after throwing out the trash, Li Weiyi gave a huge yawn. He glanced at his watch and said, “If you’re tired, go sleep for a while.”

Li Weiyi: “What about you?”

He answered: “I still have some things to discuss with Ding Chenmo.”

“Then get into bed as soon as you’re done.”

“Mm.”

Li Weiyi climbed into bed, leaving the other half empty. She wasn’t actually that sleepy—she wanted to pull him in to rest together—but as she waited and waited, she really did fall asleep.

When she woke up, two hours had passed. Dusk was falling. She sat up, only then noticing that Zhang Jingchan had at some point pulled over a chair and sat by the bedroom door, long legs spread, hands resting on the armrests, head tilted back—he’d fallen asleep just like that.

Li Weiyi tiptoed over and crouched down beside his hand, resting her head on the armrest, gazing at him. After watching for perhaps a few minutes, his head suddenly lifted. He opened his eyes and saw her.

The room’s light was dim. The two gazed silently at each other. Li Weiyi grabbed one of his arms, leaned forward, and kissed him. He pressed the back of her head with his other hand, like two fish gasping for air, seeking oxygen and moisture in each other’s breath.

After kissing in this position for a while, Li Weiyi mumbled: “My leg’s gone numb…” She stood up. Zhang Jingchan released her head, laughing softly.

Li Weiyi straightened up. He remained seated, looking up at her, still not moving. Li Weiyi kicked his shin: “Something’s wrong with you.”

“What do you mean?” Zhang Jingchan’s voice was even hoarser than during the day.

Li Weiyi grabbed his hand again and pinched it, saying indignantly: “I was kidnapped, barely escaped with my life, and I even saw… saw my brother-in-law get shot right in front of me…” Her tears welled up: “Even though tomorrow we can change history and keep brother-in-law safe and sound, I was truly terrified. Now I’ve finally made it back, and you’re my boyfriend—how can you seem not at all excited? Shouldn’t a normal person hold me crying bitterly, desperately comforting me? How can you act like nothing happened!”

She threw off his hand and walked toward the door. Zhang Jingchan shot up to his feet, his long legs closing the distance in one stride. He grabbed her hand and pulled her back into his embrace. Li Weiyi struggled perfunctorily twice, then buried her face in his chest and went still.

“Want to see me lose emotional control over you?”

What kind of question was that… Li Weiyi lightly bit his chest. She clearly felt his arms around her tighten.

“Want to see it?” he asked again.

Only now did Li Weiyi feel a bit panicked—the fear of being dominated by someone’s triple-question attack returned. She said, “Actually, not really…” Before she could finish, he’d already lifted her horizontally into his arms. Li Weiyi drew in a sharp breath. Looking at his expression, now much darker than before, she finally recognized the danger belonging to this man.

She was thrown heavily onto the bedsheets. Zhang Jingchan had already pressed down on top of her, pinning both her hands above her head. She heard his slightly rough breathing, which actually trembled slightly. He glanced at her in the dimness, then kissed her frantically.

First he ravaged her red lips mercilessly, kissing until she could barely breathe. Only then did Zhang Jingchan show mercy and temporarily spare her, beginning to kiss her forehead, cheeks, nose tip, working his way down—neck, collarbone. He unbuttoned one by one the buttons blocking the enticing view. Li Weiyi’s voice was soft as a fledgling bird: “Don’t…”

“Isn’t this what you wanted to see? I’m granting your wish!” He pressed down her hands trying to block him again and buried his face lower. Li Weiyi’s toes curled up. She wanted to cry out, wanted to cry, yet didn’t want him to stop. Her hands threaded into his black hair, gently caressing.

Until finally, he’d even tasted her waist thoroughly. Only then did he hold her disheveled form back in his arms, burying his face in the curve of her shoulder, calming his rapid breathing.

Li Weiyi wasn’t doing much better—dizzy and dazed, as if bursts of white light kept flashing before her eyes. Her body was unreasonably sensitive; the moment he sucked with any force, electricity shot through her entire body and her breathing quickened. This was a feeling no one had ever given her before. Though they were still quite far from that final step, she cried.

Zhang Jingchan kissed away her tears, saying, “So silly, what’s there to cry about?”

Li Weiyi: “Are you… alright? Just like this?”

“I’m fine.” He finally moved off her body, lying on his back on the bed, pulling the blanket over his waist. “I’ll calm down and take a cold shower.”

Li Weiyi didn’t know what to say, so she said: “I won’t dare provoke you again next time, you’re so fierce.”

He laughed softly, raising one hand to cover his eyes, revealing only his nose tip and jaw, and said: “Li Weiyi, it’s not that I don’t care about you, not that my emotions aren’t stirred… After so many years, I’ve rarely had emotional fluctuations like these past two days. Control and suppression are my instinct. Otherwise I don’t know what I’d do to you. Today I only did this much and you already cried. If I told you I’m still restraining more than half of my emotions and impulses, would you believe me?”

Li Weiyi nestled against his shoulder, saying softly: “But I hope that in front of me, you don’t suppress yourself, don’t hold back. You can lose control.”

Zhang Jingchan turned his head and saw a pair of clear, warm eyes. He suddenly understood—earlier she hadn’t truly been angry. It was deliberate. She understood everything.

Zhang Jingchan’s throat felt somewhat blocked. Unable to utter another word, he rolled over again to pin her down. This round of restraint and devouring finally showed signs of losing control. She even pleaded softly: “I can’t take it anymore, I really can’t…” He paid no attention, his eyes burning like fire yet deep as a well. Finally, in an extremely rare display, his eyes reddened as he spared her, yet still kept her pressed against his chest, refusing to let go.

Li Weiyi nestled obediently against him, gently caressing his body.

“I really want the loop to end soon,” she said. “Everyone safe and sound, no one dead, all the evildoers sent to prison. And then…” She looked up at him, her eyes filled with a smile like the first melting of winter snow: “Let’s have the most wonderful romance.”

Zhang Jingchan lowered his head to kiss her, promising: “I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time: exhaust your imagination, and I’ll make it all come true.”