The driver, Tuya, laughed and said, “Is Teacher Yin in a good mood today?”

You Mingxu thought about him at the dinner and smiled. “Yes, it seems so.”

Tuya said, “I knew it. He only drinks too much when he’s either very happy or very sad. These moments are rare.”

Hearing this, You Mingxu looked at Yin Feng. Drunk, he looked extremely docile, his eyebrows and eyes relaxed, lips slightly pursed. His usually sharp features now appeared more delicate.

After arriving home, when everyone heard that Yin Feng was drunk, Guanjun and the others came over, not looking particularly concerned but rather as if they had come to enjoy the show. Chen Feng smiled slightly as he came forward to help. Xiao Yan stood at a distance; he disliked drunk people. Guanjun, with his typical sarcastic tone, said, “Teacher Yin was never like this before. He always kept his composure. Now that he’s with a certain someone, he’s frequently drinking himself into oblivion. Beauty brings misfor—”

Before he could finish, You Mingxu slapped him on the head.

Guanjun looked utterly shocked. She hit his head? You Mingxu, hit his head? No one had ever dared to do that!

You Mingxu said, “Stop the nonsense. If you’re not helping, get out of the way.”

Guanjun still stood there stupidly while they had already helped Yin Feng walk ahead. Guanjun quickly caught up, following right behind You Mingxu, wanting to say something, but so furious he couldn’t get any words out. He was suffocating!

The group dropped Yin Feng onto the master bedroom bed and left.

You Mingxu listened to Yin Feng’s deep, even breathing, figuring he would sleep through the night like this. She went to take a shower, feeling refreshed. Seeing that it was still early, she grabbed a tablet, put on headphones, and lay down beside him to watch a newly released TV drama.

She had no idea how long she had been watching.

The night deepened, and outside the pitch-black window, a few bright stars hung in the sky. From downstairs, the faint sounds of the others could still be heard. You Mingxu was completely absorbed in watching; with three days off, she planned to indulge herself tonight.

Tree branches gently swayed against the window glass. Except for the bedside lamp, the room was filled with soft dimness.

You Mingxu’s eyes were fixed on the screen, her mind wandering. Suddenly, a body lunged at her, arms wrapping around her firmly. You Mingxu let out a small cry as she felt the person’s body covering her from behind, warm breath blowing on her neck, and a face nuzzling forcefully against the back of her head. “A’Xu…”

That tone of voice…

You Mingxu tried to turn her head, but couldn’t move. Had this person used all his strength to pin her down? You Mingxu smiled, feeling her heart rate accelerate again, along with a subtle excitement.

A thought crossed her mind: If the sober Yin Feng knew I preferred this… he’d be furious.

She finally managed to turn around and saw a pair of eyes as bright as stars. His face was full of joy and some intense emotion about to erupt.

You Mingxu was momentarily stunned.

Yin Feng had already told her about his theory regarding his second personality. Strictly speaking, You Yingjun wasn’t another personality, just another facet of his character. That’s why their memories had gradually merged. In simple terms, it was like a person who had been foolish for a while but then wasn’t foolish anymore. However, Yin Feng couldn’t explain why You Yingjun had emerged again when he got drunk last time.

“Maybe when I drink, a certain part of my brain stops working,” he had said with a scowl at the time. “Some people become simpler and happier when they’re drunk.”

You Mingxu had suppressed her laughter then.

Now, Yin Feng’s face drew closer, his lips puckered for a kiss, his hands starting to reach under her clothes. You Mingxu said, “Wait. Do you… Remember how much of what happened during this time?”

Yin Feng glanced at her. “I remember everything. Didn’t I already tell you? It’s not a second personality; it’s just me. Don’t waste time, let’s…”

You Mingxu was surprised. So it was true as Yin Feng had said—the memories of both personalities had completely merged? The person before her was both You Yingjun and Yin Feng.

While lost in thought, the man before her had already closed his eyes, his lips puckered high, moving in for a kiss.

So this person before her was the same dignified and proud man from earlier tonight? He had recovered, and now was simply drunk, no different from ordinary people…

You Mingxu suddenly burst into laughter.

Yin Feng opened his eyes, looking at her with displeasure before turning away angrily. You Mingxu continued laughing, unable to stop. She turned to reach for her phone, wanting to record this moment, thinking: Yin Feng, I never thought I’d see you like this.

Just as she opened the camera, he knocked the phone away and pulled her into an embrace. His expression turned cold, somewhat resembling his sober arrogance. “What are you trying to do?”

You Mingxu said, “I like you. I want to film you.”

How easily pleased You Yingjun was—he immediately smiled, his mouth almost stretching to his ears. This was truly the expression she remembered. A strong, long-harbored sweetness welled up in You Mingxu’s heart, along with an indescribable tenderness. She gently kissed his face, and he turned toward her, descending like a fierce storm…

Breathless, passionate, and warm.

People say drunk men are either incapable or more wild. But he was different—when drunk, he transformed from that devilishly mature man back to the earnest, hardworking youth… You Mingxu’s mind wandered as things had just begun, but he was already getting carried away.

When You Mingxu was breathless and beginning to resist, he raised his somewhat hazy eyes, his expression strangely embarrassed.

You Mingxu stroked his face encouragingly. “What’s wrong?”

“I…”

“What is it?” She instinctively glanced downward.

Yin Feng’s grip on her hand tightened. “What kind of look is that?” He even gave her a thump on the head. You Mingxu rubbed her head and scoffed, “Getting cocky, aren’t you?”

“I wanted to…” he stammered again.

“Forget it if you won’t say it.”

“Hey!” He held her shoulders, sweat flowing from his forehead, his eyes bright and clear as he looked at her with a certain determination. “When I was on the run, being wrongfully accused, I had this thought.”

“What thought?”

His gaze turned serene, like stars hidden in a dark, lonely forest.

“I want to marry you,” he said. “I don’t know why, but I felt it then. I felt that if I could return safely and clear my name, I had to do this. These days, I’ve been thinking about it constantly, but I didn’t know how to bring it up…”

You Mingxu was also somewhat dazed.

Is that so?

So you’ve been thinking about me all this time?

Since that day when you showed up at my building with evidence, meeting with police officials, level by level, everyone discussing action plans. Time was so urgent, the situation so critical, we didn’t even have a moment to say an extra word to each other. Even when we did speak, it was about the case, the criminals, and other people. We two didn’t say anything more to each other. We didn’t even have time for an embrace. Many times, I just watched your figure from behind, as cold and straight as a tree. And your gaze, I saw it, I felt it, was always covered with frost.

Yet behind that frost lay unspoken feelings.

Yin Feng, I’m the same. Through all the ups and downs, the gunfire, fighting side by side, no words needed to be said. The two of us have long been…

Seeing her lost in thought and silent, Yin Feng felt an unprecedented nervousness. He had never proposed to anyone before, but who was he? What situation between men and women couldn’t he handle? Thinking this, he firmly gripped her shoulders, staring at her with an extremely serious and longing gaze, saying slowly, “A’Xu, will you… Marry me?”

You Mingxu’s heart pounded heavily a few times, and in that moment, she felt as if the entire world had fallen silent.

Except…

She smiled, a smile of exasperation. His hands were still tightly gripping her sweaty arms.

She slapped him on the head. “Who proposes like this, at a time? Are you trying to infuriate me? Get off! I don’t agree!”

Of course, in the end, Yin Feng didn’t “get off.” He sheepishly coaxed and pleaded, like a persistent dog, and quickly moved on to other things, finally calming You Mingxu’s anger. The matter of the proposal naturally wasn’t brought up again; he didn’t have the face to mention it.

…

Dawn broke.

When Yin Feng woke up, he felt the headache of a hangover. He rubbed his head and turned to see You Mingxu lying beside him, still sound asleep, her shoulder exposed above the blanket bearing numerous marks.

Yin Feng smiled slightly, continued rubbing his head, and got out of bed to take a shower.

When he finished and came out refreshed, he saw that You Mingxu was already awake, sitting on the bed hugging her knees, giving him a glance with an inscrutable expression.

Yin Feng sat down on the edge of the bed, about to put his arm around her, but she avoided him and got out of bed.

Yin Feng watched her movements and said in a flat tone, “What’s wrong? Didn’t I satisfy you last night?”

Memories could merge, but drinking still caused blackouts. Yin Feng only vaguely remembered last night’s passion; it seemed they had both been happy, but he couldn’t recall exactly what had been said.

Looking at his expression, You Mingxu knew he didn’t remember again. She cursed inwardly, gave a cold smile, and went to the bathroom.

This left Yin Feng puzzled.

But this wasn’t the first time You Mingxu had turned cold after such intimate moments. Most likely, he had done something excessive last night that embarrassed her. Yin Feng smiled slightly. As a man, he wouldn’t back down on such matters, nor would he apologize. He would make her accept and get used to it.

He walked to the bathroom door and asked, “What would you like for breakfast?”

“Noodles,” came You Mingxu’s voice, impossible to tell if she was still angry or had already let it go.