Hospital corridor.

Through the glass window, Zhou Jin looked at Jiang Cheng lying in the hospital bed. One of his hands was handcuffed to the frame. Stubble had begun to shadow his jaw, and he looked altogether haggard and much thinner than before.

Nothing like the high-spirited person he used to be.

The doctors had treated all of his wounds. Apart from the cross-shaped knife wound on his chest, which looked rather alarming, there was nothing else seriously wrong with him — he simply needed to remain in the hospital for observation.

Tan Shiming pulled Zhou Jin aside and explained the current situation to her: “Your relationship with Jiang Cheng is a special one. You cannot participate in the follow-up investigation — that’s the rules, and you need to understand that.”

Zhou Jin was composed. “I understand.”

“You can also rest easy. The higher-ups are taking this case very seriously, and Jiang Cheng is currently our most crucial witness. The subsequent investigation will revolve entirely around him — nothing will go wrong.” Tan Shiming noticed her eyes were slightly red. He stepped forward and patted her on the back in comfort, then asked, “Have you told your parents about what happened with Jiang Cheng?”

Zhou Jin shook her head. “Not yet. I want to wait until the investigation is over and his identity has been confirmed before I tell them.”

“You’re doing the right thing.” Tan Shiming continued, “When you get home, pass along our major crimes unit’s regards to Professor Jiang. He’s fallen ill — make sure you take good care of him.”

Zhou Jin was somewhat taken aback. “He’s ill? He seemed perfectly fine when I left the unit earlier.”

“A fever. No, wait — what’s that tone of yours? Are you picking a fight with me? You’re his wife, not me.” Having said that, Tan Shiming realized the comment wasn’t quite right, and burst out laughing, slapping Zhou Jin on the back. “Alright, alright — you’ve got me all flustered! Now get out of here!”

Zhou Jin broke into a laugh. “Then I’ll head off first.”

She quickly pulled on her jacket and walked briskly toward the hospital exit. As she passed the ward, she glanced once more at Jiang Cheng, pressed her lips together without saying anything, and walked straight out.

On the way home, the sky opened up with a cold, damp rain. Fortunately Zhou Jin was driving, and Jiang Hansheng always kept a spare umbrella in the car — so she didn’t get wet at all.

She pushed open the front door, stopped in the entryway, hung up the umbrella, and shrugged off her jacket as she looked around the apartment. “Professor Jiang?”

No one answered.

From the bathroom came the faint, indistinct sound of running water.

Zhou Jin figured he was in the shower and let herself in.

On the desk Jiang Hansheng used for work, four beer cans sat in a scattered, toppled mess. Zhou Jin frowned slightly, walked over, and gave them a shake — all empty.

She disposed of the cans in the bin, then pulled out a damp cloth to wipe down the surface of the desk.

Before long, Jiang Hansheng came out of the bathroom toweling his hair dry. He saw Zhou Jin and startled, coming to a stop where he stood.

Zhou Jin furrowed her brow, walked over, grabbed Jiang Hansheng by the collar, and gave a deliberate sniff. Then her frown deepened. “You’ve been drinking?”

Jiang Hansheng wasn’t much of a drinker and tended to get tipsy easily, though whenever he went out to buy groceries he would often pick up a pack of beer to keep in the fridge — because Zhou Jin liked to drink it.

Now that she was close to him, Jiang Hansheng caught the faint smells on her — gunpowder, dust, and blood. He knew whose scent that was. Without much energy, he said quietly, “Yeah, had a bit.”

Zhou Jin: “…”

She could see he hadn’t fully sobered up yet.

Zhou Jin pressed her hand against Jiang Hansheng’s forehead — cool to the touch. It didn’t seem like he still had a fever.

Jiang Hansheng noticed her silence and asked, “Did you come back to pick something up? I’ll help you find it.”

If she was heading to the hospital to be with someone, she would need to bring a fair number of daily necessities.

Zhou Jin was confused. “What would I be picking up? I’m not on duty today. Mentor said you were ill — still running a fever?”

Jiang Hansheng went blank again.

He really shouldn’t have drunk. When his head was spinning, there were a lot of things he couldn’t think through properly.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Zhou Jin raised her hand and waved it in front of his face. “Jiang Hansheng, are you still drunk?”

He was pulled by Zhou Jin to sit on the edge of the bed. She rummaged through the medicine cabinet, found a thermometer, and had him take his temperature.

Jiang Hansheng said, “I already took medicine. I sweated through a fever during my sleep — it was miserable, so I went to take a shower.”

Zhou Jin’s irritation flared. “…Have you never been sick before? Taking a shower while still running a fever?”

Jiang Hansheng continued to explain, “It’s fine — I blow-dried my hair completely before coming out.”

Zhou Jin had always found his fastidiousness infuriating at moments like this. She muttered a low curse at him: “Such a fuss.”

She checked the thermometer. The high fever had broken, though he was still running a mild one. Zhou Jin told Jiang Hansheng to lie down on the bed and rest, then glanced up at the clock on the wall — it was exactly time for dinner.

Zhou Jin said, “I’ll go make some congee. Have a little before you sleep. Do you have any appetite? Should I make a light side dish to go with it?”

She turned and headed for the kitchen.

Jiang Hansheng didn’t rest. He followed right behind her, watching her rinse the rice. After a moment of silence, he asked, “You’re not going to the hospital? How is Jiang Cheng?”

Zhou Jin’s hands stilled briefly, then returned to normal. “He’s fine. Someone’s looking after him. And I need to avoid any conflict of interest.”

“Oh.” Jiang Hansheng came forward and wrapped his arms around her from behind, the two of them pressed together. His eyelids felt heavy, his energy completely depleted — nothing like his usual self. He asked, “So that’s why you came back?”

Zhou Jin caught something strange in his tone and couldn’t help asking, “Why are you speaking so oddly?”

“Am I?” Jiang Hansheng tilted his head, gently closed his eyes, and rubbed the tip of his nose softly against her cheek. “Maybe so.”

Zhou Jin recoiled slightly, pulling away from his affection — and from the smell of alcohol on his breath.

After a moment, she said, “I want to talk to you about Jiang Cheng later.”

Jiang Hansheng’s arms around her gradually tightened. “Didn’t we already talk about this before we got married?”

Zhou Jin paused, recalling that when they were still dating, they had indeed had an honest conversation about their feelings.

Jiang Hansheng had never been in any relationship before, having remained single all along. Zhou Jin had been candid with him about having had a fiancé — Jiang Cheng, the person she had grown up alongside. Jiang Hansheng had said that everyone has a past, that he didn’t mind, that what he cared about more was the present and the future.

The two of them had communicated very well — at least from Zhou Jin’s perspective, that matter had never been an obstacle to their choice to enter into marriage.

Now that he was turning the question back on her this way, Zhou Jin had no choice but to say, “Yes.”

Jiang Hansheng pressed on with a relentlessness he rarely showed. “Has that changed now?”

His breath was faintly warm, drifting past Zhou Jin’s ear in waves. Zhou Jin’s heart quickened. “No. I just…”

“Good, then.” He interrupted her, wanting only to hear the part that matched what he was hoping for. “Good, then, Zhou Jin.”

He lowered his head, his lips finding the side of her neck, and began to press slow, deliberate kisses there.

Zhou Jin felt a mix of pain and tingling, but her hands were still wet and she couldn’t push him away properly. She jabbed him with her elbow instead. “Jiang Hansheng!”

On the pale, smooth skin of her neck, a vivid crimson mark bloomed — like a brand.

Jiang Hansheng lingered at the curve behind her ear and responded to her, “I’m here.”

Zhou Jin heard how measured and obedient his answer sounded, and found herself caught somewhere between laughter and exasperation. She wiped her hands dry and turned to face him.

The two of them looked at each other. Zhou Jin studied the flush across his handsome face and couldn’t tell whether it was from fever or from drink. She poked him in the side. “Don’t use the alcohol as an excuse to make trouble. Go back and sleep.”

“I’m perfectly sober.”

He caught her poking hand and placed it against his waist, then stepped closer. The overwhelming nearness of him made Zhou Jin want to step back — but there was nowhere to go.

“Zhou Jin.”

Zhou Jin felt something almost purely predatory emanating from Jiang Hansheng right now. Her throat tightened, and she found herself at a loss for words.

Jiang Hansheng kissed her forehead. His voice was faintly rough. “Come with me.”