The room was in disarray, from sofa to bed, bedroom to bathtub, handcuffs locked and unlocked again and again—through it all, Lu Yan fully experienced what it meant to be in absolute ecstasy.

Jiang Chengyi remained silent throughout as if releasing years of pent-up desire, relentlessly passionate in his attentions.

Two hours passed. She went from unrestrained demands for more to continuous pleas and soft whimpers, several times nearly transcending consciousness, melting into pure bliss.

Their first time, both were so consumed with each other that they considered nothing else. It wasn’t until several dozen minutes later, when Jiang Chengyi found his release within her, that Lu Yan realized they hadn’t used protection.

“Oh no, what should we do?” She pushed him away, struggling to reach for the bedside drawer, only to find it empty of any necessary items.

“What’s there to worry about?” He turned over, holding her slender waist from behind.

Sensing his renewed interest, she squirmed away, clearly refusing: “I don’t think I’m in my safe period.”

So what, what’s done is done. Ignoring her hesitation, he pulled her back.

The entire night, he savored her like a preserved plum, inside and out, until she was completely exhausted, and only then did he reluctantly stop.

She slept soundly in his arms, her cheeks flushed from their activities, her skin glowing with a dewy radiance.

He brushed her damp hair to one side, studying her with slightly furrowed brows.

Compared to eight years ago, her features had matured. The baby fat was gone, and her facial contours were more elegant and alluring. Every line of her body was as perfectly proportioned as if drawn with a ruler, still captivating him completely. The only surprise was that her figure seemed to have finished developing earlier than he’d imagined, not becoming fuller than he’d expected over the years.

After observing her for a while, though still somewhat unsatisfied, he followed his heart’s desire and placed a kiss on her forehead.

Three years ago, while investigating a case at a hotel in B City, he had unexpectedly encountered Tang Jie, who was there with her father discussing the dental equipment business.

They sat at a tea table by the hotel’s floor-to-ceiling windows for about ten minutes.

After some small talk, Tang Jie suddenly turned the conversation to Lu Yan.

She mentioned that since starting university, Lu Yan had attracted suitors like fish crossing a river, but she had devoted herself entirely to her studies, living like an ascetic.

Due to her diligence, Lu Yan not only received S Medical University’s scholarship every year but also successfully secured a doctoral position under Dr. Yu Bo, an anesthesia specialist at First Affiliated Hospital. Her future seemed incredibly bright.

However, Lu Yan deliberately avoided all recreational activities outside of academics. While she seemed content with this aspiring female medical scientist lifestyle, Tang Jie felt it was too dull.

“Oh,” he had responded coldly.

How Lu Yan lived her life was none of his business.

“Just chatting about running into an old classmate,” Tang Jie, noticing his detachment and seemingly feeling indignant on Lu Yan’s behalf, said unhappily before quickly changing the subject.

Although he had shown no interest, learning that day that she still had no boyfriend caused an unwitting change in his thoughts.

At that time, he had just completed his first year of work, still gaining experience. Due to the special nature of the public security system, he didn’t even qualify for a transfer. Moreover, whenever he thought about how she had broken up with him at eighteen, anger would rise within him. She had been so cruel then, and might still not have changed her mind—why should he give up his work here to return to S City?

The following year, he began handling cases independently. Due to his meticulous mind and willingness to work hard, after tailing a criminal gang for nearly half a year, he finally solved a major case that had been pending for a long time. Later, while investigating a major gang operation with his colleagues, he distinguished himself and fortunately received second-class merit. Although he was injured in the process, it coincided with the bureau’s focus on cultivating young talent, and he was soon promoted to deputy team leader.

From then on, he began frequently returning to S City, paying attention to job vacancies there. Knowing she was interning at First Affiliated Hospital, whenever he drove past, he would involuntarily search for her figure among the crowds at the entrance.

Perhaps because he had waited long enough, he encountered her several times. As Tang Jie had said, she never had any male companions. Although she spent even weekends at the hospital, whenever she had free time, she would visit the library and No. 7 Middle School.

She was very cautious as if searching for something.

Once, unable to resist, after she left the library, he used his official position to inquire with the library staff and learned that she always borrowed books related to criminal cases. He was surprised, but due to limited time, couldn’t investigate further.

Until a year ago, when he accidentally saw her visiting Deng Man’s home alone, thinking back to the events of that summer when they were eighteen, he began to suspect she might be investigating Deng Man’s case.

He didn’t know when she had started investigating, but despite never giving up, the differences between their fields meant she had never managed to touch the core of the incident.

Several months ago, when his father had a heart attack, he rushed back to S City overnight upon receiving the news.

After his father’s recovery and discharge, he once again requested a transfer. Considering he was an only son, his superiors finally relented, no longer adamantly trying to retain him, and approved his transfer request.

Soon after, when a position opened in the Anshan District Branch, he transferred back to S City.

Recently at the alumni gathering at Jinhai KTV, Teacher Zhou had been surprised at how easily he managed a lateral transfer between two major cities. Although he had brushed it off at the time, only he knew how much effort it had taken to move back to be near her.

When they broke up initially, he had sought her out countless times, only to be rejected repeatedly. After the last time she treated him coldly, his pride and dignity wouldn’t allow him to beg for her attention anymore. In his eighteen years of life until then, he had been used to getting everything he wanted easily, never having tasted such painful rejection.

In his anger, hurtful words burst forth: “Lu Yan, being with you was just for fun. Don’t think I can’t live without you. I’m fucking tired of you. If I ever come looking for you again, my name isn’t Jiang Chengyi!”

These words were like a sharp knife, piercing not only Lu Yan but also himself.

He would never forget the surprise and pain that flashed through her eyes when he said those words, but once spoken, they couldn’t be taken back. The fault lay in his desperate need to escape the feeling of rejection, causing him to speak so thoughtlessly.

With her excellent memory, she couldn’t have forgotten those words, which explained her cold and passive behavior when they first reunited. But he had no principles; although he didn’t want her to see his true feelings, he couldn’t help gravitating toward her again and again.

How clever she was—after several encounters, his feelings were impossible to hide. Just like when he had first pursued her, in their subsequent interactions, while neither initiating nor avoiding, she held something like a kite string, gradually drawing him closer to her.

Now, thinking back to his words about “never seeking her out again,” his face burned with shame.

He still hadn’t completely let go; there were still many questions he wanted to ask her, but after their recent activities, she was exhausted, showing signs of deep sleep.

He watched her for a while, whispered three words in her ear, turned off the lights, and held her close as he drifted off to sleep.

Lu Yan had never slept so deeply. When she awoke, it was already bright daylight.

Jiang Chengyi wasn’t beside her. Sunlight filled the room, and the air carried the elegant, light fragrance of the parlor palm in the corner. The room had a distinctly masculine sense of simplicity and cleanliness.

Remembering the words he had whispered in her ear when she was half-asleep the night before, every cell in her body bubbled with happiness as she lazily remained in bed.

Her phone kept ringing, probably accumulating many messages in the WeChat groups.

Opening it, she saw several groups exploding with news about famous director Zhang Dashan’s wife being caught in an affair the night before.

“Wow, Zhang Dashan’s being cuckolded!”

“Zheng Xiaowen must be ecstatic. She’s been with Zhang Dashan for years, and now with his wife causing such a scene, she can finally become legitimate.”

“What does Zheng Xiaowen see in him anyway? Though Zhang Dashan is quite charismatic, Zheng Xiaowen isn’t bad herself. These past two years she’s been in movies and commercials, achieving both fame and fortune. Why would she choose to be the other woman?”

“Zhang Dashan’s charm is unmatched, and don’t forget he made Zheng Xiaowen famous. After these years, they must have developed feelings.”

“Zhang Dashan’s family owns mines, they’re richer than you can imagine.”

Lu Yan usually didn’t care for entertainment gossip, but firstly, she was in a good mood this morning, and secondly, she had recently met Zhang Dashan and Zheng Xiaowen. Particularly remembering how Zheng Xiaowen had aggressively questioned Jiang Chengyi the night Liu Yuqie was injected with an overdose of morphine, she couldn’t help but pay attention.

After browsing for a while, she propped her chin on her hand, recalling details from that night at the Big Bell party.

She remembered that shortly after Jiang Chengyi sat down, Zheng Xiaowen had deliberately asked for his number, and Zhang Dashan, perhaps jealous, immediately started talking to a nearby actress. They ignored each other, clearly in a power play.

This confirmed that the rumors about the two weren’t groundless.

After scrolling through the WeChat chat records for a while and thinking about all she had to do that day, she prepared to get up. But just as she lifted the covers, the door opened.

“Ah!” Completely unclothed, she quickly ducked back under the covers. “Why are you still home?”