Seeing the missed call, Shi Sui’s heart began racing, and she immediately called back.

Unfortunately, all she heard was the long dial tone, with no one picking up.

Shi Sui’s heart beat faster and faster along with each “beep beep” sound.

After one attempt failed, she dialed again.

Just when Shi Sui had given up hope, the call was finally answered.

But there was no voice on the other end.

At the same moment, someone knocked on the hotel room door.

“Knock.”

“Knock knock.”

Thinking it was an auditory hallucination, Shi Sui held her breath and listened intently.

After a long moment, she confirmed that someone was indeed knocking outside.

The knocking wasn’t hurried or slow—it carried his usual refined upbringing, seemingly without any sense of urgency.

Yet Shi Sui’s heart was about to jump out of her chest.

Through just one door, this ghost-like knocking created such an oppressive atmosphere that she could barely breathe.

She tentatively spoke into the phone: “Is that you outside the door?”

At the same moment, Yan Tingli seemed to confirm her presence.

The eerily calm knocking finally stopped.

Outside the door, Yan Tingli’s voice was unclear, resonating together with the phone call, assaulting Shi Sui’s eardrums from both sides.

But it wasn’t a pleasant tone.

He used that commanding tone again.

“Open the door. Now.”

Shi Sui didn’t open it, instead asking flatly: “How do you know I’m in this hotel, in this specific room?”

“Are you tracking me again?”

Yan Tingli ignored her question: “Open the door. I need to see you now.”

Shi Sui: “Answer me first.”

The other end fell silent for a moment before counter-asking: “So what if I am?”

Shi Sui’s chest heaved heavily once.

“When will you ever—”

She was interrupted.

“I’m giving you three seconds.”

“Guess whether this crappy door can withstand one kick from me.”

“Three.”

“Two.”

That familiar sense of oppression swept over her.

Just like during university, when he forced her to go backstage, to kiss in classrooms, or to go to bed at the Yan family home.

Shi Sui felt both angry and wronged, not daring to test his limits, so she reluctantly got up to open the door.

It was already approaching December.

Several autumn rains had been falling continuously recently. When Yan Tingli entered, his black long coat carried the bitter cold from outside, and the chill hit her face.

He looked at her.

His eyes were even colder.

“Bang.”

The door closed.

He was covered in travel dust.

Shi Sui guessed he had likely just gotten off a plane from a business trip, rushed straight to her house, then drove to Su City to find her.

Just after standing still, Yan Tingli took two steps forward, his ice-cold fingers gripping her chin as he pounced on her like a mad dog, pinning her down on the big bed behind her.

Heavy kisses, carrying the transmitted coldness, fell like a sudden storm.

This was just an ordinary chain budget hotel. The bed couldn’t support his robust muscles and bounced heavily with creaking sounds.

Li Tingyan was right next door, the hotel’s soundproofing was mediocre, and she could even faintly hear the TV from the adjacent room.

Afraid of being overheard, Shi Sui kept turning her face away to dodge while pushing against his chest with her hands.

This action infuriated Yan Tingli further. He sneered once, his knuckles gripping her jaw as his tongue invaded her lips even more brazenly, using the kissing method she found most overwhelming.

He wickedly consumed all her saliva, then fed it back to her, forcing her to swallow it.

His entire body emanated an extremely eerie low pressure.

His mental state also seemed to hang by a thread, precarious.

Shi Sui tried to communicate properly with Yan Tingli. Just as she was about to speak during a gap in their kissing, he blocked her again, venting his tide-like emotions on his own.

Without any restraint whatsoever.

After several rounds back and forth, Shi Sui finally couldn’t stand it anymore. Her fingers grabbed the hair at the back of Yan Tingli’s head.

With her other hand, she slapped him across the face.

But she held back her strength.

It was only to make him stop this horrible behavior—she didn’t even leave a mark.

Yet Yan Tingli acted as if some switch had been triggered.

He straightened his arms and pulled back some distance.

His dark pupils gazed at her, with moisture churning inside them.

The ceiling light was mostly blocked by him.

Shi Sui’s vision was very dim. Thinking it was an illusion, she was about to look more carefully.

Yan Tingli had already lowered his head.

His scattered hair covered his brow and eyes, making it impossible to see anymore.

Shi Sui’s heart skipped a beat.

He wasn’t trying to frame her like this, was he? Could such a light slap make him cry?

“Shi Sui.” He lowered his eyelashes and suddenly cursed her word by word through gritted teeth: “You’re just not a decent person.”

“…?”

Absurd! Shi Sui felt her breath catch in her chest, with only one thought in her mind—that slap was still too light.

Just as she was about to retort, Yan Tingli’s fingers cheated by pinching her lips shut, not letting her speak.

Then he stared at her and continued cursing with an expressionless face: “You give cold treatment, play disappearing acts, have no sense of boundaries.”

“And domestic violence.”

With each sentence he spoke, Shi Sui’s eyes widened in shock by another degree.

She was furious and stammered, determined to argue back.

But Yan Tingli continued his unethical manual silencing.

She couldn’t break free no matter how she struggled.

She could only listen to him continue his character assassination in that calm tone.

“You speak nothing but lies.”

“You say you love me, but you never hesitate to hit me.”

“In front of anyone, you never protect me first.”

“If I don’t look for you, you’ll never come find me on your own.”

“Even in bed, I’m always the one throwing myself at you.”

The more Yan Tingli spoke, the colder his expression became. His thin eyelids drooped, and the mist-like moisture became more obvious.

“Between us, who’s more excessive?”

The topic of “who’s more excessive” made Shi Sui think of their arguments from many years ago.

On this topic, the two of them could never come to a conclusion.

Every time, he was the domineering one, yet Yan Tingli could always be so self-righteous.

As if he were so wronged.

Shi Sui used to think Yan Tingli was turning the tables on her.

Now it seemed he genuinely felt she was more excessive.

Even more detestable than turning tables.

Yan Tingli slowly released his hand, and Shi Sui finally regained her right to speak.

She rapid-fired: “What about you? In all these years, have you ever taken the initiative to coax me?”

“Every time, without distinguishing right from wrong, you either argue unreasonably or force kisses and force—”

“I didn’t this time! I’m trying to change!”

Yan Tingli suddenly interrupted.

His speech was unusually fast, and his tone fell heavily.

Rarely carrying such intense emotion.

His raven-black eyelashes drooped, casting a shadow.

This momentary expression made Shi Sui think of a child trying hard not to be seen, yet suffering injustice.

Impulsive and childish.

“I even went home.” His brow and eyes were gloomy.

“I also held back and didn’t investigate that man. What more do you want from me?”

Shi Sui opened her lips to retort, then closed them quietly.

It seemed… it was like that.

She fell silent for a few seconds, her voice forced to weaken: “But you still kept giving me cold faces.”

“Because I’m unhappy.”

Yan Tingli stared at her. “You should coax me.”

His tone was matter-of-fact.

Shi Sui felt extremely wronged and couldn’t help asking back: “Why isn’t it you who should take the initiative to coax me?”

It seemed that in Yan Tingli’s thinking, not forcing her and not going crazy investigating and threatening people was already the biggest concession he could make.

Clearly, these were just things normal people should do—as a boyfriend, he wasn’t qualified at all.

Thinking this, Shi Sui also spoke it aloud.

Finally asking him: “As someone I want to be with long-term and marry, can’t I have higher standards for you?”

After speaking, she observed Yan Tingli’s expression.

The enlightenment she had hoped for didn’t appear.

He even buried his head down.

He bit her shoulder vindictively.

Completely unrepentant, he said word by word: “But I just want you to coax me.”

“I just want it.”

Extremely stubborn.

Like a child who absolutely must have candy.

Shi Sui was tired of arguing.

She sighed inwardly: “Why?”

Yan Tingli didn’t make a sound for a long time.

Not knowing what he was being stubborn about.

Shi Sui said coldly, “If you don’t say, I’ll never coax you.”

Yan Tingli bit her collarbone again.

This time he used some force.

Making Shi Sui hiss, and she instinctively wanted to retaliate by smacking his head.

But suddenly remembering his earlier comment about “domestic violence,” she restrained herself and pulled back her fingers.

She hadn’t expected him to give any proper answer.

Suddenly, a muffled sound reached her ears.

“When you coax me, I feel…”

He deliberately mumbled the last few words, clearly not wanting her to hear them.

But they still vaguely fell into Shi Sui’s ears, making her suddenly freeze in shock.

“…that you still care about me.”

After a moment of processing, Shi Sui reconstructed Yan Tingli’s sentence.

He was saying, “When you coax me, I feel that you still care about me.”

Shi Sui’s heart felt like it had been struck, instantly softening.

The stubborn feelings in her heart suddenly vanished, and she couldn’t say anything harsh anymore.

Fine. Let it be like this.

The room fell into quiet.

Shi Sui finally slowly wrapped her arms around him, hugging him, and said softly: “I’ve always cared about you very much.”

Yan Tingli made a neither cold nor warm sound from his nose, like a scoff.

“Not at all.”

He turned his head to one side. “I was on a business trip for half a month, and you never once asked about me on your own.”

Shi Sui told the truth: “I’ve been very busy recently too.”

“Besides, didn’t you say you didn’t want to see me?”

She returned those words from their argument that day right back to him.

What she got in return was an even more displeased bite from Yan Tingli.

This time on her earlobe.

He was still angry, and increasingly so: “Why didn’t you tell me in advance about your training?”

The conversation had arrived at the core issue of why Yan Tingli had gone crazy today.

Shi Sui’s eyelashes fluttered, and she felt somewhat guilty.

She mumbled: “I thought you’d be on business trips for several more days.”

She remembered that a few days ago, Li Yin had said Yan Tingli would be busy until next week. The R&D required new technology, and his trip to America this time was to discuss cooperation, so the timeline was quite long.

Since they were already in different places and still in a cold war, Shi Sui had stubbornly not wanted to mention it.

But Yan Tingli wouldn’t let her off the hook.

“It’s your fault.”

Although Shi Sui was doing a little self-reflection internally, that didn’t mean Yan Tingli could brazenly push all the blame onto her.

“But you scared me again tonight.” She said everything at once, “You wouldn’t answer your phone, then you banged on the door.”

“When I wouldn’t open it, you threatened to kick it down.”

“As soon as you came in, you forced me to kiss you, and you were so loud.”

“My colleague is right next door—what if he heard?”

Yan Tingli looked at her coldly and indifferently.

Not knowing what he was thinking.

Shi Sui poked his cheek: “Shouldn’t you reflect on yourself too?”

Yan Tingli’s expression showed not a trace of “reflection.”

Instead, his eyes churned with stormy waves, looking even more terrifying.

“I scared you because I wasn’t sure if you were here.”

Shi Sui didn’t understand.

“If you weren’t here.”

His pupils moved as he murmured in a low voice: “If you weren’t here and dared to play me again.”

“This time, I would definitely lock you up. Even if I had to drug you, I’d get you pregnant.”

“However many times you run, we’ll have that many children.”

“For the rest of your life—”

Shi Sui listened with horror, darkening her face as she covered his mouth: “What kind of crazy talk is this?” She was baffled: “And when did I play you?”

Yan Tingli stared at her coldly.

Suddenly he smiled and reminded her in a breathy voice by her ear: “Three years ago, England.”

“…”

Shi Sui suddenly fell silent as a chicken.

“At the Royal Post Office, I received the package Zhou Xuyan sent.”

“Inside was your phone. And the thing you wanted to give me.”

Yan Tingli didn’t even mention that letter.

He coldly referred to it only as “thing.”

“This time I didn’t use GPS tracking. I put in some effort to trace your phone’s IP.”

Shi Sui’s spine grew increasingly stiff.

Finally understanding belatedly, she reconstructed tonight’s details.

Only after hearing her voice outside the door did Yan Tingli start speaking, pulling back his runaway emotions—it was because he had confirmed she was in this hotel.

The phone IP wasn’t a smokescreen either; she hadn’t run away again.

Yan Tingli’s voice continued in her ear.

“It rained very heavily in England that day.”

“I was also in a hotel, looking at what you gave me.”

This memory still made Yan Tingli particularly displeased.

His tone became icy cold.

He even took it out on her now: “I hate you.”

This was where Shi Sui felt most guilty. She quietly turned her head away, not daring to make a sound.

“Say something.” Yan Tingli turned her chin back around, stubbornly staring at her.

Shi Sui softened her voice: “Let the past be the past. We should look forward.” She stretched out both arms to hold him tightly, coaxing gently, “We’re together now, isn’t that good?”

Yan Tingli scoffed: “Who’s the one who likes bringing up old accounts?”

Shi Sui skipped over this topic.

“I’m already coaxing you.”

Seeing Yan Tingli’s nonchalant attitude, she couldn’t help saying: “If coaxing doesn’t satisfy you either, what exactly do you want me to do?”

Yan Tingli’s response was to lower his head and bite the button on her pajamas.

“Sweet talk—I’m sick of hearing it.”

Shi Sui: “……”

Yan Tingli looked at her leisurely while getting up to undress.

From his coat to his tie.

Shi Sui saw this and deliberately mocked: “Then why aren’t you sick of doing it?”

Noticing her mocking gaze, Yan Tingli felt no shame. He bent down and licked her face with lustful intent.

His tone was completely serious, but the content was utterly obscene.

He pressed her hand downward.

“Little Li has recognized its master.”

“Can’t get sick of it.”

Shi Sui’s cheeks immediately burned like fire clouds.

Yan Tingli even tilted his head, his dark eyes carefully studying her reaction, frank and innocent.

The outline had become even more obvious.

He looked like he was using her shame as a tool to stimulate his desire.

“No!” Shi Sui gritted her teeth and lowered her voice, “The soundproofing here is terrible—my colleague will hear.”

“Oh.”

Yan Tingli’s reaction seemed bland.

“Which colleague?”

Shi Sui suddenly fell silent.

Yan Tingli laughed once.

“Even better then.”

After speaking, he continued undressing his shirt and unbuckling his belt.

Shi Sui’s temple veins throbbed: “I said no…”

“I’m taking a shower.”

Shi Sui was stunned for a moment and had just relaxed when she heard Yan Tingli say, “Getting clean so you can play with me.”

“So I can moan.”

Shi Sui’s scalp exploded: “Can’t you be normal—”

But Yan Tingli had already brazenly finished undressing.

A certain part could be described as harassment-level.

She averted her eyes in propriety and took a deep breath, chanting in her mind.

At home and in luxury hotels, Yan Tingli was used to going barefoot. This was his first time staying in a budget hotel.

He still disdainfully couldn’t use the slippers provided by the hotel.

Finally, frowning, he reluctantly squeezed into the slippers she had specifically brought.

He entered the bathroom that was, to him, equally shabby and run-down in every way.

Within seconds, he was calling for her.

Shi Sui, afraid of his tricks, asked cautiously: “What is it?”

“How do I adjust the water temperature? It’s so cold.”

Yan Tingli, accustomed to controlling AI, remained completely hopeless in daily life, showing no improvement whatsoever.

Shi Sui sighed: “Turn it to the left to add hot water.”

The next second, a hiss came from inside, along with the sound of water stopping.

Shi Sui: “What now?”

“Cold water.” Yan Tingli seemed angry. “It poured down from my head.”

“…”

Shi Sui trudged over to the bathroom: “It’s this one at the bottom you turn! Dummy.”

Yan Tingli, being called a dummy for the first time in his life, looked at her.

“Then help me wash.”

Shi Sui: “…You don’t know how to shower?”

“I’m dumb.”

His face had thickened to the point where he would gladly accept even the title of dummy to achieve his goals.

Shi Sui remained unmoved: “Impossible. I already showered and don’t want to get wet.”

After speaking, she immediately went back to bed.

She lay down, put on headphones, and blocked out harassment.

But while ears could block water sounds, they couldn’t block vision.

When Yan Tingli finished washing, he walked brazenly to the bedside.

Face to face with her.

Shi Sui wanted to call the police: “Why aren’t you wearing clothes?”

“Dirty.”

Yan Tingli had germaphobia.

He would never wear clothes he had taken off again.

Much fewer hotel amenities.

Just as Shi Sui was about to say something else, her hand was suddenly grabbed.

Yan Tingli closed his eyes slightly and said quietly: “When I was showering, it wouldn’t go down no matter what.”

Shi Sui glanced over.

She immediately saw him facing her.

His skin was pale, the color light.

Only when he really couldn’t help it for a long time would it be like this.

He just stood by the bed like that.

Having her hand cover it and press down.

His gaze was somewhat dissatisfied: “Your hand is too small.”

“I want both hands together.”

“…”

Shi Sui’s standards regarding his limits in these matters had hit rock bottom.

Yan Tingli could play quite happily even by himself.

As if on purpose, he usually didn’t moan like this.

Shi Sui’s ears went soft, her cheeks flushed red. Too embarrassed, she turned up the TV volume to cover it.

She was very worried that at Yan Tingli’s level of debauchery, if the next room heard, they might think she was streaming some female-oriented content.

Although he thoroughly despised the hotel’s bedsheets, without lying down, there was nowhere to sleep.

In the end, Yan Tingli still chose to lie beside her.

Not naked.

Before sleeping, he even called to have a complete set of clothes delivered from a brand store.

As a black card member, he naturally had premium manager service in any city.

Probably no luxury brand black card member had ever stayed in a budget hotel—even the sales associate who came to knock looked confused.

Only after Shi Sui repeatedly nodded in confirmation did the associate leave with peace of mind.

Yan Tingli put on pajamas and finally condescended to sleep on this bed.

He just acted as if some virus was attacking his skin.

All night long, Yan Tingli clung to her desperately.

Wishing he could use her as a mattress beneath him.

Shi Sui kicked him countless times throughout the night.

Finally, grabbing the blanket and angrily saying, “If you make any more noise, get out tomorrow!!!”

“…”

Yan Tingli finally fell silent.

Having traveled during the day and gone to bed late at night, Shi Sui overslept from this rest.

Training started at nine o’clock.

At eight-forty, she had just woken up.

She suddenly flipped up from the bed, but her side was empty—no one in sight.

“Yan Tingli?”

If not for Yan Tingli’s clothes still in the room, she might have thought last night was a dream.

After a long while, movement finally came from the bathroom.

Someone walked out from inside without making a sound.

His expression was particularly ugly.

Shi Sui was hurriedly changing clothes and combing her hair, paying no attention at all.

Until she passed by Yan Tingli to enter the bathroom to wash up.

Suddenly, Shi Sui stopped in her tracks.

Her gaze fixed on Yan Tingli’s face and the red spots emerging on his neck.

She cupped his face in both hands: “What’s wrong with you? Are you having an allergic reaction?”

“What did you eat?”

Yan Tingli averted his gaze and said coldly: “I told you the bedsheets were toxic.”

Bedsheets?!

Shi Sui was puzzled: “Then why am I fine?”

What kind of constitution did Yan Tingli have?

Just then, knocking came from the door.

Li Tingyan’s gentle voice came through: “Suisui, are you ready? We need to hurry—class is about to start.”

Shi Sui moved to open the door.

Yan Tingli grabbed her hand: “Don’t open the door.”

Shi Sui’s eyes rolled, and she smiled slightly: “Didn’t you moan so enthusiastically last night just so he would hear?”

“…”

Yan Tingli’s face was expressionless.

“Tell him to get lost.”

“Now.”