Tears, unstoppable, spilled from her eyes, blurring everything before her.

“A’Qian? A’Qian?”

Receiving no response, the man’s voice gradually grew more urgent.

As though waking from a dream, Rong Qian came back to herself with a start. She lifted her head and found herself looking directly into Shen Yi’s anxious eyes — his entire expression visibly tense with worry.

Rong Qian blinked, then hurriedly wiped away her tears. She offered Shen Yi an apologetic smile. “I’m fine. Something sad just came to mind out of nowhere. You don’t need to worry.”

“A’Qian…” Shen Yi’s brow was knitted tightly. He seemed on the verge of saying something but held back.

“I’ll go wash my face.” Rong Qian made her escape first.

On her way out of the room, she happened to run into Xu Mo, who had come looking for Shen Yi. Noticing something off about Rong Qian, Xu Mo immediately asked Shen Yi: “Boss, did you and Miss Rong have a fight? Her eyes are all red.”

Of course, even Xu Mo himself didn’t quite believe that as he said it.

Shen Yi stayed silent, his deeply furrowed brow betraying the unease within him.

Rong Qian entered the bathroom, turned on the tap, and splashed water on her face. As she doused herself, she stared at her own red-rimmed eyes in the mirror and scolded herself under her breath: “What are you crying for? Pathetic.”

She leaned back against the wall and drew a long, steadying breath. Once she was certain she had calmed down, she told herself: “Rong Qian, this is a temporary moment of confusion. The matter is simple. All you need to do is uncover the truth — and find out who attacked you in the shadows.”

She forced her rationality to win out over her emotions and compelled herself to let go of the clutter in her mind.

“Think of it another way — maybe the reason you keep crossing over is because the victim was wrongly treated? Maybe each time you’re pulled here, it’s to bring long-buried truths into the light. And you — you’re the chosen one meant to do it!” Rong Qian encouraged herself. The more she said it, the more sense it seemed to make.

Rong Qian told herself to hold onto just one thing: uncover the truth.

And on the day the truth was finally revealed, she would stop crossing over. She would return to her normal life.

Yes. That was it.

But —

Rong Qian looked at herself in the mirror, tears still flowing unchecked down her face, and said in a voice thick with emotion: “Then why… are you still this heartbroken?”

She suddenly realized: more than the fear of never uncovering the truth, what frightened her more was the thought of never seeing Shen Yi again…

“Boss, do you think Miss Rong will come down for lunch?”

At the dining table, Xu Mo eyed the full spread of dishes before him. He’d picked up his chopsticks, eager to eat, but one glance at the empty seat beside him made him put them back down again.

He was hungry. He wanted to eat. But Miss Rong hadn’t come down yet, and he didn’t dare start without her. That was why he’d asked Shen Yi.

Shen Yi was silent. His eyes were closed as he thought, absently turning the gold ring on the middle finger of his left hand — a habit when he was deep in contemplation. He said nothing, and so Xu Mo didn’t dare speak either.

Then, at that moment, light, brisk footsteps came from upstairs.

“Why didn’t anyone call me for lunch? I’m starving.”

Rong Qian came bounding down the stairs with an energy that filled the room. She settled into her seat, picked up her chopsticks, and promptly lifted a piece of fish to her mouth. The tender, delicate flesh hit her palate, and Rong Qian — every bit the foodie — cradled her cheeks in her hands and sighed with bliss: “This is so good~”

“Is it really that good? Let me try!” Xu Mo had been hungry this whole time, and watching that expression on Rong Qian’s face was all the push he needed. He dove in without hesitation.

Rong Qian noticed Shen Yi still hadn’t touched his food and urged him on: “Come on, eat — everything’s going cold.”

“Are you alright?” Shen Yi asked gently.

He was afraid she was suppressing her feelings. He didn’t know why her mood had suddenly dipped earlier, but the last thing Shen Yi wanted was for her to force a smile for their sake.

Rong Qian waved it off casually. “Oh, it’s nothing. I just suddenly thought about my parents.”

She knew Shen Yi didn’t believe her, and she hadn’t really meant to deceive him — she’d just said it off the top of her head.

But Xu Mo took it to heart. He set down his chopsticks and looked at Rong Qian with great sincerity: “Miss Rong, life and death are fated. Please accept my condolences.”

Rong Qian turned to look at him. With an expression entirely devoid of warmth, she delivered two flat words: “They’re alive.”

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry!” Xu Mo was so startled he immediately began apologizing, even pressing his hands together and bowing repeatedly from side to side.

Rong Qian: “…”

Hey — who exactly are you apologizing to?! She just said they’re still alive!

“Is your mood truly a bit better?” Shen Yi’s gaze on Rong Qian was full of undisguised concern.

Rong Qian nodded. “Really. Don’t worry about me bottling things up. When I’m in a bad mood, I just find someone to spar with, let it all out, and I’m fine.”

Just then, a tall, broad-shouldered bodyguard dressed head to toe in black walked over. There was a bandage strip across his nose.

Shen Yi glanced at the bodyguard and reached his conclusion. “You sparred with him?”

“Sure did!” Rong Qian smiled, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.

Xu Mo cast the bodyguard a look of sympathetic amusement. “Zhang Jin, that’s rough. Miss Rong hits you, and you actually dare hit back? Come on, no matter how tough you are, you still have to just stand there and take it, right?”

Zhang Jin was Shen Yi’s personal bodyguard, assigned around the clock. Though they’d only recently become acquainted, everyone got along well — no hierarchy, no airs, all very approachable.

Hearing Xu Mo’s jab, Zhang Jin maintained his cold exterior, but inwardly he very much wanted to say: He had fought back…

He just couldn’t win.

On the day Zhang Jin first arrived, Xu Mo had introduced him to Rong Qian’s situation — nothing spelled out explicitly, but anyone could see she was the boss’s woman.

Zhang Jin was no newcomer to the job. He knew the type — the rich man’s woman, spoiled, headstrong, unreasonable. He’d prepared himself from the start to keep his distance.

So imagine his surprise when he was the one who kept to himself, and she was the one who came looking for him.

Zhang Jin was cold and composed, always wearing that blank, unreadable expression — with his sunglasses on, he let no one in.

But his inner world was remarkably rich. He was a classic case of a tough exterior hiding the soul of someone far more flustered within. He’d assumed Rong Qian was interested in him, and had panicked — if word got out that he’d gotten entangled with the boss’s woman, how was he supposed to keep working in this field?

What was he supposed to do? The boss’s woman had invited him — a mere bodyguard — to the gym, claiming she wanted to “exchange pointers.” He was completely lost on how to handle it.

Zhang Jin had initially refused. It was only after he saw that Rong Qian was genuinely sparring with him that he started taking it seriously — and then discovered, with mounting disbelief, that he couldn’t win.

Naturally, Xu Mo still didn’t know just how formidable Rong Qian was. He assumed Zhang Jin had simply “gone easy” on her.

After the sparring session, Zhang Jin kept glancing over at Rong Qian with an indecipherable look. Shen Yi took note, and after lunch, called Zhang Jin up to his room.

“Boss.” Zhang Jin stood outside and knocked. Only after receiving permission did he enter.

He asked respectfully: “Boss, is there something you need?”

“What’s going through your mind?” Shen Yi didn’t beat around the bush. He asked directly.

His tone remained friendly. Whether Zhang Jin had any designs on Rong Qian — he’d already read that in a single glance.

He clearly didn’t.

Zhang Jin, sensing that Shen Yi harbored no misunderstanding, relaxed enough to speak plainly: “Boss, I heard that Miss Rong’s injuries came from a fight she was in — that she lost and that’s what led to her being hurt this badly.”

“Yes, that’s what she said. Is there a problem with that?”

Zhang Jin considered for a moment before continuing: “Her fighting ability is exceptional. She could take on ten opponents on her own without difficulty. So even if she was outnumbered, she shouldn’t have come out this badly hurt.”

“So your point is?”

Zhang Jin offered his assessment: “She was most likely deliberately allowing herself to be beaten — meaning, she could not fight back.”

Shen Yi paused. He realized that while he knew Rong Qian well, he had never looked at her from an outside observer’s perspective.

And because of that, he had overlooked many details he should have caught.

Zhang Jin added: “Miss Rong’s fighting style gives me a very familiar feeling.”

Shen Yi immediately asked: “How so?”

“When she had me pinned down, there was one instinctive movement — she reached toward her waist. A habit of reaching for something.” Zhang Jin paused briefly before finishing: “Like a gun. Or handcuffs.”

Shen Yi’s eyes narrowed slightly. A gun and handcuffs?

“I have friends who work in the police force. The impression Miss Rong gives me—” Zhang Jin looked at Shen Yi and said, slowly and deliberately: “Is exactly like a police officer.”