Chapter 40: Now He Possesses the Moon, and the Moon Shines on Him Too…

The temperature in Jiangcheng wasn’t much different from Linjing’s. Recently, it had rained in Jiangcheng, and the damp autumn wind was chilly enough to make people shiver.

Xu Wu had prepared meticulously for this trip, even checking the weather beforehand. Jiangcheng was more humid than Linjing, so she brought several thick coats and sweaters.

The client she was working with had also come to Jiangcheng for this business trip. Most of the work had already been completed according to the schedule, but Xu Wu would be leaving a little later.

Sitting on the bus heading back to her small hometown, Xu Wu gazed out the window at the familiar scenery. The view hadn’t changed much since her last visit—patches of green still lingered in the fields despite the deep autumn.

Two or three hours passed quickly as she daydreamed while admiring the landscape. Once she got off the bus, she walked confidently toward her destination.

Her father’s grave remained unchanged. She spoke to the smiling face in the tombstone photo, sharing recent events. Unconsciously, she began walking toward the place where they used to live.

The old neighborhood had become abandoned and dangerous, with moss growing on the walls and weeds sprouting everywhere. The tree she and her father had planted together when she was young had grown tall and sturdy. Recent rains had knocked down the osmanthus flowers, scattering golden petals across the ground—a flood of memories.

After visiting her father, Xu Wu often wandered around the places they used to live.

Slowly, she arrived at the street she used to frequent as a child. She hadn’t walked this road in years. Having eaten very little that morning, she now felt hungry after all the walking. She decided to grab something to eat. Aside from the newly paved cement road, the street hadn’t changed much.

As she hesitated over which restaurant to choose—

“Is that Old Xu’s daughter?”

The people here spoke the local dialect of Jiangcheng. Xu Wu turned toward the voice. The person asking wore a down jacket and carried a bag of groceries from the market. She didn’t recognize him immediately.

His back was slightly hunched, and his face was lined with wrinkles when he smiled.

He squinted as he examined her face before confirming again: “Are you Old Xu’s little girl?”

Xu Wu nodded politely and asked, “And you are…?”

He chuckled warmly: “I’m your dad’s colleague, Uncle Tang! You don’t remember me? I used to give you candy when you were little. The last time I saw you was seven years ago, when we caught the murderer. Look at you now—you’re almost as tall as your dad!”

As he spoke, his eyes softened with nostalgia, seeing how Xu Wu had grown up.

At his mention, Xu Wu vaguely recalled that her father had two close friends, one of whom was Uncle Tang, his colleague at the police station. After her father’s death, she left Linjing and hadn’t seen him or the other uncle since.

Uncle Tang’s back wasn’t as strong as it used to be. Xu Wu greeted him with a respectful “Uncle Tang.”

Tang laughed and responded warmly. As they chatted, he mentioned another friend of her father’s. Tang knew she had gone to Linjing, and later, the other friend’s daughter had taken him to a big hospital in Linjing. He asked if she had met them.

This was the first time Xu Wu had heard about this from Tang. There were only two or three major hospitals in Linjing, none of which she recognized.

Hearing this, Tang added: “I thought you’d met. That child called me once to ask about some things. I assumed you two had already crossed paths.”

Xu Wu silently filed away this information.

“Did you come back to visit your dad?” Tang glanced at the muddy soil clinging to the soles of her shoes and guessed.

“Yes.”

After hearing her response, Tang’s aged face bore faint traces of wrinkles even when he wasn’t smiling. “Your father was unfortunate. Back then, his good friend was injured too. In the end, the murderer was sentenced to death—it was justice for your father.”

Xu Wu remained silent, quietly listening.

“What’s strange is,” Tang continued, “we conducted a full manhunt, but years later, he suddenly reappeared here—in your father’s cemetery. During questioning, he didn’t say a word. The only clue we got was that he claimed his phone had been discarded long ago. We never found it.”

After saying this, Tang looked at her silent face, waved his hand, and chuckled: “Look at me—I’ve already retired. Why am I telling you all this? Don’t take it to heart. It’s just something I never figured out before leaving my post.”

As Tang walked away with his groceries, Xu Wu stared at his retreating figure, falling into deep thought.

After eating in town, it was already evening by the time she took the bus back to the provincial city.

On the ride, she kept replaying Tang’s words in her mind.

She began searching the gaps in her memory for any clues.

Her father had been a policeman in this small county. The police had searched extensively for the murderer, even seeking help from neighboring provinces. The encounter where her father was fatally stabbed happened by chance. He bled out from over ten stab wounds and didn’t survive.

The murderer, who had never appeared before, showed up in the cemetery the day she visited her father. This detail seemed suspicious.

Even if the murderer knew about her, under wanted status, he shouldn’t have been able to track her movements. Yet, it seemed like he had waited for her arrival, lying in ambush. Just like what had happened to her father.

Someone must have known about her trip to Jiangcheng. The key point was the murderer’s missing phone.

The phone had disappeared long before his arrest—or rather, someone had hidden it. The events from seven years ago were far more complicated than they seemed.

But finding that lost phone now would be nearly impossible.

Over the years, Jiangcheng had undergone significant changes. Many buildings and structures had been rebuilt. Finding the original crime scene would be nearly impossible.

That night, Xu Wu video-called Zhou Jinye. During this business trip, they had been seeing each other through video calls.

Pudding hadn’t seen her in days and jumped excitedly when Zhou Jinye bent down to adjust the camera angle, focusing on the dog instead.

After chatting with Pudding, Zhou Jinye stood up. His loose V-neck pajamas revealed the scar near his chest, clearer than ever through the screen.

If someone had deliberately orchestrated everything, they had dragged Zhou Jinye into the events of seven years ago.

The dim warm light of the hotel room cast a shadow of her thin figure against the window. The camera shifted back to Zhou Jinye’s face. “I miss you,” she said softly.

Even Zhou Jinye was momentarily stunned by her words. After three or four seconds of silence that felt both fleeting and endless, his voice grew hoarse: “I’ll pick you up at the airport tomorrow.”

Only then did Zhou Jinye carefully examine the background behind her. Through the window, he could see the faint outlines of buildings. All he heard was her soft reply: “Okay.”

________________________________________

By the time she returned to Linjing, it was already evening. Zhou Jinye was waiting for her at the station.

For the first time, Xu Wu felt a special sense of urgency. She quickened her pace and ran toward him, embracing him like lovers reunited after years apart.

The thoughts that had troubled her last night calmed as she held him close.

Zhou Jinye assumed it was simply longing. His smile didn’t fade from dinner to their walk back to the apartment.

Xu Wu brought the gift Jiang Zihan had sent her into the room and set it down.

After two days apart, their emotions overflowed the moment they stepped inside. Pudding, who hadn’t even poked his head in yet, was mercilessly shut outside.

Without turning on the air conditioning, the temperature between them rose steadily. Zhou Jinye’s hands rested on Xu Wu’s waist, pulling her closer. Just as the fire between them threatened to consume them, Zhou Jinye slowly released her, using the excuse of changing clothes to retreat to his room.

Seeing the bulge straining against his pants, Xu Wu’s cheeks flushed red.

She smoothed the creases on her waistband and picked up the gift Jiang Zihan had sent. Opening the box, she found a dress inside.

It was a pale blue lace-trimmed dress with a chiffon skirt. The fabric felt incredibly soft and comfortable. Though short, it fell just above her thighs when she held it up against herself.

Just then, Jiang Zihan called her on video: “I heard you received the package. Have you tried it on yet?”

Xu Wu touched the dress. “Not yet.”

“It was cleaned after being made. Try it on—it’s clean.”

She set the dress down and removed her coat. “Alright.”

“Remember to take a picture for me!”

After hanging up with Jiang Zihan, Xu Wu slipped into the dress.

The chiffon fabric was delicate and thin, and the zipper on the side required careful handling. Once zipped, she styled her hair and stepped out of the room—just as the doorbell rang.

The fabric was so delicate that she struggled to keep the zipper closed. Grabbing her coat from the bed, she hastily threw it on as she answered the door.

Zhou Jinye had changed into fresh clothes, carrying the faint scent of sandalwood and rich shower gel.

When he opened the door, his gaze lingered on her exposed waist before unwillingly dropping to her slender, fair legs. His Adam’s apple bobbed uncontrollably.

His voice was noticeably hoarse: “Where’s Pudding?”

Pudding sat obediently on the rug inside.

Spotting Pudding, Zhou Jinye turned to leave: “If he’s with you, I’ll head back.”

Seeing this, Xu Wu remembered Jiang Zihan’s insistence that the dress suited her perfectly—but she hadn’t yet checked herself in the mirror. Deciding to seize the moment, she shrugged off her coat and called out to him in the hallway.

“Take a look—is this dress nice? Jiang Zihan’s waiting for me to send her a photo.”

Under the bright hallway lights, her skin glowed translucent. The chiffon skirt hugged her slim waist, its ethereal layers making her resemble the moon veiled in misty clouds. Her lips, moist and honey-like, awaited his verdict.

Bare-faced, her beauty was natural yet captivating.

Zhou Jinye’s body burned. He turned his head to open his door, but his voice remained low and husky: “It looks good.”

Xu Wu reached out to pull him closer, her fingers brushing against his arm. A sudden tug drew her into his embrace, and the door slammed shut behind them.

Her lips parted slightly, meeting his kiss. The sweetness of honey lingered in her mouth as she surrendered fully.

The thin, delicate fabric of the dress pressed against her skin, heightening every sensation. She could feel the undeniable proof of his desire.

When Zhou Jinye finally pushed her away, struggling to maintain control, Xu Wu held onto his hand.

Her lips were redder and wetter than before. He gazed at her, his tone hoarse and stern: “Xu Shuwang, let go.”

The last time this happened, he had pushed her away. She could still smell the lingering scent of his shower gel. Such moments were normal for couples, but she shyly guided his hand back to her cheek. “I won’t push you away, so don’t push me away either.”

Under the light, he noticed the cold gleam of the necklace around her neck. Hearing her words, Zhou Jinye was swept away once more.

His kisses burned wherever they landed, love growing fierce and passionate in that moment.

From the doorway to the bedroom, the overhead light stayed on. Xu Wu’s blush deepened with her first experience.

To Zhou Jinye, she was like a ripe lychee—peeling back the shell revealed a sweet, refreshing flavor that made him crave more.

“Shuwang,” he breathed heavily against her.

The dress gradually slid off her shoulders and pooled somewhere unknown.

The clear, radiant moon emerged from the clouds, its purity shining brilliantly. Now he possessed the moon, and in the quiet darkness of night, he could clearly see the moonlight shining on him too.