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It was nearing noon when Xu Wu finally woke up.
The lights in the room had been turned off at some point, and sunlight streamed through a small gap in the dark curtains.
The light was slightly more blinding than the overhead glow from the night before.
Feeling refreshed after her sleep, she rolled over to move her body, though her waist still ached a bit. Last night, both of them were fully conscious, and the spot beside her still retained some lingering warmth. Zhou Jinye was no longer in the room.
She sat up. Her dress and underwear from last night were on a nearby chair. In her weakened state, she hadn’t been able to get out of bed, so Zhou Jinye had carried her to wash up. The clothes she was wearing now belonged to him.
The loose long sleeves enveloped her, and his scent had mingled with hers, which made her feel refreshed.
Her necklace, which had been around her neck, was gone, nowhere to be found in the room.
The necklace was usually tucked inside her clothes, its delicate chain barely noticeable.
She searched the floor of the room and the bathroom thoroughly but still couldn’t find it. After putting her underwear back on, she heard the vibration of a phone on the bedside table. It was Saturday, a rest day.
She rarely set alarms for this time, so when she looked at the unfamiliar pattern on the phone screen, she realized she hadn’t brought her own phone. This wasn’t hers—it was Zhou Jinye’s.
The alarm was still ringing, so Xu Wu reached over to turn it off. However, after shutting off the alarm, she accidentally tapped the screen and unintentionally opened the photo album.
As she prepared to close the phone screen, she noticed that the top four videos in the gallery were all taken by a camera. One of them was related to an investigation into the exhibition from last time.
She recalled mentioning this to Zhou Jinye before and guessed that he was the one who conducted the investigation—his phone had kept a copy of it.
The other three videos caught her attention, and as she paused one of them, she saw her own figure. She clicked on one of them.
The video began to play, bringing back hazy memories that gradually became clearer as the frames advanced on the phone screen.
After watching it once, she exited the photo album and turned off the screen.
She didn’t watch the rest of the footage, but what she saw in those videos confirmed her suspicions. Over the past few months, she had become aware that Zhou Jinye had installed a security camera at the entrance of their home. The video she just watched was of her when she was drunk, and the earlier parts of the video aligned closely with what she remembered.
The audio in the video was low, but she could clearly hear herself speaking.
The latter half of the video replayed in her mind, bringing to light everything that had happened while she was not fully conscious.
“Even in my dreams, I can’t tell him.”
“So answer me—are you involved with someone surnamed Qin?”
“How did you know? I don’t remember telling you about my dream.”
These words came from the Xu Wu in the video, spoken during that drunken night.
No wonder, since that night, Zhou Jinye had stopped bringing up past incidents that might upset her. He no longer pressed her about certain matters. Although she hadn’t fully revealed her promise with Qin Shili, it was already quite obvious.
She had asked him how to handle it, but Zhou Jinye never told her. Xu Wu couldn’t help but wonder if he had already begun planning his retaliation against Qin Shili back then.
Given his personality, it was entirely possible. But even so, he still protected her from behind.
The plane ticket she had bought when returning from abroad…
And the things she said—he had already stepped in to defend her before she even spoke…
But he never said anything.
A warm ray of sunshine pierced through layers of fog, illuminating her direction. That sun had never really left; it was still shining on her.
He had never intended to step out of her life.
“You’re awake,” Zhou Jinye said, walking up behind Xu Wu. His large hand rested on her waist, rubbing it through her clothes.
Xu Wu had already put down his phone. She turned around and gazed at Zhou Jinye for a long moment.
Seeing her staring at him, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
She moved past his hand and hugged him tightly. “Thank you. Thank you for coming to find me.”
Zhou Jinye tilted her chin up with his finger and asked again, “Is something wrong?”
She shook her head, her eyes filled only with his face. She hugged him again and whispered, “I just think you’re really great. I really like you.”
Hearing this, Zhou Jinye helped her up and smiled. “Didn’t you say that last night?”
At his words, Xu Wu recalled the heartfelt things she had said during their intimate moments the previous night.
“Did you see the necklace around my neck?”
Zhou Jinye’s gaze fell on her neck. Last night, consumed by desire, especially when he saw the necklace, all his self-control had crumbled.
He took the necklace out of the drawer where he had placed it and fastened it around her neck. “You should always wear it.”
Xu Wu didn’t hide anything from him and nodded.
This confirmed everything. Zhou Jinye gently caressed the skin on the back of her neck.
Lately, Xu Wu had changed somewhat, becoming more proactive and less evasive.
She planned to take her clothes and change into something else.
Zhou Jinye stopped her, no longer teasing. “Wait a moment. Come have something to eat. I’ll take you to meet someone.”
“Who?”
“An elder I mentioned before.”
________________________________________
Back in her own room, she picked up her phone and finally noticed a message from Jiang Zihan.
Last night, while she was with Zhou Jinye, she hadn’t sent any photos beforehand, and they ended up having relations.
In the end, no pictures were sent to Jiang Zihan.
The custom-made dress was in her hands, almost torn apart by Zhou Jinye last night, but Xu Wu had managed to stop him—it was, after all, a gift from Jiang Zihan.
The dress had some wrinkles, but after ironing it, she placed it carefully in her wardrobe.
[It looks pretty good, but I forgot to take a picture.]
[Flower emoji]
[Did you really forget to take a picture? Can’t you show me at least?]
On the other side, Jiang Zihan quickly replied to Xu Wu, as if seeing right through her.
After picking out an outfit to wear today, Xu Wu closed the wardrobe door slightly and replied: [I have something to do today. Maybe next time.]
[So you’re meeting the parents already?!] Jiang Zihan remembered what Xu Wu had said earlier and was surprised at how quickly things were progressing.
Zhou Jinye had told her it was an older acquaintance, but he hadn’t mentioned meeting the parents.
[Not exactly. I’m going to have dinner first.]
She didn’t continue chatting with Jiang Zihan. Though she knew it was just an elder, Xu Wu was still a bit nervous. She covered the red marks on her neck with makeup and dressed more formally.
After finishing their meal, Zhou Jinye drove her to their destination.
Xu Wu wasn’t sure if Zhou Jinye was taking her to meet his family. Instead of paying attention to the passing scenery, she remained preoccupied with this thought.
An hour later, they arrived at the outskirts of Linjing City. It wasn’t the same place where they had celebrated his niece’s birthday last time, but the house looked comforting nonetheless. The villa’s garden was meticulously cared for, with no fallen leaves scattered around.
The paint on the iron gate appeared freshly applied.
“Let’s go in.”
The gate wasn’t locked, slightly ajar. Zhou Jinye pushed it open with one hand while holding Xu Wu’s hand with the other, leading her inside.
The person waiting inside seemed to already know they were coming. He lay quietly on a lounge chair in the yard.
His face was unfamiliar to Xu Wu; she had never seen him around Zhou Jinye before.
Green leaves on the trees were speckled with yellow spots, yet they still clung firmly to the branches, showing no signs of falling.
“There’s a seat here. Don’t stand. Sit.”
The man on the lounge chair glanced at their intertwined hands and then looked back at the sky.
After Zhou Jinye helped Xu Wu sit down, he introduced him: “This is my uncle. Just call him Uncle Xu.”
“Hello, Uncle Xu.”
She sat at a moderate distance from Uncle Xu, her angle allowing her to see clear traces of age etched onto his face.
Uncle Xu’s gaze lingered on her. The girl’s demeanor was different from Zhou Jinye’s, and it was hard for him to imagine that Zhou Jinye would be with someone like her. Unexpectedly, he saw no smile on his face, but a slight lift in his eyebrows. She nodded slightly.
“I forgot to ask last time—what’s your name?”
“Xu Wu.” Though confused by his mention of “last time,” she still replied, feeling a bit tense.
Zhou Jinye interjected, “Uncle Xu, let’s get to the point.”
Uncle Xu finally turned to him, ready to speak. “Can’t we just chat for a bit?”
“Afterward, I’ll bring Xu Wu to visit and chat with you. If you don’t mind the company.”
Zhou Jinye’s words made Uncle Xu chuckle. Turning to Xu Wu, he asked, “How did you end up with this guy?”
“He’s really good,” she said earnestly.
“Fine,” Uncle Xu sighed, unwilling to argue further with Zhou Jinye. His gaze shifted to the documents on the stone table. “Here’s what I’ve recently uncovered.”
Looking at Xu Wu, he continued, “Most people on Weibo have dug up some information about Qin Shili. I followed the leads, and everything I found is here.”
After hearing “Weibo,” Xu Wu recalled the screenshots Zhou Jinye had shown her earlier. “You found this on Weibo?”
Uncle Xu glanced at Zhou Jinye, who apparently hadn’t mentioned it. “Yes, I privately contacted a few people a few days ago.”
Xu Wu fell silent, lost in thought.
Meanwhile, Zhou Jinye picked up the file, pulling out an old-school mobile phone.
“What’s this?”
This phone had already been outdated when Xu Wu was five or six years old. The screen bore marks that looked like they had been caused by friction.
Many years had passed.
“This was sent to me. Someone was supposed to burn it, but they kept it instead. They remembered the person was Qin Shili.”
Zhou Jinye stared at the phone. “Can we still access what’s inside?”
Uncle Xu shrugged. “I couldn’t open it.”
“I’ll find someone.”
This phone had clearly been around for many years. It was uncertain whether the data inside could be fully restored.
Seeing the phone, Xu Wu felt a twinge of sensitivity. She still remembered what Tang Shu had told her. Was this the phone he mentioned? Perhaps she was overthinking it—how could something related to Qin Shili end up here?
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