[You know, I’ve always liked you so much.]

That evening, Hou Zihao was discharged from the hospital. He insisted that he didn’t have any major issues and could recover at home. In reality, Zhou Leqi knew that his decision to leave was actually an attempt to avoid the overly familiar environment of the hospital, which reminded him of his father. Those memories were just too painful.

She agreed and took him home.

It was a familiar place — Haoting International.

Even though seven years had passed, this community remained one of the most prestigious high-end neighborhoods in City A. The many changes experienced by the developer hadn’t affected the community’s operation. It was still elegant and luxurious, as orderly as it had been seven years ago.

Zhou Leqi helped Hou Zihao out of the taxi and pressed the button for the 33rd floor in the elevator since his right hand was injured. At that moment, he looked at her in surprise, as if asking how she knew which floor he lived on.

“I came here once during the college entrance exam year to find you,” she shrugged, honestly answering his unspoken question. “I got the address from Teacher Pan, but I couldn’t go up. The property management stopped me.”

Her calm words brought back distant and uneasy memories, and the elevator fell into silence. His eyes rippled with emotions.

“...I’m sorry,” his voice was low and dejected. “At that time, I...”

“It’s okay.”

She interrupted him directly, seemingly unwilling to hear him blame himself. She looked up and gave him a faint smile.

“It’s all in the past,” she said quietly. “I’ve already forgotten about it.”

After opening the door, the interior was pitch dark. He casually turned on a dim wall lamp, revealing the state of the apartment.

It was a very luxurious apartment, with a living room ceiling five or six meters high, appearing grand and imposing. However, all the furniture was covered with white cloths to protect against dust, making it look particularly desolate, devoid of any human warmth.

Zhou Leqi couldn’t help but be surprised, wondering why the house was still in this condition. After all, he had been living there at least until yesterday. Why hadn’t he unpacked?

After a brief moment of astonishment, she understood. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to tidy up; it was that he didn’t dare to. Once he restored the environment to its original state, the absence of his family would become even more apparent — how could he face that warm and bright home alone?

It would be too cruel.

Zhou Leqi stopped speaking and silently helped him upstairs. Bathed in the soft glow of the wall lamp, they made their way to his room.

The room was also dark, except for signs of use on the bed. The desk, cabinets, and small sofa were all covered with white cloths, just like the rest of the house. It was clear that after returning home, he had only slept on the bed and left everything else untouched.

She was beginning to feel heartbroken.

He, on the other hand, remained silent, saying little throughout. He sat awkwardly on the edge of the bed because his right arm was still in a sling and couldn’t be removed on the first day. She found a cushion to support his back so he could lean against the headboard for a while.

“I’ll be leaving now,” she said. “I’ll come see you again tomorrow.”

A considerate farewell. As she spoke, she made a move to stand up from the bedside, but at that moment, he gently grabbed her wrist. His voice was especially clear in the quiet room as he asked, “...Are you leaving tonight?”

Are you leaving tonight?

It was an unreasonable question. Zhou Leqi paused, then replied, “Of course.”

The light from the hall’s wall lamp barely seeped into his room, so she didn’t see his furrowed brows. She only heard him say again, “I’m not reassured letting you go alone... it might be dangerous.”

He was right.

Today’s car accident wasn’t a simple mishap. Whoever was behind it would surely try again now that she had escaped. It was best for her to stay by his side for now and report the incident to the police station tomorrow.

But his reason for wanting her to stay wasn’t solely based on safety. Subtle selfishness was at play. After revealing the deepest secret of his heart, he craved her closeness. She understood his feelings but didn’t want to indulge him, so she still said, “I’ll be careful. I should go now.”

As she tried to stand up from the bedside again, she felt a slight warmth around her waist. His uninjured left hand had wrapped around her from behind, and his voice was close to her ear as he said, “Don’t leave… please.”

“I’ll feel better if I can keep an eye on you.”

There was a hint of emotion, a touch of stubbornness, a bit of clinginess.

She pursed her lips, her heart already slightly swayed. Today’s events had softened her toward him, and such emotions often led to compromise. But investment bankers are usually far-sighted, and Zhou Leqi had always preferred long-term investments. The kind of relationship she wanted was enduring, which required her to stick to her principles and maintain her stance.

“Hou Zihao,” she began somewhat stiffly, her tone formal, leaving no room for ambiguity. “We’ve already broken up. Do you remember that?”

He: “...”

“It was your decision to break up,” she reminded him further. “I tried to win you back several times, but you refused me every time.”

He: “...”

She pried his hand off her waist and said, “Right now, we’re just friends. We should be mindful of the boundaries in our interactions.”

He: “..........................”

To be honest, the current situation was somewhat beyond his expectations. They had indeed broken up before, but that was because they hadn’t fully communicated. Now that they had, and she had come all the way to investigate a case from seven years ago, risking her life for him, shouldn’t they...?

Her sweet presence in the enclosed room was especially enchanting. The space from his youth evoked a psychological illusion, making it difficult for him to return to the composed adult he had been since their reunion. He became vulnerable again, carefully wrapping his arms around her once more after she pushed him away, like a large dog yearning for its master’s attention.

“I didn’t refuse you... You know I could never refuse you,” his grip on her waist tightened with each breath, as if confessing his feelings. “I just don’t want to lose you... Zhou Leqi, you know that.”

The last half of his sentence was left unsaid, yet it carried an indescribable depth of emotion.

You know, I’ve always liked you so much.

You know, I was just afraid that my then penniless self would bring danger and misfortune upon you.

Of course, she knew. Even during their time in Italy, when he was at his coldest toward her, she knew she still had his love. But that didn’t mean she was willing to forgive him. It wasn’t that she couldn’t forgive his rejection or his departure without a word back then. It was his attitude toward their relationship that she couldn’t accept — he seemed willing to give but reluctant to receive, happy to share joy with her but unwilling to let her share his burdens.

This was a lack of trust, at the very least a form of unilateral decision-making, and it was a flaw she was determined to fix.

So she pushed his hand away again, finally standing up from the bedside. Her tone was distant as she said, “Rest well. See you tomorrow.”

With that, she really intended to leave, ignoring his attempts to stop her as she walked out of the room. But halfway down the stairs, she heard a muffled groan from him, as if his wound was hurting again. Rationally, she knew he was probably exaggerating, but emotionally, she couldn’t bear to leave him. She went back and found him standing by the bed, his left hand pressed against his right shoulder, seemingly in great pain. Cold sweat dotted his forehead, and his back was hunched over from the pain.

Seeing this, she immediately panicked, quickly helping him back onto the bed. As she examined his injury, she scolded him, “Why did you get up? Couldn’t you just stay put?”

He had always been good at playing the victim since his teenage years. Though he had set aside this skill for a few years as an adult, picking it up again seemed effortless. He naturally said, “It’s fine, I know my limits. I just stretched it... If I hadn’t felt dizzy earlier, I wouldn’t have lost my balance.”

Textbook-level pity-seeking, reminding her that his injury wasn’t just in his shoulder but also his head.

Zhou Leqi was speechless for a moment, yet her heart inevitably softened. Perhaps because deep down, she was more familiar with this side of him: gentle, clever, and... loving her.

She snorted, pretending not to buy it, and asked, “What exactly do you want?”

He recognized this as an opportunity she was giving him and quickly seized it, politely requesting, “Don’t leave tonight. It’s already so late... Just stay and let me sleep peacefully. Don’t worry about me, okay?”

His voice was the softest, his presence the most familiar, stirring a sense of nostalgia and affection.

She pursed her lips, thinking in silence. He didn’t dare rush her, waiting patiently for her decision. After a while, she finally relented, saying, “Do you have a guest room?”

Separate accommodations weren’t ideal, but at least she wasn’t leaving. He felt both satisfied and a little regretful, his heart growing softer.

Zhou Leqi, you said everything would get better.

What about us?

Will things get better between us?

That night, Zhou Leqi slept fairly well, despite dreaming about the car accident from earlier and waking up twice in fright. Eventually, she managed to fall back asleep, somehow becoming more at ease than expected.

At 8 a.m., she was awakened by a phone call. Picking up her phone, she saw it was Yan Lin. She quickly answered, “Hello?”

“It’s me,” Yan Lin’s usual cool voice came through the line. “I’m in City A. I’m going to the court today. Do you want to join me?”

Zhou Leqi was still half-asleep, her mind foggy, but upon hearing Yan Lin’s words, she immediately woke up. Sitting up in bed, she asked in surprise, “You’re in City A? Are you at the station? I’ll come pick you up.”

“No need. I arrived last night and checked into a hotel,” he replied methodically. “If you’re free, you can meet me at the court. If you’re busy, I can go alone.”

Zhou Leqi ran her fingers through her hair, hesitating before responding.

Yan Lin detected her hesitation and asked, “Is something inconvenient?”

Zhou Leqi pursed her lips, unsure where to begin. After organizing her thoughts, she replied, “Nothing’s inconvenient. It’s just that I have a lot of things to deal with here... I originally planned to go to the police station today.”

“The police station?” Yan Lin’s voice grew more serious. “Did something happen?”

“Well, yes. There was a car accident yesterday. The perpetrator fled the scene, and I haven’t reported it yet. I need to file a report today.” Zhou Leqi briefly summarized the situation.

Yan Lin was somewhat shocked and asked a few follow-up questions about her condition and the details of the accident. After confirming she was safe, he finally relaxed. Then he heard Zhou Leqi add, “I’m fine, no injuries... but Hou Zihao is hurt. His right shoulder is fractured, and he has a concussion...”

Although Yan Lin had recently been exposed to more news about Hou Zihao, hearing his name still made him feel a bit uneasy. For a moment, he was lost in thought, unable to respond immediately.

Hearing the silence on the other end, Zhou Leqi felt awkward and uneasy. After some deliberation, she finally made up her mind and said, “I’m currently at his house with him. Maybe...”

“...Would you be willing to come and see him?”