Shen Yunjin was incredibly conflicted. He knew it was wrong, but every time he saw her, he couldn't help but feel his heart flutter.

He tried to suppress those emotions, but the pain followed him relentlessly, especially when he saw her sad; the piercing pain in his heart made him realize the truth.

He liked her; he actually broke through ethical boundaries and fell in love with her!

And in less than two months, he had already fallen so deeply in love with her that he wanted to possess her.

He is truly seriously ill!

In the past few days, Wen Xuyang could clearly see that Shen Yunjin was in a bad mood.

When they met for drinks again, Wen Xuyang only had a small sip, while Shen Yunjin drank one glass after another.

Sensing something was off, Wen Xuyang leaned over and put his arm around his shoulder. "Dude, I think you're missing something, aren't you?"

Shen Yunjin asked instinctively, "What?"

Wen Xuyang pinched the enviable muscles on his shoulder, raised an eyebrow and smiled, "You're missing a woman."

Shen Yunjin gave him a cold glance.

Wen Xuyang recklessly said, "Aren't you going to consider my sister? She's such a lovely girl. If you're willing, I'll call her over right now, and you two can get married and have a baby right away."

Shen Yunjin ignored him.

Wen Xuyang continued, "No, that's okay too. I'll call a girl to take your virginity, and you'll definitely feel better—"

Shen Yunjin punched him, sending him sprawling onto the sofa.

Wen Xuyang scrambled to his feet, clutching his head, looking utterly aggrieved. "Yunjin, you actually hit me! You're so cold, so heartless, you..."

Shen Yunjin looked at him coolly.

Wen Xuyang reluctantly shut up. "Ah, the weather is really nice today. Look at the moon outside, it's so round and full..."

Before I could finish speaking, I looked up and saw that it was pitch black outside, and it seemed that some snowflakes were falling again.

Wen Xuyang: ...How embarrassing.

After drinking silently for a while, Wen Xuyang noticed that he was drinking more and more heavily, so he stopped joking and asked seriously, "Is it because of that Ninth Concubine?"

Shen Yunjin did not answer.

But he didn't deny it. Wen Xuyang knew he had guessed most of it, and continued to ask, "Shen Yunjin, tell me honestly, have you really fallen for her?"

Shen Yunjin blinked and slowly said, "Yes."

Wen Xuyang knew it would be like this. His good friend had been single for so many years, and he was afraid that his friend was gay and might like him. So he quickly showed that he liked women to dispel the idea.

I never imagined that after finally managing to prove myself as a normal man, I would fall in love with my stepmother. It's so absurd.

Wen Xuyang really wanted to write it up as a news article and publish it; it would definitely be a bestseller.

However, looking at Shen Yunjin's cold and stern appearance, and his tall stature that could kill him with a single punch, Wen Xuyang temporarily gave up the idea.

He sighed and said, "Yunjin, it's impossible for you two. Give up."

Shen Yunjin didn't say anything, but just kept drinking one cup after another.

He was trying to give up, but the process was more painful than he had imagined.

Every time he had the thought of giving up, the image of her crying in the hospital would flash through his mind.

For some reason, he couldn't bear to see her cry.

When he first met her, he saw that her eyes were red, and at that moment, he felt a pang of pity.

Now that I've decided I like you, there's no way I can give up.

He wanted to take her away from her, but she didn't like him.

To want to let her go would be to betray her own father.

He didn't know what the right thing to do was.

This was the first time in his life that he felt lost.

...

When Shen Yunjin returned home drunk, it was already one o'clock in the morning.

It's snowing again, and the world is a gray expanse.

He thought Nanzhi was already asleep, but when he looked up at the entrance of the house, he saw the lamp in her room was dimly lit, and she was standing by the window, dressed in thin clothes, with dull eyes, as if she had a faint urge to jump down.

He sobered up instantly, afraid of startling her, and ran quickly into the building to the second floor.

He arrived at her room door, pushed it open without hesitation, and rushed in, just in time to see her sit on the windowsill.

The wind howled, and snowflakes landed on her eyebrows and shoulders. She seemed to have turned into a snowflake herself, about to be carried away by the wind.

His expression changed drastically, and he rushed over to pick her up in his arms.

He released her and saw her standing safely in front of him. Only then did he feel his heart return to normal, and he couldn't help but yell angrily, "What are you doing?"

Nanzhi didn't speak, staring blankly at him.

"You..." Shen Yunjin wanted to scold her, but he was caught off guard when he saw the tears in the corner of her eyes.

The tears, like pearls from a broken string, rolled down, sparkling and translucent, hitting the ground with a crisp sound, as if something had shattered along with them.

Many years later, Shen Yunjin finally understood that it was his heart.

He was speechless, choked up for a long time, before softening his voice, "Don't cry."

Nan Zhi's tears flowed more and more profusely. Shen Yun Jin had never seen a girl cry so beautifully.

But more than anything, I felt heartache.

He couldn't help but reach out to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes, his voice growing hoarse, "I shouldn't have been so harsh with you, please don't cry."

Hearing his words, Nan Zhi felt even more aggrieved and sad. She suddenly threw herself into his arms, as if grasping at a lifeline, and hugged him tightly.

Shen Yunjin felt the dampness on her neck. He hesitated for a moment before pushing her away, and then suddenly hugged her tightly.

"Go ahead and cry. You can lean on me and cry for a while."

His tone was gentler than ever before.

Nanzhi nestled in his arms and burst into unrestrained sobs.

She cried and pounded on him, the force negligible: "Why are you doing this to me? What did I do wrong? Why are you doing this to me?"

Shen Yunjin knew about her grievances.

This marriage was, in the first place, a forced marriage by the Shen family.

"Shen Yunjin, I hate you, I hate every single one of your Shen family members!"

As Shen Yunjin listened to her resentment, his heart sank to the bottom.

He apologized softly, "I'm sorry."

Nan Zhi cried in his arms for a while before calming down. Finally realizing something was wrong, she awkwardly crawled out of his arms.

She left him, wiping away tears from the corners of her eyes, her cheeks and nose red. "I'm sorry, young marshal, please don't misunderstand, I...I..."

She stammered a little, unsure how to explain.

Shen Yunjin didn't want to make things difficult for her. "I know, you don't need to explain."

Nanzhi looked at him gratefully: "Thank you, young marshal."

Shen Yunjin suppressed his inner turmoil and looked at the windowsill. "What were you thinking of doing just now?"

Nan Zhi's smile vanished instantly, and she lowered her eyes, no longer looking at him. "It's nothing."

"I'm going to sleep now, young marshal, you should go back."

She straightened her pajamas and turned to walk towards the bed.

Shen Yunjin stared at the slender figure in silence for a moment before suddenly asking, "Do you still want to leave here?"

*

I originally wanted to write a scene where Nan Zhi tricks Shen Yunjin, sleeps with him, steals the key, and runs away, but I was afraid you would criticize Nan Zhi for being heartless, so I changed it.