A crazed glint flashed in her eyes. "Lu Minshi, now I've finally found happiness. I can live a good life on my own. What right do you have to criticize me?"

Xu Xinchen's eyes darkened. She remained silent for a moment, the air still lingering with the sound of her heart-wrenching screams. The madness flashing in Lu Shuang's eyes made her unable to look directly at him. She let go of his hand. "Do as you please. Once you leave this house, never come back to me."

"Also, Liu Zhang was a married man."

She left behind one last reminder, and stood up, having done all she could.

Although they were blood relatives, she had done what she should do. The rest was up to fate. Xu Xinchen didn't force her. Once she left this door, her life or death would be none of her business.

In the quiet, dimly lit office, Xu Xinchen sat alone, the light casting a pale shadow on her face.

She looked a little tired, but showed no sign of stopping. It was already late at night, and only the shadow of the lamppost stretched long on the roadside not far away.

Someone knocked on the door. She looked up and saw Gu Yan standing by the door. He was tall and slender, and unusually, he was wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, which made him look even more refined and handsome. Her gaze lingered on him for two seconds. She had never seen him dressed like this before; she had always thought he had excellent eyesight.

Gu Yan, one hand in his pocket, his leather shoes slapping the floor, was in front of her in the blink of an eye. He picked up the report on her desk with two fingers, glanced at it, raised an eyebrow, and fixed his gaze on her. "Manager Lu, it's so late, why aren't you home asleep?"

"I feel like if others find out, they'll think I'm a devil, forcing my female employees to spend the night at the company."

These words caught her off guard. After a moment's pause, she continued with her work, saying without raising an eyebrow, "Mr. Gu, you should go back now. I'll be right back."

A hand pressed down on her documents, and Xu Xinchen paused. She looked up and saw a handsome face close to hers. Gu Yan had one hand on her documents and the other on the edge of the table. He bent down and met her eyes, a smile playing on his lips. "Miss Lu, you don't seem to respect me as your boss."

"..." Xu Xinchen avoided his gaze, casually closed the file, and stood up. "Mr. Gu, let's go."

The two arrived at the parking lot one after the other. It was late at night, and all was quiet and deserted except for the bright fluorescent tubes hanging overhead, emitting a pale light.

Xu Xinchen got into Gu Yan's car, fastened her seatbelt, and watched Gu Yan skillfully steer the car along the road.

He stared straight ahead, his profile clearly defined, wearing gold-rimmed glasses that made his skin appear even whiter. He was completely focused and oblivious to her peeping gaze.

The cool night breeze rushed in through the car window. She rested her chin on her hand and glanced sideways at the twinkling lights and bustling yet quiet street scene outside the window.

Taking advantage of a break at the traffic light, Gu Yan glanced in her direction. Her hair was flowing and swept across her face, creating a strong contrast between black and white, making her cheeks appear even whiter and more serene. The corners of her mouth were glistening, like pink jelly, captivating the eye. Gu Yan's lips curved into a slight smile. This woman, when she was quiet, was quite feminine.

With a tap on the accelerator, the car suddenly sped away at breakneck speed.

We arrived at Xu Xinchen's house.

She unbuckled her seatbelt, leaned back in her seat, and glanced at him sideways. He was looking at her too, and their eyes met unexpectedly.

The warm yellow glow of the streetlights in front of the residential area shone on his face in the big gold car, making his features appear even softer.

"Thank you." She nodded to him, opened the car door, and prepared to get out.

Just as she took a step, a muffled groan suddenly sounded behind her. The sound wasn't loud, but it clearly reached her ears. She stopped on her toes and immediately turned around to look at him.

He was slightly hunched over, one hand on his abdomen and the other on the steering wheel, his head hanging low, making it impossible to see the expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" She quickly leaned over, placed her hands on his shoulders, and checked on him.

In the shadows, he pursed his lips, large beads of sweat sliding down his temples. Although his expression didn't change much, it was clear that he was enduring immense pain.

Xu Xinchen was a little anxious. She lifted his face and finally saw his eyes clearly. "Tell me if you feel unwell."

Her gaze shifted to his abdomen, which he was pressing with one hand. "Stomach ache?"

His silence told her the answer. She bit her lip. It was quiet all around, and there was no one around. She took his shoulder and pulled him out of the car. "There's no one at my house. You can go to my house and lie down first."

Supporting a man weighing 140 or 150 pounds was more difficult than she had imagined. His body was completely pressing against her petite shoulders, and Xu Xinchen struggled to help him up to the fifth floor.

He was half-asleep, his mind not quite clear, looking dazed. His warm breath sprayed behind her ear. She steadied herself, took out her key, and opened the door.

Before she could even change his shoes, she helped him to her bedroom. As soon as he touched the bed, he lay down and lost consciousness.

Xu Xinchen straightened his body, covered him tightly with the blanket, touched his forehead, and then breathed a sigh of relief before going to the bathroom to take a shower.

The sound of running water came from the bathroom. Gu Yan slowly opened his eyes, his mind still foggy. The pain in his abdomen had woken him up, but he had a vague premonition. He glanced at the room's furnishings and realized it wasn't his room.

A moment later, the sound of water in the bathroom stopped, the door opened with a snap, and Xu Xinchen, with wet hair and wrapped in a bath towel, came out. She pushed open the door to check on him and saw that his eyes were closed and his breathing was steady, so she breathed a sigh of relief.

Afraid that he would wake up in pain at night, she rummaged through the bedroom and found some painkillers. She brought some water, sat on the edge of the bed, and laboriously pulled his body over, supporting his head with both hands and bringing the water to his lips.

The process of feeding him the medicine wasn't as difficult as she had imagined. He seemed to be doing it consciously; when the water was brought to his lips, he obediently opened his mouth and swallowed the medicine himself.

After Xu Xinchen finished, she covered him with the blanket again, gently closed the door, and left.

The lights went out, plunging the bedroom into darkness. A pair of eyes slowly opened, staring at the ceiling for two seconds. She sniffed the air, the scent of her shower gel still lingering.

It permeated his entire being and lingered for a long time.

The next day, as Gu Yan left home, rubbing his forehead, Xu Xinchen, wearing pajamas and with messy hair, got up. Their eyes met, and both were startled.

Xu Xinchen belatedly realized what was happening and hurriedly ran into the bathroom. Gu Yan withdrew his gaze, retreated back into the room, and waited...

It took a full twenty seconds before he went out.

The two were somewhat awkward on the way. Gu Yan drove with his eyes fixed on the road ahead without saying a word, while Xu Xinchen kept her head down, seemingly deep in thought. The two did not make eye contact the entire time.

As soon as the car stopped at the company entrance, a woman rushed over and peered inside through the car window.

His gaze passed over Gu Yan and landed on Xu Xinchen.

Gu Yan fastened his seatbelt, and as soon as he opened the car door, the woman stared at Xu Xinchen with an air of nonchalance until Gu Yan pulled her aside.

"Mom, what brings you here?"

Gu's mother still stood on tiptoe and looked directly in Xu Xinchen's direction, winking and making faces, "Who is that woman? You didn't come home last night, and I was worried for a long time. It turns out you were messing around with your girlfriend."

Gu Yan rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. "Mom, she's not my girlfriend..."

"Still trying to argue." Gu's mother pouted, looking at him pitifully, "You've forgotten your mother now that you have a wife..."

"Mom, what nonsense are you talking about?" Gu Yan couldn't stand her rambling anymore and put his hand on her shoulder. "You should go home first. I'll explain to you when I get back tonight..."

"What's there to explain?" Mrs. Gu smiled knowingly, her expression a mixture of reluctance and relief. "Although you're heartless, forgetting your mother now that you have a wife, I'm still very happy to see you have a girlfriend. I'll cancel your blind date this week; bring her home for dinner this weekend."

Xu Xinchen sat in the car and noticed the woman in the distance frequently glancing into the car. Feeling uncomfortable, she moved back a little.

Then the woman glanced at her again with a smile and left.

"Your mother?" Xu Xinchen got out of the car and asked, looking at Gu Yan who seemed to be deep in thought.

Gu Yan gave a vague reply, then looked her up and down with an expression she couldn't understand.

Xu Xinchen was completely baffled.

On Friday, she accidentally ran into Gu Yan again in the corridor. Gu Yan was giving instructions to his subordinates when he caught a glimpse of her looking over out of the corner of his eye, and Xu Xinchen stopped in her tracks as she was about to leave.

She greeted him with a smile, thinking she could make a quick getaway, but he called her back again.

Gu Yan's eyes swept over her, his expression slightly unnatural. He coughed and put his fist to his mouth. "Are you free this weekend?"

"Yes, I have."

He casually held out his hand, two tickets in his palm, from the drama club, which looked quite expensive. "My mom's friend gave me these. There's one more ticket. Do you want to go see it?"

She looked up and met his gaze. He stared at her intently, his eyes radiating a burning intensity that she dared not look into.

"Okay." She took the ticket and tossed it around. "Should I dress a bit more elegantly to match your style...?"

He chuckled at her words, his eyes narrowing as he looked at her with a knowing smile and said meaningfully, "It's good that you're here."