Chapter 31
The night gently enveloped the Minamino residence.
The bedroom curtains were half-drawn, and moonlight filtered through the sheer fabric onto the carpet, like soft silver threads woven from the light.
Sakura leaned against Minamino Shuichi's chest, her body enveloped in his warm embrace.
His hand gently rested on her waist, his gaze so tender it could melt the night.
Neither of them spoke until he chuckled softly, his voice sounding as if he were recalling something—
"cherry."
"Hmm?" She looked up, her sea-blue eyes sparkling in the light.
“Sometimes I think,” he said, with a faint sigh in his voice, “that night…it really was a stroke of luck from heaven.”
"Lucky?" Sakura raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Mmm." He gently tightened his arms around her, as if afraid she would escape from his embrace again.
"If it weren't for that banquet and that accident, I might not have met you yet."
He smiled, his voice low and gentle, like a breeze brushing past your ear.
"So I'm so glad that I met you on that night."
Sakura was taken aback for a moment, then a charming smile appeared on her lips.
She reached out and gently grasped Minamino Shuichi's face, her fingertips soft yet playful.
"Ouch~"
She tilted her head, a sly glint in her eyes.
"President Minamino seems to be getting more and more complacent, doesn't he?"
"Hmm?" Xiu Yi raised an eyebrow, his smile still lingering.
"How dare you say 'thankful' in front of me? Isn't that a bit too shameless?"
Her tone carried a hint of reproach, yet also a sweet tenderness.
She leaned slightly closer to his ear, her voice soft—
"Don't forget, I was drugged that day."
Shuichi's smile froze.
"While I was in a daze, you did that to me..."
Her fingertips lightly traced his cheek, her smile carrying a dangerous allure.
"They got me pregnant, and they still haven't found out who drugged me."
At that moment, the atmosphere became subtle.
The moonlight flowed between the two of them, like fine threads weaving together tenderness and ambiguity.
Shuichi neither dodged nor offered any explanation.
He simply gazed at her quietly, the smile in his eyes slowly fading, replaced by a thoughtful calm.
"……I know."
He finally spoke, his voice low, "I've been investigating."
"Investigate?" Sakura was slightly taken aback, her eyes flashing.
"I had the drinks served at that banquet, the guest list, and the surveillance footage from that night retrieved again."
He reached out and gently stroked her hair.
"The drink was indeed tampered with, but it's not clear who did it in the video footage. Those people were too cunning; they used a substitute."
"Then..." Sakura frowned, "...we still haven't found out who it is?"
"Hmm, haven't found it yet." He paused, his gaze becoming deep.
"But I'm certain of one thing—the goal isn't to hurt you, but to embarrass you."
Sakura's fingertips trembled slightly.
"Make a fool of yourself?"
"That glass of wine was originally meant for a certain actress; you took it by mistake."
He took a deep breath and continued, "I noticed you were walking unsteadily, so I followed you—"
His voice gradually faded, and his memory returned to that night.
It was a brightly lit banquet, with loud music and laughter mingling among the crowd.
She was wearing a silver-white dress and smiling as she spoke with her guests.
The next second, the glass of wine was served, and her smile began to become unfocused.
He remembered it clearly—her eyes were unfocused and her steps were unsteady.
At that moment, he didn't think of anything else; he just instinctively reached out to catch her.
Then, the world descended into chaos, becoming a product of fate.
Sakura listened quietly and didn't say anything more.
She simply lowered her head, gently touching her stomach, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
"So that night... was really an accident."
"It was an accident." Shuichi's voice was gentle, but tinged with regret.
"But I don't regret it."
He raised his hand and gently touched her cheek with his fingertips.
"Because from that day on, I could never forget you."
Sakura looked up and met his green eyes.
That gaze was both gentle and firm, as if telling her—
He wasn't making excuses; he was confessing.
She gently bit her lip and couldn't help but smile.
"Really...you fox, you're always so cunning when you speak."
"Is that so?" he chuckled softly.
Are you still angry now?
"Hmph~ If you really want me to stop being angry..."
Sakura deliberately moved closer to him, her smile both bright and dangerous.
"Then promise me you'll continue to find out who did it. I want to know the truth."
“Of course.” He nodded, his tone firm.
"Even if I have to search every inch of Tokyo, I will find out who dared to touch you."
She stared at him for a few seconds, and the corners of her mouth slowly curved into a smile.
"This is more like the Shuichi Minamino I like."
He was taken aback for a moment, then smiled.
So you admit you like me?
"Idiot," she whispered, her face slightly flushed.
"If I didn't like it, I wouldn't have let you touch me a second time."
"Should I double-check?"
He leaned closer, his voice low and husky, tinged with amusement.
"Hey—Minamino Shuichi!"
She glared at him, but he pulled her into his arms.
At that moment, all doubts and memories were enveloped by the night, leaving only the warmth between them flowing.
The wind outside the window stirred the curtains, and the moonlight was as gentle as water.
Minamino Shuichi lowered his head and whispered in her ear:
"I swear, if I ever meet anyone who wants to hurt you again—"
I will never let him have another chance to get close.
Sakura looked up, her sea-blue eyes reflecting his green pupils, and softly replied:
"Then I'll wait for you to show me the truth."
Her smile was both gentle and firm.
At that moment, she finally believed—
Fate may take unexpected turns, but true love will always choose to stay.
The next morning.
Sunlight streamed into the study, illuminating the thick stacks of documents.
Minamino Shuichi looked solemn, a screenshot of the surveillance footage from the night of the banquet between his fingers.
That was the investigation result he had his private investigation team compile overnight—
All guest lists, beverage supply chains, and nightly scheduling records were reviewed again.
A knock sounded on the door.
"Mr. Shuichi."
The butler respectfully handed over a supplementary report.
"This is supplementary information sent by the investigation team this morning."
Shuichi took it and turned to the first page.
The black and white text quickly came into his view.
A few seconds later, a cold glint appeared in his eyes.
"Investigation findings: It is suspected that someone premeditatedly drugged popular actress Misa Kawase that night in order to gain benefits from her filming contract."
However, due to a seat reshuffle, the drink was mistakenly taken by Sakura Hoshino.
The person who administered the drug was a high-ranking executive of Kawase's company who colluded with external investors to force him to sign an attached contract.
Ms. Hoshino was unexpectedly drawn into the incident.
After discovering the 'accidental victim' that night, the person who administered the drug attempted to approach Ms. Hoshino, intending to 'deal with her privately.'
Minamino Shuichi's fingers clenched almost instantly.
A dangerous glint flashed in his green eyes.
"...So that's how it is."
He spoke in a low voice, his tone filled with suppressed anger.
"They weren't touching her wine glass at all, they were touching someone else's... but in the end—they hurt her."
In the afternoon sunlight, Sakura was sitting on a wicker chair on the balcony, holding a glass of warm water in her hands.
Pregnancy made her complexion softer, and her golden hair was gently lifted by the wind.
She looked up when she heard the door open.
"Shuichi, why are you home so early today?"
"Found it."
He approached her, his voice low and restrained.
"What did you find?"
"The truth about that night."
He crouched down beside her, his eyes gentle yet concealing a cool sharpness.
“Sakura, the medicine that night—it was originally meant for someone else.”
Sakura was startled, and the cup in her hand almost slipped from her grasp.
"……other people?"
"Yes, she's an actress in the entertainment industry. She was supposed to sit in your seat that night, but because of a last-minute seat change, you got the drink instead."
Sakura's fingertips trembled slightly.
"So... I was accidentally shot?"
"yes."
Xiu nodded and reached out to take her hand.
“Those people thought you were just ‘an insignificant replacement,’ but when they saw you… their minds changed.”
Sakura's eyelashes trembled slightly, and her voice was so low it was almost inaudible.
"You mean, they—want to attack me?"
"Um."
He took a deep breath, his gaze darkening.
"Their original plan was to 'fix the mistake' by getting you drunk and then controlling the media afterwards."
But before they took action, I went into the banquet hall.
I saw you were unsteady on your feet... but by then it was too late.
The air fell silent for a moment.
Sakura's heart tightened as she recalled fragments of that night—
The lights were blinding, the crowds were blurry, and the world seemed to be spinning.
She remembers that numbness, that fear of being on the verge of losing control.
"So... that was part of their plan."
She gently bit her lip, looking out the window with a complicated expression.
"At the time, I thought it was just because I was too tired and too nervous."
"cherry."
Xiuyi reached out and gently stroked her face.
His palms were warm, but trembling slightly.
"I'm sorry. At that time, I was only thinking about getting you away, I didn't think about—what if I had been a moment later..."
He didn't say anything more.
His eyes held suppressed anger and pain.
Sakura took his hand and instead gave a faint smile.
"Don't make that face, Shuichi."
"I'm fine now, aren't I?"
"But I mind."
He responded in a low voice.
"I cannot forgive those people."
"I know."
She leaned gently on his shoulder, her voice as soft as a breeze.
"But I don't want that night to become a shadow."
Do you know? If it weren't for that accident, I might never have met you.
"I don't want you to get to know me this way."
But fate doesn't care about the means.
She chuckled softly, her eyes sparkling.
"It just pushes us in front of each other and then sees if we can hold on."
Xiuyi was taken aback for a moment, then reached out and pulled her into his arms.
His chin rested on the top of her head, his voice low and firm.
"I will continue to investigate."
I don't care if that night was fate; I just want you to never have to suffer any more harm.
"Then I'll believe you."
Sakura nestled in his arms and closed her eyes.
"But remember, don't be too impulsive. You're a father now."
He laughed and gently kissed the top of her head.
"Hmm. Then I will deal with them rationally."
“The definition of ‘reason’ is really dangerous in you,” she whispered playfully.
"rest assured."
He spoke softly yet calmly in her ear.
"I will not let you see the color of blood; I will only make those people unable to lift their heads in the light forever."
A gentle breeze stirred the curtains.
Sakura looked up at the blue sky outside the window.
She knew that all that filth and conspiracy was just a deviation in fate.
But she also knew that the man's embrace beside her...
It was the only refuge she had in her life.
She smiled and reached out to touch her slightly protruding belly.
"Baby, remember, Mommy used to be a violinist on stage, but now she's the star in Daddy's arms."
Xiu Yi chuckled softly and lowered his head to place a kiss on her forehead.
That's because you deserve to be cherished.
Night slowly fell, and the moonlight shone on their intertwined figures.
All the shadows of the past have been washed away by this gentle light.
But the real battle is quietly beginning.
—Because Shuichi Minamino was never just someone who could protect others.
He is a fox who will completely devour the darkness.
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