Xu Luling pulled the blanket back and tried to reach for her phone on the bedside table.
The shadow, sensing it had scared her, quickly spoke, “It’s me.”
As soon as the words were spoken, the table lamp was switched on, and the light fell on Pei Ruyin’s face, its warm yellow glow dispelling Xu Luling’s fear.
Clutching her chest, her voice still a bit shaky, she asked, “What are you doing standing there in the middle of the night?!”
“I couldn’t sleep, so I got up to meditate.”
“Oh, next time make a sound.”
Sometimes, her boyfriend’s behavior could be a little odd.
The soft light spread over her, small droplets of water clinging to her eyelashes—likely from the nightmare that had scared her earlier—fluttering like butterfly wings as she blinked.
Suddenly, Pei Ruyin lifted the blanket and got into bed, as if holding back until he couldn’t anymore. He grabbed Xu Luling by the back of her head and kissed her fiercely.
Caught off guard, Xu Luling gasped in surprise. It was so sudden!
But knowing it was Pei Ruyin, she still opened her lips obediently.
She could feel a certain unfamiliar clumsiness in his kiss—clumsy yet intense, two contrasting emotions intertwining.
In the past, his kisses were always gradual, like gentle spring rain, full of tenderness and affection. But this time, it felt like strong liquor, carrying a hint of wildness.
However, after five years of dating, there had been occasional passionate moments like this, and Xu Luling just treated it as part of their intimacy.
After a while, Pei Ruyin finally let go of her.
Lying on the bed, Xu Luling’s hair spread out across the sheets.
Pei Ruyin glanced at it and softly said, “I think we should change the bedsheets and covers.”
Xu Luling, still catching her breath, replied, “Didn’t you pick these out after spending ages deciding?”
Pei Ruyin responded, “I suddenly don’t like them anymore.”
Thinking it was just a normal decision to switch them out, Xu Luling said, “You’re so fickle. Whatever, do as you like.”
Pei Ruyin didn’t continue the conversation. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, before pulling Xu Luling closer to him. “Let’s sleep.”
Xu Luling was indeed tired and soon fell asleep again.
But even in the second half of the night, she slept uneasily, waking up several times.
Each time she woke up, she found Pei Ruyin lying beside her, watching her. It seemed as if he hadn’t slept all night, as though he was looking at her like it was the last time he’d ever see her.
After almost being scared earlier, Xu Luling remained calm this time.
The three hours Pei Ruyin had been missing had been a tumultuous experience for both of them.
She patted his back and sleepily mumbled, “Ah Yu, I’m here.”
Ah Yu was Pei Ruyin’s childhood nickname.
The man’s tense body relaxed a bit, and he answered softly, “Mm.”
Although Xu Luling seemed delicate, she was incredibly steady at her core and had always known how to care for Pei Ruyin’s occasional emotional flare-ups.
The next morning, the other side of the bed was empty—Pei Ruyin had already left for work.
When Xu Luling walked into the living room, she couldn’t help but smile. On the dining table, there was a spread of tingzai congee, shrimp dumplings, and golden sponge cake, all covered with a heat lid. Most of it was prepared by Pei Ruyin himself over the weekend, frozen, and ready to be reheated whenever needed.
Every week, he would rotate through dishes from different cuisines.
Her quick fall for him back then certainly had a lot to do with his cooking skills.
After finishing breakfast, Xu Luling stepped outside and saw a pure white cat walking along the railing of the corridor. The cat, named Nǎiyóu, belonged to the residents in unit 902.
Xu Luling had never seen a cat that loved to roam so much—it was always popping up around the neighborhood.
She greeted the cat, but Nǎiyóu just glanced at her and walked off with its head held high, full of arrogance.
When Xu Luling arrived at work and clocked in, she ran into President Liu, who was about to head out.
President Liu had once founded a successful company, later found himself in a million-dollar debt, then managed to pay it off before returning to entrepreneurship in his sixties.
As President Liu often said, sixty is just the right age to be bold and fearless.
Seeing her, President Liu frowned and said, “You look terrible. Didn’t we let you leave early yesterday to pick up your boyfriend? Did something happen?”
Xu Luling sighed. “It’s a long story, but everything’s fine now.”
“As long as you’re okay,” President Liu said, clearly fond of the secretary he had personally recruited. “Help the marketing department organize the press releases this morning. I’ll have Wu Na accompany me to the bidding meeting.”
Having spent a restless night full of fragmented dreams, Xu Luling was happy not to push herself too hard. “Thank you, President Liu.”
Because she was around the same age as President Liu’s daughter, he always took extra care of his personal secretaries.
At her desk, Wu Na waved to her and quickly followed President Liu in her high heels.
Xu Luling made herself a cup of black coffee to shake off the grogginess and browsed the internet. Suddenly, a piece of news popped up, hitting her like a jolt.
It was a major criminal case.
The police were asking the public for any leads:
A tourist had discovered a charred male body under a rarely visited bridge along the Shitong River. The body was found in a kneeling position, with the head severed and most clues destroyed by fire. The police are currently conducting a thorough search for the missing head, but a heavy rainstorm has washed away most of the evidence at the scene. The victim’s DNA has not matched any entries in the database. Estimated time of death is between 3 PM and 6 PM yesterday.
Xu Luling stared at the time of death for a few seconds.
She looked up Shitong River and found that one of its routes passed just one kilometer from the airport.
Gazing at the pixelated, charred remains of the body in the photos on the webpage, her stomach churned, and she retched a few times.
Her colleagues at the general office noticed and asked if she was alright. She shook her head, indicating she was fine, though her complexion had worsened.
It wasn’t hard to imagine that anyone who saw such a brutal crime scene would feel uncomfortable.
She quickly jotted down the news and continued browsing.
On the same day, there was another incident where a villager living near the airport encountered a black-browed racer snake that had broken into their home. The frightened villager killed the snake, only to find a finely crafted men’s ring inside its stomach. The ring was valuable, with an inscription on the inside of the band. The villager had reported the find to the police, who were now seeking the ring’s owner.
Though the photo didn’t show much detail, Xu Luling felt the ring looked familiar.
It appeared to be part of a pair—one for a man, one for a woman. When placed together, the two rings would form a specific design.
She looked down at her hand, realizing her matching ring was missing from her finger.
Ah, she remembered now—she had taken it off while showering last night and forgotten to put it back on.
…
By the time she left work, the sky was overcast. The rainy season meant constant downpours, making everything feel damp.
As she reached the entrance to her office building, she saw a familiar black Range Rover parked at the curb.
Wu Na, walking with her, couldn’t help but remark, “Wasn’t your boyfriend on the other side of the world yesterday? And now he’s already here to pick you up. Doesn’t he ever need a break? No wonder he’s famous around here as the perfect boyfriend—he can’t seem to go a moment without being with our beautiful Xu Luling.”
Xu Luling blushed a bit. “He just happened to not be working late today.”
After saying goodbye to Wu Na, she approached the car. Pei Ruyin leaned over the center console, opening the car door and handing her a paper bag. As Xu Luling looked up, she saw his gentle smile. “Hungry? I picked up some tiramisu from Sanjingji for you.”
Sanjingji was a cake shop Xu Luling loved. She accepted the paper bag, and the unease she had been feeling began to fade. “You’re so thoughtful. Do you want me to praise you?”
Pei Ruyin glanced at her. “Stop teasing. Get in the car.”
After closing the door, Xu Luling noticed something different in the car. She sniffed the air and asked, “Did you change the air freshener?”
Normally, Pei Ruyin used freesia, but today the scent was richer, like velvet roses.
Pei Ruyin replied, “Just felt like a change.”
“I’ve been telling you to try a different scent for ages. Glad to see you finally listened.”
Pei Ruyin smiled silently and took her handbag, placing it in the back seat.
As they drove, Xu Luling shared some amusing stories from work, part of their daily habit of catching up with each other.
For some reason, she deliberately avoided mentioning the horrific news from that morning.
Instead, she found herself looking at Pei Ruyin, who was now wearing thin-framed glasses. His features were handsome but not aggressive, and the glasses gave him a scholarly air. She couldn’t help but steal a few more glances.
Curious, she asked, “Why are you suddenly wearing glasses?”
Pei Ruyin didn’t need glasses—he had perfect vision.
As they reached a red light, Pei Ruyin stepped on the brake and replied in a slightly annoyed tone, “Who was it that said some actor looked ridiculously handsome with glasses, like he could kill with his looks?”
She realized he was referring to a time when she had been obsessed with an idol drama. The male supporting character was a professor who wore gold-rimmed glasses.
She hadn’t expected him to remember something from months ago. Laughing, she teased, “Oh my, where’s that jealous tone coming from? You’re practically radiating it.”
They chatted and laughed all the way home. As soon as they arrived, Pei Ruyin headed into the kitchen to start cooking. On the way back, he had already picked up all the ingredients for dinner from the grocery store.
Meanwhile, Xu Luling planned to find her missing ring. But as she passed through the living room, she suddenly paused.
The vase on the decorative cabinet—wasn’t it facing a different direction when she left?
Thinking she must have remembered wrong, she walked into the bathroom and searched around the sink, checked the cabinets, and even rummaged through the trash can, but there was no sign of her ring.
With a conflicted expression, she returned to the living room, where Pei Ruyin was just bringing out a steaming plate of Qianjiang shredded pork. He said, “Come, taste this. I tried a new sauce today.”
Distracted, Xu Luling sat down. As Pei Ruyin set the dish down, a thought struck her, and she quickly grabbed his wrist.
Seeing his finger was also bare, she asked, “Ah Yu, where’s your ring?”
