Song Youman patted Xia Wan’an’s hand and reassured her, “It’s okay, he doesn’t care! I care about you! I care a lot about you!”

Xia Wan’an chuckled at Song Youman’s teasing, and her previous unease dissipated.

After dinner, Xia Wan’an and Song Youman decided to stroll through the mall to aid digestion. They didn’t plan on buying anything, but whenever they entered a store and tried on clothes that looked good on them, they couldn’t resist the temptation to make a purchase. As they continued their shopping spree, they lost track of time, and by the time they reached the ground floor, their hands were full of shopping bags, and they had unknowingly stayed in the mall until closing time.

Xia Wan’an had to return home because she had to go to work the next day and bring some design drafts to the office. However, when they left for their outing in the afternoon, Xia Wan’an had left the things she bought at Song Youman’s place. So, before going home, she decided to accompany Song Youman back to her house.

Xia Wan’an didn’t rush to go home. Instead, she took a shower at Song Youman’s place and joined her in applying face masks and skincare products. She wanted to freshen up and make herself ready to go to sleep as soon as she got home.

On the way back to Song Youman’s house, Xia Wan’an received another message from Qin Shujian: “I’m giving you one last chance. If you don’t willingly stay away from Jingnian gege by noon tomorrow, I won’t be polite to you!”

Xia Wan’an ignored Qin Shujian’s message and continued chatting with Song Youman.

When they finally returned home, Xia Wan’an pushed open the door and reached for the light switch in the living room. To her surprise, the lights were already on.

She paused for a moment, then looked into the living room and found it empty, with no one in sight.

Changing into her slippers, Xia Wan’an entered the bedroom. In the bedroom, apart from the bedside lamp, which emitted a warm yellow glow, she didn’t see anyone else in the room.

She assumed that Han Jingnian had probably left already and had forgotten to turn off the lights in the living room.

Xia Wan’an began hanging up the clothes she had bought, one by one, in the closet. Afterward, she picked out the clothes she planned to wear to work the next day, hung them on a separate hanger next to the dressing mirror, and examined herself in the mirror to see how they looked.

With everything ready, Xia Wan’an yawned and walked lazily toward the bed. She reached the edge of the bed and was about to lie down when she caught sight of a figure in her peripheral vision.

Startled, she shivered involuntarily, took a step back, and then focused her gaze. Han Jingnian, who had appeared in her bedroom at some point, was standing not far from her on her left side, staring at her with a stern expression.

When had he entered the bedroom? No, something was off—had he never left?

Perhaps it was because the lighting in the room was insufficient due to the sleep lamp, or maybe it was the play of shadows, but there seemed to be a darkness under his eye sockets… He appeared as if he had been unsatisfied throughout the night…

Xia Wan’an stared at Han Jingnian for a few seconds and then averted her gaze. Just like when she saw him at home yesterday, she didn’t initiate conversation with him. Instead, she gazed thoughtfully at the bed in front of her.

From the looks of it, he was planning to spend the night at home tonight, which meant she…

After pondering for a while with her head tilted, Xia Wan’an bent down and picked up her pillow. Ignoring Han Jingnian as if he didn’t exist, she walked towards the bedroom door.

She had taken just a couple of steps when Han Jingnian grabbed her wrist.

Without even turning to look at him, Xia Wan’an heard his icy voice from above her, “Where are you going?”

Xia Wan’an glanced at Han Jingnian and replied, “I’m going to the guest bedroom…”

Whether it was her imagination or not, the moment she finished speaking, she felt the strength of Han Jingnian’s grip on her wrist subtly increase.

She furrowed her brows slightly and lowered her head to gaze at his clean and handsome hand for a moment before saying, “You can sleep in the master bedroom. No need to thank me!”

Saying that, Xia Wan’an tried to free her wrist from his restraint.

Her feeble struggle seemed to darken his expression even further.

He increased the pressure on his fingertips, focusing on her delicate wrist for a while. Then, suddenly, he swung his arm forward and flung Xia Wan’an directly onto the bed.

The bed was soft, so while it didn’t hurt, Xia Wan’an was momentarily disoriented.

She was still trying to get up from the bed, holding the pillow in her hand to smash it into Han Jingnian’s face, when she felt a sudden weight on her back. He had pinned her down beneath him.

She instinctively attempted to flip over and push him away, but he was quite tall and lean. Even without using his full strength, his weight alone made it difficult for her to breathe. After a moment, her face turned red due to the lack of oxygen.

His actions conveyed a message that made her painfully aware of the truth.

Over the past two years, he had returned home so rarely, and each time he came back, it was without a word—just actions… What was she to him? A momentary indulgence?

In the past, she had entertained some naive fantasies, thinking that if he was willing to touch her, it meant he didn’t dislike her that much. However, now she understood how hopelessly naive she had been.

Struggling against Han Jingnian’s grasp, Xia Wan’an couldn’t help but say, “Let go of me…”

“I’m telling you, I don’t want to have this kind of relationship with you…”

“Let go of me…”

Perhaps he was too tired to listen to her voice, or maybe he found her noise irritating, but he suddenly reached out and covered her mouth.

The room fell silent for a moment, and then he forcefully intruded into her world.

Just like last time, he was far from gentle this time either. She was in pain, afraid to even blink, for fear that tears would fall…

After a long while, the room returned to its previous calm.

At some point, the resistant girl beneath him had become much quieter.

He maintained his current posture for a while, then slightly eased his breathing. It was only then that he realized his hand, which had covered her mouth because he had been displeased with the words she uttered, was still covering it. He subconsciously attempted to retract it, but as his fingertips moved slightly, he felt something damp…