Urban System: Beautiful lady, I really didn't steal your black stockings!

Liu Ying's eyes suddenly welled up with tears, and a wave of guilt surged up in her heart, almost shattering her facade.

She bit her lip hard, suppressing a sob, and quickly replied, "No, I... I might be back later. You eat first, don't wait for me."

"Why are you working overtime again? Have you been working too hard lately? Don't push yourself too hard, your health is the most important thing."

My husband's voice was full of worry.

"Do you want me to come pick you up?"

Liu Ying was worried that her husband would come to pick her up from the company, and what if he found out she wasn't wearing anything underneath...

She panicked when her underwear disappeared at work; fear gripped her heart instantly.

Before her brain could even process it, she instinctively screamed into the phone, "No!"

The voice was urgent and loud, carrying a hint of panic and loss of control, and it stood out starkly in the quiet office.

Liu Ying herself was stunned for a moment, her hand gripping the phone tightened suddenly, and she belatedly realized that her reaction was too abnormal.

The husband on the other end of the phone paused, his voice full of surprise: "Yingying? What's wrong?"

"N-nothing..." Liu Ying hurriedly composed herself, suppressing the panic in her heart. Her voice was hoarse from screaming and filled with undisguised exhaustion.

"I'm just... I've been working too much overtime lately, I'm too tired, and I'm a bit irritable. I didn't mean to yell at you."

She quickly came up with an excuse.

"You don't need to pick me up. I can go home by myself after I finish working overtime. Just wait for me at home."

Fearing her husband would press her for more information, she didn't wait for a response before quickly hanging up, slamming her phone down on the table, her chest heaving violently.

The out-of-control scream shattered her feigned calm and intensified the fear and guilt in her heart.

She even had to reject her husband's concern in such a pathetic way, not daring to say a single heartfelt word.

She was left alone in the office. The sky outside the window gradually darkened, and the afterglow of the setting sun shone through the blinds, casting dappled light and shadow on the floor.

Liu Ying could no longer hold on; her body went limp, and she slumped onto her desk, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably.

The emotions she had suppressed all day suddenly exploded. She bit her arm, afraid to make a loud noise, and tears fell like broken beads, splattering onto the documents and the table, leaving wet patches.

"I'm sorry, husband... I'm so sorry..." she choked back sobs, murmuring repeatedly, her voice broken and desperate, "I didn't mean to... I was wrong..."

She remembered her husband working overtime until late every night just to earn more money to buy a house, remembered him gently stroking her lower abdomen and saying he wanted a child, and remembered his trust and love for her.

Thinking back on her miserable state today, and the compromises she couldn't even forgive herself for, guilt and despair overwhelmed her like a tidal wave.

She hated Cheng Zhe's shamelessness, but she hated her own cowardice and incompetence even more. She hated herself for not being able to uphold her principles and for betraying her husband's deep affection.

She cried until her tears ran dry and her throat was hoarse, but she still lay slumped on the table, her shoulders trembling slightly.

The sky outside the window was completely dark, and the office was silent except for her suppressed sobs, which sounded particularly desolate in the empty room.

The shame of being in a vacuum was still there, but compared to the guilt and despair in her heart, that embarrassment was no longer worth mentioning. She knew that some things, from the moment she compromised, could never be returned to.

Just then, a warm hand suddenly landed on her shoulder with a steady, firm touch.

Liu Ying froze, as if struck by lightning. Even her trembling shoulders stopped instantly. She was so immersed in guilt and despair that she didn't even notice someone entering the office.

She suddenly raised her head, her cheeks still red and swollen from tears, and teardrops still clinging to her eyelashes. In her blurred vision, Cheng Zhe's figure stood prominently in front of the table.

His face was expressionless, his eyes were deep, and his aura was so calm that it was hard to fathom.

Liu Ying's heart leaped into her throat. Her previous vulnerability was replaced by panic, and her face turned pale instantly. She subconsciously tried to shrink back to avoid his touch.

What is he planning to do now?!

Cheng Zhe ignored her resistance and gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

His tone was more serious than ever before, without a trace of joking: "The project urgently needs money, so I'll cover the money you embezzled for you."

"You don't need to worry about this anymore. As long as you can raise the money in two months, this matter will be over. Otherwise, I can't help you."

She was completely stunned, staring blankly at Cheng Zhe, her eyes filled with disbelief.

She was stunned for several seconds before she slowly realized that the holes that had been suffocating her, causing her anxiety and insomnia day and night, and even making her willing to compromise and suffer humiliation, had actually been filled.

She no longer has to live in fear of going to jail, or worry about ruining everything for herself and her husband.

Overwhelming joy instantly dispelled the guilt and despair in her heart. The huge weight on her heart was lifted, and her eyes welled up with tears. This time, however, her eyes were filled with the light of relief after surviving a disaster.

All the previous fear and humiliation became insignificant in the face of the realization that "I won't go to jail".

She looked at Cheng Zhe, her tense nerves completely relaxing, and she finally managed a weak smile. The smile was tinged with the messiness of tears, yet it also revealed a genuine sense of relief. It was the first time she had smiled sincerely in the past few days.

Before Cheng Zhe could say anything more, Liu Ying could no longer contain her excitement. She suddenly stood up, disregarding her status and dignity, and threw herself into Cheng Zhe's arms.

She instinctively wrapped her arms around his waist, buried her face in his shirt, and said in a voice choked with emotion, full of gratitude, "Thank you... Cheng Zhe, thank you."

She murmured repeatedly, as if she had grasped the last straw, or as if she had unloaded a heavy burden. All her tension and defenses collapsed temporarily at this moment.

Cheng Zhe was slightly taken aback by her lunge, then raised his hand and gently patted her back.

"Do you still hate me as an enemy? Before, the way you looked at me was like you wanted to devour me."

Liu Ying buried her face in his chest, her cheeks flushing instantly. Remembering the hatred and resentment in her eyes earlier, and those humiliating moments, she felt a pang of embarrassment. She gently struggled, but couldn't completely push him away: "I..."

She looked up, her eyes still red, filled with doubt and uncertainty, and asked softly, "Where did you get so much money? That's a lot of money..."

"Then don't worry about it."

Cheng Zhe interrupted her, his tone regaining some of its control. His gaze fell on her flushed cheeks as he earnestly asked, "Will you hate me from now on?"

Liu Ying's eyes flickered instantly, and the struggle in her heart surged again.

Did she resist? Of course she resisted those humiliating moments.

But he did her the biggest favor, saved her life, and she owes him.

After a moment of silence, she looked directly into Cheng Zhe's eyes, her words tinged with helplessness and compromise, and sighed softly, "As long as... as long as it's not too outrageous, I can accept it."

"What happened today...it's too...I...sigh."

She ultimately didn't say what she was going to say next, but just sighed heavily. In that sigh, there was humiliation, helplessness, compromise, and a trace of confusion that even she herself couldn't explain.