First, then, love.

Paper wrapped fire.

The next day, at 10 a.m.

Office of the Captain of the Special Police Detachment of the Municipal Public Security Bureau.

The outside was still gloomy, and the cold wind lashed against the glass.

Old Li pushed open the door and came in, holding a few pages of freshly printed A4 paper in his hand. He looked a little embarrassed and didn't dare to glance at the man behind the desk.

Ban Hezheng sat in a black swivel chair, wearing a training uniform, and playing with a silver metal windproof lighter in his hand.

"Click, click."

The sound of the lid opening and closing is crisp and monotonous, like a death knell.

"Captain, we've found it."

Old Li swallowed hard, walked over, and gently placed the few sheets of paper on the large desk.

"This person has a clean record, with no criminal history, so it's quick to investigate," Old Li said carefully, afraid that any word might ignite a ticking time bomb.

He Zheng didn't say anything.

He lifted his eyelids and his gaze fell on those few pages of paper.

My gaze was like a knife, fixed directly on the ID photo in the upper right corner of the first page.

The man in the photo is named Gu Jinzhi.

A musical prodigy, he plays the piano beautifully, is handsome and refined, fair-skinned and tall, and has a gentle temperament.

His eyes and brows exuded a composure and sophistication that came from growing up in a privileged family. He was impeccably clean, and even his hair looked refined.

He Zheng's jawline tightened instantly, and the muscles in his cheeks bulged violently.

He reached out and picked up the document.

His eyes scanned the text downwards quickly.

Old Li investigated very thoroughly, even digging up those old, trivial things the two of them did in college.

The information was written clearly in black and white on the document.

That relationship lasted for two years.

First love.

He Zheng's pupils contracted sharply, and his heart felt as if it were being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand and pulled downwards.

Two years, more than seven hundred days and nights.

The breakup was peaceful, without any drama or entanglement.

He Zheng stared intently at the words "peaceful breakup".

He would rather they broke up acrimoniously, and he would rather the man be a cheating scumbag.

But no.

Gu Jinzhi was as perfect as a specimen that could not be faulted.

Rich, refined, and a perfect match, standing next to Shu Yao, he was like a world-famous painting that should have been hanging in a concert hall.

And what is He Zheng?

He Zheng was a rough man who couldn't even read sheet music, a brute with blood and gunpowder on his hands.

He roughly crumpled several pages of A4 paper into a ball, raised his hand, and exerted force with his wrist.

A wad of waste paper was precisely thrown into the trash can in the corner, making a dull thud.

"Captain..." Old Li broke out in a cold sweat looking at He Zheng's lifeless, devilish appearance. "That's all in the past. After all, your wife is now legally married to you..."

"go out."

He Zheng interrupted him.

Old Li felt like he'd been granted a pardon, so he quickly turned around, opened the door, and slipped away.

He Zheng was left alone in the office again.

He stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open.

The biting cold wind, mixed with icy rain, rushed in instantly, dispersing the smell of smoke in the room, but it couldn't dispel the ever-burning fire in his chest.

He was a man with an extremely strong possessive nature.

*

In the afternoon, at the indoor tactical training ground.

The gunshots were deafening.

"Bang bang bang bang——"

He Zheng occupied a target position by himself, holding a Type 95 automatic rifle in his hand.

I didn't bring goggles or earmuffs.

His eyes were cold and hard as iron, staring intently at the human-shaped target fifty meters away.

The finger that pulled the trigger mechanically repeated the action.

Once the magazine is empty, eject the bullets, load the magazine, and continue.

The team members training nearby all kept their distance, none of them daring to provoke this bad luck.

He Zheng's murderous aura was too strong, and the surrounding air pressure was so low that it could drive people crazy.

He emptied five magazines.

The recoil from the gun made my hand numb and red.

The strong smell of gunpowder filled the nasal cavity.

He slammed the gun down on the tactical table with a loud bang.

He pulled the towel off his neck and hastily wiped the sweat from his face.

His chest heaved violently, and his breathing was heavy.

But the fire didn't dissipate; instead, it burned even brighter.

*

7 PM.

Splendid Garden.

Shu Yao had no classes this afternoon, so she went to a high-end boutique supermarket early.

The two had a disagreement in the car yesterday. Although it wasn't her fault, the feeling of being in a cold war was unpleasant.

She was impulsive, but she also knew when to stop.

I bought He Zheng's favorite black pepper steak, and also a bunch of fresh tuberoses, which I plan to put in a glass vase in the living room.

Carrying two large bags, Shu Yao unlocked the security door with her fingerprint.

"Click".

The door opened.

The room was dark; the lights were off.

Only the motion-sensor light in the entryway turned on, emitting a faint, warm glow.

Shu Yao frowned and reached out to touch the light switch on the wall.

"Smack."

The huge crystal chandelier on the living room ceiling lit up instantly, its dazzling white light flooding the entire 300-square-meter space.

Shu Yao squinted her eyes to adjust to the light.

My gaze swept across the room and instantly settled on the black leather sofa in the center of the living room.

He Zheng sat there.

His tall figure was hidden in the wide back of the sofa, his legs spread wide.

The God of War lay prone in the corner of the balcony furthest from him, not daring to even breathe.

The princess had long since disappeared into some hidden corner.

The air pressure in the entire living room was so low it was suffocating.

Shu Yao's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.

She changed into slippers and tried to make her tone sound calm and natural.

"You're off work so early today? Why didn't you turn on the lights?"

As she spoke, she bent down to pick up the shopping bags from the floor, preparing to walk towards the kitchen.

"What did you buy?"

He Zheng spoke up.

"Steak and flowers," Shu Yao said, carrying a bag as she walked through the living room.

As I passed the coffee table.

He Zheng suddenly reached out his hand.

A strong arm, accompanied by a gust of wind, grabbed her wrist.

"Ouch! What are you doing! You're hurting me!"

Shu Yao exclaimed in surprise, and the shopping bag in her hand fell to the ground with a "clatter".

The contents were scattered all over the floor, with the fresh tuberose at the bottom, its petals strewn about.