First, then, love.

A few days ago, she also felt cold in the middle of the night.

She shoved her icy feet between He Zheng's legs.

The man gasped from the cold, cursing at her, but used his large, burning hands to warm her feet little by little.

At that time, she felt that the large apartment was as warm as springtime.

Now, without him, this place is just a magnificent icebox.

Shu Yao threw back the covers, avoiding the shards of glass on the floor.

Barefoot, stepping on the floor.

Dragging my heavy, aching body, I slowly made my way out of the master bedroom.

She didn't want to stay in this room filled with memories; it was too cold, so cold it made her feel hopeless.

I walked into the living room.

She collapsed onto the large black leather sofa, grabbed a cushion from the sofa, and hugged it to her chest.

She curled up in the corner between the cashmere carpet and the sofa.

I was in so much pain that my whole body was shaking.

"He Zheng... you bastard..."

Her eyes were closed, and her chapped lips murmured unconsciously, her voice barely audible.

The morning sun pierced through the thick clouds and shone into the living room.

Shu Yao woke up groggily.

My head is throbbing and my temples are throbbing.

The fever symptoms worsened, and even opening my eyes became difficult.

My stomach was churning with acid, and I felt nauseous.

She fumbled around and found her phone in the gap between the sofa and the sofa.

I want to check what time it is.

The screen lights up.

The glaring light made her squint instinctively.

On the lock screen, there is an unread WeChat message.

Sender: Gu Jinzhi.

Shu Yao frowned, suppressing her dizziness, unlocked the phone with her fingerprint, and opened the chat window.

[Yaoyao, there's a get-together this weekend. A lot of old classmates are going. Want to come along? We can grab a bite and catch up.]

His tone remained gentle, polite, and measured.

In the past, Shu Yao might have given a perfunctory reply of "I'm busy," or simply pretended not to reply.

But now.

She looked at the words, at the name that was once so familiar.

My heart was completely unmoved, without the slightest trace of lingering attachment.

I even felt incredibly annoyed and disgusted.

It's because of this person, it's because of that broken umbrella.

That barbarian would go so crazy, would use such nasty words to hurt her, and would leave her alone in this cold, lifeless house for three whole days.

Shu Yao was delirious with fever, but her mind was surprisingly clear at this moment.

She didn't care about Gu Jinzhi at all, not even a little bit.

Her tears, her grievances, her anger—all of it was because of He Zheng.

Because that caveman didn't believe her, because that bastard was jealous, because that unreasonable bandit abandoned her alone.

Her fingers trembled, her fingertips were icy cold.

Open the input method.

Without any hesitation, without any formalities.

She typed a line, her words filled with a fierce venting.

"No, I'm getting married."

She paused after typing those words.

He Zheng's face appeared in my mind.

She gritted her teeth and continued knocking.

My husband has a bad temper and is very jealous.

Click to send.

With a "whoosh," the message was sent out.

Without any hesitation or delay, all attempts to probe were decisively cut off.

Sent.

Shu Yao threw her phone away.

The phone hit the carpet, slid a long way, and came to a stop after hitting the coffee table leg.

She closed her eyes again and buried her face deep into the long wool of the cashmere carpet.

Hot tears welled up instantly, splashing into the soft cashmere and disappearing.

Waves of cramping pain shot through my lower abdomen, and my clothes were soaked with cold sweat.

She curled up in pain, biting her lower lip tightly to keep herself from making a sound.

She realized that she hadn't intended to take care of everything at all.

That gentle and refined first love had long since faded into a gray shadow in her memory.

Her mind is full of things right now.

They were all that rough man who cooked her congee with preserved egg and lean pork.

It was that rough man who clumsily picked the feathers from her bird's nest.

It was that bastard who cursed her but forced ugly wool socks onto her feet.

It was that caveman who, in the middle of the night, was so agitated by her icy feet that his whole body tensed up, yet still warmed her feet with his broad, calloused hands.

"He Zheng..."

She sobbed softly, her voice broken, filled with vulnerability and resignation.

"Come back...it hurts..."

In the empty living room, only her faint sobs could be heard.

No one responded.

Time passed by, second by second.

The sky outside the window gradually darkened. Night fell, and the cold wind howled again.

10 PM.

The underground parking garage of Jinxiu Huating.

A black SUV covered in mud screeched to a halt in its parking space.

The car door opened.

He Zheng got out of the car.

For the past three days, he has been living and eating at the special police brigade.

He led the team through an arduous mud pit training exercise, leaving all the team members exhausted and complaining incessantly, while also leaving himself completely worn out.

Only extreme physical exhaustion can suppress the jealousy and longing that are frantically growing in the mind.

But he failed.

During the day, he would hold a gun, and all he could see in the scope was her crying and cursing face.

Lying on the hard single bed at night, my nostrils were filled with the sweet, cloying scent of tuberose emanating from her.

He's gone mad, completely possessed.

That capricious little woman has taken root in his very being, and he can't get her out.

I miss her terribly.

But the woman hasn't contacted him in the past three days.

What is she doing? Who is she with? These questions become unimportant in the face of longing.

She married him, she slept in his bed, and her first time was with him.

Why should he give his woman to someone else?

Even if it means taking her by force, he will keep her by his side no matter what.

He Zheng strode into the elevator.

"bite."

We've arrived at the 22nd floor.

He Zheng walked to the door and pressed his fingerprint on the lock.

The fingerprint lock on the security door made a "click" sound.

The crisp metallic sound was particularly clear in the deathly silent corridor.

The door was pushed open.

The room was dark, with no lights on, and a chilly atmosphere permeated the air.

Hearing the noise, the God of War ran over from the balcony, wagging its tail and making a pitiful "woof woof" sound.

He Zheng ignored the dog.

He changed into slippers and strode into the living room.

In the darkness, the unusual activity next to the sofa was quickly detected.

A small white figure was huddled in the corner between the carpet and the sofa.

He Zheng used the faint light from the streetlights shining through the window to illuminate the scene.

etc.

I saw Shu Yao.

She was wearing a thin silk nightgown, curled up into a small ball, like an abandoned kitten.

He clutched his stomach tightly with both hands, his breathing rapid and his stomach burning hot.

The stray hairs on his forehead were soaked with cold sweat, clinging to his face in clumps.

Even in the darkness, you could see the abnormal flush on her face, her lips were dry and cracked, devoid of any color, and there were still tear stains hanging at the corners of her eyes.

Fragile, morbid, lifeless.

Is this still the same arrogant, capricious little devil?

He Zheng's blood froze instantly.

Respiratory arrest.

Looking at Shu Yao, whose face was flushed red from the fever and who was curled up in a ball, I felt as if my heart had been stabbed.