First, then, love.

I'm not lying to you.

She spoke those four words with utmost seriousness, each word clear and distinct.

He Zheng's body jolted violently.

He looked at her with a complicated expression, but didn't say anything.

Shu Yao sniffed and looked directly into his eyes.

"We broke up in our senior year of college. It was an amicable breakup, nothing dramatic, and there was no lingering affection."

She paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and poured out all the words in her heart.

"That relationship was like drinking plain water: holding hands while walking, sitting in the music room, that's all."

"I don't even remember what he looked like when he played the piano."

Shu Yao's voice trembled, but her tone was unusually firm.

"It was a complete coincidence that we ran into each other on the street that day. He came over with an umbrella, and I didn't even have a chance to refuse."

"He Zheng, I'm not lying to you. He's moved on long ago, completely clean, without even a trace left."

As He Zheng listened to her words, his Adam's apple bobbed violently.

The heart in my chest, tormented by jealousy and riddled with holes, felt as if it were being gently soothed by a pair of tender hands.

But he didn't say anything; he was a stubborn guy, clinging to his pride.

"You're lying," he said, turning his face away, his voice low and tinged with a hint of gritted teeth.

"You even called me a bastard, a son of a bitch."

Hearing his sarcastic remark, Shu Yao felt both angry and wanting to laugh and cry at the same time.

How can this man hold grudges so clearly?

"You insulted me first!" she cried, raising her voice in protest. "You were the one who said I slept with...slept in the same bed with a fellow student!"

He Zheng's eyes darted away; knowing he was in the wrong, he didn't dare to say a word.

Shu Yao tugged at his hand forcefully, pulling him closer to her.

Their breaths mingled.

She looked at his stubble-covered face.

The tears flowed even more fiercely.

"He Zheng, you're an idiot."

She cried and cursed at the same time.

"You're a complete idiot, a caveman, a boor."

"You can't even cut ribs properly, you only know how to wrap flowers in newspaper, and your temper is like a powder keg, ready to explode at any moment."

She listed all his shortcomings.

He Zheng's face grew increasingly dark, his jaw clenched tightly, and he was about to explode in anger.

Shu Yao changed the subject.

"But I love you, you idiot."

He Zheng suddenly raised his head, his dark eyes fixed on her, filled with disbelief and shock.

Shu Yao looked at him and burst into laughter through her tears.

"I just love that you're unreasonable, I love that you're domineering, and I love that you warm my feet like a furnace every night."

"I like it when you cook for me, and I like it when you buy me those ugly wool socks and force me to wear them."

She pressed his hand against her cheek and rubbed it.

"No matter how good Gu Jinzhi is, he will only hold an umbrella for me."

"But you would throw away the umbrella, take off your coat and wrap it tightly around me, then carry me on your back and run in the rain."

Shu Yao looked into his eyes and laid bare her heart without reservation.

"He Zheng, I've never had any passionate romances. That platonic relationship in college doesn't even count."

"You were my first time, you are my husband, and you are the only one I will ever love."

Her voice, soft and sweet, was choked with sobs, like a hook that pierced He Zheng's soul.

"He Zheng, don't give me the silent treatment. I don't like the silent treatment. I've been home alone for the past three days, and I'm scared."

This word "fear" completely shattered He Zheng's last line of defense.

He Zheng feared nothing in his life except women's tears, especially Shu Yao's tears.

What's more, she also said she liked him.

She admitted it herself.

He Zheng's eyes instantly reddened.

A surge of scalding heat rushed from the depths of my heart to the depths of my eyes, making my eye sockets sting and swell.

He had never been in a relationship; in his nearly thirty years of life, he had only experienced gunfire and harsh discipline.

He doesn't know how to coax women or how to express his feelings.

He only knew that he had to hold onto what was his own tightly and no one could take it away from him.

He Zheng took the initiative and became the host.

He suddenly pulled his large hand out and grabbed Shu Yao by the back of her neck.

He pulled her into his arms.

The force was astonishing, as if it wanted to knead her entire being into its bones and blood, to merge her into one with itself.

"Well……"

Shu Yao's face bumped against his hard chest, her nose stung, but she didn't struggle. Instead, she stretched out her arms and tightly wrapped them around his strong waist.

He Zheng buried his face in the crook of her neck, greedily inhaling the faint scent of tuberose on her body.

The stubble prickled her delicate skin, causing a slight stinging sensation.

His heavy breathing brushed against her ear.

"Damn it, Shu Yao, I'm so jealous, I'm going crazy with jealousy."

The man's voice was hoarse.

The muscles in his arms were as hard as rocks, so tight that Shu Yao's bones ached.

The misunderstanding has been completely cleared up.

The glacier that had stood between the two for three whole days collapsed with a deafening roar at this moment.

He abruptly released his grip and cupped her face in his hands.

His dark eyes blazed with undisguised fury as he forcefully wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with his fingertips.

"Shu Yao, remember what you said today."

He stared at her, gritting his teeth.

"You can only acknowledge me for the rest of your life. As for that so-called classmate, tell him to get as far away from you as possible."

The voice just fell.

He lowered his head and fiercely sealed her lips with his, penetrating her deeply.

It was as if he wanted to take back all the anger, jealousy, and maddening longing of the past three days with this kiss.

Shu Yao was a little breathless from the kiss.

The weakness brought on by her illness left her utterly powerless to resist.

They could only raise their heads and endure his storm-like plunder.

The man's tongue swept across her teeth, sucking hard on her lips.

The sound of water splashing was amplified infinitely in the quiet master bedroom.

It was ambiguous and erotic, making people blush.

He Zheng's breathing became increasingly heavy.

The pent-up desire that had been suppressed for three days was completely ignited the moment he touched her soft body.

The wildfire spread and could not be contained.

His large palm slid down her back.

He grabbed the hem of the silk pajamas and yanked it up forcefully.

Large swaths of snow-white skin were instantly exposed to the air.

His palm, radiating an astonishing heat, pressed directly against her slender waistline.

"hiss."

Shu Yao trembled all over.

He Zheng's kiss traveled down her chin.

The stubble prickled her fair neck, causing both pain and itchiness.

It looked like the hungry wolf was about to completely lose control.