He tricked the female lead into becoming his boyfriend, but then went on to criticize the male lead.

Sang Jiuning quickly packed the clothes she needed to take back to her hometown, washed up, and then lay down on the bed to rest. Perhaps she was too tired during the day, or perhaps she had too many things on her mind, she soon fell into a deep sleep.

But she didn't sleep well that night.

In a daze, she fell into a dream. In the dream, she was still in the corner of the last row of the movie theater. Wen Zhaoci held her tightly, and his warm lips covered hers again, gentle yet domineering. The two kissed passionately, reluctant to part. The surrounding light was dim, and only their breathing and heartbeats could be heard.

Sang Jiuning felt weak all over and let him hold her, gradually becoming immersed in the kiss, until Wen Zhaoci slowly raised his hand and gently explored under her clothes, his fingertips touching the slightly cool skin on her waist.

"Hmm!"

Sang Jiuning was startled awake, her eyes snapping open as she gasped for breath, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it was about to burst out of her chest.

She sat up and leaned against the headboard. The room was pitch black, with only a faint moonlight coming in from the window. It was so quiet that she could only hear her own rapid breathing and pounding heartbeat.

The dream she just had was so real, so real, that she could still clearly remember the temperature of Wen Zhaoci's lips and the feel of his fingertips touching her skin.

Sang Jiuning covered her face with her hands. Her fingertips were icy cold, but her cheeks were burning hot. She felt ashamed and flustered, and full of annoyance: God, what kind of crazy dream was she having!

She had only been kissed by Wen Zhaoci a few times, and yet she dreamt about it day and night!

She belatedly realized that she must have really lost her mind. How could she have such a dream? She was clearly... blinded by lust!

Lost in thought, Sang Jiuning buried her head in her knees, her body burning up, her mind in turmoil, and a touch of inexplicable shyness. She was completely unable to sleep.

The city of Beijing was still shrouded in a thin layer of morning mist. Sang Jiuning sat in the back seat, her face turned to the window. On her fair, almost transparent skin, two faint dark circles under her eyes were particularly noticeable, making her already thin face look even more tired.

She really hadn't slept well; she had been thinking about her mother all night, tossing and turning until dawn before finally managing to doze off for a short while. At that moment, her head was extremely dizzy.

Uncle De had already parked the car steadily in front of the villa, and specially drove Sang Jiuning and Fu Xulan back to the quiet little county town where Sang Jiuning grew up.

The car door closed, the interior temperature was comfortable, and the smooth ride made Sang Jiuning feel sleepy. She leaned back in the soft car seat and soon fell into a deep sleep, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow under her eyes, sleeping without any guard.

She didn't know how long she had slept when her phone suddenly vibrated in her pocket, the continuous buzzing pulling Sang Jiuning out of her light sleep.

She groggily pulled out her phone, saw the words "Wen Zhaoci" flashing on the screen, and without fully opening her eyes, answered the phone in a hoarse voice: "Feed?"

A deep, gentle, and slightly cautious voice came from the other end of the phone—a gentleness unique to Wen Zhaoci—"Baby, are you awake yet?"

Sang Jiuning rubbed her sore eyes, snuggled deeper into the car seat, and asked in a soft, sleepy voice, "Just woke up, what's wrong?"

"Nothing much, I just missed you." Wen Zhaoci's voice came through the receiver, filled with clear longing. He was sitting in his office, surrounded by a mountain of documents, but his mind was filled with Sang Jiuning's image. He couldn't stand it for even a second longer. "Where are you? It seems so quiet on your end."

Sang Jiuning then remembered that she needed to tell him about her itinerary, and said softly, "I won't be in Beijing for the next few days. I'm taking my mother back to my hometown."

Upon hearing this, Wen Zhaoci on the other end of the phone fell silent.

Not in Beijing?

It will take several days to get there?

Wen Zhaoci's fingers tightened slightly as he gripped his phone, his heart sank, and a nameless panic instantly overwhelmed him.

He was terrified that if he wasn't careful, Sang Jiuning would disappear from his world like a wisp of wind, never to be found again.

This feeling of gain and loss has never disappeared since I met Sang Jiuning.

Suppressing his inner turmoil, his voice slightly strained, he pressed, "When exactly will you be back?"

Sang Jiuning wasn't sure how long it would take to deal with things back home, so she casually replied, "I don't know yet, we'll see. I should be back in three or four days."

Three or four days felt like an eternity to Wen Zhaoci.

He wanted to say something more, to hear her say a few more words, even if they were just trivial chatter, to ease the surging longing in his heart.

The two chatted casually, from trivial matters on campus to the scenery along the way. Before they knew it, the call lasted longer and longer, and the phone gradually started to get hot.

Holding the phone, Sang Jiuning could clearly feel the temperature in her palm rising higher and higher. Helplessly, she said, "The phone is too hot. I'm afraid it will explode. I'll hang up now."

"Don't hang up." Wen Zhaoci said subconsciously, her tone carrying a barely perceptible stubbornness. But as soon as the words left her mouth, she was afraid of upsetting her, so she softened her tone and said in a muffled voice, "Then remember to miss me. We have to video chat every day. No slacking off."

Sang Jiuning was both exasperated and amused by his serious attitude, and casually replied, "We'll see, I'm really hanging up now."

Before Wen Zhaoci could say anything more, she hung up the phone, threw it back into her pocket, closed her eyes, and prepared to catch up on her sleep.

Meanwhile, Wen Zhaoci stared at the suddenly darkened phone screen, the phone still warm on her fingertips, but she felt empty and suffocated inside.

Without seeing Sang Jiuning, he lost all interest in doing anything. The oppressive atmosphere in the office made him irritable, so he simply got up and drove straight back to the Wen family's old house.

Inside the Wen family's old house, the family was sitting around the dining table having lunch.

At the mahogany dining table, Wen Fengzhi, the father, sat in the main seat with a sullen face, accompanied by his stepmother, He Anran, who sat with a gentle expression. Two children sat beside them, eight-year-old Wen Zhaoxi and eighteen-year-old Wen Zhaozhe, both children born to Wen Fengzhi by He Anran.

When the two saw Wen Zhaoci push the door open and enter, their chopsticks stopped instantly. They quickly lowered their heads, picked at the rice in their bowls, and didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

They had been afraid of their half-brother since they were young. Wen Zhaoci's cold and imposing aura was oppressive, and his gaze always made them stiffen, afraid that they might accidentally offend him.

Seeing this, even though He Anran disliked Wen Zhaoci intensely, she had to put on a kind and gentle stepmother's face. She quickly got up and said with a smile, "Xiaoci is back. Have you eaten? I'll have the maid serve you a bowl of rice."