After ninety-nine online romances, I finally met my ex in person when school started.

In front of everyone, on the left and right sides squatted the underworld thugs of the Jiang family of the Northern Territory, and behind them stood four special agents and guards belonging to the government.

She, the daughter of the municipal party secretary and the youngest professor at Peking University, was actually being whispered in the ear of a shirtless man with other women's hickeys on his neck, discussing "physiological needs"?

If this gets back to the compound, what will become of the Fu family's reputation?

But when faced with this scoundrel's self-righteous and twisted logic, her brain completely shut down, and she couldn't find a single word to refute him.

"I'm shameless?" Zhu Xun Chuan didn't let her off the hook at all. Instead of backing down, he leaned his broad body forward again, pressing down on her.

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze sweeping aggressively over Fu Xinghe's heaving chest before finally settling on her luscious red lips.

"Isn't it because Professor Fu's family is too strict, with too many rules, that I can only look but not eat, which forced me to this predicament?" Zhu Xun Chuan's voice carried three parts grievance and seven parts teasing. "If you had been merciful earlier, would I have had to come to someone else's territory in the middle of the night begging for food?"

Even if you're not in the right, you can still be very assertive.

They make having an affair sound so elegant and refined, and even manage to turn the tables and shift the blame onto the original spouse.

The Jiang family bodyguards, crouching against the wall in the corridor, had their heads buried in their knees, their shoulders trembling uncontrollably. They were filled with utter admiration for this "Brother Chuan."

This is the legendary master level! He subdued the underworld heiress, and now even this seemingly unapproachable daughter of an official has been rendered powerless by his few words.

Fu Xinghe was thoroughly enraged by these utterly shameless words, but he felt even more ashamed.

She bit her delicate lower lip, her beautiful eyes shimmering with tears, both angry and anxious. She suddenly reached out and pinched Zhu Xun Chuan's soft waist with great precision, then twisted it halfway around.

"Hiss—" Zhu Xun Chuan gasped, feigning extreme pain.

"Shut up!" Fu Xinghe snapped in a low voice, her eyes filled with resentment. "You went off to fool around, and you still have the nerve to talk back?"

His tone was fierce.

But to outsiders, this doesn't sound like an accusation; it sounds like a young wife whining and complaining to her husband.

The four special agents who had been on high alert now looked at each other in disbelief, their eyes filled with astonishment.

They were acting on Secretary Fu's orders to protect the young lady's safety. They had assumed that the young lady had summoned them so early in the morning because she had encountered some dangerous person. But when they arrived, it turned into a large-scale scene of flirting and banter.

The lipstick mark on that wild man's neck was so conspicuous, yet the young lady not only didn't get angry and order his arrest, but instead blushed so much, and even pinched his waist!

Has the world gone mad?

The special agents and bodyguards silently lowered their heads, keeping their eyes down and their minds at ease. They wouldn't dare glance at such a feud between wealthy families, even if they had ten times the courage.

At this moment, although Fu Xinghe was pinching hard, he felt a very complicated emotion welling up inside him.

Although Zhu Xunchuan's "excuse" was shameless, it was like a scalpel, precisely cutting into the hidden defenses deep within her heart.

She was a conservative woman with a strong traditional family background. Indeed, throughout their relationship, she always held firm to her bottom line and refused to budge an inch.

Subconsciously, she actually began to waver slightly.

Could it be... that I was too reserved? He was in the prime of his life, always around me but never getting what he wanted, so he couldn't resist going after someone else?

Once this extremely bizarre logic takes root in the mind, it spreads rapidly.

Fu Xinghe's fingers, which had been pinching the soft flesh of his waist, unconsciously loosened their grip. She lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, and a faint sense of guilt actually arose in her heart.

It's like keeping a lion at home, feeding it only vegetables every day, and not allowing it to go outside. One day, it finally can't resist climbing over the wall to eat meat and gets caught by you, and you start to wonder if you've been starving it.

A skilled hunter always knows how to use the simplest words to break down the psychological defenses of his prey.

Zhu Xunchuan keenly noticed the hint of softening and self-reproach in Fu Xinghe's eyes.

Knowing when to stop is the highest level of strategic maneuvering. If the pressure continues, this woman's thin skin definitely won't be able to withstand it, and if she really turns hostile on the spot, things will be difficult to handle.

He reached out and caught Fu Xinghe's small hand, which was still resting on his waist.

It feels cool to the touch.

Fu Xinghe's fingers were slightly cool from staying up all night and the morning breeze.

Zhu Xun Chuan did not loosen his grip; instead, he completely enveloped her small hand with his broad, warm palm, gently stroking and kneading her delicate hand with his thumb.

This reassuring gesture instantly softened Fu Xinghe's tense body.

"Alright." Zhu Xun Chuan put away his teasing expression, his eyes becoming serious and gentle. "Thank you for your hard work last night, Professor Fu."

He naturally skipped over the extremely dangerous topic from before, and, following the brown paper bag in her hand, forcibly brought the atmosphere back on track.

"You stayed up all night in the confidential room, what did you find out?"

As he held her hand, the warmth emanating from his body dispelled the grievances and chill in her heart. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her wildly beating heart.

She glared at Zhu Xun Chuan fiercely, but her resistance was extremely weak, letting him hold her hand.

"It's inconvenient to talk standing here." Fu Xinghe cleared his throat, trying to regain the dignity of a Peking University professor, but his flushed cheeks greatly diminished that dignity.

She turned her head and gave a cold glance at the Jiang family bodyguards squatting on both sides of the corridor.

The bodyguards immediately buried their heads even deeper.

"Come with me." Fu Xinghe turned around, his gaze falling on Zhu Xun Chuan's face. "I'll take you somewhere."

"Where to?" Zhu Xunchuan asked.

"Go home," Fu Xinghe uttered, his tone carrying an unyielding seriousness. "Go see my dad."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xun Chuan narrowed his eyes slightly.

Fu Yuan, Secretary of the Beijing Municipal Committee.

This is a true power tycoon in Beijing, a top figure whose every move can shake the political and business circles of the entire capital.

"Regarding Zhao Tingzhi, the top-secret files in the confidential office only record the tip of the iceberg," Fu Xinghe said in a low voice. "There are some things that others dare not investigate, or even mention. But he can definitely tell you the truth."

Zhu Xun Chuan understood that this was by no means a simple meeting between an elder and a junior.

Last night, he sent the number to the four-woman group. Fu Xinghe must have verified it through internal channels, which alerted Fu Yuan. Fu Yuan took the initiative to ask to see him, explaining that his various ruthless methods since arriving in Beijing, as well as the enormous power involved, had officially entered the view of the highest-level politicians.

This was not just an intelligence exchange, but also an extremely brutal political test and a probe to ascertain the other party's true intentions.

"Okay." Zhu Xun Chuan nodded without hesitation.

He turned and walked into the entryway, grabbed a black casual shirt from the coat rack and draped it over his shoulders, not even buttoning it up, before coming back out.

"Let's go."

He took Fu Xinghe's hand and walked straight toward the elevator.

The four special agents quickly separated and stood guard on both sides.

The atmosphere in the corridor was heavy and somber.

The elevator doors opened.

Zhu Xunchuan went in first, followed closely by Fu Xinghe.

Just as the elevator doors were about to close, Fu Xinghe suddenly turned her head and glanced at Jiang Yao's tightly closed door. A hint of proud assertion flashed in her eyes.

It doesn't matter who you sleep with at night.

When faced with a truly life-or-death situation, the only one who can stand by his side and lead him to the pinnacle of power is me, Fu Xinghe.

The elevator doors closed completely, blocking the view from the outside world.

Inside the elevator car, four special agents stood with their backs to the two men, facing the elevator door, like four statues.

Zhu Xun Chuan did not loosen his grip on Fu Xing He's hand; instead, he held it even tighter.

In the enclosed space, it was so quiet that the only sound was the slight feeling of weightlessness as the elevator descended.

Fu Xinghe lowered her head slightly, and her exquisite figure under the Suzhou embroidery cheongsam trembled slightly as the elevator moved.

She seemed to be doing some kind of intense mental preparation.

Just as the elevator was about to reach the underground parking garage, Fu Xinghe suddenly looked up.

A complex emotion flickered in her long, clear eyes—nervousness, shyness, and a barely perceptible hint of anticipation.

She grasped Zhu Xun Chuan's fingers in return, her red lips parted slightly, and in a very low voice that only the two of them could hear, she softly added a sentence.

"and……"

Fu Xinghe paused, his cheeks burning again.

"He...he also wants to see you."

"As a parent."