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

7 PM.

The auditorium of the Kyoto University International Exchange Center was brightly lit. The area outside was filled with various official and business vehicles, and security guards and special agents had cordoned off the perimeter, making the final preparations for the rehearsal banquet for the upcoming centennial celebration.

Behind the auditorium is an unopened, uninvited area.

Zhu Xun Chuan, dressed in a dark black trench coat, walked with a steady gait. He completely ignored the tight security measures, weaving along the shadows at the base of the wall, precisely avoiding three high-position surveillance cameras, and stopped in front of a voice-controlled room with a sign that read "Abandoned, Do Not Enter".

Push open the heavy, soundproof door.

The interior was dimly lit. Only the indicator lights of a few idle mixing consoles flickered red in the darkness. The space was cramped and the air was stagnant, yet it was filled with an extremely delicate fragrance of orchids.

"Click".

Zhu Xunchuan slammed the door shut behind him.

The door had just closed when a pale white figure in the darkness crashed into his arms.

There was no restraint, no probing.

Fu Xinghe wrapped her arms tightly around Zhu Xunchuan's waist. She was wearing a custom-made moon-white silk cheongsam, the fabric of which was smooth and cool, yet against the fabric of Zhu Xunchuan's trench coat, it transmitted an unusually hot body temperature.

This usually aloof and high-ranking daughter of the municipal party committee member buried her face in Zhu Xunchuan's chest, her shoulders trembling slightly.

"You still know to come looking for me." Fu Xinghe's voice was low, thick with nasal tone and barely concealed grievance. "I thought you were bewitched by that vixen from Shanghai and had long forgotten about that crazy woman in the municipal party committee compound who took the bullet for you."

Zhu Xun Chuan wrapped his large hand around her slender waist; the touch was exquisite.

He looked down, using the faint indicator light of the instrument to gaze at Fu Xinghe's elegant yet undeniably beautiful face.

She wore very light makeup today, her hair was up, and she wore a pair of pearl earrings. Her eyes were red at the corners because she was emotional.

"Aunt Song is keeping such a close eye on you." Zhu Xun Chuan raised his hand, his fingertip wiping away the moisture from the corner of her eyes. "I have to clean up all the troublesome garbage in Kyoto before I have time to come and take you away."

"They're just lying."

Fu Xinghe bit her lower lip lightly. She raised her hand and punched Zhu Xunchuan's chest muscle in a fit of pique. The force was light, more like a playful tantrum.

"My mom even brought her own medical team to our house to test me. If my dad hadn't kept quiet, that fake ultrasound report would have been exposed long ago." Fu Xinghe looked up, his tone full of fear and dependence. "I haven't been able to sleep well these past few days. Meanwhile, you've had it easy. The Zhao family has fallen, Guangying Media has been swallowed up, and I heard there was even a scene at the airport where two women were fighting over a man."

They're well-informed.

Zhu Xun Chuan didn't explain. Instead, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her heavily into his arms.

The two were pressed tightly together.

"If you were so afraid, why were you hiding when you came in?" Zhu Xun Chuan lowered his head, his warm breath brushing against her earlobe. "You were so worried about me that you dared to run away right under the noses of the Municipal Party Committee's special agents. Why are you still bothered by what's going on outside?"

Fu Xinghe's ears turned bright red instantly.

She was, after all, a visiting professor at Peking University, possessing the aloofness of an intellectual at heart. But in front of Zhu Xunchuan, those defenses had long since crumbled.

Fu Xinghe grabbed Zhu Xun Chuan's large hand in return. She guided that broad, rough hand down the exquisite buttons of her cheongsam, finally stopping at her flat, soft abdomen.

The silk was as thin as a cicada's wing, and the warmth of his skin was clearly transmitted to Zhu Xun Chuan's palm.

"I've already told the whole lie, and my mom's been watching my belly every day." Fu Xinghe's eyes flickered, his voice trembling almost imperceptibly, yet incredibly seductive. "Young Master Zhu, you promised me back then. You have to cover for me up with this lie. Now, shouldn't we start prenatal education for the baby?"

The daughter of a wealthy family actively demanded something in a confined space.

This taboo-breaking contrast is enough to drive any man crazy.

Zhu Xun Chuan's palm was warm. He didn't rush to move, but gently stroked the stunningly curved waistline along the slit of the cheongsam.

Their breaths mingled in the darkness, and the atmosphere quickly heated up. The cramped space of the voice control room was thick with an unspoken tension.

Just as Zhu Xun Chuan was about to lean down and kiss her.

Suddenly, a very light footstep sound came from the carpet in the hallway outside the door.

Unlike the uniform sound of leather shoes worn by the municipal special forces, this was the dull, grinding sound of tactical boots on a soft carpet. The other side was extremely professional, their steps short and quick, pausing for two seconds every three steps – typical of special reconnaissance soldiers checking for cover.

Zhu Xun Chuan's eyes turned icy cold in an instant.

The hand that was resting on Fu Xinghe's waist suddenly exerted force, pulling her behind him and completely protecting her in the shadows.

"What's wrong?" Fu Xinghe noticed the tension in Zhu Xunchuan's muscles and asked in a low voice.

"Shhh."

Zhu Xun Chuan stared at the heavy wooden door.

The person outside the door stopped less than ten centimeters away. The dim light from the mixing console's indicator light shone through the crack in the door, and a dark shadow blocked out the original light.

A faint metallic smell of engine oil suddenly drifted into the air.

These are spies from the overseas thunderstorm squad. Chen Pojun's men are quick to infiltrate; they've even managed to get directly into the backstage preparation area for the banquet.

Zhu Xun Chuan held Fu Xing He close with his left hand, while his right hand quietly reached for his waist. He didn't need system warnings; he could tell from the scent alone that the person outside was holding a silenced gun. If the doorknob even showed any sign of turning, he would shatter the other person's heart through the door.

Time seemed to stand still at this moment.

Fu Xinghe pressed herself tightly against Zhu Xunchuan's broad back. She couldn't hear anything outside, but she could feel the terrifying killing intent emanating from Zhu Xunchuan. This young lady, who had grown up in the center of power, had cold sweat beading on her palms.

Sudden.

"Ugh—"

A dull, short sound came from outside the door. It was like the throat had been severed instantly by a sharp weapon, leaving no time for even a scream.

Immediately afterwards, a heavy thud was heard as something collapsed to the ground. The dark shadow hidden at the bottom of the door crack swayed slightly.

Zhu Xunchuan raised an eyebrow slightly.

The doorknob was pressed down very slowly, and the wooden door was pushed open a crack.

No one came in.

Zhu Xun Chuan peered up through the crack in the door. The louvers on the corridor's ventilation ducts had been removed, and Xiao Bai, dressed in a tight-fitting black tactical uniform, was hanging upside down from the ceiling like a gecko.

A sweet smile graced her pure and lovely face. She toyed with a bloodstained, high-density ceramic wire in her hand.

Seeing Zhu Xun Chuan looking over, Xiao Bai winked playfully and made a throat-slitting gesture through the crack in the door.

On the carpet outside the door, a tall, muscular white man in a cleaner's uniform lay in a pool of blood. Xiao Bai's treatment was extremely clean; a single, fatal blow, not even a drop of blood splattered on the wall.

The deadly situation was quietly thwarted by their own top assassin.