The setting sun sank beneath the horizon, casting the last traces of its golden glow through the window, bathing the entire room in a deep, crimson hue.
Tie Wan had never felt so at ease while sleeping before; nestled in a warm, secure embrace, she felt utterly languid, as though her very body had lost all desire to move.
Suddenly, a faint, sharp pain radiated from her lower abdomen, causing Tie Wan to frown. Could it be...? Could it be that time again? But, as she had once asked someone, how could it come twice in a month?
She was about to shift her position when she realized she was being held tightly. Startled, Tie Wan opened her eyes, and there, right before her, was the peaceful face of Xiang Ri, deep in slumber.
"What's happening?" In his dazed state, Xiang Ri, still half-conscious, mistakenly thought he was at home, and naturally assumed the figure beside him was Chu Chu.
With a sharp "smack," Tie Wan forcefully slapped away his wandering hand, flung off the covers in a flurry, and was immediately confronted with a sight that left her mind utterly blank. Their bodies were tangled together, entangled in a way that made her blood run cold.
"Ah!" Tie Wan pushed Xiang Ri with all her strength, sending him tumbling to the floor.
The impact jolted Xiang Ri awake. He quickly scrambled to his feet, intending to climb back into bed and question the girl for tossing him out, but upon seeing who lay in the bed, his words caught in his throat. It wasn't Miss Chu at all—it was the furious face of the iron-fisted police officer, Tie.
"W-why are you here?" Xiang Ri stammered, his voice faltering. His eyes then darted to his own exposed form, and as he instinctively reached for something to cover himself, his gaze fell upon something that made his mouth drop open. There, in the center of the bed, beside Tie Wan—who was tightly wrapped in the blanket—was a brilliant, crimson bloom, its presence utterly out of place.
"You bastard, how dare you violate me?" Tie Wan seethed, her teeth gritted in fury, her eyes burning with an intensity that seemed capable of reducing him to ashes.
"I didn't mean to!" By some strange twist of fate, Xiang Ri blurted out these words. No sooner had he spoken them than he realized his grave mistake. Sure enough, the female officer trembled with fury, her teeth grinding audibly. "I'll kill you!" she hissed, and without a second thought, heedless of her exposed state, she seized a pillow and hurled it at him.
Xiang Ri swiftly dodged, about to offer an explanation, when Tie Wan, without giving him a chance to speak, began lobbing small objects at him—an alarm clock, a comb, a fountain pen—one after another.
Xiang Ri dodged left and right, realizing that continuing this way would lead nowhere. In a moment of desperation, he blurted out, "For heaven's sake, can you get it straight? Who is really assaulting whom?"
Tiewan's entire body trembled, and the object in her hand fell to the floor. Xiang Ri believed his words had taken effect, but he soon witnessed an even more chaotic scene unfold. The female officer had shifted her focus to the object hidden at the very back of the bedside table and was now reaching for it.
Xiang Ri's eyes burned with fury, for the object in question was Tiewan's sidearm. In a flash, he pounced, pinning her beneath him, seizing her wrists and slamming them against the edge of the bed until, at last, the pistol clattered to the floor.
Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, a sharp pain radiated from his left shoulder. Having endured this once before, Xiang Ri instantly recognized it—Tiewan's vicious bite.
Originally at a loss for an explanation, Xiang Ri's temper flared instantly:"You said I raped you? Fine, I'll rape you and show you!"He seized the blanket from the female officer's body and thrust himself into her, the sensation of her soft, satin-like skin sending a sudden shiver through his entire being.
Tie Wan strained with all her might to shove him away, but Xiang Ri's inhuman strength proved insurmountable. Her feeble resistance only seemed to intensify his fervor. As she felt her legs being forcefully spread apart, she screamed in terror, "No!"
It was impossible to tell how much time had passed when the two of them lay in an embrace on the bed.
"Xiang Kui, I need to ask you something now, and I expect you to answer me seriously!" Tie Wan's expression was cold, and her voice carried an unsettling chill that sent a shiver down one's spine.
"Speak," Xiang Ri replied cautiously, a forced smile playing on his lips.
"Given our current situation, what do you intend to do?" Tie Wan's gaze was fixed intensely on his face, trying to discern any signs of discord or deceit in his features.
"Uh... I'll take responsibility for you," Xiang Ri replied, though he already had an inkling of where this conversation was headed. The thought of facing this question filled him with dread, so he chose to avoid the heart of the matter, giving an ambiguous answer.
As expected, Tie Wan let out a cold laugh upon hearing his response. "Take responsibility? You already have a girlfriend. What kind of responsibility are you talking about? Are you going to break up with her now, or do you plan to take both of us on?"
"Well..." Xiang Ri was at a loss for words. If he could juggle both, that would be ideal. However, looking at Tie Wan's expression, he knew that such an outcome was all but impossible.
Seeing his hesitation, Tie Wan's frustration only deepened. "Let me make this clear: I'm not that cheap! You choose—either me, or her! The decision is yours!"
"Wife, please don't say that," Xiang Ri pleaded, attempting to invoke some sympathy.
"What else am I supposed to do? Tell me!" Tie Wan's eyes welled with unshed tears, unable to suppress the anguish building within her.
"I... I don't know," Xiang Ri muttered bitterly. He had always known Tie Wan to be composed and decisive, never displaying such vulnerability. Seeing her now, he was at a loss, unsure how to handle the situation.
Tie Wan gritted her teeth, steeling herself. "Fine, I won't make things difficult for you. I'll give you two weeks to resolve this. Is that acceptable?"
"That should be enough," Xiang Ri replied, though with uncertainty in his voice. Seeing a chance to smooth things over, he quickly changed the subject, wrapping his arms around her with a sheepish grin. "Wife, let's stop talking about these trivial matters. How about we focus on something more meaningful?"
Before he could finish, Tie Wan had slapped his hands away, clutching the blanket tightly across her chest. "Until this is resolved, don't touch me!"
"Not even a little?" Xiang Ri asked with a rueful smile.
Tie Wan glared at him fiercely. "Get up! It's already dark. Go make dinner!"
"Yes, right away," Xiang Ri nodded fervently. Realizing there was no way to take advantage of the situation, he hurriedly dressed, walked to the door, and was about to leave when he suddenly turned back, as if he had made a great discovery. "I figured it out. The wine was tampered with!"
"Get out!" Tie Wan hurled the last remaining pillow at him, though a sense of frustration gnawed at her heart.
Now, she understood why her mother had looked so strangely when insisting they both drink together. All of it had been a part of her mother's plan. She had thought her mother's casual comment about wanting a grandson was just a passing remark, but now, she realized it had all been carefully orchestrated.
Yet, strangely, her heart wasn't as burdened as she had expected. In fact, there was a strange sense of satisfaction... Could it be that she actually liked him? God!