For some reason, Shen Yifan's mind was suddenly filled with images of Si Tian.
A vague, inexplicable sense of unease stirred in his chest.
Tonight was his and Si Tian's engagement banquet.
This hotel was specially arranged by him for the guests to rest in.
Zhou Si was staying in the room next door.
Si Tian and Zhou Si were like oil and water—they could never mix.
Besides, Si Tian loved him so much; there was no way she would betray him.
But inexplicably, Shen Yifan felt a suffocating tightness in his chest.
And this restlessness drove him to urgently contact Si Tian.
"I just remembered I have something to take care of. I'm leaving first." Shen Yifan pushed away Si Rou, who was still clinging to him, and got up from the bathtub.
He picked up his clothes from the bedroom and quickly pulled them on.
It all happened so suddenly that by the time Si Rou came out of the bathroom, Shen Yifan had already opened the door and left.
The door slammed shut with a bang.
Si Rou stared at the closed door, her hands by her sides clenched into fists, her fingernails digging into her palms.
Shen Yifan had been willing to abandon Si Tian on their engagement night to come see her—he must love her.
There would be plenty of time ahead; Shen Yifan couldn't possibly escape her grasp!
Shen Yifan left the hotel and drove toward the new home he shared with Si Tian.
If Si Rou hadn't called him out tonight, he would have had a beautiful evening with Si Tian.
Pushing open the door, Shen Yifan said softly, "Tian, I'm back…"
Before he could finish, Shen Yifan froze in place, staring at the neatly made, empty bed.
The unease he had just calmed surged back over him.
His mind was flooded with the memory of that suppressed, sweet female voice he had heard at the hotel earlier.
Suppressing the anxiety in his heart, Shen Yifan pulled out his phone and made a call.
"Ring ring ring—"
The ringing pierced through the fabric, filling the dim, sticky, and stifling room.
Si Tian had just finished showering and was carried out of the bathroom by Zhou Si, who set her down on the bed.
She was so exhausted she couldn't even be bothered to move a finger.
Glancing at the phone on the floor that kept ringing, Si Tian looked at the man who was only wrapped in a towel around his waist, wearing a satisfied expression as he lit a cigarette, and said, "Can you grab my phone for me?"
Zhou Si paused mid-motion, raising an eyebrow to glance at Si Tian.
The lighter clicked shut with a snap.
Without a word, he held the unlit cigarette between his lips, walked over to her pants, bent down, and retrieved her phone.
Si Tian had no idea the call was from Shen Yifan.
If she had known it was him, she would never have let Zhou Si get her phone.
Zhou Si glanced at the caller ID, then handed the phone to her, uttering four words.
"Your fiancé."
Hearing this, Si Tian's heart skipped a beat.
Wasn't Shen Yifan next door entangled with Si Rou?
Why would he suddenly call her?
The phone stopped ringing, then rang again. There was no time to overthink—Si Tian pressed the answer button.
"Tian, where the hell are you in the middle of the night?!"
The moment the call connected, Shen Yifan's deep, questioning voice came through.
From his tone, it sounded like he had discovered she wasn't at the villa…
In the past, he never asked where she went.
Yet now, on this ironic night, he was calling her.
In the past, she would have been thrilled, thinking he cared about her.
But at this moment, Si Tian only found it laughable.
She had truly given him her heart, so she suppressed the aching, swelling pain in her chest and replied flatly, "In the middle of the night, aren't you out too?"
Shen Yifan was stunned.
Si Tian had never talked back to him like this before.
But he didn't think much of it, simply assuming she was jealous.
After all, on their engagement night—the very first day they were living together—he had left her behind to go out.
It was only natural she'd throw a little tantrum.
Shen Yifan's voice softened. "It's not safe for a girl like you to be out alone. Whatever it is, come back first and we'll talk, okay?"
Hearing these hollow words of concern, Si Tian sneered inwardly.
She really should go back, to draw a clear line between herself and Shen Yifan.
After a few seconds of deliberation, Si Tian parted her red lips, about to speak, when a wave of warm air suddenly brushed against her ear.
The next moment, a dry, scorching palm clamped around her impossibly slender waist from behind.
At the same time, her earlobe was slowly caught between cool, thin lips…
The man's low, dangerous voice drifted into her ear, "I'm not done yet. Where do you think you're going, hm?"