In the dim room, Zhou Zuizui furrowed her brows tightly. Every now and then, soft moans escaped from the corner of her mouth. Her body felt scorching hot… It was as if a pair of big, burning hands were pressed against her—long, strong fingers gliding down over her fair and delicate skin… She tilted her head back and gasped for air, feeling like even the curtains were rising and falling with the rhythm of a person…
Suddenly, her body jerked and shrank inward…
Whoosh—Zhou Zuizui woke up with a start, opening her eyes to stare at the wooden ceiling. She fixed her gaze on the unique little chandelier hanging above, staring without blinking, completely in disbelief.
After staring for a while, she slowly sat up, leaning against the headboard. She reached for the glass on the side, downed all the cold water in it, and only then felt a bit more awake.
She didn’t know what was going on lately—why she kept dreaming about that man so often.
A man she’d only met less than ten times, yet he was the one she’d gotten a marriage certificate with.
Thinking about it, Zhou Zuizui let out a quiet sigh. She picked up her phone from the side and checked the time: February 14th, 4:10 in the morning.
No wonder.
She let out a soft, mocking laugh, turned her head to look out the window. The windows were shut tight, but she could still hear the howling wind outside every now and then—it sounded a little scary.
The wind kept blowing without stop, making the wooden windows creak and groan, as if reminding her that today was Valentine’s Day, and also her two-year wedding anniversary.
Of course—
It might also be mocking her for not having seen her husband in two whole years.
After waking up, Zhou Zuizui couldn’t fall back asleep. She turned off airplane mode on her phone and switched it back to normal.
She hated being disturbed while sleeping, so she always put it on silent or airplane mode at night—to avoid noise and radiation.
As soon as the signal connected, her phone started dinging nonstop with a bunch of incoming messages.
She scrolled through them one by one without replying, until she saw a message from a certain person. Only then did Zhou Zuizui tug at the corner of her mouth and smile helplessly.
It was from her good friend Xia Wen—the only friend who knew she was married.
The message read: Happy two-year wedding anniversary to our great beauty! And happy Valentine’s Day too! Finally, my most sincere wishes: I hope this marriage of yours—that exists in name only—gets some real progress soon!
Zhou Zuizui smiled, curved her lips, and replied: I’ll take your good words.
Xia Wen: ????? You’re actually awake?
Zhou Zuizui: Mm-hmm, had a dream and woke up.
Xia Wen teased: Dreamed about a man?
She was just guessing casually, but she didn’t expect Zhou Zuizui to admit it so straightforwardly.
Zhou Zuizui: Yeah.
Xia Wen’s eyes widened as she read that, and she immediately called her with concern.
“Hello.” Zhou Zuizui’s voice was cool and clear, like spring water flowing through a mountain stream, but right now it carried a hint of lazy drowsiness.
Xia Wen swallowed hard, already picturing the beautiful woman lying in bed.
She cleared her throat, remembering the main point of this call: “No way, you really dreamed about a man?”
Xia Wen asked anxiously: “So, are you planning to cheat or get a divorce? Let me tell you, cheating is wrong. By the way, was the guy in your dream handsome? When did you meet him? If he’s showing up in your dreams, he must be something special, right?”
Zhou Zuizui listened to her rambling nonsense and immediately burst her bubble.
“Stop.”
“You might be disappointed.”
“Huh?”
“The man I dreamed about doesn’t require me to cheat, and I don’t need to divorce him either.”
Hearing that, Xia Wen instinctively thought the guy wasn’t real.
She let out a listless “Oh,” losing all interest in gossip: “Fine, if it’s some imaginary guy, there’s really nothing to talk about.”
“But!” She suddenly changed the topic, lowering her voice: “Zuizui, if you’re dreaming about a man, doesn’t that prove you’ve been feeling really empty lately?”
She muttered to herself: “Makes sense. You’re twenty-seven already—wanting a man is totally normal. After all, it’s been two whole years without any sex life, right?” As soon as she said that, Xia Wen got excited again: “Zuizui, why don’t you share with me about your first time with your husband? They say soldiers have amazing stamina. I’m kinda curious if it’s really as good as the rumors say—that it was so good you’re willing to guard an empty bed for two years.”
She bragged: “Man, one time and you’re reminiscing for two years—his skills must be top-notch.”
Zhou Zuizui: “……Get lost. I’m going back to sleep.”
It was getting more and more ridiculous. Zhou Zuizui couldn’t be bothered to listen to Xia Wen’s wild talk anymore. She hung up the phone, tossed it aside, pulled the blanket over herself, and tried to fall back asleep.
But the moment she closed her eyes, a figure suddenly appeared in her mind.
That man was very tall and built perfectly—standing straight and strong, with muscles that weren’t the scary over-the-top kind you see on gym trainers, but just the right amount. His skin was tanned bronze, his features handsome and chiseled: high nose bridge, deep-set eyes, buzz-cut black hair that gave him a cold, sharp vibe.
His lips were nicely shaped too… really suited for kissing.
Every move he made oozed the charm of a mature man, but every now and then he’d show just a tiny bit of that bad-boy edge. He was a really contradictory guy.
When he looked at you, those eyes seemed a little affectionate, like they wanted to pull you in and make you fall completely, making you want to give him everything.
Back then, Zhou Zuizui had probably made that impulsive decision just because of how hot he looked.
After thinking for a bit, Zhou Zuizui suddenly realized what she was doing. Why was she even thinking about this?? It’s not like she was actually lonely!
She closed her eyes, pushed the image out of her mind, and hypnotized herself back to sleep.
……
The faint light of dawn.
Qingyue Ancient Town is tucked away in the south of Lin City. In the morning, it bathes in sunlight, waking people up with the first rays of dawn. Seeing the sunshine right from the start of the day puts you in a good mood.
This is a small tourist town where it feels like spring all year round. Every year, countless people come here for vacation. It’s close to some minority ethnic areas, so there are lots of unique local features—that’s exactly what draws everyone in.
But tourist towns like this are usually pretty chaotic, especially since this place has had its share of big social news and crime reports in the past. Even so, visitors still keep pouring in nonstop.
Some come specially for sightseeing and the scenery, some are students here to sketch and paint, others try their luck gambling on raw jade stones, and so on.
Qiuqiu is the front desk girl at “Drunk and Walking With You” tavern. She’s always the first one up every morning, keeping watch at the entrance.
But right now, seeing someone already sitting at the front desk, she was totally shocked: “Sister, why are you up so early?”
Zhou Zuizui let out a soft “Mm,” propping her chin on her wrist and dozing off: “Woke up and came down. Hungry.”
Qiuqiu: “……”
Looking at Zhou Zuizui like this, Qiuqiu couldn’t help but giggle.
Outsiders only know that the boss of “Drunk and Walking With You” tavern is a stunningly beautiful woman—cold and aloof personality, decisive in her actions, with a sharp tongue. But they have no idea that their boss, besides all those well-known traits everyone sees, is actually super cute too.
When she hasn’t slept enough or eaten enough, she turns into a total kid—looking so adorable that it makes you want to protect her and take care of her.
“So, sister, what do you want for breakfast? I’ll go make it for you.”
Zhou Zuizui opened her eyes, thought for a moment, and said: “Feeling like eating out this morning. Wanna come with?”
Qiuqiu’s eyes lit up, and she happily agreed: “Yes!”
In the early morning, the tavern isn’t open yet, and there are no customers anyway. Especially since their tavern is hidden deep at the end of an alley—usually, only regular old customers or people recommended by others even know about this place.
Luckily, Zhou Zuizui didn’t open the tavern to make big money, so she doesn’t really care much about how good or bad business is.
Next to the “Drunk and Walking With You” tavern is an inn—that’s the one she actually opened to make money. The inn does pretty good business every year, bringing her a nice chunk of income.
Zhou Zuizui took Qiuqiu out the door and headed straight toward the lively part of town.
The ancient town is bustling even in the morning, especially since it’s still the Chinese New Year holiday period, with lots of tourists around.
The two of them went to a familiar spot for breakfast, picked a seat by the window, and ordered. After ordering, Zhou Zuizui propped her chin on her hand and watched the people coming and going on the streets below. Her mood lifted a bit.
Suddenly, she froze, staring hard at one spot. That man standing out in the crowd like a crane among chickens, the face under that hat…
Zhou Zuizui blinked, just about to take a closer look when the guy vanished. In his place was a young man.
“Sister.” Qiuqiu called out a couple times to Zhou Zuizui, who was spacing out: “Sister, breakfast is here.”
Zhou Zuizui snapped out of it a little, pointed down to a spot on the street, and asked: “Qiuqiu, did you just see a man wearing a black hat standing there?”
Qiuqiu shook her head, looking totally confused: “No, it’s been that same guy standing there the whole time.”
Zhou Zuizui: “……”
Was she really hallucinating?
Or, like Xia Wen said, was she actually that empty and lonely??
No way!
Zhou Zuizui shook her head, gave Qiuqiu a small, silent tug at the corner of her mouth to reassure her worried look, and said: “Let’s eat.”
“Mm.”
Down on the first floor, the breakfast shop was packed and noisy, with everyone lining up and waiting.
Xiao Tong and Shen Nan were sitting downstairs, eating breakfast while talking.
“Captain.” Xiao Tong mumbled through a mouthful of steamed bun.
As soon as the word came out, Shen Nan shot him a blank stare. Xiao Tong quickly corrected himself: “Master Shen.”
After saying it, Xiao Tong muttered to himself: “This ‘Master Shen’ sounds so awkward. Why not let me call you ‘Master Nan’? Afraid someone will figure us out? That person probably can’t even guess who we are…” He grumbled on: “I got some intel—that group has already entered the ancient town, but we don’t know exactly where they’re staying yet. Our guys haven’t reported back.”
They’d come this time following a group to handle some business, but whether they could actually close the deal was still up in the air.
Shen Nan raised an eyebrow, turned his head to look out the window, and said in a low, cool voice: “Have someone check the inns in the ancient town and screen them—circle the more remote ones.”
He was decisive and steady as always, quickly zeroing in on the key points.
“Yes, sir.”
Xiao Tong was quiet for a moment, then asked in a low voice, “Master Shen, when we go talk business later, is it just the two of us?”
Hearing that, Shen Nan let out a soft snort of laughter. “Scared?”
“Hell no!” Xiao Tong’s face turned red as he shot back. “When has your Grandpa Tong ever been scared! Especially since you’re here—if you go, I go!”
He paused for a second, then added, “I just heard those guys are super strict about checking anyone who comes to talk business. It’s gonna be tough for us to stay undercover in front of them without slipping up.”
Shen Nan understood right away and gave him two simple words: “Don’t worry.”
…
After breakfast, Zhou Zuizui told Qiuqiu to head back to the tavern first. She wandered the streets alone, walking slowly with no real destination.
It was Valentine’s Day, so the streets were full of young couples holding hands. There were way more little girls and boys selling flowers than usual, and a lot of shops had opened early.
Zhou Zuizui hadn’t slept well last night, so she wasn’t really in the mood to shop. She just let the crowd carry her along, a little lost in her thoughts.
Suddenly, she let out a muffled grunt—someone had bumped into her.
Zhou Zuizui looked up, frowning hard at the man who had crashed into her. Before she could say anything, he was already looking around nervously and hurried off.
She stared at his back, instinctively narrowing her eyes.
She didn’t even have time to react further when, all of a sudden, an arm wrapped around her waist. Her whole body was pulled into a man’s embrace.
Damn it!
Her first instinct was to swing a fist. Her hand shot out, but he caught it easily. That strong palm locked around her wrist, not letting her move an inch. She struggled for a moment with no luck, so she tried to kick him. Before her foot could land, he pinned that down too.
Now her whole body was pressed tightly against his.
This was still on the street! Sure, she’d walked to a quieter spot, but there were still people around. Zhou Zuizui was quick—she opened her mouth to yell for help. Right then, a low, familiar-yet-strange voice whispered in her ear, carrying a hint of laughter: “Wifey, it’s been a while. Is this your special reunion gift for your husband?”
Zhou Zuizui froze at the sound. She looked up in shock at the man in front of her.
“You…” She couldn’t get another word out.
Shen Nan kept one hand on her slim waist, half-hugging, half-dragging her forward. Leaning close to her ear, he murmured, “Someone’s behind us.”
Only after he pulled Zhou Zuizui into a small alley house did she finally reach out to push him away. Her hands had barely touched his shoulders when he tugged her forward. She crashed into his arms, their bodies fitting perfectly together.
The man cupped the back of her head, tilting her face up. Then he lowered his head, found her lips, and kissed her… slowly grinding against them, tasting her deeply.
From the street, any passerby would only see a young couple who couldn’t wait anymore—the kind who would head straight back to their room soon.
Zhou Zuizui felt a light bite on her lip and instantly snapped awake. She pressed her hands against his chest, trying to push him away.
Shen Nan licked her earlobe, his warm breath teasing her skin. He whispered right against her ear, “They haven’t left yet.”
Zhou Zuizui: “…”