Qin Guan hurried downstairs and stood on the roadside hailing a taxi. The cold night wind slapped his face, instantly clearing his muddled thoughts—if Xu Ruyi reported this to the police, which she likely would, how would things unfold? His professional instincts fully awakened at this moment.
A taxi pulled up. He checked his watch—2:00 AM.
"Where to?" the driver asked cheerfully as Qin Guan got in.
Xinhe Hotel, Room 201. He had memorized the address from Xu Ruyi's words. But after taking a deep breath and gazing at the pitch-black night outside, he spent a few seconds organizing his thoughts before giving a different destination: "Guanlan Court."
His home. The home he shared with Xu Ruyi.
Qi Min was jolted awake by knocking. She fumbled under her pillow for her phone—3:10 AM.
"Who is it?!" she snapped irritably. Only a lunatic would knock this early.
"Me." The low, forceful voice from outside injected her with instant adrenaline, erasing all fatigue and annoyance.
"Coming! Wait a sec!"
She threw off the covers, glanced down at her cotton sleep shorts, and swiftly stripped them off. Rifling through her suitcase, she pulled out a burgundy silk nightgown and slipped it on. Darting to the bathroom, she rinsed her mouth, brushed her teeth at lightning speed, splashed water on her face, slapped on serum, and spritzed perfume into the air.
After tidying up, she leaned against the doorframe, tousling her short hair to feign sleepiness. Her eyes glistened with feigned drowsiness as she pouted at the tall, handsome man in black at her door—a mix of resentment, melancholy, and longing in her voice. "You finally came."
Qi Min had anticipated Qin Guan's arrival. Over their two-year affair, he'd become addicted to her body. Every two weeks without meeting, no matter how busy, he'd scheme for a rendezvous. Once alone, he'd ravage her like a storm—frantic, almost feral, as if unleashing pent-up fury.
She'd once wondered if his marriage lacked passion. But Xu Ruyi had borne a child, and they appeared affectionate. Maybe Xu Ruyi's poor health left him unsatisfied? Not necessarily. His hunger felt primal, like a starved wolf devouring prey or a trapped beast fighting to survive. When she'd asked, he'd only smirked, "Don't you like it?"
She did. A viral video analysis once claimed: a man's insatiable sexual appetite might not prove love, but it certainly meant he couldn't quit her body. How could someone who'd tasted ambrosia return to bland porridge? Especially Qin Guan, a man of weak self-restraint. Why else would he rush here at 3 AM?
"Hmph!" She playfully glared at him, reaching out to pull him into her arms like a rom-com heroine.
But before her fingers could graze him, Qin Guan seized her arm—a hostile, furious grip that sent pain shooting through her limb. She stumbled back five steps, barely catching herself on the bed.
"What the hell, Qin Guan?! Are you insane?!"
"Insane? You're the insane one!" He slammed the door, its aged hinges rattling in the dilapidated Xinhe Hotel. The thin walls threatened to broadcast their confrontation.
After securing the door, he turned, glaring at her with smoldering rage. "What the fuck were you thinking? Do you have any idea what you've done?!"
"Me?!" She rubbed her sore wrist, indignation rising. "What did I do? Did I harass you? Demand money? Ruin your life? I'm hiding in this dump! What more do you want?!"
"What more?" His voice trembled with contained fury. "Did I not make myself clear last time? Come at me if you have issues! Why target Xu Ruyi?!"
During their last meeting at the park hilltop, he'd explicitly warned her—Xu Ruyi was his bottom line. His fists clenched; only the paper-thin walls stopped him from striking her. He couldn't fathom why she'd attack Xu Ruyi, let alone so stupidly.
"Oh, so you're here to defend your wife?" She rolled her eyes, plopping onto the bed. "Believe it or not, I didn't seek her out. She came to me."
"Bullshit!" he spat. "How would she know you're here? Psychic powers? Stop fucking lying—what did you tell her?!"
This was his true purpose. He needed the missing puzzle piece.
"Lying? About what?" Her anger now mingled with hurt. "Why would I know how she found me?!"
He swatted away her rhetorical question like a fly. "I'm asking—what. Did. You. Say?!"
"What could I say? Apologize!" Her voice cracked with injustice. "She's your lawful wife! When she showed up, you think I'd pick a fight?!"
"You hit her!" he growled. "Why the fuck would you hit her?!"
"What?!" She whirled around, stunned. "I hit Xu Ruyi? When?!"