On the day of graduation, I was dragged by my rich father to get the certificate

Two nights later, Si Yehan's slender fingers gently stroked Gu Wan's cheek and whispered in her ear, "Nian Nian finally fell asleep." His voice was filled with long-suppressed desire, and his breath puffed on the sensitive surface of Gu Wan's ear, causing her to tremble slightly.

Gu Wan turned around and put her arms around Si Yehan's neck, the same desire glittering in her eyes.

This was the first time since she came back from being imprisoned by Nangong Xuan.

She chuckled, "That little guy has become my little shadow."

Si Yehan lowered his head and kissed Gu Wan on the lips. The kiss was eager and passionate, as if he wanted to pour all the thoughts he had felt during this period into it.

His hand slipped into Gu Wan's nightgown, feeling the warmth of her skin. Just as the two were lost in passion, the phone on the bedside table suddenly lit up, and the shrill ringtone broke the ambiguous atmosphere in the room.

“Never mind it…” Si Yehan panted, his fingers threading into Gu Wan’s black hair.

But the cell phone kept ringing without stopping.

"Hurry up and answer it, what if it's an emergency?" Gu Wan gently broke free and reminded.

Si Yehan glanced at the caller ID and froze instantly—"Mu Rui." The name was like a bucket of cold water poured over his head. He stood up and reached for his phone.

"Oh, it's about work." His Adam's apple rolled unnaturally as he lied, and he stood up and walked towards the balcony.

"Hello?" Si Yehan lowered his voice, afraid that Gu Wan in the bedroom would hear.

"Yehan, I found some of my grandfather's old things that might be useful to you." Mu Rui's voice came through the phone, with a deliberate casualness, "Meet at the old place? Right now."

Si Yehan's fingers gripped his phone so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He glanced back at the bedroom. Through the half-drawn curtains, he could see Gu Wan, already in her nightgown, straightening the messy sheets.

The three-month deadline was approaching, and Nangong Xuan's words were still ringing in his ears: "If you can't produce evidence to prove the Si family's innocence in three months, I will take Gu Wan and Nian Nian back to the Nangong family."

"I'll be right there," he finally said, and hung up.

Back in the bedroom, Si Yehan quickly began to dress. Gu Wan looked up, a hint of hurt in her eyes. "Going out so late?"

"There's a problem with an urgent project at the company." He avoided Gu Wan's gaze and buttoned his shirt. "It might be late, so you should go to bed first."

Gu Wan walked up to him and straightened his collar. "Ever since Mom gave you that ultimatum, you've been so worried." She stood on tiptoe and kissed his chin. "No matter what happens, we'll face it together, okay?"

Si Yehan's heart felt like it was being gripped by an invisible hand. He cupped Gu Wan's face and kissed her deeply, as if to engrave this feeling in his heart. "I love you," he whispered against her lips. "Remember this forever."

After leaving home, Si Yehan's luxury car sped through the night. Fifteen minutes later, he stopped in front of an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city. This was a place they often visited when they were young, and it was also the "old place" that Mu Rui still clung to.

The factory was dim and damp, with only a few beams of moonlight filtering through the broken windows. As Si Yehan entered the empty factory, he heard a deliberately subdued female voice: "You're here after all."

Murray emerged from the shadows. Tonight, she was still dressed in men's clothing—loose black overalls, an oversized leather jacket, and her short hair casually tousled. Only up close could one see her delicate features. She swung a brown paper bag in her hand, a confident smile playing on her lips.

"You said there were some old things." Si Yehan got straight to the point, his voice cold and hard.

Mu Rui chuckled and took a few steps closer. "So anxious? You're even skipping the small talk?" She tilted her head, examining Si Yehan. "I heard your mother-in-law gave you a deadline? If you can't find evidence within three months, she'll take Gu Wan and the child and leave you?"

Si Yehan's eyes suddenly turned cold: "Are you investigating me?"

"The whole upper class is talking about this, and Nangong Xuan has no intention of keeping it secret." Mu Rui shrugged. "But don't worry, I'm here to help you." She shook the paper bag in her hand. "I recently sorted through my grandfather's old things, and I found some interesting things."

Si Yehan reached out to take it, but Mu Rui quickly stepped back. "Don't worry, you still owe me a favor."

"What conditions?" Si Yehan's voice was filled with caution.

Mu Rui suddenly stepped forward, her fingers lightly tracing across Si Yehan's chest. "One night. Stay with me for one night, and I'll tell you everything I know."

Si Yehan suddenly grabbed her wrist and said, "Are you crazy? I'm already married!"

"Yes, and a woman who doesn't believe in you at all." Mu Rui sneered, "Her mother believes that the Si family harmed the Nangong family. Sooner or later, she will stand on her mother's side. And I..." Her voice suddenly softened, "I have liked you since I was five years old. In order to get close to you, I even..."

"You even disguised yourself as a man for over a decade?" Si Yehan shook her hand away. "That wasn't for me, Mu Rui. That was your choice. Now, give me the thing."

Mu Rui's expression darkened. "You've changed, Yehan. In the past, you would at least pretend to care about me." She pulled a yellowed photo from a paper bag and waved it in the moonlight. "For example, this photo, a picture of your grandfather and my grandfather. The safe in the background... maybe that's what you're looking for?"

Si Yehan's pupils suddenly constricted. In the blurry background of the photo, there was indeed an old-fashioned safe, exactly like the one his grandfather had described. He reached for it, but Mu Rui stepped back again.

"I told you, there are conditions." Her voice suddenly turned cold, "and... it's too late." She took out her cell phone, and the screen showed that a photo had been sent successfully - it was the "intimate" picture of the two of them in the moonlight that she had secretly taken a few minutes ago, and the recipient was Gu Wan.

"You!" Si Yehan's face changed drastically, and he reached out to grab the phone.

Murui dodged swiftly, a triumphant smile on his face. "Now, how are you going to explain to your Gu Wan about this late-night secret meeting with me? Especially... a photo like this?"

Si Yehan's phone suddenly rang, and the name "Wanwan" flashed across the screen. He stared at Mu Rui, his eyes burning with anger. "What the hell are you trying to do?!"

"Oh..." Murray stuffed the photo back into the paper bag, "I'm playing a game I've been waiting for fifteen years. Now, the choice is yours - continue searching for that account book that may not even exist, or... save your Wanwan?"

Si Yehan glanced at his vibrating phone, then at the paper bag in Mu Rui's hand, feeling caught in a dilemma.

In the distance, a flash of lightning streaked across the night sky, foreshadowing the coming storm.