I'm in Tokyo, caught in the clutches of the demon princess.

"It's okay, my stomach isn't that delicate. I also brought you a late-night snack."

As he spoke, he waved the two bento boxes in his hand.

Feng Zejian scratched his head, puzzled, and asked, "Sister, why did you use 'also'?"

Rio Sawada paused, taken aback. "Didn't you buy this?"

Feng Zejian did not answer, but only looked at the small kitchen.

Rio Sawada understood at that moment.

All the dishes on this table were made by Feng Zejian himself.

On such a helpless night, she came home to find someone waiting for her, and that person even cooked her a sumptuous dinner. Even though the food was cold, it still warmed her heart.

If it were him, would I also be able to open my heart freely?

Thinking of this, Rio Sawada's eyes welled up with tears.

"Sister, why are you crying?"

"It's nothing, it's just that I haven't had someone waiting for me at home in a long time."

Rio Sawada cried, but Kaze Sawama laughed.

Rio Sawada looked at Kaze Sawama with a hint of resentment.

"What are you laughing at? Really."

Feng Zejian smiled and shook his head, then turned around and took out two cans of bottled beer from the refrigerator.

"It's nothing, I just remembered how stubborn my sister was yesterday, and it made me want to laugh a little."

Rio Sawada was also amused.

"You're such a mean-spirited child."

The two men sat down one after the other, and the two glasses of beer clinked together.

Feng Zejian proactively added food to his bowl.

"Sister, eat more so you can welcome tomorrow."

Perhaps due to the effects of alcohol, Rio Sawada also became somewhat unrestrained.

"What's so great about tomorrow? Tiring work, boring interactions, and I have to constantly guard against my boss's sexual harassment. I just want to sleep forever."

"If you really can't go on living, I can stay with you."

Rio Sawada rolled her eyes at Kaze Sawama.

"Children shouldn't have such thoughts; you have a bright future ahead of you."

Upon hearing this, Feng Zejian felt somewhat melancholy.

"Really? Why can't I see it?"

Rio Sawada also felt that this topic was inappropriate.

"Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore."

At this moment, Kazema's eyes, which were fixed on Rio Sawada, became somewhat pitiful.

"Sister, would you like to hear my story?"

Rio Sawada revealed a smile that radiated maternal glow.

"How could I not be willing?"

Kazema took a deep breath and slowly said, "Before all of this happened, I was studying at Nara High School."

Rio Sawada was slightly surprised when she heard the name.

Because her daughter also studies there.

"Before, I was considered a shut-in by others, so I didn't have many friends at school. To be precise, I was looked down upon, but I didn't care. However, when I entered the second year of high school and was assigned to a new class in the new semester, the people around me disliked me even more. It was normal for chairs to be smeared with water and desks to be covered in graffiti."

"At that moment, a pretty girl next to me reached out to help me. I thought she was my salvation, but I never expected that she would push me into an even deeper abyss."

"It was during a math class. A guy who always teased me said he'd lost a watch worth hundreds of thousands of dollars that his parents had given him. The teacher had no choice but to check everyone's watches one by one, and when he checked mine..."

Chapter 4: Rio Sawada's Disappointment

Rio Sawada couldn't help but ask, "Did someone put the watch in your bag?"

Feng Zejian shook his head, his eyes red.

"There was no watch at all; it was all just an excuse. Their goal was to check my schoolbag. The teacher took out a pair of underwear from my schoolbag."

"And that girl said these underwear were hers, and they really were hers. But how was I supposed to know they were in my bag? I'm usually very careful, not letting anyone near my personal belongings, except for that girl, the only person I trust, she..."

Feng Zejian choked up.

"Kaori Shimizu, I thought she would be the angel in my life, but I never expected... haha."

Rio Sawada felt terrible when she heard that name.

Kaori Shimizu is the name of her daughter.

Same school, similar grade, same name—it's definitely the same person.

The feeling of guilt was overflowing.

Her own daughter had ruined another child's life.

And she's such a gentle and sensible child.

Rio Sawada trusts Kazema unconditionally because she knows what kind of personality her daughter has.

Kazema wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes and forced a smile as he looked at Rio Sawada.

"Sister, that's about the end of my story. What about yours? I want to understand you more deeply."

Kazesawa's aggressive words made Rio Sawada overthink.

Perhaps out of guilt towards Feng Zejian, or perhaps because she was attracted to him, she didn't dislike him at the moment.

Rio Sawada brushed a stray hair from her temple.

"Actually, there's not much to say. My husband cheated on me, and more than once. I finally couldn't take it anymore and got a divorce. My only daughter thinks I'm weak, so she doesn't want to leave with me."

Feng Zejian shook his head and said very seriously:

"My sister came to this unfamiliar city all by herself, working hard from dawn till dusk every day. This is not something a weak person can endure."

"I think it was your ex-husband who took advantage of your kindness, and your daughter who misinterpreted your kindness. If it were me, I would definitely cherish it."

Rio Sawada blushed.

"What nonsense are you talking about, child?"

Feng Zejian thought to himself, since she had seen through his hints, he should be direct with her.

"Sister, I'm not lying, I like you."

Rio Sawada was very resistant to Kazema's confession.

"No, absolutely not."

Rio Sawada's decisive refusal did not cause any panic in Kazesawa Masaru, or rather, everything was within his plan.

He smiled self-deprecatingly.

"Knowing I would be rejected, I still said it. I was so stupid."

With that, Kazema stood up and bowed to Rio Sawada.

"Feel sorry."

Feng Zejian left without any hesitation.

Hearing the door close with a sound that was neither too loud nor too soft, Rio Sawada felt as if the door in her heart had closed with that same sound.

Looking at the unfinished food on the table, I could still feel the warmth of his touch on my shoulder.

Even though we only spent one day together, why do I feel so empty inside?

His daughter ruined him once, and now he wants to ruin him a second time?

Rio Sawada hesitated. She wanted to win Kaze Sawa back, but in the end, she gave up.

Adults are more rational than young people.

Feng Zejian walked on the road at night.

Although he is currently displaced, the plan to trap Rio Sawada is already more than halfway complete.

All it takes is that final push.

Kazesawa's final destination was obvious: that izakaya (Japanese pub).

Kazema pushed open the door of the izakaya.

After choosing my drink at the bar, I headed to a corner of the izakaya.

He drank his wine without saying a word.

The next day, Rio Sawada went to work as usual and prepared breakfast as usual, but this time she made an extra portion.

"Never mind, we'll just have the extra portion for lunch."

Rio Sawada brought her lunch to the company to start her workday.

I thought the work would proceed smoothly as usual, but I didn't expect that what should have been a simple task would be riddled with errors.

"Ms. Sawada, are you an idiot? How could you make a mistake on such a simple task? Do you know how much damage your mistake will cause to the company?"

The middle-aged, greasy man with a Mediterranean beer belly was berating Rio Sawada.

Rio Sawada had no choice but to keep bowing her head and admitting her mistake.

This person with so many characteristics is Rio Sawada's boss, Ryuji Fukuchi.

Rio Sawada's work situation is always like this: her boss will seize any opportunity to scold her.

He had this attitude at the beginning. When he was first transferred here, he was all smiles and concern when he saw Rio Sawada, a single and beautiful woman.

Although Fukuchi Ryuji had many characteristics of a masochist, she actually included him in her list of potential partners.

She later learned that this Fukuchi Ryuji was married.

Because of her previous marriage where she was cheated on, Rio Sawada deeply resented being a mistress.

Therefore, my impression of Fukuchi Ryuji was extremely bad.

She solemnly rejected Fukuchi Ryuji, and perhaps because Fukuchi Ryuji felt ashamed, he was particularly hostile towards Sawada Rio.

Today, we've fallen into his hands again.

Not only was she humiliated, but as she was leaving, she was also groped on the thigh.

Rio Sawada gritted her teeth and held back.

Rio Sawada returned to her workstation and continued her work. When it was lunch break, everyone else in her group left their workstations to have lunch.

Rio Sawada sat alone at her workstation, lost in thought.

Since he explicitly rejected Fukuchi Ryuji, not only him, but everyone else also chose to stay away from Sawada Rio.

Even if things don't go well, Fukuchi Ryuji is still their boss. They are just ordinary employees, and they don't want to be implicated because they are close to Sawada Rio.

Rio Sawada took out the extra breakfast, which now became her lunch.

As the sandwich entered her mouth and she began to chew, Rio Sawada unconsciously began to recall the fleeting beauty of yesterday.

If I had chosen to endure it back then, would I have avoided the divorce? If I had become the other woman back then, would my life be much easier now? If I had chosen to accept that child's feelings yesterday, would I...?

Rio Sawada shook her head, a bitter smile on her lightly made-up face.

Is this the normal way of life? And what am I expecting?

Rio Sawada returned to her normal routine and began to focus on her work.

After working overtime until past 10 p.m., Rio Sawada, as usual, left work exhausted and went to her usual izakaya after get off work.

Upon entering the izakaya, she didn't head straight for the counter, but instead looked around.