In the spacious room, the phone on the bedside table vibrated for several seconds before falling silent again when no one answered.
Outside the window, a steady drizzle fell under overcast skies that blotted out the sun, enveloping the world in gloom. Raindrops pattered against the glass like jade beads falling onto a plate.
The heavy curtains blocked out all light, leaving the room in deep darkness even at midday. On the bed, two figures could faintly be seen embracing under the covers.
The man lay on his side, eyes closed, his sharp profile strikingly handsome in the dim light as he breathed steadily. One strong arm pillowed the woman's head while the other wrapped securely around her waist - firm yet gentle.
The woman's fair skin resembled fine jade, her raven hair cascading across the pillow with strands curling around the man's fingers. Faint love marks traced down her neck to her collarbones and shoulders, telling a story of passionate possession.
Her long lashes fluttered as she gradually awoke, beautiful fox-like eyes blinking in momentary confusion. When she shifted slightly, the arm around her waist tightened.
Warm breath carrying a faint pine scent brushed her skin as the man's deep, cello-like voice murmured, "Wife..."
Gentle kisses dusted her eyelids. Yu Li remained quiet, allowing the affection. Skilled fingers began massaging her waist.
Bo Jingmo's eyes crinkled as he nuzzled her nose before stealing another kiss, as if he could never get enough. But noticing her tired expression, he paused and simply gathered her closer. "Sleep a little longer," he whispered.
Rain pattered peacefully outside as the man quietly watched his lover sleep. After a long while, his soft apology floated through the air: "I'm sorry..."
Yu Li's eyes remained closed, but she reached out to pat his arm, her tone unexpectedly alert. "If you're sorry, keep massaging my waist."
She opened her eyes, seeing the guilt in his gaze, and touched his face. "It's really not a big deal. Don't keep dwelling on it, okay?"
Bo Jingmo buried his face in her neck, nuzzling gently. "Understood, Lili."
As Yu Li ruffled his hair, she reflected how all their unanswered questions had been resolved after he regained his memories. "Was this what you wanted to tell me before the car accident that day?"
A quiet "mn" was his reply. "The system wouldn't let me say too much. The original timeline wasn't supposed to be that day - I just wanted to secretly give you some clues. But when the system noticed, it moved up the timeline without telling me."
"Doesn't matter that it kept secrets." Yu Li smiled up at him from his embrace, eyes narrowed in satisfaction. "I still brought you back anyway."
Bo Jingmo gazed at her smiling face, his expression softening before he kissed her eyelids. "Yes, my wife is truly amazing."
Yu Li looped her arms around his neck, raising an eyebrow. "Who's your wife? We're not even married yet."
They'd gotten their marriage license in the real world, but never had the ceremony. Regrettable, really - they'd been planning it when they got dragged into this world.
Bo Jingmo blinked, then lowered his head. "Does Lili want to get married now? I'll arrange everything."
Yu Li didn't answer, just nuzzled his cheek before settling into a comfortable position to rest. Bo Jingmo didn't press, simply holding her while smoothing back her hair.
After a long silence, Yu Li suddenly spoke softly: "Bo Jingmo, my colleague said she's saving up a big red envelope for us. She's waiting for our wedding banquet."
The man blinked in surprise before smiling and kissing her forehead. "Alright, then let's go home to celebrate."
Yu Li opened her eyes to meet his tender gaze. "The main reason is... I don't world."
Bo Jingmo's eyes curved gently. "Neither do I."
After running two back-to-back instances overnight, Yu Li and Bo Jingmo didn't wake until noon. While Bo Jingmo went downstairs to cook, Yu Li grabbed her phone from the nightstand to find dozens of missed calls and messages.
Most were from the same person. Raising an eyebrow, she skimmed through them before calling back.
The line connected instantly, but silence greeted her. Yu Li spoke first: "Uncle Xin, you sent so many messages I thought it was urgent. Why so quiet now?"
Normally instances ended by morning, especially since last night's had concluded early. Yet when he messaged at 9am - no reply. 10am check-in - still nothing. By 11am with continued silence, he'd started wondering if Yu Li had died in the instance or, as Zhang Can suggested... become an NPC?
He'd been debating whether to bring Qi Cheng'an to investigate when Yu Li finally called - at nearly 1pm.
"If you'd called any later, I could've started planning your funeral banquet."
Yu Li chuckled as she opened the bedroom door. "Really? Well, there is someone who almost qualified - didn't Zhang Can nearly die?"
Unable to refute this, Xin Hao changed topics. "Did you revive Zhang Can?"
"Where'd you get the points?"
"System gave them to me."
"?" Xin Hao sounded skeptical. "You're joking. The system gives free points?"
After all his years as a veteran player, the system had never gifted him anything.
Yu Li's tone was matter-of-fact: "Just demand it from the system. Be pushy - it won't argue back."
Xin Hao hesitated. "Really?"
Swallowing his words, Xin Hao lowered his voice. "Serious talk - when are you free to meet? Qi Cheng'an and I can come to you."
"Anytime. Just give me a heads-up."
Xin Hao's eyes gleamed as he leaned back in his chair. "Good." Glancing at the investigation files on his desk, he added, "About that condition you mentioned earlier... perhaps we could... renegotiate."