After a long while, the two finally parted reluctantly.
Gu Moqian’s palm still rested on her nape, leaning closer to press his forehead against hers, gazing at her intently.
The woman’s eyes were misty, her flushed cheeks incredibly alluring. He stared deeply into her eyes, his voice low and melodious: "From now on, whenever something happens, I’ll tell you. You’re my wife—you have the right to decide what to do, alright?"
Ji Wei nodded repeatedly, her heart softening as though it would melt.
Gu Moqian drew her into his arms once again. What he thought would be an unbearable evening now felt overwhelmingly fulfilling and fortunate.
Because a woman had climbed windows and scaled trees just to find him, making him the most important worry in her heart.
The two were indulging in the warmth of each other’s embrace when a noise suddenly emerged from the direction of the bathroom.
The sound of something heavy falling echoed, catching them both off guard. Simultaneously, they turned their gaze to the bathroom door.
Ji Wei vaguely heard the sound of a woman sobbing.
"Half an hour ago, Zhu Jianian was making too much of a fuss, so I knocked her out. She’s probably woken up now," Gu Moqian remarked indifferently.
The two walked to the bathroom door and unlocked it.
Because of the power outage, the bathroom was dimly lit, and at first glance, nothing was visible.
Ji Wei suddenly remembered the flashlight she had taken earlier and pulled it out of her jacket pocket, pressing the switch to turn it on.
A beam of bright light shone directly into the bathroom.
Ji Wei finally saw the scene inside the bathroom.
The floor was a complete mess; cleaning supplies were scattered everywhere, even towels were tossed haphazardly. Water pooled across the wet floor, with an improperly closed showerhead dripping incessantly.
Sitting slouched by the bathtub was a woman, drenched completely. Her soaked hair clung to her head, and her mouth was stuffed with a towel, leaving her only able to produce muffled sounds.
As the sudden flashlight beam hit her, the woman instinctively turned her face away.
Once her eyes adjusted to the light, she looked back at the doorway.
Ji Wei was taken aback by Zhu Jianian’s disheveled appearance, momentarily unable to gather her thoughts.
Unable to see clearly who had arrived due to Ji Wei and Gu Moqian standing in the shadows, Zhu Jianian instinctively cried out for help.
Her hands seemed to be bound by something in the front, restricting her movements. After several attempts, she managed to awkwardly pull herself off the floor and stumbled toward the two.
Gu Moqian instinctively stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Ji Wei.
As Zhu Jianian drew closer and closer, Ji Wei began to sense the strangeness of her condition.
Her flushed face seemed ready to drip blood, while her fervent gaze burned as it locked onto Gu Moqian, an obsessive hunger consuming her—like a famished beast greedily yearning for something.
Just as Zhu Jianian appeared ready to leap toward Gu Moqian, he swiftly sidestepped out of reach.
Zhu Jianian missed her target and, stepping on the slippery floor, fell hard, her face hitting the ground.
Unable to cry out in pain, Zhu Jianian’s body curled into a ball, trembling all over from the agony.
Ji Wei never imagined that Zhu Jianian—the proud and lofty woman, a graduate of an elite international university—would end up in such a condition.
Had her desire to possess Gu Moqian consumed even her basic sense of shame and dignity?
Perhaps the pain had sobered Zhu Jianian; when she raised her head from the ground again, her eyes brimmed with hatred as they fixed on Ji Wei.