Akira leaned closer to her screen, completely absorbed in An Mei's draft as the digital investigation reached a critical breakthrough.
Inside the private apartment, after hours of relentless searching and parsing through encrypted data, Fen Tao and Ruoxi finally struck gold. The breakthrough didn't come from a high-end hacking tool, but from digging into the past. They discovered that the exact same fabricated photo—the one expertly edited to frame Ruoxi in a fake kissing scandal—had been posted a year ago in a restricted college forum. It was buried deep within a private "Confess or Hide" group, an anonymous network strictly accessible only to the university's registered students.
Using her elite connections, Fen Tao managed to bypass the security wall and gain full access to the restricted group's archives. Sure enough, the original post was sitting right there.
But the discovery came with a chilling catch.
Although Fen Tao managed to extract the digital footprint and the IP registration data linked to the post, the culprit's profile was a complete ghost. There was no profile picture, no legal name, and the registered digital address traced back to a completely masked, unknown proxy server. Whoever had framed Ruoxi a year ago was incredibly tech-savvy, deliberately leaving a digital breadcrumb trail that led straight into a dead end, all while hiding right under their noses in the student directory.Akira leaned back, a low hum of genuine interest escaping her lips as she continued to read. An Mei's draft was taking a fascinating, incredibly intense turn.
Inside the private apartment, the heavy tech-gloom broke when Fen Tao suddenly let out a gasp of pure excitement. Spinning around from the screen, she looked directly at Ruoxi, her face lighting up with a rare, triumphant smile. "Ruoxi! Look, we did it! We have the absolute proof that this photo is fake!"
In her rush of adrenaline, Fen Tao had leaned in incredibly close. The sudden, unexpected proximity caught Ruoxi completely off guard. As their eyes locked, the triumphant cheer in the room instantly melted into a heavy, suffocating silence. A deep, magnetic wave of romantic tension crackled between them, leaving Ruoxi breathing softly, completely frozen under Fen's gaze.
Seeing the effect she was having, Fen Tao didn't pull back. Instead, a dangerous, possessive streak flickered in her eyes. Deliberately escalating the thick tension, Fen leaned down even further, closing the remaining distance until she was dangerously, suffocatingly close to Ruoxi's lips, challenging her to break the spell.
The sheer, overwhelming pressure of Fen Tao's powerful presence was too much for Ruoxi's racing heart to handle.
Flustered, her cheeks burning a bright crimson, Ruoxi quickly scrambled backward out of her reach. "I... I need to use the washroom!" she stammered out, throwing out the first excuse her panicked mind could find. Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and practically bolted into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her to catch her breath.Akira took another slow sip of her black coffee, her eyes moving quickly down the page as the chapter progressed.
After securing the digital proof against the culprit, the exhaustion of the long day finally caught up with Fen Tao and Ruoxi. They quietly ordered some food, finished their dinner in a comfortable silence, and prepared to turn in for the night. The apartment had two bedrooms, but when they tried to open the second one, they found the door firmly jammed. It hadn't been opened in months, leaving them with no choice but to share the master bedroom.
Wanting to give Ruoxi her space, Fen Tao didn't hesitate. She grabbed a pillow and a blanket from the bed and walked over to the long couch across the room, settling down for the night. Ruoxi opened her mouth to object, feeling a bit guilty about taking the comfortable bed, but she ultimately remained silent. After the intense, breathless tension from earlier, she felt that having this physical distance between them was probably for the best.
Eventually, the lights were turned off, and the room dissolved into shadows. But sleep remained far out of reach for both of them. They lay awake in the dark, their minds racing, until the quiet night was suddenly shattered.
Outside the glass windows, the sky opened up. A heavy downpour began to lash against the building, accompanied by violent flashes of lightning and deep, roaring thunder cracks that shook the frames.
The fierce thunderstorm instantly pierced through Fen Tao's usual stoic exterior. Beneath her powerful, fearless shield lay a hidden vulnerability—she was terrified of storms. Unable to bear the isolation of the dark couch any longer, Fen Tao silently stood up. Carrying her pillow, she walked across the room in the dim light and climbed onto the bed, lying down right beside Ruoxi.
The thunder boomed loudly once more, echoing through the room. Flustered and seeking comfort, Fen Tao didn't care about her pride anymore; she pulled the heavy blanket up to her chin, holding onto the fabric with a tight, trembling grip, desperate to feel safe in Ruoxi's immediate warmth.The steady hum of the rain was suddenly ripped apart by a blinding flash of lightning, followed instantly by a massive, violent crack of thunder that seemed to shake the very foundations of the apartment building.
The sheer intensity of the sound shattered the last of Fen Tao's restraint. Blinded by sudden fear, she instinctively lunged forward across the mattress and wrapped her arms tightly around Ruoxi from behind, pulling herself flush against her back in a desperate, trembling back-hug.
Ruoxi's breath caught in her throat as the sudden, solid warmth of Fen Tao crashed into her. She could feel the rapid, terrified thumping of Fen's heart pressing directly against her spine, along with the tight, clinging grip of her arms. Instead of pulling away or panicking, a deep sense of protective warmth washed over Ruoxi. She remained completely still for a moment, letting Fen find her bearings, before slowly, carefully turning her body around on the mattress to lie flat on her back.
Fen Tao didn't open her eyes, keeping them squeezed shut against the flashes of lightning illuminating the room. Driven purely by the need for comfort, she drifted closer, sliding across the sheets until her face was mere inches away. Seeking refuge from the roaring chaos outside, Fen gently leaned in, resting the side of her forehead softly against Ruoxi's warm cheek.
She didn't move an inch further, anchoring herself right there in that breathless closeness, letting the steady rhythm of Ruoxi's breathing drown out the storm.
As Akira kept reading, the soft intimacy of the storm took a sudden, alarming turn.
Resting against Fen Tao, Ruoxi's cheek registered a sudden, unnatural heat. Fen's forehead wasn't just warm from the heavy blankets—it was burning. Realizing that the stress of the scandal and the freezing rain from earlier had taken a toll on Fen's health, Ruoxi quickly turned her head, shifting her posture to face her directly.
At that exact moment, Fen Tao slowly fluttered her eyes open. In the dim, shadowed room, their faces were so close that their breaths mingled in the narrow space between them. Despite the fever flushed across her skin and the lingering exhaustion in her eyes, Fen's gaze was intensely focused, locking onto Ruoxi with absolute clarity.
"I will always love you... in this lifetime," Fen whispered, her voice raspy from the fever but carrying a profound, unyielding weight.
Hearing those words echo in the quiet room, something inside Ruoxi completely snapped. The confusion, the fear of the scandal, and the emotional distance she had tried to maintain all time dissolved into nothingness. Driven by an impulse she couldn't comprehend, Ruoxi reached out, her fingers gently cupping Fen's burning cheek.
Before her mind could even process what she was doing, Ruoxi leaned in and pressed her lips firmly against Fen's. It wasn't a calculated move, and Ruoxi herself couldn't understand why her body had reacted this way—all she knew in that breathless second was that she couldn't let Fen face the dark alone anymore.
The moment the reality of her own actions crashed down on her, panic seized Ruoxi. Her heart hammered wildly against her ribs, and she instinctively began to pull her lips back, trying to scramble away into the safety of the dark room.
But it was already far too late.
Before Ruoxi could even retreat an inch, Fen Tao's hand moved with a sudden, unyielding fluid grace. Her fingers locked firmly behind Ruoxi's head, completely halting her escape and pulling her right back down. She brought Ruoxi so incredibly close that their lips were almost touching again, their rapid, shallow breaths tangling together in the narrow space between them.
"If you feel something for me, express it... don't ignore it," Fen whispered.
Her voice was incredibly low, raspy from the fever, but the absolute intensity behind it sent a sharp, electric shiver straight down Ruoxi's spine. It wasn't a request; it was a quiet, magnetic demand that stripped away all of Ruoxi's carefully built walls, leaving her entirely exposed to a feeling she had never experienced before.As Fen's intense words hung in the narrow space between them, a long-forgotten memory suddenly flashed through Ruoxi's mind. She remembered a day back in school when her teacher had shared a profound piece of advice:
"We must learn to value the person who truly cares for us, who respects us, and who loves us unconditionally. Yet, more often than not, we tend to choose people who possess none of those qualities. It is a harsh reality that such genuinely devoted partners usually only find those who have completely given up on love, or those who simply want to run away from the world. I won't say this is an absolute rule for everyone, but from my point of view, this is how the world works."
Ruoxi kept her eyes closed for a long moment, letting her teacher's words settle deep into her racing heart. When she finally opened her eyes and looked back at Fen, she tried to ground herself in reality.
"We should go to sleep, Fen," Ruoxi murmured softly, her hand gently brushing Fen's arm. "Your body is burning up right now."
Fen stared back at her, a weary, feverish smile touching her lips. "You care about me so much, yet you try so hard not to show it, Ruoxi. Why are you so confused? Why do you keep me dangling in this uncertainty?"
Fen paused, her breath warm against Ruoxi's skin before she continued in a soft, raspy whisper. "I won't force you. I will never demand that you stay with me or accept my proposal. But I will say this much—at least live your life to the fullest for once. Listen to what your heart is trying to tell you. Because who knows what tomorrow brings? Whoever it is that makes you feel alive... go and live your life openly and happily with them. Even if that person... isn't me."
Akira stopped scrolling. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, the steady hum of the editing cafe fading into complete background noise. An Mei's draft ended right there on that raw, emotional cliffhanger, and Akira decided it was time to close the reading phase and begin the actual editing work.
She had already pushed through and polished up to Chapter 30, but her mind was completely stuck on the scene she had just finished reading.
Fen Tao's final words—"Whoever it is that makes you feel alive... go and live your life openly and happily with them. Even if that person... isn't me."—echoed repeatedly in Akira's mind, touching a raw nerve deep inside her soul.
Akira leaned back, staring blankly at the screen as the parallel between the manuscript and her own life became blindingly clear. Fen Tao's fierce, protective, yet entirely selfless devotion to Ruoxi was an exact reflection of the storm Akira was carrying in her own chest for Naea. Just like Ruoxi, Naea was bound by rules, confusion, and fear, constantly pushing away what her heart truly wanted.
Taking a slow, final sip of her lukewarm black coffee, Akira felt a strange wave of determination wash over her. Fen's words weren't just lines in a web novel anymore; they were a mirror to her own reality. She wasn't going to let Naea ignore her heart either.
Back at the house, a different kind of quiet had settled over the rooms. Naea had intentionally handed the tutoring responsibilities over to Wei Jian for the day, offering a piece of seasoned academic advice. "The more you explain these complex medical concepts to someone else, Wei, the sharper your own core understanding and active recall will become. It's the best way to solidify your preparation."
Hearing Naea's practical logic, Wei Jian couldn't find a single reason to refuse.
With Wei Jian taking over the study table, Naea decided to dedicate her entire afternoon to little Naria. Sitting in the warm sunlight of the bedroom, she gently massaged her daughter's tiny limbs, listening to the baby's soft, happy coos. They spent hours playing together, sharing quiet giggles until exhaustion finally caught up with them both. Tucked safely under the covers, the mother and daughter fell into a deep, peaceful slumber, completely shut off from the rest of the world.
Out in the drawing area, Wei Jian strictly followed Naea's instructions. Keeping her voice disciplined and entirely professional, she guided Zheng through the heavy biology syllabus, breaking down the intricate pathways step-by-step.
Zheng, true to her word, remained perfectly cooperative. She sat quietly, absorbing the explanations, taking notes, and keeping her head down. They were acting precisely like the strangers Wei Jian had demanded they be—focused entirely on the textbooks, never letting their eyes linger, and suppressing the chaotic memories of the previous night beneath a shield of absolute silence.
By the time they finished reviewing the last few sections, the clock on the wall struck 5:00 PM.
Zheng broke the silence, quietly packing her notes into her backpack. "I should head home now," she said, her voice soft but focused. "My final exams start tomorrow, and I need to do some last-minute preparation."
Wei Jian merely nodded in response, keeping her expressions locked behind her professional wall. "Alright," she replied simply, accepting her departure without trying to stretch the conversation any further.
Zheng zipped up her bag and stood up from the dining table. However, instead of walking straight toward the main entrance, she turned her steps toward Naea's bedroom. Inside, Naea was still deeply asleep; she had passed out at 4:00 PM from sheer exhaustion after playing with Naria. Watching from the table, Wei Jian looked on with a wave of confusion, wondering why Zheng was lingering outside the closed bedroom door.
Standing outside, Zheng hesitated for a fraction of a second before gently knocking on the wood. "Miss Naea..." she called out softly.
Inside the quiet room, the soft knock and the familiar voice caused Naea's eyes to flutter open. Blinking away her sleep, she glanced at her phone to check the time—it was exactly five. She immediately got out of bed, quietly slipped away from a sleeping Naria, and pulled the bedroom door open.
Finding Zheng standing there with her bag slung over her shoulder, Naea gave her a warm, inquiring look.
Zheng looked up, locking eyes with her mentor. "My final exams are starting from tomorrow, Miss Naea... I wanted you to wish me luck before I leave."
Hearing the quiet vulnerability in her student's voice, Naea didn't say a word. Instead, she stepped forward and pulled Zheng into a warm, comforting, and tight hug.
Resting her hand gently on Zheng's shoulder, Naea pulled back slightly and spoke with absolute sincerity. "All the best, Zheng. I am not telling you that I expect a flawless, high score from you. All I want is for you to give your absolute best, using everything we have studied together. And if you ever look at a question paper and feel like you don't know the answer or haven't read that topic... there is absolutely no need to panic. I know how hard we have worked over these past days . The real hard work was yours; I was simply there to guide and explain things to you. Now, it is your turn to shine."
Hearing those deeply reassuring words, the emotional dam inside Zheng finally broke. Tears welled up in her eyes, spilling over her cheeks as she wept openly in front of Naea for the very first time. Lowering her head, she whispered with fierce determination, "I will... I will give it my absolute best, Miss."
But as Zheng rested her chin near Naea's shoulder during the last embrace again , her tearful gaze inadvertently fell upon the side of Naea's exposed neck.
There, partially hidden but undeniably clear in the hallway light, was a dark, distinct love bite.
The warmth in Zheng's eyes vanished instantly. The soft, vulnerable expression on her face froze, sharpening into a look of cold, intense jealousy and dead seriousness. The mark was a loud, silent reminder of exactly what Akira had done to Naea earlier morning—a territorial claim that Zheng could not ignore.
Instantly pulling back from the hug, the emotional atmosphere shattered. Without saying another word, and with a heavy, unreadable mask taking over her face, Zheng wiped her tears away with a swift stroke of her hand. She gave one last rigid, formal nod, completely bypassed a silent Wei Jian without a single glance, and stepped out of the front door, heading straight back to her home with a dark storm brewing in her mind.