Even though Jiang Mocheng was feeling guilty, he still found the question she asked somewhat outrageous.

The two of them faced each other at a very close distance, and there were traces of his light bites on her lips.

After a silence lasting more than ten seconds, Bai Ying’s expression turned cold. She pushed him away and stood up.

He grabbed her by the wrist and said in a deep voice, “What’s wrong?”

“I thought you had lost your voice.”

Naturally, Jiang Mocheng noticed that her emotions had been unstable since yesterday.

He helplessly said, “What would you like for lunch?”

He attempted to change the topic clumsily, and Bai Ying understood it well.

Did he like her? Did he love her? She didn’t care. After all, if her dream was real, both of them would be doomed. Perhaps he would end up worse than her.

Since they were both going to die, why not find a way to survive?

And why couldn’t the one who survived be her?

“So you don’t really love me.”

Bai Ying sympathized with him, but she sympathized with herself even more.

Clearly, their feelings weren’t deep. In the end, it was all about desire in the long, dark night. Who knew if the word “desire” truly carried a hidden danger?

He didn’t like her much, and neither did she. So how did they inexplicably end up in this dire situation?

Jiang Mocheng frowned. “Is it too early to discuss this now?”

“So you truly don’t love me.”

Bai Ying was utterly puzzled.

“If you don’t love me, why did you take me away? Are you crazy?”

It seemed that not only was she crazy, but he was too. He was even crazier because he had suggested taking her away. If he hadn’t gone mad, how could they have ended up in this helpless situation?

It was all his fault!

Jiang Mocheng couldn’t understand. They were fine just a moment ago, and now they were arguing again, over something inexplicable.

“We’ve already arrived in Ning City.”

He tried to speak calmly. “I took you away because I want to be with you.”

“So you only want to be with me, but you don’t love me.”

Jiang Mocheng couldn’t take it anymore. He retorted, “Then do you love me?”

Bai Ying hesitated for a few seconds and then replied loudly, “Of course I love you! Why would I come with you if I didn’t love you?”

As soon as those words left her mouth, both of them were stunned.

Bai Ying had merely blurted out those words to win the argument. After all, if she had said “I don’t love you” or remained silent, his accusations would have rebounded back to her.

She would have become the crazy one who followed him despite not loving him. What about her pride?

“I love you, so I’m willing to be with you, even in this unfamiliar city.”

Tearfully, Bai Ying accused him, “But you don’t love me. If you don’t love me, why did you take me away? Why?”

In reality, Jiang Mocheng didn’t like people who were stubborn and difficult to deal with. He had no patience for those who were willful and temperamental.

Yet, somehow, Bai Ying’s words always managed to soothe him.

When she tearfully declared her love for him, it felt like a heavy hammer striking his heart.

He looked at her sharply, and the words “I love you” echoed in his ears.

While she glared at him angrily, leaving him at a loss, his phone suddenly rang. A melodic chime flowed between them.

Bai Ying turned her head away, shooting him a resentful look. She spun around and quickly entered the restroom, forcefully closing the glass door to block his path.

The phone in his hand fell silent for a few seconds before ringing again.

Jiang Mocheng remained somewhat composed.

He knew he was in Ning City for a business trip. Suppressing his emotions, he stepped back and went to the balcony. Answering the call, he kept an eye on the restroom, afraid that she might leave without him noticing.

After hearing the person on the other end, he pinched the bridge of his nose and replied, “Alright, I’ll be there soon.”

Hanging up, he sighed. But those three words still lingered in his mind.

His steps seemed heavy, yet he felt a sense of urgency as he approached the restroom door.

Knocking gently, he lowered his voice, “I need to go out for a bit. Do you want to come with me?”

Bai Ying snorted, “No!”

He softened his tone, coaxing her, “I’ll be back very soon.”

Ignoring him, she remained silent. When the sound of the door opening and closing outside subsided, she finally opened the restroom door.

Before she could step out, he held her by the waist, lifting her up and preventing her from moving.

He hadn’t left at all; it was just a ruse to get her out.

Bai Ying tried to kick him, but he easily blocked her with his knee. Smiling, he said seriously, “Listen to me. Wait for me at the hotel. After I’m done, we won’t eat dinner outside today. I’ll take you out. Is that okay?”

She turned her head away. He gently held her chin, planting a light kiss. “Is that okay?”

They stood there, locked in a standoff. He didn’t seem in a hurry to leave, but the incessant ringing of his phone annoyed Bai Ying. Pushing his hand away, she said, “Go already!”

“Wait for me at the hotel?”

He seemed determined to get her answer.

Annoyed, Bai Ying nodded.

Even if she wanted to leave, it wouldn’t be today.

Jiang Mocheng finally relented.

However, as soon as he left, Bai Ying quickly tidied up and exited the hotel. Hailing a taxi, she headed to the stock exchange in Ning City.

The place was crowded, but she managed to squeeze in. Amid a group of stock traders, she patiently listened to their discussions. As expected, the stock Shen Jin had invested in was now falling, not favoured by many. Some small investors were selling, while others hesitated.

Bai Ying observed the exhausted eyes of some traders and the excited glow on others’ faces.

She recalled Jiang Mocheng’s words. This thing wasn’t something ordinary people could casually dabble in.

She opened an account using her identification documents. The afternoon trading would end at three o’clock today, but she didn’t immediately enter. As stock traders gradually left after three, the exchange would close around four-thirty.

She was the last to leave. In such a place, emotions were easily influenced. She looked around and spotted a café.

Carrying her handbag, she crossed the road, ordered a coffee, and occasionally glanced out the window. Gradually, her heart settled.

Shen Jin would likely return to the country in the next couple of days.

She had been away for more than twenty-four hours, and he must have received the news by now.

But how long would it take him to find her?

The dream she had never mentioned again haunted her. The last time she appeared was through Shen Jin’s friend, and those three words weighed heavily on her.

Shen Jin wasn’t easily fooled. Even if she panicked and rushed back to the Shen Mansion, he would thoroughly investigate her recent actions.

A person who leaves and immediately returns is like chewed gum—tasteless to eat and a pity to discard. Ultimately, their fate lies entirely in his whim.

If that dream is real, it can provide a rough estimation of how to survive.

As for her grandmother, it goes without saying. Elderly people tend to live long lives in today’s context.

From Qing Mei, Cheng Li to Song Yunzhu, Bai Ying noticed a pattern. When they disappeared from Shen Jin’s life, their roles ended as well. Unless they remained a constant presence in Shen Jin’s life or in his heart.

However, this was just her speculation.

Bai Ying pondered calmly, sipping her coffee methodically. Shen Jin was an enigmatic person, and she could only compare him to others. If she liked a man, she often found him with another woman shortly afterward.

Every second she liked him seemed to be her weakness. So, her situation was truly dire. How could she overturn this reality?

Jiang Mocheng spent the afternoon distracted, but he managed to refocus on work. After handling the unexpected event, he declined a dinner invitation from colleagues. He hurriedly returned to the hotel, replaying their argument at lunchtime.

She had said she loved him, and it was precisely because of that love that she followed him without hesitation or regret.

Jiang Mocheng absentmindedly tightened his grip on his knee. His throat constricted as he looked out the car window. Rarely, he felt a sense of urgency and purpose.

When he arrived at the hotel, he practically sprinted to the elevator, feeling as if it conspired against him by arriving late. Inside, he repeatedly pressed the door close button.

The elevator ascended slowly, stopping almost every floor during the peak usage time. Jiang Mocheng calmly observed each resident entering and exiting.

The other residents felt his chilling gaze on their backs and remained silent.

…

Finally, when Jiang Mocheng stepped out of the elevator, his steps were forceful.

He arrived at his room, a faint smile in his eyes. Knocking on the door, there was no response from inside.

He knocked again, still no answer.

Suddenly, he had a bad feeling. He pulled out his phone and dialled her number, but there was no response. He increased the force, and curious glances from other residents met his eyes.

Finally, he sternly instructed the floor attendant to open the door.

The attendant recognized him from the tip he had given the previous night. After confirming with the front desk that he was the one who had checked in, the attendant opened the door.

The room was empty, leaving Jiang Mocheng feeling confused.

Meanwhile, Bai Ying’s taxi stopped near the hotel’s fountain. Other cars were slowly moving forward. She paid the fare, stepped out, and closed the door.

The temperature dropped after sunset. Adjusting her coat, she walked toward the revolving door. Suddenly, she almost collided with Shen Jin, whose expression resembled an impending storm. He stared at her intensely, as if trying to see through her.

She froze, mouth agape.

“You…”

In the next moment, he pulled her into his embrace, holding her tightly, making it hard for her to breathe.

She heard him mutter, “I love you. Isn’t that enough?”