Jing Bo still agreed to let her move out, but she ate the meal distractedly, while he didn’t seem to react much.

After the meal, Su Tangyin took the bowls to the kitchen.

This was the only task Jing Bo was willing to let her do. Since their marriage, he had taken care of all the household chores, big and small.

Later, Su Tangyin felt guilty and talked to him for a long time, eventually settling on a routine where he cooked and she washed the dishes.

The warm water flowed over her hands, and with the heater on, she felt a warm, cozy sensation all over.

They didn’t use many dishes for their meal, and Jing Bo liked to clean as he cooked, so Su Tangyin had even less to wash.

Just as she finished putting away the clean dishes, she didn’t have time to turn around.

Unbeknownst to her, a body had pressed against her from behind, dispelling some of the warmth and bringing a chill.

Su Tangyin’s body stiffened.

Jing Bo kissed her neck, his hands encircling her waist, his thumbs rubbing her sides with a very clear intention.

“Baby.” He lingered along her neck, his cold breath causing her skin to shiver.

“I’ve drawn the bath. Want to take a bath together?”

Su Tangyin didn’t turn around, her attention completely on Jing Bo. If she had looked down at that moment, she would have seen dark mist emerging from somewhere, surrounding her. Strange things extended from the mist, wet and slimy, colorful and eerie.

They crawled up her pant legs, tracing the scent of her skin from just a millimeter away, not daring to touch her but circling and climbing around her.

Climbing higher and higher.

“Jing, I—”

Just as Su Tangyin was about to make an excuse, her lips were sealed. He held the back of her head and kissed her passionately and intimately.

In the end, they took a bath together.

Su Tangyin leaned against his chest, her face flushed and breathing heavily. Jing Bo held her, occasionally kissing her cheek and brushing back her damp hair.

Dr. Jing seemed normal and proper, but men were often like this—behind closed doors, they shed their formal pretenses, revealing all their desires.

The bathtub was large enough for both of them to sit comfortably.

Jing Bo was talkative at this moment, whispering in her ear, but Su Tangyin couldn’t make out a word.

She pushed his hand, “Jing, I’m very tired.”

“I know, I won’t touch you anymore.”

Su Tangyin leaned against his chest, her side nestled against his, his sharp collarbone pressing into her. After all of Jing Bo’s relentless teasing, she was utterly spent—so drained she couldn’t even lift a finger.

Jing Bo stroked her hair and kissed her face, these unusually affectionate and childish actions reminded her of a child who couldn’t let go of something they loved. Su Tangyin had long grown used to this. Feeling utterly fatigued and soaking in the warm water, she was so drowsy that her eyelids wouldn’t stay open.

“Jing…”

“Baby, sleep.”

Su Tangyin drifted into a dream.

The person in her arms breathed steadily, and Jing Bo’s tenderness faded as he leaned lazily against the bathtub, his eyes fixed on her.

He could hear Su Tangyin’s heartbeat, now steady and calm, having calmed down from the intense beating earlier.

He could see the pulse in her neck, throbbing with each breath.

He could see everything about Su Tangyin.

Tentacles crawled from all directions, the black mist filling the small bathroom. His body split open, and thick tentacles extended into the water, wrapping around the woman’s calves and forearms.

They entangled her waist, some climbing higher.

Su Tangyin’s slender waist was encircled by the tentacles, and Jing Bo’s gaze lingered over her naked body, finally settling on her face.

The tentacles wrapped around her neck, tilting her head back.

She remained silent and motionless.

Jing Bo leaned down to peck her lips, and the tentacles lifted her arm, wrapping it around his neck.

Su Tangyin shivered slightly.

It felt like a dream, where she walked through a white mist. She couldn’t see anything, carrying her backpack and continuing forward.

She was panicking, calling for help, the mountain path was difficult to navigate.

Her subconscious told her to call a name, but it wouldn’t come out. She could only call out to people she knew.

Why was she on this mountain?

Su Tangyin couldn’t remember.

Dew clung to her waterproof jacket as she stumbled forward. In this completely unfamiliar environment, the fear of the unknown was enough to drive her mad.

Rustle—rustle—

Something was slithering.

It wrapped around Su Tangyin’s ankle.

Su Tangyin froze, staring numbly at her feet.

Black mist enveloped something intelligent. It seemed to be sniffing her scent, climbing up her body as it continued to smell her.

Her skin prickled, and her blood turned cold. Even through her clothes, she felt as if she were being touched naked.

She opened her mouth, wanting to scream, but she didn’t have the strength to make a sound.

The tentacle confirmed her scent.

It split into two, then four, then eight.

The black mist dispersed the white mist, and the pitch-black darkness terrified her.

Su Tangyin struggled to move back, but the tentacles tightened, like ice, wrapping around her calves, thighs, waist, chest, and arms.

They wove a net, completely immobilizing her.

Her pants were torn, and her skin was touched. She finally found her voice, but before she could scream, the strange thing in the darkness abruptly blocked her mouth.

It probed into her mouth, touching her soft tongue. Tears overflowed instantly, and her heartbeat was deafening.

She writhed, but dozens of tentacles held her, making her powerless against them.

Help!

Tears blurred her vision, and she heard what sounded like a sigh in the distance.

From the depths of ancient times, the sigh carried a sense of satisfaction and an indescribable sense of conquest.

“I found you.”

Su Tangyin met a pair of deep blue eyes.

She woke up at the start.

The cold feeling faded, and the water dripped steadily, steam rising from the surface, the warm water telling her that everything that just happened was a dream.

But the feeling of suffocation hadn’t disappeared.

“Um… Jing!”