140. Shuangshuang, you wouldn’t happen to be pregnant, would you?

After waiting for an entire day, Wen Shuang finally received a call from Ji Shen.

"Ji Shen, explain yourself!"

She had kept her emotions in check all day. After all, they were separated by vast distances, and she couldn't simply condemn the man based on a few blurry photos. She kept telling herself to remain calm.

Ji Shen let out a sigh of relief. "Shuangshuang, I am so glad you are still willing to listen to my explanation."

He detailed the events of that evening. He insisted that there had been no physical contact between him and Jiang Ning; the media had intentionally captured photos from angles that made it look intimate. He had not accepted anything from her, either.

Wen Shuang had studied those photos a dozen times that day. While the two did look intimate, their hands had indeed remained respectful. If there had been anything further between them, the media—with their penchant for gossip—would certainly have released more than just a few pictures; they would have had videos to follow. Perhaps the media had simply selected the most ambiguous shots from hundreds of frames to stir up controversy.

With this thought in mind, combined with the man’s sincere explanation, Wen Shuang took a deep breath. The heart that had been hanging in mid-air finally settled. "I believe you."

Ji Shen said in a low voice, "Shuangshuang, I am so sorry. When the public opinion blew up, I wasn't by your side. The workload was heavy today, and I didn't get a chance to check my phone, so I replied late. You must have had a miserable day."

Wen Shuang lowered her eyes. "Brother Shen, honestly, the first time something like this happened, I was devastated. But... after it happens so many times, I’ve become a bit numb to it."

Ji Shen fell silent for a few seconds. "I'm sorry."

"I don't want to hear 'I'm sorry' every time."

Wen Shuang felt weary. Ever since Jiang Ning returned to the country, she had constantly seen photos of her and Ji Shen on Weibo. Before, it was just photos, but now people online were claiming that Ji Shen and Jiang Ning were a perfect match. Some even expressed hope that they would rekindle their old romance. So, what did that make her, Wen Shuang? A joke?

Yet, every time she heard his sincere apology, she wondered if she was being too petty. He was careful to keep his distance, and his work was incredibly demanding, with so many cases to handle daily. She shouldn't let her emotions affect him.

Ji Shen had a thousand words of explanation, but in the end, hearing her soft sigh, his resolve crumbled. "Shuangshuang, I’ve let you down. When I return, I will definitely make it up to you!"

After soothing Wen Shuang, Ji Shen received a call from Old Madam Ji. The old lady hadn't slept at that hour; she was simply seething and gave Ji Shen a harsh scolding on behalf of Wen Shuang. She berated him for his lack of judgment, telling him that even if he had a girlfriend, he shouldn't be chatting with female celebrities in the middle of the night.

It was detrimental to both his relationship and his career. Old Madam Ji’s words were sharp, and she spared him no face. Ji Shen knew he was in the wrong—even if Jiang Ning sought him out, he should not have said a word. He promised repeatedly that he would treat Wen Shuang well, and only then did the old lady say, "I am warning you, Ji Shen, if you dare treat Shuangshuang poorly, see how I deal with you!"

"For the sake of my own life, I will certainly treat her well!" Ji Shen replied.

That night, Ji Shen moved out of the hotel and into a remote location. His criminal investigation team was also eager to leave that den of wolves; they were afraid that if they stayed any longer, their "Big Sister-in-law" would break up with their team leader upon their return, and they didn't want to lose such a wonderful sister-in-law.

In the middle of the night, Jiang Ning tried to repeat her tactics. She changed into an even more revealing dress. The photos from the previous day had been captured by the media at her request specifically to stir up online gossip and anger Wen Shuang. Jiang Ning knocked on the door, striking what she considered her most alluring pose.

The door opened.

A burly man with a face full of flesh stepped out. Upon seeing Jiang Ning, his eyes lit up. "Little beauty, coming to your big brother’s door in the middle of the night—want to chat? Dressing so provocatively, are you looking for some attention?"

Jiang Ning’s face changed instantly. "Why is it you! Did you go to the wrong room? Where is Brother Shen?"

Had she gone to the wrong room? She looked up—the room number was correct!

"I checked in this afternoon, little sister. Didn't you know?" The man had been drinking and reached out to grab her as soon as he saw her.

Jiang Ning shrieked, "Get lost! Get away from me—!"

The scene fell into sudden chaos.

Ji Shen received a message. Jiang Ning wrote: "Brother Shen, is your mission over? Why did you move out without telling me? I was almost harassed by a lecherous man when I came to see you today!"

Ji Shen didn't want to engage her, but he didn't want her to keep pestering him and causing misunderstandings with Wen Shuang either.

Ji Shen replied: "Jiang Ning, enough is enough."

After receiving the message, Jiang Ning’s frustration boiled over even more. Earlier that day, Ning Su had seen the news and called to tell her to stop, not to do anything extreme, and not to ruin the relationship between Ms. Wen and Officer Ji. Jiang Ning was indignant; Ning Su was her mother, so why did she always take Wen Shuang’s side? Her father, however, argued that it didn't matter, and that one should boldly fight for their own happiness.

Ning Su disapproved of this mindset, and the two had argued, with Ning Su claiming that it was because her father had spoiled Jiang Ning too much that she had become so lawless. Jiang Ning hung up the phone in a rage.

Seven days later, after his business trip concluded, Ji Shen finally returned to the Jinghai district. Throughout the trip, he had ignored every call and message from Jiang Ning. The first thing he did upon returning was to find Wen Shuang to pick her up from work.

When Wen Shuang came out after rehearsals and saw the familiar Hongqi L5, she was startled.

"You're back?"

"Is it a surprise?"

Wen Shuang replied, "More of a shock."

"Ms. Wen, please get in the car!" Ji Shen looked as handsome and dashing as ever. His uniform was crisp, and passersby turned to look. They had previously thought that Wen Shuang and Ji Shen were finished now that Jiang Ning was involved, but they hadn't expected Ji Shen to be as attentive to Wen Shuang as always.

Ji Shen took Wen Shuang to eat her favorite Sichuan-style hotpot. Throughout the meal, he kept piling food onto her plate, as if afraid she wouldn't be full.

"Enough, enough, I'll become a fatty if I eat any more."

"Even if you eat until you're a little piglet, you'll still be a celestial beauty in my heart." Ji Shen smiled faintly.

Regarding what happened last time, both of them tacitly avoided mentioning it. After returning home from dinner, they fell into their usual routine of fiery passion. Every time Ji Shen returned from a trip, he was very vigorous at night. However, no matter how intense things got, he always remembered to take precautions.

"Did you take the medicine from last time?" Ji Shen whispered, kissing her earlobe.

Wen Shuang panted and didn't answer. Ji Shen assumed she had and continued to kiss her earlobe with tenderness.

After he returned, his superiors called him into the police station again, mentioning that a promotion was imminent and warning him to be mindful of his public image. Ji Shen acknowledged this.

A month passed quickly. Since returning to the country, Jiang Ning had remained active in the public eye, participating in countless events. Her photos were all over Weibo every day, to the point that Wen Shuang eventually uninstalled the app entirely.

Recently, her stomach had been feeling uncomfortable. She had no appetite for anything and had dry-heaved several times. Tang Yan noticed this and asked, "Shuangshuang, you don't think you're pregnant, do you?"