You are my eldest nephew’s former girlfriend.

The air turned to ice.

Wen Shuang fumbled anxiously to pick everything up.

But the glaringly red bra tumbled inopportunely to rest at Ji Shen's feet.

And as the woman bent down, a deep, provocative line was exposed.

His gaze was dark, laced with mocking amusement. "Miss Wen, you certainly have a lot of tricks up your sleeve. Even brought whips and chains—planning to play some S&M games with me?"

Wen Shuang bit her lip in shame. There was nothing she could say; she had brought this on herself. This was her plan all along, only it had been discovered earlier than intended.

"But Miss Wen, you’re still too naive. Not all men think with their lower half." Ji Shen’s eyes were cold, his voice tinged with scorn. "A word of advice: don’t loosen your belt too easily."

Wen Shuang wished she could sink into the floor.

Ji Shen bent down, picked up the scarlet lingerie, and his gaze turned cold and clear. "A woman ought to have self-respect. Don’t think you can get everything just by using your body. Don’t you think so, Miss Wen?"

Wen Shuang fled in utter embarrassment.

Once downstairs, she threw everything into the trash in one breath.

Outside, a torrential rain had begun to pour. She tilted her face to the sky, unable to tell if the wetness on her cheeks was rain or tears.

When Ji Shen entered, he noticed the thunderstorm raging outside.

The woman he’d just thrown out didn’t seem to have taken an umbrella.

He hadn’t intended to care. But the image of those limpid, water-like eyes flashed in his mind, and almost against his will, he grabbed an umbrella and rushed out.

Wen Shuang was drenched, soaked through like a drowned kitten.

She had intended to walk home in the rain, but unexpectedly, the man who had just humiliated her appeared again, holding a large black umbrella, sheltering her from the downpour.

"Officer Ji?" Her whole body was trembling from cold, her voice quivering.

"Take the umbrella. Go home."

Wen Shuang shook her head. "No, thank you, Officer Ji."

Her wet clothes clung to her, outlining her figure with startling clarity. If she went back like this, her chances of encountering danger at night were frighteningly high.

Ji Shen recalled similar cases from the past. He frowned, and without another word, pulled Wen Shuang back to his place.

After being soaked, her nose and the corners of her eyes were flushed red, as if she had cried her heart out.

There was something pitiful about her.

Ji Shen handed her a cup of hot water. "Go take a shower."

Wen Shuang didn’t refuse this time. Being able to shower at his place was also an opportunity for her.

The sound of running water filled the bathroom.

Ji Shen moved to the bar, drained his glass of red wine, but the agitation in his chest would not dissipate.

That special ringtone, reserved for only one woman, began to ring.

Ji Shen didn’t answer immediately; he let it ring for a long while before finally picking up.

"…"

His brow furrowed, tighter and tighter.

"So you’re still refusing to come back, is that it?"

"…"

"Don’t give me those excuses. They’re useless! Jiang Ning, are you really so sure I’ll just be here, waiting forever for you to return?"

With that, Ji Shen ended the call in anger.

He pulled another bottle of wine from the cabinet and drank it straight from the bottle.

Wen Shuang had no change of clothes at the Ji residence. She could only wrap herself in his bathrobe, which hung loosely and absurdly large on her petite frame.

Thunder rolled outside.

The living room was pitch dark. She called out, testing, “Officer Ji?”

The next second, her lips were suddenly captured in a heated, forceful kiss.

“Mmm…” Wen Shuang gasped, caught off guard, a soft whimper escaping her lips. “Officer Ji, you—”

But the rest of her words were swallowed by him.

His breath was suddenly hot and wild, his actions rough, as if he had lost all control.

Wen Shuang no longer resisted; instead, she reached up, returning his burning kiss with her own.

In moments, the two were tangled together.

Just as passion was about to overflow—

The urgent ring of the phone on Ji Shen’s desk cut through the haze.

Instantly, clarity returned to him. Hearing the message, his voice turned grave. “I’ll head there immediately.”

The living room was suddenly flooded with light.

Wen Shuang was curled naked on the sofa, fresh red marks blooming on her neck where his lips had just been.

“Miss Wen, I’m sorry. I drank too much just now.”

Wen Shuang was suddenly overwhelmed with shame.

She had thought… she had thought that Ji Shen was agreeing to help her.

“I have official business—I must leave at once. There’s still a thunderstorm outside. You may stay here tonight.”

Perhaps because of his lapse earlier, Ji Shen’s tone was softer. He changed into his uniform and left swiftly.

Wen Shuang looked around the unfamiliar room.

At last, she couldn’t hold back. Hugging her knees, she wept aloud.

Ji Shen received a call in the middle of the night about a rape case.

He rushed to the station to handle it.

The victim was a freshly adult university girl, sobbing as if her soul had been torn apart.

Her family clung to his trouser leg, begging him to get justice for their daughter.

Ji Shen promised to handle the case strictly by the law, to ensure justice would be served.

He worked through the night. When he returned home the next day, he saw a pair of women’s shoes by the door and remembered he’d let Wen Shuang stay the night.

She was curled on the sofa, not sleeping well, the neckline of her robe loose and hinting at pale skin beneath.

Her eyes were tightly shut, long lashes trembling, crystalline tears still hanging from them.

She must have cried herself out the night before.

That morning, Ji Shen took the time to look into the Wen family’s affairs. What he found was a mess.

Wen Fanhai had been reported by Qin Corporation for embezzlement, fraud, and illegal profits. If the charges were true, he would face a life sentence.

But Wen Shuang insisted her father had been framed.

Ji Shen’s mind turned this over.

He would merely help investigate the truth. If Wen Fanhai was truly guilty, no matter how Wen Shuang wept, he would enforce the law with no mercy.

Ji Shen bent down, intending to carry the woman to the guest bedroom.

She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, lazy as a little kitten.

A fleeting smile touched Ji Shen’s lips.

“…Qin You.”

Ji Shen froze, then unceremoniously tossed her back onto the sofa.

Wen Shuang jolted awake, her body trembling. At first she was confused, then she remembered she had spent the night at Ji Shen’s place. “Officer Ji, you… you’re back? I’m sorry, I was too tired last night—”

Ji Shen’s voice was icy as frost. “Miss Wen, what’s your relationship with Qin You?”

All color drained from Wen Shuang’s face.

Ji Shen… had investigated her?

“I… I…”

“My advice is to be honest with me,” Ji Shen said, half-smiling, his eyes sharp with ridicule. “Let me guess: you approached me on purpose, just to disgust him?”

Wen Shuang could not refute him. The pallor of her face said everything.

“Miss Wen, your behavior disgusts me too.” Whatever pity Ji Shen had felt that morning was gone. “A woman with a little cleverness can be endearing. Too much scheming, and it simply becomes revolting.”

Still, Wen Shuang tried to seize her last chance. “Officer Ji, I did have an ulterior motive at first, but now I truly just want to save my father. Please, help me!”

Ji Shen turned away without a shred of mercy.

“Miss Wen, the rain has stopped. Please leave my home at once. Thank you.”