Mrs. Fu, please be mindful of the appropriate boundaries.

Fu Jingting put down his bag and glanced at the woman behind him. "Ask her later. I'm going to take a shower first."

Ok?

Before Xu Qingcheng could react, the man had already entered the restroom.

Soon the sound of water running from the showerhead could be heard from inside.

He, he, he took a bath here?

Miss Xu's face immediately started burning hot.

Fu Jingting's phone was outside, and it rang many times; it was a call from his family.

Xu Qingcheng didn't want to answer it for him, so she stood outside and called out to him, "Your phone is ringing, it's your mother calling you."

Fu Jingting's voice came from inside, "Answer this for me."

"Me? I won't take it. I brought it to you, you can take it yourself." Xu Qingcheng stood at the door, thinking that he would open the door a crack so she could pass it in.

Suddenly, the bathroom door opened from the inside. The man was only wearing a towel around his waist, and the water on his body was not wiped off, but dripped down his skin.

He stood right in front of her without any attempt to hide anything. Xu Qingcheng didn't know where to look. Just as she was stunned, the phone that had stopped ringing started again.

Xu Qingcheng offered her phone forward, but Fu Jingting didn't take it. He just looked down at it, tapped the answer button on the screen, and pressed the speakerphone button.

The phone call came from Zhong Wanxiu.

"mom."

Fu Jingting called for help, then turned around and took another towel from the bathroom towel rack. He wiped his face, then dried his hair and body, showing no intention of taking his phone.

Xu Qingcheng stood there holding her phone, trying to wink at him, but the man remained unmoved.

"Are you back?" Zhong Wanxiu asked him.

"I'm back," Fu Jingting replied. "I'll go back tomorrow."

Because he had the phone on speakerphone, she couldn't speak properly. But facing his almost naked body, Xu Qingcheng blushed and simply put her phone on the sink inside.

She turned to leave, but the man blocked her way. He pressed himself against her from behind, squeezing her between the sink and himself. He braced his arms against the sink, locking her in place.

The man rested his chin on her shoulder, leaning against her wearily.

Xu Qingcheng could sense the dejected and listless aura emanating from him, and for a moment she was not surprised but did not move, just letting him hold her.

"There's no rush. Don't worry about things at home." Zhong Wanxiu was also heartbroken, missing her grandson and feeling sorry for her son. "I heard that there's no Qing..."

"Mom!" Fu Jingting suddenly interrupted her, "I'm here with Qingcheng, on speakerphone, don't say anything she doesn't want to hear."

Zhong Wanxiu was taken aback for a moment. "Oh, you two are together. Okay, I won't say anything more. How is Qingcheng? Is her headache still bothering her?"

Fu Jingting turned his head to look at the woman who was frozen in his arms. He gently touched her earlobe with his lips. "I'm asking you."

She looked at him blankly, her face flushed, looking incredibly cute. Seeing her like this, Fu Jingting's face showed a rare smile. "Still has a headache?"

Xu Qingcheng shook her head.

Fu Jingting replied on her behalf, "She said she no longer has a headache."

Zhong Wanxiu didn't hear Xu Qingcheng's voice, but she knew from Fu Jingting's tone that Qingcheng was right beside him.

"Take care of yourself, everything will be alright." Zhong Wanxiu sighed. "Alright, I don't have anything else to say, I'll hang up now."

As soon as the call ended, Xu Qingcheng's tense body suddenly relaxed. She said with a hint of reproach, "Why did you tell Auntie about me?"

Everything was out of control, chaotic. They hadn't even done anything yet, and he...

"Yeah, I told her I found a girlfriend, so she won't worry about me not being able to find a wife." Fu Jingting's voice was low, with a hint of teasing in it, but the way he leaned on her shoulder still made her feel that something was wrong with him.

"Who's your girlfriend! I never agreed to that." Xu Qingcheng snorted, denying it.

She shrugged. "What's wrong?"

"A beauty that could topple a city".

The man suddenly called her name. Seriously.

Xu Qingcheng was slightly taken aback. She hummed in response, somewhat puzzled.

He said, "I'm sorry."

I'm sorry, I didn't bring Qinghan back.

Time and again, news was like a beacon of hope, but he rushed to it full of expectation only to be met with disappointment.

Time and time again.

The feeling of hope and despair intertwined, and my mood plummeting to rock bottom, is too painful to bear.

No wonder she was devastated after watching her child fall right in front of her; how could she possibly bear it?

This time the information was the most accurate, and he thought it would definitely work. He used all his resources to obtain clues as quickly as possible, but among the missing children with clues, Qinghan was not one of them.

The human traffickers were captured and interrogated.

The child was in poor health, and no one wanted to buy him. He was lost.

lost!

It was left lying on the roadside in the countryside.

There is no surveillance.

No one has ever seen it.

They checked all the villagers in the nearby villages, but found no clues.

Fu Jingting lashed out and beat the woman who took the child half to death. It was Xu Qingyao and Yu Shinan who managed to stop her. Even if he killed her, Qinghan would not be able to come back.

It also involves other abducted children. We spared her life so that she would reveal information about those abducted children, so we handed her over to the police directly.

When he said sorry, was he apologizing for not contacting her?

But Xu Qingcheng sensed something was wrong.

His voice was deep and slightly trembling, making her heart clench, a feeling she couldn't describe, a kind of discomfort.

Xu Qingcheng looked up and saw herself in the mirror, being embraced by an almost naked man. His face was buried in the side of her neck, and his lips roamed over her delicate neck. An ambiguous atmosphere rose in the steamy bathroom.

She should have broken free, not let him act recklessly, and let him think she was a promiscuous woman, but... the warm tears falling on her neck made Xu Qingcheng freeze.

"How could you...?"

Xu Qingcheng wanted to ask him what was wrong, but for some reason, her voice got stuck in her throat.

She braced herself on the sink, trying to turn around to see what was wrong with him, but the man held her tightly, preventing her from moving.

"Fu Jingting..."

She murmured his name, unsure of what to do, her fingers digging into the arm that was wrapped around her.

"Please don't do this, I...I..."

It's too fast, too fast. She felt like she and he were moving a little too fast, like they were riding a rocket.

Normally, she would have rejected him without hesitation, at least later, when they could have gotten to know each other better.

But his vulnerability trembled her heart, and she felt inexplicably sorry for him. This feeling of heartache spread, and she allowed him to indulge in his debauchery and violation.

He kissed her eagerly, his eyes reddening; he desperately needed comfort.

I want you.

"Give me."

He whispered in her ear, seeking her opinion.

Xu Qingcheng thought she was crazy, crazy to the point of having no bottom line or principles, actually letting him do whatever he wanted, letting him do whatever he wanted...

She lay on the bed, unable to open her eyes. This man was like a wild beast, savage and domineering, without a trace of gentleness. He was as frantic as a wounded animal, trying to vent his suppressed emotions through such behavior.

He had tormented her quite a bit. He didn't want to treat her like this, but he couldn't help wanting to vent on her. The entanglement between a man and a woman was savage and primal. Holding her in his arms filled his empty heart.

Fu Jingting reached out and gently touched her cheek; she was the only person he could seek comfort from.

But I couldn't tell her anything. My disappointment and pain had no outlet, and the discomfort in my heart felt like it was about to explode.

He wouldn't give up, but he couldn't help but wonder, what if... he just couldn't find it?

He took a deep breath, leaned down to kiss her, his voice hoarse, "Want to get up and have some porridge?"

"No." She hummed, buried her head in the blanket, and wanted to sleep.

I feel uncomfortable and tired.

Fu Jingting stopped bothering her. He got up, went to the balcony, and lit a cigarette.

The window was slightly open, and the wind was strong on the top floor. The smell of smoke didn't linger. Fu Jingting took a drag of his cigarette before putting it out.

He rubbed his face hard with both hands, then made a phone call. "Screen it again. I don't care what method I use, I just need information, any information will do."

The person on the other end of the phone was silent, but eventually said "okay".

Fu Jingting shook off the smell of cigarette smoke before returning to his bedroom.

He lay down and reached out to pull her into his arms. She hummed softly, turned around beside him, and finally found a comfortable position, resting her head on his shoulder before continuing to sleep.

The man placed his palm on the contour of her cheek and said, "Sleep well."

When Xu Qingcheng woke up the next morning, she felt very uncomfortable and her back ached.

Her bedroom, her bed, and then she slept alone.

Xu Qingcheng was somewhat bewildered. He just left like that?

Get up.

There was a note left on the bedside table.

I have to go now. Song Chang will come over later and buy breakfast on his way. You can sleep a little longer.

When Xu Qingcheng got up, her face inevitably turned red; the events of last night were like a erotic dream.

She actually went so far as to have sex with men so promiscuously, but what frustrated Xu Qingcheng even more was...

Xu Qingcheng got up to wash up, and Song Chang arrived shortly after she finished.

"What did you buy?"

"Century egg and lean pork congee, sweet soy milk, and panini." Song Chang looked at her while changing her shoes. "You got up pretty early. Didn't you say you didn't sleep well last night and might get up later? You even told me not to bother you."

Song Chang didn't think much of it; Xu Qingcheng hadn't been sleeping well lately, so he assumed she was having another nightmare.

Upon hearing this, Xu Qingcheng's face turned as red as lava.

"Didn't seeing a psychologist help? Did they give you any advice?"

"No. We just chatted casually, didn't really ask about the illness, just rambled on and on. I even suspected I was paying someone to chat with me! Honestly, if I were paying someone to chat with, I wouldn't choose a man, I'd choose a woman at least," Xu Qingcheng complained.

Dr. Lu Jingzhou, who was about to go to the clinic, sneezed violently several times as soon as he got into the elevator.

Dr. Lu rubbed his nose and sighed, wondering if someone was talking about him behind his back.

"I've looked at Dr. Lu's resume; his professional background is very strong."

"Really? But in the end, they didn't give any constructive advice. They just told me to find someone familiar with my past, like a friend or relative, to participate in my treatment. They said I could talk about my past experiences, and that they needed to assess the level of trauma from different events." Xu Qingcheng was still skeptical.

"Then I'll go with you next time I have time." Song Chang took the lunchbox to set the table. It's nice to have KFC breakfast once in a while.

Xu Qingcheng cut two oranges and took them out. She was wearing a nightgown and hadn't changed her clothes yet since she wasn't planning to go out.

Her neckline was wide open, revealing the marks on her neck.

He was a bit...unrestrained last night, biting and nibbling, leaving marks on her body, and he was too rough; she couldn't handle it.

But looking at his red eyes, she really couldn't push him away. Maybe it's just a woman's maternal instinct.

Song Chang stared at Xu Qingcheng, then suddenly pointed at her and asked, "Hey, what's wrong with you?"

Seeing Xu Qingcheng's flushed face, Song Chang exclaimed, "You didn't have any nightmares last night, so you couldn't get up because you exercised too much? Damn, my comprehension is terrible."

"Even eating can't shut you up." Xu Qingcheng pushed the congee with preserved egg and lean pork towards her.

Song Chang clicked his tongue twice, seeing her face turn bright red, "Oh, you're embarrassed now!"

"This is my first time, okay? I can't be shy about it," Xu Qingcheng retorted.