My online dating circle has millions of followers, why would she put a collar on me?

Jiang Yi stood in front of the gray-white door, his fingers hovering above the cold metal doorknob, as if frozen in mid-air.

Sun Miaomiao's words still echoed in his ears—"My eldest daughter... is pregnant, you'd better not upset her."

She is pregnant.

These four words were enough to freeze him in place.

He and Xia Anmian had been together for three years, and there was only one time, in that budget hotel, and that was also their first time.

He initially wanted to wear it, but Xia Anmian stopped him, saying that he wanted a complete experience the first time, so he complied. However, he didn't expect that she wouldn't do any treatment.

But at this moment, the words "pregnant" were like an echo that was several days late, landing precisely on the very moment he dared not touch.

The timeline and calculations match perfectly, so the child is most likely his.

He took a deep breath, suppressed the sudden surge of thoughts, and finally placed his fingers on the doorknob, gently pressing down.

With a "click", the latch popped open.

He pushed open the door.

The light inside the door was dimmer than he had imagined. The main light was off, only the dark gray desk lamp on the desk was on, casting a warm yellow glow that illuminated a small area on the dark wooden surface.

Everywhere else was shrouded in soft shadows, the curtains were half-drawn, and the morning light squeezed in through the gaps, drawing a thin golden line on the wooden floor.

Xia Anmian sat behind the table, her back to the window. The light from the table lamp shone on her face from the side, illuminating half of her face clearly, while the other half remained hidden in shadow.

She was wearing a light gray knit sweater with a loose neckline that revealed a clean outline of her collarbone. Her hair was a bit longer than when we last met, draped over her shoulders with slightly curled ends that shimmered softly under the light.

Xia Anmian heard the door open but didn't look up immediately.

I tapped the keyboard twice, probably to save some document, then moved the mouse to the upper right corner of the screen, clicked close, and the screen went dark, turning into a quiet deep blue.

Then she looked up at Jiang Yi.

Xia Anmian's gaze lingered on his face for a moment, then she tilted her head slightly, a very faint smile curving her lips, her voice unhurried and calm, carrying her usual composure.

"Long time no see, please make yourself at home."

She was always composed, except for that one time when it was completely out of her control.

Jiang Yi stood at the door, still clutching the cold metal handle in his hand, his fingertips slightly white.

He looked at her, and something seemed to explode in his mind in that instant.

This smile, this scene, everything feels strangely familiar.

He suddenly recalled the scene when he first met her in the autumn of his junior year of college. It was on the second floor of the library, by the window. Sunlight streamed in obliquely from the floor-to-ceiling window, illuminating half of her face while the other half was hidden in the shadow of her notebook. She looked up at him, her lips curving into that almost identical smile, and said, "You must be Jiang Yi. Sit down."

At that time, he was also holding a handle in his hand, but it wasn't a door handle; it was a backpack strap. She was wearing a white knitted sweater, and her collarbone was just as beautiful as it is now. Her hair was a little shorter than it is now, tied into a neat low ponytail. When she smiled, the corners of her eyes would curve slightly, and she looked exceptionally bright and beautiful in the afternoon sunlight.

His heart skipped a beat, then he sat down in the chair opposite her.

Now, more than three years have passed. Sunlight squeezes in through the gaps in the curtains, no longer the warm gold from the side, but the cold white morning light. She keeps the lamp on and hides herself in the shadows, but her calm and unhurried tone is almost exactly the same, as if time has tied a knot on her and hasn't flowed forward much.

Jiang Yi's Adam's apple bobbed. He loosened the doorknob, walked in, and closed the door. His movements were very light, and the door lock made almost no sound when it closed, but he knew that his heartbeat must have been very loud in the quiet office.

He walked to the chair opposite Xia Anmian. The chair was dark gray, made of leather, and the seat was slightly sunken, as if someone had been sitting on it for a long time.

He habitually glanced down at the table.

Several documents were spread out in the halo of the desk lamp, along with a cell phone lying face down. The mousepad was dark gray with worn edges, as if it had been used for a long time.

On the corner of the table was an open file box containing several pens and an opened box of folic acid tablets.

His gaze lingered on the box of folic acid.

The box is dark blue with a line of small white print on the side. It is small but clear: "Folic acid tablets, indication: prevention of neural tube defects in fetuses". The lid is open and you can see that one blister pack has been opened. Three tablets are missing from the aluminum foil, while the other blister packs are still intact in the plastic slots.

At that moment, the box of folic acid tablets lay quietly on the corner of her desk, like evidence deliberately placed there, waiting to be seen, or perhaps just an everyday item she casually placed there without giving it much thought.

Xia Anmian followed his gaze and glanced at it. Then she reached out and naturally picked up the cardboard box, closed the lid, and put it into the drawer next to her, making a slight wooden clinking sound.

Her expression remained unchanged as she performed this action; there was no panic, no deliberate attempt to conceal her composure. It was as if she were simply tidying up a minor item on a table and putting it back in its place.

Then she withdrew her hand, her gaze returning to his face: "What brings you here this time?"

Jiang Yi's lips moved slightly.

He had prepared a lot of things to say. On the way here, in the elevator, and during those ten or so seconds of hesitation at the door, he went over those words in his mind countless times, adjusting his wording, tone, and the order of his questions.

Jiang Yi sat down in that chair. The seat was indeed softer than he had imagined. He sank slightly as he sat down, as if the chair was silently confirming his weight.

He paused for two seconds, then spoke, his voice hoarse: "My sister is dead."

Xia Anmian's eyelashes twitched slightly, a very small movement. If Jiang Yizheng hadn't been watching her intently, he probably wouldn't have noticed at all.

Her expression didn't change much, but her fingers on the table curled slightly, and her voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet light: "Your sister? Jiang Miaomiao?"

Jiang Yi nodded.

Xia Anmian frowned, the gentle light in her expression fading slightly, replaced by a more serious and focused look: "Wasn't your sister at the police station? How could she be dead?"

Jiang Yi looked into her eyes, trying to find something in them. He knew his thought was irrational, but he couldn't control it.

He was silent for a few seconds, then said, "That's why he died, isn't it?"

After he said that, the office was silent for a moment.

The light from the table lamp cast a warm yellow barrier between the two people, and the air was filled with the lingering smell of paper and coffee.

Xia Anmian's gaze lingered on his face for two seconds, then she tilted her head slightly, as if pondering the hidden meaning in his words.

Then her pupils contracted slightly: "So you mean I harmed your sister?"