First, then, love.

The underground parking garage was dimly lit.

The black off-road vehicle parked in its designated parking space, its tires making a dull thud as they rolled over the epoxy flooring.

He Zheng turned off the engine and removed the key.

He pushed open the car door and stepped out.

His short-sleeved shirt was completely soaked, clinging tightly to his skin, and rainwater rolled down his strong chest muscles, splashing onto the concrete floor of the garage.

He walked around the front of the car, went to the back seat, and opened the car door.

Shu Yao was in the passenger seat, wearing a large windproof jacket.

He Zheng glanced at her, reached out from the back row, grabbed the handle of the cello case, and lifted it with one hand.

It was quite heavy, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged instantly.

With her other hand, she casually picked up the airline case containing the calico cat that was at her feet.

"Let's go." He shook his head, water droplets flying from his short hair.

The two walked towards the elevator one after the other.

The elevator ascends, and the red numbers flash rapidly.

The 22nd floor, the top floor.

"Ding." The elevator doors slid open to both sides.

Each floor has one unit, ensuring a high degree of privacy, and the corridors are quiet.

He Zheng walked to the heavy armored security door, raised his right hand, and pressed his thumb on the fingerprint lock's recognition area.

"Beep—click."

The door lock popped open.

He Zheng pushed the door open with his shoulder, turned to the side and raised his chin.

"Enter."

Shu Yao stepped inside.

The motion-activated light in the entryway turned on immediately.

The moment she saw the entire room, Shu Yao stopped in her tracks, gasped sharply, and furrowed her brows tightly.

Large, empty, cold.

The 300-square-meter apartment is filled with a suffocating mix of black, white, and gray.

The floor was covered with gray, glossy marble tiles that gleamed with a cold sheen. The walls were pure white and bare, with nothing hanging on them. In the center of the living room stood a large set of black leather sofas, with a black slab coffee table in front of them that had a stark, angular design.

The lack of a main light fixture on the ceiling results in a harsh, white light.

This is no place for a human to live.

This is clearly a newly handed-over model apartment.

You can't smell a trace of cigarette smoke.

"Your home... is really quite simple." Shu Yao pouted.

She glanced down at the shoe cabinet in the entryway.

The shoe cabinet was open and empty, containing only two pairs of shiny men's leather shoes, a pair of dusty training boots, and a pair of gray men's plastic slippers on the floor. There wasn't even a pair of guest slippers.

Shu Yao bent down and touched the cold floor tiles, but quickly withdrew her fingertips as soon as they touched the surface.

The floor lamp in the corner shone a straight line, making the entire living room look like an unopened block of metal.

She glanced at He Zheng. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he raised his hand to wipe the rain from his face. His wet hair clung to his forehead, softening his rugged features.

The chill in the air was mixed with the dampness of the raindrops that had seeped into her hair.

He Zheng walked in, carefully placed the cello against the wall, and put down the cat carrier.

He turned to look at her, his dark eyes deep and unfathomable.

"I live alone. I'm usually with the team and don't come back often. I don't do any fancy stuff."

He walked barefoot on the floor tiles and kicked his only pair of plastic slippers to Shu Yao's feet.

"Put these on, the ground is cold."

Shu Yao took off her ankle boots and slipped her fair feet into a pair of large men's slippers.

The slippers were too big, like two small boats.

She dragged herself toward the living room.

There was a scent in the air, crisp, cold, and hard.

The aura of a straight man is overwhelming.

Shu Yao walked to the center of the living room, turned around, and crossed her arms.

"No, this is unlivable." She pointed to the black leather sofa. "This sofa is so dark, and the floor tiles are so reflective. If I sit on the floor to play the violin in winter, I'll definitely get arthritis."

He Zheng leaned against the entryway cabinet, not moving.

He was completely soaked, water droplets dripping down his jawline, his dark eyes fixed on her.

Watch her nitpick and point fingers in her own absolute territory.

Instead of feeling angry, I felt a secret sense of pleasure.

Finally, a lively, boisterous little creature squeezed into the lifeless house.

"So what do you want to do?" His voice was low and husky, with a hint of dampness from the rain.

The voice just fell.

The security door was being banged on loudly from the outside.

"Captain! Open the door! This box is incredibly heavy!" Li Meng's hoarse voice howled in the hallway.

He Zheng turned around and opened the door.

Li Meng charged in like a black bear, carrying two huge corrugated cardboard boxes on his broad shoulders and dragging three 28-inch suitcases in his hands.

He was covered in sweat, and rainwater mixed with his sweat streamed down his dark cheeks.

"Oh my God, this elevator is a bit small, I'll have to make two more trips." Li Meng put the cardboard box on the ground.

A muffled thud.

The floor shook.

Shu Yao's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly ran over.

"Be gentle! These are all my usual face creams and perfumes, and they're all glass bottles. Who's responsible if they break!"

Li Meng was startled and quickly withdrew his hand, hastily wiping the sweat from his hands on his trouser leg.

"I'm so sorry, sister-in-law. I'm a rough guy and don't know my own strength. I'll be more careful next time, I definitely will be more careful next time."

He straightened up and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He looked around at the 300-square-meter mansion.

"Captain, your house is too clean, it looks like it's been robbed and emptied out," Li Meng complained without holding back.

The moving company workers gradually brought up all the remaining boxes.

After settling the bill, the workers left.

The living room was instantly filled with more than a dozen large boxes.

The originally empty black, white and gray space was forcibly injected with highly saturated colors by pink, silver and black boxes.

Shu Yao stood amidst the pile of boxes, like a queen surveying her domain.

She pointed to the huge cardboard box against the wall.

"He Zheng, take that apart."

He Zheng walked over, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a black folding knife.

With a push of the thumb, the blade snapped open with a "whoosh," a flash of light.

The sharp blade sliced ​​through the sealing tape with swift and decisive movements.

"What's inside?" he asked, sheathing his knife.

"Carpet." Shu Yao walked over and directed Li Meng, who was standing next to her, "Captain Li, could you please move that coffee table? This area needs to be completely cleared out."

Without saying a word, Li Meng walked over, bent down, and exerted force with both arms.

He single-handedly lifted the solid wood slab coffee table, weighing several hundred kilograms, to the side.

He Zheng pulled a huge roll out of the cardboard box.

Remove the outer dustproof plastic film.

It's a pure white cashmere rug imported from Australia. It's fluffy, thick, and soft, and it exudes warmth just by looking at it.

"Lay it up," Shu Yao ordered.

He Zheng knelt on one knee, and with a wave of his hand, spread out the carpet.

The pure white cashmere instantly covered the cold gray marble, forcibly laying a soft and proud base color on the entire living room.

Shu Yao walked over, kicked off her large slippers, and stepped barefoot onto them.

The soles of her feet sank into the soft cashmere, so comfortable that she squinted her eyes and her tense nerves relaxed.

"This is more like a place for humans to be," she commented with satisfaction.

He Zheng half-squatted on the ground, looking up at her.

My gaze fell on her fair and rounded toes, the pink nails contrasting sharply against the snow-white cashmere, exuding an indescribable air of delicate charm.

His Adam's apple bobbed heavily as he forcibly looked away.

Stand up.

"What else is there to demolish?"

Shu Yao turned around and pointed to the French windows. "Those curtains. They're so ugly."

*

The living room has a full wall of floor-to-ceiling windows.

Currently, heavy, dark gray blackout curtains are hanging, creating a stifling and oppressive atmosphere.

Even in broad daylight, pulling it up makes it feel like a dark room where no one sees the sun.

"That's for privacy, and it has the best light-blocking effect," He Zheng explained.

Special police officers have a professional habit of remaining vigilant at all times. They dislike anything that is translucent or exposes their privacy.

"Tear it down, and replace it with the one I brought." Shu Yao made the final decision without room for discussion.

She pointed to a pink suitcase next to her.

"There are lace curtains and off-white blackout fabric inside. If I change to those, the light will pass through, and I'll feel better."

She bought these curtains online as a spare, but hasn't used them since.

I thought it was a waste to leave it in the storage room while I moved, so I packed it up. I didn't expect it would actually fit when it arrived.

He Zheng frowned slightly, a deep frown forming between his brows, but he did not refute.

I walked over and unzipped the pink suitcase.

A pile of brightly colored clothes was revealed, and a large hand rummaged through them, pulling out two stacks of window screens with intricate lace trim.

The fabric is smooth and has a faint fragrance; holding it in your hand feels like holding a light, floating cloud.

He Zheng felt that this thing was too hot to handle.

He took the window screen and walked to the French windows.

He didn't need a ladder; at 1.88 meters tall, he could reach the top curtain track with a simple stretch of his arm.

In a few quick movements, the original gray curtains were removed and tossed casually on the floor.

Pick up the pink and white lace curtains and start hanging them into the pulleys on the track.

Li Meng was stunned; his jaw almost dropped to the carpet.

He Zheng, the dignified captain of the city's special police brigade, is a fearsome and intimidating figure.

He was covered in sweat and rain, and his back muscles bulged as he raised his arms.

In her hand, however, she was clutching a ball of pink and white lace, a color that evoked a girlish heart.

Carefully and clumsily, they hung it on the window.

The scene is too horrifying, too disconcerting, too surreal.

It made him want to take a picture to remember the moment.

"What are you looking at? If you're so bored, go and open the boxes." After hanging up one side, He Zheng turned and gave Li Meng a cold look, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

Li Meng was startled and quickly squatted down, burying his head in unpacking the box, not daring to utter a sound.

Shu Yao stood on the cashmere carpet, arms crossed, acting as the supervisor with a self-righteous air.

"The left side is too high, pull it down a bit."

"The right side isn't smoothed out, and the folds aren't done properly. Can you please be more careful?"

"He Zheng, be gentle. That yarn is very expensive, it's custom-made in France, don't tear it."

She directed the operation smoothly and without any psychological burden.

He Zheng wasn't annoyed.

He changed whatever she said.

Rough fingers clumsily fiddled with the delicate lace fabric.

In his dark eyes, there was a hint of indulgence that he himself was unaware of.

After half an hour.

The lace curtains and the off-white main curtains are finally hung up.

The autumn rain is still falling outside.

Faint sunlight filtered through the translucent lace pattern into the living room, casting dappled, soft shadows on the carpet.

Originally, it was as cold and hard as the black, white, and gray of a showroom.

The sheer amount of white and soft fabric completely threw me off balance.

But this is just the beginning.

The "princess" in the flight case was finally released.

The princess cautiously circled around twice in the unfamiliar environment, sniffing the air.

It walked up to the black leather sofa, pushed off with its hind legs, and jumped onto it.

The little paws, with their nails trimmed, scratched the expensive leather a couple of times, found a comfortable spot, lay down, and began to slowly lick their paws.

Li Meng gasped as he watched this scene; his captain was a germaphobe.

He Zheng turned his head and glanced at it, his eyebrows twitching.

He stubbornly held back his words and turned to move the next box.

Shu Yao opened the floodgates to territorial expansion.

She rummaged through the cardboard box and pulled out several exquisite velvet cushions. Wine red and dark green, she casually tossed them onto the black leather sofa.

The cold leather instantly gained a soft warmth.

Then they pulled out a huge fringed knitted blanket and draped it over the cold armrest of the sofa.

Next to the lonely metal floor lamp in the corner, she directed Li Meng to place a large fiddle-leaf fig that had just been brought from the flower market.

The broad, thick green leaves, brimming with vitality, dispelled the lifelessness of the corner.

The most crucial element is the smell.

Shu Yao opened a beautiful pink gift box.

Take out a transparent, flameless aromatherapy glass bottle containing pale yellow plant essential oils.

She carefully inserted a few diffuser vines.

Walk to the black slab coffee table and place the aromatherapy diffuser neatly in the center.

A rich scent of tuberose spread through the air instantly, carried by the vines.

The taste is like a ripe fruit, carrying the delicate charm of a young girl and the allure of a woman.

It forcefully pushed out the originally cold atmosphere in the living room, along with He Zheng's stiff, straight-man aura.

The strong girlishness and the cold, hard style of the straight man create a strong visual impact.

Li Meng stood amidst a pile of pink suitcases, at a loss for what to do.

He was a rough man who spent more time in the dormitory than at home, and the dormitory was filled with the smell of men's sweat and feet.

Suddenly being immersed in such a strong woman's fragrance is too much for my nose.

"Achoo!"

Li Meng sneezed loudly and rubbed his red nose.

He looked at the velvet cushions on the sofa, then at the snow-white cashmere carpet on the floor.

It looks so hot to the touch.

"Captain." Li Meng carefully took two steps back towards the door, afraid that the mud on his feet would dirty the delicate carpet.

"Well, all the big items are moved. I can't help with the small tasks of unpacking the boxes. The team has a cross-country driving test this afternoon, so I have to leave now."

He Zheng stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.

The short-sleeved shirt he was wearing was still dripping water, which pooled on the floor in a small puddle.

He didn't stop her and nodded.

"Go back now, drive carefully on the way."

"Alright! Sister-in-law, I'm off then!" Li Meng waved to Shu Yao, feeling like he'd been granted a pardon, pushed open the security door, and ran away as if his life depended on it.

The door slammed shut.

The living room fell completely silent.

Only the pattering autumn rain outside the window, hitting the glass and leaving streaks of water, could be heard.

Shu Yao walked barefoot on the cashmere carpet.

She looked around at her masterpiece.

A burgundy throw pillow sits on the black leather sofa, and aromatherapy diffusers sit on the coffee table. Lace curtains hang by the window.

Although more than a dozen large boxes were still piled on the ground and hadn't been unpacked, this cold and impersonal showroom finally felt alive.

Moreover, it was her scent.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

She turned her head and looked at He Zheng.