Because they were looking at their phones, the two people's shoulders were almost touching. The woman had a peach blossom-like face, her exposed skin was rosy and tender, and there was a hint of spring in her eyes and brows, making anyone think wildly.

Shen Wanci only glanced at them, and without waiting for Bo Jingzhou to speak, she turned and left.

The man hurriedly furrowed his brows and followed after her, "Wan Wan, just hear me out..."

The two of them walked away one after the other. Xie Chuyi's stiff back slowly relaxed, her handbag was squeezed into a strange shape by her hand. She trembled and raised her phone, taking several photos towards a certain place in the ballroom before finally stepping inside.

Bo Jingzhou chased after Shen Wanci all the way to her room on the second floor, "Wanwan..."

Shen Wanci turned around following his pull, her face devoid of any anger. “What did she say to you?”

About Xie Chuyi and the seemingly deliberate act of saving her life, Bo Jingzhou told her everything that night before leaving for Italy.

A man pulled her into his arms, leaning his head against her shoulder, and repeated what he had just heard between her and Xie Chuyi. She listened with a frown, especially when she heard the phrase 'the other party wants to drive a wedge between her and Bo Jingzhou'. She found it ridiculous, what on earth was the point?

Could that person be a suitor of hers or Bo Jingzhou's, who couldn't stand seeing them so happily together?

Shen Wanci was lost in thought and blurted out her inner thoughts unintentionally. Bo Jingzhou knew why, but he couldn't say it. He held the back of her head with his hand, inhaling the familiar scent from her hair, and gradually felt a flutter in his heart.

He turned his head, just about to kiss her, when Shen Wanci pushed him away without mercy, "Get to the point, be serious, don't..."

She hesitated for a moment, then rephrased it more politely: "Don't just rush up... Do you believe what she said?"

"Whether it's true or not, we'll have to wait and see," Bo Jingzhou's face turned serious when he brought up the topic. "I'll handle this matter myself. You don't need to worry about it, and stay away from her. Whether she's truly on my side or pretending, she's not an easy person to deal with. I'm telling you all this not to ask you to investigate her, just so you won't misunderstand."

For example, tonight…

If he hadn't told Shen Wanci about Xie Chiyi beforehand, Wanwan would definitely have misunderstood the scene on the balcony. Then, he estimated that he would be in the same situation as Gu Chenye, and whenever they got together, their conversations would have one more topic.

Shen Wanci: “……Mmm.”

But she felt Xie Chuyi definitely wouldn't let her stand idly by.

Seeing her agree, Bo Jingzhou's lips curled up in satisfaction. He didn't want to discuss these upsetting things anymore and reached out to hug her.

Shen Wanci raised her hand and pressed directly against his shoulder, frowning, her face full of suspicion as she asked, "What's wrong with you lately? You just start hitting people?"

Her meager strength stood no chance against Bo Jingzhou's, quickly being dispelled: "It's just that I suddenly felt... reluctant to let you go."

"I'm not going to fly away," she pushed him away, "Let go first. We've been up here long enough, if we don't go down soon, the guests will be wondering."

As the hostess of this banquet, she couldn't be absent for too long.

……”

Bo Jingzhou remained silent.

Shen Wanci waited for half a moment, but he didn't react.

A third of the man's weight was pressing down on her, half her body numbed. She couldn't help but push him with her hand: "Jingzhou?"

There was no response, but the hand on his own waist suddenly tightened, almost breaking her ribs.

"Ugh—"

She winced in pain.

Bo Jingzhou hastily relaxed his grip, but didn't let go of her. "I'm a little sleepy, just hold me for two more minutes then I'll go down."

His voice was unusually hoarse, and his words weren't very clear. If it weren't for the fact that they were close together, she would have hardly been able to hear what he was saying.

Thinking of how he had almost stayed up all night last night, Shen Wanci immediately softened her heart. She couldn't bear to push him away harshly, and the hand on his shoulder lost its strength.

In the quiet room, their heartbeats gradually mingled together, a powerful 'thump-thump' resonating against their eardrums.

Shen Wanci's hand landed on Bo Jingzhou's waist, and then she quickly realized something was wrong: "Jingzhou, are you cold? Why are you shaking?"

"...." The man seemed asleep until Shen Wanci couldn't help but start pushing him. He opened his mouth in a hoarse voice, "My legs are a bit numb, don't move, I can't stand steady."

Shen Wanci: "..."

After cuddling for a few more minutes, they finally straightened their clothes and went downstairs.

Xie Chuyi stood at the bottom of the stairs, pacing nervously back and forth. When she saw the two people coming down, she forced a smile that was worse than crying: “Miss Shen, what just happened was a misunderstanding. I had a little too much to drink and wanted some fresh air. I just happened to bump into Mr. Bo smoking there.”

"Yes, Jingzhou has already explained to me. I'm sorry, Miss Xie. It was my fault for not being hospitable enough."

Xie Chu Yi stiffened her face: "Then I'll go back first."

Before Shen Wanci even reached her, she smelled the strong scent of alcohol on her. Her face was also flushed, clearly drunk: "I had the driver send you."

"No need, I can take a taxi..."

"As a girl, it's not safe to take a taxi this late at night, and this area is quite remote. It'll be a long way to find a cab."

Xie Chuyi nodded. "Then I'll trouble Miss Shen and Mr. Bo."

The Bo family lived quite far from her place. Even without traffic, it took about fifty minutes to drive there.

Back at her residence, Xie Chuyi's steps were already unsteady. She declined the driver's offer to escort her inside and walked into the apartment building on her own.

I inserted the key into the lock, just about to turn it, when I suddenly stopped.

Xie Chuyi's wine had worn off most of it, quickly pulling out her phone and turning on the flashlight to shine into the crack beside the lock.

She always tucked a strand of hair in the door crack every time she left, but now, the hair was gone.

Someone has been to her house.

This is the basement. There are no surveillance cameras or property management, and the residents are a mixed bag, so no one keeps anything valuable here. In short, even if someone gets robbed, it might not be serious enough to file a police report.

She opened the door and went in, first scanning the room's furnishings. It was just as it had been when she left, no difference at all.

Xie Chuyi lifted the mattress, and there was a small compartment on the bed frame. She reached in and took out what was inside.

Inside are all photos.

Hers, Bo Jingzhou's, Shen Wanci's, and even Jian Weining's.

Xie Chuyi flipped through those photos, making sure none were missing and the order was correct. She then tensed up and looked around her surroundings carefully.

The room in the basement was small, with no separate bathroom. It was a space you could take in at a glance, but she had so much stuff piled everywhere that what hadn't seemed like much before now felt like hiding places for someone.

She suddenly turned her head and shouted towards somewhere: "Who? Come out."