At that moment, the outdoor temperature had dropped to 10°C, and four hours had passed since Gu Nianyi sent her reply.
In an instant, a flood of questions surged through Gu Nianyi’s mind.
When had Lu Jin’an arrived?
How long had he been waiting?
Was he cold?
…
In the end, they all boiled down to one.
Why had he come?
Gu Nianyi stared fixedly at the man before her, blinking her eyes. It was no illusion, no mirage.
The man in the black cashmere coat raised his leg and walked slowly toward her. His steady footsteps carried a hint of urgency, each one landing like a beat on her heart.
Palpitations flooded her chest, her heartbeat accelerating wildly.
The broad shadow came to a stop right in front of her. Lu Jin’an took her hand and slipped it into his pocket.
His palm was warm, enveloping hers completely.
Gu Nianyi steadied her breathing, but she couldn’t pull free. She lifted her gaze and asked, “Dr. Lu, why are you here?”
Lu Jin’an tilted his head slightly, a lazy smile tugging at his lips. “To pick up my wife from work. All the other kids have gone home, but my little one is still waiting for me.”
How could he say something like that so casually, dropping words that invited all sorts of misunderstandings?
When he clearly didn’t like her.
“Oh, I’m a grown-up now. I can get home on my own.”
Gu Nianyi yanked her hand free with force and shoved it into her own pocket, where the lingering warmth of his touch remained.
Lu Jin’an extended his arm and pulled her shoulders into a firm embrace. “What if you get lost?”
Gu Nianyi turned her face away, offering no reply.
Beneath the inky night sky, the ground was damp, the surroundings silent, the trees still.
The north wind had ceased its howling.
Then Lu Jin’an said, “I didn’t drive. It’s so cold. Give me a hug.”
So he’d been waiting outside.
Was this his way of playing the pity card?
Gu Nianyi steadied her breath. “What time did you get here? Have you been waiting the whole time…?”
Whenever she faced Lu Jin’an, she never knew how to respond.
He always led her along.
She had taken the initiative before, and the outcome had been predictable: total defeat.
Afraid she might slip away again, Lu Jin’an tightened his hold. “I came as soon as I got your message.”
So that meant four hours of waiting. Was he trying to show off?
Silence fell once more between them. They walked side by side to the parking lot in the courtyard. Gu Nianyi pressed the unlock button on her key fob and reached for the car door.
From behind her, Lu Jin’an slammed it shut with a bang.
The man wrapped her in his arms, resting his firm jaw on her shoulder.
She had nowhere to retreat, nowhere to hide.
Every inch of space around Gu Nianyi was filled with his intense presence, surrounding her, enveloping her, drawing her under.
She turned her head away, deliberately avoiding his gaze.
Lu Jin’an pursued her eyes, his dark-as-night gaze locking onto hers. In a low voice, he said, “I don’t know what happened. But if you’re unhappy, it must be my fault.”
“It has to be something I did wrong that made you feel this way.”
“I’m sorry, Yi Yi.”
Yi Yi? What was that supposed to be?
“Don’t do this, Dr. Lu.”
Gu Nianyi’s earlobes flushed red. She pushed against his lean frame. In just a few minutes, she knew she’d surrender again.
Lu Jin’an caught her hand and cradled it in his palm, gripping it tightly this time, giving her no chance to escape.
“You’re still mad at me. You won’t even look at me.”
Her eyes darted everywhere but at him.
The tone she used for “Dr. Lu” said it all—he could hear it clearly.
He put every ounce of strength into his arm. Gu Nianyi tried reasoning with him. “Let’s just go home first. What if someone sees us? It won’t look good.”
It was deep into the night now, and the Meteorological Bureau was mostly deserted, but a few people were still around.
Lu Jin’an leaned close to her ear, his voice cool and emphatic. “There’s nothing wrong with it. We’re legally married.”
Then his tone softened. “Don’t push me away, wife.”
But you’re the one who pushed me away first. Gu Nianyi sniffled, her eyes growing hot and prickly without warning.
He wouldn’t listen to a word she said.
Gu Nianyi stood in silent confrontation with him as the evening breeze stirred. A tear slipped from the corner of her eye.
She reached to wipe it away.
But Lu Jin’an was faster, kissing it from her cheek. “When you ignore me like this, it worries me.”
The more he kissed, the faster her tears flowed.
Gu Nianyi’s hands had grown ice-cold again. The pent-up sorrow shook her slightly in his arms.
The man let out a low sigh. Why was he pushing her so hard?
He talked himself down.
“I’ll drive.”
Lu Jin’an took the keys from her hand and lifted her into the passenger seat. “Let’s go home.”
Gu Nianyi rested her head against the car window, facing outward, not looking at Lu Jin’an. But his profile was reflected in the glass.
He had come to pick her up tonight, waited four hours for her. Like a dam in a flood, her first line of defense had crumbled.
She couldn’t voice the reasons for her anger and sadness.
But she was afraid—afraid of repeating the same mistakes.
Looking back now, the things she’d done back then felt like they’d been done by someone possessed.
After their tussle in the parking lot, it was nearly midnight by the time they got home.
Gu Nianyi spoke very little at home, limiting herself to the bare necessities, as if they were back to the early days of their marriage.
She maintained a polite, courteous distance from Lu Jin’an.
“Thank you, Dr. Lu.” “Sorry for the trouble.” “I can handle it myself.” Gu Nianyi’s reliable stock phrases.
Lu Jin’an felt utterly uncomfortable, but he had no idea why. She wouldn’t tell him.
Things had been fine before, and then suddenly, this.
He didn’t want to pressure her too much, yet she was drifting further away.
Shen Lingyun ran into Gu Nianyi at the entrance to the Meteorological Bureau. “What’s going on with your Dr. Lu lately?”
For two days straight, Shen Lingyun had seen Lu Jin’an every morning.
Gu Nianyi shook her head flatly. “No idea. Maybe he’s just bored.”
She had explicitly told him she didn’t need rides, but Lu Jin’an insisted anyway.
There were other colleagues on the way. Shen Lingyun lowered her voice. “Someone took a photo of you and Dr. Lu in the parking lot the other day. Don’t pay any attention to the nonsense they’re spreading.”
The office had its share of older folks with nothing better to do, passing the time with gossip.
Shen Lingyun had seen the photo—it wasn’t high-res, so the details were blurry, but you could vaguely make out it was Gu Nianyi.
They said she was kissing in the parking lot, that she’d slept her way up, that she only looked pure—how else could she marry into wealth and snag even Director Cheng?
The rumors snowballed into pure chaos.
Gu Nianyi gave a faint smile. “Got it. Thanks.”
She didn’t even have to seek them out; she’d overhear snippets while grabbing lunch outside.
“She doesn’t look the type.”
“You can’t judge a book by its cover.”
“An unloved wife from a wealthy family, putting on a show now and then. If she were really valued, why would she be working here?”
Shen Lingyun fumed. “Those guys have such loose lips. They’re just jealous you beat them in the quarterly awards. I’ll go set them straight.”
Gu Nianyi held her back, unconcerned. “No need. No overlap with them—it’s not worth it.”
No names mentioned; you couldn’t sue for defamation.
Reputation was just a bogeyman anyway.
Shen Lingyun tried to comfort her. “Yi Yi, don’t let it get to you. It’ll blow over in a few days.”
Gu Nianyi patted her arm and mustered a smile. “Thanks, but I’m fine. Their mouths, their business.”
She had steeled herself for this kind of talk the moment she chose to marry Lu Jin’an.
Her gentle features showed no ripple of disturbance, calm as a windless sea—as if the words were about someone else.
Shen Lingyun gazed at her. When would she ever cultivate that kind of composure? Probably never in this lifetime.
Ten minutes before the end of the workday, Lu Jin’an texted her, right on schedule to pick her up again.
The man stood waiting outside the car. When she opened the passenger door, he thoughtfully closed it for her.
Gu Nianyi settled into the seat and gripped her seatbelt tightly. “Dr. Lu, could you stop coming? It’s causing a bad impression.”
A bad impression? What kind of bad impression?
Lu Jin’an’s fingers drummed on the steering wheel. He let out a scoff. “We’re legally married.”
Just legally married, that’s all.
Gu Nianyi rolled down the window, letting the cold wind rush in. She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and glanced faintly out at the passing scenery. “I don’t want you to come.”
Lu Jin’an propped his elbow on the seatback, his deep eyes fixed on the back of her head. “Why?”
Gu Nianyi replied simply, “No need. Home’s not far.”
She refused to look at him or talk to him, and now she was minimizing their time together.
When unhappy, she retreated into her shell.
Those close to her could spot her mood from a mile away, but they couldn’t reach her.
Early on the third morning, Shen Lingyun excitedly told Gu Nianyi, “Yi Yi, those two guys who badmouthed you got fired. Slacking off, tardiness, faking expense reports—the dead weight’s gone.”
Gu Nianyi’s fine brows furrowed. “Who did it?”
That was fast. And too convenient. Surely not Lu Jin’an?
Shen Lingyun shook her head. “No clue.”
She’d asked around, but got nothing.
At the same moment in South City People’s Hospital, Xie Yunting had come to find Lu Jin’an.
He was riding high lately. The closer it got to his wedding registration day, the less he slept—and the more he wanted to show off.
“Were you nervous before you got your certificate?”
Then he teased, “Oh, right, you’re different. You went straight from surgery to the Civil Affairs Bureau. You were probably nervous—you hadn’t even met the girl.”
What went around came around; now it was Xie Yunting’s turn to rib him.
Lu Jin’an lifted his eyelids. “I had.”
By a sunlit window on a blazing summer day.
He turned the question to Xie Yunting. “Will Ming Yue get mad at you and ignore you?”
In matters of the heart, Xie Yunting had far more experience than him.
Xie Yunting said helplessly, “Way more than you can imagine.”
“And how do you usually coax her?” Lu Jin’an asked.
Xie Yunting lowered his gaze in thought. “Not suitable for you.”
Ming Yue refused all the gifts he sent her—jewelry, clothes, bags. He could only coax her with his body.
If he served her well in bed, her anger would naturally fade away.
Lu Jin’an shot him a glance. “Be serious.”
Xie Yunting offered him some advice. “Buy flowers, jewelry, things she likes. Be sincere about it. Most importantly, figure out why she’s mad in the first place. Otherwise, it’s all for nothing.”
Coaxing women was equally tricky for all men.
Lu Jin’an wondered where he could even find out why Gu Nianyi was upset.
Xie Yunting buttoned up his suit jacket and grinned smugly. “I’m off. Going to pick up my wife.”
Lu Jin’an side-eyed him. “President Xie, being that lovesick isn’t healthy.”
“Dr. Lu, watch out—you might eat those words someday.”
Xie Yunting waved over his shoulder as he walked away.
Winter days were short, the nights long. The sun had set early.
As usual, Lu Jin’an went to pick Gu Nianyi up from work.
She had given up trying to convince him not to, and she spoke a bit more now, but she still wouldn’t initiate conversations with him.
Gu Nianyi was lying on her side against the seatback. Ming Yue had sent her several photos—some for their marriage certificate, others more casual portraits.
They flooded her screen.
【Yi Yi baby.】
Even through the network, Gu Nianyi could feel her friend’s joy.
【My treasure looks so good, waaah.】
Gu Nianyi scrolled up, browsing photo by photo. She understood now what it felt like to marry off a daughter.
She was terribly reluctant, convinced no one was good enough for her friend.
Lu Jin’an glanced at Gu Nianyi with the corner of his eye.
She was chatting with her friend, her brows curved in delight, the corners of her lips lifted in a faint smile.
She was so happy—except when it came to him. With him, she had nothing to say.
One by one, the streetlights kindled the night. They turned from the lit roads into the starlit underground garage of Cypress View Pavilion.
The car came to a stop.
Gu Nianyi couldn’t open the passenger door. She turned and found herself falling into a pair of deep, dark eyes.
It had been nearly a week. Their communication had been limited to things like “I’ve eaten,” “I’m going to bed,” and “I’m heading out.”
Lu Jin’an grasped Gu Nianyi’s wrist and pulled her into his arms, trapping her there.
He cradled the back of her neck and kissed her lips directly.
It was sudden, without warning. Gu Nianyi’s heart skipped half a beat.
He had held back long enough. She didn’t want to talk to him, so he waited for her to open up.
But how much longer?
It had already been almost a week.
With that thought, Lu Jin’an deepened the kiss.
Across the center console, he held her tight, kissing her fiercely.
Today’s kiss was domineering, aggressive—as if he wanted to meld her into his very bones.
Gu Nianyi pressed her palm against his chest, but the difference in their strength was too great. Her other wrist was caught as well.
His breathing grew heavier. The suction on her lips was forceful and savage, making the root of her tongue ache.
She didn’t like him. She didn’t want any intimate contact with him.
So why was he kissing her?
Gu Nianyi drowned in an ocean of bitter citrus. With a surge of resolve, she bit down hard on Lu Jin’an’s lip.
The metallic tang of blood filled the enclosed space instantly.
“You’re ruthless, Gu Nianyi,” Lu Jin’an said.
He hadn’t expected her to actually bite—and to break the skin right away. How much force had she used?
“You’re the one acting like a thug,” Gu Nianyi gasped, her chest heaving. In the dim underground lighting, she saw tiny beads of blood at the corner of Lu Jin’an’s mouth.
Lu Jin’an’s lips curved up. “I’m kissing my wife.”
Gu Nianyi turned her face away. “Who says I’m your wife?”
“You are. Gu Nianyi.”
Lu Jin’an pressed his forehead to hers. This time, the kiss was gentle, a soft grind against her lips.
He softened his voice. “If you don’t want to talk, I won’t force you. But if you’re going to sentence me to death, at least give me a reason. Let me die knowing why.”
Gu Nianyi’s emotions had already erupted moments ago. A cold war wasn’t the way to solve things. She hesitated for a few seconds. “I can’t say it out loud.”
It meant reopening old wounds, reliving that dark history.
Lu Jin’an guessed. “Is it because of the pajamas?”
He had reviewed the timeline of her attitude shift and pinpointed the issue.
Gu Nianyi’s face burned. She cut him off before he could go on. “Lu Jin’an.”
It was rare for her to use his full name. Lu Jin’an smiled and responded, “Yeah?”
Gu Nianyi punched him hard. “I hate you.”
“Yeah, I know,” Lu Jin’an said, letting her vent. “Hate me forever, then. What are we going to do about it?”
“Not necessarily,” Gu Nianyi muttered under her breath.
The two of them held hands as they went upstairs.
Gu Nianyi slipped on her slippers and spotted something on the dining table from afar.
“What’s this?”
There was an eternal flower gift box on the table, shaped like Esther—adorably cute.
Beside it sat a row of gemstones. Gu Nianyi picked one up and saw it was an Esther.
And right in the middle was Nian Gao.
Lu Jin’an came up behind her. “Apology gifts.”
Apologies made with top-grade jewelry, carved into little cat shapes instead of necklaces or rings.
Gu Nianyi put on a stern face and lectured Lu Jin’an. “Dr. Lu, you’re wasting money. This won’t hold its value like this.”
Lu Jin’an raised a brow. “As long as my wife likes it.”
He was so annoying lately, calling her “wife” at every turn.
She had to admit, though—she loved it.
Beneath the dazzling chandelier, Gu Nianyi took the initiative and kissed the wound at the corner of Lu Jin’an’s mouth, deliberately licking it. “I love it.”
The man scooped her up. Gu Nianyi smiled lightly. “It’s that time of the month.”