Did It Feel Good?

When Elena Shen finally awoke, her waist and legs aching, the morning sun had long climbed past the windowpane.

The moment she opened her eyes, vivid flashes of the night before—blistering, breathless, burning—flooded her mind like a tidal wave. She bit down on her lip, forcing those heated images deep beneath the surface.

Reaching out beneath the covers for her phone, she unlocked the screen and saw several missed calls.

All from Adrian Jiang.

She glanced at the timestamps—past midnight, around twelve-thirty.

She ignored them with a flick of her thumb and instead tapped into WeChat to check the day's messages.

Last night had been good, yes—but too good. The kind of good that lasted too long and left her feeling sore and exhausted, as if she'd been dragged through a storm. It was already half past nine. She assumed Ethan Jiang had left for work by now, so she didn't rush to get up.

Still curled up under the blanket like a boneless cat, she lazily chatted with Annie Gu over text.

That was until ten minutes later—when the bedroom door opened.

Startled, Elena turned her head toward the entrance.

Ethan stood there, very much not at work.

"You're not going to the office today?" she asked, blinking in surprise.

"Thought I'd spend a bit more time with Mrs. Jiang," he replied smoothly, shutting the door behind him. He walked over to the bed and stopped at the edge, reaching out to ruffle her hair with both hands—mimicking the way she often fussed over their cat.

His voice, deep and indulgent, was like warm bourbon pouring into the hollows of her ears.

"Mrs. Jiang," he murmured, "did it feel good last night?"

Instantly, Elena's earlobes flushed a deep crimson.

That warmth she'd worked so hard to suppress came roaring back, crawling up her neck and into her cheeks, even burning in her gaze.

Avoiding his eyes, she turned her head away and tried to inch downward, burrowing back under the covers like a snail—

Only, whether by accident or intention, his hand pressed right over the edge of the comforter. And with most of the blanket already wrapped around her body, there was no room to slide deeper. The remaining edge, now trapped beneath his palm, was her only hope—and he wasn't letting go.

"What's wrong?" he asked, clearly feigning innocence. "Didn't feel good?"

The teasing in his tone was unmistakable.

She could feel the heat blooming from her throat all the way down, as if she were burning alive from the inside out.

Unable to hide, she abandoned her phone and rolled to the side, wrapping herself tightly in the blanket as she turned her back to him—only to feel his hand press down again, this time against her lower back, through the covers.

"If it felt that good, Elena," his voice darkened, "then the once-a-week proposal—consider it void."

Elena: "…"

After returning to Huaihai City, Aurel Shen received an update from Jason Fang, who had assigned a team to reinvestigate the events from a decade ago.

Having reviewed the findings from his subordinates, Jason walked toward the executive office and knocked.

Aurel was on a call. Jason stood quietly to one side until he hung up.

When the line went dead, Jason stepped forward.

"Mr. Shen," he reported, "we've received the full reply regarding the case from ten years ago. But… the results are identical to before."

It had been a genuine accident.

They had investigated thoroughly—again.

And reached the same conclusion.

Behind the desk, Aurel's expression darkened.

He asked Jason for the full report.

Reading line by line, Aurel absorbed every detail. Jason thought that would be the end of it. But then Aurel spoke again.

"Run a background check on all the Shen family's side branches."

"…?" Jason blinked, thinking he'd misheard. He opened his mouth to say that they had already included the extended family in both previous investigations.

But before he could speak, Aurel added:

"Start with major financial transactions."

That clarified everything.

Jason nodded immediately. "Understood, Mr. Shen. I'll begin right away."

"Move fast."

"Yes, sir."

While Aurel was away on this business trip, Elena had anticipated a repeat of last time—where he'd randomly ask her about company operations as if testing her grasp of the business. Determined not to be caught unprepared, she had spent the entire week poring over every document and report he'd sent.

Just in case.

But to her surprise, after he returned, he didn't test her. Not a single question. He also didn't continue his campaign to pressure her into taking over the company.

The change was… unexpected.

Still, Elena didn't question it.

Especially not regarding the company. The last thing she wanted was to remind him and end up being dragged into the boardroom that same afternoon.

As winter approached, Huaihai City was blanketed in persistent drizzle.

Since November began, it had rained nearly every day.

On the third consecutive day of cold wind and rain, Elena sat in a quiet café near Huaihai University, stirring her coffee as she watched the misty rain blur the view outside.

Across from her, Annie Gu sat frowning at her phone, her fingers still.

Elena took a sip of coffee and asked, "What's wrong? Another forced marriage attempt?"

Annie didn't respond. She muted her phone and flipped it face-down on the table with a loud thud, as if banishing bad luck.

"It's not that. Do you remember Evan Cheng?"

Elena blinked. "You mean the guy who almost got linked to your family through a business marriage?"

Annie's frustration was written all over her face. "Yeah. No idea what's wrong with that guy lately. The whole engagement thing was scrapped ages ago. My dad agreed to cut ties with the Chengs. But Evan? He's acting like he's lost his damn mind. Keeps asking me out to dinner like nothing's changed."

She scowled. "Is it just that these spoiled rich boys don't understand rejection?"

Honestly, Annie had been tempted to block him entirely. But Evan was still the future heir of the Cheng family. Even if she had no intention of going along with her family's plans, she couldn't afford to sever ties that harshly and risk igniting a feud.

"Wait," Elena said slowly, glancing at Annie's phone, "is the Cheng family still interested in the alliance?"

"Looks like it," Annie muttered, resting her chin on the table.

Then she straightened, something occurring to her.

"Oh—right. There's a charity gala in two days, hosted by the Sheng and Li families. All the usual suspects will be there—Evan included, probably."

She looked at Elena. "Do you have plans that day? If not, come with me?"

Elena had heard of the event. A gold-embossed invitation had arrived a week ago. She hadn't planned to attend.

But hearing that Evan would be there, still pestering Annie?

She didn't hesitate.

"I'll come with you."

Outside the café, the clouds thickened, dimming the sky far earlier than expected. Rain drizzled on, soaking the streets in a silver haze.

As dusk approached, Ethan Jiang's black Pullman appeared outside the coffee shop, sleek and steady in the rain.